FR2909165A1 - Parameter e.g. temperature, controlling device for e.g. wine vaults, has display with receiving unit receiving signal representing parameter value, and box with transmitter transmitting signal according to information provided by sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a sensor e.g. temperature sensor, for determining of a parameter value, and a display (10) for displaying the determined value. The display is separated from a food product e.g. wine, conserving box (1) and provided with a wireless radio receiving unit for receiving a signal (S5) representing the parameter value. The box is equipped with a wireless radio transmitter for transmitting the signal according to the information provided by the sensor. The display has a visual or audio alarm unit such as a buzzer or loudspeaker for broadcasting a pre-recorded message.

Description

The invention relates to a device for controlling one or more

  parameters relating to the air present in a closed enclosure of food preservation. The invention also relates to a wine cabinet or a storage room, such as a cellar, equipped with such a device. In the known as the conservation, wine cellar wine cellars are equipped with an indoor thermometer, which requires open the door to check the temperature prevailing inside the closed chamber of storage of bottles, this opening being it - even of a nature to induce variations of the temperature. Some wine cabinets are equipped, on the front face, with a fixed device for displaying the temperature of the air in the storage volume of the bottles. Such a device requires the user to regularly check with the cabinet the displayed value, while the cabinet or the wine cellar can be installed in a relatively remote area of a dwelling, such as a sub-floor. ground or a buried part. It is thus possible that a temperature drift inside a cabinet or a wine cellar is not detected quickly by the user, which can have negative consequences on the taste quality of the bottles. stored. The same applies to the control of the degree of hygrometry prevailing inside a cabinet or a cellar for storing wine, alcohol or other food products, such as fruits and vegetables. vegetables. It is to these drawbacks that the invention more particularly intends to remedy by proposing a control device that allows a user to take control of the temperature at said wine storage cabinet, it is the interior of a cabinet to wine, or cellar, said, must be regulated. Some cabinets or 2909165 2 keep easily informed of the value of a parameter relating to the operation of his cabinet or wine cellar, without having to move into an eccentric part of his home.

In this spirit, the invention relates to a device for controlling at least one parameter relating to the air present in a closed enclosure for preserving food products, in particular wine or alcohol, this device comprising at least one sensor determining the value of the parameter, as well as a display of the value determined by this sensor. This device is characterized in that the display is separable from the enclosure and provided with means for wireless reception of a signal representative of the value of the parameter to be displayed, whereas the enclosure is provided with a transmitter without wire capable of transmitting the signal according to information provided by the sensor. Thanks to the invention, the display can be offset from the storage enclosure, whether it is a cabinet or a wine cellar, which allows to have the display in a area where the user stays regularly, for example his kitchen or living room. The user can thus keep himself regularly informed of the value of the parameter, without having to move to the immediate vicinity of the cabinet or the cellar.

In the present description, the expressions wine cabinet and wine cellar are used to designate respectively a cabinet for the preservation of liquid alcoholic products, whether it be wine or other alcohols, as well as a storage room. such products and other food products which may be in solid form, for example fruits and vegetables. According to advantageous but non-obligatory aspects of the invention, such a device may incorporate one or more of the following characteristics, taken in any technically permissible combination: at least one outer wall of the enclosure is equipped, on its outer side , immobilization means 5 not definitive of the display. This aspect of the invention makes it possible to affix the display on an external face of the enclosure, for example its door, which allows the user who wishes to benefit from the display in the immediate vicinity of the enclosure . This aspect of the invention is particularly advantageous in the case where the enclosure is a wine cabinet which is installed in a living area of a dwelling. The immobilization means comprise a housing for receiving at least a portion of the display, in a configuration where the screen of the display is visible. - The immobilization means comprise magnetic coupling elements between the display and the wall, which ensures a firm immobilization, although reversible, of the display on the wall. - The display is equipped with means for adjusting the parameter value and means of wireless transmission of a set value of the parameter, from the display to the enclosure.

The adjustment means of the parameter on the display comprise keys arranged on the front face of this display. The sensor is positionable at a plurality of locations, at the option of the user, within the storage enclosure, the sensor and a control unit of the enclosure being equipped with wireless communication means. Thus, the user can have the temperature sensor in a specific area of the enclosure where he wishes to verify that a given value of the 2909165 4 parameter is respected, this in order to optimize the conservation or preparation for the service of wines or stored liquor. The sensor may be a temperature sensor, a hygrometry degree sensor or a dual temperature-humidity sensor. - The display is equipped with an alarm that can be activated according to the value of the parameter. This makes it possible to warn the user in the event of the value of the parameter being exceeded beyond a pre-determined limit value. The enclosure is equipped with a control unit mounted inside the enclosure with the possibility of switching between a first position, where means for adjusting the operation of the enclosure are accessible, and a second position, where the control unit is retracted into a wall of the enclosure. - The device comprises a second display fixedly mounted on a wall of the enclosure. The device comprises several separable displays of the enclosure, each display being provided with means for wireless reception of a signal representative of the value to be displayed, transmitted by the emitter of the enclosure. The invention also relates to a wine cabinet 25 equipped with the control device as previously described, as well as a storage room, in particular a wine cellar, equipped with such a device. Such a cabinet or such room is easier to use than the installations of the prior art.

The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the light of the following description of three embodiments of a device according to its principle, two cabinets 2909165 and a wine cellar, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of a wine cabinet according to the invention incorporating a device according to the invention, in a first configuration of use; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective representation of a second use configuration of the cabinet of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of detail III in FIG. 2; Figure 4 is a side view in the direction of arrow Fq in Figure 3; Figure 5 is an enlarged section on the line V-V in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a section similar to Figure 5, when the device display is removed from its housing; Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 for a wine cabinet incorporating a device according to a second embodiment of the invention; - Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 4 for the device of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a front view of the cabinet of Figure 7 in open door configuration; Figure 10 is a partial section along line X-X in Figure 9; Figure 11 is a perspective view of a control unit used in the cabinet of Figures 7 to 10; and - Figure 12 is a schematic representation of principle, similar to Figure 2, a wine cellar according to the invention.

The wine cabinet 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a body 2, generally parallelepiped and equipped with a door 3 articulated relative to the body 2 about a substantially vertical axis Z2 when the cabinet 5 1 is placed on a horizontal surface. The cabinet 1 is equipped with an air handling unit 4 for cooling its interior volume, as well as an electronic control unit 5 for controlling the unit 4. The unit 4 comprises, among others, a compressor belonging to a coolant circulation circuit. A temperature sensor probe 6 is installed in the interior volume V1 of the cabinet 1, the probe 6 being connected to the unit 5 by an electric cable 7. The cable serves both to supply the probe 6 and to 15 to convey an output signal S6 delivered by it as a function of the temperature prevailing in the volume V1. Thus, the unit 5 can take into account the signal S6 to control the operation of the unit 4. A display 10 is provided to allow a user to know the temperature prevailing inside the volume V1. This display can be mounted on the door 3, as shown in FIG. 1, or placed at a distance from the cabinet 1, as shown in FIG. 2. The information relating to the temperature to be displayed by the display 10 is transmitted to the display 10 by the unit 5 in a radio signal S5. To do this, the unit 5 is provided with a radio transmitter 51, while the display 10 is equipped with a radio receiver 11. The transmitter 51 may have an emissivity distance greater than 100 m. The display 10 comprises a plastic housing 12 inside which the receiver 11 is disposed and an electronic card 13 fed by two batteries 14. The card 13 is connected to the receiver 11 and thus to a screen 15, of LCD type, protected by a window 16. As is more particularly apparent from Figures 5 and 6, the housing 12 is bi-partite and comprises a hollow plastic shell 12A in which are housed the elements 11 to 14 , and a circular cladding ring 12B disposed around the window 16. A magnet 17 is also disposed in the shell 12A, in the vicinity of its flat bottom 12C in which is installed a battery access door 12D 14.

A housing 31 is provided on the outer face 32 of the door 3 to receive, removably, the display 10 in the configuration of Figure 1. The housing 31 is defined by a plastic shell 33 which is shaped concave and which bears by an external flange 33A against the face 32 of the door 3. The concave portion 33B of the shell 33 is substantially complementary to the shell 12A, which allows the display 10 to be engaged in the housing 31 and immobilize it by cooperation of forms. The lower wall 33C of the shell 33 is inclined downwardly towards the interior of the cabinet 1, so that when it is in place in the housing 31 as shown in FIG. display 10 tends, under the effect of its weight, to slide towards the bottom 34 of the housing 31, const-_tué by a plane portion 33D of the shell 33. This ensures a stable position of the display 10 in the housing 31. In addition, a plate 35 of ferromagnetic material, for example steel, is mounted on the bottom wall 33D, on the opposite side to the housing 31, this plate being arranged facing the magnet 17 when the 10 is in place in the housing 31. The magnet 17 and the plate 35 form magnetic coupling elements in-7, the door 3 and the display 10, which also ensures a firm immobilization of the display 10 in the housing 31, 2909165 8 in the configuration of Figures 1 and 5 where the screen 15 is visible for the 'user. Thus, the display 10 can be arranged in the housing 31, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, when the cabinet 1 is to be transported. The user can also choose to leave the display __0 in the housing 31 when he installs the cabinet 1 in a living area of his home H, for example in his living room or kitchen. The display 31 then enables it to take cognizance of the temperature prevailing inside the volume V1 without having to open the door 3. Indeed, the signal S6 is then integrated in the signal S5 emitted by the radio transmitter 51 of the unit 5 and received by the radio receiver 11 of the display 10.

When the display 10 is in place in the housing 31, the ring 12B is generally in the extension of the flange 33A which adjoins the face 32. Thus, the display can be considered substantially flush with the door 3.

According to a not shown variant of the invention, the display may protrude with respect to the door 3, that is to say, engaged in part only in the housing 31. When the cabinet 1 is installed in a 25 eccentric zone of a dwelling H, for example in a basement, the display 10 can be extracted from the housing 31 by overcoming the magnetic coupling force between the elements 17 and 35. The display 10 can then be placed in a living area of the dwelling H, for example on a table T as represented in FIGS. 2 to 4. In this configuration also, the signal S6 is integrated in the signal S5 emitted by the radio transmitter 51 with a range greater than 100 m, so that it is actually received by the receiver 11. The display 10 can then 2909165 9 display the value of the temperature detected by the probe 6. Thus, the user can know the temperature in the volume V1r without having to go to the basement of his home.

The shell 12A comprises a flat surface 12E which allows the display 10 to be able to rest on a flat surface, such as the top of the table T, while its screen 15 is generally vertical, that is to say made , relative to an axis Z1 perpendicular to the table T, an angle a less than 35, preferably less than 20`. Thus, the value of the temperature displayed on the screen 15 is clearly visible in the configuration of FIGS. 2 to 4. The surface 12E thus constitutes a support means for the display 10 on a horizontal surface in a configuration where the screen 15 is generally vertical. The display 10 is also provided with several keys, namely a key 18A making it possible to enter the control mode, as well as two keys 18B and 18C making it possible to increase or decrease a value displayed on the screen 15. The receiver 11 is in fact a transceiver, while the transmitter 51 is also a transceiver, which allows bidirectional wireless communication between the unit 5 and the display 10.

It is thus possible to use the display 10 to control the operation of the unit 4 by sending to the control unit 5 a radio signal S10 containing information relating to a set value, displayed on the screen 15 and modified with the keys 18B and 18C, 30 for the temperature to be obtained in the volume V1. According to a variant of the invention which is not shown, a separate transmitter and a receiver can be provided at the level of the unit 5 and / or at the level of the display 10.

According to another variant of the invention, the parameter whose value is displayed on the display 10 and controlled by it can be the degree of hygrometry of the air inside the volume V1.

In the second embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, the elements similar to those of the first embodiment bear. the same references. The display 10 of this embodiment is generally planar, with a projecting portion 12 for penetrating into a corresponding housing on the door 3 of a wine cabinet 1. The display 10 can also be separated from the door 3 to be arranged in a living area of the dwelling H as shown in FIG. 8. To do this, the display 10 is provided with a flap 19 which pivots with respect to the part 12 and which makes it possible to maintain the screen of the display 10 in a generally vertical configuration, in the manner of a frame for photography. The flap 19 has the same function as the surface 12E of the first embodiment.

A unit 5 for controlling an air handling unit 4 is mounted inside the cabinet 1, being integrated with the upper wall of its body 2. The units 4 and 5 communicate by a wired connection not shown. As in the first embodiment, the unit 5 is equipped with a transmitter 51 which, unlike the first embodiment, does not function as a receiver. The unit 5 is mounted inside a cap 8 immobilized in the upper wall of the body 2, the unit 5 being able to tilt relative to the cap 8 about an axis X5 perpendicular to the axis of articulation of the door and parallel to the door when it is in closed configuration. Thus, when the user has opened the door 3, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, it is possible for the user to tilt the unit 5 downwards, in the direction of the arrow F5 in FIG. which allows it to access keys 58 for setting the temperature set point in the interior volume V1 of the cabinet 1. The unit 5 is mounted in the cap 8 by being loaded by a spring, not shown which pushes it back to its lower position of Figures 10 and 11, in the direction of the arrow F5. Alternatively, there. there is no spring and the unit 5 goes to its low position under the effect of its weight. An automatic locking device enables the unit 5 to be completely retained inside the cap when it is pushed upwards, in the opposite direction to the arrow F5. In this configuration, the unit 5 is retracted inside the cap 8, in the thickness of the upper wall of the body 2, so that it does not impinge on the useful volume V1 of the enclosure 1. The locking device is such that the unit 5 can be released from its retracted configuration by means of a vertical force directed upwards, which then allows it to switch in the direction of the arrow F5 under the effect of the elastic force of the spring. The unit 5 is also connected to a temperature probe 6 by means of a cable 7. The cable 7 serves to convey a temperature signal S6 delivered by the probe 6. The cable 7 can also be used to supply current 25 the probe 6. In this embodiment, the display 10 is equipped with a radio receiver 11 integrated in the part 12, this receiver not constituting a transmitter, unlike that of the first embodiment.

Thus, the communication between the unit 5 and the display 10 may be described as one-way communication, the signal S5 being able to go from one to the display 10 when the display is on the gate or 2909165 12 when away from the cabinet 1. No signal is addressed by the display 10 to the unit 5. In the third embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 12, a wine cellar 1 is installed 5 in the basement of a dwelling H. This wine cellar is formed by a room dedicated to the storage of wine and alcohol, which room is accessed by a door 3 formed in a partition 3 '. An air conditioning unit 4 is disposed inside cellar 1. It makes it possible to regulate physical parameters relating to the air present in cellar 1, such as its temperature or its degree of hygrometry. To do this, a temperature sensor 6 is installed in the cellar 1. This probe is electrically powered from batteries and provided with a transmitter 61 which allows it to send a wireless signal S6 including the information relating to the temperature value detected by the probe 6 to a receiver 52 integrated in a unit 5 for controlling the operation of the air conditioning unit 4.

The wireless communication between the elements 61 and 52 can take place in radio form, ultrasound or infrared radiation. Due to the fact that the communication between the probe 6 and the unit 5 is carried out wirelessly, the probe 6 can be arranged by the user, inside the cellar 1, at the most appropriate location. As in the first embodiment, a display 10 may be installed remotely from the cellar 1, this display being equipped with a transceiver of the type 30 of the one of 11 of the first embodiment and capable of communicating bi-directionally. directional, through radio signals S5 and S10, with a 5: L transceiver integrated in the unit 5, as explained with reference to the first embodiment.

In addition, a location 31 is provided on the partition 3 'to receive and immobilize, if the user wishes, the display 10. Alternatively, the location 31 could be provided on the door 3.

According to a not shown variant of the invention, several probes 6 can be used. In this case, each probe communicates, according to a pre-established protocol, with the unit 5, the corresponding information also being transmitted to the display 10, as previously envisaged. In particular, the probe (s) 6 may be arranged as close as possible to the wines or alcohols which the user wishes to monitor more particularly, for example the most sensitive to temperature variations or the oldest ones. As previously, other parameters than the temperature of the cellar can be controlled by one or more probes 6 which are then adapted to detect, for example, the degree of hygrometry or another parameter.

When several probes are used, some may be dedicated to the control of one parameter, for example the temperature, while others are used to control another parameter. In this case, the display 10 successively displays the values of these 25 parameters, with a change at a preset interval, for example every 30 seconds. According to one aspect of the invention which is applicable to the three embodiments described, the display 10 may be provided with a visual or audible alarm means, such as a buzzer or a speaker broadcasting a pre-recorded message. - recorded when the value of a monitored parameter reaches or exceeds a pre-determined value. This may be the case when the temperature inside the cabinet or cellar 1 exceeds a high or low threshold value which depends on the set point. In this case, either the unit 5 addresses, as component of the signal S5, an alarm activation message included in the display 10, or a microprocessor mounted on the card 13 and capable of analyzing the value of the temperature transmitted in the signal S5 and compare it with a predetermined threshold value, then activate the alarm according to the result of this comparison. According to another aspect of the invention which is applicable to the three described embodiments, a second display may be fixedly mounted on a wall of the cabinet or cellar, for example on the door or in a frontal strip. in the case of a wardrobe. This fixed display makes it possible to duplicate the information available to the user. This fixed display can, in the case of bi-directional communication with the unit 5, also be provided with means for adjusting the value of the monitored parameter, these means being of the type of keys 18A, 18B and 18C mentioned with reference to the first embodiment. According to another aspect of the invention also applicable to all the described embodiments, several separable displays of the type of displays mentioned above can be associated with a speaker, whether a cabinet or a cabinet. cellar. In this case, each display is provided with means of wireless reception of a signal emitted by the transmitter 51 or equivalent of the enclosure. Whatever the embodiment considered, in order to avoid interference between neighboring installations, the or each display unit equipped with wireless receiver means is paired with the emitter of the corresponding enclosure.

The probe (s) 6 of the different embodiments may or may be combined probes of temperature and degree of hygrometry. The technical features of the various embodiments described can be combined with each other. In particular, the communication between the unit 5 and the display 10 of the second embodiment can be bidirectional, while the communication between the unit 5 and the display 10 of the first and third embodiments can be unidirectional. In addition, the probe 6 of the first and second embodiments can be connected to the unit 5 by a wireless link, including a radio link, which also allows to have it, at the option of the user, in several locations of the internal volume V1 of the cabinet 1. In this case, the probe 6 is powered by batteries or batteries. The invention has been shown when used in the context of the preservation of wine or alcohol. It is however applicable to the preservation of food products in general. For example, fruits and vegetables or other solid products may be disposed in cellar 1 of the third embodiment. Similarly, solid food products may be installed within cabinets 1 of the first and second embodiments.

Claims (14)

  1. Device for controlling at least one parameter relating to the air present in a closed chamber (1) for storing food products, in particular wine or alcohol, this device comprising at least one determination sensor (6) the value of the parameter and at least one display (10) of the value determined by the sensor, characterized in that the display (10) is separable from the enclosure and provided with means (11) wireless reception of a signal (S5) representative of the value of the parameter to be displayed and in that the enclosure (1) is provided with a wireless transmitter (51) adapted to transmit the signal as a function of information (S6) provided by the sensor.   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one outer wall (3; 3 ') of the enclosure is equipped on its outer side, means (31) non-permanent immobilization of the display (10).   3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the immobilizing means comprise a housing (31) for receiving at least a portion (12) of the display (10), in a configuration where the screen ( 15) of the display is visible.   4. Device according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the immobilizing means comprise elements (17, 35) for magnetic coupling between the display (10) and the wall (3).   5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the display (10) is equipped with means (18A, 18B, 18C) for adjusting the value of the parameter and transmission means (11, 51). wireless (Slo) a setpoint, from the display parameter to the speaker (1). 2909165 17   6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the adjustment means comprise keys (18A, 18B, 18C) disposed on the front face (12B) of the display (10). 5   7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor (6) is positionable in several locations, at the option of the user, inside the enclosure (1), the sensor and the enclosure (1) being equipped with wireless communication means (52, 61).   8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor (6) is a temperature sensor and / or degree of hygrometry.   9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the display (10) is equipped with an alarm capable of being activated according to the value of the parameter.   10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the enclosure is equipped with a control unit (5) mounted inside the enclosure with the possibility of tilting (F5) between a first position , wherein means (58) for adjusting the operation of the enclosure (1) are accessible, and a second position, wherein the control unit is retracted into a wall of the enclosure.   11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a second display fixedly mounted on a wall (3, 3 ') of the enclosure (1). 30   12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises several displays (10) separable from the enclosure (1), each display being provided with means (11) wireless reception 2909165 18 of a signal (S5) representative of the value to be displayed, emitted by the transmitter (51) of the enclosure.   13. Wine cabinet (1) equipped with a control device (5-10) according to one of the preceding claims. 5   14. Local food storage, including wine cellar (1), equipped with a control device (5-10) according to one of claims 1 to 10.