JPH0541336Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Purpose of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a refrigerator that changes its cooling operation mode according to a predetermined time period.

(Prior art) In recent years, from the viewpoint of effective use of late-night electricity or leveling of electricity demand, refrigerators have been developed that control the distribution of electricity consumption throughout the day by changing the cooling operation mode according to a predetermined time period. is considered. That is, in this product, a cold storage material is provided in an appropriate part of the refrigerator body, and a cooler for cooling the inside of the refrigerator and a cold storage cooler for cooling the cold storage material are provided as coolers. A thermosiphon is provided between the internal cooling cooler for heat transfer,
For example, by operating the compressor of the refrigeration cycle late at night when electricity demand is low and supplying refrigerant to the cold storage cooler, the cold storage material is sufficiently cooled, and then during a predetermined daytime period when electricity demand is high, By operating the thermosiphon without operating the compressor (no refrigerant is supplied to both coolers), heat is exchanged between the cold storage material and the cooler for cooling the inside of the refrigerator. It is conceivable to provide a control circuit that performs "normal cooling operation" by operating the compressor and supplying refrigerant to the refrigerator cooler during other times during the day. ing.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) In this device, the capacity of the cold storage material is set so that the cooling chamber can be sufficiently cooled by "cold storage cooling" during a specified time period when the room temperature is high. If the "cold storage cooling operation" is performed only during the same period of time even when the room temperature is low, the cooling capacity of the cold storage material will become redundant. Therefore, it is considered that the cooling capacity of cold storage materials can be fully utilized. On the other hand, in a device that performs "cold storage cooling operation" like this, the cooler is in cooling operation even when the compressor is stopped, so frost builds up on the cooler, and this causes However, when the amount of frost on the cooler increases, a defrost command signal is output from the frost detection sensor. In this case, since the time period for "cold storage cooling operation" is short when the room temperature is high, defrosting operation is prohibited during that time period, and defrosting operation is performed during "normal cooling operation" after that time period has elapsed. The cooling performance of the room can be ensured. However, if the "cold storage cooling operation" is extended when the room temperature is low, and the defrosting operation is prohibited until the "cold storage cooling operation" is finished, as in the case of the high room temperature described above, the cooler will become over-frosted. Since there is a risk of the cold storage material becoming cold, it has been considered to perform defrosting operation even during the "cold storage cooling operation," but if this is done, the heat generated during the defrosting operation will damage the cold storage material. The stored cold energy is consumed, making it difficult to maintain the cooling performance of the cooling chamber after the defrosting operation is completed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved refrigerator in which the period of "cold storage cooling operation" at low room temperature is made longer than that at high room temperature, and when a defrosting operation is performed during the period of "cold storage cooling operation", the cooling compartment can be sufficiently cooled during the subsequent period of "cold storage cooling operation".

[Configuration of the invention] (Means for solving the problems) The refrigerator of the invention includes a main cooler that cools a cooling chamber by being supplied with refrigerant from a compressor, and a main cooler that is selectively supplied with refrigerant from the compressor. an auxiliary cooler that cools the cold storage material, a heat transfer means provided between the cold storage material and the main cooler, an outside temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature, and an auxiliary cooler that cools the cold storage material; a defrosting means for removing the cold storage material; a normal cooling operation in which the compressor is driven to cool the cooling chamber by the main cooler; and a normal cooling operation in which the compressor is driven and the heat transfer means is driven with the compressor stopped. Therefore, a control circuit that performs a cold storage cooling operation for cooling the cooling chamber at a preset time and also performs a defrosting operation for defrosting the main cooler by driving the defrosting means during a predetermined period. In preparation, when this control circuit detects that the outside air temperature is at a low room temperature below the set temperature based on the detection signal from the outside temperature sensor, it sets the cold storage cooling operation time to be longer than when the room temperature is high, and Sometimes, the defrosting operation is prohibited during the time period of the cold storage cooling operation, and when the room temperature is low, the defrosting operation is allowed during the time period of the cold storage cooling operation, and after the defrosting operation is performed. It is characterized by a configuration in which the control is performed so that the normal cooling operation is performed even during the period of the cold storage cooling operation.

(Function) According to the above means, when the room temperature is high, the defrosting operation is prohibited during the period of the cold storage cooling operation, so that it is possible to prevent the cooling performance of the cooling chamber from being impaired during the cold storage cooling operation.

Further, when the room temperature is low, the defrosting operation is allowed even during the cold storage cooling operation, so it is possible to prevent the main cooler from becoming overly frosted. Moreover, when the defrosting operation is performed, the normal cooling operation is also performed during the period of the subsequent cold storage cooling operation, so that the cooling performance of the cooling chamber can be prevented from being impaired by the defrosting operation.

(Example) FIG. 1 shows the piping configuration of a refrigeration cycle for a refrigerator. In FIG. 1, 1 is a compressor, and the compressed and vaporized refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 is condensed and liquefied through a condenser 2 and a capillary tube 3, and then flows into a three-way solenoid valve 4, which is a flow path control device. I'm starting to do that. This three-way solenoid valve 4 allows the liquid refrigerant to flow into the
It is configured to be selectively switched between a first state where the water is supplied to the main cooler 6 via the capillary tube 5 and a second state where the water is supplied to the auxiliary cooler 8 via the capillary tube 7. .

The main cooler 6 is provided to cool the freezing and refrigerating compartments, and has a refrigerant inlet 6a communicating with the capillary tube 5, and a refrigerant outlet 6b that is open to the air. The compressor 1 is connected to the suction port side of the compressor 1 via the pump generator 9 and the check valve 13. In addition, the auxiliary cooler 8
is provided to cool the cold storage material 10 for the purpose of assisting the cooling by the main cooler 6, and its refrigerant inlet 8a is connected to the capillary tube 7, and its refrigerant outlet 8b is connected to the capillary tube 7. It communicates with the refrigerant inlet 6a of the main cooler 6 via a communication pipe 8c.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a closed-loop thermosiphon as a heat transfer means for exchanging heat between the main cooler 6 and the cold storage material 10, and the condensing part 11a side of this is placed in a heat-transfer manner with respect to the cold storage material 10. At the same time, the evaporator 11b side is disposed with respect to the main cooler 6 in a heat-transfer manner. The flow of the working fluid within the closed loop thermosiphon 11 is controlled by the solenoid valve 12.
It can be selectively shut off by

14 is the capacitor 2 and capillary reach tube 3
One end of a communication pipe 15 communicates between the suction port side of the compressor 1 and the check valve 13, and the other end of the communication pipe 15 is connected to the differential pressure valve 14.

Reference numeral 16 in FIG. 2 is a control circuit, and the output of this circuit controls the compressor 1, three-way solenoid valve 4, solenoid valve 12, etc. a sensor 17 that detects the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 8, a sensor 18 that detects the temperature of the auxiliary cooler 8, and a main cooler 6.
Detection results are input from a sensor 19 that detects the amount of frost formed on the refrigerator, an outside temperature sensor 20 that detects the temperature of the room in which the refrigerator is installed, and the like. A clock function is provided in the control circuit 16, and when the room temperature detected by the outside temperature sensor 20 exceeds 15 degrees Celsius, the refrigerator is turned off as shown in FIG.
The refrigerator is controlled according to the control pattern according to the time of day as shown in FIG. It is now controlled according to a control pattern for each time of day. In other words, when the room temperature is high, the whole day is divided into "normal cooling operation" and "cold storage operation" as shown in Figure 3a.
time periods a ₁ , a ₂ in which "cold storage cooling operation" is performed selectively, time periods b ₁ , b ₂ , b ₃ in which "cold storage cooling operation" is performed, and "normal cooling operation"
Control is divided into time periods c ₁ and c ₂ in which defrosting operation is prohibited.
d ₁ , d ₂ , and d ₃ are provided, and these time periods are respectively divided into "cold storage cooling operation" time periods b ₁ , b ₂ , and b ₃ and the time periods before that.
It is set to include 90 minutes and 30 minutes thereafter.
In addition, when the room temperature is low, as shown in Figure 3b, there are times a ₁ and a ₂ during the day when "normal cooling operation" and "cold storage cooling operation" are selectively performed, and a period during which "cold storage cooling operation" is performed. This time period e is divided into time periods b ₁ , b ₂ , and
b ₃ and the time periods c ₁ and c ₂ in which “normal cooling operation” is performed. In this case, there is no time period in which defrosting operation is prohibited.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained. When the room temperature is high, operation is performed according to the time periods shown in FIG. 3a, which will be explained first.

When performing "normal cooling operation" by the main cooler 6 during time periods C ₁ and C ₂ , the three-way solenoid valve 4 is switched to the first state while the compressor 1 is driven, and the solenoid valve 12 is switched to the first state. Hold closed.
Therefore, at this time, the liquid refrigerant generated in response to the drive of the compressor 1 is supplied to the main cooler 6 through the three-way solenoid valve 4, and after being evaporated in the main cooler 6, the liquid refrigerant is transferred to the accumulator 9. The air is returned to the compressor 1 via the compressor 1, thereby performing a cooling operation inside the refrigerator (freezer compartment and refrigerator compartment).

In addition, "normal cooling operation" is performed during time periods a ₁ and a ₂ .
The inside of the refrigerator is cooled down to the set temperature, and the auxiliary cooler 8
When performing a "cold storage operation" on the cold storage material 10, with the compressor 1 being driven,
While switching the three-way solenoid valve 4 to the second state,
The solenoid valve 12 is held closed. Therefore, at this time, the liquid refrigerant generated in response to the drive of the compressor 1 is supplied to the auxiliary cooler 8 through the three-way solenoid valve 4, evaporated in the auxiliary cooler 8, and then supplied to the main cooler 6. The fuel is supplied to the compressor 1, where it is further evaporated and then returned to the compressor 1 via the accumulator 9. As a result, a cold storage operation is performed for the cold storage material 10, and the interior of the refrigerator is also cooled by the surplus liquid refrigerant that has not been completely evaporated in the auxiliary cooler 8.

Furthermore, when performing a "cold storage cooling operation" using the cold storage material 10 that is in a cold storage state during time periods b ₁ , b ₂ , and b ₃ , the solenoid valve 12 is held in an open state while the compressor 1 is stopped. (The three-way solenoid valve 4 may be in any switching state). At this time, in response to the opening of the solenoid valve 12, the working fluid in the closed-loop thermosiphon 11 is condensed by the regenerator material 10 in the condensing section 11a and evaporated in the evaporating section 11b, so that a cycle is repeated. As a result, the main cooler 6 and the interior of the refrigerator are cooled.

At such a high room temperature, when the sensor 19 detects that the amount of frost on the main cooler 6 has exceeded a low value, that signal is given to the control circuit 16; When the time is outside the "defrosting operation prohibited" time periods d ₁ , d ₂ , and d 3 , the defrosting operation is started immediately, and the defrosting operation is started immediately, and the defrosting operation is started during the "defrosting operation prohibited" time periods d ₁ , d ₃ .
When falling under d ₂ or d ₃ , defrosting operation is not performed immediately, but defrosting operation is performed at the end of that time period.
In the defrosting operation, first, a pre-cool operation is performed for a predetermined period of time, e.g. 30 minutes, followed by a "normal cooling operation", followed by defrosting using a defrosting heater as a defrosting means, and after the defrosting is completed, the defrosting operation is performed according to the time period. Shifts to a new operating state.

On the other hand, when the room temperature is low, the operation is performed according to the time period shown in FIG. 3b, which will be explained below.
In time periods a ₁ and a ₂ , "normal cooling operation" and "cool storage cooling operation" are performed in exactly the same manner as described above, and in time period e, "cold storage cooling operation" is performed in the same manner as described above. At such a low room temperature, when the sensor 19 detects that the amount of frost on the main cooler 6 exceeds a certain value, the signal is given to the control circuit 16; Regardless of whether the time is "normal cooling operation,""cold storage operation," or "cold storage cooling operation," defrosting operation is started immediately, and defrosting operation is performed in exactly the same manner as in the above case. At this low room temperature, if the defrosting operation is performed during the period e of the "cold storage cooling operation" as shown at time t in Fig. 3b, the completion of the defrosting operation will be at the time of the "cold storage cooling operation". Even in zone e, the control circuit 16 performs the "normal cooling operation."

In the embodiment described above, the defrosting operation is prohibited when the room temperature is high and the time for the cold storage cooling operation is relatively short, so that it is possible to prevent the cooling performance of the cooling chamber from being impaired during the cold storage cooling operation. In addition, since the period of cooling by "cold storage cooling operation" is extended when the room temperature is low compared to when the room temperature is high, the cooling capacity of the cold storage material can be fully utilized. When the "cold storage cooling operation" is being performed at a low room temperature, when the sensor 19 detects that the amount of frost on the main cooler 6 has reached a predetermined amount, the "defrosting operation" is immediately started. Because I will do it,
The main cooler 6 is prevented from becoming overly frosted. In addition, when defrosting operation is performed during "cold storage cooling operation", the cooling capacity stored in the cold storage material 10 is consumed by the heat generated by the defrosting heater during defrosting, and the cooling capacity is reduced after defrosting is completed. However, in the above-mentioned embodiment, when the room temperature is low, the "normal cooling operation" is performed even in the time period e when the "cool storage cooling operation" is performed when the defrosting operation is completed, so the main cooler 6, the cooling chamber can be sufficiently cooled.

[Effects of the invention] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the refrigerator of the invention, defrosting operation is prohibited during high room temperature when the time of cold storage cooling operation is relatively short. It is possible to prevent the cooling performance of the cooling room from being impaired.

In addition, since the defrosting operation is allowed when the room temperature is low and the cold storage cooling operation takes a relatively long time, it is possible to prevent the main cooler from becoming overly frosted. Moreover,
When the defrosting operation is performed, the normal cooling operation is also performed during the period of the subsequent cold storage cooling operation, so that the cooling performance of the cooling chamber can be prevented from being impaired due to the frosting operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a control circuit,
FIGS. 3a and 3b are diagrams showing time zones. In the drawing, 1 is a compressor, 6 is a main cooler, 8
is an auxiliary cooler, 10 is a cold storage material, 11 is a closed loop thermosiphon (heat transfer means), 16 is a control circuit, 2
0 is an outside temperature sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A main cooler to which refrigerant from a compressor is supplied to cool a cooling chamber; an auxiliary cooler to which refrigerant from the compressor is selectively supplied to cool a cold storage material; a heat transfer means provided between the cold storage material and the main cooler; an outside temperature sensor that detects outside air temperature; a defrosting means that removes frost attached to the main cooler; and a means for driving the compressor. and a normal cooling operation in which the cooling chamber is cooled by the main cooler, and a cold storage cooling operation in which the cooling chamber is cooled by the cold storage material by driving the heat transfer means with the compressor stopped. and a control circuit that performs a defrosting operation that defrosts the main cooler by driving the defrosting means during a predetermined period of time, and the control circuit is configured to perform a defrosting operation that defrosts the main cooler by driving the defrosting means during a predetermined period. When it is detected based on the detection signal that the outside air temperature is a low room temperature below the set temperature, the cold storage cooling operation time is set to be longer than when the room temperature is high, and when the room temperature is high, the defrosting operation is changed to the cold storage cooling operation time. When the room temperature is low, defrosting operation is allowed during the cold storage cooling operation period, and when the defrosting operation is performed, normal cooling operation is performed during the subsequent cold storage cooling operation period. A refrigerator characterized in that it is configured to perform control.