JP2007139355A - Article storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in equipment loaded with a radio sensor transmitter which is controlled by detecting and transmitting information to a main body, in which the radio sensor transmitter cannot perform rapid response, particularly, in application to equipment difficult to maintain such as a refrigerator because the battery thereof is consumed earlier as the operation frequency of the radio sensor transmitter is larger. <P>SOLUTION: When a door of the refrigerator is in an opened state, a power supply interruption means 36 is controlled by door condition detection means 31, 32, and 33, and power supply from a power source part 9 is interrupted to stop operation of radio sensors 28, 29 and 30, whereby the operation time in total is suppressed, and the labor of maintenance required for the radio sensors 28-30 is omitted to enhance the additive value of the refrigerator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention detects an environmental information in an article storage device such as a refrigerator that controls the operation of an environment creation device (a heat source device, a blower device, etc.) based on the environmental information in the storage chamber, and controls the detected information. The present invention relates to an article storage device including a wireless sensor that performs transmission to a device using a wireless medium.

  In recent years, a wireless sensor in which a sensor for measuring temperature, humidity and the like and a wireless transmission unit are integrated has been proposed.

  As a device using a conventional wireless sensor, there is one that centrally manages measurement values (detection values) obtained by arranging wireless sensors at a plurality of locations (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a device control system using a conventional wireless sensor described in Patent Document 1. In FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, each of the wireless sensor transmitters 10, 11, and 12 includes a temperature sensor 1 and a humidity sensor 2 to form a sensor unit 3, and a necessary information is selected by a switch 4 to be an A / D converter. Enter 5. The first CPU 6 that takes in the signal from the A / D converter 5 is configured to output the information signal to the wireless transmission unit 7 and transmit the information signal from the transmission antenna 8 to the main device 13.

  The power supply to each component such as the sensor unit 3, the switch 4, the A / D converter 5, the first CPU 6, and the wireless transmission unit 7 constituting the wireless sensor transmitters 10, 11, and 12 is a battery. The power supply unit 9 is used.

  A receiving antenna 14 is installed in the main device 13 that is paired with the wireless sensor transmitters 10, 11, 12, receives information radio waves from the wireless sensor transmitters 10, 11, 12, and uses the wireless receiver 15. An information signal is input to the second CPU 16 via the route. The second CPU 16 outputs signals to the first load 18, the second load 19, and the third load 20 via the load control device 17 to control the main device 13 to the information content.

  The operation of the device using the wireless sensor configured as described above will be described below. Here, for convenience of explanation, transmission control of the wireless sensor transmitter 10 will be described, but communication control is similarly performed for the other wireless sensor transmitters 11 and 12.

  First, information (temperature and humidity) detected by the temperature sensor 1 and the humidity sensor 2 of the sensor unit 3 is selected by the switch 4 and necessary information is input to the A / D converter 5 as an analog signal.

  Next, the A / D converter 5 converts the input signal from analog to digital, and outputs information to the first CPU 6. The first CPU 6 adds the ID code of the wireless sensor transmitter 10 to the above-mentioned information data to convert it to transmission data, and the transmission data is converted into radio waves of a predetermined frequency via the wireless transmission unit 7 and the transmission antenna 8. Transmit to the device 13.

Next, on the main device 13 side, the information data transmitted from each of the wireless sensor transmitters 10, 11, 12 is detected by the receiving antenna 14, the radio signal is converted into a digital signal by the wireless receiving unit 15, and the second It outputs to CPU16. The second CPU 16 determines the optimal control content as a device from the location where the wireless sensor transmitters 10, 11, 12 are installed and the information data thereof, and controls the load control device 17 to control each load 18, 19 and 20 are operated.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-6955

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the wireless sensor transmitter 10 detects information from the sensor unit 3 at a constant time period determined in advance by the first CPU 6 and periodically transmits data to the main device 13. The power supply unit 9 must always supply power to each component.

  In general, as the power supply unit 9 of the wireless sensor transmitter 10, a power cord or the like is not pulled in for convenience of wireless, and a battery or a dry battery, or a button battery or the like is often used for a small device.

  Therefore, conventionally, as the number of times of information detection and the number of times of operation of the wireless transmission unit 7 are increased, the battery consumption becomes faster, and it has been a problem to extend the life of the power supply unit 9 (battery).

  Although the wireless sensor transmitter 10 has been described here for convenience of explanation, the other wireless sensor transmitters 11 and 12 have the same problem.

  In addition, when such wireless transmission technology is applied to storage and storage devices that are difficult to maintain, such as refrigerators, frequent maintenance is required if the power supply life is short, which not only impairs convenience. In addition, there is a concern that the device may be operated in a non-operating state of the wireless sensor transmitter 10 that has completed the power supply life, which also affects the reliability of the device. In addition, in storage and storage equipment such as refrigerators, door opening and closing operations are involved, and in particular, communication using a wireless medium when the door is open may affect surrounding electrical equipment due to electromagnetic waves. There remain issues such as the need to take some measures.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and controls the operation of a wireless sensor transmitter (hereinafter referred to as a wireless sensor) according to the opening / closing state of the door, thereby reducing the power consumption of the power source (battery). In addition, it is intended to eliminate the influence on the surroundings caused by wireless medium communication and enable application to an article storage device such as a refrigerator.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the present invention is configured to stop the operation of the wireless sensor when the door of the storage chamber is open.

  As a result, the environmental conditions of the storage room are unstable, and the power consumption (battery) associated with the operation of the wireless sensor when the door is open can be suppressed as much as possible. The power life can be extended.

  Further, according to the present invention, receiving means constituting the door opening / closing detection means is provided in the wireless means, and with this configuration, harness wiring for signal transmission / reception can be reduced.

  The article storage device of the present invention can reduce power consumption by the wireless sensor when the wireless sensor is used for detecting the environment in the storage room, can extend the life of the power supply for the wireless sensor, and improve the reliability of wireless sensor control. It becomes possible. In addition, since the operation of the wireless sensor is stopped particularly when the storage compartment door is opened, it is possible to suppress adverse effects on surrounding devices.

  Furthermore, since communication is performed using a wireless medium, harness wiring routed to the article storage device body can be reduced, wire saving can be achieved, and assembly man-hours can be reduced.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device body having a storage chamber that is opened and closed by a door, and a wireless device that detects an environmental state in the storage chamber, converts the detection result into information, and outputs and transmits the information through a wireless communication medium. Comprising a sensor, provided with a drive source for detection operation and output operation in the wireless sensor as a power source, and further provided with stop means for stopping at least one of the detection operation and output operation in the wireless sensor when the door is opened. is there.

  By adopting such a configuration, the operation time of the wireless sensor in a door open state in which the change in environmental conditions of the storage room is drastically suppressed is suppressed, so that the total operation time of the wireless sensor in a long-term use is shortened. The power consumption can be suppressed, the life of the power supply unit of the wireless sensor can be extended, and the reliability can be improved. In particular, by stopping the output operation of the wireless sensor, it is possible to prevent the peripheral device from being affected.

  Furthermore, since communication is performed using a wireless communication medium, harness wiring routed to the article storage device body can be reduced, wire saving can be achieved, and assembly man-hours can be reduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the stop means includes an open / close detection means for detecting opening of the door, and a power shut-off means for shutting off / stopping the supply of the power according to a door open signal of the open / close detection means. The operation of the wireless sensor is stopped by the power shut-off means.

  With this configuration, the power consumption of the wireless sensor is stopped when the storage chamber door is opened, so that the life of the power source can be further extended. Furthermore, since the operation of the wireless sensor is performed when the storage chamber door is closed, the leakage of the wireless communication medium can be eliminated, and the deterioration of the environmental condition detection accuracy due to the leakage to the outside can also be eliminated. Will improve.

  The invention according to claim 3 is configured such that the open / close detection means includes signal generation means for generating a wireless communication medium such as magnetic force and light, and reception means for receiving the wireless communication medium of the signal generation means, The power shut-off means is operated by the output of the receiving means.

  With this configuration, the opening / closing of the storage room door can be detected by a wireless communication medium, and the storage room door and the wireless sensor can be set in a non-contact positional relationship. Therefore, a mechanism for detecting opening / closing is not required, and the harness wiring routed to the article storage device body can be further reduced. In addition, since the operation / stop of the wireless sensor is controlled by the operation of the power shut-off means, the control configuration can be simplified.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the receiving unit and the power shut-off unit are provided in the wireless sensor, so that the power-saving wireless sensor can be configured as a compact module, and the installation space in the storage chamber is suppressed. Can do.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the receiving means and the power shut-off means are mechanical switches that react by magnetic force or electronic switches that react by magnetic force.

  By adopting such a configuration, a commercially available product can be applied if it is a mechanical switch, and the power cutoff circuit of the wireless sensor can be simplified. In addition, the electronic switch guarantees a long-life power shut-off action without considering the contact life.

  The invention according to claim 6 is an electronic switch that reacts with light as the receiving means and the power shut-off means. The interior lighting in which the article storage device is installed or the interior of the warehouse interlocked with the opening of the storage door. Illumination can be used as a wireless communication medium, and it is not necessary to separately provide light emitting means in the wireless sensor, and the configuration of the wireless sensor can be simplified.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the environment creation means for creating the environment in the storage room and the transmission information from the wireless sensor are input to the storage device body and / or the door, and the information is read and controlled. An information reading means for determining contents, a control means for inputting an output from the information reading means, and causing the environment creation means to operate according to the control contents, and further, the power supply is built in the wireless sensor.

  With this configuration, by driving the environment creation means, the storage chamber can be controlled to an arbitrary environmental condition by the wireless sensor, and convenience is improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, constituent elements having the same or similar functions as those described in the conventional example will be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be given. Omitted. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
In the first embodiment, the article storage device will be described by taking a refrigerator including a plurality of storage rooms as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator provided with a wireless sensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a control configuration block diagram of the wireless sensor according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic control configuration block diagram of the refrigerator in the first embodiment. 4A is a main part configuration diagram showing a power supply state of the wireless sensor when the refrigerator is closed in the first embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a wireless diagram when the refrigerator is opened in the first embodiment. It is a principal part block diagram which shows the electric power supply stop state of a sensor.

  In FIG. 1, the refrigerator includes a refrigerator main body 21 composed of a heat insulating housing, a first refrigerator compartment 22, a second refrigerator compartment 23, and a freezer compartment 24 that are provided in the refrigerator body 21 and function as storage rooms, respectively. The first refrigerator door 25 that opens and closes the front opening of the first refrigerator compartment 22, the second refrigerator door 26 that opens and closes the front opening of the second refrigerator compartment 23, and the front opening of the freezer compartment 24. The freezer compartment door 27 is mainly configured. The first and second refrigerator compartments 22 and 23 and the freezer compartment 24 are sealed so that the cold air in each storage chamber does not come into contact with the outside air of the storage chamber by closing the doors 24, 25 and 26. As is well known, the environment creation means for creating the cooling environment in the first and second refrigerator compartments 22 and 23 and the freezer compartment 24 are compressors, condensers, capillary tubes, and evaporators (all not shown). ) And the like, and the refrigeration cycle 38 (FIG. 3) provided in the refrigerator main body 21, and the cold air created in the refrigerator main body 21 and created by the refrigeration cycle 38 to the refrigerator compartments 22 and 23 and the freezer compartment 24. The cooling air circulation means 39 (FIG. 3) to supply is comprised mainly.

  Since the composition except the control relation of the above-mentioned refrigerator may be a conventionally well-known composition, detailed explanation is omitted.

  A first wireless sensor 28 is in the first refrigerator compartment 22, a second wireless sensor 29 is in the second refrigerator compartment 23, and a third wireless sensor 30 is in the freezer compartment 24. These are fixed by appropriate means at arbitrary positions (for example, a position where opening / closing of the door can be detected and which does not get in the way when an article is taken in and out). In addition, when fixing each wireless sensor 28, 29, 30, it is good also as an embedded structure which is flush with each indoor surface. Further, the information reading device 34 that receives the transmission signals of the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30, reads the information, and discriminates the control content is installed at an arbitrary position inside the first refrigerator compartment 22. . Further, the control means 37 for operating the refrigeration cycle 38 and the cold air circulation means 39 based on the information of the information reading device 34 according to the control content is provided at an appropriate position of the refrigerator main body 21. It is provided on the back surface of the main body 21.

  In the embodiment, the information reading device 34 is the first refrigerating room 22, but may be installed at any position of the refrigerator as long as signals from the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 can be received. .

  In addition, the first refrigerator compartment door 25, the second refrigerator compartment door 26, and the freezer compartment door 27 are provided at appropriate locations to detect the open / closed state of each door corresponding to each wireless sensor 28, 29, 30. First to third open / close detecting means 31, 32, and 33 are installed, and signals of "open state" or "closed state" of each door are generated by the action of each wireless sensor 28, 29, 30. .

  One example will be described. Here, for convenience of explanation, the first wireless sensor 28 provided in the first refrigerator compartment 22 will be described. The first opening / closing detection means 31 includes a magnet 40 provided in the first refrigerator compartment door 25 and a receiving means (not shown here) that uses the magnetic force of the magnet 40 as a wireless medium input signal. Is constituted by a reed switch whose contact is opened and closed by the strength of a magnetic force, or a known electronic switch using a Hall IC as a receiving element.

  The open / close detection means 32 and 33 of the second refrigerating chamber 23 and the freezing chamber 24 have the same configuration and operate on the same principle, and the magnet is illustrated with the same reference numeral 40 for convenience of explanation.

  In view of this configuration, the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 are preferably arranged in the vicinity of the opening in each storage chamber.

  Next, the configuration of the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 will be described with reference to the control configuration block diagram of the wireless sensor in FIG. Again, for convenience of explanation, the first wireless sensor 28 provided in the first refrigerator compartment 22 will be described.

  The wireless sensor 28 detects the temperature, humidity, and indoor gas concentration, which are the room information of the first refrigerator compartment 22, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it as in the conventional case. An arithmetic processing unit 35 that converts environmental conditions in the refrigerator compartment 22 into data, and a wireless transmission unit 7 that inputs data from the arithmetic processing unit 35, forms a predetermined signal, and transmits the signal from the transmission antenna 8 to the information reader 34. It is set as the structure provided with. These control circuits can be specifically configured by a logic circuit centered on a known microcomputer.

  The power supply unit 9 of the wireless sensor 28 is made of a battery, a rechargeable battery, or the like, and supplies power as a driving source for the arithmetic processing unit 35, the wireless transmission unit 7 and the like as in the prior art, but the power supply is cut off to the supply path. Means 36 is provided, and power supply and shut-off are controlled by input of the door open / close state from the open / close detection means 31.

  The wireless sensor 28 includes a receiving means 41a that constitutes the open / close detection means 31, and the power shut-off means 36 is energized and cut-off controlled by a signal from the receiving means 41a.

  In the first embodiment, the receiving means 41a and the power shut-off means 36 are constituted by a reed switch having both functions. In other words, as is well known, the reed switch is configured so that the contact is turned on or off in response to the strength of the magnetic force and includes the functions of the receiving means 41a and the power shutoff means 36.

  Therefore, since the receiving means 41a and the power shut-off means 36 are provided in the wireless sensor 28 as a single structure, the wireless sensor 28 can be downsized and the wireless sensor 28 can be downsized. Moreover, since the said reed switch can respond with a commercial item, it can be comprised predominantly in terms of cost.

  Although the first wireless sensor 28 has been described above, the second and third wireless sensors 29 and 30 have the same configuration, specifically, the setting environment and function of the storage room to be attached. Accordingly, only the type or numerical value of the input information is different, and the control configuration has the same configuration requirements.

  Next, a control configuration for controlling the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, etc.) of the refrigerator compartments 22 and 23 and the freezer compartment 24 of the refrigerator will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the control configuration is detected by the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30, and the information reading device 34 that takes in the information output from the transmitting antenna 8 as a wireless medium signal from the receiving antenna 14, and the information reading device 34 A control means 37 for inputting an output signal and controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle 38 or the cold air circulation means 39 is provided.

  The information reading device 34 determines an operation pattern for maintaining an optimal storage chamber state based on the contents of transmission data from each of the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30, and outputs the operation pattern to the control means 37. The control means controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle 38 and the cold air circulation means 39 so that the storage rooms (the refrigeration rooms 22, 23 and the freezing room 24) are in an optimum state based on the contents of the control signal.

  When the information reading device 34 reads the room information from the wireless sensors 28, 29, 30, the next operation pattern for maintaining the optimum interior state is determined and input to the control means 37. The operation of the refrigeration cycle 38 or the cold air circulation means 39 is controlled by the control means 37, and an operation for maintaining the refrigerator compartment 22 in a predetermined environment is performed.

  Further, when the information reading device 34 has not received a transmission from any one of the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 for a predetermined time or more, the information reading device 34 determines that the door of the corresponding storage room is opened, and the information is read. Determine the driving pattern. The operation content in this case may be a well-known operation content and is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the content of the control operation | movement is demonstrated below. Here, for convenience of explanation, the first refrigerator compartment 22 will be described as an example.

  First, when the first refrigerator door 25 is closed, as shown in FIG. 4A, the magnet 40 as the signal generating means has both functions of the receiving means 41a and the power shut-off means 36. It is in a state close to the reed switch 50. As a result, since the magnetic force of the magnet 40 is acting on the reed switch 50 as indicated by the arrow A, the first open / close detection means 31 inputs a signal indicating the closed state to the power shut-off means 36. As a result, the power shut-off means 36 is in a power supply (energized) state. In other words, since the reed switch 50 is in the ON state, power is supplied from the power supply unit 9 to the arithmetic processing unit 35 and the wireless transmission unit 7, and the wireless sensor 28 becomes an operation state.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the wireless sensor 28 detects environmental information (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, etc.) in the first refrigerating chamber 22 by the information detection means 28a, and the detection result is an arithmetic processing unit 35. Is formed into predetermined data and output to the wireless transmission unit 7. The wireless transmission unit 7 outputs environmental information in the refrigerator compartment 22 from the transmission antenna 8 to the refrigerator compartment 22 in a wireless communication medium state such as radio waves.

  The information output signal of the wireless transmission unit 7 is taken into the information reading device 34 from the receiving antenna 14 and recognizes the environmental condition in the refrigerator compartment 22 here, and a necessary control pattern (refrigeration cycle 38, cold air circulation means 39). Necessity of operation, etc.) is determined.

  The determination result of the information reader 34 is output to the control means 37, and the control means 37 controls the operation of the refrigerator (the operation of the compressor constituting the refrigeration cycle 38, the operation of the blower fan constituting the cold air circulation means 39, etc. ) Is performed.

  The transmission operation from the wireless sensor 28 is performed intermittently at a predetermined time interval. By reducing the number of transmissions per unit time, the power consumption of the power supply unit 9 can be suppressed, and the life of the power supply unit 9 can be extended. Can be planned.

  In addition, in the closed state of the refrigerator compartment door 25, by making the detection operation by the information detection means 28a an intermittent detection operation, the power consumption of the power supply unit 9 can be further suppressed, and the life of the power supply unit 9 can be further extended.

  Next, when the first refrigerator compartment door 25 is open, as shown in FIG. 4B, the magnet 40 as the signal generating means has both functions of the receiving means 41a and the power shut-off means 36. The reed switch 50 is separated. As a result, the magnetic force of the magnet 40 does not act on the reed switch 50, and the open / close detection unit 31 inputs a signal indicating the door open state to the power shut-off unit 36.

  As a result, the power cut-off means 36 is cut off (cut off), in other words, the reed switch 50 is turned off, and the power supply from the power supply unit 9 to the arithmetic processing unit 35 and the wireless transmission unit 7 is cut off. 28 becomes a stop state.

  Next, in a state where the door is opened, since the indoor information is not transmitted from the wireless sensor 28 even after a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed, the information reading device 34 determines that the door is open and performs control. The operation pattern of the determination result is instructed to the means 37.

  As a result, the control means 37 refrigerates with an operation control pattern in which the first refrigerator compartment door 25 is in the open state (stop of the compressor constituting the refrigeration cycle 38, stop of the blower fan constituting the cold air circulation means 39, etc.). Operation control of the cycle 38 and the cold air circulation means 39 is performed.

  In other words, when the operation of the wireless sensor 28 is stopped, the refrigerator performs the open door operation control by the refrigeration cycle 38 and the cold air circulation means 39.

  The reason for stopping the operation of the wireless sensor 28 when the door is open is that, in the open state, the inflow of outside air or the outflow of the room atmosphere is large, and the change in the room information is severe. This is because it is impossible to perform proper operation control.

  Therefore, in this case, it is advantageous to operate in a predetermined open state without obtaining room information. The contents of the operation control in the opened state may be well-known contents and are not directly related to the gist of the present invention, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Similarly, in the second refrigerator compartment 23 and freezer compartment 24, the operations of the wireless sensors 29 and 30 can be restricted by performing the above-described control in the same manner.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, since the operation of the wireless sensors 28, 29, 30 in the storage room opened by the open / close detection means 31, 32, 33 is stopped, the wireless sensor 28, The total operation time of 29, 30 is shortened, and the life of the power supply unit 9 in the wireless sensors 28, 29, 30 can be extended. As a result, labor required for the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 can be saved, and the added value and reliability of the refrigerator can be increased.

  Furthermore, since the operations of the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 are limited to when the refrigerating rooms 22 and 23 and the freezing room 24 are closed, wireless communication media such as radio waves accompanying transmission to the information reader 34 leak to the outside. As a result, the peripheral devices are not adversely affected.

  Further, by using the fact that the operations of the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 are stopped, the information reading device 34 determines that the door is in the open state. As a result, it is possible to improve the quality by reducing the number of wires and reduce the man-hours for assembling the product.

  The power supply operation to the arithmetic processing unit 35 of the power supply unit 9 and the wireless transmission unit 7 inside the wireless sensors 28, 29, 30 in conjunction with the detection operation of the opening / closing state by the open / close detection means 31, 32, 33. Therefore, convenience is improved.

  Further, the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 are provided with the receiving means 41a and the power shut-off means 36 as a single structure in the wireless sensor 28, so that the wireless sensor 28 can be made compact and the wireless sensor 28 can be downsized. Is. As a result, the installation space occupied in the refrigerator compartments 22, 23 and the freezer compartment 24 can be reduced, and an article storage space in the storage compartment space can be secured.

  In the first embodiment, the information reading device 34 discriminates the operation pattern for maintaining the optimum storage chamber state based on the contents of the transmission data from each of the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30. Such a function can be given to the control means 37, and it is only necessary to arbitrarily set which one is given.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the open / close detection means 31, 32, and 33 are configured by the magnet 40 as the door opening signal generation means and the reed switch as the reception means 41 that responds thereto. A Hall IC element that detects a magnetic force and outputs an electrical signal is provided. The Hall IC element is used as a receiving unit 41. Further, a switching circuit that is turned ON or OFF by an electrical signal from the Hall IC element is provided as a power cutoff unit 36. Alternatively, a contactless electronic switch can be used instead.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, an electronic switch that reacts to light is applied to the open / close detection means.

  Accordingly, the power cut-off means 36, the refrigerator configuration, the control circuit configuration, and the circuit operation of the first embodiment may be the same as those of the first embodiment. To do. Moreover, in this Embodiment 2, although the 1st refrigerator compartment 22 is demonstrated for convenience of explanation, it is applicable to the other refrigerator compartment 23 and the freezer compartment 24 by the same structure as previous Embodiment 1. It is the same.

  FIG. 5 is a main part configuration diagram of the refrigerator showing a state in which the first refrigerator compartment is opened.

  In FIG. 5, the wireless sensor 28 includes an illuminance sensor 51 serving as a receiving unit in the open / close detection unit 31, a switching circuit 53 having a well-known configuration including an amplifier circuit 52 and a transistor, and the first embodiment. Similarly, an information detection unit 28a, an arithmetic processing unit 35, a wireless transmission unit 7 including a transmission antenna, and a power supply unit 9 are provided.

  More specifically, the illuminance sensor 51 is provided to be exposed from the front surface of the refrigerating chamber 22 so as to easily react to light. As is well known, the illuminance sensor 51 is an element that converts light into an electrical signal. The converted electric signal is amplified by an amplification circuit 52 having a known configuration.

  The switching circuit 53 controls power supply to the arithmetic processing unit 35, the wireless transmission unit 7 and the like of the power source unit 9, and corresponds to a power shut-off means. The arithmetic processing unit 35, according to an input signal from the amplifier circuit 52, An operation of stopping power feeding to the wireless transmission unit 7 and the like is performed.

  In the above configuration, when the refrigerator compartment door 25 is in the closed state, the illuminance sensor 51 does not generate an electrical signal because no light enters from the outside.

  Therefore, since the amplifier circuit 52 and the switching circuit 53 do not operate, the power supply unit 9 supplies power to the arithmetic processing unit 35, the wireless transmission unit 7, and the like, and the refrigerator performs a predetermined operation.

  Next, when the refrigerator door 25 is opened, external light is inserted into the refrigerator compartment 22 as indicated by an arrow B, so that the illuminance sensor 51 generates an electrical signal. As a result, the electric signal amplified by the amplifier circuit 52 becomes an input signal to the switching circuit 53 as is well known, and operates a switching element (not shown).

  As a result, the power supply operation to the arithmetic processing unit 35 and the wireless transmission unit 7 of the power supply unit 9 is stopped, and the operation of the wireless sensor 28 is stopped. Therefore, power consumption of the wireless sensor 28 does not occur, and the power life of the power supply unit 9 is extended.

  If the refrigerator has a well-known interior light 54, the illuminance sensor 51 operates by the illumination action of the interior light 54 as indicated by an arrow C with the interior light 54 as a signal generating means. As a result, the same effect as described above can be expected.

  As described above, also in the wireless sensor 28 according to the second embodiment, the convenience and reliability as a refrigerator are not impaired as in the first embodiment, and the configuration can be simplified.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 are fixed from the relationship of reacting to the magnetic force of the magnet 40. However, in the second embodiment, it is only necessary to react to light. Therefore, it is not particularly necessary to fix the installation positions of the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30, and the wireless sensors 28, 29, and 30 can be installed at positions that do not adversely affect the work in and out of the article within a range where light can be detected.

  In each of the first and second embodiments described above, the cooling function by the refrigeration cycle and the cold air circulation means has been mainly described as the environment creation means in the storage chamber. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Similarly, in the storage room with ventilation that uses the ventilation device as the environment creation means, or the storage device with humidity management that uses the humidity generation device as the environment creation means, the wireless sensor is used to control the environmental state. Detecting and performing predetermined control, the power of the wireless sensor can be stopped and energized as the door is opened and closed.

  As described above, the present invention can be widely applied to an article storage device having a door as well as a wireless sensor applied to a home or commercial refrigerator.

Sectional drawing of the refrigerator provided with the wireless sensor in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Control configuration block diagram of wireless sensor in the first embodiment Schematic control configuration block diagram of the refrigerator in the first embodiment (A) The principal part block diagram which shows the electric power feeding state of the wireless sensor at the time of the door closing of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 (b) The principal part which shows the electric power supply stop state of the wireless sensor at the time of the door opening of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 Diagram Main part block diagram of the door open state of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention Block diagram of a device control system using a wireless sensor showing a conventional example

Explanation of symbols

7 Wireless transmitter 9 Power supply 21 Refrigerator body (storage device body)
22 First refrigerator compartment 23 Second refrigerator compartment 24 Freezer compartment 25 First refrigerator compartment door 26 Second refrigerator compartment door 27 Freezer compartment door 28 First wireless sensor 28a Information detecting means 29 Second wireless Sensor 30 Third wireless sensor 31 First open / close detecting means 32 Second open / close detecting means 33 Third open / close detecting means 34 Information reading device 35 Arithmetic processing unit 36 Power shut-off means 37 Control means 38 Refrigeration cycle (environment creation means) )
39 Cold air circulation means (environment creation means)
40 Magnet (Signal generation means)
41 Receiving means 41a Receiving means 50 Reed switch (receiving means, power shut-off means)
51 Illuminance sensor (receiving means)
53 Switching circuit (Power cutoff means)

Claims (7)

  A storage device body including a storage chamber that is opened and closed by a door, and a wireless sensor that detects an environmental state in the storage chamber, converts the detection result into information, and transmits and outputs the information through a wireless communication medium. Detection by the wireless sensor An article storage apparatus provided with a stopping means for stopping a detection operation and an output operation of the wireless sensor when the door is opened, using a drive source for the operation and the output operation as a power source.   The stop means includes an open / close detecting means for detecting opening of the door, and a power shut-off means for shutting off / stopping the supply of the power by a door open signal of the open / close detecting means, and the power shut-off means The article storage device according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the wireless sensor is stopped.   The open / close detection means includes a signal generation means for generating a wireless communication medium such as magnetic force and light, and a reception means for receiving the wireless communication medium of the signal generation means, and the power supply is shut off by the output of the reception means 3. An article storage device according to claim 2, wherein the means is operated.   The article storage device according to claim 3, wherein the receiving unit and the power cutoff unit are provided in the wireless sensor.   The article storage device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the receiving means and the power shut-off means are mechanical switches that react by magnetic force or electronic switches that react by magnetic force.   5. The article storage device according to claim 3, wherein the receiving means and the power shut-off means are electronic switches that react with light.   An environment creation means for creating an environment in the storage room in the storage device body and / or the door; and information reading means for inputting transmission information from the wireless sensor and reading the information to determine control contents; 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that inputs an output from the information reading unit and operates the environment creation unit according to the control contents, and further includes the power source built in the wireless sensor. Article storage device.

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