JPH0330796B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (a) Industrial application field The present invention supplies air cooled by a main cooler to a freezer compartment using a blower, and cools the freezer compartment using a predetermined defrosting device. Regarding a freezer that defrosts a cooler.

(b) Conventional technology Conventionally, this type of freezer is
It is shown in the publication No. In other words, the configuration shown there always uses cold air from an indirect cooling cooler and a direct cooling type cooler installed on the wall of the freezer compartment to cool the inside of the refrigerator, and when cooling the refrigerator compartment is not required, the refrigerator is actually cooled. The evaporation of the refrigerant in the indirect cooling cooler is temporarily stopped, and the direct cooling cooler is used to promote freezing of the freezer compartment. This allows the interior of the freezer to be cooled, ensuring that the interior remains cool even during defrosting.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention According to this configuration, since refrigerant always flows through the direct cooling type cooler installed on the wall of the freezer compartment, frost adhering to this cooler must be removed by some method. . Furthermore, during defrosting of the indirect cooler, the pressure inside it becomes very high, which impedes the circulation of the refrigerant, and as a result, the cooling capacity of the direct cooler is adversely affected.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a freezer in which air cooled by a main cooler provided in the cooling chamber is circulated to the freezing chamber by a blower, and an auxiliary cooling device provided in the freezing chamber. a flow path control device that controls whether or not the refrigerant that has been depressurized in the capillary tube via the compressor and condenser flows to the auxiliary cooler, and a defrosting device for the main cooler; The flow path control device normally stops the flow of refrigerant into the auxiliary cooler and allows the refrigerant to flow to the main cooler, and during rapid freezing operation, it flows the refrigerant to the auxiliary cooler, and when the main cooler is being defrosted, it flows to the main cooler. The flow of refrigerant into the compressor is stopped and the refrigerant is evaporated in the auxiliary cooler, and the refrigerant that has passed through the auxiliary cooler is returned to the compressor without passing through the main cooler.

(E) Effect According to the present invention, frost adhering to the auxiliary cooler during rapid freezing is sublimated and removed during normal cooling operation (cooling only by the main cooler). In addition, the freezer compartment is cooled by the auxiliary cooler even during defrosting of the main cooler, and the refrigerant evaporated in the auxiliary cooler returns to the compressor without passing through the main cooler during defrosting. The refrigerant flow is not obstructed by defrosting the main cooler, and the refrigeration effect of the auxiliary cooler can be exerted well.

(F) Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a so-called two-temperature type refrigerator whose interior is divided by a partition wall 2 into a freezing compartment 3 kept at a freezing temperature and a refrigerating compartment 4 kept at a temperature higher than the freezing point. Reference numeral 5 denotes a bottom wall of a freezing chamber 3 provided above the partition wall 2 with a distance therebetween, and a main cooler 7 is installed within a cooling chamber 6 formed between the partition wall 2 and the partition wall 2. 8
The air cooled by the main cooler is sent to freezer compartment 3 and refrigerator compartment 4.
Cold air is directly discharged from the front of the blower 8 to the freezer compartment 3 by an electric blower that circulates the cold air, and the cold air that has descended through the duct 9 is sent to the refrigerator compartment 4 and circulated as shown by the arrow. Reference numeral 10 denotes a damper device that opens and closes the cold air discharge port of the duct 9 to the refrigerator compartment 4 according to the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 4. 11 is an electric compressor, 12
1 is a condenser, and 13 is an auxiliary cooler, which is provided in the shape of a shelf in the freezer compartment 3 in this embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows the refrigerant circuit. Reference numerals 14 and 15 are electromagnetic valves as a refrigerant flow path control device shown as two-way valves, 16, 17, 18, and 19 are capillary tubes, and 20 is a dehydrator for removing moisture in the refrigerant. Here, compressor 11 and main condenser 1
2. Dehydrator 20 Capillary tube 19
and 18, and the main cooler 7 form one refrigeration cycle. A defrosting pipe 21 is disposed in the main cooler 7 in a thermally conductive manner, with one end connected to the discharge side of the compressor 11 via a two-way valve 15, and the other end connected to the auxiliary cooler 3 via a capillary tube 17. Connected to the entrance side. The pipe exiting the capillary tube 19 is branched and connected to the inlet side of the auxiliary cooler 13 via the two-way valve 14 and the capillary tube 16.
The outlet side of the compressor 3 is connected to the suction side of the compressor 11. 22 is an electric heater device disposed in the capillary tube 18 in a thermally conductive manner. two-way valve 14,
Reference numeral 15 opens a passage when energized to allow the refrigerant to flow, and is normally closed when not energized.

Now, FIG. 3 shows an example of an electric circuit. 8A
23 is a motor for driving the blower 8, and 23 is a thermostat that controls the operation of the refrigeration system, which responds to either the temperature inside the freezer compartment 3, the temperature of the cold air discharged to the freezer compartment 3, or the temperature of the main cooler 7. Electric compressor 1
Controls the operation of 1. 24 is a defrost timer device, which has a switch 24A. Here, in the present invention, since the main cooler 7 is defrosted using the high temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11, the defrost timer 24 is controlled by the blower motor 8.
The operating time of A is integrated, and when a predetermined integration is reached, the contact of switch 24A is closed. Thereby, the two-way valve 15, the electric heater 22 and the relay coil 25
is energized, the two-way valve 15 opens and the refrigerant flows into the defrosting pipe 21, the electric heater 22 generates heat and heats the capillary tube 18, and the relay switch 25A of the relay coil 25 switches from contact a to b.
Defrost timer 24 and blower motor 8A switch to
energization is stopped, the normally closed contact 25B opens, and the normally open contact 25C closes, so that the two-way valve 14 is no longer energized, and the circuit after the compressor 11 is closed regardless of the thermostat 23. Electricity is applied.
In addition, the relay coil 25 is self-retaining and the two-way valve 15
energization to the electric heater 22 is maintained. Reference numeral 26 is a self-resetting type temperature sensor that senses the defrosting end temperature of the main cooler 7 and opens the circuit. 27A is a temperature detection device 27 that operates by detecting the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13.
A switch included in the auxiliary cooler 13 that closes when the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13 rises to a predetermined high temperature and opens when the temperature drops to a predetermined temperature, operates two circuits simultaneously, closes and energizes the two-way valve 14, The thermostat 23 is bypassed and the circuit at the subsequent stage is energized regardless of the thermostat 23. When the two-way valve 14 is energized, it opens, and the refrigerant that has passed through the main condenser 12, dehydrator 20, and capillary tube 19 also flows into the auxiliary cooler 13.

In the above configuration, firstly, in the normal cooling operation state, switch 24A is open and relay switch 2 is open.
5A is closed to contact a. Also, switch 27A
Since the contact point 25C is also open, the compressor 11, blower motor 8A, and defrost timer 24 are operating under the control of the thermostat 23, and the two-way valve 15 is not energized, so the refrigerant is mainly Condenser 1
2 and the main cooler 7 performs cooling operation.

Second, in the first state described above, when an item to be frozen such as food or an ice tray is placed on the auxiliary cooler 13, the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 13 rises and the temperature detection device 27 detects the temperature. is detected and the switch 27A closes. Since the contact 25B is closed at this time, the two-way valve 14 is energized and the refrigerant that has passed through the main condenser 12 is sent to the dehydrator 20 and the capillary tubes 19 and 16.
It also flows through the auxiliary cooler 13. This allows the articles on the auxiliary cooler 13 to be transferred to the main cooler 7.
It is cooled by the cold air from the auxiliary cooler 13 and quickly freezes.

Thirdly, when the above-described first operating state continues and the defrost timer 24 finishes counting, the switch 24A closes and the two-way valve 15, electric heater 22, and relay coil 25 are energized. This causes the defrost timer 24
and the blower motor 8A stops, while contact 2
By closing 5C, the compressor 11 is operated continuously,
The two-way valve 15 opens, and the two-way valve 14 closes without being energized because the contact 25B opens, and the heater 22 generates heat, causing the refrigerant in the capillary tube 18 to expand and the resistance there to become extremely large. Therefore, the compressor 11
The high temperature refrigerant discharged from the defrosting pipe 2 is substantially
The main cooler 7 is heated by this high-temperature refrigerant, and the frost adhering to it is melted and removed, and the high-temperature refrigerant is cooled and condensed. This condensed refrigerant is depressurized in the capillary tube 17 and flows into the auxiliary cooler 13, where it evaporates, thereby cooling the freezer compartment 3 and the articles on the auxiliary cooler 13. After that, when the defrosting progresses and the temperature of the main cooler 7 rises to the predetermined defrosting end temperature, the temperature detector 26 opens, thereby de-energizing the two-way valve 15 and the electric heater 22, and the refrigerant starts flowing again. It now flows into the main condenser 12,
The blower 8 also rotates and the cooling operation is restarted.

Here, it is possible that the contact 27A closes when an article is placed on the auxiliary cooler 13 during the defrosting operation of the main cooler 7, but at this time, the contact 25B is open, so the two-way valve 14 is closed. Therefore, the auxiliary cooler 1
3, the refrigerant is not supplied from the main condenser 12, but the refrigerant is supplied from the defrosting pipe 21 and evaporates, so the auxiliary cooler 13 is cooled. Although the cold air from the main cooler 7 is not sent to the upper article, it is sufficiently cooled to freezing temperature. Furthermore, even if the two-way valve 14 is open and the auxiliary cooler 13 is promoting freezing, the defrost timer 24 finishes integration and defrosting is started, and the two-way valve 14 is closed. Since the refrigerant is sent from the pipe 21, the auxiliary cooler 13 continues to promote freezing.

In addition, in this embodiment, the defrosting is controlled by the timer device 24.
However, the switch 24A may be replaced with a manual switch to defrost at any time. Further, although the timer device 24 is of a motor-driven type, it may be an electronic timer using a semiconductor element, and the refrigerator 1 may not be a two-temperature type as in the embodiment, but may be a one-room type.

(G) Effects of the Invention The present invention is constructed as described above, and an auxiliary cooler is provided in the freezing chamber, food that requires quick freezing and ice trays are placed on the auxiliary cooler, and refrigerant is allowed to flow into the auxiliary cooler. By doing so, the articles on the auxiliary cooler can be rapidly frozen or iced by direct cooling from the auxiliary cooler. Furthermore, since the refrigerant flows to the auxiliary cooler even during the defrosting operation of the main cooler, the quality of the articles in the freezer compartment or on the auxiliary cooler will not deteriorate due to temperature rise during defrosting. At this time, the refrigerant evaporated in the auxiliary cooler returns to the compressor without passing through the main cooler during defrosting, so the refrigerant flow is not obstructed by the defrosting of the main cooler, and the refrigeration action of the auxiliary cooler is maintained. It can be made to perform well. In addition, the frost that adheres to the auxiliary cooler during quick freezing or defrosting operation is sublimated and removed by the cold air from the main cooler during normal cooling operation, so the auxiliary cooler can always be maintained in good condition. It is something.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Each figure shows an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the outline of the internal structure of the refrigerator, Figure 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the present invention, and Figure 3 is an electric circuit diagram of the same. It is. 3... Freezer compartment, 7... Main cooler, 13... Auxiliary cooler, 14, 15... Two-way valve, 21... Defrost pipe.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a freezer in which air cooled by a main cooler provided in the cooling chamber is circulated to the freezing chamber using a blower, an auxiliary cooler provided in the freezing chamber;
It consists of a flow path control device that controls whether or not the refrigerant, which has been depressurized in the capillary tube after passing through the compressor and the condenser, flows to the auxiliary cooler, and a defrosting device for the main cooler. The path control device normally stops the flow of refrigerant into the auxiliary cooler and allows the refrigerant to flow into the main cooler, and during rapid freezing operation, allows the refrigerant to flow into the auxiliary cooler while defrosting the main cooler. The refrigerant is configured to stop flowing into the main cooler and allow the refrigerant to evaporate in the auxiliary cooler, and the refrigerant that has passed through the auxiliary cooler returns to the compressor without passing through the main cooler. A freezer that is characterized by: