JP2008070000A - Storage - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a storage comprising a lighting device for lighting the inside of storage compartments with optimum light quantity. <P>SOLUTION: This storage comprises the plurality of storage compartments partitioned by a heat insulating wall 1 and a heat insulating door 2, an inside lighting device 7 for lighting the inside of the storage compartments 4, an outside lighting intensity detecting means 10 for detecting a lighting intensity of the outside of the storage compartments 4, a door opening/closing detecting means 9 for detecting an opening/closing state of the heat insulating door 2, and a control means for putting on the inside lighting device 7 when an opening state of the heat insulating door 2 is detected by the door opening/closing detecting means 9, and adjusting the light quantity of the inside lighting device 7 according to the detected lighting intensity of the outside lighting intensity detecting means 10, thus the inside of the storage compartments 4 can be lighted with the optimum light quantity according to the brightness around the refrigerator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage such as a refrigerator in which a lighting device is installed.

  In recent years, as an interior lighting device of a refrigerator represented as a storage, a device using a white LED in addition to a conventional incandescent lamp or light bulb has been proposed.

  As a refrigerator provided with the conventional illuminating device, there is a refrigerator in which a plurality of white LEDs are mounted on a single substrate and installed on the top surface of the interior to irradiate the interior (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a lighting device in a conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1. In FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lighting device includes a mounting substrate 101, a white LED 102, and a heat insulating plate 104, and is installed in a refrigerator.

  The mounting substrate 101 is formed in a flat plate shape, a circuit pattern (not shown) is formed on one surface or both surfaces, and an epoxy resin-based substrate or an insulating metal substrate with good thermal conductivity is used.

  The white LED 102 is formed in a cannonball shape and has a structure in which white light is obtained by exciting a fluorescent material using blue light from a GaN-based blue LED, and two current-carrying terminals 103 for conducting current are led out. .

  The heat insulating plate 104 is formed in a flat plate shape using a resin such as urethane, and is provided between the mounting substrate 101 and the white LED 102 with a plurality of insertion holes arranged in parallel. Here, in the white LED 102, the energization terminal 103 is inserted through the insertion hole of the heat insulating plate 104, soldered to the circuit pattern of the mounting substrate 101, and a plurality of white LEDs 102 are arranged in parallel on the mounting substrate 101.

  Note that when the amount of heat generated by the white LED 102 is small, the heat insulating plate 104 may be eliminated.

  The operation | movement is demonstrated below about the refrigerator using white LED comprised as mentioned above as an illuminating device.

  First, since the white LED 102 is not energized when the refrigerator door is closed, the interior is not illuminated.

Then, when the door is opened, it is determined that the door is opened by an electronic switch such as a mechanical switch or a Hall IC, a DC voltage is applied to the mounting substrate 101, and a forward current flows to the white LED 102 through the energizing terminal 103. White light is emitted to illuminate the interior.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-159953

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the interior is irradiated with a constant brightness regardless of the brightness around the refrigerator.

  For example, when the surroundings of the refrigerator are bright, the interior can be looked over even if the amount of illumination is low, but when the surroundings of the refrigerator are dark, a high amount of light is required.

  Refrigerators are usually used in an environment where the interior lighting of the kitchen is lit, and a certain amount of light is sufficient for the interior lighting.

  However, the light quantity of the interior lighting must be set brighter assuming use in an environment where the room lighting is turned off. That is, when the surroundings are bright, wasteful power consumption is generated.

  Further, as the amount of light increases, the amount of heat generated by the light source increases, causing problems such as deterioration of the cooling performance of the refrigerator and reduction of the lighting life.

  Moreover, when the refrigerator door is opened when the surroundings of the refrigerator are dark and suddenly bright interior lighting is turned on, the user's eyes may be dazzled.

  This invention solves the said conventional subject, and it aims at providing the store | warehouse | chamber equipped with the illuminating device which can adjust the light quantity of interior lighting, such as a refrigerator, according to the brightness around a refrigerator. To do.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the storage according to the present invention is provided with external illuminance detection means, and adjusts the light quantity of the interior lighting of the storage according to the detected illuminance, so that it corresponds to the ambient brightness. The inside of the cabinet is irradiated with an optimal amount of light.

  As a result, energy saving, longer life of lighting, and lighting in consideration of the eyes of the user are possible.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a storage room partitioned by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door, an interior lighting device for irradiating the storage room, an external illuminance detection means for detecting illuminance outside the storage room, A door opening / closing detection means for detecting an open / closed state of the heat insulating door; and when the door opening / closing detecting means detects that the heat insulating door is in an open state, the interior lighting is turned on, and the external illuminance detecting means detects Control means for adjusting the light quantity of the interior lighting according to illuminance is provided.

  With such a configuration, the interior can be irradiated with an optimal amount of light according to the brightness around the storage, power consumption and heat generation of the light source can be reduced, and the illumination life can be extended.

  The invention according to claim 2 uses an illuminance sensor as the external illuminance detection means, and as a result, the illuminance detection means can be configured with a small and simple circuit, and an inexpensive and highly controllable configuration is realized. it can.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a light emitting diode is used as a light source of the interior lighting device.

  As a result, low voltage driving and low heat generation illumination can be realized, and the drive circuit can be simplified, the controllability can be improved, and the heat generation of the light source can be reduced.

  In the invention according to claim 4, the light intensity is adjusted by changing the output to the interior lighting device by the control means, and by using this, a technique such as adjustment of an average voltage by duty control is used. As a result, it is possible to change the light quantity of the interior illumination with simple control, simplify the drive circuit and improve controllability.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the detected illuminance of the external illuminance detecting means is changed by the control means, the internal illuminating device is changed to a predetermined light amount. Even if there is a change in ambient brightness while the is lit, by changing the output to the interior lighting accordingly, in addition to reducing power consumption, heat generation of the light source, extending the life of the lighting, the user It is possible to realize illumination with an optimal amount of light. In addition, even if the ambient brightness changes suddenly, the illuminance in the cabinet does not change suddenly, but gradually approaches the specified light level, thereby realizing eye-friendly lighting that does not cause discomfort to the user. Can do.

  In a sixth aspect of the present invention, the light amount of the interior lighting device is changed by the control means with the time that the heat insulating door is continuously opened.

  Accordingly, it is possible to gradually increase or decrease the amount of light in the interior illumination according to the user's familiarity with the brightness of the eye, and it is possible to realize illumination that is gentle to the user's eyes.

  The invention according to claim 7 is provided with interior illuminance detection means at the back of the storage chamber, and the control means determines the illuminance detected by the external illuminance detection means and the detected illuminance by the interior illuminance detection means. It adjusts the light quantity of the interior lighting device.

  As a result, even if the surroundings of the storage room are sufficiently bright, if the lighting does not reach the back of the storage room due to the stored items in the storage room, the user can control the light quantity of the interior lighting device. Easy-to-use lighting can be realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator that is a storage in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a control block diagram for controlling the lighting device of the refrigerator in the same embodiment.

  1 and 2, the refrigerator main body 3 configured to be thermally insulated from the surroundings by the heat insulating wall 1 and the heat insulating door 2 is a plurality for arranging and storing stored items in the storage room 4 without overlapping. The storage shelf 5 is provided, and a part of the storage shelf 5 is configured to be movable up and down.

  In addition, a specific low temperature chamber 6 having a dedicated door 6a on the front surface is provided at the bottom of the storage shelf 5, and is configured so that a specific stored item selected by the consumer can be stored at an optimal temperature.

  In addition, an interior lighting device 7 is embedded in the interior side wall of the storage chamber 4 as interior illumination on the left and right sides as viewed from the front of the door opening. The interior lighting device 7 has a plurality of white LEDs 8 arranged in the vertical direction, and is installed so as to irradiate the back side from the front side of the storage chamber 4.

  In this way, by using the white LED 8 as the light source, low voltage driving and low heat generation illumination are possible, and the drive circuit can be simplified, the controllability can be improved, and the heat generation of the light source can be reduced. Moreover, in order to detect the open / closed state of the heat insulation door 2, door opening / closing detection means 9 is provided on the front opening periphery of the storage chamber 4, and the interior lighting 7 is turned on when the heat insulation door 2 is open.

  Moreover, the external illumination intensity detection means 10 is provided in the front lower part of the store room 4, and when the heat insulation door 2 opens, ambient illumination intensity outside a refrigerator is detected.

  The control means 11 shown in FIG. 2 receives the detected illuminance of the external illuminance detection means 10 and adjusts the light quantity of the interior lighting device 7. As the external illuminance detection means 10, it is desirable to use an illuminance sensor. Since the illuminance sensor is small and inexpensive, and in recent years the spectral sensitivity has approached human sensitivity, a simple circuit configuration is possible.

  FIG. 3 is a time chart showing output to the interior lighting of the refrigerator which is the storage in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The light quantity of the interior lighting device 7 is adjusted by performing duty control of the output voltage, changing the average value of the output voltage, and adjusting the current flowing through the white LED 8. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the output pulse width is T1, the pulse period is T2, and the duty ratio T1 / T2 is changed according to the detected value of the external illuminance. Here, T1 and T2 may be set to values such that the flickering of the white LED 8 is not perceived by human eyes.

  Table 1 shows the relationship between the external illuminance of the refrigerator and the output duty to the white LED 8 in the first embodiment.

  The output to the interior lighting device 7 is determined by the detected illuminance of the external illuminance detecting means 10, as shown in (Table 1). For example, when the duty is less than 10 lux, the duty is 100%, when the duty is 10 lux or more and less than 40 lux, the duty is 70%, when the duty is 40 lux or more and less than 70 lux, the duty is 40%, and when the duty is 70 lux or more, the duty is 10%.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the brightness in the vicinity of the refrigerator is detected by the external illuminance detection means 10 and the light intensity of the interior lighting device 7 is adjusted, so that the interior lighting device 7 is bright when the surroundings are bright. The amount of light in the storage chamber 4 can be irradiated with a necessary amount of light so as to increase the amount of light of the interior lighting device 7 when the surroundings are dark, so that unnecessary power consumption is not generated. It is possible to suppress a decrease in the cooling performance of the refrigerator due to the heat generated by the light source and to prevent a decrease in the life of the lighting.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment 1, although the light quantity of the interior illumination device 7 is adjusted using the external illumination intensity detection means 10 in this way, as another means, the light amount of the interior illumination apparatus 7 is changed according to the time zone. A means for adjusting may be used. For example, the duty is 70% from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm, the duty is 30% from 12:00 pm to 16:00 pm, the duty is 50% from 16:00 pm to 19:00 pm, and the duty is 100% from 19:00 pm to 7:00 pm. You may use the method of adjusting the light quantity of the illuminating device 7. FIG.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 is a time chart showing output to the interior lighting of the refrigerator which is a storage in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in (Table 1), when the external illuminance is 100 lux or more, for example, the external illuminance is changed to 10% duty when output to the interior lighting 7, but the external illuminance changes during lighting. Can be considered. That is, when the kitchen lighting is turned off while the interior lighting device 7 is lit, and the external illuminance becomes 20 lux, the output to the interior lighting device 7 is switched to a duty of 70%, but suddenly the duty starts from 10%. When it changes to 70%, the user is dazzled and uncomfortable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, it is gradually changed until a predetermined duty ratio is reached.

  That is, the duty ratio when the external illuminance is 100 lux is T3 / T4 = 10% (step 1). Here, when the external illuminance falls to 20 lux, the duty ratio is set to T5 / T6 = 40% (step 2), and then the duty ratio is gradually set to T7 / T8 = 70% (step 3). Change to%.

  In the second embodiment, the duty ratio is changed over three stages. However, if the duty ratio is changed more finely, the amount of light can be changed more smoothly.

  Further, if the interior lighting device 7 is turned on for a while, the user's eyes become accustomed, so that the function as illumination is achieved even if the amount of light is slightly reduced. For example, when the lighting time of the interior lighting 7 is 30 seconds or more, control is performed to lower the output duty ratio by 10% from a predetermined value, and it is possible to further reduce power consumption and heat generation.

  As mentioned above, in this Embodiment 2, when the illumination intensity of the external illumination intensity detection means 10 changes greatly while the interior illumination device 7 is turned on, the light quantity of the interior illumination device 7 is not changed suddenly, By gradually changing, it is possible to realize lighting that is gentle on the eyes without causing discomfort to the user.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator that is a storage in Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a control block diagram for controlling the lighting device of the refrigerator in the same embodiment. Here, the same constituent elements as those of the previous embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the interior illuminance detection means 12 is installed on the back side of the storage chamber 4. Similarly to the external illuminance detection means 10, it is desirable that the internal illuminance detection means 12 use an illuminance sensor.

  In the first and second embodiments, the light quantity of the interior lighting device 7 is adjusted by the detected illuminance only by the external illuminance detecting means 10. However, when many foods are stored in the storage room 4, Therefore, it is conceivable that the illumination does not reach the back of the storage room 4. At this time, it is desirable to increase the light quantity of the interior lighting 7 to some extent in consideration of not only the brightness around the refrigerator but also the illuminance behind the storage room 4.

  Therefore, in this Embodiment 3, the interior illuminance detection means 12 is installed in the back | inner side of the store room 4, and the illumination intensity of the interior illumination apparatus 7 is determined by the detected illumination intensity of the external illumination intensity detection means 10 and the interior illumination intensity detection means 12. The amount of light is adjusted.

  Table 2 is a list showing a relationship between the external illumination intensity of the refrigerator and the interior illumination output based on the interior illumination intensity in the third embodiment of the present invention.

  In the third embodiment, the average value of the external illuminance and the internal illuminance is taken, and the output to the internal illumination device 7 is changed accordingly. For example, as shown in Example 3 of (Table 2), when the external illuminance is 70 lux and the internal illuminance is 20 lux, the average value of 45 lux is obtained, and the warehouse with a duty of 70% corresponding to this is obtained. Output to the internal lighting device 7.

  Further, when the external illuminance or the internal illuminance changes while the internal lighting device 7 is lit, the light amount of the internal lighting device 7 is gradually changed as described in the second embodiment.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, by detecting not only the external illuminance of the refrigerator but also the illuminance inside the refrigerator, the interior is irradiated with a light amount necessary for the user, and more convenient illumination is realized. .

  In addition, in each said embodiment, although demonstrated as an illuminating device of a refrigerator, it can implement similarly to storage apparatuses, such as a warm storage.

  As described above, the storage according to the present invention can be applied to a wide range of equipment to which lighting is applied, such as an article storage device with a door, as well as being applied as a lighting device for a household or commercial refrigerator. Is.

Side surface sectional drawing of the refrigerator which is a storehouse in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Control block diagram for controlling the lighting device of the refrigerator in the same embodiment Time chart showing the output to the refrigerator interior lighting device in the same embodiment The time chart which shows the output to the in-chamber lighting device of the refrigerator which is the storage in Embodiment 2 of this invention Side surface sectional drawing of the refrigerator which is a storehouse in Embodiment 3 of this invention. Control block diagram for controlling the lighting device of the refrigerator in the same embodiment The perspective view of the illuminating device provided in the conventional refrigerator

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat insulation wall 2 Heat insulation door 3 Refrigerator 4 Storage room 5 Storage shelf 6 Specific low temperature room 7 Interior lighting (inside lighting device)
8 White LED
9 Door open / close detection means 10 External illuminance detection means 11 Control means 12 Inside illuminance detection means

Claims (7)

  A storage room partitioned by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door, an interior lighting device for illuminating the storage room, an external illuminance detecting means for detecting the illuminance outside the storage room, and a door for detecting the open / closed state of the heat insulating door When the opening / closing detection means and the door opening / closing detection means detect that the heat insulating door is in an open state, the interior lighting is turned on, and the interior lighting is controlled according to the detected illumination intensity of the external illumination intensity detection means. A storage with control means to adjust the amount of light.   The storage according to claim 1, wherein an illuminance sensor is used as the external illuminance detection means.   The storage according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting diode is used as a light source of the interior lighting device.   The storage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the amount of light is adjusted by changing the output to the interior lighting device by the control means.   The storage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the detected illuminance of the external illuminance detecting means is changed by the control means, the internal lighting device is changed to a predetermined light amount.   The storage according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the light amount of the interior lighting device is changed by the control means with the time that the heat insulating door is continuously opened.   An interior illuminance detection means is provided in the interior of the storage chamber, and the control means adjusts the amount of light of the interior illumination device according to both detected illuminances of the external illuminance detection means and the interior illuminance detection means. Item 7. The storage according to any one of items 1 to 6.

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