CN111520955A

CN111520955A - Refrigerator and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN111520955A
Application number: CN202010358951.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李格格; 刘畅; 钱梅双; 胡卓鸣
Original assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Current assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Priority date: 2020-04-29
Filing date: 2020-04-29
Publication date: 2020-08-11

Abstract

The invention provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof, the refrigerator comprises: mould proof room, locate the photocatalyst layer in the mould proof room, shine the ultraviolet lamp of photocatalyst layer still include: the detection unit is used for detecting the information of the stored objects in the mildew-proof room, and the control unit is used for receiving the detection signal of the detection unit and adjusting the working state of the ultraviolet lamp. The control method comprises the steps of judging the preset range of the stored object information by detecting the stored object information, and turning off the ultraviolet lamp after the ultraviolet lamp is started to work for a period of time corresponding to the preset range. The invention can solve the problem that food stored in the refrigerator grows and mildews, and can reduce the cost of sterilization and mildew prevention.

Description

Refrigerator and control method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of refrigerators, in particular to a refrigerator with sterilization and mildew prevention functions and a control method thereof.

Background

With the enhancement of social healthy diet and green health care consciousness, the coarse cereals enter the lives of consumers in different appearances, but the coarse cereals are easy to grow insects and go moldy and deteriorate due to improper storage, so that a refrigerator with a grain storage chamber is probably a good choice for many friends eating the coarse cereals. The growth and deterioration of the grains are mainly caused by the fact that the grains generate more heat in the stacking process and provide a good growth environment for microorganisms, so that the control of the growth of the microorganisms in grain storage is the key of grain storage.

However, most of the existing refrigerators have compartments such as a refrigerating compartment, a temperature changing compartment and a freezing compartment, can keep food fresh at low temperature, but do not have the function of preventing food such as grains from growing insects and mildewing.

Therefore, how to design a refrigerator capable of preventing the stored food from mildewing due to worms is a technical problem to be solved in the industry.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a refrigerator with sterilization and mildew prevention functions and a control method thereof, aiming at solving the problem that foods such as grains and the like are easy to grow worms and mildew when stored in the refrigerator in the prior art.

The technical scheme adopted by the invention is as follows:

the present invention provides a refrigerator, comprising: mould proof room, locate the photocatalyst layer in the mould proof room, shine the ultraviolet lamp of photocatalyst layer still include: the detection unit is used for detecting the information of the stored objects in the mildew-proof room, and the control unit is used for receiving the detection signal of the detection unit and adjusting the working state of the ultraviolet lamp.

Preferably, the detection unit includes a humidity sensor for detecting humidity of the stored material and a temperature sensor for detecting temperature of the stored material.

Preferably, the mildew-proof chamber is provided with a partition plate, and the photocatalyst layer is coated on the outer surface of the upper half part of the partition plate.

Preferably, the separator includes: the body layer, locate the photocatalyst layer of at least one side of body layer, locate the anchor coat between body layer and the photocatalyst layer.

Preferably, the ultraviolet lamp is arranged on the side wall or the upper wall in the mildew-proof chamber.

Preferably, the detection unit is arranged in the middle of the side wall of the mildew-proof chamber.

Preferably, the wavelength range in which the ultraviolet lamp operates is: 240nm-280 nm.

Preferably, the method further comprises the following steps: the storage chamber and the mildew-proof chamber are both provided with an air outlet and an air return inlet, and the air outlet, the air return inlet and the air channel form an air circulation system, so that air circulates between the mildew-proof chamber and the storage chamber.

The invention also provides a control method of the refrigerator, which is characterized by comprising the following steps: step S1, detecting the information of the storage object, judging the preset range of the storage object, if yes, entering step S2, if no, returning to step S1; step S2: and starting the ultraviolet lamp to work for a period of time corresponding to the preset range and then closing the ultraviolet lamp.

Preferably, the storage object information is a storage object temperature, and the preset range is a preset temperature zone.

Preferably, the step S2 includes: if the temperature of the storage is in the 1 st temperature zone, controlling the ultraviolet lamp to work for t1 time and then closing the ultraviolet lamp; and/or if the temperature of the storage is in the 2 nd temperature zone, controlling the ultraviolet lamp to work for t2 time and then closing the ultraviolet lamp; and/or if the temperature of the storage object is in the nth temperature zone, controlling the ultraviolet lamp to be closed after the working time tn.

Preferably, in the step S1, a step S1a is further included: detecting the humidity of the stored object, judging whether the humidity of the stored object is greater than or equal to the preset humidity, if so, entering the step S2, otherwise, returning to the step S1.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has at least the following advantages.

The invention solves the problem that food such as coarse cereals and the like is easy to grow bacteria and mildew when being stored in the refrigerator by arranging the mildew-proof chamber with consistent bacteria growth in the refrigerator. Furthermore, the detection unit is arranged to detect the information of the storage object placed in the mildew-proof room, the ultraviolet lamp is controlled to irradiate the photocatalyst layer according to the information to generate a strong oxidizing substance to sterilize and mildew-proof the mildew-proof room and the storage object, the ultraviolet lamp and the photocatalyst layer are started to work when sterilization and mildew-proof are needed, and the optical touch layer resource and the electric energy are saved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without inventive exercise.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the structure of the mold-proof chamber of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the bulkhead structure of the mildew proof chamber of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the upper half of the separator of FIG. 3;

fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of a control method of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of an embodiment of the control method of FIG. 5.

1, a mildew-proof chamber; 11. a top wall; 12. a base plate; 13. a side wall; 2. a refrigerating chamber; 3. a temperature-variable chamber; 4. a freezing chamber; 5. a partition plate 51, an upper half partition plate; 511. a body layer; 512. a bonding layer; 513. a photocatalyst layer; 52. a lower half partition plate; 6. an ultraviolet lamp; 7. a temperature sensor; 8. a humidity sensor.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly apparent, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

The principles and construction of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and examples.

Referring to fig. 1, the present invention provides a refrigerator, a storage chamber of the refrigerator, a mold preventive chamber 1, and a control unit (not shown). The storage compartments, which are compartments for storing food in the conventional art, include a refrigerating compartment 2, a temperature changing compartment 3, and a freezing compartment 4. The mildew-proof chamber 1 is a chamber for sterilizing, preventing insects and preventing mildew of stored objects, wherein the stored objects comprise foods which are easy to grow insects and mildew, such as coarse cereals and the like.

Referring to fig. 2-4, a photocatalyst layer 513, an ultraviolet lamp 6 and a detection unit are disposed in the mildew-proof chamber 1. The detection unit is used for detecting the information of the stored objects in the mildew-proof room 1 and transmitting the information of the stored objects to the control unit, and the control unit receives the detection signal and adjusts the working state of the ultraviolet lamp 6 according to the detection signal. When the ultraviolet lamp 6 is in an on state, the ultraviolet lamp 6 irradiates light on the photocatalyst layer 513, and at the moment, the photocatalyst layer 513 generates a strong oxidation substance, so that the effects of degerming and mildew prevention are achieved; when the ultraviolet lamp 6 is in the off state, the consumption of the photocatalyst layer 513 is reduced, and therefore the cost of sterilization and mildew prevention of the refrigerator is reduced.

With reference to fig. 2-4, the mold-proof chamber 1 includes a bottom plate 12 at the bottom, a top wall 11 at the top, and side walls 13 at the sides, wherein the bottom plate 12, the top wall 11, and the side walls 13 form a space of the mold-proof chamber 1. In a preferred embodiment, partitions 5 are further provided in the mildew-proof chamber 1, and the partitions 5 divide the mildew-proof chamber 1 into a plurality of small mildew-proof spaces. The partition 5 is parallel to the side wall 13. The partition board 5 includes an upper partition board 5 and a lower partition board 52, the lower partition board 52 is a body layer 511, and the upper partition board 5 sequentially includes the body layer 511, a bonding layer 512, and a photocatalyst layer 513 from the inside to the outside. The body layer 511 serves as a main body of the partition board 5, and plays a role of mechanical support, and may be made of polystyrene. The bonding layer 512 has an adhesive effect, and is used for fixing the photocatalyst layer 513 on the body layer 511 of the upper half-partition plate 51, so that the photocatalyst layer 513 can be better bonded with the body layer 511, the surface area of the partition plate 51 is increased to release more strong oxidizing substances, and the sterilization and mildew prevention effects are enhanced. The material of the bonding layer 512 may be rosin and its derivatives having good thermal stability and oxidation resistance, or terpene resin and its modified resin. The photocatalyst layer 513 may be disposed only on one side of the body layer 511 of the upper half partition plate 51, or may be disposed on both sides of the body layer 511 of the upper half partition plate 51, and may be selected according to actual needs. When the photocatalyst layer 513 is disposed on both sides of the body layer 511, the ultraviolet lamp 6 and the detection unit are disposed in the corresponding left and right spaces separated by the partition 5 in the mildew-proof chamber 1.

Referring to fig. 2-4, the photocatalyst layer 513 is a nano-photocatalyst layer 513, and the preferable material of the photocatalyst layer 513 is Polystyrene (PS), which is not water-absorbent, has excellent moisture-proof and anti-permeation properties, and can be anti-aging and anti-corrosion. In a preferred embodiment, the photocatalyst layer 513 is located on the outer surface of the upper half of the partition 5. In another embodiment, the photocatalyst layer 513 may be provided at a plurality of positions on the outer surface of the upper half of the side wall 13, the top wall 11, and the upper half of the partition plate 51 of the partition plate 5. In another embodiment, no partition 5 is provided in the mold-proof compartment 1, and the photocatalyst layer 513 is provided on the upper half or top wall 11 of the side wall 13 in the mold-proof compartment 1. The photocatalyst layer 513 is arranged on the outer surface of the upper half part of the side wall 13 and/or the top wall 11 and/or the upper half part of the partition plate 51 of the partition plate 5, and the photocatalyst layer 513 is not arranged on the lower half part of the partition plate 52 of the partition plate 5 and other places, so that not only is the photocatalyst resource of the photocatalyst layer 513 saved, but also when storage materials such as grains and cereals are placed in the mildew-proof chamber 1, the storage materials can not shield the photocatalyst layer 513, so that the photocatalyst layer 513 can receive full irradiation of ultraviolet light, and good reaction can be generated.

Referring to fig. 1-2, the ultraviolet lamp 6 is disposed on the upper wall 11 or the side wall 13 of the mold-proof chamber 1 and is matched with the photocatalyst layer 513. When the mildew-proof room 1 is provided with the partition board 5, the ultraviolet lamp 6 is arranged on the top wall 11 right above the partition board 5, or a plurality of ultraviolet lamps 6 are respectively arranged on the side walls 13 of a plurality of mildew-proof spaces. When the ultraviolet lamp 6 is in an on state, the ultraviolet light can fully irradiate the photocatalyst layer 513, so that the photocatalyst layer 513 reacts with air under the irradiation of the ultraviolet light to generate a substance with strong oxidizing property, and the sterilization and mildew prevention of the mildew-proof chamber 1 and the storage objects thereof are realized. The strongly oxidizing substance may be, but is not limited to, a hydroxyl radical, a superoxide anion radical, activated oxygen, or the like. The strong oxidizing substance can also decompose odor molecules adsorbed in the air, such as but not limited to methyl amine, trimethylamine, hydrogen sulfide and the like, which are generated due to food spoilage, so that the effect of purifying the air in the mildew-proof chamber 1 is achieved. In a preferred embodiment, the wavelength range of the ultraviolet light is: 240nm-280 nm. In the wavelength range, the ultraviolet light can not only irradiate the photocatalyst to achieve the purpose of sterilization and mildew prevention, but also has a certain sterilization effect, and the sterilization and mildew prevention capability of the device on the refrigerator can be enhanced.

With continued reference to fig. 1-2, the detection unit includes a humidity sensor 8 for detecting the humidity of the stored object and a temperature sensor 7 for detecting the temperature of the stored object. The temperature sensor 7 and the humidity sensor 8 are provided on the side wall 13 and the bottom plate 12 of the mildewproof chamber 1. In a preferred embodiment, the temperature sensor 7 and the humidity sensor 8 are disposed at the middle and lower portion of the sidewall 13, and are used for detecting the humidity and/or temperature of the middle layer of the storage when the storage such as the cereals is loaded in the mildew-proof chamber 1. In a preferred embodiment, the temperature sensor 7 and the humidity sensor 8 are provided in the middle of the bottom plate 12, and are configured to detect the humidity and/or the temperature of the middle portion of the lowest layer of the storage when the storage such as the grains is loaded in the mildewproof chamber 1. In a preferred embodiment, the temperature sensor 7 and the humidity sensor 8 are provided at one or more positions of the side wall 13 and/or the bottom plate 12 and/or the top wall 11 for more fully detecting the humidity and/or the temperature of the air in the storage and/or the mold-proof chamber 1.

The control unit receives the temperature signal of the stored object detected by the temperature sensor 7 and the humidity signal of the stored object detected by the humidity sensor 8, and adjusts the working state of the ultraviolet lamp 6 according to the temperature signal and the humidity signal. When the ultraviolet lamp 6 is in an on state, the ultraviolet lamp 6 irradiates light on the photocatalyst layer 513, and at the moment, the photocatalyst layer 513 generates a strong oxidation substance, so that the effects of degerming and mildew prevention are achieved; when the ultraviolet lamp 6 is in the off state, the consumption of the photocatalyst layer 513 is reduced, and therefore the cost of sterilization and mildew prevention of the refrigerator is reduced.

In a preferred embodiment, the refrigerator further includes an air duct (not shown) for communicating the mildew-proof chamber 1 with the storage chamber. Specifically, the mildew-proof chamber 1, the refrigerating chamber 2, the freezing chamber 4 and the temperature-changing chamber 3 are respectively provided with an air outlet and an air return inlet, and the air outlet and the air return inlet of each chamber are communicated with an air duct to form an air circulation system. The air in the mildew-proof room 1 is circulated in the mildew-proof room 1 and the storage room under the driving of the circulating air. The strong oxidizing substance generated by the photocatalyst in the mildew-proof room 1 enters each storage room accompanying the air in the mildew-proof room 1, so that the effect of purifying the air in each storage room is achieved. Meanwhile, through the circulation of air between the mildew-proof chamber 1 and each storage chamber, heat generated by accumulation of storage matters such as cereals and the like in the mildew-proof chamber 1 can be brought, so that the temperature environment for growth of mildew is damaged, the growth of the mildew is inhibited, the sterilization and mildew-proof effects of the mildew-proof chamber 1 are further improved, and the utilization rate of resources is improved.

Referring to fig. 5, the present invention further provides a method for controlling the refrigerator, including: step S1, detecting the information of the storage object, judging the preset range of the storage object, if yes, entering step S2, if no, returning to step S1; step S2: and starting the ultraviolet lamp 6 to work for a period of time corresponding to the preset range and then closing the ultraviolet lamp.

Referring to fig. 6, the step S1 includes: the storage object information is storage object temperature, and the preset range is a preset temperature zone.

The temperature sensor 7 detects the temperature of the stored object and transmits the temperature to the control unit, and a preset temperature zone is preset in the control unit. The control unit compares the temperature of the stored object with a preset temperature zone after receiving the temperature signal of the stored object. When the temperature of the storage meets the preset temperature zone, the control unit controls the ultraviolet lamp 6 to be in a working state corresponding to the preset temperature zone.

The step S2 includes:

if the temperature of the storage is in the 1 st temperature zone T1, controlling the ultraviolet lamp 6 to work for T1 time and then closing the ultraviolet lamp; and/or if the temperature of the storage is in the temperature range T2 of 2 nd, controlling the ultraviolet lamp 6 to work for T2 time and then closing the ultraviolet lamp; and/or if the temperature of the storage object is in the nth temperature zone Tn, controlling the ultraviolet lamp 6 to be closed after the working time Tn.

The control unit presets the working state of the ultraviolet lamp 6 based on the preset temperature zone, namely when the temperature T of the storage object is in different preset temperature zones, the ultraviolet lamp 6 is started to work for different time lengths to irradiate the photocatalyst layer 513, and strong oxidizing substances are generated to sterilize and prevent mildew of the mildew-proof room 1 and the storage object and purify peculiar smell molecules in the air. The temperature zone can be theoretically provided with n, and n working states are correspondingly set. Because the growth and the propagation of the microorganisms are related to the temperature of the growth environment of the microorganisms, the temperature is higher, and the growth and the propagation of the microorganisms are more suitable. Therefore, when the temperature of the stored material is detected to be in a higher preset temperature range, the ultraviolet lamp is required to be started for a longer time so as to reasonably and fully sterilize and prevent mildew. Therefore, preferably, as the values of the temperature zone 1, the temperature zone 2 to the nth temperature zone are higher, the working time of the corresponding ultraviolet lamps 6 is also increased in sequence, i.e., tn > t2> t 1.

In one embodiment, the preset temperature range includes three, the 1 st temperature range T1: t1 is more than or equal to 4 ℃ and less than 6 ℃; temperature range 2, T2: t2 is more than or equal to 6 ℃ and less than 8 ℃; temperature range 3, T3: t3 is more than or equal to 8 ℃ and less than or equal to 10 ℃. Correspondingly, in the 1 st working state, the working time of the ultraviolet lamp 6 is t 1; in the 2 nd working state, the starting working time of the ultraviolet lamp 6 is t 2; in the operating state 3, the uv lamp 6 starts operating for a time period t3, wherein: t3 > t2> t 1. The control unit judges according to the temperature T of the storage object and a preset temperature zone. When T belongs to T1, the control unit controls the ultraviolet lamp 6 to be started for T1 time, and T1=15 minutes; when T belongs to T2, the control unit controls the ultraviolet lamp 6 to be started for T2 time, and T2=30 minutes; when T epsilon T3, the control unit controls the ultraviolet lamp 6 to be turned on for a time period of T3, and T3=45 minutes.

In a preferred embodiment, step S1 further includes step S1 a: detecting the humidity of the stored object, judging whether the humidity of the stored object is greater than or equal to the preset humidity, if so, entering the step S2, otherwise, returning to the step S1.

In this embodiment, considering that the growth and propagation of the microorganisms are also related to the humidity in the growing environment, the storage temperature T and the storage humidity C are judged simultaneously to achieve better sterilization and mildew prevention effects. Specifically, before the control unit determines the temperature T of the stored object, it is determined whether the humidity C of the stored object reaches a preset humidity C0, and if the humidity C of the stored object reaches a preset humidity C0, the next step is performed to determine whether the temperature T of the stored object is in the preset temperature zone. When the humidity C of the stored object reaches the preset humidity C0 and the temperature T of the stored object is in the preset temperature zone, the control unit controls to turn on the ultraviolet lamp 6 in the corresponding working state. If the humidity C of the storage object reaches the preset humidity C0 and the temperature T of the storage object is not in the preset temperature zone, the control unit controls the ultraviolet lamp 6 to be in a closed state. If the humidity C of the stored object does not reach the preset humidity C0, the next step of judging whether the temperature T of the stored object is in the preset temperature zone is not carried out, and the control unit controls the ultraviolet lamp 6 to be in a closed state.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalents and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising: mould proof room, locate photocatalyst layer in the mould proof room, shine the ultraviolet lamp of photocatalyst layer, characterized by still includes: the detection unit is used for detecting the information of the stored objects in the mildew-proof room, and the control unit is used for receiving the detection signal of the detection unit and adjusting the working state of the ultraviolet lamp.

2. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing unit includes a humidity sensor for sensing humidity of the stored material and a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the stored material.

3. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the mold-proof chamber is provided with a partition plate, and the photocatalyst layer is coated on an outer surface of an upper half of the partition plate.

4. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the partition plate comprises: the body layer, locate the photocatalyst layer of at least one side of body layer, locate the anchor coat between body layer and the photocatalyst layer.

5. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ultraviolet lamp is provided at a side wall or an upper wall of the mold-proof chamber.

6. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, 4 or 5, wherein the sensing unit is provided at a middle position of a sidewall of the mold-proof chamber.

7. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet lamp operates in a wavelength range of: 240nm-280 nm.

8. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a storage chamber and an air duct,

the storage chamber and the mildew-proof chamber are both provided with an air outlet and an air return inlet, and the air outlet, the air return inlet and the air duct form an air circulation system, so that air can circulate between the mildew-proof chamber and the storage chamber.

9. A control method of a refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

step S1, detecting the information of the storage object, judging the preset range of the storage object, if yes, entering step S2, if no, returning to step S1;

step S2: and starting the ultraviolet lamp to work for a period of time corresponding to the preset range and then closing the ultraviolet lamp.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein the stored object information is a stored object temperature, and the preset range is a preset temperature zone.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the step S2 includes:

if the temperature of the storage is in the 1 st temperature zone, controlling the ultraviolet lamp to work for t1 time and then closing the ultraviolet lamp;

and/or if the temperature of the storage is in the 2 nd temperature zone, controlling the ultraviolet lamp to work for t2 time and then closing the ultraviolet lamp;

and/or if the temperature of the storage object is in the nth temperature zone, controlling the ultraviolet lamp to be closed after the working time tn.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein in the step S1, a step S1a is further provided: detecting the humidity of the stored object, judging whether the humidity of the stored object is greater than or equal to the preset humidity, if so, entering the step S2, otherwise, returning to the step S1.