JP2019143968A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress occurrence of dew condensation on an outside surface of a refrigerator, even in a case where heat insulation performance of a vacuum heat insulation panel deteriorates.SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises a heat insulation box formed into a box shape by a heat insulation wall having heat insulation properties and having a storage chamber inside. The heat insulation wall has: an inner plate constituting a storage chamber side surface; an outer plate constituting a surface outside the heat insulation box; a vacuum heat insulation panel provided between the inner plate and the outer plate; and a heater that is configured separately from a heat radiation pipe of a refrigeration cycle and is provided between the vacuum heat insulation panel and the outer plate, and that can drive control independent of driving of the refrigeration cycle by switching between electrification and power interruption.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

  In recent years, using a vacuum heat insulation panel as a heat insulating material of a warehouse is performed. Vacuum insulation panels are made by compressing and curing a core material made of a compression layer of inorganic fibers such as glass wool in a synthetic resin film wrapping bag such as polyethylene with gas barrier performance, and then evacuating the inside to seal it under reduced pressure. It is configured.

  The vacuum heat insulating panel is superior in heat insulating performance as compared with urethane foam conventionally used as a heat insulating material. However, if the high vacuum reduced pressure state inside the vacuum heat insulation panel cannot be maintained due to, for example, breakage of the wrapping bag or aging deterioration, the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulation panel is deteriorated. Then, the cold air in the refrigerator leaks from the vacuum heat insulation panel whose heat insulation performance is lowered, and cools the outer surface of the refrigerator. In this case, if there is a difference between the temperature on the outer surface of the refrigerator and the temperature outside the refrigerator, condensation may occur on the outer surface of the refrigerator.

JP 2005-90810 A

  Then, this embodiment provides the refrigerator which can suppress that dew condensation arises on the outer surface of a refrigerator, even if it is a case where the heat insulation performance of a vacuum heat insulation panel falls.

  The refrigerator of an embodiment is provided with the heat insulation box which is formed in the shape of a box by the heat insulation wall which has heat insulation, and has a storage room inside. The heat insulating wall includes an inner plate constituting the surface on the storage chamber side, an outer plate constituting the outer surface of the heat insulating box, and a vacuum heat insulating panel provided between the inner plate and the outer plate. And a heat release pipe of the refrigeration cycle, which is provided between the vacuum heat insulation panel and the outer plate, and can be controlled independently of driving the refrigeration cycle by switching between energization and disconnection. And a heater.

The perspective view which shows an example of the refrigerator by one Embodiment An exploded perspective view of the insulation wall Diagram showing schematic configuration of refrigeration cycle Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the refrigerator The figure which shows the switch part for heaters and the display part for heaters of an operation panel, and the state which the heater is not driving The figure which shows the switch part for heaters of a control panel and the display part for heaters, and the state which the heater is driving The flowchart which shows the heater drive process by a control apparatus Diagram showing the correlation between temperature and water vapor content

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 10 includes a heat insulating box 20. The heat insulating box 20 has a heat insulating property and is configured in a rectangular box shape having an opening on the front surface. In the following description, the opening side of the heat insulation box 20, that is, the door (left and right refrigerator compartment doors 111, 112) to be described later is the front side of the refrigerator 10, and the side opposite to the door is the rear side of the refrigerator 10. Further, the vertical direction with respect to the direction of gravity when the refrigerator 10 is set on the floor in the posture of FIG. And the left-right direction at the time of seeing the refrigerator 10 of FIG.

  The inside of the heat insulation box 20 is divided into a storage room in a refrigeration temperature zone and a storage room in a freezing temperature zone. Specifically, the refrigerator 10 includes a refrigerator compartment 11, a vegetable compartment 12, an ice making room 13, a small freezer compartment 14, and a freezer compartment 15 as storage rooms for storing ingredients inside the heat insulating box 20. Yes. The refrigerator compartment 11 is provided in the uppermost part of the heat insulation box 20. The vegetable compartment 12 is provided below the refrigerator compartment 11. The ice making room 13 and the small freezer room 14 are provided below the vegetable room 12 and arranged side by side. The freezing room 15 is provided below the ice making room 13 and the small freezing room 14, that is, at the lowermost part of the heat insulating box 20.

  The refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12 are both storage compartments in a refrigerated temperature zone, and are maintained in a positive temperature zone of 1 to 4 ° C, for example. The ice making chamber 13, the small freezer compartment 14, and the freezer compartment 15 are all storage rooms in a freezing temperature zone, and are maintained in a minus temperature zone of, for example, −10 to −20 ° C. The vegetable compartment 12, the ice making compartment 13, and the small freezer compartment 14 are partitioned vertically by a heat insulating partition wall (not shown).

  The refrigerator 10 includes a left refrigerator door 111, a right refrigerator door 112, a vegetable door 121, an ice making door 131, a small freezer door 141, and a freezer door 151. The left and right refrigeration room doors 111 and 112 are hinged doors that have heat insulation properties, and are configured in double doors. The left and right refrigerator compartment doors 111 and 112 are provided on the front side of the refrigerator compartment 11 and open and close the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 11. The vegetable compartment door 121 is a drawer-type door having heat insulation properties, and is provided on the front side of the vegetable compartment 12. The vegetable compartment door 121 opens and closes the opening on the front side of the vegetable compartment 12.

  Similarly, the ice making room door 131, the small freezing room door 141, and the freezing room door 151 are drawer type doors having heat insulation properties, respectively, and the front sides of the ice making room 13, the small freezing room 14, and the freezing room 15, respectively. Is provided. The ice making room door 131, the small freezing room door 141, and the freezing room door 151 open and close the front opening of the ice making room 13, the small freezing room 14, and the freezing room 15, respectively.

  The heat insulation box 20 is formed in a box shape having an open front surface by combining a plurality of divided heat insulation walls, for example. For example, the heat insulation box 20 includes a ceiling heat insulation wall 21 that forms a wall on the ceiling side, a right heat insulation wall 30 that forms a right wall, a left heat insulation wall (not shown) that forms a left wall, A bottom heat insulating wall (not shown) that forms the bottom wall and a back heat insulating wall (not shown) that forms the back wall are combined. Each heat insulating wall is connected and fixed by a fixing member (not shown).

  Each heat insulating wall constituting the heat insulating box 20 has a vacuum heat insulating panel as a heat insulating member between the inner plate and the outer plate. The inner plate constitutes the inner surface of the heat insulation box 20, and the outer plate constitutes the outer surface of the heat insulation box 20. The outer plate of each heat insulating wall is made of a metal plate such as a steel plate. Moreover, the inner board of each heat insulation wall is comprised, for example with the board made from a synthetic resin.

  Here, the right heat insulating wall 30 and the left heat insulating wall (not shown) are configured symmetrically. Therefore, a specific configuration of the right heat insulating wall 30 and the left heat insulating wall (not shown) will be described using the right heat insulating wall 30 as a representative. As shown in FIG. 2, the right heat insulating wall 30 includes an outer plate 31, an inner plate 32, a vacuum heat insulating panel 33, a first heater 34, and a second heater 35. As described above, the outer plate 31 is made of a metal plate such as a steel plate, for example, and constitutes the outer surface of the refrigerator 10. Further, the inner plate 32 is made of a synthetic resin plate, for example, and constitutes the surface inside the refrigerator 10.

  The vacuum heat insulation panel 33, after storing a core material obtained by compressing and curing a laminated material of inorganic fibers such as glass wool in a bag of a synthetic resin film such as polyethylene having gas barrier performance, is evacuated and sealed under reduced pressure. It is configured. The vacuum heat insulation panel 33 is formed in a rectangular plate shape and is provided between the outer plate 31 and the inner plate 32. The vacuum heat insulation panel 33 is affixed to at least one of the outer plate 31 or the inner plate 32 with, for example, an adhesive such as hot melt or a double-sided tape. Note that either or both of the outer plate 31 and the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 and between the inner plate 32 and the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 may be filled with a heat insulating material such as urethane foam.

  The first heater 34 and the second heater 35 are thin bendable sheathed heaters called micro heaters or heater wires, for example. The first heater 34 and the second heater 35 can be driven and controlled by switching between energization and disconnection. The first heater 34 and the second heater 35 are provided between the outer plate 31 and the vacuum heat insulation panel 33. The first heater 34 and the second heater 35 are attached to the surface of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 on the outer plate 31 side.

  The first heater 34 corresponds to the storage rooms 11 and 12 in the refrigeration temperature zone. That is, the 1st heater 34 is provided so that the left-right side (in this case, the right side) whole of the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12 which are storage rooms of a refrigerator temperature zone may be covered, as shown in FIG. . In this case, the 1st heater 34 meanders so that the part located in the left-right side (in this case, the right side) of the refrigerator compartment 11 and the vegetable compartment 12 in the surface at the side of the outer plate 31 of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 may be covered. Is provided.

  The second heater 35 corresponds to the storage rooms 13, 14, 15 in the freezing temperature zone. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the second heater 35 covers the entire left and right sides (in this case, the right side) of the ice making chamber 13, the small freezer compartment 14, and the freezer compartment 15 that are storage rooms in the freezing temperature zone. It is provided as follows. In this case, the second heater 35 of the right heat insulating wall 30 is provided so as to meander over a portion located on the right side of the small freezer compartment 14 and the freezer compartment 15. Further, although not shown in detail, the second heater 35 on the left heat insulating wall is provided meandering so as to crawl a portion located on the left side of the ice making chamber 13 and the freezing chamber 15.

  Although not shown in detail, the first heater 34 and the second heater 35 described above are also provided inside the left heat insulating wall. The first heater 34 and the second heater 35 are not limited to heater wires that can route the surface of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33, and are, for example, planar heaters that can cover the surface of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33. May be.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator 10 includes a refrigeration cycle 40 for cooling each storage room. The refrigeration cycle 40 includes a refrigeration cooler 41 and a refrigeration cooler 42. The refrigeration cooler 41 generates cold air for cooling the storage room in the refrigeration temperature zone, that is, the refrigeration room 11 and the vegetable room 12. The refrigeration cooler 42 generates cold air for cooling the freezing temperature zone storage room, that is, the ice making room 13, the small freezing room 14, and the freezing room 15. The cold air generated by the refrigerating cooler 41 is supplied to the storage room in the refrigerating temperature zone, that is, the refrigerating room 11 and the vegetable room 12 by the blowing action of the refrigerating fan 16. The cold air generated by the freezing cooler 42 is supplied to the freezing temperature zone storage room, that is, the ice making room 13, the small freezing room 14, and the freezing room 15 by the blowing action of the freezing blower 17.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigeration cycle 40 includes a compressor 43, a heat radiating pipe 44, a dryer 45, a switching valve 46, a refrigeration side capillary tube 47, a refrigeration side capillary tube 48, and a refrigeration in the order of refrigerant flow. The cooler 41 and the refrigerating cooler 42 are connected in a ring shape. A check valve 49 is provided between the refrigeration cooler 42 and the compressor 43 to prevent the backflow of the refrigerant. The switching valve 46 is driven in response to a control command from the control device 50 described later. The switching valve 46 switches the refrigerant path so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 43 is supplied to either the refrigeration cooler 41 or the refrigeration cooler 42.

  Moreover, the refrigerator 10 is provided with the control apparatus 50, as shown in FIG. The control device 50 is configured by a computer having a microcomputer, a timer, a storage device, etc. (not shown), and controls the entire refrigerator 10. The blowers 16 and 17, the compressor 43, the switching valve 46, and the heaters 34 and 35 are each connected to the control device 50. The blowers 16 and 17, the compressor 43, the switching valve 46, and the heaters 34 and 35 are driven and controlled by commands from the control device 50.

  The refrigerator 10 includes an operation panel 51. The operation panel 51 is connected to the control device 50. The operation panel 51 accepts an operation for switching the set temperature and operation mode of each storage room, and displays the setting contents and the current operation status. The operation panel 51 is, for example, a so-called touch operation panel having a capacitive switch, that is, a touch sensor. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the operation panel 51 is on the surface of the refrigerator compartment door 111 and is provided integrally with the refrigerator compartment door 111.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation panel 51 includes a first heater switch unit 511, a second heater switch unit 512, a first heater display unit 513, and a second heater display unit 514. ing. The first heater switch unit 511 and the second heater switch unit 512 are portions in which a touch sensor is provided inside the refrigerator compartment door 111. The first heater display unit 513 and the second heater display unit 514 are portions where a light source such as an LED is provided inside the refrigerator compartment door 111. The first heater switch unit 511 and the first heater display unit 513, and the second heater switch unit 512 and the second heater display unit 514 may be integrally configured.

  When the user performs a touch operation on the first heater switch unit 511, the driving of the first heater 34 can be controlled, that is, switched between ON and OFF. In addition, when the user performs a touch operation on the second heater switch unit 512, the drive of the second heater 35 can be controlled, that is, switched between ON and OFF. When the first heater 34 is not driven, that is, when it is OFF, as shown in FIG. 5, the first heater display 513 is turned off. Similarly, when the second heater 35 is not driven, that is, when it is OFF, as shown in FIG. 5, the second heater display unit 514 is turned off.

  On the other hand, when the first heater 34 is driven, that is, when it is ON, the first heater display section 513 is lit as shown in FIG. Similarly, when the second heater 35 is driven, that is, when it is ON, the second heater display unit 514 is lit as shown in FIG. Even when the heaters 34 and 35 are automatically driven by the control of the control device 50 without operating the heater switch portions 511 and 512, the lighting states of the heater display portions 513 and 514 are switched. The heater display sections 513 and 514 function as notification means that can notify the user of the driving state of the heaters 34 and 35. Note that the notification means for notifying the user of the driving state of the heaters 34 and 35 is not limited to the display, such as the heater display units 513 and 514, and may be a notification with a sound such as a buzzer.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerator 10 includes a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 52, a freezer compartment temperature sensor 53, an outside temperature sensor 54, and an outside humidity sensor 55. The refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 52, the freezer compartment temperature sensor 53, the outside temperature sensor 54, and the outside humidity sensor 55 are connected to the control device 50, respectively. The refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 52, the freezer compartment temperature sensor 53, and the outside temperature sensor 54 are, for example, thermistors.

  The refrigerating room temperature sensor 52 is provided in the refrigerating room 11 in the refrigerating temperature zone, and can detect the temperature in the refrigerating room 11. The freezer temperature sensor 53 is provided in the freezer temperature zone storage room, in this case, the freezer room 15, and can detect the temperature in the freezer room 15. In this case, the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 52 and the freezer compartment temperature sensor 53 function as an internal temperature sensor that detects the internal temperature of each storage compartment.

  The outside temperature sensor 54 is provided outside the storage room, that is, outside the storage room, and can detect the outside temperature, that is, the temperature inside the room where the refrigerator 10 is installed. The outside humidity sensor 55 is provided outside the storage room, that is, outside the storage, in the vicinity of the outside temperature sensor 54. The outside humidity sensor 55 is, for example, a capacitance type or electric resistance type humidity sensor, and can detect the relative humidity of the outside air. The refrigerating room temperature sensor 52, the freezer temperature sensor 53, the outside temperature sensor 54, and the outside humidity sensor 55 function as a dew generation condition detecting unit that detects that condensation may occur on the heat insulating wall.

  The heaters 34 and 35 are driven and controlled by the operation of the operation panel 51 by the user, and are automatically driven and controlled by the control device 50 when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Next, drive control of the heaters 34 and 35 by the control device 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The control device 50 performs the same drive control on the first heater 34 and the second heater 35. Therefore, drive control of the first heater 34 and the second heater 35 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is common to the drive control of the first heater 34 and the second heater 35. In this case, if the object to be controlled is the first heater 34, “internal temperature sensor” in FIG. 7 means the cold room temperature sensor 52, and “internal temperature” means the temperature in the cold room 11. Shall. If the controlled object is the second heater 35, “internal temperature sensor” in FIG. 7 means the freezer temperature sensor 53, and “internal temperature” means the temperature in the freezer compartment 15. And

  For example, when the doors 111, 112, 121 of the storage room in the refrigeration temperature zone are opened or closed, or the amount of stored items in the storage rooms 11, 12 in the refrigeration temperature zone increases, the temperature in the storage rooms 11, 12 in the refrigeration temperature zone increases. The temperature rises above a predetermined temperature. Then, the control device 50 drives the refrigeration cycle 40 to perform a refrigeration cooling operation so as to cool the inside of the storage rooms 11 and 12 in the refrigeration temperature zone to the target temperature. Similarly, for example, when the doors 131, 141, 151 of the storage room in the freezing temperature zone are opened and closed, or the stored items in the storage rooms 13, 14, 15 in the freezing temperature zone increase, the storage room 13, in the freezing temperature zone, The temperature in 14 and 15 rises above a predetermined temperature. Then, the control device 50 drives the refrigeration cycle 40 to perform a refrigeration cooling operation so as to cool the interiors of the storage chambers 13, 14, and 15 in the refrigeration temperature zone to the target temperature. Then, when these cooling operations are executed, the control device 50 also performs a heater driving process shown in FIG. Note that the control device 50 can perform the heater driving process even when the cooling operation is not executed.

  When the control device 50 executes the heater driving process, first, as shown in step S11, the temperature reaches the target temperature within a predetermined time after the temperature in the storage chamber rises to a predetermined temperature or more or after the cooling operation is started. Determine whether or not. This predetermined time is a time that can sufficiently reach the target temperature if the heat insulation performance of the heat insulation box 20 is normal when the cooling operation is performed. The predetermined time can be appropriately changed depending on, for example, the difference between the target temperature and the current internal temperature, the amount of stored items, and the like. In the present embodiment, the predetermined time is set to 2 hours, for example. Further, the target temperature in the refrigeration cooling operation is set to 4 ° C., for example, and the target temperature in the refrigeration cooling operation is set to −18 ° C., for example.

  If the target temperature is reached within a predetermined time after the temperature in the storage chamber rises above the predetermined temperature or the cooling operation is started, the heat insulating performance of the heat insulating box 20 is maintained in a normal state. it is conceivable that. Therefore, if the control apparatus 50 has reached the target temperature within a predetermined time after the temperature in the storage chamber rises to a predetermined temperature or higher or starts the cooling operation (YES in step S11), the heater 34, The heater driving process is terminated without driving 35 (end).

  On the other hand, if the target temperature is not reached even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the temperature in the storage chamber rises above the predetermined temperature or after the cooling operation is started, an abnormality occurs in the heat insulation box 20 and the heat insulation box 20 It is considered that the heat insulation performance of the body 20 has decreased. That is, in this case, it is considered that some abnormality occurred in the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 and the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 was lowered. In this case, when the cool air in the storage chamber leaks from the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 whose heat insulation performance has deteriorated, the outer plate 31 is cooled by the cool air. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, for example, the outside air of the refrigerator 10 contains a lot of moisture, the outside air with the high humidity is cooled by the outer plate 31, and the outer plate 31 is condensed. May occur.

  Therefore, the control device 50 determines whether or not a predetermined condition in which condensation is likely to occur is satisfied in steps S12 to S15. In this case, a predetermined condition in which condensation is likely to occur is referred to as condensation generation condition. The control device 50 drives (ON) the heaters 34 and 35 to warm the outer plate 31 when the predetermined condition that is likely to cause dew condensation, that is, the dew condensation generating condition is satisfied. Suppresses the occurrence of condensation on the surface.

  That is, when determining the dew condensation occurrence condition, the control device 50 first determines in step S12 from the detection result of the outside temperature sensor 54, that is, the temperature T2 outside the refrigerator 10 (hereinafter referred to as the outside temperature T2). A saturated water vapor amount Ma (see FIG. 8) at the temperature T2 is calculated. In FIG. 8, a curve S indicates the saturated water vapor amount at each temperature. The calculation of the saturated water vapor amount Ma at the outside temperature T2 can be performed as follows, for example. For example, the control device 50 may include a relationship between the temperature and the saturated water vapor amount per unit volume as shown in FIG. 8 as a database, and calculate the saturated water vapor amount Ma at the outside temperature T2 using the database. . Further, the control device 50 may calculate an approximate value of the saturated water vapor amount Ma at the outside temperature T2 by using, for example, a Tetens equation or a Wagner equation.

  Next, in step S13, the control device 50 converts the detection result of the outside humidity sensor 55, that is, the relative humidity of the air outside the refrigerator 10 and the saturated water vapor amount Ma at the outside temperature T2 into the outside air. The amount of water vapor Mb contained (see FIG. 8) is calculated. Then, in step S14, the control device 50 determines the inside temperature of the inside from the detection result of the inside temperature sensors 52, 53, that is, the temperature T1 in the freezer compartment 11 or the freezer compartment 15 (hereinafter referred to as the inside temperature T1). The saturated water vapor amount Mc (see FIG. 8) at the temperature T1 is calculated. The calculation of the saturated water vapor amount Mc at the internal temperature T1 is performed in the same manner as the calculation of the saturated water vapor amount Ma at the external temperature T2.

  Then, in step S15, the control device 50 compares the water vapor amount Mb contained in the outside air with the saturated water vapor amount Mc at the internal temperature T1, and determines whether or not the above dew condensation generation condition is satisfied. to decide. When the amount of water vapor Mb contained in the air outside the chamber is less than the saturated water vapor amount Mc at the inside temperature T1 (NO in step S15), the outside air is not cooled even if the outside air contacts the outer plate 31 and is cooled. There is a low risk of condensation on the outer surface of the plate 31. In this case, the control device 50 determines that the above dew condensation occurrence condition is not satisfied. Then, the control device 50 determines that there is no need to drive the heaters 34 and 35, and ends the heater driving process without driving the heaters 34 and 35 (end).

  On the other hand, when the amount of water vapor Mb contained in the outside air is equal to or greater than the saturated water vapor amount Mc at the inside temperature T1 (YES in step S15), the outside air comes into contact with the outer plate 31 and is cooled. There is a high possibility that condensation corresponding to the difference (Mb−Mc) occurs on the outer surface of the outer plate 31. In this case, the control device 50 determines that the above dew condensation occurrence condition is satisfied. The control device 50 determines that the heaters 34 and 35 need to be driven, and drives (turns on) the first heater 34 or the second heater 35 in step S16. As a result, the outer plate 31 is heated, and the occurrence of condensation on the outer plate 31 is suppressed. And the control apparatus 50 complete | finishes a series of control (end).

  In this case, for example, the relationship between the inside temperature T1 and the outside temperature T2 detected by the refrigerator temperature sensor 52 does not satisfy the dew generation condition (NO in step S15 for the first heater 34), but the freezer temperature sensor The second heater 35 is driven when the dew generation condition is satisfied in the relationship between the internal temperature T1 detected in 53 and the external temperature T2 (YES in step S15 for the second heater 35). 1 heater 34 is not driven.

  The refrigerator 10 according to the embodiment includes heaters 34 and 35 that can be driven and controlled between the vacuum heat insulating panel 33 and the outer plate 31. According to this, when the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 is lowered, the heaters 34 and 35 are driven to heat the outer plate 31, so that the outer surface of the refrigerator 10, in this case, the outer surface of the outer plate 31 is applied. Condensation that occurs can be suppressed.

  Here, for example, by providing the heat radiating pipe 44 of the refrigeration cycle 40 between the vacuum heat insulating panel 33 and the outer plate 31, the outer plate 31 can be warmed by the heat of the heat radiating pipe 44. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of condensation on the outer surface of the outer plate 31. However, the heat generated in the heat radiating pipe 44 correlates with the driving of the refrigeration cycle 40. Therefore, when the refrigeration cycle 40 is stopped, the heat generated in the heat radiating pipe 44 is small, and the action of suppressing the occurrence of condensation on the outer plate 31 is small. Therefore, in order to suppress the occurrence of condensation due to the heat of the heat radiating pipe 44, it is necessary to always drive the refrigeration cycle 40.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the heaters 34 and 35 can be driven and controlled by the user operating the operation panel 51 or by the control device 50. That is, the driving of the heaters 34 and 35 is independent from the driving of the refrigeration cycle 40. Therefore, without driving the refrigeration cycle 40, the heaters 34 and 35 can be driven to suppress the occurrence of condensation. That is, the dew condensation suppressing action by the heat radiating pipe 44 is a so-called passive action depending on the driving state of the refrigeration cycle 40. On the other hand, the dew condensation suppressing action by the heaters 34 and 35 is an active action that does not depend on the driving state of the refrigeration cycle 40. As described above, according to this embodiment, by controlling the driving of the heaters 34 and 35, it is possible to positively suppress condensation as necessary.

  The refrigerator 10 includes switch units 511 and 512 that can drive the heaters 34 and 35 by a user operation. According to this, for example, when condensation has already occurred on the surface of the outer plate 31 and the user has found the condensation, the user can operate the switch units 511 and 512 to drive the heaters 34 and 35. . Thereby, when the user recognizes a decrease in the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33, the user can quickly respond to the occurrence of condensation by controlling the driving of the heaters 34 and 35.

  The refrigerator 10 includes notification means that can notify the user of the driving state of the heaters 34 and 35, in this case, display units 513 and 514 that display the driving state of the heaters 34 and 35. According to this, the user can know the driving state of the heaters 34 and 35. That is, the user knows the driving state of the heaters 34 and 35, so that condensation is likely to occur on the outer surface of the outer plate 31, that is, the heat insulating performance of the vacuum heat insulating panel 33 may be deteriorated. I can know that. As a result, the user can quickly take subsequent actions such as repairing the refrigerator 10, for example.

  The controller 50 controls the heaters 34 and 35 when the internal temperature T1 does not reach the target temperature within a predetermined time after the internal temperature T1 rises to a predetermined temperature or more or after the cooling operation by the refrigeration cycle 40 is started. Can be driven. That is, if the controller 50 does not reach the target temperature even after a lapse of a predetermined time after the internal temperature T1 rises above the predetermined temperature or after the start of the cooling operation, the heat insulation of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 is performed. Judge that the performance has dropped. In this case, the control device 50 drives the heaters 34 and 35 in order to suppress condensation. According to this, when the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 falls, the fall of the heat insulation performance can be detected quickly, As a result, generation | occurrence | production of dew condensation can be suppressed effectively.

  The refrigerator 10 includes dew generation condition detection means that can detect that dew condensation may occur on the heat insulating wall 30 or the like, in this case, temperature sensors 52, 53, 54, and a humidity sensor 55. And the control apparatus 50 can control the drive of the heaters 34 and 35 based on the detection result of the dew condensation generation condition detection means. The control device 50 calculates the saturated water vapor amount Mc at the internal temperature T1 based on the detection results of the internal temperature sensors 52 and 53, and the external temperature T2 based on the detection result of the external temperature sensor 54. A step of calculating the saturated water vapor amount Ma in the step, a step of calculating the water vapor amount Mb of the air outside the storage room based on the calculated saturated water vapor amount Ma at the external temperature T2 and the detection result of the external humidity sensor 55, The step of driving the heaters 34 and 35 when the saturated water vapor amount Mc at the internal temperature T1 is smaller than the water vapor amount Mb of the air outside the storage chamber can be performed.

  According to this, even when the heat insulating performance of the vacuum heat insulating panel 33 is deteriorated, when the temperature outside the warehouse is low or the humidity outside the warehouse is low, for example, when the condition is such that condensation does not easily occur, the heater 34 and 35 can be prevented from being driven. Thereby, the refrigerator 10 can perform precise control suitable for the surrounding conditions for the heaters 34 and 35, and as a result, unnecessary driving of the heaters 34 and 35 is suppressed, and energy saving performance is improved. .

  The refrigerator 10 includes a first heater 34 that covers a part of the storage rooms 11 and 12 in the refrigerated temperature zone, in this case, the left and right sides, and a part of the storage rooms 13, 14, and 15 in the refrigeration temperature zone, in this case, the left and right sides. And a second heater 35 covering the. According to this, the 1st heater 34 and the 2nd heater 35 are provided corresponding to the storage room from which a temperature zone differs. Therefore, the heaters 34 and 35 can be driven for each storage room in different temperature zones.

  That is, when the heat insulating performance of the vacuum heat insulating panel 33 is lowered, for example, the relationship between the internal temperature T1 and the external temperature T2 of the storage chambers 11 and 12 in the refrigeration temperature zone does not satisfy the dew condensation generation condition. In the case where the dew generation condition is satisfied in the relationship between the inside temperature T1 and the outside temperature T2 of the storage chambers 13, 14, and 15 in the freezing temperature zone, the second heater 35 is driven and the first heater 34 is driven. Do not drive. According to this, when the heat insulation performance of the vacuum heat insulation panel 33 is deteriorated, for example, it is possible to preferentially warm the portions corresponding to the storage rooms 13, 14, and 15 in the freezing temperature zone where condensation is more likely to occur. . Thereby, unnecessary driving of the heaters 34 and 35 can be suppressed, and as a result, further improvement in energy saving performance can be achieved.

  In addition, the heat insulation box 20 is not restricted to what combines each divided heat insulation wall into a box shape. For example, the heat insulation box 20 may be configured as follows. That is, inside the outer box configured in advance in a box shape, an inner box that is also configured in a box shape in advance is accommodated, and a vacuum heat insulating panel is provided between the outer box and the inner box, so that the heat insulating box body 20 May be configured.

Moreover, you may provide the heater corresponded to the heaters 34 and 35 for suppressing generation | occurrence | production of dew condensation in the ceiling part heat insulation wall 21, the bottom heat insulation wall which is not shown in figure, and the back part heat insulation wall. In addition, heaters corresponding to the heaters 34 and 35 may be provided on the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 111 and 112, the vegetable compartment door 121, the ice making compartment door 131, the small freezer compartment door 141, and the freezer compartment door 151.
Moreover, the heaters 34 and 35 should just be the structures which can be drive-controlled by the control apparatus 50, and are not restricted to a sheathed heater.

The number and arrangement of the storage chambers 11 to 15 are not limited to those in the above embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.
The refrigerator 10 may have only a storage room in a refrigeration temperature zone or only a storage room in a freezing temperature zone.
The refrigeration cycle 40 is not limited to the one provided with the two coolers 41 and 42, and may be one that cools the storage room in the refrigeration temperature zone and the storage room in the refrigeration temperature zone with one cooler.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In the drawings, 10 is a refrigerator, 11 is a refrigeration room (storage room in a refrigeration temperature zone), 12 is a vegetable room (storage room in a refrigeration temperature zone), 13 is an ice making room (storage room in a refrigeration temperature zone), and 14 is a small freezer. Chamber (freezing temperature zone storage chamber), 15 freezing chamber (freezing temperature zone storage chamber), 20 heat insulation box, 31 outer plate, 32 inner plate, 33 vacuum heat insulation panel, 34 first heater (Heater), 35 is a second heater (heater), 40 is a refrigeration cycle, 50 is a control device, 52 is a refrigerator temperature sensor (internal temperature sensor, dew condensation detection means), 53 is a freezer temperature sensor (inside the chamber) Temperature sensor, dew generation detection means), 54 an outside temperature sensor (dew condensation occurrence detection means), 55 an outside humidity sensor (dew condensation occurrence detection means), 511 a first heater switch (switch), and 512 a first 2 heater switch section (switch), 513 is the first heater Use the display unit (notification unit), 514 denotes a display unit for the second heaters (informing means).

Claims (7)

A heat insulating wall having a heat insulating wall formed in a box shape and having a storage chamber inside;
The insulating wall is
An inner plate constituting the surface of the storage room;
An outer plate constituting the outer surface of the heat insulation box,
A vacuum heat insulation panel provided between the inner plate and the outer plate;
A heater that is configured separately from the heat-dissipating pipe of the refrigeration cycle and is provided between the vacuum heat insulating panel and the outer plate, and capable of driving control independent of driving of the refrigeration cycle by switching between energization and power interruption And having a refrigerator. A switch that can drive the heater by a user operation;
The refrigerator according to claim 1. A notification means capable of notifying a user of the driving state of the heater;
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2. A control device capable of driving the heater when the temperature in the storage chamber does not reach the target temperature within a predetermined time after starting a cooling operation by a refrigeration cycle for cooling the storage chamber;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Condensation occurrence condition detecting means for detecting that condensation may occur on the heat insulating wall;
A control device capable of controlling the driving of the heater based on the detection result of the dew condensation occurrence condition detecting means;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The dew condensation occurrence condition detecting means is
An internal temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the storage room;
An outside temperature sensor for detecting a temperature outside the heat insulating box,
An external humidity sensor for detecting the humidity outside the heat insulating box,
The controller is
Calculating a saturated water vapor amount at a temperature in the storage chamber based on a detection result of the internal temperature sensor;
Calculating a saturated water vapor amount at a temperature outside the storage room based on a detection result of the outside temperature sensor;
Calculating the amount of water vapor in the air outside the storage room based on the amount of saturated water vapor at the calculated temperature outside the storage room and the detection result of the external humidity sensor;
The step of driving the heater when the amount of saturated water vapor at the temperature in the storage chamber is smaller than the amount of water vapor outside the storage chamber can be performed.
The refrigerator according to claim 5. The storage room includes a storage room in a refrigeration temperature zone and a storage room in a freezing temperature zone,
The heater includes a first heater that covers the storage chamber in the refrigeration temperature zone, and a second heater that covers the storage chamber in the refrigeration temperature zone.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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