TWI683080B - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The refrigeration cycle device (81) is configured to make the refrigerant in accordance with the compressor (1), water-cooled condenser (2a), air-cooled condenser (2b), decompression device, and evaporator (4) during the cooling operation Cycle sequentially. The drain pan (8) stores the drain water generated in the evaporator (4). The water-cooled condenser (2a) is housed in the drain pan (8). The fan (5b) is used to blow air to the air-cooled condenser (2b). The cooling operation period includes the first cooling operation period following the defrosting operation period, and the second cooling operation period following the first cooling operation period described above. In at least a part of the first cooling operation period, the rotation speed of the fan (5b) is lower than the rotation speed of the fan (5b) in the second cooling operation period.

Description

refrigerator

The invention relates to a refrigerator.

The refrigerator in the past has a refrigerant circulation circuit in which a storage room, a compressor, a plurality of condensers, a pressure reducing device, and an evaporator are connected by piping. Use the above structure to construct a refrigeration cycle, and drive the compressor to cool the storage room.

In the refrigerator in the past, the air was cooled by the evaporator to cool the food stored in the storage room. The temperature in this refrigerator is 2 to 5°C for refrigeration applications and -20° to -15°C for freezing applications. Therefore, the temperature of the evaporator must be 0°C or lower. As a result, the water vapor in the air in the refrigerator becomes condensate and adheres to the evaporator, and then is cooled and frozen (frosted). When the refrigerator is operated for a long time, frost formation proceeds and the frost builds up on the surface of the evaporator. As a result, it is difficult for air to pass through, and the cooling performance is reduced. To solve this problem, a defrosting operation is performed regularly, and the frost adhering to the evaporator is melted with a heater or the like.

The discharged water generated during the defrosting operation is discharged to the machine room provided at the lower part of the refrigerator through the piping provided at the lower part of the evaporator. Installed in the machine room: a compressor, a blower, a discharge water tray to receive the discharge water, a first condenser soaked in the discharge water and radiating heat by the discharge water, and a second heat radiating by the outside air sucked by the blower Condenser (see Patent Document 1).

Advanced technical literature Patent Literature:

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-221369

After the defrosting operation, the drain water is accumulated in the drain water tray. Since the discharged water is low temperature, the heat output of the first condenser increases. If the number of revolutions per unit time of the blower does not change, the heat dissipation of the second condenser does not change. Therefore, in view of the two condensers as a whole, the increase in the heat dissipation is the increase in the heat dissipation of the first condenser the amount. When the amount of heat released increases, the condensation temperature decreases, so the power of the compressor can be reduced and the energy saving effect can be achieved.

However, if there is too much heat, the liquid refrigerant on the condenser side will be too cold. When the liquid refrigerant accumulates on the high-pressure side, the difference between the high-pressure and the low-pressure increases, causing a problem that the performance of the refrigeration cycle, such as COP (Coefficient of Performance), deteriorates.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a refrigerator that does not deteriorate the performance of the refrigeration cycle after the defrosting operation is completed, and enables a cooling operation that realizes energy saving.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes: a refrigeration cycle device configured to circulate the refrigerant in the order of the compressor, the first condenser, the second condenser, the decompression device, and the evaporator during the cooling operation; and the storage evaporator The drain pan of the discharged water produced in the process. The first condenser is housed in the drain pan. The refrigerator further includes a fan for blowing air toward the second condenser. The cooling operation period includes the first cooling operation period following the defrosting operation period of the evaporator, and the second cooling operation period following the first cooling operation period described above. During the first cooling operation The rotation speed of the fan in at least a part of them is lower than the rotation speed of the fan in the second cooling operation period.

According to the present invention, during the first cooling operation period in which the discharged water after the defrosting operation is generated, the number of rotations of the fan is made small, so that the heat radiation amount can be adjusted appropriately. With this, high-performance operation can be realized, and energy saving can be realized.

1‧‧‧Compressor

2‧‧‧Condenser

2a‧‧‧Discharge water evaporation tray

2b‧‧‧Condenser for mechanical room

2c‧‧‧Side pipeline

3‧‧‧Reducer

4‧‧‧Evaporator

5‧‧‧Fan

5a‧‧‧Fridge in the refrigerator

5b‧‧‧Mechanical room fan

6‧‧‧Air volume regulator

7a, 7b, 7c ‧‧‧ storage room

8‧‧‧Discharge water evaporation tray

9‧‧‧Drain

31‧‧‧Revolution number sensor

32‧‧‧Temperature sensor

33‧‧‧External gas humidity sensor

34a, 34b, 34c ‧‧‧ door sensor

37‧‧‧Intrusive heater

38‧‧‧radiation heater

51~55‧‧‧Refrigerator

81‧‧‧Refrigeration cycle device

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the refrigerator in the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a machine room provided in the lower part of the back of the refrigerator.

Figure 3 is a view of the entire refrigerator from the back side.

Fig. 4 is a time chart showing the control program of the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional structural view of the refrigerator in the second embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for obtaining the low rotation number time of the machine room fan in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of step S204 in FIG. 7.

Fig. 9 is a structural view of a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for obtaining the low rotation number time of the machine room fan in the third embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a structural view of a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment.

Fig. 12 shows a flowchart of a procedure for obtaining the low rotation number time of the machine room fan in the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a structural view of a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of frost and the rate of temperature rise of the evaporator 4 during the defrosting operation.

Fig. 15 shows a flowchart of a procedure for obtaining the low rotation number time of the machine room fan in the fifth embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the refrigerator 51 of the first embodiment

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 51 includes a refrigeration cycle device 81.

The refrigeration cycle device 81 includes a compressor 1, a condenser 2, a pressure reducer (capillary tube 3), and an evaporator 4 in communication. During the cooling operation, the refrigerant circulates in the order of compressor 1, condenser 2, pressure reducer 3, and evaporator 4.

The evaporator 4 is arranged in the cooling chamber 10. The compressor 1, the condenser 2, and the pressure reducer 3 are arranged in the machine room 11. In addition to these, other devices may be arranged in the machine room 11, but the description is omitted in FIG. 1 and explained in FIG.

The movement of the refrigerant flowing in the refrigeration cycle device 81 will be described.

The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 passes through the drain water evaporation condenser (water-cooled condenser: first condenser), the machine room condenser (air-cooled condenser: second condenser), and then from the side The condenser 2 composed of pipes performs heat exchange with outside air to become a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. In addition, in FIG. 1, the condenser 2 is simplified, and only an air-cooled condenser is shown.

The condensed high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed by a pressure reducer 3 composed of a pressure-reducing valve to become a low-pressure low-temperature two-phase refrigerant.

After that, the refrigerant flows into the evaporator 4 provided in the refrigerator 51. Steaming In the hair dryer 4, the air in the refrigerator 51 exchanges heat with the refrigerant. The air in the refrigerator 51 is cooled by the refrigerant, and the refrigerant becomes a low-pressure gas refrigerant. After that, the refrigerant that has become a low-pressure gas flows into the compressor 1, is pressurized again, and is discharged.

Next, the flow of cooling air in the refrigerator 51 in the first embodiment will be described. In the first diagram, the solid arrows indicate the flow of air cooled in the cooling chamber 10 from the storage chambers 7a, 7b, and 7c. The dotted arrows indicate the flow of the air cooled by the storage chambers 7a, 7b, 7c back to the cooling chamber.

The air cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant in the cooling room 10 is blown by the fan 5a in the refrigerator, flows into the storage room 7a, 7b, 7c through the air path connected to the storage room 7a, 7b, 7c, and the storage room Cool within 7a, 7b, 7c.

By changing the number of revolutions per unit time (that is, the revolution speed) of the fan 5a in the refrigerator or the operation (air lock) of the air volume regulator 6, the air volume of the cooling air is adjusted, thereby adjusting the storage compartment 7a, 7b, 7c temperature. The cooling air cooled by the storage chambers 7a, 7b, and 7c passes through the return air path, flows into the cooling chamber again, and is cooled by the evaporator 4 again.

The refrigerator 51 further includes a controller 30. The controller 30 controls each component in the refrigerator 51.

Next, the configuration arranged in the machine room will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the machine room 11 provided in the lower part of the rear surface of the refrigerator 51.

The machine room 11 is provided with a compressor 1, a drain water evaporation tray (drain tray) 8, a drain water evaporation condenser 2a, a machine room condenser 2b, and a machine room fan 5b.

The radiant heater 38 is arranged between the evaporator 4 and the drain water evaporation pan 8. The radiant heater 38 has an electric heating wire for heating air. Intrusive plus The heater 37 is provided in direct contact with the evaporator 4. During the defrosting operation of the evaporator 4, the radiant heater 38 and the intrusive heater 37 operate.

A hole 12 is provided in the upper portion of the drain water evaporation pan 8 to discharge the drain water generated in the evaporator 4 by the defrosting operation. The drain water passes through the hole 12 by gravity and falls into the tray 8 for drain water evaporation.

The water-cooled condenser drain water evaporation condenser 2a is accommodated in the drain water evaporation tray 8, and when there is drain water in the drain water evaporation tray 8, it can be cooled by the drain water.

When the machine room fan 5b rotates, the outside air is sucked from the side of the refrigerator 51, and the outside air is sent to the air-cooled condenser machine room condenser 2b to cool the machine room condenser 2b. In addition, by rotating the machine room fan 5b, the outside air can also be sent to the compressor 1 and the condenser 2a for discharging water evaporation to cool it.

FIG. 3 is a view of the entire refrigerator 51 viewed from the back side.

A side duct 2C through which high-pressure refrigerant flows is provided in the side plate of the refrigerator 51. Through this side, the refrigerant flowing through the side duct 2C exchanges heat with outside air. In addition, the pipes through which such high-pressure refrigerant circulates are not only provided on the side, but may also be provided to pass through the top of the refrigerator 51. With this, the heat radiation area can be increased.

Next, a method of controlling the number of revolutions (rotation speed) of the machine room fan 5b per unit time in Embodiment 1 will be described. Fig. 4 is a time chart showing the control program of the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in step S101, when the When the temperature of the evaporator 4 detected by the illustrated temperature sensor or the like is lower than the specific threshold TH1, the process proceeds to step S102. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that at time t1, the temperature of the evaporator 4 is lower than the specific threshold TH1. The temperature set by the threshold TH1 is a temperature at which a certain amount of frost deposits are on the surface of the evaporator 4 and the cooling performance will be reduced by a certain amount. This threshold TH1 can be obtained by experiment or simulation.

In step S102, the controller 30 stops the cooling operation and starts the defrosting operation. That is, the controller 30 stops the compressor 1, thereby stopping the cooling operation, and energizing the intrusive heater 37 and the radiant heater 38 to defrost the evaporator 4. In addition, the controller 30 stops the machine room fan 5b.

In step S103, when the temperature of the evaporator 4 is higher than the specific threshold TH2, the process proceeds to step S104. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that at time t2, the temperature of the evaporator 4 is higher than a specific threshold TH2. The temperature set by the threshold TH2 is a temperature at which it is estimated that the defrosting of the evaporator 4 has been completed. This threshold TH2 can be obtained by experiment or simulation.

In step S104, the controller 30 stops the defrosting operation and starts the cooling operation. That is, the controller 30 operates the compressor 1 to start the cooling operation, stops the intrusive heater 37 and the radiant heater 38, and ends the defrosting of the evaporator 4. With this, the cooling in the refrigerator 1 is restarted.

The controller 30 sets the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b to be less than the normal per unit time during the first cooling operation period after the start of the cooling operation Δt after the end of the defrosting operation period The rotation number X1 of the rotation number X2. The reason for reducing the number of revolutions per unit time is explained below. At time t2, the discharged water generated by the defrosting is accumulated in the discharged water evaporation tray 8, so that the amount of heat generated by the discharged water evaporation condenser 2a increases. Therefore, in addition to In the time Δt after the frost operation is stopped, the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b is made lower than during the normal operation. As a result, it is possible to achieve an energy-saving operation that suppresses the power of the machine room fan 5b while ensuring the same amount of heat dissipation as usual.

In step S105, when a predetermined fixed length of time Δt has elapsed from time t2, the process proceeds to step S106. The time Δt is the time until the estimated discharge water generated by defrosting is reduced to zero or to a certain amount. In the first embodiment, a predetermined fixed length is set as the time Δt through studies such as experiments or simulations.

In step S106, in the second cooling operation period from the first cooling operation period to the end of the cooling operation, the controller 30 changes the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b to the normal number of revolutions X2.

The above control method controls the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b according to whether a predetermined fixed length of time Δt has passed since the cooling operation. Therefore, there is no need to set the number of revolutions per unit time used to control the machine room fan 5b The sensor of the number of revolutions can perform energy-saving operation, so that cost reduction can be achieved.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b can be reduced in the presence of discharged water, so energy saving can be achieved without deteriorating the refrigeration cycle performance. Moreover, in the presence of discharged water, the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b is reduced, so that the noise of the machine room fan 5b can be reduced.

[Embodiment 2]

The configuration of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment is almost the same as the configuration of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment, but the control method of the machine room fan 5b is different, so this point will be described.

The amount of discharged water generated by the defrosting operation varies with the operating state of the refrigerator before the defrosting operation and the surrounding environment. Corresponding to the amount of discharged water, the operation time of the reduced number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b after the defrosting operation is changed, whereby the cold and heat source of the discharged water can be effectively used.

The refrigerators of the second to fifth embodiments, in addition to the functions of the refrigerator of the first embodiment, have the following functions: detecting or estimating the amount of discharged water, and setting each unit of the mechanical room fan 5b corresponding to the amount of discharged water Time when the rotation number of time decreases (hereinafter referred to as low rotation number time) Δt.

The more discharged water, the greater the amount of heat dissipated by the condenser 2a for evaporation of discharged water. This is because the discharged water promotes heat release in the condenser 2a for evaporation of the discharged water. Therefore, as more water is discharged, the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b decreases, but the time for maintaining the heat release amount of the entire refrigerator 51 becomes longer. Therefore, when there is a lot of discharged water, the low revolution number time Δt is set to be long, and when there is little discharged water, the low revolution number time Δt is set to be short. In addition, at this time, Δt may also be proportional to the amount of discharged water.

Fig. 6 is a sectional structural view of the refrigerator 52 of the second embodiment.

The refrigerator 52 of this embodiment is provided with door opening/closing sensors 34a, 34b, and 34c as sensors for detecting or estimating the amount of discharged water accumulated in the discharged water evaporation tray after the defrosting operation is completed.

The humid air frosted in the evaporator 4 is generated because the door flaps are opened and closed, and outside air enters the storage. Therefore, in the operation section before entering the defrosting operation, the more the door flaps are opened and closed, the longer the door flaps are opened, and the greater the amount of frost. If the amount of frost is large, the amount of discharged water generated by the defrosting operation increases.

Door flap opening and closing sensor 34a, when the door flap of the storage room 7a has been opened At this time, a signal indicating the fact that it has been opened is output, and when the door of the storage compartment 7a has been closed, a signal indicating the fact that it has been closed is output. The door opening/closing sensor 34b outputs a signal indicating the fact that it is opened when the door of the storage compartment 7b is opened, and outputs a signal indicating the fact that it is closed when the door of the storage compartment 7b is closed. The door opening/closing sensor 34c outputs a signal indicating the fact that it has been opened when the door of the storage compartment 7c has been opened, and outputs a signal indicating the fact that it has been closed when the door of the storage compartment 7c has been closed.

The controller 30 corresponds to the output signals of the door opening/closing sensors 34a, 34b, and 34c during the previous cooling operation period, and obtains the low revolution number time Δt during the cooling operation of the machine room fan 5b this time.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for obtaining the low rotation number time Δt of the machine room fan 5b in the second embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7, in step S201, the controller 30 sets the number of openings Na of the door of the storage room 7a, the number of openings Nb of the door of the storage room 7b, and the number of openings Nc of the door of the storage room 7c to zero.

In step S202, the controller 30 sets the total time Ta of the door opening of the storage compartment 7a, the total time Tb of the door opening of the storage compartment 7b, and the total time Tc of the door opening of the storage compartment 7c to 0 .

In step S203, when the defrosting operation has started, the process proceeds to step S207, and when the defrosting operation has not been started, the process proceeds to step S204.

In step S204, based on the output signal of the door opening/closing sensor 34a, the controller 30 calculates the total number Ta of the opening times Na of the door of the storage compartment 7a and the total opening time Ta.

In step S205, based on the output signal of the door opening/closing sensor 34b, the controller 30 obtains the total number Tb of opening times Nb of the door of the storage compartment 7b and the opening time.

In step S206, based on the output signal of the door opening/closing sensor 34c, the controller 30 calculates the total number Tc of opening times of the door leaf of the storage compartment 7c and the opening time Tc.

In step S207, when the defrosting operation has ended, the process proceeds to step S208.

In step S208, the controller 30 finds the sum N of Na, Nb, and Nc.

In step S209, the controller 30 finds the sum T of Ta, Tb, and Tc.

In step S210, the controller 30 finds the weighted sum Y of N and T (=w1×N+w2×T).

In step S211, the controller 30 determines the low revolution number time Δt according to the magnitude of Y. For example, the magnitude of the low revolution time Δt is proportional to Y.

In step S212, when the power of the refrigerator 52 has been turned off, the process ends, and when the refrigerator 52 keeps the power on, the process returns to step S201.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of step S204 in FIG. 7. The processing procedures of steps S205 and S206 in FIG. 7 are also the same.

In step S301, when the controller 30 has received a signal indicating that the door of the storage compartment 7a has been opened from the door opening and closing sensor 34a, the process proceeds to step S302.

In step S302, the controller 30 starts the timer.

In step S303, when the controller 30 has received a signal indicating the fact that the door of the storage compartment 7a is closed from the door opening and closing sensor 34a, the process proceeds to step S304.

In step S304, the controller 30 adds the timer value to the total time Ta of the opening time of the door of the storage compartment 7a.

In step S305, the controller 30 increases the number of openings Na of the door of the storage compartment 7a by one.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to estimate the amount of discharged water generated by the defrosting operation based on the output of the door opening and closing sensor, and set the low rotation number time of the machine room fan.

[Embodiment 3]

The configuration of the refrigerator of the third embodiment is the same as the configuration of the refrigerator of the first embodiment, but the control method of the machine room fan 5b is different, so this point will be described.

Fig. 9 is a structural view of a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 53 according to the third embodiment.

The refrigerator 53 of the present embodiment includes an outside air humidity sensor 33 as a sensor that detects or estimates the amount of discharged water.

The controller 30 obtains the low rotation number time Δt during the cooling operation of the machine room fan 5b this time corresponding to the output signal of the outside air humidity sensor 33 during the previous cooling operation period.

The humidity of the outside air is high, and the amount of water vapor invading due to the opening and closing of the door plate also increases. Therefore, the frost of the evaporator 4 changes according to the humidity of the outside air. Therefore, the controller 30 reduces the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b and lengthens the low number of revolutions time Δt if the humidity of the outside air during the previous cooling operation is averagely high, and if the average humidity is low, Then shorten the low revolution time △t.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for obtaining the low rotation number time of the machine room fan 5b in the third embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 10, in step S401, the controller 30 sets the average M of the humidity of the outside air to 0.

In step S402, when the defrosting operation has started, the process proceeds to step S406, and when the defrosting operation has not been started, the process proceeds to step S403.

In step S403, the controller 30 proceeds to step S404 when a specific time has passed after the last measurement of the external humidity.

In step S404, the controller 30 receives the signal indicating the humidity of the outside air output from the outside air humidity sensor 33, and obtains the humidity S of the outside air.

In step S405, the controller 30 calculates the average M of the humidity of the outside air so far based on the obtained humidity S of the outside air.

In step S406, when the defrosting operation has ended, the process proceeds to step S407.

In step S407, the controller 30 determines the low revolution time Δt according to the magnitude of the average M of the humidity of the outside air. For example, the magnitude of the low revolution time Δt may be proportional to M.

In step S408, when the power of the refrigerator 53 has been turned off, the process ends, and when the power of the refrigerator 53 is kept on, the process returns to step S401.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to estimate and set the amount of discharged water generated by the defrosting operation based on the output of the external air humidity sensor Low rotation time of the mechanical room fan.

[Embodiment 4]

The configuration of the refrigerator of the fourth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the refrigerator of the first embodiment, but the control method of the machine room fan 5b is different, so this point will be described.

Fig. 11 is a structural view of a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 54 according to the fourth embodiment.

The refrigerator 54 of the present embodiment includes a rotation number sensor 31 of the compressor 1 as a sensor that detects or estimates the amount of discharged water. The revolution number sensor 31 detects the number of revolutions (revolution speed) of the compressor 1 per unit time.

The controller 30 corresponds to the output signal of the rotation number sensor 31 of the compressor 1 during the previous cooling operation period, and finds the low rotation number time Δt of the machine room fan 5b this time.

When the number of revolutions per unit time of the compressor 1 is high, it operates with a strong freezing capacity proportional to this, and performs more cooling. The higher the number of revolutions per unit time of the compressor 1 during the cooling operation before the defrosting operation, the stronger cooling operation corresponding thereto is performed, and therefore the amount of frost formed on the evaporator 4 also increases. Therefore, if the total number of revolutions per unit time of the compressor 1 during the previous cooling operation is high, the controller 30 reduces the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b and lengthens the low revolution number time Δt If the total number of revolutions per unit time of the compressor 1 during the previous cooling operation is low, the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b is reduced and the low revolution number time Δt is shortened.

Fig. 12 shows a flowchart of a procedure for determining the low rotation number time of the machine room fan 5b in the fourth embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 12, in step S501, the controller 30 sets the total number R of revolutions of the compressor 1 to 0.

In step S502, when the defrosting operation has started, the process proceeds to step S506, and when the defrosting operation has not been started, the process proceeds to step S503.

In step S503, the controller 30 causes the process to proceed to step S504 when a unit time has passed since the number of revolutions P per unit time of the compressor 1 was acquired last time.

In step S504, the controller 30 receives the signal indicating the number of revolutions per unit time of the compressor 1 output from the number of revolutions sensor 31, and obtains the number of revolutions P of the compressor 1 per unit time.

In step S505, the controller 30 adds the acquired number of revolutions per unit time P to the sum R of the number of revolutions of the compressor 1.

In step S506, when the defrosting operation has ended, the process proceeds to step S507.

In step S507, the controller 30 obtains the low revolution number time Δt corresponding to the magnitude of the sum R of the number of revolutions of the compressor 1. For example, the magnitude of the low revolution time Δt may be proportional to R.

In step S508, when the power of the refrigerator 54 is turned off, the process ends, and when the refrigerator 54 keeps the power on, the process returns to step S501.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to estimate the amount of discharged water generated by the defrosting operation based on the output of the rotation sensor of the compressor, and set the low rotation number time of the machine room fan.

In addition, instead of the sum of the number of revolutions of the compressor per unit time, it is possible to obtain a low value based on the average number of revolutions of the compressor per unit time Rotation number time △t.

[Embodiment 5]

The configuration of the refrigerator in the fifth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the refrigerator in the first embodiment, but the control method of the machine room fan 5b is different, so this point will be described.

Fig. 13 is a structural view of a sectional view of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment

The refrigerator 55 of this embodiment includes a temperature sensor 32 that detects the temperature of the evaporator as a sensor that detects or estimates the amount of discharged water.

During the defrosting operation, the heaters 37, 38 provided near the evaporator 4 are used for defrosting. Therefore, after the heaters 37, 38 are energized, the temperature gradually rises. At this time, if the amount of frost is large, since the heat capacity increases in accordance with the amount of frost, the temperature rise of the evaporator 4 becomes slow.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of frost and the rate of temperature rise of the evaporator 4 during the defrosting operation.

As shown in Fig. 14, if the amount of frost is small, the temperature of the evaporator rises fast during the defrosting operation, and when the amount of frost is large, the temperature of the evaporator increases slowly during the defrosting operation.

Therefore, depending on the rate at which the temperature of the evaporator 4 rises, the amount of frost can be detected. In addition, the greater the amount of frost formed during the defrosting operation, the greater the amount of discharged water. Therefore, by detecting the rate at which the temperature of the evaporator 4 rises, the amount of discharged water can also be detected.

In the present embodiment, the controller 30 obtains the time td required for the temperature rise of the evaporator 4 detected by the temperature sensor 32 after the defrosting operation starts to be ΔTdef as the rate of temperature rise of the evaporator 4. The controller 30 obtains the low revolution number during the cooling operation this time based on the td during the previous defrosting operation Time △t. The controller 30 has a large amount of frost if td is long (that is, if the temperature rise speed is small), so the low revolution time At is set to be long, and if td is short (that is, if the temperature rise speed is large), the The amount of frost is small, so the low revolution time Δt is set to be short.

Fig. 15 shows a flowchart of a procedure for obtaining the low rotation number time Δt of the machine room fan 5b in the fifth embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 15, in step S601, when the defrosting operation has started, the process proceeds to step S602.

In step S602, the controller 30 starts the timer.

In step S603, the controller 30 receives the signal indicating the temperature of the evaporator 4 output from the temperature sensor 32, and obtains the temperature of the evaporator 4. The controller 30 causes the process to proceed to step S604 when the temperature of the evaporator 4 increases by a specific value ΔTdef from the temperature at the start of the defrosting operation.

In step S604, the controller 30 sets the timer value to the time td required for the temperature rise.

In step S605, the controller 30 obtains the low revolution number time Δt according to the magnitude of the time td required for the temperature rise. For example, the magnitude of the low revolution time Δt may be proportional to td.

In step S606, when the defrosting operation has ended, the process proceeds to step S607.

In step S607, when the power of the refrigerator 55 has been turned off, the process ends, and when the refrigerator 55 keeps the power on, the process returns to step S501.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to estimate the discharge water generated by the defrosting operation based on the output of the temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the evaporator The amount of time to set the low rotation speed of the mechanical room fan.

(Modification)

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes, for example, the modifications described below.

(1) Use of complex sensors

In the above embodiment, the low rotation number time Δt of the machine room fan is obtained based on the output of one type of sensor, but the combination of the output of a plurality of sensors may be used to obtain the machine room fan's Low revolution time △t.

(2) Adjustment of the rotation number of the fan 5b of the machine room

In the above-described embodiment, the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b is set to be less than the normal per unit time during the first cooling operation period after the end of the defrosting operation period from the start of the cooling operation Δt The number of revolutions per unit time X2 The number of revolutions X1, but not limited to this.

The number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b during the second cooling operation period may be the normal number of revolutions per unit time X2, and during a part of the first cooling operation period, the machine room fan 5b The number of revolutions per unit time is set to a number of revolutions X1 that is less than the normal number of revolutions per unit time X2, and during a period other than a part of the first cooling operation period, the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b is set The number of revolutions is set to be the same as or greater than the normal number of revolutions per unit time X2. Preferably, the energy required to operate the machine room fan 5b as described above during the first cooling operation period and the second cooling period is less than the total energy required to operate the machine room during the first cooling operation period and the second cooling period. The number of revolutions per unit time of the fan 5b is the energy required for the operation of the normal number of revolutions per unit time X2.

In addition, the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b in at least a part of the first cooling operation period is a fixed value X1, and the number of revolutions per unit time of the machine room fan 5b during the second cooling operation period is fixed Value X2. These values do not have to be fixed values, as long as the following conditions are met: at least a portion of the rotation of the machine room fan 5b per unit time during the first cooling operation period is less than that of the machine room fan 5b during the second cooling operation period Number of revolutions.

In addition, in at least a part of the first cooling operation period, the machine room fan 5b may be stopped.

The embodiments disclosed this time are examples rather than limitations. The scope of the present invention is shown in the scope of the patent application, rather than the above description, and includes all changes within the same meaning and scope as the claimed scope.

1‧‧‧Compressor

2a‧‧‧Discharge water evaporation tray

2b‧‧‧Condenser for mechanical room

2c‧‧‧Side pipeline

4‧‧‧Evaporator

5b‧‧‧Mechanical room fan

8‧‧‧Discharge water evaporation tray

9‧‧‧Drain

11‧‧‧ Machine Room

12‧‧‧ hole

37‧‧‧Intrusive heater

38‧‧‧radiation heater

Claims (13)

A refrigerator includes: a refrigeration cycle device configured to circulate a refrigerant in the order of a compressor, a first condenser, a second condenser, a decompression device, and an evaporator during a cooling operation; and a drain pan to store The water discharged from the evaporator of the previous note; the first condenser of the previous note is contained in the drain tray of the previous note; the refrigerator of the previous note further includes a fan to blow the air to the second condenser of the previous note; the cooling operation of the previous note includes: immediately after the defrosting The first cooling operation period after the operation period, and the second cooling operation period immediately after the first cooling operation period described above; the rotating speed of the previous fan during the first cooling operation period is the first fixed number, and the second cooling operation The rotation speed of the previous fan during operation is a second fixed number greater than the first fixed number of the previous note; the length of the first cooling operation period is determined before the first cooling operation period of the previous note, which is used to estimate the defrosting operation from the previous note. The amount of time the drain water accumulated in the drain tray is reduced to zero or a certain amount. As described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, the length of the first cooling operation period in the foregoing is a fixed length determined in advance. The refrigerator described in item 1 of the patent application scope changes the length of the first cooling operation period corresponding to the amount of drain water accumulated in the previous drain tray after the end of the previous defrosting operation period. The refrigerator as described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application further includes a sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the door of the refrigerator; The length of the first cooling operation period of the previous note is changed according to the output of the previous sensor. The refrigerator as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: a sensor that detects the opening and closing of the door of the previous refrigerator; and the control unit calculates the previous previous cooling operation period based on the output of the previous sensor The number of openings of the preface door and the opening time of the preface door are determined, and the length of the first cooling operation period of the preface is determined based on the opening times of the preface door and the opening time of the preface door. The refrigerator as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a sensor that detects the humidity of the outside air of the previous refrigerator; corresponding to the output of the previous sensor, the length of the first cooling operation period of the previous refrigerator is changed. The refrigerator as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: a sensor that detects the humidity of the outside air of the previous refrigerator; and the control unit determines the previous cooling operation period based on the output of the previous sensor The average of the humidity of the outside air in is determined based on the average of the humidity of the outside air in the previous note, and the length of the first cooling operation period in the previous note is determined. The refrigerator described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a sensor that detects the number of revolutions per unit time of the previous compressor; corresponding to the output of the previous sensor, the length of the first cooling operation period is changed. The refrigerator as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: a sensor that detects the number of revolutions per unit time of the previous compressor; and the control unit, based on the output of the previous sensor, finds the previous preface The average or total number of revolutions per unit time of the previous compressor during the cooling operation And, based on the average or total number of revolutions per unit time of the compressor in the previous note, determine the length of the first cooling operation period in the previous note. The refrigerator as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a sensor that detects the temperature of the previous evaporator; corresponding to the output of the previous sensor, the length of the first cooling operation period is changed. The refrigerator as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: a sensor that detects the temperature of the previous evaporator; and the control unit, based on the output of the previous sensor, finds the previous previous defrosting operation period The rate of change of the temperature of the evaporator of the previous note, and based on the rate of change of the temperature of the previous note, determines the length of the first cooling operation period of the previous note. The refrigerator as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a heater; the pre-heater operates during the previous defrosting operation, and the pre-heater stops during the pre-cooling operation. As in the refrigerator described in item 1 of the patent application scope, the previous compressor stops during the previous defrosting operation period.

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