JP2007271154A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of keeping food in a supercooling state. <P>SOLUTION: A cold air circulation space is formed around a storage space 26, a cover member 27 is mounted in a storage compartment 4 so that it stays in the storage chamber 4 even when a door 9 is opened, a rear end portion of the cover member 27 extends to a rear part with respect to a rear end of a container member 28, and the cover member has a hanging portion 27a extending downward at a depth side with respect to the rear end of the container member 25. The container member 25 comprises a flange portion 25b' at an end portion of the rear part, has a hanging portion 25a' extending downward from the flange portion 25b', a communication passage 26a communicating the inside and outside of the space 26 is formed at a rear end of the container member 25, and a bent portion 26a' is formed on the communication passage 26a. Further this refrigerator comprises a damper device 41, a heater 43, a temperature sensor 30, a temperature adjusting portion 44 capable of setting a temperature in the storage compartment 4 within a range of -1°C to -5°C, and a control device 40 for controlling the damper device 41 and the heater 43 on the basis of a temperature adjustment value and a sensor detection value, and a fluctuation range of a temperature in the space 26 is within ±1°C. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  It is known that when water is cooled gently, the temperature falls below 0 ° C. while maintaining the liquid state. Such water at a temperature below freezing point is referred to as “supercooled” or “supercooled water”. This supercooled state is said to be in a metastable state, and when an external impact is applied, the supercooled state is released and solidifies. In other words, below the freezing point, the solid state is shifted to a more stable state. There is a report that pure water can be cooled while maintaining the liquid state up to -40 ° C. (see Non-Patent Document 1).

  Therefore, as long as the conditions are met, water stored in a drinking water container such as a plastic bottle can be stored at a temperature of 0 ° C. or less without freezing. However, when trying to freeze and store drinking water or foods other than drinking water using a commercially available refrigerator-freezer, it is often experienced that freezing starts at 0 ° C. or below.

  In a refrigerator-freezer, during cryopreservation, ice crystals produced when food cells freeze are passed quickly through a temperature zone where the crystals tend to be enlarged, thereby suppressing cell destruction and preventing drip outflow. For example, in Patent Document 1, the freezing rate when passing through the maximum ice crystal formation zone until the center speed of the food reaches 0 ° C. to −5 ° C. is set to 0.1 ° C./min or more.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a supercooling control refrigerator that can store food in supercooling. In this example, normally, the set temperature in the refrigerator is operated in a refrigeration temperature range equal to or higher than the freezing point of the cold insulation product, and the supercooling operation is temporarily performed at a temperature set value below the freezing point of the cold insulation product.

  Patent Document 3 states that when a food is stressed in an unfrozen state in a low temperature zone of 0 ° C. or lower, the taste as a food is improved and the taste is enhanced.

JP 2005-198553 A JP 2001-4260 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-115952 Proceedings of the 14th Japan Heat Transfer Symposium (1977-5.6)

  Cooling in a temperature range lower than 0 ° C. is actually performed not only in the above-mentioned documents but also in a freezer compartment of a household refrigerator. When storing various foods such as fresh food and drinking water in a supercooled state, a method for cooling the food becomes an issue. In Patent Document 1, drip spillage is prevented by quickly passing through the maximum ice crystal formation zone, but with such a cooling method, food cannot be stored in a supercooled state.

  Although the supercooling control refrigerator is shown by patent document 2, the structure and cooling method (control etc.) for implement | achieving a supercooling state concretely are not shown. Patent Document 3 discloses a method for improving the taste of foods in various foods, but does not show a configuration or a cooling method for storing in a supercooled state.

  If food can be stored in a supercooled state, the following effects are expected. In other words, when water in food freezes, in order to prevent ice crystals from destroying cells and degrading proteins, enzymes are secreted from the body of the food as it approaches the freezing point, and it is intended to prevent freezing. To do. This enzyme is said to ripen agricultural and livestock products and increase umami and sweetness. In addition, when drinking water stored in a supercooled state is poured into a glass or the like, it can be instantly frozen by impact when poured and enjoy a beverage in a sherbet shape.

  However, in an actual refrigerator, food cannot be stored in a supercooled state. In order to store food in a supercooled state, it is necessary to set the room temperature at least in the freezing temperature range (temperature range lower than 0 ° C.). Therefore, the food needs to be stored in a freezing room (or chilled room).

  A general freezer compartment has a room temperature of −18 ° C. or lower for preservation of frozen food. When food is stored in the freezer compartment, the food is actually not frozen but frozen. Other refrigerators, such as weak freezer rooms, that can keep the room in a freezing temperature range higher than −18 ° C. are known, but are not intended to store food in a supercooled state, but actually do so. However, food cannot be stored in a supercooled state.

  As a result of examining this cause, it was found that the cold air discharged into the freezer compartment (or the weak freezer compartment) was affected. For example, even if the room temperature of the freezer compartment (or the weak freezer compartment) is set to, for example, around −18 ° C., the freezer compartment temperature is set to the set temperature (−18 by the cold air discharged from the cold air outlet provided in these freezer compartments. It has been found that a maximum temperature difference of about 5 ° C. occurs between the portion that is exposed to cold air and the portion that is not.

  That is, the temperature of the food directly touching the temperature of the cold air blown out from the cold air discharge port (for example, −23 ° C.) is approximately −23 ° C., and the temperature of the food that is not exposed to the cold is −18 ° C. .

  For this reason, even inside the frozen food or drinking water, a temperature difference occurs between a portion that is exposed to cold air and a portion that does not contact it, thereby generating convection. Therefore, even if food or drinking water is locally supercooled, it is considered that the supercooled state is immediately released and the state changes to freezing.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at providing the refrigerator which can hold | maintain a foodstuff in a supercooled state.

  In order to achieve the above object, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a storage room that cools food stored in a space at a temperature lower than 0 ° C, and the temperature in the space is between -1 ° C and -5 ° C. The temperature is controlled so that the variation range of the temperature in the space is within ± 1 ° C. as a difference from the set temperature.

  Moreover, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a storage room for cooling food stored in the space at a temperature lower than 0 ° C., and the temperature in the space is set to a set temperature between −1 ° C. and −5 ° C. The cooling rate to the set temperature was set to 0.17 to 0.05 ° C./min. In cooling, the temperature in the space is stabilized in the range of 3 ° C. to 0 ° C. and then cooled to the set temperature.

Furthermore, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a storage room for cooling food stored in the space at a temperature lower than 0 ° C.,
An openable / closable door that closes the front opening of the storage chamber; a container member that is disposed in the storage chamber and serves as a space for storing food; a cover member that covers an opening on the upper surface of the container member; and the cover A cold air outlet that discharges cold air above the member, and a cold air circulation space through which the cold air discharged from the cold air outlet flows around the space in the storage chamber,
The container member is pulled out together with the door, and the cover member is attached in the storage chamber and remains in the storage chamber even when the door is opened.
The cover member has a hanging portion that extends further rearward than the rear end of the container member, extends downward from the rear end of the container member, and the container member is at the rear end. A flange portion, having a hanging portion extending downward from the flange portion, a rear end of the container member is configured with a communication path communicating between the space and the cold air circulation space;
The communication path has a bent portion.

Further, a more preferable specific configuration example is as follows.
(1) The said container member and the said cover member were equipped with the heat insulation layer.
(2) A metal plate is provided on the outer surface of the container member and the cover member.
(3) The cover member is provided with a protrusion extending upward, and the protrusion is positioned on the front projection surface of the opening of the cold air discharge port.
(4) The container member has a flange portion at a front end thereof, and includes a protrusion portion extending upward from the flange portion, and the protrusion portion provided on the cover member is higher than the protrusion portion provided on the container member. did.
(5) A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the supercooling chamber is installed in the cover member.
(6) A frame member that is attached to the door and holds the container member is provided, and an absorbent material is provided between the frame member and the container member.

And the refrigerator of this invention is equipped with the storage room which cools the food preserve | saved in space at the temperature lower than 0 degreeC,
An openable / closable door that closes the front opening of the storage chamber; a container member that is disposed in the storage chamber and serves as a space for storing food; a cover member that covers an opening on the upper surface of the container member; and the cover A cold air outlet that discharges cold air above the member, and a cold air circulation space through which the cold air discharged from the cold air outlet flows around the space in the storage chamber,
The container member is pulled out together with the door, and the cover member is attached in the storage chamber and remains in the storage chamber even when the door is opened.
The cover member has a hanging portion that extends further rearward than the rear end of the container member, extends downward from the rear end of the container member, and the container member is at the rear end. A flange portion, having a hanging portion extending downward from the flange portion, a rear end of the container member is configured with a communication path communicating between the space and the cold air circulation space;
The communication path has a bent portion,
A damper device for controlling the cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port, a heater provided in the storage chamber, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the space, and a temperature in the storage chamber of −1 ° C. to −5 ° C. A temperature control unit that can be set within the range, and a control device that controls the damper device and the heater based on a set value in the temperature control unit and a detection value of the temperature sensor,
The control device controls the temperature in the space so that the temperature fluctuation range of the set temperature is within ± 1 ° C.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the refrigerator which can hold | maintain a foodstuff in a supercooled state can be provided.

  Conventional commercial household refrigerators are not intended to be stored in a supercooled state, and cannot store food in a supercooled state. Therefore, it was not possible to expect the effect that the umami component is enhanced by the preservation of food. The present embodiment shows a configuration and control for storing food in a supercooled state.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view in which the door of the refrigerator of the present embodiment is omitted (the door is shown with reference numerals in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3). A refrigerator compartment 2 is defined at the top of the refrigerator body 1 and a vegetable compartment 6 is defined at the bottom. These refrigerator compartment 2 and vegetable compartment 6 are storage compartments in a refrigerator temperature zone.

  Between the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 6, storage chambers 3 to 5 that are insulated from these two compartments are disposed. These storage rooms are storage rooms in a freezing temperature zone of 0 ° C. or lower, and an ice making room 3 is arranged on the upper left side, and a supercooling room 4 is arranged on the right side. A freezing chamber 5 is disposed below the ice making chamber 3 and the supercooling chamber 4 disposed on the left and right. In the present specification, the supercooling chamber is referred to as a storage chamber capable of realizing a supercooled state.

  The uppermost refrigerator compartment 2 is closed by a rotary refrigerator compartment door 7. The revolving door may be a double door with double doors, or may be a single door that is closed by a single door. The ice making room 3, the freezing room 5, and the vegetable room 6 are closed by a drawer-type door, and the container in the storage room is pulled out together with the drawer door.

  An ice storage container 13 is provided in the ice making chamber 3, and an ice making tray (not shown) is disposed above the ice storage container 13. The water supplied from the water supply tank in the refrigerator compartment 2 to the ice tray is frozen in the ice compartment 3. The ice frozen in the ice tray 3 is twisted to release the ice, and falls into the ice storage container 13 placed on the lower side. By pulling out the door 8 of the ice making chamber 3, the ice storage container 13 is pulled out, and the ice can be taken out.

  A supercooling chamber 4 is disposed on the right side of the ice making chamber 3. The supercooling chamber 4 is a storage chamber that cools food stored in the space at a temperature lower than 0 ° C., and includes a supercooling container 24 as a storage chamber that can cool the food to a supercooled state. The supercooling container 24 may be configured to be closed by a drawer type door or may be configured to be closed by a rotary type door.

  When the supercooling chamber door 9 is a drawer-type door, it is desirable that the supercooling container 24 be pulled out together with the supercooling chamber door 9 when the door is pulled out. In the case of a revolving door, the supercooling container 24 may be pulled out when the revolving door is pulled out, or the supercooling container 24 may be pulled out separately after the revolving door is opened.

  In the freezer compartment 5, freezer compartment containers 14 to 16 are provided. When the freezer compartment door 10 is pulled out, all or a part of these containers 14 to 16 are withdrawn together with the freezer compartment door 10, and food can be stored or taken out. In the freezer compartment container of the present embodiment, the bottom container 14 is the deepest, the middle container 15 and the top container 16 are the shallowest containers. It is easy to organize.

  The vegetable compartment 6 is also provided with a plurality of containers, and the container is pulled out when the vegetable compartment door 11 is pulled out. In addition, a compressor 21 constituting a refrigeration cycle is disposed behind the vegetable compartment 6.

  The ice making room 3, the supercooling room 4, and the freezing room 5 sandwiched between the refrigerator room 2 and the vegetable room 6 are all storage rooms in a freezing temperature zone in which a temperature of 0 ° C. or lower is maintained. As will be described later, the cooling chamber 4 may be configured to have a refrigeration temperature zone of 0 ° C. or higher depending on the set temperature.

  Next, the structure for cooling the storage room (the ice making room 3, the supercooling room 4, and the freezing room 5) in the freezing temperature zone will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG.

  A cooler chamber 17 is disposed behind the storage chamber in the freezing temperature zone. In the cooler chamber 17, an evaporator 18 that constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with the compressor 21 is installed, and a blower fan 20 is provided above the evaporator. The cold air cooled by the evaporator 18 is sent by the blower fan 20 to the storage rooms of the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making compartment 3, the supercooling compartment 4, the freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6. More specifically, a part of the cold air sent by the blower fan 20 is sent to the refrigerating room 2 and the storage room in the refrigeration temperature zone of the vegetable room 6 via the openable / closable damper device 19, and the other part is made of ice. It is sent to the storage room in the freezing temperature zone of the chamber 3 and the freezing room 5. The opening and closing of the damper device 19 is controlled by a control device (not shown), and is opened when it is necessary to supply cold air to the storage room in the refrigerated temperature zone. The cold air supply to the supercooling chamber 4 will be described later.

  The cool air sent from the evaporator 18 to the ice making chamber 3 by the blower fan 20 cools water stored in an ice making tray (not shown) to make ice. Then, it is sent to the freezer compartment 5 below. The partition member 22 located on the back surface of the freezer compartment 5 is provided with a cold air discharge port, and the cold air from the blower fan 20 is discharged into the freezer chamber 5 from the cold air discharge port. The cold air that has been sent to the freezer compartment 5 and has cooled the interior is returned to the cooler compartment 17 from a cold air return passage (not shown). The partition member 22 partitions the freezer compartment 5 and the cooler compartment 17 and constitutes the back surface of the freezer compartment 5.

  The cold air sent from the evaporator 18 to the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 6 by the blower fan 20 is returned to the cooler compartment 17 through a cold air return passage (not shown) after cooling the refrigerator compartment 2 and the vegetable compartment 6. Thus, the refrigerator of the present embodiment has a cold air circulation structure, and maintains each storage room at an appropriate temperature.

  Next, the supercooling chamber 4 will be described with reference to FIG. A supercooling container 24 is arranged in the supercooling chamber 4. The supercooling container 24 includes a container member 25 and a cover member 27, and is configured so that cold air does not directly flow into the storage space 26 in the supercooling container 24. The member constituting the back surface of the supercooling chamber 4 is provided with a cold air discharge port 28, and the cold air from the evaporator 18 is blown out from the cold air discharge port 28. A damper device 41 for controlling the flow of cold air to the supercooling chamber 4 is provided on the upstream side of the cold air discharge port 28. The opening and closing of the damper device 41 is controlled by a control device (not shown), and the amount of cold air supplied to the supercooling chamber 4 is controlled.

  Further, a heater 43 is provided to increase the temperature in the storage space 26. The heater 43 is provided on the lower projection surface of the supercooling container 24. In this embodiment, the heater 43 has a surface area approximately the same as the bottom surface of the supercooling container 24. Since the cold air discharge port 28 is provided on the back surface of the supercooling chamber 4, the temperature in the storage space 26 tends to be lower on the back side than on the near side. Therefore, the heater 43 of the present embodiment is configured such that the heater linear density is sparse on the front side and dense on the back side.

  Further, the cool air discharge port 28 is opened above the cover member 27, and the cool air discharged to the supercooling chamber 4 is guided to the front through the cover member 27, while being directed downward from the side surface and the front surface. And flow. Then, the air is returned to the cooler chamber 17 through a cold air return passage (not shown) while cooling the periphery of the supercooling vessel 24.

  In other words, the supercooling chamber 4 is an indirect cooling room in the freezing temperature zone, and the beverage stored in the supercooling chamber 4 can be stored in a supercooled state by this configuration. This is because when cold air is directly sprayed on the beverage, the portion that is exposed to the cold air is most easily cooled, and freezing starts from that portion. In this example, the supercooling chamber 4 is an indirect cooling room in the refrigeration temperature zone so that partial cooling does not occur as much as possible. This makes it possible to preserve food while maintaining a supercooled state. Moreover, since the temperature zone for maintaining the supercooled state of the supercooling chamber 4 is different from that of other freezing chambers, the ice making chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 5 and the refrigerator compartment 2 are partitioned by a heat insulating wall. , As an independent storage room.

  Next, the maintenance and release of the supercooled state will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a temperature change when the phase changes from water to ice. As the water cools, the temperature changes as shown by the curve. The water starts freezing at 0 ° C., and in the phase change process, it keeps at 0 ° C. until the freezing is completed. When the freezing is completed, the temperature decreases according to the ambient temperature. The phase change process is a process of depriving energy for ice formation, and maintains a substantially constant temperature while the phase change is in progress. Although this phenomenon is well known, a supercooling region exists as a preceding stage to reach this phase change process (region A).

  That is, when water is cooled and falls below 0 ° C., a phase change does not occur immediately, but there is a region that maintains a liquid state even at a temperature lower than 0 ° C. When the metastable state of the supercooled water is released, a part is immediately frozen and a phase change at the freezing temperature (0 ° C.) starts. This principle is explained as follows.

  FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing a cluster of water molecules in a supercooled state. In the supercooled state, a plurality of water molecules gather to form a cluster. Water molecule clusters tend to grow as the temperature decreases and gradually approach the ice crystal structure. And if a water molecule cluster grows so that a critical radius is exceeded, it will become an ice nucleus. When ice nuclei are formed, freezing proceeds in a chain and reaches a completely frozen state through a phase change process.

  In the supercooled state, the water molecule clusters maintain fluidity, so the supercooled water maintains the liquid state. When the supercooled state is released, a low negative temperature is used to produce ice crystals, and the temperature immediately rises to the freezing temperature.

  Reasons for canceling the supercooled state are (1) that the water molecule cluster grows to a degree exceeding the critical radius due to the temperature drop, and (2) the presence of impurities as nuclei for generating ice nuclei, Alternatively, (3) water molecule clusters collide in a chain due to external impact. Therefore, these three points must be considered in order to store the beverage in a supercooled state.

  As described above, the supercooling chamber 4 of the present embodiment is indirect cooling at the freezing temperature. When cold air is directly blown onto the storage items in the storage space 26, the temperature of the portion to which the cold air hits decreases, and ice nuclei are formed in the portion. At this time, freezing starts and the supercooled state cannot be maintained. Therefore, in order to satisfy the above condition (1), an indirect cooling structure with a freezing temperature is adopted.

  Regarding the above (2), considering the fact that it is difficult to obtain pure water and that beverages that are actually stored are purchased by the user, etc. It was decided to set. Control for maintaining the supercooled state will be described later. As for (3), the supercooling container 24 is provided with a cover member 27 that covers the opening above the container member 25, or has a structure that is less susceptible to external impact, such as an absorbent member 50 described later.

  The supercooling chamber 4 employs a structure capable of storing food in a supercooled state, but when an external impact is applied to the refrigerator body 1 or when the doors 7 to 11 are opened and closed vigorously, It is assumed that the impact is transmitted to the beverage stored in the supercooled container 24 and the supercooled state is released. Moreover, when a local low temperature part arises, it will become easy to cancel | release a supercooled state. At this time, since the inside temperature of the supercooling chamber 4 is lower than 0 ° C. (for example, −5 ° C.), the beverage stored in the supercooling chamber 4 is frozen. Therefore, the following control is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the beverage in the supercooled state rises in temperature to the freezing point when the supercooled state is released. Since the supercooling chamber 4 of this embodiment employs indirect cooling, it is normal that the temperature of the stored beverage suddenly rises without opening or closing the supercooling chamber door 9 when the supercooling operation mode is set. Is unthinkable. That is, if the temperature rises, it can be determined that the supercooled state is released. Therefore, in this embodiment, a temperature sensor is provided to detect the temperature of the food stored (described later).

  Next, in order to realize a configuration and control for actually performing supercooling, a change in energy when freezing from the supercooled state was considered. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing energy when the water molecule cluster freezes beyond the critical radius. In FIG. 6, line 1 is a curve indicating the surface energy due to the appearance of the ice phase, and line 2 is a curve indicating the free energy when the supercooled water becomes ice. A portion where the cluster radius is larger than the critical radius r is a region where the supercooled water changes into ice.

  As can be seen from FIG. 6, the surface energy due to the appearance of the ice phase draws a curve that continues to decrease until the supercooled water changes to ice. Line 3 indicates the energy required for the water to become supercooled water, and indicates that no energy is required after the supercooling is released. That is, it is indicated that energy for canceling the supercooling is not necessary. Further, when the cluster radius reaches the critical radius r, it changes to an ice phase, and it is shown that supercooled water exists until the cluster radius reaches the critical radius r. Therefore, in order to maintain a supercooled state that is a metastable state, it is necessary to cool in a region smaller than the critical radius r. Further, as can be seen from FIG. 6, if the critical radius r is locally exceeded, the supercooling is released from that portion and freezing is caused at once, so it is necessary to keep the internal temperature distribution small. I understand.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a temperature transition of a beverage when a cooling test is performed using 30% fruit juice orange juice. In this cooling test, the atmospheric temperature in the supercooling chamber 4 was set to −5 ° C., and the time until the freezing temperature of the orange juice contained in the aluminum can (to be −1 ° C. due to lowering of the freezing point) was measured.

  A curve α shows an example of cooling for 6 hours until the freezing temperature is reached, and a curve β shows an example of cooling for 2 hours or more until the freezing temperature. Curve γ is an example of cooling so as to reach the freezing temperature earlier than 2 hours. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the curve α and the curve β can realize the supercooled state, and the curve γ has been released from the supercooled state and has been frozen.

  On the curve γ, the liquid in the can has a temperature variation too rapidly, and convection occurs in the can. When tests were conducted on various beverages including these cooling tests, it was confirmed that a supercooled state could be maintained if cooling was performed over 2 hours or more. More specifically, when cooling from 3 ° C. to −5 ° C., it is understood that if it is cooled at a cooling rate of 0.17 to 0.05 ° C./min, it can be stored while maintaining a supercooled state with high probability. It was.

  Note that the transition of temperature is clearly different between the case where the supercooled state such as the curve α and the curve β is realized and the case where the supercooled state such as the curve γ is frozen. In the curves α and β, the drinking water above the freezing point is gradually cooled, and the temperature decreases monotonically to −5 ° C. When the ambient temperature is reached, the temperature is maintained. On the other hand, the curve γ is released after reaching the supercooling state below the freezing point, and at this time, the temperature rises to the freezing temperature. Thereafter, the state of −1 ° C. is maintained during the phase change from liquid to solid. This difference in tendency is not limited to orange juice with 30% fruit juice, but is also the same in water, tea, and alcoholic beverages. If attention is paid to this difference in tendency, the release of the supercooled state can be detected.

  Based on the knowledge obtained by these studies, a specific configuration for storing in a supercooled state will be further described. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the supercooling chamber 4. As described above, the supercooling chamber 4 of this embodiment includes the supercooling container 24 including the container member 25 and the cover member 27 in order to indirectly cool the food in the storage space 26. And the temperature in the storage space 26 is managed by controlling the damper device 41 and the heater 43.

  The supercooling container 24 is configured such that the container member 25 is pulled out together with the door by pulling out the supercooling chamber door 9, and at this time, the cover member 27 is left inside the warehouse. Specifically, the container member 25 is placed on the frame member 9a attached to the subcooling chamber door 9, and is pulled out together with the door. On the other hand, the cover member 27 is configured to be attached in the supercooling chamber 4.

  The relationship between the container member 25 and the cover member 27 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 are enlarged views of the positional relationship between the cover member 27 and the container member 25 in the A part of FIG. 8, that is, behind the supercooling container 24. These show different examples.

  First, FIG. 9 will be described. The cover member 27 is provided with a flange portion 27b. The flange portion 27b includes a flange hanging portion 27a that hangs downward. The flange hanging portion 27a is suspended so as to cover the rear end portion of the container member 25 from the rear side. On the other hand, the container member 25 is also provided with a flange portion 25b 'at the rear upper end, and the flange portion 25b' has a hanging portion 25a '. That is, both the cover member 27 and the rear end portion of the container member 25 are provided with a hanging portion that hangs downward. A small gap is provided between the flange portion 27 b of the cover member 27 and the flange portion 25 b of the container member 25. Therefore, a minute communication path 26 a that communicates between the cold air circulation space in the supercooling chamber 4 and the storage space 26 is formed.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the communication path 26a between the flange portion 27b of the cover member 27 and the flange portion 25b 'of the container member 25 extends in the front-rear direction, and the hanging portion 27a provided at both flange portions The communication passage 26a between the hanging portion 25a 'extends in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the communication passage 26a has a bent portion 26a ', which has an effect of increasing the ventilation resistance. According to this configuration, the amount of cool air flowing into the storage space 26 can be made extremely small. At this time, if the hanging part 27 a of the cover member 27 is extended downward from the hanging part 25 a ′ of the container member 25, the amount of cold air flowing into the storage space 26 can be further reduced.

  Thus, by making the cover member 27 and the container member 25 have the above positional relationship, even if the container member 25 is pulled out together with the supercooling chamber door 9, it interferes with the cover member 27 installed on the inside of the warehouse. The handling is also good.

  10 is the same as that shown in FIG. 9 regarding the relationship between the cover member 27 and the container member 25. The difference is that a heat insulating layer 29 is provided inside the cover member 27 and the container member 25. As described above, the cool air discharged to the supercooling chamber 4 does not directly flow into the storage space 26 to enable indirect cooling. However, there is a concern that the low temperature of the cold air passing through the cold air circulation space around the storage space 26 is transmitted into the storage space 26 through the wall surface of the supercooled container 24 and the vicinity of the container wall is locally cooled. The

  Therefore, in order to reduce such low temperature transmission, a heat insulating layer 29 is provided. As the heat insulating layer 29, various materials generally used as heat insulating materials such as foam heat insulating materials such as polystyrene foam and urethane foam and vacuum heat insulating materials can be used. These can be disposed so as to be embedded in, for example, a plastic container member 25 or a cover member 27. However, it is not restricted to these, For example, even if it is the air insulation by an air layer, sufficient heat insulation effect | action can be anticipated. A specific configuration for realizing the air insulation layer will be described later.

  This heat insulating layer may be provided on either the container member 25 or the cover member 27, but if provided on both, the temperature-uniforming effect in the storage space 26 can be further enhanced. Moreover, by providing the heat insulation layer 29, the temperature rise of the storage space 26 when the refrigeration cycle is stopped can be suppressed.

  In FIG. 11, the relationship between the cover member 27 and the container member 25 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The difference is that a metal plate 29 ′ is provided on the outer surfaces of the container member 25 and the cover member 27. By providing the metal plate 29 ′ on the container member 25 or the cover member 27, the low temperature transmitted from the cool air circulation space of the supercooling chamber 4 into the storage space 26 can be made uniform. That is, there is an effect of reducing temperature variation in the storage space 26. Although the temperature rise suppressing effect at the time of stopping the refrigeration cycle cannot be expected so much, it can be used together with the heat insulating layer 29 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the supercooling chamber 4 in an example different from that in FIG. In this example, not only the container member 25 but also the cover member 27 is pulled out together with the supercooling chamber door 9 in order to prevent the supercooled state from being released as much as possible during actual use of the refrigerator. When the supercooling chamber door 9 is pulled out, the storage space 26 in the container member 25 is warmed by the outside air when there is no member serving as a lid on the upper surface of the container member 25. At this time, there is a concern that the temperature of the portion exposed to the outside air locally rises and convection occurs inside the food (drinking water). The variation in the temperature inside the food causes the supercooling release. The example of FIG. 12 solves this.

  If the cover member 27 is pulled out together with the container member 25, even when the supercooling chamber door 9 is pulled out, the stored food is not directly exposed to outside air. The actual food can be taken out by manually opening and closing the cover member 27. Accordingly, when the supercooling chamber door 9 is pulled out, the supercooling is not released, and the supercooling is released only after the user picks it up. Therefore, the supercooling should be canceled as much as possible. Can be prevented.

FIG. 13 shows a configuration for suppressing overcooling from being released by vibration or impact. Since the refrigerator of this embodiment includes many doors such as the refrigerator compartment door 7, the ice making compartment door 8, the freezer compartment door 10, and the vegetable compartment door 11 in addition to the supercooling compartment door 9, these doors can be opened and closed. As a result, an impact or vibration may be transmitted to the food stored in the supercooling chamber 4. Therefore, an absorbent 50 made of an elastic body such as a spring or rubber is interposed between the frame member 9a attached to the subcooling chamber door 9 and the container member 25. As shown in FIG. 13, in addition to the configuration in which the container member 25 is supported by the absorbent material 50 attached to the frame member 9a, the flange portion 25b 'of the container member 25 placed on the frame member 9a and the frame member 9a A configuration in which the absorbent 50 is sandwiched therebetween may be employed.

  FIG. 14 is a view showing a further example of the supercooling chamber 4, and is a perspective view (FIG. 14A) and a sectional view (FIG. 14B) in a state in which the supercooling chamber door 9 is pulled out. In this example, the cover member 27 is attached to the inner side, and even when the supercooling chamber door 9 is pulled out, the cover member 27 is not pulled out and the container member 25 is pulled out. A cool air discharge port 28 is provided above the cover member 27 on the back surface of the supercooling chamber 4. Therefore, the cool air discharged to the supercooling chamber 4 flows through the cool air circulation space above the cover member 27.

  The cover member 27 is provided with a temperature sensor 30 that detects the temperature of the storage space 26. As the temperature sensor 30, an infrared sensor, a thermistor, or the like can be used. The temperature of the storage space 26 is detected by detecting the temperature of the storage space 26 by the temperature sensor 30.

  Since the cool air discharged from the cool air discharge port 28 to the supercooling chamber 4 flows above the cover member 27, it is assumed that the temperature sensor 30 detects the low temperature of the discharged cool air. At this time, the temperature in the storage space 26 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 deviate from each other, making it difficult to control the temperature necessary to maintain supercooling. Therefore, a protection member 31 is provided for protecting the temperature sensor 30 from the low temperature of the discharged cold air. The protection member 31 may be provided integrally with the cover member 27.

  Specifically, a rib-shaped protection member 31 is provided so as to surround the upper projection surface of the temperature sensor 30 provided on the lower surface (storage space 26 side) of the cover member 27, and the cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port 28 is provided. The influence on the temperature sensor 30 is reduced.

  The cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port 28 passes through the upper side of the storage space 26 toward the front (in the direction of the supercooling chamber door 9), and a part of the cold air descends from the side surface of the supercooling container 24, while the container member 25. The surroundings of the storage space 26 are cooled, and indirect cooling in the storage space 26 is performed. The cold air that has been directed forward on the upper side of the cover member 27 reaches the protrusion 27c provided on the front side (supercooling chamber door 9 side) of the cover member 27, and the flow is restricted. Therefore, cold air is guided to both sides of the supercooling container 24 at this position. By providing the protrusion 27 c, it is possible to suppress the low temperature from leaking from between the opening peripheral edge of the supercooling chamber 4 and the supercooling chamber door 9 through the packing.

  The position of the protrusion 27 c is at least in front of the attachment position of the temperature sensor 30, preferably in front of the center of the supercooling container 24, and may be the front end of the cover member 27. The height of the protrusion 27c will be described later.

The container member 25 is configured such that the outer container 25a and the inner container 25b are overlapped. An air heat insulation layer 29 is formed between both the containers 25a and 25b, and heat insulation is achieved between the storage space 26 and the air circulation space in the supercooling chamber 4. As described above, a foamed heat insulating material or a vacuum heat insulating material may be used for the heat insulating layer 29. However, if the outer container 25a and the inner container 25b are stacked so as to form an air layer, It is easy to take out and wash, and the handleability is improved. In addition, the cover member 27 also has a heat insulating layer 29 to prevent the stored items from being locally cooled by the low temperature due to the cold air flowing above the storage space 26.

  A heater 43 is installed above the heat insulating partition wall that partitions the subcooling chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 10. The heater 43 is turned on and off and the power supply rate is controlled by a control device (not shown). Be controlled. Therefore, by controlling together with the above-described damper device 41, it is possible to finely manage the temperature in the supercooling chamber 4 in light of the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30.

  Moreover, the convex part is provided in the bottom face of the inner side container 25b used as the bottom face of the storage space 26, and the contact area of stored food and a container bottom face is made small. The container member 25 of the present embodiment suppresses the ingress of cold air to make the inside indirect cooling, and is provided with a heat insulating layer 29 around it, but may be cooled from the contact surface with the container wall. It is done. Therefore, the bottom surface of the storage space 26 is an uneven bottom surface portion 25 ′ having a convex portion, and even when food such as fish wrapped in wrap is stored, the contact portion with the bottom surface can be reduced. . According to this structure, the variation in temperature inside the food can be further suppressed.

  The front flange portion of the container member 25 is provided with a protruding portion 25c extending upward. The effect of this projection part 25c is demonstrated using FIG. 15 is a perspective view (FIG. 15 (a)) and a cross-sectional view (FIG. 15 (b)) of the supercooling chamber 4 in a state in which the supercooling chamber door 9 is pulled out, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. Show.

  In this example, a configuration is adopted in which the cover member 27 remains in the cabinet even when the supercooling chamber door 9 is pulled out. Therefore, the positional relationship between the cover member 27 and the front end of the container member 25 cannot be the same as the positional relationship between the cover member 27 and the container member 25 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the container member 25 is provided with a front flange portion, and a part of the upper projection surface of the front flange portion is configured to be covered with a portion of the cover member 27, and further than the front end portion of the cover member 27. A protrusion 25c extending upward is provided on the front flange of the container member 25 located on the front side.

  According to this configuration, a bent portion can be formed in the communication path between the cold air circulation space in the supercooling chamber 4 and the storage space 26 as in the example shown in FIG. 9 (the end on the rear side). it can. Further, when the supercooling chamber door 9 is pulled out, the container member 25 can be pulled out without the cover member 27 and the container member 25 interfering with each other. Furthermore, the height of the protrusion 27c of the cover member is made higher than that of the protrusion 25c of the container member 25 so that the cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port 28 does not easily enter the storage space 26. In addition, the protrusion 27c is positioned on the front projection surface of the opening of the cool air discharge port 28 so as to efficiently regulate the discharge cool air.

  FIG. 16 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator of this embodiment. The temperature sensor 30 is connected to the control device 40 and monitors the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30. The temperature adjusting unit 44 shown in FIG. 10 is provided so that the user of the refrigerator can set the temperature of the supercooling chamber 4. Therefore, the temperature of the supercooling chamber 4 can be set to a temperature range of −1 ° C. to −5 ° C. such as “−3 ° C.”, “−4 ° C.”, “−5 ° C.”, and “ Various settings such as “normal freezing at −18 ° C. or lower” and “refrigerated temperature zone at 0 ° C. or higher” are possible.

  The control device 40 compares the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 with the temperature set by the temperature adjustment unit 44 and controls the damper device 41 and the heater 43. The damper device 41 includes a baffle and a motor, and the movement of the baffle can be controlled by controlling the driving of the motor.

  When the sensor detection temperature is low, the amount of cold air is controlled by reducing the opening degree of the damper device 41 or by closing it completely. If the temperature becomes too low, the heater 43 is energized. When the sensor detected temperature is too high, the opening degree of the damper device 41 is increased to supply cool air to the cool air circulation space in the supercooling chamber 4, and the temperature in the storage space 26 is lowered.

  The control device 40 is also connected to the blower fan 20, the compressor 21, or a defrost heater (not shown). Therefore, the opening degree of the damper device 41 and the energization rate of the heater 43 are determined while monitoring the operating state of other devices.

  Next, a temperature suitable for realizing supercooling will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the storage space 26 is cooled by indirect cooling, so that the storage space 26 is preserved in a supercooled state. However, a case where a supercooled state such as the curves α and β is realized and a curve γ are obtained. The transition of temperature is clearly different from that in the case of the frozen state. Therefore, by detecting the temperature of the storage space 26 in the supercooling container 24 with the temperature sensor 30, it can be stored in the supercooled state while determining whether the stored item is maintained in the supercooled state. .

  FIGS. 17-20 is a figure which shows the further example in the detection of supercooling cancellation | release. FIG. 17 shows the temperature detected by the temperature sensor along with the transition of the water temperature when a 500 ml PET bottle containing water is stored in the supercooling chamber 4. FIG. 17A shows a change in the water temperature and a change in the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 when the supercooling is maintained. FIG. 17B shows that the supercooled state has been canceled for some reason. The change in the water temperature and the change in the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 are shown. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents elapsed time, and the vertical axis represents temperature. As shown in the figure, there is a portion where the temperature change is slow although it is a short time when it passes 4 ° C. This is considered to be because the density of water becomes maximum at about 4 ° C. and convection occurs inside the PET bottle.

  As apparent from FIG. 17, the transition of temperature differs between the case where the supercooled state is maintained and the case where the supercooled state is released, and the value detected by the temperature sensor 30 also has a different tendency. . FIG. 17 shows the case where the temperature in the supercooling chamber 4 is set to −5 ° C. and the water in the PET bottle is controlled to be cooled to −5 ° C. When the supercooled state is released, FIG. The detection value of the temperature sensor 30 is higher than −5 ° C. (FIG. 17B). Therefore, by grasping the change in the tendency, it is possible to determine whether the supercooled state is maintained or has been canceled.

  Next, the control for canceling the supercooling state and the subsequent control will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 20 are flowcharts showing the control of this embodiment. FIG. 18A shows a preset temperature value that is set in advance when supercooling control is performed. Specifically, the reset temperature, the supercooling start temperature, the control start temperature, and the temperature adjustment unit set temperature (final target temperature) are set from the high temperature side. Among these, the final target temperature is a temperature set by the temperature adjusting unit 44, but the temperature set by the temperature adjusting unit 44 is not limited to the supercooling temperature in the vicinity of −5 ° C. That is, the supercooling chamber 4 can be used as a freezing chamber at -18 ° C. or lower, or as a refrigerated chamber at 0 ° C. or higher. However, the supercooled storage mode needs to be in the range of −1 ° C. to −5 ° C. such as “−3 ° C.” and “−5 ° C.”.

  The reset temperature is, for example, a set value when the temperature is raised to a necessary temperature in order to realize supercooling again when the supercooling state is released. For example, 7 ° C. The supercooling start temperature is a reference temperature for starting the supercooling operation, and is, for example, 5 ° C.

  The control start temperature is a temperature that serves as a reference for performing control of gradually cooling to a desired temperature in a state where the supercooling operation has already been performed. For example, a temperature between 3 ° C. and 0 ° C. is preferable. is there. As described above, water has a maximum density at 4 ° C., and 0 ° C. is the freezing point. Therefore, when the target value is lowered stepwise and gradually cooled as described below, it is convenient to set the control start temperature between 3 ° C. and 0 ° C. Assuming a case where the temperature is gradually lowered from 3 ° C., convection due to density reversal does not occur because it does not pass 4 ° C. In addition, there is a concern that ice nuclei may be locally generated if it is cooled at a stretch before reaching 0 ° C., but the internal temperature is controlled to be uniform once before 0 ° C. This is because this can be suppressed.

  The temperature control unit set temperature (final target temperature) is a temperature at which the supercooling operation is performed and finally stored in a supercooled state, for example, −5 ° C.

  FIG. 18B shows the first stage control when the supercooling operation is performed. In starting the supercooling operation, first, the setting of the temperature control unit 44 is confirmed (step S101). When the supercooling chamber 4 is used as a normal freezer compartment, it is not necessary to perform the supercooling operation, so it is determined whether or not the supercooling operation mode is set at this stage.

  If the supercooling operation mode is set, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 is compared with the supercooling start temperature (5 ° C.) (step S102). When the temperature is lower than the supercooling start temperature, it may be a part that is frozen, so the damper device 41 is closed and cooling is stopped until the temperature reaches the reset temperature (7 ° C.) or higher. At this time, if the heater 43 is energized at a high energization rate, it can be raised to the reset temperature in a short time (steps S112 to S113).

  When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 is higher than the supercooling start temperature, or when the cooling is stopped and becomes higher than the reset temperature, a timer is started to stabilize in this state (step S103). ).

  While the timer is counting, the damper device 41 and the heater 43 are controlled so as not to be lower than the supercooling start temperature (steps S105 to 109). Specifically, when the temperature is lower than the supercooling start temperature, the heater is turned on (step S107). When the temperature is higher than the supercooling start temperature, it is compared with the reset temperature (step S108). If so, the heater is turned off (step S109).

  When a certain time has passed in this state, a comparison with the control start temperature is performed next (step S110), and when the temperature becomes lower than the control start temperature, the supercooling control as the second stage is performed. If the temperature is higher than the control start temperature, the damper device 41 is opened until the sensor detection temperature is lowered, and cold air is supplied (step S111). At this time, if the heater 43 is turned off, cooling is promoted, but the temperature in the storage space 26 is likely to vary. Therefore, the heater 43 should be energized at a low energization rate (that is, “damper open / heater ON”). When the temperature in the storage space 26 becomes lower than the control start temperature in this state, supercooling control as shown in FIG. 15 is performed.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the second stage control of the supercooling control. In this example, it is a flowchart in the case of decreasing the temperature in the storage space 26 step by step to the final target temperature. First, a control start temperature (for example, 3 ° C. to 0 ° C.) is set as a target temperature, and a temperature at which the damper device 41 is opened and a temperature at which the damper device 41 is closed are set with respect to the target temperature (step S121). . The temperature at which the damper device 41 is opened is the temperature at which the damper device 41 is opened and cool air is supplied when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 is higher than the target temperature (for example, the control start temperature is 3 ° C for 2 ° C). The temperature at which the damper device 41 is closed is a temperature at which the damper device 41 is closed and the cold air supply is stopped when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 is lower than the target temperature (for example, the control start temperature). If it is 2 ° C, 1 ° C). When the heater 43 is energized at a low energization rate, the inside of the storage space 26 can be gradually cooled, and the temperature variation in the storage space 26 can be reduced.

  When a target temperature (for example, 2 ° C.) and a damper opening / closing value are set, a timer is started (step S122), and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 is the temperature at which the damper is opened (for example, 3 ° C.). The damper device 41 is controlled so as to be held for a certain period of time (for example, 1 ° C.) (steps S124 to 127).

  When the timer expires after a certain period of time, it is determined whether or not the damper closing temperature (1 ° C.) has been reached at least once (step S128). If the damper closing temperature has been reached at least once, the target temperature is lowered (for example, 2 ° C. → 0 ° C.) in step S129, and the damper opening / closing temperature is set with respect to the new target temperature (for example, The above control is repeated again at 1 ° C. and −1 ° C., respectively.

  If the damper closing temperature is not reached in step S128, there is a concern that the supercooling has been released. Taking the case where the target temperature is 0 ° C. as an example, the temperature at which the damper is closed is, for example, −1 ° C. However, if water begins to freeze at 0 ° C and a phase change occurs, the temperature will not decrease (latent heat) until solidification is completed even after a certain period of time, and the temperature at which the damper is closed will not be reached. This is because it is assumed.

  However, since it may be possible that it has not been reached due to another cause, the number of retries is updated (step S131), and a timer is started to perform the same control. If the damper closing temperature is not reached even if the same control is performed a plurality of times (when the number of retries exceeds the predetermined number of times; step S132), it is finally determined that the freezing has started, and the supercooling reset is performed. Take control.

  When the damper closing temperature is reached at least once, the target temperature is further changed to the low temperature side (for example, 0 ° C. → −3 ° C.) as shown in step S129. An opening / closing value of the damper is set again with respect to the target temperature (for example, −2 ° C. and −4 ° C., respectively), and the process returns to step S122 to perform the same control. When these steps are repeated and the target temperature is changed to the final target temperature (−5 ° C.), the control for cooling to the supercooled state ends (step S130), and the control for holding at the temperature is reached.

  In the example shown in FIG. 19, the target temperature is set, and after reaching a stable state at this temperature, the target temperature is lowered and stepwise control is performed to keep the food in a supercooled state. Therefore, the cooling rate can be changed by appropriately setting the timer set time in steps S122 to S123 and the target temperature change range in step S129.

  As described above, when cooling from 3 ° C. to −5 ° C., if the cooling rate is 0.17 to 0.05 ° C./min, the supercooled state is maintained with high probability. Since it has been found that the food can be stored in a supercooled state, the timer setting time and the target temperature should be set so that the average cooling rate is in the range of 0.17 to 0.05 ° C./minute. What is necessary is just to set the change width.

  FIG. 20 shows control for maintaining the food cooled to the supercooled state at the supercooled temperature. Since the temperature at which the damper device 41 is opened and the temperature at which the damper device 41 is closed is set with respect to the final target temperature, the opening / closing of the damper device 41 is controlled so as not to greatly change from the temperature adjustment unit set temperature. (Steps S140, S147, S148).

  Further, here, “Err rise temperature” is used for control. As shown in FIG. 17, when the supercooled state is released, a temperature in the storage space 26 higher than the final target temperature is detected. Therefore, when the Err rising temperature is set as the upper limit temperature considering the temperature variation in the storage space 26 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 becomes higher than the range assumed as the temperature variation, It was decided that the supercooled state was released.

  The Err rising temperature is set to a value such that the upper limit temperature when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 is within the general fluctuation range does not exceed the Err rising temperature. In the present embodiment, since the storage space 26 is an indirect cooling room and the container member 25 and the cover member 27 have the heat insulating layer 29, a large temperature fluctuation does not occur when the supercooling is not released. It has become. Therefore, the Err rise temperature is set to 1 ° C., more preferably 0.6 ° C., and it is determined that “supercooling has been released” when a temperature rise exceeding this range is detected.

  Specific control is as follows. When a temperature higher than the damper opening temperature is detected, it is determined whether or not the detected temperature is higher than the final target temperature plus the Err rising temperature (step S142). If it is lower, the process returns to step S140, and the same control as described above is repeated.

  If a temperature higher than the final target temperature plus the Err rise temperature (upper limit temperature) is detected, there is a concern that the supercooling may be released, so a timer is set (step S143). At this time, the following two phenomena can be considered as specific phenomena. The first is a case where a high temperature has been detected by the temperature sensor 30 even though the supercooling has not been released, and the second is a case where the temperature has become high because the supercooling has actually been released. It is.

In the first case, it can be considered that the cause is a mere temperature variation. Therefore, if control for maintaining the final target temperature is performed, the temperature is lower than the final target temperature plus the Err rising temperature. It seems to be. Therefore, if the temperature becomes lower than the final target temperature plus the Err rising temperature during the timer setting time, the timer is cleared (step S146), and the control for maintaining the final target temperature is continued.

  In the second case, it is conceivable that supercooling has been released and freezing has started. At this time, since the low temperature is used for freezing as the latent heat until the freezing is completed, the temperature does not become lower than the final target temperature plus the Err rising temperature even when the damper device 41 is opened or closed. Therefore, if the high temperature state continues for a predetermined time than the final target temperature plus the Err rising temperature, it is determined that the supercooling has been released, and the supercooling is reset (steps S144 to S145).

  If the supercooling is not released, the user of the refrigerator can appropriately take out the food / beverage kept in the supercooled state in the supercooling chamber 4.

In the above control, it may be necessary to perform different control when the compressor is stopped. This is because the control of the compressor operation is assumed to be controlled by the degree of cooling of the freezing chamber 5 in addition to the control of the supercooling chamber 4. In particular, when the compressor is stopped in the control of steps S123 to 127 or the control of steps 140 to 142 & 147 to 148, the damper device 41 is kept closed and the heater 43 is turned on with a low energization rate. It is good to keep.

  Now, the operation after canceling the supercooling can be roughly divided into the following two. That is, the first is a case where cooling is performed again to realize a supercooled state, and the second is a case where a transition is made to another operation mode.

  First, the first case will be described. When the supercooled state is released, ice is generated. Therefore, the generated ice must be melted at a temperature higher than the melting point. In order to raise the temperature, it is necessary to stop the supply of cool air into the supercooling chamber 4, warm the inside of the supercooling chamber 4 or the stored items with a heater, or implement them together. After raising the temperature of the stored item and removing it from the frozen state, the stored item is cooled again by indirect cooling until the stored item becomes supercooled.

  This recooling may be performed in exactly the same way as the first cooling, but may be performed by providing an environment different from the first cooling. As a first example of the case where the supercooling operation is performed in an environment different from the first time, there is control performed in a state where the ambient temperature is raised. That is, when the first ambient temperature is −5 ° C., the ambient temperature is controlled to be −4 ° C. in the second supercooling operation.

  As already mentioned, the lower the temperature, the larger the water molecule cluster and the easier it is to release the supercooled state, so the second supercooling operation is performed at a temperature higher than the temperature once failed. . The same control is possible after the third time.

  As a second example of the case where the supercooling operation is performed in an environment different from the first time, there is a relaxation of the cooling rate. If the first cooling rate is 0.1 ° C./min, the second supercooling operation is controlled to be 0.05 ° C./min. Specifically, when the target temperature is set to the low temperature side in step S129, the movement width may be reduced.

  When the cooling rate is slow, uniform cooling of the beverage is facilitated, and a partial temperature drop is unlikely to occur, so that a supercooled state is easily realized. Therefore, in the second supercooling operation, the cooling rate is shifted to the low speed side. The same control is possible after the third time.

  These first and second examples can also be implemented in combination, and there are various variations such as performing both controls together or alternatively alternately.

  Next, the second case, that is, the case of shifting to another operation mode will be described. It goes without saying that the following examples can also be controlled in combination with the first case described above. That is, when the supercooling is canceled even in the second supercooling operation, the third supercooling operation is not performed, and control such as shifting to another operation mode is possible.

  As a first example, when the supercooling is canceled, the second supercooling operation is not automatically performed and the control is shifted to the refrigeration operation. Beverages can be stored in the same way as a normal cold room. As a second example, control for shifting to chilled operation can be mentioned. In this case, the beverage can be stored at a temperature lower than that of a general refrigerator. As a third example, there is control for shifting to an ice temperature operation. In this case, even if there is a partial freezing, a completely frozen state is not achieved except when stored for a long period of time, and a beverage can be drunk.

  The fourth example is control for notifying the user of the refrigerator that the supercooling has been canceled. The fourth example can be implemented in combination with the controls in the first case and the controls from the first example to the third example in the second case. By notifying the user of the refrigerator that the supercooling has been released, it is possible to entrust the user with the choice of how to store the beverage next time.

  As the notification means, not only the display by LED provided on the refrigerator compartment door 7 or a liquid crystal display, but also notification by voice may be used, and any means can be used as long as it can transmit the cancellation of the supercooling to the user. Absent.

Any of the above examples may be adopted, but the control flow in the first case is simply shown. As shown in FIG. 15, when the supercooling is canceled during the cooling to the supercooled state (step S132), or while the supercooled state is maintained as shown in FIG. When the state has been released (step S143), the routine proceeds to step S112 shown in FIG. 14B, the damper device 41 is closed, the heater 43 is turned on, and the temperature in the storage space 26 is increased. Let This is to thaw the frozen food.

  When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 30 rises to a reset temperature (for example, 7 ° C.) or higher, the same control can be performed by performing the supercooling operation again from step S103.

  According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be expected.

  The supercooling chamber 4 is set between -1 ° C and -5 ° C, and the temperature fluctuation range of the set temperature is controlled within 1 ° C, more preferably within 0.6 ° C. It is possible to prevent deterioration of umami components due to long-term storage of food. Moreover, it can also be expected that the aging component is enhanced as the aging progresses. Moreover, in the case of drinking water, it is possible to provide a drink that becomes a sherbet when it is poured.

In addition, since the temperature sensor 30 for detecting the temperature in the supercooling chamber 4 is attached to the upper surface of the storage space 26, the temperature of the food stored in the storage space 26 can be detected with high accuracy. Therefore, the temperature in the storage space 26 can be easily managed by controlling the damper device 41 and the heater 43.

  Further, since the upper surface of the container member 25 forming the storage space 26 of the supercooling chamber 4 is configured to be closed by an openable / closable cover member 27, or the cover member 27 is installed inside the container, While the member 25 can be pulled out, the food stored in the container member 25 can be indirectly cooled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the supercooled state from being released by convection in the space as much as possible.

  In addition, since the upper surface of the container member 25 is closed so as to overlap with the flange portion of the cover member 27, partial cold air intrusion into the storage space 26 can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, since the container member 25 and the cover member 27 forming the storage space 26 are provided with the heat insulating layer 29, the temperature fluctuation width in the storage space 26 is more preferably ± 1 ° C., even if the operation of the compressor is intermittent. Can be maintained in the range of ± 0.6 ° C.

The front view which abbreviate | omitted and showed the door of the refrigerator of a present Example. AA sectional drawing of FIG. BB sectional drawing of FIG. The figure which shows the temperature change at the time of a phase change from water to ice. The image figure which shows the cluster of the water molecule in a supercooled state. The figure which shows energy when a water molecule cluster freezes exceeding a critical radius. The figure which shows the temperature transition of the drink when a cooling test is done. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of a supercooling chamber. The A section enlarged view of FIG. The A section enlarged view of FIG. The A section enlarged view of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the supercooling chamber of the example different from FIG. The figure which shows the attachment state to the frame member of a container member. The figure which shows an example of the supercooling chamber of the state which pulled out the door (a perspective view, sectional drawing). The figure which shows an example of the supercooling chamber of the state which closed the door (a perspective view, sectional drawing). The control block diagram of the refrigerator of a present Example. The figure which shows transition of the temperature at the time of storing water in a supercooled chamber. The flowchart which shows the control of a present Example. The flowchart which shows the control of a present Example. The flowchart which shows the control of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

4 ... Supercooling chamber, 9 ... Supercooling chamber door, 9a ... Frame member, 24 ... Supercooling container, 25 ... Container member, 25 '... Concave bottom surface portion, 25a ... Outer container, 25a' ... Hanging part, 25b ... Inside Container, 25b '... flange part, 25c ... projection part, 26 ... storage space, 26a ... communication path, 26a' ... bending part, 27 ... cover member, 27a ... drooping part, 27b ... flange part, 27c ... projection part, 28 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Cold air outlet, 29 ... Heat insulation layer, 29 '... Metal plate, 30 ... Temperature sensor, 31 ... Protection member, 40 ... Control apparatus, 41 ... Damper apparatus, 43 ... Heater, 44 ... Temperature control part, 50 ... Absorber .

Claims (1)

A storage room for cooling food stored in the space at a temperature lower than 0 ° C .;
An openable / closable door that closes the front opening of the storage chamber; a container member that is disposed in the storage chamber and serves as a space for storing food; a cover member that covers an opening on the upper surface of the container member; and the cover A cold air outlet that discharges cold air above the member, and a cold air circulation space through which the cold air discharged from the cold air outlet flows around the space in the storage chamber,
The container member is pulled out together with the door, and the cover member is attached in the storage chamber and remains in the storage chamber even when the door is opened.
The cover member has a hanging portion that extends further rearward than the rear end of the container member, extends downward from the rear end of the container member, and the container member is at the rear end. A flange portion, having a hanging portion extending downward from the flange portion, a rear end of the container member is configured with a communication path communicating between the space and the cold air circulation space;
The communication path has a bent portion,
A damper device for controlling the cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port, a heater provided in the storage chamber, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the space, and a temperature in the storage chamber of −1 ° C. to −5 ° C. A temperature control unit that can be set within the range, and a control device that controls the damper device and the heater based on a set value in the temperature control unit and a detection value of the temperature sensor,
The said control apparatus is a refrigerator which controls the temperature in the said space so that the temperature fluctuation range of the said setting temperature may be less than +/- 1 degreeC.

Images