CN113324358A

CN113324358A - Refrigerator and control method of humidifying device

Info

Publication number: CN113324358A
Application number: CN202010127426.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈磊; 张雪颖; 俞振峰; 夏光飞
Original assignee: Panasonic R&D Center Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic R&D Center Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-02-28
Filing date: 2020-02-28
Publication date: 2021-08-31

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator and a control method of a humidifying device. A refrigerator (1) is provided with a storage chamber (100), a humidifying device (110) for supplying mist into the storage chamber (100), and a control unit (5), wherein the switching control of the humidifying device (110) is performed on the basis of a humidity detection value detected by a humidity sensor provided in the storage chamber (100) and a predetermined target humidity, and when the humidity detection value is smaller than a lower limit value of a range of the target humidity, the humidifying device (110) is turned on, and the humidifying device (110) is continuously operated at least for a first time required for reaching the target humidity under a low humidity condition. From this, can make the humidification speed of accomodating the room be higher than the outside speed of losing of moisture to can be according to current humidity condition and target humidity intelligent regulation humidification volume, avoid the humidification not enough to lead to dehydration weightlessness such as fruit vegetables or the water corruption such as fruit vegetables that leads to with excessive humidification.

Description

Refrigerator and control method of humidifying device

Technical Field

The invention relates to a refrigerator with a humidifying function and a control method of a humidifying device.

Background

In recent years, a household refrigerator is provided with a compartment for storing vegetables, fruits, and the like. By controlling the humidity inside the compartment to be high, the freshness of vegetables, fruits and the like can be maintained for a long time. As a mechanism for increasing the humidification level, for example, a system of spraying mist by a humidifier is used.

The existing refrigerator with humidification function adopts two humidity control means, namely passive humidification means and active humidification means. The passive humidification means mainly controls the indoor humidity environment of the vegetables by means of water vapor evaporation of the vegetables and other storage objects in the vegetable room and adjustment of the pore size of the vegetable room. The active humidification means is mainly used for supplementing water vapor by performing timing control or switch control on an external humidification unit so as to maintain the humidity environment in the vegetable room.

However, the passive humidification means cannot maintain a high humidity environment when the amount of stored materials such as vegetables is small, and may cause dehydration of the stored materials such as vegetables. The active humidification means cannot intelligently adjust the target humidity according to the kind and quantity of the stored materials such as vegetables.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator and a humidifying method thereof, which can intelligently adjust the amount of humidification to avoid dehydration weight loss of fruits and vegetables due to insufficient humidification or water corrosion of fruits and vegetables due to excessive humidification.

To this end, an aspect of the present invention provides a refrigerator including a storage compartment having a drawer and a cover plate disposed on an opening of the drawer to form the storage compartment into a closed space; a humidifying device which supplies water mist into the receiving chamber, and is provided with a water tank and an atomizing element for forming water from the water tank into water mist; a humidity sensor provided in the housing compartment for detecting humidity in the housing compartment; and a control unit that controls the humidification device, wherein the control unit performs on-off control of the humidification device based on a humidity detection value detected by the humidity sensor and a predetermined target humidity, and when the humidity detection value is smaller than a lower limit value of a range of the target humidity, the control unit turns on the humidification device and keeps operating the humidification device for at least a first time period, the first time period being a humidification time period required to reach the target humidity in a low humidity condition.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit turns off the humidifying device for a second time after the humidifying device is continuously operated for at least a first time, wherein the second time is a time required for the mist discharged from the atomizing element to evaporate.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit repeatedly executes the step of continuously operating the humidification device for at least a first time and the step of turning off the humidification device for a second time until the humidity detection value reaches the upper limit value of the range of the target humidity.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit operates the humidification device for a fourth time after the humidity detection value reaches the upper limit value of the range of the target humidity and when the humidification device is continuously turned off for a third time, the third time being a time until the moisture escapes from the storage compartment by a predetermined amount, and the fourth time being a humidification time required to reach the target humidity under the high humidity condition.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the refrigerator further includes an illumination device for illuminating the storage compartment, and the control unit operates the humidifying device for a predetermined time and illuminates the illumination device when the door of the refrigerator is opened.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit accumulates the number of times of spraying by the atomizing element after the humidifying function of the refrigerator is turned on, and when the number of times of spraying by the atomizing element is greater than a predetermined number of times, the control unit issues a warning signal for cleaning the humidifying device until the cleaning notification is released.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit determines whether or not the humidifier is malfunctioning based on a feedback voltage of the humidifier.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit accumulates the number of times of spraying by the atomizing element for a predetermined time or accumulates the spraying time by the atomizing element after the humidifying function of the refrigerator is turned on, and determines that the water tank is short of water and issues a water shortage warning signal when the accumulated number of times is greater than the predetermined number of times of spraying or the accumulated time is greater than the predetermined spraying time.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the target humidity is changed according to a storage mode of the storage compartment.

In order to achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a humidifier that supplies mist into a storage chamber having a closed space, the housing chamber has an opening and a cover plate disposed in the opening for forming the housing chamber into a closed space, a humidity sensor for detecting humidity in the storage compartment is provided in the storage compartment, in the control method, on-off control of the humidifying device is performed based on a humidity detection value detected by the humidity sensor and a predetermined target humidity, turning on the humidifying device and continuously operating the humidifying device for at least a first time when the humidity detection value is smaller than a lower limit value of the range of the target humidity, wherein the first time is a humidification time required to reach the target humidity under a low humidity condition.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the invention, the humidifying speed of the storage chamber is higher than the outward moisture dissipation speed, the humidifying quantity can be intelligently adjusted according to the current humidity condition and the target humidity, and the dehydration weight loss of fruits and vegetables caused by insufficient humidification or water corrosion of fruits and vegetables caused by excessive humidification can be avoided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a humidifier included in the refrigerator according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an arrangement of the humidifier according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a water tank of the humidifying device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is a basic flowchart showing a method of controlling the humidifier according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing tank cleaning detection in the control method of the humidifying device of embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing failure detection in the control method of the humidifier according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing detection of water tank non-water in the control method of the humidifying device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a humidification chamber provided in a refrigerator according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a humidification chamber provided in a refrigerator according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of a refrigerator and a control method of a humidifier according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. In the drawings referred to below, the structure is simplified or schematically shown, or some of the components are omitted, for ease of understanding of the description. The dimensional ratios between the constituent members shown in the respective drawings do not necessarily represent actual dimensional ratios.

< embodiment 1>

Fig. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing the overall configuration of a refrigerator 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the refrigerator 1 is internally divided into a plurality of storage compartments by a heat insulating member made of, for example, rigid polyurethane or expanded polystyrene. The plurality of storage compartments include, for example, a refrigerating compartment 2, a warming compartment 3, and a freezing compartment 4 from top to bottom.

The refrigerating chamber 2 is a storage chamber for refrigerating and storing articles, and the temperature inside the chamber is generally set to a refrigerating temperature range, usually 1 to 10 ℃, so as not to freeze the stored articles.

The temperature-variable chamber 3 is a storage chamber whose temperature can be switched as needed, and for example, can be switched between the above-described refrigerating temperature zone, freezing temperature zone, or other predetermined temperature zone.

The freezing chamber 4 is a storage chamber for freezing and storing articles, and the temperature inside the chamber is generally set to a freezing temperature range, typically-23 ℃ to-15 ℃. In order to improve the state of cryopreservation, the minimum temperature may be set to any value between-30 ℃ and-23 ℃.

The plurality of storage compartments of the refrigerator 1 are not limited to the refrigerating compartment 2, the temperature-changing compartment 3, and the freezing compartment 4, and may include compartments having other various functions.

In the present invention, the refrigerator 1 is further provided with a humidifying compartment 100 (i.e., a storage compartment) for storing items to be humidified such as vegetables, fruits, and red wine. By controlling the humidification chamber 100 to have a high humidification level, the freshness of the vegetables, fruits, red wine, and the like stored in the humidification chamber 100 can be maintained. In the present invention, as a means for increasing the humidification level, a method of spraying mist by the humidifying device 110 is adopted.

Fig. 1 shows an example in which the humidification chamber 100 is provided in the refrigerating chamber 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the humidification chamber 100 may be provided in the temperature-changing chamber 3, or may be provided as a separate chamber, for example.

The refrigerator 1 further includes a control unit 5 for controlling the operation of the entire refrigerator 1. The control unit 5 includes a storage medium that is computer-readable and stores a computer program, and a processor, and can control the humidification apparatus 110, for example, by executing the computer program on the processor. The storage medium may be, for example, a Hard Disk (HD), a Flexible Disk (FD), an optical disk (CD), a magneto-optical disk (MO), a memory card, or the like.

In embodiment 1, an ice-making water tank 6, a small article storage box, or the like may be provided on a side of the humidification chamber 100. The ice making chamber (not shown) makes ice from an ice maker (not shown) using water supplied from the ice making water tank 6, and stores the ice in an ice storage container in the freezing chamber 4.

The schematic configurations of the humidification chamber 100 and the humidification device 110 will be described below in detail with reference to fig. 2 to 4.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a schematic configuration of the humidifier 110. As shown in fig. 2, the humidifying device 110 includes: a water tank 111 for storing humidifying water; an atomizing element 112 which forms water from the water tank 111 into a mist; and a component circuit board 113 for controlling and supplying power to the atomizing component 112. An opening 111a is provided at the bottom of a side wall of the water tank 111 on the side of the humidification compartment 100, and an atomizing element 112 is provided on the side wall of the water tank 111 in such a manner that its inlet port corresponds to the opening 111a of the water tank 111. A spray outlet 112b is formed in a housing 112a of the atomizing element 112 on the side opposite to the water tank 111. Further, an element circuit board 113 for controlling and supplying power to the atomizing element 112 is provided at a position on the inner side of the side wall of the water tank 111.

The atomizing element 112 is, for example, an ultrasonic atomizing element, forms mist by vibration of an ultrasonic vibrator, and directly discharges the mist into the humidification chamber 100 through the spray port 112 b. In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing water leakage of the atomizing element 112 due to excessive water pressure from the water tank 111, the water pressure at the water inlet of the atomizing element 112 is preferably 3 cm or less of water. The mist discharged from the atomizing element 112 preferably has a particle size of 3 to 10 μm, more preferably 4 to 6 μm, so that dew condensation on the surface of the vegetable and fruit can be prevented from occurring and the vegetable and fruit can be prevented from rotting. The pore size of the micro-pores of the micro-perforated plate of the atomizing element 112 can be determined based on the target particle size of the water mist.

The water for humidification and spraying stored in the water tank 111 is not particularly limited, and may be tap water, boiled water, mineral water, purified water, or the like, and if necessary, antimicrobial water containing an antimicrobial and antifungal agent component, a liquid containing a deodorant or aromatic agent component, a liquid containing a preservative component, or the like may be used.

As shown in fig. 3, the humidification chamber 100 includes a drawer 101 and a lid 102 disposed at an opening of the drawer 101, and the inside of the humidification chamber 100 (i.e., the internal space of the drawer 101) can be formed as a sealed space by the lid 102. In addition, if necessary, a sealing member may be provided at a lower portion of the cap plate 102 to increase a sealing effect. Further, the bottom surface of the drawer 101 may be formed in a concave-convex shape, for example, so that vegetables and fruits can be prevented from being damaged by contact with water accumulated on the bottom surface of the drawer 101.

A support 119 is provided on the lower surface of the cover 102, and the humidifying device 110 is suspended below the cover 102 by being mounted on the support 119. The humidifying device 110 is located on the side of the humidifying compartment 100, that is, on the side where the ice-making water tank 6 is provided. Here, the suspension manner of the humidification apparatus 110 is not particularly limited as long as the water tank 111 of the humidification apparatus 110 is provided at a position higher than or equal to the 1/2 height of the humidification chamber 100. Preferably, the water tank 111 of the humidifying device 110 is disposed above the water tank 6 for ice making, and the width and depth of the water tank 111 may be the same as those of the water tank 6 for ice making or different from those of the water tank 6 for ice making as needed, so that the upper space of the water tank 6 for ice making can be fully utilized, and the capacity of the humidifying compartment 100 can be made larger.

Although not shown, an opening is formed at a position higher than 1/2 on the side wall of the humidification chamber 100 on the side of the humidification device 110. The atomizing element 112 is provided so that the spray opening 112b thereof corresponds to the opening of the humidification chamber 100, and the mist sprayed by the atomizing element 112 can reach the interior of the humidification chamber 100 through the opening of the humidification chamber 100, thereby humidifying the humidification chamber 100.

In embodiment 1, the cover plate 102 is a partition between the humidification chamber 100 and the upper chamber, and thus the space of the humidification chamber 100 can be increased. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a separate cover plate may be additionally provided as needed, for example. The humidifying device 110 is not limited to be provided on one side of the humidifying chamber 100, and the humidifying device 110 may be provided on each of the right and left sides of the humidifying chamber 100, for example, as needed.

In addition, the bottom surface of the water tank 111 may include an inclined surface 111b as shown in fig. 4, and the opening 111a of the water tank 111 is disposed at the most downstream position of the inclined surface 111b, so that the water stored in the water tank 111 can be efficiently supplied to the atomizing element 112. A handle 111c may also be provided on the front side of the water tank 111 to facilitate the user to remove the water tank 111.

A humidity sensor, not shown, is also provided in the humidification chamber 100. The humidity sensor detects the humidity in the humidification chamber 100, and sends the detection result to the control unit 5 of the refrigerator 1. The control unit 5 of the refrigerator 1 performs on-off control of the humidifying device 110 based on a humidity detection value detected by the humidity sensor and a predetermined target humidity.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling the humidifier 110 according to embodiment 1 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 5 to 8.

Fig. 5 is a basic flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the humidifier 110 according to embodiment 1. As shown in fig. 5, after the humidification function of the refrigerator 1 is turned on, the control unit 5 causes the humidity sensor to detect the humidity in the humidification chamber 100. After that, the control section 5 determines whether or not the compartment in which the humidification compartment 100 of the refrigerator 1 is located, for example, the door of the refrigerating compartment 2, is closed. When the door is determined to be closed, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the detected humidity value is smaller than a lower limit value of a predetermined range of target humidity. If it is determined that the detected value is not less than the lower limit of the predetermined range of the target humidity, the step proceeds to a determination of whether the detected value of the humidity is equal to or greater than the upper limit of the range of the target humidity. When it is determined that the humidity detection value is smaller than the lower limit value of the range of the target humidity, the control unit 5 opens the humidifier 110 and keeps operating the humidifier 110 for at least the first time t1, where the first time t1 is a humidification time required to reach the target humidity under the low humidity condition and is a value calculated in advance based on the internal volume of the humidification chamber and the sealing property theory. Specifically, the low humidity condition in the present invention means that the relative humidity is Rh 40% or less, under which the current relative humidity in the humidification chamber 100 is detected by the humidity sensor described above to calculate the moisture content of the air in the humidification chamber 100, and then the first time t1 is calculated based on the difference between the moisture content and the corresponding moisture content at the target relative humidity, the conversion rate of the mist generated by the atomizing element 112 into water vapor, and the atomizing speed of the atomizing element 112. An example of the calculation result is 2 minutes.

Thereafter, the controller 5 turns off the humidifier 110 for a second time t2, where the second time t2 is the time required for the water droplets in the mist sprayed by the atomizing element 112 to evaporate into water vapor in the humidification chamber 100. Specifically, after the atomizing element 112 performs the mist humidification in the humidification chamber 100 at a constant temperature for a first time t1, a time difference from the end of the first time to the time when the humidity inside the humidification chamber 100 reaches a maximum value is monitored, and the time difference is a second time t 2. The second time t2 may be calculated in advance by experiment or the like, and is, for example, 10 minutes.

Then, the determination unit 5 determines whether or not the detected humidity value is equal to or greater than the upper limit value of the range of the target humidity. When determining that the detected humidity value is not greater than the upper limit of the range of the target humidity, the control unit 5 again keeps the operation of the humidifier 110 for at least the first time t1 and then turns off the humidifier 110 for the second time t 2. That is, the control unit 5 repeatedly executes the above-described step of continuously operating the humidification device 110 for at least the first time t1 and the step of turning off the humidification device 110 for the second time t2 until the humidity detection value reaches the upper limit value of the range of the target humidity.

When it is determined that the humidity detection value is equal to or greater than the upper limit value of the range of the target humidity, the control unit 5 turns off the humidification device 110, and when the humidification device 110 is continuously turned off for a third time t3, the control unit operates the humidification device 110 for a fourth time t4, where the third time t3 is a time period during which the moisture escapes from the humidification chamber 100 by a predetermined amount, and may be obtained by experiments performed in advance, for example, for 2 hours. The fourth time t4 is a humidification time required to reach the target humidity under high humidity conditions, and is a value calculated in advance from the internal volume and the sealing property theory of the humidification chamber 100, and is, for example, 20 seconds. Here, the high humidity condition in the present invention means that the relative humidity is Rh 70% or more. And then returning to the step of humidity detection.

As described above, the control unit 5 performs the on-off control of the humidifier 110 based on the humidity detection value detected by the humidity sensor and the predetermined target humidity, and when the humidity detection value is smaller than the lower limit value of the range of the target humidity, turns on the humidifier 110 and continues the operation for at least the first time t1, thereby making the humidification speed of the humidification chamber 100 higher than the speed at which moisture escapes to the outside, and intelligently adjusting the amount of humidification according to the current humidity condition and the target humidity, thereby avoiding dehydration loss of fruits and vegetables due to insufficient humidification or water erosion of fruits and vegetables due to excessive humidification.

After the humidifier 110 is continuously operated for at least the first time t1, the humidifier 110 is turned off for the second time t2, so that frequent opening and closing of the humidifier 110 can be avoided, and the service lives of the humidifier 110 and the humidification circuit can be prolonged.

Further, when the humidifier 110 is continuously turned off for the third time t3 after the humidity detection value is larger than the upper limit value of the range of the target humidity, the humidifier 110 is forcibly operated for the fourth time t4, so that dehydration loss of the fruits and vegetables due to insufficient humidification or water corrosion of the fruits and vegetables due to excessive humidification can be further avoided.

When determining that the door is open, the control unit 5 operates the humidification device 110 for a fifth time t5 and causes the illumination device, such as an LED, to illuminate the humidification chamber 100. Therefore, the humidifying spray can be visualized, the use experience of a user is improved, and the condition that the humidity is reduced due to the fact that the door is opened can be prevented. The fourth time t5 may be a value calculated in advance from the internal volume of the humidification chamber 100 and the sealing property theory, and may be, for example, 20 seconds. In order to prevent excessive humidification due to frequent opening and closing of the door, the control unit 5 controls the number of visual mist humidification times to be 1 time within a predetermined time, for example, 1 hour.

In addition, the humidifying device 110 may be set to different operation modes according to the articles stored in the humidifying compartment 100. For example, the fruit and vegetable mode is used when vegetables and fruits are stored in the humidification chamber 100, and the red wine mode is used when red wine is stored in the humidification chamber 100. In embodiment 1, the first to fifth times t1 to t5 are set in consideration of the operation mode of the humidifier 110.

The target humidity range is, for example, 85% to 95% in the fruit and vegetable mode and 65% to 75% in the red wine mode.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing tank cleaning detection in the control method of the humidifying device 110 according to embodiment 1. As shown in fig. 6, after the humidification function of the refrigerator 1 is turned on, the atomization element 112 of the humidification apparatus 110 sprays the inside of the humidification chamber 100. At this time, the control device 5 counts the number of times n that the atomizing element 112 sprays. When the number of times N of spraying by the atomizing element 112 is greater than the prescribed number of times N, the control device 5 issues a warning signal for cleaning the humidifying device 110 until the user releases the warning of the cleaning notification. This allows the user to be informed of the periodic cleaning of the humidification apparatus 110 by roughly estimating the degree of cleaning of the humidification apparatus 110. The predetermined number of times N may be automatically set by the control unit 5 according to the operation mode of the humidifier 110, or may be appropriately changed by the user according to the usage state.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the failure detection in the control method of the humidifier 110 according to embodiment 1. As shown in fig. 7, after the humidification function of the refrigerator 1 is turned on, the feedback voltage when the humidification apparatus 110 is operated is detected. When the control unit 5 determines that the detected feedback voltage is out of the normal range, it sends a warning signal indicating that the humidifier 110 is out of order, and notifies the user of repair or replacement of the humidifier 110. Because the feedback voltage of the humidifier 110 during normal operation is generally in the range of 0-1V, whether the humidifier 110 has a fault can be accurately determined by determining whether the feedback voltage exceeds the range.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing detection of water tank non-water in the method of controlling the humidifier 110 according to embodiment 1. As shown in fig. 8, after the humidification function of the refrigerator 1 is turned on, the control unit 5 first determines whether or not the humidification apparatus 110 has failed as shown in fig. 7. Thereafter, the atomizing element 112 of the humidifying device 110 sprays the inside of the humidifying compartment 100. At this time, the number of times of spraying n within a predetermined time T of the atomizing element 110 is counted. When the number of spraying times n is larger than the predetermined number, the control section 5 judges that the water tank 111 is deficient in water and issues a water deficiency warning signal. After the user adds water to the water tank 111, the warning of water shortage is released. The release of the water shortage warning may be manually released by, for example, the user pressing a corresponding button on an operation panel of the refrigerator 1, or the control unit 5 may determine whether or not the water in the water tank 111 has reached a predetermined amount or more based on a sensor or the like that can detect the amount of water in the water tank 111, and automatically release the water shortage warning when it is determined that the water has reached the predetermined amount or more. Here, if the predetermined time T is too short, erroneous determination is likely to occur, and if it is too long, the humidification device 110 is not favorable if the anhydrous vibration is too long. Therefore, the predetermined time T and the predetermined number of times N may be set according to the amount of humidification per unit time of the humidifier 110, and for example, if the number of spraying times is greater than 8 within 2 hours, it is determined that the water tank 111 is deficient. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the water tank 111 of the humidifier 110 is short of water, and to notify the user of adding water, thereby preventing the humidifier 110 from malfunctioning due to long-term no-water vibration.

As another mode of the water shortage determination, the spraying time of the atomizing element 112 may be accumulated after the humidification function of the refrigerator 1 is turned on, and whether or not water is short may be determined based on the accumulated spraying time, that is, when the accumulated spraying time is longer than a predetermined spraying time, the control unit 5 may determine that the water tank 111 is short of water and issue a water shortage warning signal.

As another mode of the water shortage determination, it is also possible to determine whether or not there is water shortage by the difference between the feedback voltages of the circuits of the humidifier 110 in the case where water is present and the circuit is not present.

< embodiment 2>

Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 9 and 10. Embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in the arrangement of the humidifying device, and the other configuration is the same as that of the refrigerator 1 of embodiment 1, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the humidification chamber 200 includes a drawer 201 and a lid 202 disposed at an opening of the drawer 201, and the inside of the humidification chamber 200 (i.e., the internal space of the drawer 201) can be formed as a sealed space by the lid 202. Further, if necessary, a seal member 202a may be provided at a lower portion of the cover plate 202, and the seal member 202a may have, for example, a wedge shape which protrudes downward toward the inner side. At this time, the side wall of the drawer 201 is formed in a shape having a height that decreases toward the back side corresponding to the sealing member 202 a. By providing the sealing member 202a and the drawer 201, the internal space of the drawer 201 can be reliably formed as a sealed space by simply pushing the drawer 201 inward. Further, when the drawer 201 is pulled out, the frictional force between the upper end of the side wall of the drawer 201 and the seal member 202a is reduced, and therefore the drawer 201 can be easily pulled out.

The humidifying device 210 includes: a water tank 211 for storing humidification water; an atomizing element 212 which forms water from the water tank 211 into a mist; and an element circuit board 213 for controlling and supplying power to the atomizing element 212. The water tank 211 is located at a position higher than 1/2 of the humidification chamber 200, and is provided on the lid 202, and the lid 202 is a partition between the humidification chamber 200 and the upper chamber.

In embodiment 2, at least a part of the water tank 211 is located in the cover plate 202. The water tank 211 is provided separately from the atomizing element 212, the water tank 211 is provided at, for example, a corner portion of the cover plate 202, and the atomizing element 212 is provided at a middle portion of the cover plate 202. In this case, the water tank 211 supplies water to the atomizing element 212 via a pipe 214 provided in the cover plate 202. A water stop valve 215 and a plug 216 that engages with the water stop valve 215 are provided at a lower portion of the water tank 211 to reliably flow a predetermined amount of water in the water tank 211 into the pipe 214. In addition, a humidity sensor 217 may be further provided at the bottom of the cover plate 202.

According to embodiment 2, since the water tank 211 is provided in the cover plate 202 which is a partition between the humidification chamber 200 and the upper chamber, the space occupied by the humidification device 210 can be reduced, and a fan, a mist supply passage, and the like do not need to be provided, the humidification device 210 can be made compact and simple in structure.

In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing water leakage of the atomizing element 212 due to excessive water pressure from the water tank 211, the water pressure at the water inlet of the atomizing element 212 is preferably 3 cm or less of water. The mist discharged from the atomizing element 212 preferably has a particle size of 3 to 10 μm, more preferably 4 to 6 μm, so that dew condensation on the surface of the vegetable and fruit can be prevented from occurring and the vegetable and fruit can be prevented from rotting. The pore size of the micro-pores of the micro-perforated plate of the atomizing element 212 may be determined based on the target particle size of the water mist.

Further, the water tank 211 is preferably provided on the cover 202 so as to be detachable from the cover 202, so that a user can take out the water tank 211 and add water to the humidifier 210. In addition, the water tank 211 may be formed integrally with the cover plate 202, that is, a recess for storing water is formed in the cover plate 202. In this case, a water filling port may be provided in the top of the recess, which is the water tank 211, and a cover may be provided on the water filling port. This also reduces the space occupied by the humidifying device 210.

The above describes an example in which the humidifying device 210 has one water tank 211 and one atomizing element 212, respectively, but a plurality of water tanks 211 and/or a plurality of atomizing elements 212 may be provided as necessary. For example, the humidifying device 210 may include one water tank 211 and a plurality of atomizing elements 212, and one water tank 211 and the plurality of atomizing elements 212 are connected by a plurality of pipes 214, so that the water mist can be more uniformly diffused in the humidifying compartment 200. Further, the water tank 211 and the atomizing element 212 may be provided integrally as needed.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various other application examples and modifications can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail and specifically with reference to the configurations of the apparatus and the system for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not limited to the embodiments having all the configurations described. Moreover, a part of the structure of one embodiment may be replaced with the structure of another embodiment, and the structure of another embodiment may be added to the structure of one embodiment. In addition, other configurations can be added, deleted, and replaced for a part of the configurations of the embodiments.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized by comprising:

a storage compartment having a drawer and a cover plate disposed on an opening of the drawer to form the storage compartment into a closed space;

a humidifying device which supplies water mist into the receiving chamber, and is provided with a water tank and an atomizing element for forming water from the water tank into water mist;

a humidity sensor provided in the housing compartment for detecting humidity in the housing compartment; and

a control unit for controlling the humidifying device,

the control unit performs on-off control of the humidifier based on a humidity detection value detected by the humidity sensor and a predetermined target humidity,

the control unit opens the humidification device and keeps operating the humidification device for at least a first time required for reaching the target humidity in a low humidity condition when the humidity detection value is smaller than a lower limit value of the range of the target humidity.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the control part is used for closing the humidifying device for a second time after the humidifying device is continuously operated for at least a first time, wherein the second time is the time required for the water mist sprayed by the atomizing element to evaporate.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein:

the control unit repeatedly executes the step of continuously operating the humidification device for at least a first time and the step of turning off the humidification device for a second time until the humidity detection value reaches the upper limit value of the range of the target humidity.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the control unit operates the humidification device for a fourth time when the humidification device is continuously turned off for a third time after the humidity detection value reaches the upper limit value of the range of the target humidity, the third time being a time elapsed for the moisture to escape from the storage compartment by a predetermined amount, and the fourth time being a humidification time required to reach the target humidity under a high humidity condition.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

a lighting device for lighting the containing chamber,

the control unit operates the humidifying device for a predetermined time and illuminates the illuminating device when the door of the refrigerator is opened.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the control part accumulates the spraying times of the atomizing element after the humidifying function of the refrigerator is started, and sends out a reminding signal for cleaning the humidifying device when the spraying times of the atomizing element is more than a specified time until the cleaning notice is removed.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the control unit determines whether or not the humidifying device is malfunctioning based on a feedback voltage of the humidifying device.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the control part accumulates the spraying times of the atomizing element within a preset time or the spraying time of the atomizing element after the humidifying function of the refrigerator is started, judges that the water tank is lack of water when the accumulated spraying times is larger than the preset spraying times or the accumulated spraying time is larger than the preset spraying time, and sends a water shortage reminding signal.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein:

the target humidity is changed according to a storage mode of the storage chamber.

10. A control method of a humidifying device is characterized in that:

the humidifying device supplies water mist to a housing chamber having a closed space, the housing chamber having an opening and a cover plate disposed in the opening for forming the housing chamber into the closed space,

a humidity sensor for detecting humidity in the storage compartment is provided in the storage compartment,

in the control method, on-off control of the humidifying device is performed based on a humidity detection value detected by the humidity sensor and a predetermined target humidity,

when the humidity detection value is smaller than the lower limit value of the range of the target humidity, the humidifying device is turned on, and the humidifying device is continuously operated at least for a first time, wherein the first time is a humidifying time required for reaching the target humidity under a low humidity condition.