JP2017026184A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a household refrigerator preventing oxidation by blocking contact between food materials and oxygen without fastening the food materials or lowering flavor.SOLUTION: In a refrigerator which includes a storage chamber 107, blowing means 116 for blowing cool air from a cooler 115 to the storage chamber 107, and control means for controlling the blowing means 116: blow of the cool air is controlled by the control means to slightly freeze the surfaces of foods preserved in the storage chamber 107, and then the food is preserved at a slight-freezing temperature to block contact between food materials and oxygen by a slight-frozen layer, thereby preventing oxidation; separating and cutting the food materials are easily performed; and the preserved foods can be freshly preserved without lowering flavor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator capable of storing food freshly.

  In recent years, the frequency of food purchases has continued to decrease against the background of social trends such as working together and aging, and the proportion of ingredients that will not be eaten immediately is increasing at home. On the other hand, the desire to eat delicious foods with high freshness does not change, and as a result, the demand for freshness maintenance performance of household refrigerators is increasing.

  As a cause of deterioration of foodstuffs, there are large deterioration due to the growth of microorganisms, self-degradation of foodstuffs by enzymes, and oxidation. Up to now, household refrigerators have been aimed at suppressing the rate of change due to the above three factors by low-temperature storage. However, when it is stored frozen (below -18 ° C), there is a problem of balancing with the labor of cooking, such as the need to defrost before cooking, and the new temperature zone between refrigeration (4 ° C) and freezing is relatively short. Used for storage between. In particular, partial temperature storage (-1 to -5 ° C) freezes only the extracellular fluid, and achieves both storage stability at low temperatures and ease of sorting than chilled (1 to 4 ° C). . However, regarding the preservation of fresh fish and meat with a relatively high fat content, it cannot be said that changes due to oxidation of fats and oils are completely suppressed.

  One of the methods for drastically solving the oxidation of fats and oils is a glazing technique used in the distribution industry. Glazing is a technique for creating ice coats on the surface of foods so that they do not come into contact with oxygen. Specifically, it is a technique in which low-temperature water is sprayed on the surface of the frozen food material and then frozen again to form an ice layer of about 1 mm on the outside of the food material. For the purpose of realizing glazing in a household refrigerator, there is a technique (for example, Patent Document 1) in which a dipping tank is provided in the refrigerator to immerse food, and water is attached to the surface and then frozen.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-170765

  However, in the technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, if the user randomly arranges and freezes the ingredients, the ice garments adhere to each other due to freezing, which causes a problem of separation when the ingredients are taken out. In addition, another labor is required such as periodically cleaning the immersion bath. In addition, there is a problem that the taste of the food becomes watery due to the adhesion of water, and the target food is limited.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent oxidation in a household refrigerator by blocking contact between the food and oxygen without causing the food to adhere to each other or reducing the flavor.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention is a refrigerator including a storage chamber, a blowing unit that blows cool air from a cooler to the storage chamber, and a control unit that controls the blowing unit. The surface of the food stored in the storage chamber is finely frozen by controlling the blowing of the cold air by the control means, and then stored at a fine freezing temperature.

As a result, the micro-frozen layer blocks the contact between the ingredients and oxygen to prevent oxidation, and the ingredients can be easily separated and separated, and the preserved food can be stored fresh without deteriorating the flavor. it can.

  The refrigerator of the present invention can prevent oxidation by blocking the contact between the ingredients and oxygen without sticking the ingredients together or lowering the flavor in the refrigerator for home use. can do.

Front view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention AA sectional view of FIG. The principal part enlarged view of the refrigerator compartment in Embodiment 1 of this invention Control block diagram of refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Control flow chart of rapid cooling operation from detection of input load of refrigerator in embodiment 1 of the present invention Sequence diagram of detecting the input load of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention Sequence diagram of rapid cooling operation of refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The figure which shows the relationship between the slightly freezing start time of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the POV value after 3 days The figure which shows the relationship between (DELTA) T of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention, and the compressor rotation speed of the rapid cooling 1 The figure which shows the relationship of (DELTA) T of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention, and the operation time of the rapid cooling 2

  1st invention is a refrigerator provided with the storage room, the ventilation means which ventilates the cool air from a cooler to the storage room, and the control means which controls the ventilation means, The ventilation of the cold air by the control means The refrigerator is characterized in that the surface of the food stored in the storage room is finely frozen by being controlled, and then stored at a fine freezing temperature. Thus, the contact between the food and oxygen is blocked by the finely frozen layer to prevent oxidation, and the food is easily separated and separated, and the flavor is not deteriorated.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the air blowing means detects a duct for blowing cool air from the cooler to the storage chamber, a damper device provided in the duct, and a temperature in the storage chamber. And the control means forcibly opens the damper device for a predetermined time, rapidly finely freezes the surface of the food stored in the storage chamber, and then sets the detected temperature to the temperature sensor. On the basis of this, the damper device is controlled to open and close and stored at a micro freezing temperature. As a result, rapid cooling is started immediately after the food is introduced, and contact with oxygen can be cut off in a shorter time to prevent oxidation.

  A third invention is the refrigerator according to the second invention, wherein the damper device is forcibly opened for a predetermined time and the compressor is continuously operated. As a result, the surface of the food can be finely frozen rapidly, and contact with oxygen can be blocked in a short time to prevent oxidation.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the storage unit opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the storage chamber is provided, and the control unit is started from the opening / closing detection of the storage chamber opening / closing detection unit. It is a refrigerator characterized by performing. Thereby, it becomes possible to detect the input operation of the food by the user in a shorter time, and the contact time between the food and oxygen can be shortened to prevent oxidation.

According to a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the storage chamber is built in a section of the storage chamber, and the temperature of the storage chamber is controlled independently of the storage chamber. It is a featured refrigerator. Thereby, the micro freezing layer once produced | generated can be maintained stably, and the antioxidant effect can be maintained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the refrigerator compartment according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of the rapid cooling operation from detection of the input load of the refrigerator in the same embodiment.

  1 and 2, the refrigerator 101 includes a storage room divided into five parts, an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage. Specifically, the upper storage room is a refrigerating room 102 having a double door at the front, a first freezing room 103 having a drawer door below, and an ice making room 105 having a drawer door in parallel therewith, The vegetable compartment 106 is provided with a drawer door disposed at the bottom, and the ice compartment 105 and the second freezer compartment 104 disposed between the vegetable compartment 106.

  Each door is illustrated as a refrigerator door 102a, a first freezer door 103a, a second freezer door 104a, an ice making door 105a, and a vegetable door 106a. The refrigerator compartment 102, the side-by-side ice making compartments 105, and the first freezing compartment 103 are partitioned vertically by a heat insulating partition wall 111. Further, the side-by-side ice making chamber 105, the first freezing chamber 103 and the second freezing chamber 104, and the second freezing chamber 104 and the vegetable chamber 106 are similarly partitioned vertically by the heat insulating partition wall 111.

  In addition, the refrigerator 101 formed by the heat insulating wall 110 filled between the outer box 108 and the inner box 109 partitions and forms a variable temperature chamber 107 as an independent storage room in the lower part of the refrigerator room 102 provided at the upper part. ing. The temperature changing room 107 is configured as a switching room. In the case of the present embodiment, the first temperature zone (chilled) in the refrigeration temperature zone near 0 ° C., the first temperature zone, and the freezing temperature of about −6 ° C. or less. It can be set to a second temperature zone (partial) of about −3 ° C., which is a temperature zone between the zone.

  Next, the configuration of the cooling system will be described. A cooling chamber 114 is formed on the rear rear side of the second freezing chamber 104, has a cooler 115 inside, and constitutes a refrigeration cycle for cooling the refrigerator 101 together with the compressor 112 installed in the upper machine chamber 113. To do. The cooling chamber 114 is provided with a blower fan 116 that forcibly circulates the cool air exchanged by the cooler 115, and a damper device 117 a that distributes the cool air flowing into the refrigerating chamber 102, and a variable temperature chamber 107. A damper device 117b that distributes the cold air flowing in is disposed. In each storage room, the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 102 is about 2 to 3 ° C., the internal temperature of the vegetable compartment 106 is about 2 to 5 ° C., and the first freezer room 103 and the second freezer room 104. The internal temperature can be divided into about -18 to -20 ° C and the temperature zone. Thereby, by selecting a temperature range suitable for the preservation of food and storing the food, higher freshness and long-term preservation can be realized.

  Next, the structure of the changing room 107 and the illumination device 121 installed on the top surface of the changing room 107 will be described with reference to FIGS. The variable temperature chamber 107 has a synthetic resin upper surface cover 122 that can also be used as a shelf 118 located at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment 102, and a synthetic resin housed below the upper surface cover 122 so that it can be pulled out in the front-rear direction. It is composed of a resin storage case 123 and an open / close door 124 that can be freely opened and closed at the front opening of the top cover 122 of the variable temperature chamber 107. The open / close door 124 is in close contact with the front wall 123b of the storage case 123 when closed. In addition, the inside of the variable temperature room 107 is a substantially sealed space. The open / close door 124 is made of a highly transparent synthetic resin so that the food stored inside can be visually recognized.

  Further, a door open / close detection means 127 is provided on the back wall surface of the variable temperature chamber 107 so that the open / close door 124 is fitted to the rear wall 123a of the storage case 123 when the open / close door 124 is closed. Further, in the present embodiment, an aluminum bottom plate 128 is fitted on the bottom surface of the storage case 123 to improve cooling performance and visibility by diffusing illumination from the lighting device 121, but this is not essential. .

  Further, a rear wall 125 of the variable temperature chamber that guides the cold air distributed by the damper device 117b to the variable temperature chamber 107 is formed behind the rear wall surface of the variable temperature chamber 107. A variable temperature ceiling top duct 126 is arranged. The variable temperature ceiling top duct 126 includes a heat insulating duct member 126a formed of a heat insulating foam heat insulating member, and a synthetic resin duct cover 126b serving as a decorative plate covering the outer periphery of the heat insulating duct member 126a. The variable temperature ceiling top duct 126 constitutes a duct together with the upper surface cover 122, and a cold air outlet 129 for discharging cold air into the variable temperature chamber 107 is formed at a position to be the upper surface portion of the storage case 123.

  In addition, a lighting device 121 for irradiating the room is installed in the variable temperature chamber 107 so as to be embedded in the duct cover 126 a on the open / close door side in front of the depth center position of the variable temperature ceiling top duct 126.

  Next, a refrigerating room door switch 130 for detecting the open / closed state of the refrigerating room door 102a is installed in the refrigerating room 102, and a setting for switching the temperature zone and operation mode of the variable temperature chamber 107 at any location inside or outside the refrigerator 101 is installed. Means 131 are installed. Further, a signal S 1 from the refrigerator door switch 130, a signal S 2 from the setting means 131, and a signal S 3 from the door opening / closing detection means 127 are respectively input to the control microcomputer 132, and further, the signal S 4 is input from the control microcomputer 132 to the compressor 112. The signal S5 is output to the blower fan 116, the signal S6 is output to the damper device 117a, and the signal S7 is output to the damper device 117b to perform a predetermined cooling operation.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated using FIGS. 5-7 below.

  First, the open / close door 124 is closed while the temperature zone of the temperature changing chamber 107 is set to the second temperature zone (partial) by the setting means 131, and the refrigerator compartment door switch 130 is closed to the refrigerator compartment door 102a. Is detected (STEP 1). Then, starting from the fact that the storage room door switch 130 detects the closing of the refrigerating room door 102a (STEP 1), the food input presence / absence determination means 134 determines whether or not a load is applied. Specifically, when the compressor 112 has been running for 5 minutes or more after starting and is operated at a predetermined number of rotations determined by the outside air temperature (STEP 2), it is determined whether or not the inside of the variable temperature chamber 107 is to be rapidly cooled. Rapid cooling start determination is started (STEP 3). If the time after starting the compressor 112 does not reach 5 minutes in STEP2, the process proceeds to STEP3 when 5 minutes have passed.

  If it is determined in STEP 3 that there is no load, normal partial control is performed (STEP 4). On the other hand, if it is determined in STEP 3 that a load has been applied, a predetermined rapid cooling operation is started. Although the details of the rapid cooling operation will be described later, in summary, the rapid cooling 1 of STEP 5 is performed, and then the rapid cooling 2 of STEP 6 is performed. Further, after completion of the predetermined rapid cooling operation, the deep freeze protection operation of STEP 7 is performed.

  In addition, it is desirable to perform the rapid cooling cancellation | release determination (STEP8) which determines again the presence or absence of load injection between the rapid cooling 1 of STEP5 and the rapid cooling 2 of STEP6. The rapid cooling release determination (STEP 8) is the same as the rapid cooling start determination in STEP 2 to STEP 3, which will be described later.

  Further, the rapid cooling release determination may be performed based on the temperature gradient of the variable temperature chamber temperature sensor 133 when the damper device 117b for the variable temperature chamber (partial room) 107 is forcibly closed for a predetermined time.

  In FIG. 6, the sequence of the food input presence / absence determination means 134, which is the rapid cooling start determination in STEP2 to STEP3, will be described.

  When the rapid cooling start determination is started, the damper device 117a for the refrigerator compartment is forcibly opened, the damper device 117b for the variable temperature chamber (partial chamber) 107 is forcibly closed, and the compressor 112 has the predetermined rotational speed. In this state, the discharge cold air is operated at a predetermined amount for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, the damper device 117a for the refrigerator compartment is forcibly closed, and the damper device 117b for the variable temperature chamber (partial chamber) 107 is forcibly opened. Temperatures at 4 minutes and 5 minutes after the start of the input load detection sequence are detected by the variable temperature sensor 133, and a temperature gradient ΔT is calculated. When the ΔT value is larger than a predetermined threshold value determined by the partial chamber temperature after 4 minutes, it is determined that there is an input load, and the rapid cooling operation is started.

  In the above sequence, by stopping the cooling of the temperature-changing room 107 for 3 minutes from the start of detection, the temperature change state of the temperature-changing room 107 can be stabilized and the temperature gradient ΔT can be stabilized. Normally, during the partial operation, the rotational speed of the compressor 112, the air volume of the discharged cold air, and the load amount already stored in the variable temperature chamber 107 are not constant, and the internal temperature is constantly increasing or decreasing. is there. Even if these conditions immediately before detection are different, it must be possible to determine with a certain threshold. It was found that the ΔT value can mainly reflect the input heat load by continuing the operation under the above-mentioned predetermined conditions for 3 minutes prior to the start of cooling of the temperature changing room 107. As a result, the correct judgment can be made stably regardless of the driving situation immediately before detection.

  In addition, the absolute value of ΔT can be made larger than immediately by starting the cooling after raising the temperature in the variable temperature chamber in the first half 3 minutes. This increases the S / N ratio between the ΔT value and the measurement variation of the variable temperature sensor 133, and as a result, the accuracy of determination based on the ΔT value can be increased.

  Further, by intensively forcibly cooling the refrigerator compartment 102 in the first three minutes, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 102 is lower than that during normal operation. Therefore, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 102 is adjusted again, the damper device 117a is closed longer than usual. As will be described later, in order to speed up the surface freezing of the food, it is important that after the start of rapid cooling, the damper device 117a is closed and only the damper device 117b is opened. The above-described preliminary cooling of the refrigerator compartment 102 has an effect of extending the continuous opening time of the damper device 117b, and promotes surface micro freezing.

  Three minutes later, the variable temperature chamber 107 is cooled at the maximum speed by closing the damper device 117a and opening the damper device 117b. Immediately after the damper device is opened and closed, the temperature gradient may be affected by the opening and closing timing or the like. Therefore, the ΔT value between 4 minutes and 5 minutes after the end of the stability is determined as an index.

  Compared with the case where no heat load is applied to the temperature changing greenhouse 107 (b in FIG. 6), when the heat load is increased to some extent, the drop in the internal temperature measured by the temperature changing temperature sensor 133 is delayed. (A in FIG. 6), the ΔT value becomes smaller.

The threshold value of ΔT is set by changing according to the following various conditions. When the internal temperature after 3 minutes is relatively high, the absolute value of the ΔT threshold is relatively large because the temperature tends to drop during the second half cooling, and conversely when the internal temperature after 3 minutes is relatively low The absolute value of the threshold value of ΔT is set to be relatively small. When the outside air temperature is relatively high, the cooling capacity for the latter half 2 minutes tends to be relatively low, so the absolute value of the threshold value of ΔT is set to be relatively small. Since the cooling capacity becomes relatively high when the rotation speed of the compressor 112 is relatively high, the absolute value of the threshold value of ΔT is set to be relatively large.

  When determining the presence or absence of the input heat load in the detection sequence, particularly when the ΔT value is close to the threshold value, whether it can be correctly determined is determined stochastically according to the normal distribution. The first misjudgment that determines that there is no input load (does not cool rapidly) in the misjudgment and the second misjudgment that determines that there is no input load (quickly cools). There is. You may set the threshold value of (DELTA) T so that the probability of a 1st misjudgment and a 2nd misjudgment may become equal. When it is reasonable for the input heat load to be cooled more reliably, the threshold of ΔT is set larger than the case of the above equal probability so that the first erroneous determination is minimized. On the contrary, considering that it is disadvantageous that the object to be cooled already cooled in the variable temperature chamber 107 is excessively cooled, the above-mentioned equal probability so that the second misjudgment is minimized It is also possible to use the threshold of ΔT smaller than the above.

  In order to improve the probability of correct determination, it is effective to make the amount of heat intrusion from the wall surface into the variable temperature chamber 107 constant. When the variable temperature chamber 107 is provided in the refrigerating room 102, the temperature change of the refrigerating room 102 is within a predetermined range regardless of the change in the outside air temperature, so that the amount of heat intrusion can be easily made constant, which is effective in improving the determination accuracy.

  When the temperature of the changing greenhouse reaches a predetermined temperature or when the open / close door 124 is opened for a predetermined time or longer, the following rapid cooling or normal partial operation cooling may be started regardless of the detection sequence of FIG. . As a result, the partial room temperature can be immediately lowered without spending time in the detection operation, and freshness deterioration due to the temperature rise of the food can be prevented.

  Next, the rapid cooling operation sequence shown in FIG. 7 will be described. The rapid cooling operation includes rapid cooling 1 having a relatively large cooling capacity and rapid cooling 2 having a cooling capacity larger than that of the normal partial operation and smaller than the rapid cooling 1. In the rapid cooling 1 operation, the rotation speed of the compressor 112 is higher than that in the normal operation, the air volume for introducing cold air into the variable temperature chamber 107 is large, and the damper device 117b to the variable temperature chamber 107 is forcibly opened. The damper device 117a to the refrigerator compartment 102 is more difficult to open, and the compressor 112 is set without stopping.

  During the rapid cooling 2 operation, the temperature of the temperature changing greenhouse 107 is adjusted so that the food material does not cool to a predetermined temperature or higher. The rapid cooling 2 is operated under some of the operating conditions during the rapid cooling 1 operation. Or you may drive | operate on the conditions between the driving | running conditions at the time of the said rapid cooling 1 driving | operation, and the driving | running conditions at the time of normal driving | operation.

  The rapid cooling 1 having a large cooling capacity has an effect of promoting fine freezing of the food material. On the other hand, if the rapid cooling 1 is continued, the variable temperature greenhouse 107 having a limited capacity is mainly cooled, so that the cold heat of the evaporator 115 cannot be completely discharged into the chamber, and the temperature of the evaporator 115 continues to decrease. Tend to. As a result, the compressor 112 must be stopped for low pressure protection. As will be described later, since continuous cooling is essential to promote fine freezing, it is necessary to avoid a temperature drop of the evaporator 115 beyond a predetermined level. Therefore, the rapid cooling 1 is completed in 30 minutes, and the rapid cooling 2 having a lower rotational speed is started. In the rapid cooling 2, the rotation speed of the compressor 112 is set so as to prevent the evaporator temperature from being lowered more than a predetermined value even when continuously operated. If the evaporator temperature still decreases, the damper device 117a may be forcibly opened.

Further, by providing the quenching 2 having a cooling capacity lower than that of the quenching 1, the food that has already been slightly frozen in the modified greenhouse 107 is deep-frozen and hardened, frosted in the transformed greenhouse 107, There is also an effect of avoiding unexpectedly microfrozen foods placed adjacent to the foodstuff.

  In order to rapidly freeze the food material, it is necessary to continue cooling for a predetermined time for the following reason. When the food is slightly frozen, when the surface layer is slightly frozen, the specific heat is about half that of the unfrozen portion inside the food, and the thermal conductivity is about four times. When the cooling is temporarily stopped in this situation, the heat of the unfrozen part is easily transferred to the finely frozen part by heat conduction, so that the temperature of the finely frozen part is likely to rise again. As a result, the temperature of the microfrozen portion once easily rises to 0 ° C., and melting begins. Repeated micro-freezing and thawing is not preferable because the food is physically degraded and the quality is lowered.

  In order to realize surface micro-freezing rapidly, the micro-freezing layer is grown to a thickness of about 1 mm so that the micro-freezing layer itself exhibits a latent heat storage effect so that the heat inside the food does not transfer to the outermost layer. It is necessary to exert a heat insulating effect. In this way, a finely frozen layer can be reliably formed on the surface of the food material. In this case, the time until the fine frozen layer is generated is not affected by a supercooling phenomenon or the like and is relatively stable.

  Food materials such as meat and fish contain phospholipids in the cell membrane and neutral fat in the subcutaneous tissue, but the unsaturated fatty chains that are their constituents are auto-oxidized by contact with oxygen to produce hydroxy peroxide. Ingestion of hydroxyperoxide is harmful because DNA is damaged by the radical reaction in the body and the physiologically active substance is oxidized.

  When the micro-freezing layer is uniformly formed on the entire surface of the food by the rapid cooling described above, the cell and the inside of the food are substantially shielded from oxygen because the ice in the extracellular fluid has an oxygen diffusion coefficient more than two orders of magnitude smaller than that of water. I can do it. Since oxygen is essential for the above-mentioned auto-oxidation, the production of hydroxy peroxide can be prevented. In this way, it can be confirmed by facilitating the surface freezing and suppressing the oxidation of the food material containing fats and oils, and suppressing the increase of values such as AV, POV, and TBA that are oxidation indexes.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the fine freezing start time when the food is finely frozen and the POV value after 3 days. The POV value on the vertical axis is shown relative to the POV value on the 0th day as 1.0. It was found with two types of fish foods that the oxidation index value increases during the storage days of 3 days when the fine freezing start time exceeds a predetermined time. In order to suppress the increase in POV value for 3 days and to stop oxidation substantially, it was found that it is effective to finely freeze the surface of the food within 8 hours and block the contact between oxygen and oil. It was. Similarly, when the surface layer was slightly frozen within 8 hours, it was found that the K value did not increase in 3 days. In addition, in the case of beef and pork, it was found that the oxidation index value after 7 days did not increase when surface freezing was performed within 8 hours. The cooling capacity during the rapid cooling operation of the present invention was set so that the surface of the food material was slightly frozen within 8 hours.

  In the middle of the rapid cooling 1, a rapid cooling cancellation determination may be performed to determine again the continuation of the rapid cooling operation. The cancellation determination is basically the same as the detection sequence shown in FIG. 6, but the threshold value of ΔT is separately determined. The rapid cooling cancellation determination may be performed a plurality of times. Even when the second erroneous determination is made by the detection sequence, the rapid cooling operation is stopped halfway by performing the rapid cooling cancellation determination, so that the unnecessary rapid cooling operation can be stopped and the amount of energy used can be prevented from increasing more than necessary.

When the rapid cooling 2 is completed, the normal partial operation is resumed. If the cooler temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature during the operation transition, it is determined that cooling is not necessary, and the compressor 112 may stop. Usually, while the compressor 112 is stopped, the blower fan 116 that blows the cool air of the evaporator 115 into the refrigerator is stopped, but the fan may be operated at the time of operation transition. By this,
The temperature rise of the evaporator 115 can be promoted, and the stop time of the compressor 112 can be made shorter than usual. The shorter the stop time of the compressor 112, the shorter the time until fine freezing for the above-mentioned reason, and a favorable result can be obtained in terms of maintaining freshness.

  After returning to normal operation, a protection time is set for normal partial operation without starting the rapid cooling operation for a predetermined time as shown in FIG. When there is food that has been slightly frozen in the variable temperature chamber 107 before the heat load is applied, the temperature of the food may be temporarily lowered by the rapid cooling operation, and the food may be harder than the slight freezing. By providing the protection time, the food temperature approaches the same temperature as during normal partial operation during the protection time, and the hardness of the food also returns. If there is no protection time and the heat load is continuously applied, the existing fine frozen food will approach the freezing from the fine freezing, and the merit of fine freezing will decrease, but such inconvenience can be prevented. it can.

  The longer the protection time is set, the more reliably the temperature of the existing microfrozen food will return to the microfrozen temperature. Regarding the length of protection time, considering the temperature increase during the protection time and the temperature increase during the defrost operation that is performed regularly, the temperature should be within the range of slight freezing during the standard storage period of foodstuffs Set to. Or you may set so that the cutting force of a foodstuff may not raise more than a predetermined value during the preservation | save period of a standard foodstuff.

  As an example, FIG. 7 shows an example in which the rapid cooling operation time is 2.5 hours and the protection time is 3 hours. In this case, one quench cycle is 5.5 hours, which is almost equal to a general breakfast, lunch and dinner preparation time cycle. Therefore, even if the partial room temperature rises at a certain meal preparation time and a rapid cooling operation is started, it can be rapidly cooled at the next meal preparation time, and the freshness of the existing microfrozen food can be maintained reliably. I can do it.

  When a thermal load is applied during the protection time, only the detection sequence is activated and a rapid cooling determination is made. If it is determined that rapid cooling is required, cool immediately after the protection time.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the storage room (transformer 107), the air blowing means (air blowing fan 116) for blowing the cool air from the cooler 115 to the storage room, and the control means (the fan means 116). In a refrigerator equipped with a control microcomputer 132), the surface of the food stored in the storage room is finely frozen by controlling the ventilation of the cold air by the control means, and then stored at a fine freezing temperature. The layer prevents contact between the food and oxygen to prevent oxidation, and the food is easily separated and separated, and the flavor is not deteriorated, so the stored food can be stored fresh.

  Further, the blowing means includes a duct (refrigeration chamber duct 120) for blowing cool air from the cooler to the storage room, a damper (damper device 117a) provided in the duct, and a temperature sensor (variable) for detecting the temperature in the storage room. Greenhouse temperature sensor 133), and the control means forcibly opens the damper device for a predetermined time, rapidly finely freezes the surface of the food stored in the storage room, and then based on the detection temperature of the temperature sensor The damper device is controlled to open and close and stored at a micro freezing temperature. After the food is added, it can be immediately cooled immediately to prevent contact with oxygen and prevent oxidation in a shorter time. Preserved food can be stored fresh.

  In addition, the damper device is forcibly opened for a predetermined time, and the compressor is operated continuously, so that contact with oxygen can be cut off in a shorter time to prevent oxidation, and the stored food can be freshened. Can be saved.

Further, the storage chamber 107, the air blowing means 116 for blowing cool air from the cooler into the storage chamber, the temperature sensor 133 for detecting the temperature in the storage chamber, and the food input presence / absence determination means for determining whether or not the food is input into the storage chamber 134, the food input presence / absence determining means 134 forcibly stops the air blowing means 116 for a predetermined time, and determines whether food is input into the storage room based on the temperature gradient of the temperature sensor 133. Yes, it is possible to determine whether or not food is put into the storage room with a simple specification.

  Further, the food input presence / absence determining means 134 forcibly stops the air blowing means 116 for a predetermined time, and then forcibly operates the air blowing means 116 for a predetermined time, so that the temperature gradient of the temperature sensor 133 during the forced operation of the air blowing means 116 is obtained. Based on the above, it is determined whether or not food is put into the storage room, and whether or not food is put into the storage room can be reliably determined with a simple specification.

  Also, the food input presence / absence determination means 134 is executed a plurality of times to determine whether or not food has been input into the storage room, and the determination of whether or not food has been input into the storage room can be more reliably performed with a simple specification. .

  In addition, storage room opening / closing detection means 127 for detecting opening / closing of the storage room 107 is provided, and the control means 132 is executed based on the opening / closing detection of the storage room opening / closing detection means 127, thereby preventing food oxidation more reliably. The stored food can be stored fresh.

  In addition, the storage chamber 107 is built in a section of the storage chamber, and the storage chamber 107 is temperature-controlled independently of the storage chamber 102, so that the finely frozen layer once generated is stably maintained and has an antioxidant effect. Can be maintained.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 9a is a diagram showing the relationship between ΔT of the refrigerator and the compressor rotation speed of the rapid cooling 1 in Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 9b is the relationship between ΔT of the refrigerator and the operation time of the rapid cooling 2 in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. In addition, description of the same part as Embodiment 1 is abbreviate | omitted, and only a different part is demonstrated.

  In the rapid cooling determination sequence of FIG. 6, under a certain condition, the magnitude of the ΔT value is substantially proportional to the input heat load. In the refrigerator of the present embodiment, operation control is performed to increase the cooling amount in proportion to the input heat load. FIG. 9 a is a graph showing the relationship between ΔT and the rotational speed of the compressor 112 in the rapid cooling 1 in the second embodiment. When the absolute value of ΔT is larger than ΔT0, rapid cooling is performed to increase the rotational speed from R2 to R3. When the absolute value is larger than ΔT1, the rotational speed is further increased to R4. In this way, when the input heat load is large, the time until the surface layer micro freezing is reliably shortened by lowering the temperature of the evaporator 115 and increasing the cooling capacity. At this time, if the time of the rapid cooling 1 is extended, adverse effects such as frost formation in the variable temperature chamber and freezing of foods in the adjacent rooms will occur, so the time will not be extended.

  FIG. 9B is a graph showing ΔT and the time of rapid cooling 2 in the second embodiment. When the absolute value of ΔT is between ΔT0 and ΔT1, the time of the rapid cooling 2 is t1, but when ΔT1 or more, the time is extended in proportion to the ΔT value. However, even if a thermal load of ΔT2 or more is applied, the time does not extend beyond time t2. The upper limit time t2 is set so that there is no adverse effect such as frost formation or freezing of ingredients. By adjusting the rapid cooling operation conditions according to the input heat load in this way, it is possible to reliably reduce the time to surface freezing, while preventing adverse effects due to excessive cooling and unnecessary increase in operating costs. it can.

  The refrigerator of the present invention can be applied not only for home use but also for business use. For example, it can be used for improving the storage stability of commercial refrigerators, showcases and cooler boxes.

102 Cold room (storage room)
107 Changing room (storage room, partial room)
112 Compressor 115 Cooler (evaporator)
116 Blower fan (Blower unit)
117a, 117b Damper device (damper)
120 Cold room duct (duct)
127 Door open / close detection means (storage room open / close detection means)
132 Control microcomputer (control means)
133 Temperature change sensor (temperature sensor)
134 Means for determining whether or not to add food

Claims (5)

In a refrigerator including a storage chamber, a blower for blowing cool air from a cooler to the storage chamber, and a control unit for controlling the blower, the storage is performed by controlling the blowing of the cold air by the control unit. A refrigerator characterized in that the surface of food stored in a room is slightly frozen and then stored at a slightly freezing temperature. The air blowing means includes a duct that blows cool air from the cooler to the storage chamber, a damper provided in the duct, and a temperature sensor that detects a temperature in the storage chamber, and the control means includes the The damper is forcibly opened for a predetermined time, the surface of the food stored in the storage room is rapidly microfrozen, and then the damper is opened and closed based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and stored at the microfrozen temperature. The refrigerator according to claim 1. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the damper is forcibly opened for a predetermined time and the compressor is continuously operated. The storage unit opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the storage room is provided, and the control unit is executed based on the opening / closing detection of the storage room opening / closing detection unit. Refrigerator. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the storage room is built in a part of a storage room, and the temperature of the storage room is controlled independently of the storage room.

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