JPH03282176A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always humidify at an optimum humidity in a storage chamber and to suppress complexity of a structure and a reduction in an inner volume by evaporating water in an evaporation tray mounted in the chamber, dispersing it in the chamber, and supplying water in a feed water tank to the tray. CONSTITUTION:Water supplied into an evaporation tray 8 in response to ON- operation of a humidifying switch is evaporated by evaporation fins 9, dispersed in a vegetable chamber 2 and humidified in a vegetable chamber 2. In this case, supply of water to the tray 8 is executed only when humidity Hv in the chamber 2 to be sensed by a humidity sensor 35 is 70% or more. The water in the tray 8 is supplied from a feed water tank 14 provided originally for an icemaker 13. The water in the tank 14 is once supplied into a water reception tray 16 to be temporarily reserved, and then selectively supplied to an icemaking tray 24 or the tray 8 through a feed water pump 22 or a feed water solenoid valve 15.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Purpose of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention provides a refrigerator that keeps vegetables fresh by humidifying the inside of a storage chamber for storing vegetables. , relates to a refrigerator equipped with an ice-making device that performs an ice-making operation using water supplied from a water supply tank in addition to the storage chamber.

(Prior Art) In recent years, large-sized refrigerators have been provided with a so-called vegetable compartment, which is a storage compartment exclusively for storing vegetables. In this case, a storage container for vegetables is provided in the vegetable compartment, and the vegetables in this storage container are cooled by cold air from the refrigerator main body, thereby preserving the vegetables at a low temperature and preventing spoilage. That's what I do.

At this time, if the configuration is such that cold air flows directly into the storage container, the cold air will be in a dry state, and the inside of the storage container will become overly dry, making it unsuitable for preserving vegetables. . However, if the storage container is sealed and the storage container is cooled from its surroundings, the water vapor generated by the respiration of the vegetables will create high humidity inside the storage container and cause condensation. Therefore, the condensed water adheres to the vegetables, causing problems such as accelerated rotting of the vegetables.

Therefore, in recent years, refrigerators have been constructed so that the storage container is sealed with a moisture-permeable panel, which maintains the inside of the storage container at a predetermined high humidity while releasing excess moisture to the outside through the panel as water vapor. ing.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) When a moisture permeable panel is provided as described above, the humidity within the storage container is determined by the amount of water vapor generated from the vegetables and the amount of moisture permeable through the panel. Therefore, if the moisture permeability of the panel is set to be large, the inside of the storage container will become a little dry when the amount of stored vegetables is small; on the other hand, if the moisture permeability of the panel is set to be small, When there is a large amount of stored vegetables, the inside of the storage container becomes highly humid and condensation occurs. In other words, even if a moisture permeable panel is installed, depending on the moisture permeability setting of the panel and the amount of vegetables stored, the inside of the storage container may become overly dry, which is unsuitable for storing vegetables. However, there is still a risk that condensation may occur in the storage container, accelerating the rotting of the vegetables.

As a means to reliably solve these problems,
In recent years, it has been considered to have a configuration in which a certain amount of cold air directly flows into the storage container, and to provide a humidifier that humidifies the inside of the vegetable compartment to a set humidity. However, this configuration requires a separate water supply source for the humidifier, which leads to new problems such as a complicated structure and a reduction in the internal volume of the refrigerator.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances and the fact that in recent years, refrigerators equipped with ice-making devices that perform ice-making operations using water supplied from a water supply tank have been provided, and the purpose thereof is to It is possible to constantly humidify the inside of the storage room to the optimum humidity, allowing vegetables to be stored for a long time without spoiling, and by using the existing water tank as a water source for such humidification, the structure can be improved. To provide a refrigerator capable of suppressing complications and reduction of internal volume as much as possible.

[Configuration of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ice making device that performs ice making operation using water supplied from a water supply tank, and a storage chamber for storing vegetables. In the refrigerator, an evaporation tray is installed in the storage chamber, and an evaporation means for evaporating the water in the evaporation tray and dissipating it into the storage chamber is provided, and the water in the water supply tank is transferred to the evaporation tray. The structure is such that it is supplied internally.

In this case, a water tray for temporarily storing water supplied from the water tank is provided near the water tank, and a water supply means for selectively supplying the water in the water tray to the ice making device and the evaporation tray. It is also possible to have a configuration in which

Further, the water supply tank may be installed near the evaporation dish to directly supply water to the evaporation dish, and a water supply means may be provided to supply the water in the evaporation dish to the ice making device.

Furthermore, the evaporating dish may be disposed in the upper part of the storage chamber, and the evaporating means may be constituted by a porous member that sucks up and evaporates the water in the evaporating dish.

In addition, the evaporation means may be constituted by an ultrasonic vibrator that atomizes and evaporates water in the evaporating dish, and in this case, the ultrasonic vibration is applied before the water supply means supplies water to the ice making device. A configuration may also be provided in which a control circuit device that drives the child for a predetermined period of time is provided.

(Function) The water in the evaporating dish installed in the storage room for storing vegetables is evaporated by the evaporation means and diffused into the storage room. As a result, by controlling the amount of water supplied into the evaporating dish or the evaporating capacity of the evaporating means, it becomes possible to constantly humidify the inside of the storage room to the optimum humidity, thereby preventing vegetables from rotting. It can be stored for a long time without any problems.

In this case, the water in the evaporating dish used for humidification is supplied from the water supply tank originally provided for the ice making device, so there is no need for a separate water supply source for humidification, and the conventional This eliminates the possibility of complicating the structure and reducing the internal volume.

In addition, if a water tray is provided near the water tank and a water supply means is provided to selectively supply the water in the water tray to the ice making device and evaporation tray, there are significant restrictions on the location of the water tank. This eliminates this problem and increases the degree of freedom in design.

If the water supply tank is installed near the evaporating dish and water is directly supplied to the evaporating dish, the structure can be simplified since the water receiving dish is not required.

When the evaporating dish is arranged in the upper part of the storage chamber and the evaporation means is made of a porous member, the water vapor evaporated by the porous member is cooled in the storage chamber. This allows the air to flow from the top to the bottom, making it possible to efficiently humidify the inside of the storage room.

When the evaporation means is constituted by an ultrasonic vibrator, it becomes possible to easily change the atomization speed of water in the evaporating dish, and thus the humidification capacity, making it possible to precisely control the humidity in the storage chamber. Become.

Furthermore, if the ultrasonic vibrator is driven for a predetermined period of time prior to the water supply operation to the ice making device, the cavitation of the water in response to such driving will cause the hypochlorous acid and trichloride contained in the water to be removed. Foreign substances such as heromethane are removed by decomposition or volatilization, and the ice produced by the ice making apparatus can be odorless and pure.

(Example) Hereinafter, a first example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

In FIG. 3, a vegetable compartment 2, which is a storage compartment formed at the lowest part of the refrigerator body 1, is provided exclusively for storing vegetables, and a vegetable storage container 3 is located inside the vegetable compartment 2. It is installed so that it can be pulled out forward (leftward in Figure 3). The vegetable compartment cover 4 installed so as to cover the upper surface of the storage container 3 is configured to be left behind at the installation position when the storage container 3 is pulled forward, and a sealing member 4a is attached to the front part of the vegetable compartment cover 4. is provided.

The vegetable compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment 5 above it are separated by a partition plate 6 which also serves as a tray, and vent holes 6g and 6b are formed at the front and rear of the partition plate 6, respectively. As a result,
In the vegetable compartment 2, cold air from the refrigerator compartment 5 flows through vents 6a and 6b.
At the same time, a part of the cold air also flows into the storage container 3 through the gap between the vegetable compartment cover 4 and the vegetable compartment 2 and the storage container 3. The inside is cooled down.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 4, in the upper part of the vegetable compartment 2,
A humidifying device 7 is disposed at a position where movement of the storage container 3 is not obstructed. This humidifying device 7 is composed of an evaporating dish 8 in the shape of a flat rectangular container, and a plurality of evaporating fins 9, which serve as evaporating means, provided upright on the bottom of the evaporating dish 8 so as to be parallel to each other. The evaporation fins 9 are made of a porous member made of ceramic, for example, and are configured to suck up and evaporate water in the evaporation dish 8.

The humidifying device 7 is specifically constructed as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. That is, the evaporating dish 8 is fixed to the upper part of the side wall of the vegetable compartment 2 with screws, and a plurality of fin fixing grooves 8a into which the bases of the evaporating fins 9 are inserted are provided at the bottom thereof. Attached to the outer bottom surface of the evaporating dish 8 is a planar heater 10 made of aluminum foil with heating wires arranged in a meandering arrangement.The heater 10 is covered from below with a urethane slab heat insulating material, for example. A bottom plate 11 made of a combination of plastic plates is provided. Incidentally, a connector 10 of the heater 10 is attached to the side of the evaporating dish 8.
A recess 8b into which the portion a fits is formed.

The lower end of a water supply hose 12 is arranged in the evaporation dish 8 so as to face the inside thereof, and this water supply hose 12 is buried within the heat insulating wall 1a of the refrigerator main body 1 (see Fig. 4). reference).

Now, FIG. 1 shows the humidifying device 7 described above, the ice making device 13 described later, and a water tank 1 for supplying water thereto.
4 and the like, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional configuration of the water supply structure portion by the water supply tank 14. Hereinafter, these FIGS. 1 and 2 will be explained. Although not shown, the ice making device 13 is connected to the refrigerator main body 1.
The water tank 14 is installed in a dedicated ice making room provided in the refrigerator compartment 5, and the water supply tank 14 is installed in a tank storage corner provided in the refrigerator compartment 5.

The upper end of the water supply hose 12, which is disposed so that its lower end faces into the evaporating dish 8, is communicated with the bottom of the water tray 16 via a water supply electromagnetic valve 15 serving as a water supply means. This water tray 16 has a partition wall 17 inside which has a slit 17a.
It is divided into a preliminary chamber 18 and a measuring chamber 19, and the water supply hose 12 is connected to the bottom of the measuring chamber 19 side.

The water tray 16 is attached to the lower surface of the shelf section 20 on which the water tank 14 is placed, and when the water tank 14 is set, the well-known valve device 14a of the water tank 14 operates as follows. It is configured to face the preliminary chamber 18 through an opening 20a formed in the shelf 20. In this case, the preliminary chamber 18 is provided with a raised portion 18a that pushes up the valve body 14b of the valve device 14a when the water tank 14 is set. The water inside is in the spare room 1
8 and the measuring chamber 19 up to a constant water level and are temporarily stored therein.

The shelf section 20 is provided with a tank switch 21 that is turned on only when the water tank 14 is set. Also,
A water supply pump 22 serving as a water supply means is attached to the shelf 20, and a water supply port 22a of the water supply pump 22 is connected to the measuring chamber 19 through an opening 20b formed in the shelf 2o.
It is located inside. When the water supply pump 22 is driven, the water in the metering chamber 19 is pumped up through the water supply pipe 23 and supplied into the ice making tray 24 of the ice making device 13.

Note that the water supply pump 22 and the water supply solenoid valve 15 are embedded in the heat insulating wall la of the refrigerator main body 1.

In this case, in the water tray 16, the water supplied to the preliminary chamber 18 side flows into the measuring chamber 19 side through the slit 17a, but the amount of water that flows in is determined by the water supply pump 22.
Therefore, if the water supply pump 22 is driven for a certain period of time, the water supply pump 22 will suck up a certain amount of water from the measuring chamber 19 and supply it to the ice tray 24. become. The time required for the water in the preliminary chamber 18 to flow into the metering chamber 19 to a constant water level through the slit 17a is set to, for example, about 5 minutes.

The ice making device 13 is roughly configured as follows. That is, when ice making is completed, the ice making tray 24 is rotated by a mechanical section 25 containing a motor and the like, and at the final stage of the rotation, it is twisted to perform an ice releasing operation. The ice that falls from the ice tray 24 due to the ice operation is stored in the lower water storage box 26. The water storage box 26 is provided with a water storage amount detection lever 27 that is rotated according to the amount of water stored in the water storage box 26. When this lever 27 is rotated by a predetermined amount or more, that is, when the water storage box 26 has a predetermined amount or more, When ice is stored, the mechanism section 2
The water storage switch 5 (not shown) is turned on to restrict the start of the ice removal operation.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a thermistor (shown with reference numeral 28 in FIG. 8) for detecting the temperature Ti is provided on the back surface of the ice tray 24. Based on the temperature Ti, the ice making operation by the ice making device 13 is controlled as described below.

FIG. 8 shows an electrical configuration related to the control of the humidifying device 7 and the ice making device 13, which will be explained below.

That is, the thermistor 28 has one end connected to the constant voltage power supply terminal +
Vcc, and the other end is grounded via a resistor 29. Therefore, from the common connection point with the resistor 29, if the temperature detected by the thermistor 28 (the temperature of the ice tray 24) is low, The detection voltage Vt that becomes the level is output. The reference voltage generating circuit 30 connected between the power supply terminal +Vcc and the ground terminal includes resistors 30a, 30
It consists of a series circuit of 30c and 30c, and the reference voltages Val and Va are connected from each common connection point between adjacent resistors, respectively.
2 (Vat>V a2) is output.

The comparator 31 provided to compare the detection voltage Vt and the reference voltage Val sets its output to a high level when the temperature Ti of the ice tray 24 corresponding to the detection voltage Vt becomes, for example, -9°5°C or higher. It is configured to invert the signal. Further, a comparator 32 provided to compare the detection voltage Vt and the reference voltage Va2 is connected to the ice tray 2.
The configuration is such that when the temperature Ti of No. 4 becomes, for example, -12° C. or lower, the output is inverted to a high level signal.

At this time, the output of the comparator 31 is applied to the set input terminal S of the RS flip-flop 33, and the output of the comparator 32 is applied to the reset input terminal R of the RS flip-flop 33. Therefore, R
-S flip-flop 33 is set and outputs a high level signal from output terminal Q when the temperature Ti of the ice tray 24 is -9.5 degrees Celsius or higher, and the temperature Ti of the ice tray 24 is When the temperature drops below 12°C, it is reset and a low level signal is output from the output terminal Q. The output of the R-S flip-flop 33 is connected to an input terminal A of a control circuit device 34 consisting of a microcomputer.
1 is given.

The humidity sensor 35 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) provided to detect the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 is configured to exhibit low resistance when the detected humidity Hv is high.

One end of the humidity sensor 35 is connected to the power supply terminal +Vcc, and the other end is grounded via the resistor 36. Therefore, from the common connection point with the resistor 36, the humidity Hv detected by the thermistor 35 is detected. If the detection voltage vh is high, a high level detection voltage vh is output. The reference voltage generating circuit 37 connected between the power supply terminal +vcc and the ground terminal is composed of a series circuit of resistors 37g and 37b, and a reference voltage vb is output from their common connection point.

The comparator 38 provided to compare the detection voltage vh and the reference voltage vb changes its output to a low level only when the humidity Hv (relative humidity) in the vegetable compartment 2 corresponding to the detection voltage vh is, for example, 70% or more. The configuration is such that the signal maintains its inverted state. The output of the converter 38 is then applied to the input terminal A4 of the control circuit device 34. Note that the comparator 38 includes a resistor 3.
9 provides hysteresis.

The tank switch 21 has one end connected to the power supply terminal Vce via a resistor 40 and the other end grounded. A low level signal is output only when the water tank 14 is set on the shelf 20. This output is then applied to the input terminal A3 of the control circuit device 34.

The humidification switch 41 is turned on when performing humidification operation in the vegetable compartment 2, and is installed, for example, on an operation panel (not shown) provided on the front side of the refrigerator main body 1. This humidifying switch 41 has one end connected to the power supply terminal +vec via a resistor 42 and the other end grounded. A low level signal is output. This output is then given to the input terminal A2 of the control circuit device 34.

Load control output terminals c, which the control circuit device 34 has,
cl, c, , c3 are provided with npn type switching transistors 43, 44, 45, 46 in one-to-one correspondence, and these transistors 43 to 46 are connected to the corresponding output terminals C, -C3. It is connected to turn on when a command signal consisting of a high level signal is output.

The first relay 47 is configured to be driven through the power supply terminal VDD when the transistor 43 is on, and in this driven state, the heater 10 disposed on the outer bottom surface of the evaporating dish 8 is energized. There is.

The second relay 48 is configured to be driven through the power supply terminal VDD when the transistor 44 is on, and in this driven state, the pump motor (not shown) of the water supply pump 22 is energized, and the water supply pump 22 is energized. It is configured to drive.

The third relay 49 is configured to be driven through the power supply terminal VDD when the transistor 45 is in the ON state, and is configured to energize the water supply solenoid valve 15 in this driven state.

The water supply indicator lamp 50 is made of, for example, a light emitting diode, and when the transistor 46 is on, the water supply indicator lamp 50 is connected to the power supply terminal VDD.
The configuration is such that current is supplied from the terminal via the protective resistor 51. Note that this water supply instruction lamp 50 is disposed, for example, on an operation panel (not shown) provided with the humidification switch 41.

The mechanism section 25 of the ice making device 13 performs the above-mentioned ice removal operation when the command signal Sa is output from the output terminal C1 of the control circuit device 34, and when the ice removal operation is completed, the ice making tray 24 returns to its original state. It outputs a completion signal Sa when it returns to the position, and the completion signal Sa is fed back to the input terminal A5 of the control circuit device 34.

Thus, the control circuit device 34
．． 44, 45 and 46 on/off control, and thus heater 10. Water supply pump 22. Control of energization/disconnection of the water supply solenoid valve 15 and water supply instruction lamp 50, and control of ice removal operation by the mechanism section 25, based on input signals to each input terminal Al%A and a pre-stored control program. The details of the control will be explained below with reference to FIG.

That is, the control circuit device 34 executes an initialization routine immediately after power is turned on, and in this routine, all internal timers are reset to the initial state, and all flags are set to "
0" and wait in this state for 5 minutes. In this case, the internal timer is set with TS, TK, and TV, which indicate the purpose of the timer operation, and the flags are Fl, FS, FR, FT, FL, and F, whose contents are shown below.
K is set.

TS: Elapsed time t8 after the end of water supply operation to the ice making device 13
measurement.

TK: Measurement of the elapsed time tk after water is supplied to either the ice making device 13 or the humidifying device 7 (that is, the elapsed time after the measuring chamber 19 of the water tray 16 is once emptied).

Tv: Measurement of the elapsed time tv after the water supply operation to the humidifier 7 is completed.

Fl: Temperature Ti of the ice tray 24 detected by the thermistor 28
"1" when the temperature is below 112 degrees Celsius.

FS: “1” when the timer operating time ts of the internal timer TS (ice making continuation time after completion of water supply to the ice making device 13) is 1.5 hours or more.

FR: “1” when the routine for removing ice in the ice making device 13 is executed.

FT: "1" when the water tank 14 is set on the shelf 20.

FL: “1” when the water supply indicator lamp 50 is turned off.

FK: Timer operating time tk of internal timer TK (measurement chamber 1
If the elapsed time since 9 was empty is 5 minutes or more,
”.

After executing the above-described initialization routine, the control circuit device 34 starts counting up the internal timers TS, TK, and TV (timer operation) (step Sl). Next, it is determined whether the input to the input terminal Al is at a low level, in other words, it is determined whether the temperature Ti of the ice tray 24 is 112° C. or lower (step S2). At this time, if Ti≦-12°C, step S3 is executed to change the flag FI to "1" and the process moves to step S5; if Ti>-12°C, the flag Fl is set to "0". Step S4 is executed to change to , and the process moves to step S5.

In step S5, the timer operation time t of the internal timer TS is
It is determined whether s is 1.5 hours or more.

At this time, if ts≧1.5 hours, step S6 is executed to change the flag FS to "1", and step S8
If ts<1.5 hours, step S7 is executed to change the flag FI to "0", and the process moves to step S8.

In step S8, flags Fl and FS are both "1".
Determine whether or not. Here, the state in which rYESJ is determined is that the temperature Ti of the ice making tray 24 is 112 degrees Celsius or less, and the ice making duration ts after completion of water supply to the ice making device 13 is 1.
．． This corresponds to a state where it has been 5 hours or more, that is, a state where ice making in the ice tray 24 has been completed. When it is determined that ice making is completed in this way, a command signal Sa is sent from the output terminal C4 to the mechanism section 25 of the ice making device 13 to cause it to perform an ice removal operation. The ice removal routine waits until a completion signal Sz indicating that ice removal has been completed is fed back.

After executing this ice removal routine, the flags Fl, F
S is changed to "0" and the flag FR is changed to "1" (step S9), after which the process moves to step S10. Further, when it is determined "NO" in the step S8, that is, when it is determined that the ice making in the ice making tray 24 is not completed, the ice removal routine, step S9, is jumped and the process proceeds to step SIO.

In step S10, it is determined whether the input to the input terminal A3 is at a low level, in other words, whether the water tank 14 is set on the shelf 20 or not. If the water tank 14 is set, step Sll is executed to change the flag FT to "1" and the process moves to step S13; if the water tank 14 is not set, the flag FT is set.

Step S12 is executed in which FL is changed to "0" and a high level signal is output from the output terminal C3 to light up the water supply instruction lamp 50, and the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, it is determined whether the timer operating time tk of the internal timer TK is 5 minutes or more. At this time, tk≧5
In the case of t k
In the case of minutes, step S15 is executed to change the flag FK to rOJ, and the process moves to step S16.

In step S16, it is determined whether the input to the input terminal A4 is at a high level, in other words, the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 is 70%.
Determine whether it is less than or not. If Hv<70%, step S17 is executed to output a noise level signal from the output terminal Co and energize the heater 10, and the process moves to step S19; if Hv≧70%, the output terminal C Step S of outputting a low level signal from , and cutting off the power to the heater 10
18 is executed and the process moves to step S19.

In step S19, the flags FR, FT, and FK are all "
1” or not. In the state where rYEsJ is determined, the ice removal routine has already been executed and the water supply tank 14
is set on the shelf 20 and more than 5 minutes have passed since the measuring chamber 19 was once emptied, that is, there is no water in the ice cube tray 24 and the water tank 14 is set in a predetermined position. This corresponds to a state in which water has flowed into the measuring chamber 19 to a constant water level. If it is determined that such a state exists, a high level signal is output from the output terminal C1 for a certain period of time (for example, 6 seconds), and during this output period, the water supply pump 22 is driven, and the water is supplied to the ice tray 24. Perform the water supply operation (ice tray water supply routine). The driving time (6 seconds) of the water supply pump 22 is set to be slightly longer than the time required to suck up a certain amount of water from the metering chamber 19 and supply it into the ice tray 24.

After executing this ice tray water supply routine, the flag F
R is changed to "0" and the internal timers TK and TS are reset to the initial state (step 520). After this, it is determined whether the input to the input terminal A1 is at a high level or not, in other words, the temperature Ti of the ice tray 24 is - It is determined whether the temperature is 9.5° C. or higher (step 521). At this time, -9.5℃ on Ti
In this case, that is, when water is normally supplied to the ice tray 24 and its temperature Ti rises, the process returns to step S1.

On the other hand, in the case of Tie-9.5°C, a loop is created to repeatedly execute step S21 and wait for about 4 to 5 minutes (step 522), and during the waiting period, Ti
If the temperature does not reach -9.5℃, put it in ice cube tray 2.
It is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the water supply operation to the water tank 14 (including the state where the water supply tank 14 is empty), and the process proceeds to step S23.
Execute.

In step 323, the flag FL is changed to rOJ, and a high level signal is output from the output terminal C3 to turn on the water supply instruction lamp 50. In this lighting state, the system waits until the input to the input terminal A3 becomes high level, in other words, until the water tank 14 is removed from the shelf 20 (step 524). When the water tank 2o is removed, the process waits until the input to the input terminal A3 becomes low level, in other words, until the water tank 14 is set on the shelf 20 (step 525). When the water supply tank 14 is reset (rYESJ in step S25), the flag FL is changed to rlJ, and a low level signal is output from the output terminal C5 to turn off the water supply instruction lamp 50 (step 526). After this, the process returns to step S1.

On the other hand, when it is determined "NO" in step S19,
In other words, either the ice removal routine has not been executed yet, the water tank 14 has not been set on the shelf 2o, or more than 5 minutes have not passed since the measuring chamber 19 was once emptied. In this state, it is determined whether the input to the input terminal A2 is a low level signal, in other words, it is determined whether the humidification switch 41 is turned on (
step 527). If the humidification switch 41 is not turned on, the process returns to step S1, but if the humidification switch 41 is turned on, it is determined whether the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 is less than 70% based on the input to the input terminal A4 (step 528).

At this time, if the humidity Hv is 70% or more, the process returns to step S2, but if the humidity Hv is less than 70%, the flag FT is set in step S29.

It is determined whether PK and FL are all "1". Here rY
In a state where ESJ is determined, the water supply tank 14 is located on the shelf 20.
5 from the state where the measuring chamber 19 is once empty.
If more than a minute has passed and the water supply indicator lamp 50 is off, that is, water has flowed from the water tank 14 set at a predetermined position into the metering chamber 19 to a constant water level, and water has not entered the water tank 14. Corresponds to a situation where there is no need to replenish. If it is determined that such a state exists, it is determined whether the timer operating time tv of the internal timer TV has exceeded 10 hours (step 530).

At this time, the timer operation time tv corresponds to the elapsed time after the end of the water supply operation to the humidifying device 7, and if 10 hours have not elapsed since the previous water supply operation to the humidifying bag W7t7 (rNOJ ), the process returns to step Sl, but if the timer operating time tv exceeds 10 hours, a high level signal is output from the output terminal C2 for a certain period of time (for example, 5 seconds), and during that output period, the water supply The solenoid valve 15 is driven to supply water to the evaporating dish 8 of the humidifier 7 (evaporating dish water supply routine). The driving time (5 seconds) of the water supply electromagnetic valve 15 is set to be slightly longer than the time required for the water in the metering chamber 19 to flow down into the evaporating dish 8.

After executing this evaporating dish water supply routine, the internal timer TK and TV are reset to their initial states in step 531.
), after which the process returns to step S1.

In summary, the control circuit device 34 performs the following control.

■The completion state of the ice making operation using the ice making bag W13 is shown in the ice making tray 2.
4 and the elapsed time ts since the end of the previous water supply operation to the ice making tray 24, and when it is determined that ice making is complete, the ice making device 13 is caused to perform an ice removal operation.

After performing the above-mentioned ice-off operation, the water supply pump 22 operates the ice making tray on the condition that the water supply tank 14 is set at a predetermined position and water is supplied to the measuring chamber 19 of the water tray 16 up to a constant water level. 24.

(2) If the water supply tank 14 is not set at the predetermined position or if there is an abnormality in the water supply operation to the ice tray 24 (including when the water supply tank 14 is empty), the water supply instruction lamp 50 is turned on.

■When the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 is less than 70%, the heater 10 is energized to warm the water in the evaporating dish 8, thereby promoting the evaporation of water via the evaporating fins 9. .

■When the humidification switch 41 is turned on, the humidity in the vegetable compartment 2 must be less than 70%, and the water tank 1 must be
4 is set in a predetermined position, water is supplied to the measuring chamber 19 of the water tray 16 to a constant water level, and the elapsed time tv since the previous water supply operation to the evaporation tray 8 was completed.
Water is supplied to the evaporating dish 8 by the water supply electromagnetic valve 15 on the condition that the water supply period lasts for 10 hours or more.

According to the present embodiment described above, the water supplied into the evaporating dish 8 in response to the ON operation of the humidifying switch 41 is transferred to the evaporating fin 9.
It is evaporated and diffused into the vegetable compartment 2, thereby humidifying the interior of the vegetable compartment 2.

At this time, the supply of water into the evaporating dish 8 is controlled by the humidity sensor 35.
Since this is a configuration that is performed only when the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 detected by the sensor is 70% or more, even if a large amount of vegetables are stored in the storage container 3 of the vegetable compartment 2, the interior of the vegetable compartment 2 will not be overhumidified. There is no chance of this happening. In addition, when the amount of vegetables stored in the storage container 3 is small, the inside of the vegetable compartment 2 becomes a little dry, but when the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 becomes less than 70%, the evaporating tray 8 Since water is supplied to the vegetable compartment 2 and humidification operation is performed in the vegetable compartment 2, it becomes possible to constantly humidify the interior of the vegetable compartment 2 to the optimum humidity regardless of the amount of stored vegetables. Vegetables can be stored for a long time without spoiling inside.

Moreover, since the water in the evaporation tray 8 used for humidification as described above is supplied from the water supply tank 14 originally provided for the ice making device 13, a separate water supply source for humidification is required. This eliminates the risk of increasing costs and reducing the internal volume due to the complication of the water supply structure.

Further, the water in the water tank 14 is supplied to the water tank 16 and temporarily stored, and then selectively sent to the ice tray 24 or the evaporation tray 8 via the water pump 22 or the water supply solenoid valve 15. Since the water supply tank 14 is configured to be supplied with water, there are no major restrictions on the installation location of the water supply tank 14, and the degree of freedom in design can be improved.

Furthermore, since the evaporating dish 8 is arranged at the upper part of the vegetable compartment 2, the water vapor evaporated by the evaporating fins 9 flows from the upper part of the vegetable compartment 2 to the lower part as it is cooled in the vegetable compartment 2. As a result, the inside of the vegetable compartment 2 can be efficiently humidified.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 10, and only the differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

That is, in this second embodiment, an electromagnetic switching valve 52 as a water supply means for switching the flow path is provided in the water pumping path of the water supply pump 22,
This electromagnetic switching valve 52 is used to switch between supplying the water sucked up by the water supply pump 22 to the ice tray 24 via the water supply pipe 23 and supplying the water to the evaporation tray 8 via the water supply hose 12. It is composed of

According to this configuration, unlike the first embodiment, there is no need to provide a hole in the bottom of the water tray 16 for communication with the water supply solenoid valve 15. As a result, the shape of the water tray 16 can be simplified and its processing becomes easier, so that manufacturing costs can be reduced.

A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 11 to 15, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described below.

That is, in FIGS. 11 and 12, the evaporation tray 53 installed on the upper side wall of the vegetable compartment 2 has the same shape as the water tray 16 in the first embodiment. That is, the evaporating dish 53 includes a preliminary chamber 55 and a measuring chamber 56, which are separated by a partition wall 54 having a slit 54a, and the preliminary chamber 55 is provided with a raised portion 55a. Evaporating dish 5
A shelf (not shown) (having the same shape as the shelf 20 in the first embodiment) is provided above the shelf 3, and the water tank 14 is set on this shelf. In the set state, water in the water supply tank 14 is supplied into the preliminary chamber 55 and the measuring chamber 56 up to a constant water level.

An opening 57 is provided at the bottom of the metering chamber 56, and an ultrasonic vibrator 58 serving as evaporation means is attached so as to seal the opening 57 watertightly. Therefore, when this ultrasonic vibrator 58 is driven, the measuring chamber 56
The water inside is atomized and the inside of the vegetable compartment 2 is humidified.

In FIG. 13 showing the electrical configuration, in this example, the first
Since the heater 10 is not provided as in the embodiment,
Transistor 43. The first relay 47 and the like are omitted, and a control circuit device 59 consisting of a microcomputer controls the second relay 48, the third relay 49, and the mechanism section 25 of the ice making device 13. And J3
When the relay 49 is driven, the ultrasonic transducer 58 is driven through an oscillation circuit (not shown).

The control circuit device 59 basically controls the same functions as the control circuit device 34 in the first embodiment, except for a water supply operation routine XWP and a humidification control routine XHP, which will be described below.

That is, the water supply operation routine XWP has the contents as shown in FIG. In this routine XWP, first, a 71 level signal is output from the output terminal C2 to drive the ultrasonic transducer 58 for, for example, 5 minutes. Next, a low level signal is output from the output terminal C2 to stop driving the ultrasonic transducer 58, and a high level signal is output from the output terminal C1 to drive the water supply pump 22. Then, after performing such driving for only 6 seconds, the water supply pump 22 is stopped and returned.

Therefore, prior to the water supply operation to the ice making device 13 by the water supply pump 22, the ultrasonic vibrator 58 is activated for a predetermined period of time (5 minutes).
As a result, foreign substances such as hypochlorous acid and trihalomethane contained in the water are removed by decomposition or volatilization due to the cavitation effect of the water in the evaporating dish 53, and Humidification in the vegetable compartment 2 is performed regularly.

Further, the humidification control routine XHP has the contents as shown in FIG. That is, in this routine XHP, first, the humidifying switch 4 is activated based on the input to the input terminal A2.
1 is turned on, and if it is not turned on, returns, but if it is turned on, it is determined whether the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 is less than 70% based on the input to input terminal A. to decide.

When the humidity Hv is 70% or more, the return is made, but when the humidity is less than 70%, the ultrasonic transducer 58 is
Drive for only minutes. When such driving has been performed for one minute, the driving of the ultrasonic transducer 58 is stopped, and then the process returns. Therefore, at this time as well, the inside of the vegetable compartment 2 is humidified.

According to the third embodiment configured in this way, the humidification operation in the vegetable compartment 2 is performed periodically in accordance with the drive of the ultrasonic transducer 58, and the vegetable compartment 2 is
When the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 becomes less than 70%, the humidification operation in the vegetable compartment 2 by the ultrasonic vibrator 58 is performed repeatedly in 1 minute units, thereby reducing the humidity Hv in the vegetable compartment 2 to 70%.
It will be raised even higher.

Therefore, in this embodiment as well, it is possible to achieve the same effects as in the first embodiment, such as making it possible to constantly humidify the interior of the vegetable compartment 2 to the optimal humidity regardless of the amount of stored vegetables. In particular, when the ultrasonic vibrator 58 is used as a humidification source as in this embodiment, the atomization speed of water in the evaporating dish 53 and the humidification capacity can be easily changed.
It becomes possible to precisely control the humidity in the vegetable compartment 2, and the humidifying mechanism can also be made smaller. Moreover,
In this embodiment, the water supply tank 14 is installed near the evaporation tray 53, making the water tray 16 in the first or second embodiment unnecessary, so that the overall structure can be simplified.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ultrasonic vibrator 58 is driven for a predetermined period of time prior to the water supply operation to the ice making device 13, thereby reducing the amount of hypochlorous acid contained in the water supplied to the ice making device 13.
Since foreign substances such as trihalomethane are removed, the ice produced by the ice making device 13 can be odorless and pure.

In the third embodiment, the water supply tank 14 is installed in the vegetable compartment 2, but unlike the evaporating dish 8 installed in the first or second embodiment, there is a It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which an ultrasonic transducer is provided.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, as is clear from the above description, there is provided a refrigerator including an ice-making device that performs ice-making operation using water supplied from a water tank, and a storage chamber for storing vegetables. , which produces the following effects.

In the refrigerator according to the first aspect, an evaporation means is provided for dispersing water in an evaporation tray installed in a storage chamber into the storage chamber, and water in a water supply tank provided for an ice making device is supplied to the evaporation tray. Because of the supply structure, it is possible to constantly humidify the storage room to the optimum humidity, allowing vegetables to be stored for a long time without spoiling, and also suppressing the complexity of the structure and the reduction of the internal volume. Become.

In the refrigerator according to claim 2, a water tray for temporarily storing water supplied from the water supply tank is provided near the water supply tank, and water in the water tray is selectively supplied to the ice making device and the evaporation tray. Because of this structure, there are no major restrictions on the installation location of the water tank, and the degree of freedom in design can be improved.

In the refrigerator according to claim 3, the water tank is installed near the evaporating dish to directly supply water to the evaporating dish, and the water in the evaporating dish is supplied to the ice making device, so a water tray is not required. , which simplifies the overall structure.

In the refrigerator according to claim 4, the evaporating dish is disposed in the upper part of the storage chamber, and an evaporating means made of a porous member for sucking up and evaporating the water in the evaporating dish is provided.
The water vapor from the evaporation means flows from the upper part of the storage chamber to the lower part, thereby making it possible to efficiently humidify the inside of the storage chamber.

In the refrigerator according to claim 5, since the water in the evaporating dish is atomized and evaporated by the ultrasonic vibrator, the humidifying capacity can be easily changed, and the humidity in the storage room can be controlled with high accuracy. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the humidifying mechanism.

In the refrigerator according to claim 6, since the ultrasonic vibrator is driven for a predetermined period of time prior to the water supply operation to the ice making device, it is possible to make the ice produced by the ice making device pure and odorless. can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 9 show a first embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the ice making device, water supply tank, evaporation tray, etc. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts, Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view of the lower half of the refrigerator, and Figure 4 is the refrigerator. Fig. 5 is a side view of the evaporating dish, Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the same part, Fig. 7 is a partial perspective view of the evaporating dish, Fig. 8 is an electric circuit configuration diagram, and Fig. 9 is a partial longitudinal sectional front view of the evaporating dish. The figure is a flowchart showing control details. Further, FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, FIG. 11 to FIG. 15 show a third embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 11 is a diagram equivalent to FIG. 2, FIG. 12 is a diagram equivalent to FIG. 3, and FIG. 13 is a diagram equivalent to FIG. 8. 14 and 15 are flowcharts showing the main parts of the control contents. In the figure, 1 is the refrigerator body, 2 is the vegetable compartment (storage room), 3 is the storage container, 7 is the humidifier, 8.53 is the evaporating dish, 9 is the evaporating fin (evaporating means), 10 is the heater, and 12 is the water supply hose,
13 is an ice making device, 14 is a water supply tank, 15 is a solenoid valve for water supply (water supply means), 16 is a water tray, 18.55 is a preliminary room,
19.56 is the measuring chamber, 22 is the water supply pump (water supply means),
23 is a water supply pipe, 24 is an ice tray, 28 is a thermistor,
34° 59 is a control circuit device, 35 is a humidity sensor, 41 is a humidifying switch, 50 is a water supply indicator lamp, 52G is an electromagnetic switching valve (water supply means), 584 is an ultrasonic vibrator (evaporation means)
shows.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a refrigerator equipped with an ice-making device that performs ice-making operation using water supplied from a water supply tank and a storage chamber for storing vegetables, an evaporation tray installed in the storage chamber and A refrigerator comprising: evaporating means for evaporating water in the evaporating tray and dissipating it into the storage chamber, and supplying water in the water supply tank into the evaporating tray. 2. A water tray for temporarily storing water supplied from the water tank is provided near the water tank, and a water supply means is provided for selectively supplying the water in the water tray to the ice making device and the evaporation tray. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The water supply tank is installed in the vicinity of the evaporating dish so as to directly supply water to the evaporating dish, and a water supply means is provided for supplying the water in the evaporating dish to the ice making device. The refrigerator according to claim 1. 4. The evaporating dish is placed in the upper part of the storage chamber, and the evaporating means is
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, further comprising a porous member that sucks up and evaporates water in the evaporating dish. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the evaporating means is constituted by an ultrasonic vibrator that atomizes the water in the evaporating dish. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, further comprising a control circuit device that drives the ultrasonic vibrator for a predetermined period of time prior to the operation of supplying water to the ice making device by the water supply means.