KR20090124496A - Refrigerator and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A refrigerator and a control method thereof are provided to reduce quality change of foods and reduce time required to defrost frozen foods. CONSTITUTION: Foods are overcooled(S10). The foods are frozen at a temperature lower than a first setup temperature range(S30). The foods are kept at a temperature higher than the freeze temperature(S50). After the overcooling step, the foods are rapidly cooled so as for the foods to be strayed from the first setup temperature range.

Description

Refrigerator and control method {Refrigerator and Controlling method of the same}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a refrigerator and a control method thereof capable of freezing and storing the stored food more freshly.

Subcooling means that a liquid such as water does not transition even below a phase transition temperature to a solid and maintains a high temperature phase, that is, a liquid state. In the natural state, for example, the supercooling water drop (supercooling water drop) is an example, even in the conventional refrigerator, the water or the drink may not be frozen by chance to the supercooled state. This supercooling occurs not only in the liquid itself, such as water, but also in the moisture contained in meat, fish, and vegetables.

By using the concept of supercooling, it is possible to store vegetables, meat, fish, and the like in a frozen state at a temperature below the freezing point, so that vegetables, meat, fish, etc. can be stored fresher and for a longer time.

On the other hand, when the supercooled state of the supercooled water is released, it is converted into slush ice. For example, when an external impact is applied to subcooled water at -10 ° C, ice tuberculosis is formed, thereby rapidly causing a phase change from the liquid phase to the solid phase, and the supercooled water is slushy at 0 ° C. If cold air continues to be applied, it is converted to hard ice.

In the case of meat, when the supercooled state is released, the moisture in the meat is converted into a solid phase, and when cold air is continuously supplied, the transition from the surface of the meat to the solid solid phase proceeds, and eventually the whole meat is changed hard. .

In order to cook or consume food stored in the freezer, it is necessary to thaw the food, which takes a long time to thaw frozen food. At this time, to reduce the time required to heat food using a microwave oven or the like.

At this time, a large amount of water is evaporated to the food, such as meat, while the water evaporates, there is a problem that the color of the food is discolored to reduce the quality of the food.

In addition, there is a problem that the time required for cooking the food is long because the frozen food has to be thawed.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, the present invention is to provide a refrigerator and a control method for storing the food so that the quality of the frozen food does not significantly change from the quality before freezing.

In addition, it is possible to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof that can reduce the time required to prepare a frozen food for cooking.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a supercooling step of supercooling food; A freezing step of storing food below a first set temperature range; And a pre-thawing step of storing food at a temperature higher than the temperature stored in the freezing step.

The first set temperature range may be the maximum ice crystal generation zone in which the size of ice crystal nuclei increases in food. In particular, the maximum ice crystal generation zone may be minus 7 degrees Celsius to minus 1 degree.

On the other hand, the temperature at which the food is stored in the pre-thawing step may be within the first set temperature range.

Further, the temperature at which the food is stored in the pre-thawing step may be minus 5 degrees Celsius to minus 2 degrees Celsius.

The refrigerator control method may further include a rapid cooling step of rapidly cooling the food after the subcooling step to deviate from the first set temperature range.

And, in the rapid cooling step it is possible to cool the food below the first set temperature range.

In the subcooling step, the food may be stored within the first set temperature range.

Of course, it is preferable that the pre-thawing step is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed after the freezing step.

The present invention is a storage room in which food is stored and supercooled; A cold air supply device for supplying cold air to the storage room; And a control unit which controls to store the food at a temperature higher than the first set temperature range after a predetermined time has elapsed after the food is overcooled and frozen below the first set temperature range.

In this case, the first predetermined temperature range may be the maximum ice crystal generation zone in which the size of the ice crystal nucleus increases in the food.

The maximum ice crystal generation zone may be minus 7 degrees Celsius to minus 1 degree Celsius.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to reduce the change in the quality of the food before freezing and the food after freezing as compared with the prior art.

In addition, it is possible to reduce the time required to thaw the food to cook the frozen food, thereby reducing the time required to cook the food.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention that can specifically realize the above object will be described.

1 is a view showing a refrigerator according to the present invention. A description with reference to FIG. 1 is as follows.

The refrigerator 100 according to the present invention includes a top mount type in which the freezing compartment 120 and the refrigerating compartment 130 are divided up and down, and the refrigerating compartment 130 and the freezing compartment 120 are divided up and down. Also applicable to the Bottom Freezer-Type.

However, in the present embodiment, for convenience of description, the freezer compartment 120 and the refrigerating compartment 130 will be described based on side-by-side type refrigerators, which are divided into left and right sides.

The refrigerator has a freezing compartment 120 on the left side and a refrigerating chamber 130 on the right side. In general, the freezing chamber 120 maintains a temperature below freezing, and in the refrigerating chamber 130 stores the food while maintaining a relatively higher temperature than the freezing chamber 120.

The refrigerator 100 forms an exterior of the refrigerator by a main body, and seals and protects a mechanical device accommodated therein from the outside.

The refrigerator 100 generally maintains the freshness of foods stored by keeping the inside of the refrigerator at a low temperature by using a refrigerant cycle device accommodated in a machine room (not shown) formed at the bottom of the main body. The cold air generated by the refrigerant cycle device may be supplied to the storage chamber 124 through the cold air supply device to be described below.

The refrigerant cycle device is supplied to the freezer compartment 120 is cooled to a low temperature by using an evaporator (not shown) that phase-converts the liquid refrigerant in the gas state to heat exchange with the outside. The cold air keeps the freezing chamber 120 in the freezing state.

In addition, the refrigerator 100 includes a refrigerator compartment door 132 to open and close the freezer compartment 122 and the refrigerating compartment 130 to open and close the freezer compartment 120. The freezer compartment door 122 and the refrigerating compartment door 132 are rotatably installed in the main body of the refrigerator.

On the other hand, the freezer compartment 122 is provided with a storage room 124 so that the user can store food separately. Of course, the storage chamber 124 may be provided in the freezing chamber 120 instead of the inner wall of the freezing chamber door 122.

At this time, the storage chamber 124 is preferably sealed from another area in the freezing chamber 120. This is to store the food stored in the storage chamber 124 in a different environment from the food stored in the freezing chamber 120. In other words, if the storage chamber 124 can be sealed, temperature measurement or temperature control in the storage chamber 124 can be facilitated.

On the other hand, the storage room 124 may have a lid so that the user can easily accommodate food in the storage room 124. On the other hand, the storage chamber 124 can have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but is not limited to such a shape.

2 is a block diagram according to the present invention. A description with reference to FIG. 2 is as follows.

The present invention includes a temperature sensor 20 for measuring the temperature and a timer 30 for measuring the elapsed time. The temperature sensor 20 may measure the temperature in the storage chamber 124 or the temperature of food stored in the storage chamber 124.

In addition, a cold air supply device 40 that can supply cold air to the storage chamber 124 is provided. The cold air supply device 40 may supply cold air supplied by a refrigerant cycle device such as a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve provided in the refrigerator.

The cold air supply device 40 may include a duct that forms a flow path of cold air, a fan that may suck or discharge cold air through the duct. In addition, it may include a damper that can adjust the amount of suction or discharge of cold air.

In addition, the controller 10 may receive a temperature value measured by the temperature sensor 20 and a value for an elapsed time measured by the timer 30. In addition, the controller 10 controls the cold air supply device 40 according to a value for a temperature value or an elapsed time.

In other words, the controller 10 may control the cold air supply device 40 to control the temperature in the storage chamber 124. Therefore, the freshness of the food stored in the storage room 124 by the operation of the control unit 10 is improved.

Furthermore, although not shown in FIG. 2, a heating device (not shown) may be provided to increase the temperature in the storage chamber 124. At this time, the heating device may be provided with a heater, a fan that can supply heat.

3 is a control flow diagram according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a simplified view showing an embodiment controlled in accordance with the present invention. Hereinafter, a method of controlling a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In Figure 4, Food temp. Means the temperature of the food stored in the storage room 124, Room temp. Means the temperature in the storage room 124.

Food to be stored is stored in the storage room 124. At this time, the food to be stored may include meat. Foods stored contain moisture, and foods stored at room temperature will typically have a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius or more.

When it is determined that the food is stored in the storage chamber 124, the controller 10 drives the cold air supply device 40 to supply cold air into the storage chamber 124. That is, the temperature of the food stored in the storage chamber 124 is lowered.

At this time, the temperature of the food is preferably 0 degrees Celsius or less. Of course, even if the food drops below 0 degrees Celsius, the moisture contained in the food does not immediately freeze. This is because the supercooled state is maintained in a predetermined temperature range even if the moisture contained in the food drops below 0 degrees Celsius.

The temperature at which the supercooled state is maintained may vary depending on the type of food and the amount of water contained in the food. However, FIG. 4 illustrates a case where the temperature range in which supercooling can be maintained is approximately 0 degrees Celsius to minus 5 degrees. It is apparent that the present invention is not limited by these examples.

As shown in FIG. 4, the food may be stored within the first set temperature range during the subcooling step. In this case, the first predetermined temperature range may be the maximum ice crystal production zone in which the number of ice crystal nuclei increases greatly in food.

Ice crystal nucleus means the part where water can become the nucleus of particles to become ice when water turns to ice. In other words, the portion of ice crystal nuclei in the water will change to ice sooner than the portion where ice crystal nuclei are formed.

The first set temperature range may be set by a producer who manufactures the refrigerator 100 or a consumer who uses the refrigerator 100.

Furthermore, the maximum ice crystal generation zone may be minus 7 degrees Celsius to minus 1 degree Celsius. These values are averages of common foods and may vary from food to food. On the other hand, the maximum ice crystal generation zone may have a different value.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the stored food continues to drop, the supercooled state of the food is terminated. Then, as the temperature of the food rises, the moisture contained in the food is converted into ice. That is, the food begins to freeze.

At this time, since the moisture contained in the food is frozen as the supercooling is terminated, it freezes in a shorter time than freezing in the state without the supercooling state.

Subsequently, when the food starts to freeze, a rapid cooling step of rapidly cooling the food is implemented. (S20) That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature of the storage chamber 124 is set to be equal to or less than the first set temperature. Cold air is supplied using the cold air supply device 40.

The rapid cooling step allows the food to quickly escape from the maximum ice crystal generation zone. During the maximum ice crystal generation stage, the number of ice crystal nuclei can increase in the water contained in the food. In addition, during the maximum ice crystal generation zone, the size of the ice crystal nuclei already generated increases.

Then, a freezing step of freezing the food is performed. (S30) In the freezing step, the food is stored below the first set temperature range. In this case, the first predetermined temperature range may mean the maximum ice crystal generation zone. Furthermore, the maximum ice crystal generation zone may be minus 7 degrees Celsius to minus 1 degree Celsius.

On the other hand, in the freezing step, unlike the rapid cooling step, as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature of the food is maintained similar to the temperature in the storage chamber 124.

For example, in the freezing step, it is also possible to store food in a frozen state below 20 degrees Celsius.

Then, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the food is continuously stored in the freezing step. (S40) In this case, the predetermined time means a time enough for the food stored in the storage room 124 to be completely frozen. It is possible. On the other hand, the predetermined time may be set based on the time when the food is stored in the storage room 124.

The predetermined time may be preset by the producer when the refrigerator 100 is manufactured, or may be changed and set by the consumer according to the preference of the consumer.

However, if a predetermined time has elapsed, the food is stored according to the pre-thawing step. (S50) The pre-thawing step is a step implemented before the thawing step, and used to easily distinguish it from the thawing food. It is a term to say.

As shown in Figure 4, the pre-thawing step may be divided into a pre-thaw step (room temp rise) section in which the storage room temperature rises and the pre-thaw step section in which food is stored at a constant temperature. This division is divided for convenience of description, and it is also possible to combine the two sections as a single step.

In the pre-thawing step, it is possible to store the food at a temperature higher than the temperature stored in the freezing step. This is because even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the food is frozen, even if the storage temperature is different, the quality of the food is not significantly affected.

For example, after the food is frozen, the food storage temperature thereafter is less than 20 degrees Celsius, or less than 10 degrees Celsius.

On the other hand, the temperature at which the food is stored in the pre-thawing step may be within the first set temperature range. At this time, it is possible that the first set ondon is minus 7 degrees Celsius to minus 1 degree Celsius.

In particular, the temperature at which food is stored in the pre-thawing step may be minus 5 degrees Celsius to minus 2 degrees Celsius.

Then, the user takes the food out of the storage room 124 to cook or eat the food and thaws it. (S60) Of course, when the user takes out the food out of the storage room 124 and thaws, the food is thawed at room temperature. will be. It is also possible for a user to thaw food using a microwave oven.

On the other hand, it is also possible to thaw food using the heating apparatus in the storage chamber 124. In this case, it may be desirable to have an input unit (not shown) so that the user can input a command to thaw the food. In addition, since the cold air is not supplied to the storage chamber 124 by the cold air supply device 40, the food may be thawed by a method of increasing the temperature in the storage chamber 124.

5 is a view comparing the experimental results implemented according to the conventional refrigerator control method and the refrigerator control method according to the present invention. A description with reference to FIG. 5 is as follows.

Figure 5 shows the experimental results for the case of two and the same meat pre-thaw stage and if not. In FIG. 5, RT denotes a temperature of a storage room, and TC_Meat denotes a temperature of stored food, that is, meat.

In the case of the A system shown in the upper left of Figure 5 is not the case of the pre-thawing step of the present invention. In the case of the B system shown in the upper right of Figure 5 is the case of the pre-thawing step of the present invention.

Store meat in both A and B systems, but freeze meat in both A and B systems.

In the A system, meat is stored at about 18 degrees Celsius for about one day and then thawed in a microwave for 2 minutes.

On the other hand, in the case of the B system, the meat is stored in the freeze stage for about one day at about minus 3 degrees Celsius and then thawed in the microwave for 2 minutes.

The result of the A system (meat shown in the lower left of Figure 5) is the color of the meat is turbid, and did not go to the deep part when stabbed with a needle. This means that the meat stored by the A system is of poor quality and that the meat has not been thawed completely.

The result of the B system (meat shown in the lower right of Figure 5) was clearer than the color of the meat A system, entered into the deeper part when stabbed with a needle. It can be seen that the meat stored by the B system can be stored without compromising the quality of the meat as compared to the A system. In addition, the thawing of the meat is completely made can reduce the time to wait for cooking the meat. In other words, it is possible to reduce the overall time required for cooking to reduce the inconvenience for the user.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and as can be seen in the appended claims, modifications can be made by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

2 is a block diagram according to the present invention;

3 is a control flow chart according to the present invention.

4 is a simplified illustration of an embodiment controlled in accordance with the present invention.

5 is a view comparing the experimental results implemented according to the conventional refrigerator control method and the refrigerator control method according to the present invention.

<Description of Signs for Main Parts of Drawings>

10: control unit 20: temperature sensor

30: timer 40: cold air supply

100: refrigerator 120: freezer

124: storage room 130: cold storage room

Claims (12)

A supercooling step of supercooling the food; A freezing step of storing food below a first set temperature range; And And a pre-thawing step of storing food at a temperature higher than the temperature stored in the freezing step. The method of claim 1, The first set temperature range is a refrigerator control method, characterized in that the maximum ice crystal generation zone in which the size of the ice crystal nucleus increases in the food. The method of claim 2, The maximum ice crystal generating zone is a refrigerator control method, characterized in that minus 7 degrees Celsius to minus 1 degree Celsius. The method of claim 1, Refrigerator control method characterized in that the temperature at which the food is stored in the pre-thawing step is within the first set temperature range. The method of claim 4, wherein Refrigerator control method characterized in that the temperature at which food is stored in the pre-thawing step is minus 5 degrees Celsius to minus 2 degrees Celsius. The method of claim 1, And a rapid cooling step of rapidly cooling the food after the subcooling step to deviate from the first set temperature range. The method of claim 6, In the quick cooling step, the refrigerator control method, characterized in that for cooling the food below the first set temperature range. The method of claim 1, The food control method of the refrigerator, characterized in that the food is stored within the first set temperature range in the subcooling step. The method of claim 1, And a pre-thawing step is performed after a predetermined time has passed after the freezing step. A storage room in which food is stored and supercooled; A cold air supply device for supplying cold air to the storage room; And And a control unit which controls to store the food at a temperature higher than the first set temperature range after a predetermined time has elapsed after the food is overcooled and frozen below the first set temperature range. The method of claim 10, The first set temperature range is the refrigerator characterized in that the maximum ice crystal generation zone in which the size of the ice crystal nucleus increases in the food. The method of claim 11, The maximum ice crystal generation zone is characterized in that the refrigerator is minus 7 degrees Celsius to minus 1 degree.

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