JP2008232494A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator using an LED as a light in a storehouse, preventing darkening of lighting in the storehouse due to lowering of luminous intensity of the LED caused by long-time use. <P>SOLUTION: This refrigerator includes: a storehouse light 100 using the LED; a current varying means 101 for controlling the current amount of the LED mounted on the storehouse light 100; and a control means 102 for counting time after the power-on of the refrigerator and varying the current to the storehouse light 100 by the current varying means 101. When the amount of time after the power-on of the refrigerator reaches a predetermined time, the luminous intensity of the LED is determined to be lowered because of long energizing time of the LED, and the current is increased by the current varying means 101 to keep the luminous intensity of the LED. Thus, it is possible to prevent darkening of lighting in the storehouse due to lowering of luminous intensity of the LED caused by long-time use of the refrigerator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with interior lighting using LEDs.

  Conventionally, this type of refrigerator has been marketed using LEDs as interior lighting (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The interior lighting of the conventional refrigerator will be described with reference to FIGS. The refrigerator interior lighting device includes a mounting substrate 1, a semiconductor light emitting element 2, and a heat insulating plate 3, and is installed inside the refrigerator 4. The mounting substrate 1 is formed in a flat plate shape by a so-called metal substrate having good thermal conductivity, and one surface 11a of the metal plate 11 is covered with an insulating resin film such as epoxy, and further, one surface 11a of the insulating resin film. A circuit pattern (not shown) made of copper is formed on the side. The semiconductor light-emitting element 2 is a so-called white LED manufactured by Nichia Corporation and has a condensing lens that is formed in a cannonball shape and contains a phosphor, and has a built-in light-emitting body that emits blue light. The two energizing terminals 21 for energizing the current are derived. As shown in FIG. 24, the wavelength of light in the visible light region, that is, about 420 to about 780 nm having a relative emission intensity peak at about 460 nm is emitted, and the wavelength of light at about 420 to about 780 nm is continuously changed. To emit white light. That is, only light having a wavelength within the visible light region is emitted, and light having a wavelength in the infrared region exceeding 780 nm is not emitted.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-159953

  However, the above-described conventional configuration has a problem that the light intensity of the LED decreases due to long-term use and the illumination becomes dark.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and when the LED energization time is long and the brightness of the LED decreases due to the long-term use of the refrigerator, the LED energization current can be increased to maintain the brightness of the LED. An object is to provide a refrigerator that can be used.

  In order to solve the above conventional problems, the refrigerator of the present invention determines that the LED energization time is long and the luminous intensity of the LED is reduced when the time after the refrigerator is turned on reaches a predetermined time. The current is increased to maintain the luminous intensity of the LED.

  Thereby, it can prevent that the brightness of LED falls and the illumination in a warehouse becomes dark by use of a refrigerator for many years.

  The refrigerator of this invention can prevent that the brightness of LED falls and the illumination in a warehouse becomes dark by long-time use of a refrigerator, and can ensure predetermined brightness over a long period of time.

  The invention described in claim 1 is a refrigerator that uses LEDs as lighting in the cabinet, and includes a current varying means for varying the current flowing through the LEDs, and a control means for controlling the current varying means, When the time after charging reaches a predetermined time, it is determined that the LED energization time is long and the luminous intensity of the LED has decreased, and the current variable means increases the current to maintain the luminous intensity of the LED. It is possible to prevent the brightness of the lamp from falling and the interior lighting from becoming dark.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a refrigerator that uses LEDs as interior lighting, current variable means for varying the current flowing through the LEDs, control means for controlling the current variable means, and detection of door opening / closing Since the door opening / closing detection means is provided and the door opening / closing number of the refrigerator exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that there are many lighting opportunities and the brightness of the LED is decreased, and the current variable means increases the current to keep the LED brightness. For many years of use, it is possible to prevent the brightness of the LED from decreasing and the interior lighting from becoming dark.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a refrigerator that uses LEDs as interior lighting, current variable means for varying the current flowing through the LEDs, control means for controlling the current variable means, and detection of door opening / closing The door opening / closing detection means is provided, and when the door opening time of the refrigerator is integrated and exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that the LED energization time is long and the brightness of the LED has decreased, and the current is increased by the current variable means to increase the brightness of the LED. Since it keeps, it can prevent that the brightness of LED falls and the illumination in a warehouse becomes dark by use of a refrigerator for many years.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, further comprising temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature of the LED, determining a correction value based on the LED ambient temperature when the LED is turned on, Since the lighting time is corrected by applying a correction value to adjust the integrated time to vary the LED current, it is lit with the light intensity that the light intensity of the LED will decrease and the interior lighting will become dark due to long-term use of the refrigerator This can be prevented with high correlation accuracy.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door, and the temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature of the LED. The LED current is varied according to the ambient temperature of the LED at the time of lighting, and the luminous intensity is further adjusted, so that it can be used at a more comfortable luminous intensity of the LED even when the refrigerator is used for many years.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an applied voltage control means for varying a power supply rate of the LED, and a control means for controlling the applied voltage control means, And means for maintaining the luminous intensity of the LED by increasing the energization rate by the applied voltage control means instead of increasing the current by the current variable means, and the luminous intensity of the LED decreases due to the long-term use of the refrigerator. It is possible to prevent the internal lighting from becoming dark.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the conventional example or the embodiments described above, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
1 is a block diagram of a refrigerator control device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a refrigerator control circuit, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator control device. This will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the interior lighting 100 is attached to the top of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator, and the LED is mounted. The current varying means 101 controls the amount of current of the LED mounted on the interior lighting 100. For example, the current varying means 101 is composed of a variable resistor. When the resistance value is lowered, the current flowing through the LED increases. The control means 102 is configured to count the time after the refrigerator is turned on and to increase the current to the interior lighting 100 by the current variable means 101 when a predetermined time is counted.

  Operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 100, the current variable means 101 is set to I1, and in step 101, the time t1 after the refrigerator is turned on is counted. If it is less than the predetermined time T1 in step 102, the process returns to step 101. If there is, the set value of the current varying means 101 is set to I2 (I2> I1) in step 103, the luminous intensity of the LED is increased, and the process returns to step 101.

  As mentioned above, in this Embodiment, it can prevent that the brightness of LED falls and the illumination in a warehouse becomes dark by use of a refrigerator for many years.

(Embodiment 2)
4 is a block diagram of the refrigerator control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the refrigerator control circuit, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator control device. This will be described with reference to FIGS.

  4 and 5, the control means 300 is configured to count the “open” signal from the door opening / closing detection means 301 and count the predetermined number of times to increase the current to the interior lighting 100 by the current variable means 101. Yes.

  Operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step 300, the current variable means 101 is set to I1, and if the signal from the door opening / closing detection means 301 is “open” in step 301, the door opening / closing count c1 is counted in step 302. If the signal is “closed”, the process returns to step 301. If the door opening / closing count c1 is less than the predetermined value C1 in step 303, the process returns to step 301. If the door opening / closing frequency c1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value C1, the setting value of the current variable means 101 is set to I2 (I2> I1) in step 304 to increase the luminous intensity of the LED. To return to step 301.

  As mentioned above, in this Embodiment, it can prevent that the brightness of LED falls and the illumination in a warehouse becomes dark by use of a refrigerator for many years.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the refrigerator control device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the refrigerator control circuit, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator control device. This will be described with reference to FIGS.

  7 and 8, the control means 500 counts and integrates the “open” time based on the “open” signal from the door open / close detection means 301, and when the predetermined time is reached, the current varying means 101 supplies the current to the interior lighting 100. It is configured to increase.

  The operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step 500, the current variable means 101 is set to I1, and if the signal from the door opening / closing detection means 301 is "open" in step 501, the door opening time t2 is counted and integrated in step 502, and the door opening / closing detection means 301 is counted. If the signal from is “closed”, the process returns to step 501. If the door opening integration time t2 is less than the predetermined value T2 in step 503, the process returns to step 501. If the door opening integration time t2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value T2, the setting value of the current variable means 101 is set to I2 (I2> I1) in step 504. Increase and return to step 501.

  As mentioned above, in this Embodiment, it can prevent that the brightness of LED falls and the illumination in a warehouse becomes dark by use of a refrigerator for many years.

(Embodiment 4)
10 is a block diagram of a refrigerator control device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a refrigerator control circuit, FIG. 12 is an LED characteristic diagram, and FIG. 13 is an operation of the refrigerator control device. This is a flowchart, and will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  10 and 11, the control means 700 counts and integrates the “open” time based on the “open” signal from the door opening / closing detection means 301, and corrects the door opening time based on the ambient temperature of the LED detected by the temperature detection means 701. It is configured as follows.

  Operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, in step 700, the door opening integration time ta is set to 0, in step 701, the current variable means 101 is set to I1, and in step 702, if the signal from the door open / close detection means 301 is "open", in step 703 The door opening time t3 is counted, and if the signal from the door opening / closing detection means 301 is “closed”, the process returns to step 702. If the temperature of the temperature detecting means 701 is lower than the predetermined value P in step 704, ta + t3 is set to ta in step 706. If it is equal to or higher than the predetermined value P in step 704, t3 × 1.2 is set to t3 in step 705. Then go to step 706. If ta is less than the predetermined value TA in step 707, the process returns to step 702. If ta is equal to or greater than the predetermined value TA, the current variable means 101 is set to I2 (I2 ≧ I1) in step 708, and then returns to step 702. As shown in FIG. 12, the lifetime of the LED is shortened and darkens quickly if the ambient temperature is high. Therefore, the actual door opening time is multiplied by 1.2 in step 705 to advance the time for increasing the current and maintain the luminous intensity of the LED. The numerical value of 1.2 times is determined for each use application of the LED based on the lifetime of the LED and the ambient temperature.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the brightness of the LED from being lowered due to long-time use of the refrigerator and darkening the interior lighting with high correlation accuracy between the light intensity and the lighting time.

(Embodiment 5)
14 is a block diagram of a refrigerator control device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a refrigerator control circuit, FIG. 16 is an LED characteristic diagram, and FIG. 17 is an operation of the refrigerator control device. This is a flowchart, and will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  14 and 15, the control means 800 counts and integrates the “open” time based on the “open” signal from the door opening / closing detection means 301, and corrects the LED luminous intensity based on the ambient temperature of the LED detected by the temperature detection means 701. It is composed.

  Operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17.

  First, in step 800, the door opening integrated time ta is set to 0. In step 801, the setting of the current variable means 101 is set to I1, and in step 802, if the temperature of the temperature detecting means 701 when the LED is energized is lower than the predetermined value P1, step. Proceed to 803, but if it is greater than or equal to P1, in step 804, the setting value of the current variable means 101 is set to a value of 1.2 times. If the signal from the door opening / closing detection means 301 is “open” in step 803, the door opening time t4 is counted in step 805, and if the signal from the door opening / closing detection means 301 is “closed”, the process returns to step 802. In step 806, ta + t3 is set to ta. If ta is less than the predetermined value TA in step 807, the process returns to step 802. If ta is greater than the predetermined value TA, the current variable means 101 is set to I2 (I2 ≧ I1) in step 808. Then, the process returns to step 802. As shown in FIG. 16, the luminous intensity of the LED becomes dark when the ambient temperature is high. Therefore, the current is increased by multiplying the actual LED energization current by 1.2 in step 804 to maintain the luminous intensity of the LED. The numerical value of 1.2 times is determined for each use application of the LED based on the characteristics of the LED and the ambient temperature.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the LED current is varied and the luminous intensity is further adjusted according to the LED ambient temperature at the time of lighting, the luminous intensity of the LED can be used more comfortably even when the refrigerator is used for many years.

(Embodiment 6)
18 is a block diagram of a control device for a refrigerator according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention, FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a control circuit for the refrigerator, FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device for the refrigerator, and FIG. It is a waveform diagram, and will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  18 and 19, the control unit 600 is configured to count the “open” signal from the door opening / closing detection unit 301 and to instruct the applied voltage control unit 200 to increase the energization rate when a predetermined number of times is counted. The functions of the applied voltage control means 200 and the control means 600 can also be realized by a microcomputer.

  The operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, in step 600, the energization rate setting of the applied voltage control means 200 is set to R1, and if the signal from the door open / close detection means 301 is "open" in step 601, the door open time t2 is counted and integrated in step 602 to open / close the door. If the signal from the detection means 301 is “closed”, the process returns to step 601. In step 603, if the door opening integration time t2 is less than the predetermined value T2, the process returns to step 601, and if it is greater than or equal to the predetermined value T2, the energization rate setting value of the applied voltage control means 200 is set to R2 (R2> R1) in step 604. And the process returns to step 601. An example of increasing the power supply rate is shown in FIG.

  As mentioned above, in this Embodiment, it can prevent that the brightness of LED falls and the illumination in a warehouse becomes dark by use of a refrigerator for many years.

  As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention can prevent the brightness of the LED from being lowered and the interior lighting from becoming dark due to long-term use, and thus can be applied to all devices using interior lighting using LEDs. .

The block diagram of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block diagram of the control circuit of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention The flowchart of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block diagram of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention The block diagram of the control circuit of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention The flowchart of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention The block diagram of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3 of this invention The block diagram of the control circuit of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3 of this invention The flowchart of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3 of this invention The block diagram of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 4 of this invention The block diagram of the control circuit of the refrigerator in Embodiment 4 of this invention Characteristics diagram of LED of refrigerator in embodiment 4 of the present invention The flowchart of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 4 of this invention The block diagram of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 5 of this invention The block diagram of the control circuit of the refrigerator in Embodiment 5 of this invention The characteristic figure of LED of the refrigerator in Embodiment 5 of this invention Flowchart of the refrigerator control device in Embodiment 5 of the present invention. The block diagram of the control apparatus of the refrigerator in Embodiment 6 of this invention The block diagram of the control circuit of the refrigerator in Embodiment 6 of this invention Flowchart of the refrigerator control device in Embodiment 6 of the present invention. LED drive voltage waveform diagram of refrigerator in Embodiment 6 of the present invention Conventional refrigerator interior lighting diagram Perspective view of a conventional refrigerator LED characteristics of conventional refrigerators

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Interior illumination 101 Current variable means 102 Control means 200 Applied voltage control means 300 Control means 301 Door opening / closing detection means 500 Control means 600 Control means 700 Control means 701 Temperature detection means 800 Control means

Claims (6)

  In a refrigerator that uses LEDs as lighting in the cabinet, the refrigerator includes current variable means for changing the current flowing through the LEDs, and control means for controlling the current variable means, and the time after the refrigerator is turned on is a predetermined time. When it reaches, the refrigerator which keeps the brightness of the LED by increasing the current by the current variable means.   A refrigerator using LEDs as lighting in the cabinet, comprising: a current variable means for changing a current flowing through the LED; a control means for controlling the current variable means; and a door open / close detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door. When the door open / close number exceeds a predetermined value, the current variable means increases the current to maintain the light intensity of the LED.   A refrigerator using LEDs as lighting in the cabinet, comprising: a current variable means for changing a current flowing through the LED; a control means for controlling the current variable means; and a door open / close detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door. When the door opening time is integrated and exceeds a predetermined value, the current is increased by the current variable means to keep the light intensity of the LED.   The temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature of the LED is provided, a correction value is determined based on the LED ambient temperature when the LED is lit, and the LED current is varied by correcting the time when the LED is turned off by applying the correction value. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the integration time is adjusted to further increase the correlation accuracy between the luminous intensity and the lighting time.   5. The door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door and the temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature of the LED, and further adjusting the luminous intensity by varying the LED current according to the LED ambient temperature at the time of lighting. The refrigerator as described in any one of.   An application voltage control means for changing the current application rate of the LED; and a control means for controlling the application voltage control means; instead of increasing the current by the current variable means, the current application rate is increased by the application voltage control means; The refrigerator as described in any one of Claim 1 to 5 provided with the means to maintain the luminous intensity of LED.