CN1704710A

CN1704710A - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: CN1704710A
Application number: CN 200510075551
Authority: CN
Inventors: 美寿见奈穗; 平冈利枝; 荒木正雄; 加藤睦; 八木田清; 前田刚
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date: 2004-06-03
Filing date: 2005-06-03
Publication date: 2005-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 2025-06-03
Also published as: CN100380077C

Abstract

In the prior art, under the condition of illuminating light and improving preservation performance in the vegetable chamber of the refrigerator, a fluorescent lamp or a red LED having 660 nm wavelength is utilized and controlled by a door opening and closing detector, the light irradiates from the upper side. The invention provides a refrigerator having a structure utilizes warmth orange LED to irradiate from the back thereof, moreover, the service life of the LED is prolonged through the lightening time and the blanking time, thereby without need of the door opening and closing detector, a light irradiation device is used for lightening and blanking a plurality of LEDs individually or group-by-group control to get effective photosynthesis.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a technique related to food preservation of vegetables and the like in a refrigerator.

Background

In a conventional refrigerator, a technique for maintaining freshness of vegetables and improving storage properties by irradiating the vegetables with red LEDs from above is known (for example, see patent document 1). In addition, there are techniques of: a white fluorescent lamp is provided, and the lighting is controlled by a switch for detecting the opening and closing of the door, thereby preventing the chlorophyll of the green vegetables from being lowered (see, for example, patent document 2). Further, there is a report of examining respiration and low-temperature failure by LED irradiation of unfrozen food at a temperature of 0 ℃ or lower (for example, refer to patent document 3).

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2002-267348 (column 0036, FIGS. 1 and 2, etc.)

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 9-28363 (column 006, FIG. 1, etc.)

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-61459 (0011 column, 0012 column, 0069 column, etc.)

The conventional refrigerator has problems that firstly, vegetables are relatively hard to look at by using light of a red LED, secondly, a door opening and closing recognition device is required to recognize opening and closing of a door and control lighting time, thirdly, foodin a storage container arranged at a lower part cannot be irradiated by irradiating light from above, fourthly, wiring of electric parts is difficult by irradiating from above, and fifthly, it is difficult to confirm whether or not to light in a home or a shop if irradiating from above or only when the door is closed. In the case of a household refrigerator, various kinds of vegetables are stored, or various kinds of foods such as foods other than vegetables are often replaced, and the vegetables are placed at an empty position without determining the storage position or are stacked together, so that there are various storage states such as a space, a period, and a state. Further, in some cases, the storage is performed regardless of the temperature by merely distinguishing between refrigeration and freezing. Such food preservation is required and necessary, and in any preservation form, it is important to have an effect of preservation by light irradiation, a refrigerator which has no adverse effect and high power consumption efficiency, and requires a long life of parts and almost no maintenance, but in the case of a white fluorescent lamp, the adverse effect and the adverse effect cannot be separated, and even if a test is performed in an ideal state by selecting a wavelength such as red or cyan which is good for a specific preservation effect, the preservation under adverse conditions is present, and a practical refrigerator is not necessarily obtained.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator which can make foods such as vegetables look good and can effectively preserve the foods in various preservation forms.

In addition, the invention can obtain a refrigerator with long service life and high efficiency because of effectively using asmall amount of semiconductor light emitting elements (LEDs).

The invention also provides a refrigerator which can irradiate light to food stored in necessary position such as a lower container and has good storage property.

In addition, the invention provides a refrigerator which is easy to maintain the LED, low in cost, easy to install, less in energy waste and easy to recycle.

In addition, the present invention can improve food preservation performance not only by using a good-looking light which does not adversely affect food, but also by using the light as illumination in a refrigerator.

The refrigerator of the present invention comprises: a plurality of light sources that illuminate with light that provides warm wavelengths; and a control device for controlling the lighting of each light source. Further, the present invention includes: a container for containing food having a position for irradiating light from a light source and a position for not irradiating.

The refrigerator of the invention has the advantages that the light source is set to emit the wavelength of the generated warm light, so that the appearance of foods such as vegetables is not damaged, the nutrient content is increased, and the refrigerator can be used as the lamp in the refrigerator. In addition, the refrigerator light source of the present invention can extend the life of the LEDs by alternately controlling the lighting of the LEDs by alternately illuminating the LEDs, thereby providing an efficient refrigerator.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof a vegetable room according to example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a wavelength distribution diagram showing a light irradiation apparatus according to example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a light irradiation device according to example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a table showing the relationship between the LED wavelength and the color of the light irradiation device according to example 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the wavelength characteristics of photoreaction of plants in example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a light irradiation device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a view showing the mounting of the substrate of the light irradiation device according to example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing light irradiation control in embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a timing chart showing light irradiation control in example 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the results of vegetable tests in example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of another vegetable room according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view showing another refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing another refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view showing another refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of another vegetable room according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is an external view showing another refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a sectional view showing another vegetable room according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 19 is a sectional view showing another light irradiation apparatus according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 20 is a circuit diagram showing a light irradiation device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 21 is a graph showing the current carrying rate in example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 22 is a timing chart showing a modified example of the current carrying rate in embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the current carrying rate in embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Example 1

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a refrigerator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the inside of a vegetable room according to the embodiment, fig. 3 is a wavelength characteristic of an LED of a semiconductor light emitting element, and fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a light irradiation device.

In fig. 1, 1 is a refrigerator main body, which is composed of: a refrigerating chamber 100 provided with an opening/closing door is disposed at the uppermost part of the refrigerator 1; a switching chamber 400 provided with a pull-out door, whichis provided below the refrigerator 100 and can be switched from a freezing temperature zone (-18 ℃) to a temperature zone such as refrigeration, vegetables, cold and hard objects, soft freezing (-7 ℃); an ice making chamber 500 provided with a pull-out door in parallel with the switching chamber; a freezing chamber 200 provided with a pull-out door and disposed at the lowermost portion; a vegetable compartment 300 having a pull-out door between the switching compartment and the ice making compartment. The refrigerator 100 has a door provided with: an operation panel 5 composed of liquid crystal and the like for adjusting the temperature of each chamber and the operation switches provided for the same and displaying the temperature of each chamber at that time. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the vegetable compartment 300 is provided with a storage container 30 made of a non-light-transmitting material and a 2 nd storage container 31 made of a light-transmitting material provided on the top thereof, and can store food such as vegetables. As the non-light-transmitting material, white plastic, stainless steel, alumina or other metal is used. Reference numeral 32 denotes a light irradiation device, which is provided on the back surface of the 2 nd container 31 as shown in fig. 2 and can irradiate light around the vicinity of the center of the 2 nd container. The light irradiation device 32 is constituted by a substrate or the like on which 4 LEDs 34 having a peak of 590nm as shown in fig. 3 and emitting light at a wavelength in the range of 550nm to 620nm are mounted.

In fig. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a compressor, 11 denotes a cooler, 12 denotes a fan that blows cool air cooled by the cooler 11 to the refrigerating room 100 and the

freezing room

500, 13 denotes a regulator device that regulates the amount of cool air supplied into the refrigerating

room

500, and 14 denotes an air path for introducing cool air cooled by the cooler 11 into the refrigerating room 100. The substrate22 of the control device for controlling the on/off of the light irradiation device 32 is accommodated in the electric component chamber 21 on the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber, and is controlled by a microcomputer or the like accommodated in the substrate 22.

In fig. 4, the light irradiation device 32 is constituted by: a mounting substrate 33; a semiconductor element LED34 as a light source provided together with the mounting substrate 33; a light transmissive cover 35 that protects the LED 34. Since the LED generally tends to have a narrower directivity as the luminance increases, the mounting board 33 and the cover 35 are fixed by screws so that the irradiation angle does not vary due to the vibration of the refrigerating compartment. The back surface of the mounting substrate 33 is covered with a protective layer 36 to prevent short-circuiting of the circuit. The light irradiation device 32 is attached to the front surface of the heat insulating member 37 on the rear side of the vegetable room 300, and is provided so that the light from the LED34 is irradiated into the vegetable room 300. In order to prevent condensation in the cover 35, the ring 38 is fitted to improve the close contact, and cool air is blocked to prevent condensation on the mounting board 33 and light scattering due to water droplets. The cover 35 has a protruding portion 39 having a shape that prevents the storage container from colliding with the cover surface, and prevents light scattering due to damage to the cover surface, and breakage and failure of the mounting board 33 and the LED 34. The protruding portion 39 is provided in consideration of various cases such as prevention of collision of the cover surface, handling of the cover 35 during manufacturing, handling of the housing container during use, and the like.

In addition, since the fan, the regulator, and other electric components can be brought close to each other by providing the light irradiation device particularly on the rear surface of the vegetable room on the rear side in the refrigerator, wiring is easy, and manufacturing can be performed at low cost. Further, in the case of circulating the cold air in the refrigerator, since the air outlet and the air inlet are provided on the rear side, the direction in which light is irradiated into the refrigerator from the rear side to the front side can be made to coincide with the direction in which the cold air moves, that is, the direction in which the cold air is blown out and the cold air is sucked. In the case where food is stored in the refrigerator, such as a refrigerator compartment having no storage container or a vegetable compartment having a storage container, the cold air is easily discharged and sucked in the same direction by a structure designed to facilitate the passage of the cold air, thereby facilitating the light irradiation of the whole refrigerator. In addition, by providing the illumination inside the refrigerator at the back side, the inside of the refrigerator compartment can be easily seen when the door is opened.

Further, since it is easier for the user to confirm the lighting compared to the case where the lighting is provided on the upper side or the side, it is easy for the user to perform sales promotion on the counter and lighting confirmation at home. Further, the heat insulating material structure on the back side is stronger than the partition plate that partitions the refrigerator compartment, and the vibration to the LED is small, so that the reliability can be improved.

Fig. 5 is a graph showing the absorption wavelength and color of visible light. Fig. 6 is a graph showing the growth effect of plants per unit energy with different wavelengths. The LED34 emits visible light in the visible region of wavelengths, which as shown in fig. 5, has a wavelength range from violet, cyan, green, yellow, orange, which isthe shortest wavelength, to red, which is the longest wavelength. Further, although plants basically grow by photosynthesis, light patterns of plant qualitative changes such as seed germination, flower bud differentiation, flowering, leaflet development, chlorophyll synthesis, and branch elongation are formed in addition to the growth, and the nutrients accumulated at this time are used as energy sources. In this case, the light patterns unsuitable for vegetable storage, such as germination and flowering, are formed as shown in FIG. 6, and tend to be promoted by cyan light at about 470nm and red light at about 660 nm. In addition, the absorption peak of chlorophyll is also generally the largest among cyan light and red light, and the ratio of green to yellow light is small. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 6, the energy efficiency of photosynthesis is highest in red, and the shorter the wavelength is, the lower the wavelength is. Therefore, in the visible light region, the colors effective for the photosynthesis speed, the first is red, the second is cyan, and the other colors are effective at long wavelengths. However, since the vicinity of the cyan light also promotes germination and flowering, it is not suitable for long-term preservation of vegetables.

Next, the photosynthesis will be described. If the photosynthesis is expressed by the chemical formula, it is

(CO₂: carbon dioxide, H₂O: water, 688 kcal: light energy, C₆H₁₂O₆: glucose)

The effect is divided into a light reaction using light energy and a dark reaction not using it. The bright reaction is a reaction of converting light energy of sunlight into chemical energy, and at this stage, the light energy is not used, but instead, the light energy is used by a pigment such as chlorophyll to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the chemical energy is accumulated by the action of enzyme protein. On the other hand, in the dark reaction, glucose is synthesized using hydrogen obtained in the light reaction and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In addition, the storage property of the glucose-enriched vegetables is improved, and vitamin C is produced from glucose.

According to the above-described operation, heat generation can be suppressed and evaporation of vegetables and the like can be suppressed by using a plurality of LEDs, and photosynthesis can be most effectively promoted by using a red LED as the LED 34. However, since the cool color of vegetables is changed in color by red light, and deterioration of vegetables is difficult to see, and the red light has a warning meaning, and is not suitable for illumination in a refrigerator, an LED which is a color close to red such as yellow light having a wavelength peak in the vicinity of 590nm or orange light in the vicinity of 600nm or a color which is not a cool color covering an object color but a warm color is used, and which can provide a pleasant effect with a color close to an incandescent lamp can provide both the effect of photosynthesis and the effect of illumination. Further, as shown in fig. 6, the food preservation effect of photosynthesis can be obtained. As shown in FIG. 5, the wavelength of yellow to orange is 580 to 610nm, and if this range is adopted as the peak, a warm color can be obtained.

Further, a light irradiation device using a plurality of LEDs may be configured in such a manner that a red LED and a cyan LED are combined, and light corresponding to the absorption peak of chlorophyll may be irradiated, thereby performing photosynthesis more efficiently. That is, if a plurality of colors are simultaneously emitted to obtain a warm color, the colors can be simultaneously emitted to obtain respective effects. In addition, not only LEDs emitting light of a single color but also LEDs and phosphors can be combined.

Further, by using the high-luminance type LED and the scattering type LED, the number of LEDs can be reduced, the photosynthesis effect and the illumination effect can be obtained, and the light irradiation device 32 can be configured at low cost.

Fig. 7 is an electrical circuit diagram of the light irradiation device, and fig. 8 is a mounting arrangement diagram of the LED34, in which a system 34A in which LEDs 34A and 34B are arrayed and 2 systems 34B in which

LEDs

34c and 34d are arrayed are connected in parallel on 2 mounting boards. When DC5V to 12V is applied, a current of about 30mA flows, and

LEDs

34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d emit light. The current value is as small as about 30mA, and the safety is realized. Further, by configuring one system with 2 LEDs as in 34A and 34B, arranging the systems one above the other as shown in fig. 8, and controlling the on/off of each system by a microcomputer, it is possible to secure about 100Lx within the irradiation range if only one system is turned on, and to secure about 300Lx of illuminance if 2 systems are turned on, and to extend the life of the LEDs, and therefore, it is possible to secure a sufficient life without detecting the opening and closing of the door. In addition, by performing group control of a plurality of LEDs as a single system, the number of ports of the microcomputer can be reduced, and the substrate can be simplified. As shown in fig. 7, a transistor for controlling on and off of an output signal from the microcomputer and a resistor for limiting a current flowing through the LED are provided in series with the LED to control on and off of the LED. In actual substrate mounting with this configuration, if the resistor is disposed on the control substrate side, the mounting substrate 33 of the light irradiation device 32 can be made smaller, and can be easily disposed in the vegetable room, and heat generation by the resistor can be suppressed, so that the vegetable storage performance is improved. On the other hand, if the resistor is disposed on the mounting substrate side of the light irradiation device 32, there is an effect that lighting, finding of a defective position, and the like can be easily checked in the event of a failure or the like. The control of turning on and off has been described by taking a combination of 2 and 4 as an example, but the number of the lighting control may be at least one, and the number of the lighting control may be any number such as 8 or 12. The applied voltage and current can be appropriately selected according to the number of LEDs used and the required illuminance.

In order to promote the synthesis of glucose and the like in the stored vegetables and thereby improve the storability and produce the vegetables rich in nutrients with increased vitamin C, a dark reaction of photosynthesis is required, and therefore, it is necessary to limit the lighting time and illumination intensity instead of lighting 4 LEDs constantly. This restriction has the effect of delaying the life of the LED and eliminating the need to replace the light irradiation device. This makes it possible to efficiently preserve food without wasting energy.

Hereinafter, the operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described.

The cold air cooled by the cooler 11 of fig. 1 is sent into the freezing chamber 200 by the fan 12, and the freezing chamber is cooled to a predetermined temperature of about-18 ℃. On the other hand, a part of the cold air cooled by cooler 11 is sent to refrigerating room 100, switching room 400, and ice making room 500 through air duct 14 by controlling the opening and closing of damper 13, refrigerating room 100 is cooled to about 3 ℃ which is predetermined, switching room 400 is cooled to a temperature corresponding to the installation, and ice making room 500 is cooled to-18 ℃. Vegetable compartment 300 is indirectly cooled to a predetermined temperature of about 5 ℃ by radiation from switching compartment 400, ice making compartment 500, and freezing compartment 200 at the lower part of vegetable compartment 300 in order to suppress evaporation of vegetables without directly blowing cold air. It is needless to say that the cooling air may be circulated instead of being indirectly cooled as described above.

As shown in fig. 2, a storage container 30 and a 2 nd storage container 31 are provided in a vegetable room 300, and when vegetables are stored in the vegetable room, vegetables such as spinach and rape which mainly require photosynthesis are stored in the 2 nd storage container 32, and root vegetables such as potato and onion which need to be stored in a dark place are stored in the storage container 31. The vegetables received in the 2 nd receiving container 30 are irradiated with light by the light irradiating means 32 located at the rear of the 2 nd receiving container 31. At this time, if 4 high-luminance type LEDs 34 are used, about 300 to 400Lx can be generated, and if 2 lamps are used, an irradiation position of light of about 100 to 150Lx can be generated. On the other hand, the root vegetables stored in the storage container 30 are shielded from light by the non-light-transmissive material, or shielded from direct light irradiation depending on the food stored in the storage container 31.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of simple control of the light irradiation device, and fig. 10 is a timing chart of light irradiation control and vegetable photosynthesis. In fig. 9, after the power of the refrigerator main body 1 is turned on, in step S40, in the case of turning on data of 2 lamps corresponding to initial data stored in the microcomputer of the control board, in step S41, the 2 LEDs 34 of the light irradiation device 32 are turned on, and in thecase of the data of light off, in step S42, the LED34 of the light irradiation device 32 is turned off.

Next, when the defrosting operation of the refrigerator is started in step 43, 4 LEDs 34 are turned on in step 44, irradiation of 4 LED lamps is started in step 45, and after 3 hours have elapsed, the flow proceeds to step 46, and 2 lamps are turned on or off in response to data from the control board. In step 46, the state before defrosting in step 43 is stored, and the state is the same as this state. Since the defrosting operation of step S43 is controlled to be performed once a day, the light irradiation is controlled to be performed for 3 hours or more at 300Lx a day by a series of controls of steps 43 to 46.

In fig. 10, 4 LED lamps are turned on by using the defrosting operation of step 43 as a trigger, so that the vegetables irradiated with light produce a bright reaction of photosynthesis, and after 3 hours, the lights are switched to be turned on or off for 2 lamps, thereby producing a dark reaction of photosynthesis. The defrosting action in the refrigerator is the following action: since moisture contained in the cold air is fixed to the fan of the cooler 11 as an evaporator when the cold air circulates in the refrigerator cooling the refrigerator, the frost is removed. In the evaporator of the freezing cycle, when the refrigerant circulating through the compressor 10 evaporates, the air in the refrigerator is cooled by the heat exchanger, and at this time, moisture contained in the air in the refrigerator is frozen and fixed to the fan of the cooler. In order to remove the frost, a heater provided at a lower portion of the cooler is operated to evaporate and remove the frost. At this time, the fan 12 in the refrigerator is stopped, the regulator is turned off to stop the cold air from being blown into each compartment, and the temperature in the refrigerator is raised by the heat dissipation of the heater. Ina low temperature refrigerator room such as 0 ℃ or lower, since photosynthesis becomes more active as the temperature becomes higher, it is effective to increase the irradiation intensity from the light source in the refrigerator during the defrosting operation. Further, a pattern of opening and closing of the door of the refrigerating room during a day may be stored, and the defrosting operation may be performed in a time zone in which the door is less opened and closed, and the light from the light source may be irradiated in accordance with the preset conditions. Further, not only the illumination of the refrigerator but also the ultraviolet rays may be used in combination in the freezing chamber. In addition, although the defrosting operation is controlled based on the light irradiation, it is needless to say that the time period for opening and closing the door is stored, or the time period is set in advance as a late night time period, the lamp is turned on only in the time period, and is turned off in other time periods, or the illuminance is increased, and for example, time references such as the late night time period and other time periods are set. The period of turning on and off, or the period of raising and lowering the illumination intensity need not be once a day, and may be set as necessary to increase the nutritional components of the vegetables.

Next, by operating an operation switch of the operation panel 5 provided on the door of the refrigerator 100, the lighting and extinguishing of the LED can be switched. In step 49, the operation panel receives a switch input, lights up the light display when the LED is turned on, lights out the light display when the LED is turned off, and transmits the status data to the control board. In step 50, the control board having received the signal turns on or off the 2 LEDs 34 according to the data. By enabling selection of turning on/off of the LED by the switch operation, light-off can be performed by a user who hardly saves leafy vegetables, or by the switch operation during winter when there are almost no leafy vegetables.

In addition, the operation panel is not limited to be provided outside the refrigerator, and may be provided inside the refrigerator. An instruction to operate the lighting in the refrigerator from the operation panel may be converted into a signal by an IC converter provided in the residence from a mobile phone or the like via the internet, and the signal may be sent to a control device in the refrigerator by a wire or wirelessly via a lamp cord or the like.

Further, the light irradiation type that can be selected by the user is not only 2 types that are turned on and off, but if 3-stage control of turning on 4 lamps, 2 lamps, and off is provided, 4 lamps can be set when the photosynthesis effect is emphasized, 2 lamps can be set when the light in the refrigerator is required only when the door is opened, and off when the energy saving is emphasized. In addition, if the 3 stages of 4 lamps on, 2 lamps on, and off are respectively combined with strong, medium, and weak temperature settings of the vegetable room, the following 3 proposals can be made for the entire vegetable room: strong suitable for the temperature environment of the leaf vegetables; "medium" with preservation effect by continuously or intermittently lighting the lamp in the refrigerator in the usual vegetable room; energy efficient vegetable room that does not illuminate while increasing temperature settings is "weak". Since the setting of the light irradiation may not be designed on the operation panel, the operation panel interface is simplified. In addition, the LED may be turned off in conjunction with "energy saving" and "power saving mode" that can be set by the operation panel.

Finally, when the refrigerator 1 is reset by power supply due to unplugging or power failure in step 53, the state at that time is stored, and when the power supply is turned on again, the process can be returned to step 40 to start from the state before power supply reset. As described above, 2 lamps are turned on, 4 lamps are turned on, and the lamps are turned off, and the lights turned on may be increased or decreased one by one, or 3 or 4 lamps may be turned on as a group, and if the lights are weak lights, the lights may be continuously illuminated regardless of opening and closing of a door, or the like, and necessary lights may be illuminated according to the purpose.

By the above control, the effect of the light reaction of photosynthesis can be obtained when 4 lamps are turned on, and the effect of the dark reaction of photosynthesis can be obtained when 2 lamps are turned on. Further, by alternately lighting each of the plurality of LEDs, the life of the LEDs can be extended, the light irradiation device does not need to be replaced during the life of the refrigerator, and the refrigerator can be mounted on the back surface, so that the sealing degree can be improved for preventing dew condensation, and safety can be ensured by preventing and preventing a user from inadvertently touching the refrigerator. Further, the timing of light irradiation does not need to be performed when the door is closed, and the light irradiation can be performed all the time without recognizing the opening/closing of the door by the above control. It is needless to say that switching between on and off and switching of the illuminance level can be performed by freely transmitting a signal when the door is opened or closed by the microcomputer.

Further, the illumination may be controlled by securing about 100Lx with a current value smaller than the rated value and increasing the current value so that about 300Lx can be secured. In addition, when the luminance of the LED34 decreases due to a secular change, the number of LEDs to be simultaneously lit may be increased toensure the illuminance.

In addition, in a refrigerator in which cold air is blown into the vegetable compartment, not the vegetable compartment cooled by radiation, as in the other compartments, if moisture generated during defrosting is blown into the vegetable compartment, moisture necessary for photosynthesis can be secured, and thus photosynthesis can be further promoted. The circulation of the cold air and the light irradiation from the light source are performed completely independently. That is, the circulation of the cool air blows the cool air to a desired position according to the operation of the fan and the operation of the regulator according to the detected temperature in the refrigerator. On the other hand, light irradiation is performed by strong illumination at intervals for photosynthesis, and is performed continuously from a weak light source when a door is opened or the like. In the vegetable compartment, the cold air is circulated to the periphery, upper part, etc. of the storage container, but the amount of the circulated cold air is reduced toward the food. By this small amount of cold air circulation, carbon dioxide existing in the refrigerator is efficiently supplied to perform a dark reaction of photosynthesis.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the results of a test in which the amounts of change in glucose and vitamin C were compared between the amount of change in glucose and the amount of change in vitamin C when 3 days of rape was stored, based on the illuminance and the irradiation time of 1 day. The vertical axis represents the amount of each component in each condition in percentage based on the amount of each component after 3 days of rape stored without irradiation (without irradiation) for 3 days. That is, the 100% line in the figure indicates that the amount of each component after 3 days is equivalent to that in the case of no irradiation, without change. As shown in FIG. 11, the result 60 isa comparison of the increase of each component of rapeseed after 3 days when light of about 260Lx was irradiated for 3 hours a day with that of the non-irradiated time, and the reducing sugar and vitamin contents were more than those of the non-irradiated time. In addition, the result 61 is a test result at about 100Lx, and the effect is reduced, but in the case of the above-described structure, a sufficient function as a refrigerator interior lamp is produced, and in a dark room, the kind or label of the preserved food, for example, canned drink and seasoning, or vegetables and fruits can be identified. Therefore, it is sufficient to irradiate 300Lx for 3 hours a day for the light reaction to produce photosynthesis, and the remaining 21 hours may be irradiated with 100Lx or less in which the light reaction is reduced, or may be turned off to produce a dark reaction. The test results are the results 62 of fig. 11.

Fig. 12 is an oblique view of another vegetable room for embodying the present invention, and fig. 13 is a sectional view thereof. In fig. 2, the storage container 30 is made of a non-light-transmitting material and the 2 nd storage container 31 is made of a light-transmitting material, but as shown in fig. 12, the 2 nd storage container 31 may be made of a non-light-transmitting material, and a part of light irradiated from the light irradiation device 32 on the back side may be made of a light-transmitting material and the light-transmitting window 40 may be provided. In this case, the material constituting the receiving container 30 may be light-transmitting and non-light-transmitting.

With the above configuration, the light irradiated into the 2 nd container 31 for storing the leaf vegetables is reflected at the irradiated position in the container, so that the light beams of the LEDs can be irradiated onto the vegetables without loss, and the light shielding property of the food stored in the container 30 can be further improved.In addition, if the surface of the 2 nd storage container 31 is provided with the irregularities, scattered reflection or scattering occurs in the container, and therefore even an LED having strong directivity can promote the effect of photosynthesis in a wide range.

Fig. 14 and 15 are sectional views of another vegetable room for carrying out the present invention. In fig. 2, the storage container 30 is made of a non-light-transmitting material and the 2 nd storage container 31 is made of a light-transmitting material, but as shown in fig. 14, the 2 nd storage container 31 may be made of a non-light-transmitting material, the storage container 30 may be made of a light-transmitting material, and the light irradiation device 32 or the mounting substrate 33 may be inclined so as to irradiate light into the storage container 30 and block light from irradiating into the 2 nd storage container 31.

With the above configuration, it is possible to store leaf vegetables having a large crown portion in the lower storage container 30 and small and finely divided root vegetables hardly suitable for light irradiation in the upper 2 nd storage container 31, and thus the discharge is more favorable. As shown in fig. 15, the same effect can be obtained by forming only the portion to which light is applied with a light transmitting material and providing the light transmitting window 40. In this case, since the entire surface is surrounded by the reflective material, the effect of the irradiated light is increased.

Fig. 16 is an oblique view of another vegetable room for practicing the present invention. In fig. 2 and the like, the light irradiation device 32 is provided on the plane of the 2 nd housing container 31, but may be disposed on the side surface as shown in fig. 16. Alternatively, it is effective to arrange the light irradiation device 32 on the back side of the upper part of the vegetable compartment 300, to incline the light irradiation device, or to irradiate the light obliquely in the direction of the LED to the entire inside of the storage container 31 by oblique irradiation, and to generate scattered reflection or scattering of the light in the container by reflection from the container surface and reflection from a position where the concave and convex portions are further provided on the container surface.

With the above-described structure, light emitted from the side surface or the back side of the upper surface is reflected by the side surface made of the plastic material facing each other, and therefore, the light is irradiated without waste, and the light is more effective than other storage containers for storing vegetables, and the light does not leak to the outside of the refrigerator when the door is opened. In fig. 16, the light source is described as being disposed at the side, i.e., the central portion with respect to the inside, but the inside is an ideal position for the illumination and the light cooperation in the refrigerator, which is easily reflected with respect to the central portion.

Fig. 17 is an external view of a refrigerator of another structure, and fig. 18 is a sectional view of a vegetable compartment thereof. In fig. 17, 1 is a refrigerator main body, which is composed of: a refrigerating chamber 100 provided with 2 opening/closing doors opened from the center to the left and right is disposed at the uppermost part of the refrigerator 1; an ice making chamber 500 having an opening/closing door below the refrigerating chamber 100; a freezing chamber 200 having an opening and closing door below the ice making chamber 500; vegetable compartment 300 provided with an opening/closing door and disposed beside ice making compartment 500 and freezing compartment 200. As shown in fig. 18, in vegetable compartment 300 provided in the longitudinal direction, from the top, there are arranged: 31a, 31b as a pull-out type container of a size suitable for small fruits and potatoes; 31c suitable for medium-sized vegetables such as leafy vegetables; 31d suitable for preservation of bottles and cans or large vegetables. The elements 32a, 32b, and 33c can irradiate light to the respective housing containers by the light irradiation device.

With the above configuration, the same effect as that of the light irradiation of the light source described above can be obtained. Further, if only the element 32b is used, leaf vegetables can be stored in the storage container 31c, and root vegetables unsuitable for light irradiation can be stored in the storage containers 31a and 31b, thereby being able to store various types of vegetables. In addition, in the case where a plurality of light irradiation devices 32 are provided, in addition to the light irradiation device 32 composed of a yellow LED, irradiation devices having different colors such as the light irradiation device 32 composed of a red LED and the light irradiation device 32 composed of an ultraviolet LED may be provided, so that leafy vegetables suitable for photosynthesis are set to red light, foods desired to be inhibited from bacterial growth are set to ultraviolet light, and foods desired to have an effect of balancing any color are set to yellow light. When such a light irradiation device of a plurality of different wavelengths is turned on all the time and used together with the already described control contents such as increasing the illuminance at the time of defrosting or the like, it is possible to perform illumination when the door is opened and to suppress adverse influence on the visual sense. Further, if the LEDs 34 in the light irradiation device 32 are provided as LEDs 34 of a plurality of colors, for example, different colors such as red and cyan, and the light irradiation device 32 is configured separately, light of a plurality of wavelengths can be generated in the light irradiation device alone, and thus vegetables can be formed in various light forms, and the color of light is more warm than the red light single color, and therefore the appearance of the product, the appearance of the stored food, and the like are more favorable. The light source described above simplifies the structure and wiring of the LED elements of the plurality of optical semiconductors provided on the mounting substrate 33, but one LED element may be provided on a single substrate, or one LED may be disposed in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator. That is, as a measure for simultaneously providing illumination corresponding to a lighting state where the illuminance is low at ordinary times and storing vegetables having high nutritional value, one element having a wavelength of about 600nm is provided on the back side of the vegetable compartment, and further, as a measure for lighting the illuminance which is low at ordinary times, one element having a wavelength of 600nm may be provided on the back side of the lower portion of the refrigerator compartment. Further, by controlling the applied voltage at the time of defrosting and at a predetermined time after defrosting, the illuminance can be increased from weak to strong, and the effects of increasing the irradiation at night and the like, further generating reducing sugar and increasing vitamins and the like can be obtained. Alternatively, one LED emitting ultraviolet rays may be disposed at the inlet side of the refrigerator and disposed in the freezing chamber which rarely accommodates canned beverages requiring the prevention of ultraviolet ray discoloration. In this case, sterilization can be performed by, for example, turning on the lamp all the time, turning off the lamp when the door is opened, and turning on the lamp when the door is closed. Ultraviolet rays, red light, and the like in any case are not directly irradiated to the eyes when the door is opened, or are irradiated to the eyes in a single color. Further, if combined with an LED having a wavelength of 600nm or the like, the interior of the refrigerator can be inspected by emitting a light having a warm feeling close to that of the natural light, and thus, a user of the refrigerator can see food or can feel no strange feeling or worry about holding the refrigerator in his/her hand, thereby providing a feeling of security.

In the above description, the light blocking member that blocks light from the light source and the position where light is not irradiated by the structure of the housing container are mainly described. However, there are refrigerator compartments not provided with a storage container, and there are cases where a shelf is provided to store food separately. In the structure of each shelf as the housing member, for example, a light shielding member may be provided in the structure of fig. 2 or fig. 12 to 16. For example, the shelves may use a transparent or mesh-like structure or an opaque material that transmits light, or a light-irradiation window may be provided on a portion of the shelves, or a structure that causes the shelves to scatter light. In the configuration of fig. 4, the light irradiation device 32 is fixed by being fitted into the air passage 14, but may be arranged outside the air passage 14 as shown in fig. 19 and fixed by screws 39 from the outside of the heat insulating member.

With the above configuration, the same effects as those described above can be obtained, and the light irradiation device 32 is attached to the inner wall surface of the refrigerator, and the air passage 14 does not need to be detached at the time of replacement or removal, so that the replacement can be easily performed, and the heat insulating material can be easily separated from the heat insulating material of the heat insulating member, and the heat insulating material can be easily recovered.

Although the light irradiation device 32 of the present invention is providedin the vegetable compartment 300, it may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 100, the freezing compartment 200, the ice-making compartment 400, and the switching compartment 500. In recent years, since vegetables may be stored in the refrigerating chamber due to the capacity of the vegetable chamber becoming insufficient or the temperature being lower than that of the vegetable chamber, the same effect can be obtained. Further, in the case where the refrigerator is controlled to be used for only a short time at intervals, even when an LED having a wavelength other than about 600nm, for example, an LED such as ultraviolet ray is used for any room, there are effects of sterilizing ice and preserved food, and increasing vitamin D of mushroom or the like without affecting color change of tea water or fruit juice contained in a bottle or can.

As described above, in the present invention, the container for containing vegetables is provided on one surface in the vegetable room, and the light irradiation member is disposed on the rear surface of the container. By providing the light shielding member in the housing container, the light-emitting surface and the light-non-emitting surface can be provided.

In addition, the light source provided in the light irradiation means is designed as a semiconductor light emitting element, and is a brown LED that outputs a visible light region wavelength having a peak wavelength of about 600nm, and therefore does not adversely affect the visual effect of foods.

Further, the present invention includes a plurality of LEDs as light sources of the light irradiation means, and the LEDs are turned on or off at every predetermined time, or the LEDs are controlled to be turned on or off at every predetermined time and all the LEDs are not turned off simultaneously during the operation of the refrigerator, or the number of LEDs simultaneously turned on is increased when the brightness of the LED alone is reduced after several years of use, and the like, so that the present invention is easy to use and has a large energy saving effect. In addition, if the LEDs are divided into a plurality of LED groups and each of the LED groups is controlled, the structure is simplified.

Further, by controlling the number of LEDs turned on, it is possible to provide a period of time in which a target is irradiated with light of high illuminance for about several hours, and to perform irradiation with light of low illuminance for the other periods, thereby achieving excellent effects of storage stability and energy saving.

Further, the present invention can stop the light irradiation function, for example, by operating the operation of the refrigerator from an operation panel or a remote controller provided in the refrigerator door, an operation panel in the refrigerator, or a mobile phone through communication, and can simultaneously operate the temperature setting and lighting of the refrigerator compartment.

In addition, the present invention can further improve the food preservation performance by enhancing the illuminance of the irradiated light in a special time period such as defrosting and several hours thereafter.

Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes: a light irradiation device for irradiating light with a peak wavelength of about 590nm to 600nm from the back surface; a light blocking member for restricting an irradiation area and performing lighting control thereof, so that light having a warm feeling can be used as in-refrigerator illumination. Further, since the light is emitted obliquely from the back side of the storage container or from the back side such as the side surface or the upper surface, the light is emitted to the whole body, and the nutrient content can be increased without impairing the appearance of the vegetables. Further, the light irradiation device of the refrigerator according to the present invention may irradiate the LEDs at intervals, or may be controlled to alternately turn on the LEDs by providing a plurality of LEDs, thereby extending the life of the LEDs.

As described above, the present invention provides a food preservation effect, a nutritional countermeasure by increasing vitamin C by producing reducing sugar, or a sterilization effect by irradiating light to vegetables and other foods using single color light emitting diodes or a plurality of light emitting diodes in combination to control photosynthesis or the like. The following devices are described above: by using the plurality of diodes individually or in groups, connecting them in parallel with a power supply, and providing portions that emit light and do not emit light, respectively, etc., control is made so as not to use excessive energy, and the life is long without requiring device replacement, and energy is not wastefully used. Next, another control circuit configuration and operation will be described with reference to fig. 20. Fig. 20 is an electrical circuit diagram when the light irradiation device is turned on by a method different from the above-described method of fig. 7 and the like. As shown in fig. 20, the

LEDs

34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d and a current limiting resistor for determining the value of current flowing through the LEDs are provided in series, and the current is suppressed to several tens of mA or several mA. Further, the switching period of the LED is made to coincide with the input of the transistors connected in series, and an electric circuit for cyclically turning on and off the LED is configured by outputting a signal from a control device such as a microcomputer, and when the LED is turned on, the LED is alternately turned on and off with a fast period (for example, about 4 kHz) in which flicker is not felt as one period.

The ratio of on/off (current carrying rate) can be arbitrarily adjusted by a control device such as a microcomputer that controls switching of the transistor. Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the current carrying rate, i.e., the ratio of the current carrying time during one cycle. By adjusting the power supply rate, the illuminance of the entire light irradiation device can be adjusted. Further, although the life corresponding to the illuminance of the LED depends on the energization time, if the off time is set even when the LED is turned on as in this method, the life of the LED for that amount of time can be extended. In addition, by setting the period of power on/off to be faster than the feeling of human eyes, it is possible to prevent the flicker of the LED light from being seen. In addition, with the electrical circuit, the consumed current is reduced, thus further saving energy. Such a period may be set in advance and may be freely selected as needed.

Since the illuminance of the LED is also reduced due to deterioration as the energization time increases, the illuminance of the LED can be kept constant over a long period of time by appropriately adjusting the ratio of energization/interruption time (energization rate). Fig. 22 is a timing chart showing an example of changing the current carrying rate. If the refrigerator is powered on, the refrigerator is first lighted with an initial power on rate of 60% (step 50). When the service time after power-on has elapsed by 1 year (step 51), the current carrying rate is changed to 70% (step 52), and when the service time after power-on has elapsed by 5 years (step 53), the current carrying rate is changed to 80% (step 54). Since the characteristics such as illuminance vary depending on the type and number of light-emitting elements used, the power-on rate and the operating time, it is possible to adjust the illuminance so that the minimum necessary illuminance is always obtained if data is grasped and a numerical value is selected. Further, by combining with the change of the number of lighting as described in fig. 7, not only an apparatus having high efficiency but also an apparatus which does not need to be replaced while the refrigerator is in use can be obtained. Further, as described above with reference to fig. 22 and 23, the configuration in which the number of LEDs to be turned on is increased to increase the energization rate by increasing the combined operation time is described, but the configuration in which the number is increased and the energization rate is increased may be provided in accordance with the deterioration of the LEDs, that is, in accordance with the decrease in illuminance of each LED, and thus, for example, a configuration in which the change in illuminance can be detected by providing a switch or the like for short-circuiting a part of the current limiting resistor may be obtained.

As shown in fig. 4, the light source device having the configuration in which the LEDs connected in series as shown in fig. 20 are switched at the fastest cycle can be collectively protected by a translucent cover 35. This makes it possible to fix the refrigerator so that the irradiation angle does not vary due to vibration of the refrigerator, to prevent short-circuiting of the circuit by covering the rear surface with a gasket (seal)36, and to prevent condensation in the cover 35, to improve the close contact by fitting a ring 38, to cut off cold air, and to prevent condensation on the mounting board 33 and light scattering due to water droplets. As shown in fig. 19, cover 35 has a protruding portion 39 and has a shape that prevents the storage container from colliding with the cover surface, and prevents light scattering due to damage to the cover surface, and breakage and failure of mounting board 33 and LED 34.

As shown in fig. 18, in the power supply device having a structure in which the LEDs are connected in seriesand are switched on and off at a fast cycle without causing flickering to human eyes as shown in fig. 20, the devices having different specific wavelengths may be arranged in the vegetable room and connected in series. That is, as shown in fig. 18, in vegetable room 300, from the top: 31a, 31b as a pull-out type container of a size suitable for small fruits and potatoes; 31c suitable for medium-sized vegetables such as leafy vegetables; 31d suitable for storage of bottles or vegetables, the elements 32a, 32b, and 33c can irradiate different kinds of light of specific frequencies to the respective storage containers in the light irradiation device. With such a configuration, the same effect as that of the light irradiation of the power source described above can be obtained. If only the element 32b is used, leaf vegetables can be stored in the storage container 31c, and root vegetables unsuitable for light irradiation can be stored in the storage containers 31a and 31b, thereby being capable of storing various types of vegetables. In addition, in the case where a plurality of light irradiation devices 32 are provided, in addition to the light irradiation device 32 composed of a yellow LED, light irradiation devices of different colors such as the light irradiation device 32 composed of a red LED and the light irradiation device 32 composed of an ultraviolet LED may be provided, so that leafy vegetables suitable for photosynthesis are set to red light, foods desired to be inhibited from bacterial growth are set to ultraviolet light, and foods desired to have an effect of balancing any color are set to yellow light. When such a light irradiation device of a plurality of different wavelengths is turned on all the time and used together with the already described control contents such as increasing the illuminance at the time of defrosting or the like, it is possible to perform illumination when the door is opened and to suppress adverse influence on the visual sense. Further, if the LEDs 34 in the light irradiationdevice 32 are provided as LEDs 34 of a plurality of colors, for example, different colors such as red and cyan, and the light irradiation device 32 is configured separately, light of a plurality of wavelengths can be generated in the light irradiation device alone, and thus vegetables can be formed in various light forms, and the color of light is more warm than the red light single color, and therefore the appearance of the product, the appearance of the stored food, and the like are more favorable. The light source described above simplifies the structure and wiring of the LED elements of the plurality of optical semiconductors provided on the mounting substrate 33, but one LED element may be provided on a single substrate, or one LED may be disposed in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator.

As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention is configured such that red and cyan are combined without using a single color, or the illuminance is increased in a late-night time period for a power supply having a food preservation effect on vegetables or the like, and as such an illumination device, a plurality of LEDs of specific frequencies having the same frequency and different frequencies are controlled to be turned on or off at the same time or at different times, and therefore, by controlling without using energy wastefully, the illumination device is not turned on only when the door is closed but also when the door is opened, and thus, the illumination device can be used as a refrigerator illumination, and has an effect of increasing nutrients without impairing the appearance of foods such as vegetables, and can be used as a refrigerator interior lamp. Further, the refrigerator according to the present invention has an effect of obtaining a refrigerator with good efficiency by alternately lighting the LEDs at intervals and controlling the LEDs so that the LEDs are alternately turned on instantaneously or not turned on by switching the LEDs at apredetermined period, thereby controlling the LEDs so as to save energy. Further, a plurality of LEDs having different specific wavelengths are provided corresponding to the food to be stored, that is, each of the refrigerator compartments or shelves is provided, and by operating an operation device provided inside or outside the refrigerator, a semiconductor light emitting element of a light source for irradiating light is selected, a switch for selecting a light wavelength is switched, or the semiconductor light emitting element is turned off according to a preset time, thereby providing a refrigerator which is easy to use. For example, an LED selection switch is provided on a temperature adjustment panel in a refrigerator to selectively turn on LED boards of different wavelengths, or a plurality of types of LEDs having different wavelengths are mounted on one LED board, and an LED of a desired wavelength type is selected from among the LED boards to control the LED.

Claims

1. A refrigerator characterized by comprising:

a plurality of light sources disposed inside the refrigerator and mainly emitting light having a temperature-sensitive wavelength;

and a control device arranged on the refrigerator main body and capable of controlling the on/off of the plurality of power supplies.

2. A refrigerator characterized by comprising:

a container which is arranged in the refrigerator and can contain food;

a light shielding member disposed on the container for shielding light from the light source, wherein

The housing container has a position where light is irradiated and a position where light is not irradiated.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that:

the light source is provided as a semiconductor light emitting element, and is configured to emit yellow or orange light having a wavelength of about 590 to 600nm in a visible light range, either alone or in combination with other colors.

4. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

the refrigerator is provided with a plurality of storage containers capable of storing food arranged in the refrigerator, and light from the light source is irradiated to a specific position of the storage container to reflect or scatter the light.

5. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

the semiconductor light emitting element as the light source is turned on or off at a predetermined time.

6. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein:

the semiconductor light emitting elements as the light sources are divided into a plurality of groups, and the light sources are controlled to be turned on and off for each group.

7. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

during the operation of the refrigerator, the number of lighting semiconductor light emitting elements or the number of groups of the light emitting elements as the light source is controlled.

8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein:

during the operation of the refrigerator, all the semiconductor light emitting elements as the light sources are controlled not to be turned off at the same time.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein:

the number of semiconductor light emitting elements or groups of semiconductor light emitting elements as the light source to be simultaneously turned on is increased as the refrigerator is operated.

10. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein:

the time zone for irradiation with light of high illuminance and the time zone for irradiation with light of low illuminance are set by controlling the number of lighting semiconductor light emitting elements as the light source or the current carrying rate of the light source.

11. A refrigerator characterized by comprising:

a plurality of optical semiconductor light emitting elements disposed on the inner side of the refrigerator and emitting light of a specific wavelength;

and a control device arranged on the refrigerator main body and used for always lighting at least one of the optical semiconductor light emitting elements.

12. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein:

during or several hours after defrosting, the illuminance of the irradiated light is intensified.

13. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein:

the disclosed device is provided with: a cover for covering the semiconductor light emitting element as the light source, and cutting off cold air without communicating with the refrigerator while passing light, wherein

The semiconductor light emitting element and the cover are fixed to the refrigerator main body.

14. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein:

when a semiconductor light emitting element as the light source is turned on, the power is turned on and off cyclically at a fast cycle without causing flickering.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein:

the ratio of power on/off can be adjusted in accordance with the decrease in illuminance of the semiconductor light emitting element or the elapsed time of operation.

16. A refrigerator characterized by comprising:

a plurality of light sources disposed in the refrigerator and respectively irradiating light of a specific wavelength;

a control device arranged on the refrigerator main body for enhancing the illumination of the irradiated light in a specific time period by controlling the lighting of the plurality of light sources, wherein

In the illuminance control of the plurality of light sources, the number of the plurality of light sources is controlled or the energization rate in a cycle in which the cyclic energization is performed is changed.

17. A refrigerator characterized by comprising:

a plurality of light sources disposed in the refrigerator and irradiating light of a specific wavelength;

a cover which covers the semiconductor light emitting element as the light source, and is sealed by a gasket for cutting off cold air without communicating with the refrigerator while passing light;

and a control device which is arranged on the refrigerator body and can control the on and off of the light source and respectively control the on and off of the semiconductor light-emitting element as the light source.

18. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein:

the light irradiation function is stopped by the operation of an operation device provided inside or outside the refrigerator.

19. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein:

the temperature inside the refrigerator irradiated with light from the light source can be changed by operating an operation device provided inside or outside the refrigerator.

20. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein:

the refrigerator is provided with a refrigerator chamber for dividing the refrigerator into a plurality of chambers, the light source is arranged in at least one of the refrigerator chambers with the temperature of the refrigerating chamber, the temperature of the vegetable chamber and the temperature of the freezing chamber being more than or equal to 0 ℃, and the irradiation direction of the light from the light source arranged in the refrigerator chamber is almost the same as the positive direction or the negative direction of the movement of the cold air circulating in the refrigerator chamber.

21. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein:

the semiconductor light emitting element as the light source for irradiating light is selected by operation of an operation device provided inside or outside the refrigerator, and the wavelength of the light is selected.