Refrigerating apparatus having noise attenuation

• US 5,125,241 A
• Filed: 03/07/1991
• Issued: 06/30/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Yasuyuki, Nakanishi, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/666,049
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 381/71, 381/94, 381/73, 62/296, 417/14
• US Class Current: 62/296
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/12 Sound
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2201/30 with respect to sound
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/006 for mounting refrigerating machinery components
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17817 between the output signals and the error signals, i.e. secondary path
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17825 Error signals
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17854 the filter being an adaptive filter
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17861 using additional means for damping sound, e.g. using sound absorbing panels
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17879 using both a reference signal and an error signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1054 Refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/106 Boxes, i.e. active box covering a noise source; Enclosures
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/109 Compressors, e.g. fans
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/30232 Transfer functions, e.g. impulse response
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3037 Monitoring various blocks in the flow chart
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3045 Multiple acoustic inputs, single acoustic output
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3048 Pretraining, e.g. to identify transfer functions
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3214 Architectures, e.g. special constructional features or arrangements of features

Abstract

A refrigerator with a noise attenuating function includes a cabinet having storage and machine compartments, a compressor disposed in the machine compartment, a noise detector disposed in the machine compartment for detecting noise produced from driving of the compressor and converting the noise to an electrical signal, an operational unit for converting the electrical signal to an acoustic signal for an active noise control, a cancellation sound producer producing a sound of opposite phase with the noise based on the acoustic signal so that the noise is attenuated, a noise attenuation monitoring sound receiver for monitoring the noise attenuating effect of the cancellation sound producer, an adaptive control circuit changing an operational factor of the operational unit by a predetermined amount when the monitoring result of the noise attenuation monitoring sound receiver is out of a predetermined tolerance, the adaptive control circuit being adapted to continuously perform the operation of changing the operational factor until the monitoring result comes into the tolerance, and a connecting member for integrally connecting the cancellation sound producer and the noise attenuation monitoring sound receiver.

Claims

1. A refrigerating apparatus having noise, attenuation comprising:

a heat-insulative cabinet having a storage compartment and a machine compartment;

a compressor provided in the machine compartment;

sound detection means, provided in the machine compartment, for detecting noise produced by operating the compressor and converting the detected noise to a corresponding electrical signal, the detected noise having a first phase;

an operational unit, electrically coupled to the sound detection means, for converting the electrical signal provided by the sound detection means to an acoustic signal to perform active noise control;

a cancellation sound producer for producing, responsive to the acoustic signal, a sound having a second phase opposite to the first phase of the noise to attenuate the noise;

a noise attenuation monitoring sound receiver for monitoring a noise attenuating effect of the cancellation sound producer and providing an attenuation value relating to the noise attenuating effect;

an adaptive control circuit, electrically coupled between the noise attenuation monitoring sound receiver and the operational unit, for adjusting an operating condition of the operational unit by a predetermined amount when the attenuation value is out of a predetermined tolerance, the adaptive control circuit repeatedly adjusting the operating condition of the operational unit until the attenuation value comes within the predetermined tolerance; and

means for fixing the cancellation sound producer and the noise attenuation monitoring sound receiver at a first predetermined distance apart.

2. A refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means is a rear cover, detachably mounting to the refrigeration apparatus, to cover a rear opening of the machine compartment.

3. A refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cancellation sound producer is embedded in an heat-insulative wall defining the machine compartment.

4. A refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound detection means comprises a vibration sensor mounted on the compressor.

5. A refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the machine compartment is defined by first, second and third dimensions, the first dimension being larger than the second and the third dimensions to cause the sound to form a standing wave propagating in the direction of the first dimension.

6. A refrigerating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rear cover of the machine compartment has a ventilating opening formed therein at a second predetermined distance away from the compressor and the noise attenuation monitoring sound receiver is disposed proximate to the ventilating opening in.

7. A refrigerating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rear cover of the machine compartment comprises material having predetermined heat-conductivity and predetermined sound-transfer loss properties.