JP2002235979A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator having a simple constitution for conducting management of a vegetable chamber, in which vegetables and fruits are prevented from rotting. SOLUTION: A gas sensor 25 is installed in a vegetable chamber 12 to sense concentration variation in a gas component generated from vegetables and fruits. A means for determining their freshness is provided in the chamber 12 based on electric outputs of the sensor 25. An indicator 27 is connected to the output of the determination means to observe visually from the outside of the refrigerator. Thus, freshness of vegetables and fruits in the chamber 12 can be reserved by discriminating conditions of freshness by the indicator 27.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the technical field of storage and preservation of foods, especially vegetables and fruits such as fruits and vegetables, stored in refrigerators.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Controlling the freshness of foods, such as fresh foods, is important at home regardless of the food manufacturers or the food service industry. However, the method of managing freshness at home is to calculate the number of days based on the expiration date specified by the food manufacturer, and to judge whether or not it has gone rot by the subjective sensory evaluation of each person such as gloss, color, aroma, etc. It is currently managed.

[0003] Against this background, a freshness management device has been proposed in view of a refrigerator for storing foods, and one such device is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2875174.

Hereinafter, the above-described conventional freshness management device will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a conventional freshness management device. In FIG. 4, 1 is a freshness management device,
A storage room 2 for storing vegetables, a sensor 3 provided in the storage room 2 for sensing gas components and concentrations generated from the vegetables and converting the concentration into an electric signal, and recovering and maintaining the gas environment in the storage room 2. The apparatus comprises a freshness maintaining device 4 and a microprocessor 5 which outputs a control signal of the freshness maintaining device 4 based on an electric signal from the sensor 3.

The operation of the freshness management device configured as described above will be described below.

[0007] When the user stores vegetables in the storage room 2, the vegetables become ethylene, hydrogen sulfide,
It generates sulfur compound gas such as methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide and reducing gas. Such a gas combines with oxygen ions on the surface of the sensing sensor 3 to generate conduction electrons, which are input to the microprocessor 5 as an electric signal, and a control signal is sent to the freshness maintaining device 4, and the freshness maintaining device 4 Is to maintain the freshness of the vegetables.

[0008]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, when the gas component generated from the vegetables stored in the storage room 2 and its concentration change, the freshness of the already stored vegetables deteriorates. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that the freshness maintaining device 4 cannot be operated before the freshness is deteriorated, and the effect cannot be sufficiently exhibited. In addition, even if the freshness maintaining device 4 is operated, if the vegetables themselves have already started the freshness deterioration reaction in the cells, the speed of the freshness deterioration reaction is slightly reduced by the action of the freshness maintenance device 4 but can be suppressed. It is not possible.

[0009] Further, changes in gas components and concentrations generated from vegetables are affected by factors unrelated to freshness, such as changes in storage amounts, such as differences in storage amounts of vegetables and purchases of vegetables. There is a disadvantage that the means of notifying the preservation state of the vegetables and consuming the target vegetables as soon as possible is superior.

The present invention solves the conventional problem. When the freshness of fruits and vegetables decreases, a change in the concentration of a specific gas generated from the fruits and vegetables is detected by a sensor, and before the damage of the fruits and vegetables progresses, the change is detected in advance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator for notifying by a display function of the refrigerator.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a judging means based on an electric output from a gas sensor which is provided in a vegetable room and detects a change in the concentration of a complex gas component generated from fruits and vegetables. Has a display means for judging the preservation state of the fruits and vegetables in the vegetable room and displaying the contents. Thus, before the freshness of vegetables and fruits such as vegetables and fruits in the vegetable room decreases, the storage state can be confirmed on the display means, and the vegetables and fruits such as stored vegetables can be stored without being rotten in the back of the vegetable room.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS By adopting the configuration according to claim 1 of the present invention as an embodiment, it is possible to confirm the storage state of stored fruits and vegetables in a vegetable room on a display means, and to store stored fruits and vegetables in the back of the vegetable room. Preservation management can be done without rot.

The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2875174, which is an example of the prior art, for notifying a user of the putrefaction state of a vegetable by an alarm sound, is fundamentally different from the present invention. It is possible to inform the user of the freshness state of the fruits and vegetables by a display means that can be externally viewed without spoiling the fruits and vegetables. Therefore, in the refrigerator according to the present invention, since the freshness state of the fruits and vegetables can be known by looking at the display on the display means, it is possible to constantly maintain the freshness. Furthermore, since the display means described in the claims of the present invention means the above, a display means capable of predicting a change in freshness is preferable. In addition, displaying a change in gas concentration including a difference between gas components of ethylene, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, acetaldehyde, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, methyl mercaptan, and ammonia is preferable for maintaining freshness.

[0014]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a main part of the refrigerator of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the degree of vegetable deterioration and the concentration of generated gas in the vegetable room of the embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 6 denotes a refrigerator main body. An upper storage section 8 is formed at an upper portion and a lower storage section 9 is formed at a lower portion by a heat insulating partition wall 7. 10 is the upper storage compartment 8
It is a partition plate which partitions the inside up and down, and forms a refrigerator compartment 11 at the upper part and a vegetable compartment 12 for storing vegetables, fruits and the like at the lower part. 13 is a cooling plate dedicated to the vegetable room, and the upper storage section 8
Is completely divided into upper and lower parts to cut off the flow of cool air. 1
Reference numeral 4 denotes a hinged door attached to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 11, and reference numeral 15 denotes a drawer door attached to the front opening of the vegetable compartment 12 to pull out the storage container 16 integrally.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a refrigerating cycle compressor provided in the lower rear portion of the refrigerator main body 6, reference numeral 18 denotes a first cooler provided in the upper storage section 8, and reference numeral 19 denotes a forced cool air generated in the first cooler 18. A first blower that ventilates, 20 is a second cooler provided in the lower storage compartment 9, and 21 is a second blower that forcibly ventilates the cool air generated in the second cooler 20.

Reference numeral 22 denotes an air supply port for the vegetable compartment 12 formed in front of the partition plate 10, reference numeral 23 denotes an exhaust port from the vegetable compartment 12 formed behind the partition plate 10, and reference numeral 24 denotes a vegetable compartment 12.
The inside is a ventilation path from the air supply port 21 to the exhaust port 22. Reference numeral 25 denotes a gas sensing sensor disposed in the ventilation path 24 in the upper part of the vegetable compartment 12.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 26 designates a judging means comprising a microcomputer.
An electric signal is input from a gas sensing sensor 25 whose electric resistance changes according to the concentration of gas components of dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, methyl mercaptan, and ammonia, and a display unit 27 is connected to an output side.

The display means 27 is constituted by a liquid crystal panel or the like, and is attached to the surface of the door 14 of the refrigerator compartment to notify the user that the storage condition of the fruits and vegetables in the vegetable compartment 12 has been reduced.

With respect to the refrigerator configured as described above,
The operation will be described below with reference to the characteristic diagram shown in FIG.

First, when fresh fruits and vegetables are stored in the vegetable compartment 12 at the time point a, various gases are present at a low concentration, but ethylene is generated immediately, reaches a peak near the time point b, and thereafter decreases. Thereafter, gases other than ethylene begin to increase with time.

When the deterioration of fruits and vegetables starts after the time point c, the peak of acetaldehyde peaks and then gradually decreases, but the amount of dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide and methyl mercaptan increases.
Further, at the time point d, the generation of ammonia starts, and the vegetables are completely degraded, and rot with rapid increase of ammonia.

The present inventors have experimentally found the above contents.

Therefore, in order to determine the state of deterioration of the fruits and vegetables, ethylene, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, acetaldehyde,
What is necessary is just to judge by the magnitude of the electric signal corresponding to each gas of dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, methyl mercaptan, and ammonia. Specifically, the magnitudes of the electric signals from the respective gases are A, B, C, D, E, F,
Assuming G and H, the degree of deterioration K can be expressed by the following equation.

K = a / A ² + b · B + c · C + d · D ² + e ·
E ² + f · F ² + g · G ² + h · H ³ (where a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h are constants) Therefore, the larger the value of the degree of deterioration K, the more fruits and vegetables Is in progress, and if the value exceeds the value set in advance by the determination means 26, it can be determined that the environment is the one in which freshness is deteriorated. Then, the display information is sent from the determination means 26 to the display means 27,
The user can visually recognize that the preservation state of the fruits and vegetables in the vegetable compartment 12 has been reduced by, for example, an image diagram or animation on the liquid crystal panel.

The constants a, b, c, d, e, f,
If g and h are classified and set in detail as shown in (Table 1) according to the type of fruits and vegetables, the degree of deterioration can be determined with higher accuracy.

[0027]

[Table 1]

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the concentration of sulfur compound gas and reducing gas generated from the storage in the vegetable compartment itself as the freshness deteriorates is detected as in the conventional example. Unlike the one that drives the freshness maintenance device, when the freshness of the fruits and vegetables decreases, the sensor detects the change in the specific gas concentration generated from the fruits and vegetables, and displays the information on the refrigerator before the damage of the fruits and vegetables progresses By notifying by the function, the foodstuffs can be stored and managed economically for the user.

[0029]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the refrigerator is provided with a display means which can be viewed externally, and the state of the fruits and vegetables stored and stored in the vegetable room can be known by the display means. This is convenient because the user can manage freshness before the freshness deteriorates remarkably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a main part of the refrigerator of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the degree of deterioration of vegetables and the concentration of generated gas in the vegetable room of the refrigerator of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a conventional freshness management device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Vegetable room 25 Gas sensing sensor 26 Judgment means 27 Display means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Ogino 4-5-2-5 Takaidahondori, Higashiosaka-shi, Osaka Inside Matsushita Refrigerating Machinery Co., Ltd. (72) Yoshikatsu Inoue 4-chome Takaidahondori, Higashiosaka-shi, Osaka No.2 No.5 Matsushita Refrigeration Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 4B069 CA02 HA01 HA11

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vegetable compartment for storing and storing vegetables and fruits such as fruits and vegetables, and a gas component which is provided in the vegetable compartment and is generated from the stored fruits and vegetables in the vegetable compartment, wherein ethylene, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, acetaldehyde,
Dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, methyl mercaptan, a gas sensing sensor that senses a change in the concentration of ammonia, and a judging means for judging the storage state of the stored fruits and vegetables in the vegetable compartment based on the electrical output of the gas sensing sensor, A refrigerator comprising: display means for displaying a storage state of the fruits and vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment based on a signal from the determination means.