JP2013092348A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of cooling according to the storage condition of substances to be stored in the inside of the refrigerator.SOLUTION: A refrigerator is equipped with light sources 20a, 20b arranged in the inside of a storage compartment, an optical sensor 21 for detecting irradiation light irradiated from the light sources 20a, 20b, a calculation control section 1 for calculating and processing based on the detecting result of the optical sensor 21, the detecting brightness in the optical sensor 21 detects indirect irradiated light including reflected light in the wall faces and the substances to be stored in the storage compartment, a light receiving stability by the optical sensor 21 is raised, an estimating accuracy of the storage quantity in the calculation control section can be enhanced, and cooling or output can be controlled according to the storage state of the substances to be stored in the refrigerator.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with means for detecting a storage state of storage items in a warehouse.

  In recent household refrigerators, an indirect cooling method in which cold air is circulated in the refrigerator using a fan is common. Conventional refrigerators maintain the internal temperature at an appropriate temperature by adjusting and controlling the temperature according to the detection result of the internal temperature.

  For example, there is a refrigerator provided with a movable cold air discharge device as a refrigerator that keeps the inside temperature uniform (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 26 is a front view showing the internal structure of the refrigerator compartment 101 of the conventional refrigerator 500.

  As shown in FIG. 26, in the refrigerator 500, the movable cold air discharge device 102 provided in the refrigerator compartment 101 supplies cold air to the left and right. Thereby, the inside temperature is made uniform. In such a refrigerator 500, the temperature is estimated by a thermistor in the cabinet.

JP-A-8-247608

  However, in such a conventional refrigerator, the storage state such as the amount and arrangement of stored items such as stored foods has not been considered.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said conventional subject, and it aims at providing the refrigerator which can be cooled or output-controlled according to the accommodation state of the stored item in a refrigerator.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention is divided by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door and stores a stored item, a light source installed inside the storage chamber, and a light source irradiated from the light source. An optical sensor for detecting the irradiated light, and an arithmetic control unit for performing arithmetic processing based on the detection result of the optical sensor, and the illuminance detected by the optical sensor is determined by the wall surface in the storage chamber and the storage object. Indirect irradiation light including reflected light is detected.

  Thereby, the light reception stability in the optical sensor is increased, and the estimation accuracy of the storage amount in the calculation control unit can be increased.

  Since the refrigerator according to the present invention can improve the estimation accuracy of the storage amount, it is possible to perform cooling or output control according to the storage state of the storage items inside the refrigerator.

Front view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Control block diagram of refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Sectional view 3A-3A in FIG. 1 of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The front view when the refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention is opened The figure which shows the characteristic of the illumination intensity and output current of the optical sensor which is the storage condition detection part of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The characteristic view which showed the relationship between the storage rate of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the illumination intensity in an optical sensor for every reflectance of the wall surface in a store | warehouse | chamber The characteristic view which showed the relationship between the storage rate of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the illumination intensity in an optical sensor for every transmittance | permeability of the storage shelf in a store | warehouse | chamber The flowchart which shows the control flow of the operation | movement which detects the accommodation state of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the control flow of the operation | movement which detects the accommodation state of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing about the operation | movement which detects the accommodation state using the top | upper surface LED of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The characteristic view at the time of detecting a storage state using top LED of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention Operation | movement explanatory drawing which detects an accommodation state using the side lower LED of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention The characteristic view at the time of detecting a storage state using the side lower LED of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention In the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a characteristic diagram obtained by averaging the characteristic values shown in FIGS. 9 and 11 Explanatory drawing which shows the example of accommodation of the main light sensor vicinity of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of the error generation | occurrence | production by the storage thing near the main light sensor of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The characteristic view which shows the accommodation state detection of the main light sensor vicinity in the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of accommodation of the reflective object of the main light sensor vicinity of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of an error generation by the reflector in the main light sensor vicinity of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The characteristic view which shows the relationship between the wavelength of light and the reflectance in the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The characteristic view which shows the relationship between the wavelength of light and the reflectance in the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The characteristic view which shows the relationship between the wavelength of light and the reflectance in the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Reflector detection characteristic diagram in the vicinity of the main light sensor of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention Storage state detection characteristic diagram after correction calculation in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Sectional drawing seen from the side of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention Explanatory drawing which shows the state which accommodated the stored item in the back of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention. Sectional drawing seen from the top which shows the optical sensor arrangement example of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention Sectional drawing seen from the top which shows the optical sensor arrangement example of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention Sectional drawing seen from the side which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the optical sensor of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention Sectional drawing seen from the side which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the optical sensor of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of this invention Sectional drawing seen from the top which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the optical sensor in the air path in the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention Front view showing the internal structure of a refrigerator compartment of a conventional refrigerator

  The invention according to claim 1 is a storage chamber that is partitioned by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door and stores stored items, a light source installed inside the storage chamber, and light that detects irradiation light emitted from the light source. A sensor and a calculation control unit that performs calculation processing based on a detection result of the optical sensor, and the detected illuminance by the optical sensor is indirect including the reflected light from the wall surface and the stored item in the storage chamber. The light receiving stability of the optical sensor is increased, the estimation accuracy of the storage amount in the arithmetic control unit can be increased, the cooling according to the storage state of the stored item in the refrigerator, or Output control is possible.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the reflectivity of the wall surface of the storage chamber is 0.5 or more, and the optical sensor is used while optimizing the light amount of the light source. The light receiving stability is improved, and the estimation accuracy of the storage amount in the calculation control unit can be increased.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a storage shelf is provided in the storage chamber, and the transmittance of the storage shelf is set to 70% or more. As a result, the light reception stability of the optical sensor is increased, and the storage volume estimation accuracy in the calculation control unit can be increased.

  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)
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 20.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of refrigerator 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator 100. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 100 taken along 3A-3A in FIG. 3B is a front view when the refrigerator compartment door 12a of the refrigerator compartment 12 of the refrigerator 100 is opened.

  As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the refrigerator 100 includes a refrigerator body 11. The refrigerator body 11 is a heat insulating box, and is mainly composed of an outer box using a steel plate, an inner box formed of a resin such as ABS, and a heat insulating material injected between the outer box and the inner box. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator main body 11 is partitioned into a plurality of storage rooms by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door. Specifically, a refrigerator compartment 12 is disposed at the top of the refrigerator body 11. In addition, an ice making chamber 13 and a switching chamber 14 are provided side by side in the lower portion of the refrigerator compartment 12. A freezing room 15 is provided below the ice making room 13 and the switching room 14. A vegetable compartment 16 is disposed at the bottom of the refrigerator body 11 and below the freezer compartment 15.

  A heat insulating door for partitioning from the outside air is formed in the front opening of the refrigerator main body 11 on the front surface of each storage room. The refrigerator compartment door 12 a is a heat insulating door of the refrigerator compartment 12. In the vicinity of the center of the refrigerator compartment door 12a, it is possible to make settings such as internal temperature setting, ice making, and rapid cooling of each storage room, and display the detection result of the storage state, the operation status of the refrigerator 100, and the like. A display unit 17 is arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 100 includes an interior lighting 20 that is a light source installed inside the refrigerator compartment 12, an optical sensor 21 that detects irradiation light emitted from the light source, and detection of the optical sensor 21. And an arithmetic control unit 1 that performs arithmetic processing based on the result. The refrigerator 100 further includes blue LEDs 22a and 22b.

  The calculation control unit 1 calculates an attenuation rate from the reference storage room illuminance in the state in which the stored items are stored based on the reference storage room illuminance in the state where there is no stored item in the refrigerator compartment 12 and the detected illuminance of the optical sensor 21. And a storage state estimation unit 82 that estimates the storage amount of the stored items based on the calculation result of the attenuation rate calculation unit 81.

  The refrigerator 100 further includes a door opening / closing detection sensor 3 that is a door opening / closing detection unit that detects opening / closing of the refrigerator compartment door 12a.

  The interior lighting 20 has top LEDs 20a and 20b, lighting LEDs 20c to 20f, and side lower LEDs 20g and 20h.

  The arithmetic control unit 1 further includes a memory 2 and a timer 4.

  The optical sensor 21 includes main optical sensors 21a and 21c and a sub optical sensor 21b.

  The refrigerator 100 includes a cooling system 35. The cooling system 35 includes a compressor 30, a cooling fan 31, and an air volume adjustment damper 32.

  As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, a plurality of storage shelves 18 are provided in the refrigerator compartment 12 so that foods that are stored items can be organized and stored. Moreover, the door storage shelf 19 is provided in the surface inside the refrigerator compartment door 12a. The internal storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19 are made of a material having high light transmittance such as glass or transparent resin.

  The surfaces of the internal storage rack 18 and the door storage rack 19 are processed so that light diffuses while maintaining a certain transmittance. Thereby, it is possible to adjust the brightness distribution in the refrigerator compartment 12. The transmittance at this time is desirably 50% or more, and when the transmittance is lower than 50%, there is a place where it is difficult for light to reach the inside of the cabinet, so that the detection accuracy of the storage state may be lowered. . In addition, it is practically desirable that the transmittance of the storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19 is 70% or more. The reason for this will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the interior lighting 20 is provided in the refrigerator compartment 12 in order to illuminate the interior of the storage room. Thereby, the visibility of the foodstuff etc. which are the stored goods is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the interior lighting 20 is disposed on the door side (front side) rather than 1/2 (center) of the interior depth when viewed from the front (front) on the door opening side in the refrigerator 100. ing.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the interior lighting 20 is disposed on the top surface, the left wall surface, and the right wall surface, respectively. Specifically, as the interior lighting 20, a plurality of LEDs, such as the top LEDs 20a and 20b on the top surface, the lighting LEDs 20c to 20f on the right and left wall surfaces, and the side lower LEDs 20g and 20h, respectively, are used. Yes. As a result, high-luminance light enters the optical sensor 21, so that the detection sensitivity of the storage state by the optical sensor 21 can be increased. In addition, by sequentially lighting a plurality of LEDs at different positions, the detection value of the optical sensor 21 changes depending on the housed state and the LED to be lit, so that the housed state can be estimated in more detail. Further, the LED of the interior lighting 20 is disposed above the optical sensor 21 in the refrigerator compartment 12.

  On the side wall surface, the lighting LEDs 20c to 20f and the side lower LED 20g are arranged in the vertical direction as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Thereby, the whole refrigerator compartment 12 longer in the height direction than the width direction can be irradiated uniformly.

  The main light sensors 21a and 21c and the sub light sensor 21b, which are the light sensors 21, are located below the interior of the chamber and at a position closer to the refrigerator compartment door 12a than 1/2 (center) in the depth direction in the chamber. is set up. Thereby, it is possible to accurately detect the storage state of storage items such as food near the entrance that is easily affected by the inflow of outside air due to the opening and closing of the door, and control the interior to be kept at an appropriate temperature.

  As the optical sensor 21, an illuminance sensor, specifically, a sensor having a peak wavelength of 500 to 600 nm at which the sensitivity is highest is used in the present embodiment. It should be noted that the peak wavelength that provides the highest sensitivity of these optical sensors may be in other wavelength bands, and detects the emission wavelengths of the light sources of the top LED 20a and 20b, the side LED 20g and 20h, and the blue LEDs 22a and 22b. Determined to be able to.

  In FIG. 3B, assuming that the refrigerator compartment 12 is divided into two sections in the left-right direction, the top LED 20a and the main light sensor 21c are disposed in the right section. Further, the top LED 20b, the main light sensor 21a, and the sub light sensor 21b are arranged in the left section toward the left. Further, assuming that the refrigerator compartment 12 is divided into two sections in the vertical direction, the top LEDs 20a and 20b are arranged in the upper section. Further, the lower side LEDs 20g and 20h, the main light sensors 21a and 21c, and the sub light sensor 21b are arranged in the lower section. As described above, the LEDs and the optical sensors 21 constituting the storage state detection unit are arranged in a plurality of sections. The detected illuminance by the optical sensor 21 is illuminance obtained by detecting indirect irradiation light including reflected light from the wall surface and stored items in the refrigerator compartment 12.

  In the main light sensors 21a and 21c, the light emitted from the top LEDs 20a and 20b or the lower side LEDs 20g and 20h repeatedly reflects on the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 12 and is reflected and attenuated by the stored items. Measure the illuminance when the distribution of is saturated. The arithmetic control unit 1 performs arithmetic processing using the measured values of the main light sensors 21a and 21c to estimate the storage state of the storage items. In the present embodiment, as described above, the LED and the optical sensor 21 are arranged in the plurality of sections, so that the storage state can be detected with high accuracy regardless of the arrangement of the storage items.

  Note that it is practically desirable that the reflectance of the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 12 be 0.5 or more. Further, as described above, it is practically desirable that the transmittances of the internal storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19 are 70% or more, respectively. These reasons will be described below.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the characteristics of the illuminance and the output current of the optical sensor 21 constituting the storage state detection unit of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the storage rate of the refrigerator 100 and the illuminance at the optical sensor 21 for each reflectance of the inner wall surface. FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the storage rate of the refrigerator 100 and the illuminance at the optical sensor 21 for each transmittance of the storage shelf 18. The output value from the illuminance of the optical sensor 21 can be output as a current value or a voltage value (hereinafter described as a current value, but can be replaced with a voltage value).

The inner box constituting the inner wall of the refrigerator compartment 12 of the refrigerator 100 is formed by vacuum forming white ABS resin, and the reflectance R of the inner wall surface is 0.5 or more.

  The reflectance R is defined by the ratio of the light beam reflected on this surface to the light beam incident on a certain surface, and it can be said that the larger the numerical value, the easier it is to reflect. Measurement is possible with a commercially available spectrophotometer. Some devices can measure the transmittance T simultaneously with the reflectance R. Further, in the Japanese Industrial Standard, the measurement and test method of the reflectance R is defined by JIS-K3106 and the like. The reflectance R can also be estimated from the luminance of a sample (gray scale) with a known reflectance measured using a luminance meter.

  The transmittance T is the rate at which incident light of a specific wavelength passes through the sample. It can be said that the larger the numerical value, the easier the light is transmitted. Regarding the transmittance T, the measurement and test methods are defined in JIS-K7361-1. The internal storage shelf 18 disposed inside the refrigerator compartment 12 of the refrigerator 100 is made of polystyrene or glass, and the door storage shelf 19 is made of polystyrene. And the transmittance | permeability T of the storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19 is 70% or more, respectively. Note that the material is not limited to these examples as long as the transmittance satisfies the above relationship.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the illuminance at the main light sensors 21a and 21c and the output current value at that time have a linear relationship, and the higher the illuminance, the larger the output current value. On the other hand, when the illuminance decreases, the output current value also decreases. When the illuminance is less than a predetermined value and the storage state detection unit of the present embodiment is less than 0.5 lux, the linear relationship with the output current is lost. The output current value at this time is 0.1 μA in the storage state detection unit of the present embodiment, but the relationship between the illuminance and the output current value differs depending on the specification of the storage state detection unit. In general, the accuracy of a sensor that detects illuminance decreases below 1 lux, but in the present embodiment, a minimum of 0.5 lux or more is required assuming a relatively good optical sensor 21. Illuminance is used.

  As a result, the calculation control unit 1 estimates the storage rate of the storage object at a predetermined value (0.5 lux) or more having a linear relationship between the illuminance at the optical sensor 21 and the output current value, thereby storing the storage rate. The estimation accuracy can be improved.

  That is, by not using the range in which the illuminance at the optical sensor 21 does not have a linear relationship for estimating the storage rate of the stored items, it is possible to increase the accuracy of estimating the storage rate, and the optical sensor 21 has a predetermined output value In the case of (0.5 lux) or less, it can also be used for failure diagnosis.

  As described above, the minimum illuminance is 0.1 μA when converted into the output current value. That is, in the present embodiment, the minimum output current of the main light sensors 21a and 21c is set to 0.1 μA or more. Thereby, from the viewpoint of the minimum output current, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the storage state of the stored item based on the illuminance attenuation amount in the main light sensors 21a and 21c.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the storage rate of the stored items in the warehouse is increased while keeping the light amount of the light source constant, the illuminance at the main light sensors 21a and 21c decreases. And the illuminance of the main light sensors 21a and 21c at the same accommodation rate tends to decrease as the reflectance R of the inner wall surface decreases. This is because part of the light from the light source reflects the inner wall surface and reaches the main light sensors 21a and 21c. The lower the reflectance R of the inner wall surface, the more the main light sensors 21a and 21c are reached. This is because the amount of light decreases.

  In addition, although a design member with a low reflectance may be partially installed on the inner wall surface, the amount of light reaching the main light sensors 21a and 21c depends on the reflectance R of the inner wall surface having a large area.

Further, as described above, it is necessary to detect the storage state while avoiding the detection accuracy unstable region of the optical sensor 21. Since the minimum illuminance of the main light sensors 21a and 21c is required to be 0.5 lux or more, it can be seen from the relationship shown in FIG. 5 that the reflectance R of the inner wall surface needs to be 0.5 or more.

  Here, in order to increase the amount of light received by the optical sensor 21, it is conceivable to increase the light amount of the light source. However, there is a possibility of an increase in power consumption and an increase in the internal temperature due to heat generation of the light source, and when the lighting function and the light source for detecting the storage state are used together, the user feels dazzling and the visibility of the food deteriorates. there is a possibility. For this reason, it is not a good idea to increase the amount of light from the light source in the dark clouds. For this reason, in this embodiment, the light source has the lowest illuminance on the storage shelf 18 when the illuminance is measured in a dark room with the interior of the compartment empty and with the refrigerator compartment door 12a opened. The LED is adjusted to be 100 lux or less at the place. The illuminance of 100 lux or less at this time is the brightness as viewed from the user side. Specifically, the axis with the highest sensitivity in the sensing unit of a general illuminometer is placed horizontally with the storage shelf 18 in the cabinet. And it installed and measured toward the refrigerator compartment door 12a side.

  In the present embodiment, as the light source of the interior lighting 20, an LED having a luminous intensity of 20 candela or less is used in consideration of the thermal effect on the interior.

  Here, when the LED as the storage state detection unit is configured by using a dedicated light source without using the illumination function of the interior lighting 20 together, the case where the light intensity of the LED of the storage state detection unit is relatively low. Suppose. In such a case, it is necessary to further increase the reflectivity R in the warehouse from 0.5.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the illuminance of the optical sensor 21 at the same storage rate tends to decrease as the transmittance of the storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19 decreases. In the present embodiment, by setting the transmittances of the storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19 to 70% or more, respectively, the estimation accuracy of the storage state of the stored items based on the illuminance attenuation amount by the optical sensor 21 is ensured. be able to.

  As a method of detecting an object using the optical sensor 21, a method using a phenomenon in which the intensity of light is extremely attenuated by shielding, such as a photo interrupter, is generally used. According to this method, the presence of a single object can be detected digitally using a single optical sensor 21, and the presence of a plurality of objects can be detected using a large number of optical sensors. However, when such a configuration is used, it is only possible to detect the presence or absence of stored items in a limited place in the storage chamber, and it is difficult to grasp the storage state of the entire storage chamber. However, according to the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, by using a small number of LEDs and optical sensors 21, the entire storage state in the space called the refrigerator compartment 12 is analog, that is, not only the presence or absence of storage items, The amount can also be grasped quantitatively. That is, the configuration of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment is suitable for detecting the entire amount of stored items in the closed space.

  In the method of detecting an object using the optical sensor 21, if the vicinity of the optical sensor 21, that is, the immediate front is closed by the storage object, the level of light that can be detected decreases extremely, and the light intensity The rate of change of decreases. For this reason, it is considered that complicated processing is required for detection of the storage state.

However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the top LEDs 20a and 20b, the lighting LEDs 20c to 20f, the side lower LEDs 20g and 20h, and the main light sensors 21a and 21c It is attached to a space α between the door storage shelf 19. For this reason, even if the inside of the refrigerator compartment 12 is filled with stored items, the possibility that the vicinity of the optical sensor 21 is blocked with food is low. As a result, the upper and lower spaces between the heat insulating door and the front end of the storage shelf 18 are unlikely to be blocked by the storage items, and a stable light path from the light source is secured, while the door storage shelf 19 and the interior of the storage shelf 18 are stored. It is possible to accurately estimate the storage state of the stored item based on the illuminance attenuation amount by the optical sensor 21 due to the presence of the stored item in the storage shelf 18.

  Further, the main light sensors 21a and 21b are located on the front side of the vertical surface including the front end portion of the storage cabinet 18 and on the vertical side including the rear end portion of the refrigerator compartment door 12a which is a heat insulating door. It is installed between the surfaces. More preferably, the main light sensors 21a and 21b are provided on the front side of the vertical surface including the front side end of the storage cabinet 18 and the rear side end of the refrigerator compartment door 12a which is a heat insulating door. It is installed in the part (alpha) which is between the containing vertical surfaces and does not cover the door storage shelf 19. FIG. Thereby, since there is a space between the storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19, it is possible to prevent the main light sensors 21a and 21c constituting the storage state detection unit from being blocked by the storage items.

  Returning to FIG. 3A, the machine room formed in the uppermost rear region in the refrigerator compartment 12 contains components of the refrigeration cycle including the compressor 30 such as a dryer for removing moisture.

  A cooling chamber for generating cold air is provided on the back surface of the freezing chamber 15. In the cooling chamber, a cooling device 31 and a cooling fan 31 (see FIG. 2) for blowing cold air, which is cooling means cooled by the cooling device, to the refrigerating chamber 12, the switching chamber 14, the ice making chamber 13, the vegetable chamber 16, and the freezing chamber 15 ) Is arranged. Further, an air volume adjustment damper 32 (see FIG. 2) for adjusting the air volume from the cooling fan 31 is installed in the air path. In addition, a radiant heater, a drain pan, a drain tube evaporating dish, and the like are arranged to defrost frost and ice adhering to the cooler and its surroundings.

  The arithmetic control unit 1 performs temperature control (usually 1 ° C. to 5 ° C.) with the temperature that does not freeze as a lower limit for the refrigerator compartment 12 for refrigerated storage. The arithmetic control unit 1 controls the temperature of the vegetable compartment 16 to a temperature setting (for example, 2 ° C. to 7 ° C.) that is equal to or slightly higher than that of the refrigerator compartment 12. The arithmetic control unit 1 sets the freezer compartment 15 in a freezing temperature zone (usually −22 ° C. to −15 ° C.), but has a low temperature of −30 ° C. or −25 ° C., for example, in order to improve the frozen storage state. It may be set to.

  The ice making chamber 13 creates ice with water sent from a water storage tank in the refrigerator compartment 12 in an automatic ice maker provided in the upper part of the room, and stores it in an ice storage container arranged in the lower part of the room.

  The switching chamber 14 has a temperature range of 1 ° C. to 5 ° C. (refrigerated), a temperature range of 2 ° C. to 7 ° C. (vegetable), and a temperature range of −22 ° C. to −15 ° C. (frozen). Can be switched to a preset temperature range from the freezing temperature range to the freezing temperature range. The switching chamber 14 is a storage chamber provided with an independent door, which is provided in parallel with the ice making chamber 13, and includes, for example, a drawer-type door.

  In the present embodiment, the switching chamber 14 is a storage chamber that can be adjusted in a temperature range including a refrigeration temperature range to a freezing temperature range. However, the switching chamber 14 is not limited to this configuration, and the refrigeration chamber 12 or the vegetable chamber 16 is refrigerated, and the freezing chamber 15 is refrigerated, and switching is performed in a temperature zone between the refrigeration temperature zone and the freezing temperature zone. It can also be a storage room. Further, the switching chamber 14 may be a storage chamber fixed to a freezing setting in accordance with a recent increase in demand for frozen food, for example, in a specific temperature range.

  The operation and action of the refrigerator 100 configured as described above will be described below.

In the present embodiment, among the interior lighting 20, the top surface LEDs 20a and 20b and the side surface lower LEDs 20g and 20h are used to detect the storage state of the storage items. Moreover, in this Embodiment, the storage state is detected using the main optical sensor 21a and the sub optical sensor 21b among the optical sensors 21. FIG.

  In addition, when it is necessary to further increase the detection accuracy of the storage state of the stored item, the number of LED light sources to be used may be increased, such as using the lighting LEDs 20c to 20f as a storage state detection unit. Further, the detection accuracy can be increased by increasing the number of optical sensors 21 to be used, such as using the main optical sensor 21c as the storage state detection unit.

  Hereinafter, the operation of detecting the storage state of the storage object using the top surface LEDs 20a and 20b, the side surface lower LEDs 20g and 20h, the main light sensor 21a, and the sub light sensor 21b will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  7A and 7B are flowcharts showing a control flow of an operation of detecting the storage state of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation of detecting the storage state using the top LEDs 20a and 20b of the refrigerator 100. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating characteristics when the storage state is detected using the top LEDs 20a and 20b of the refrigerator 100. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of detecting the storage state using the side surface lower LED 20 g of the refrigerator 100. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating characteristics when the storage state is detected using the LED 20g on the lower side surface of the refrigerator 100. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing characteristics obtained by averaging the values of the characteristics shown in FIGS. 9 and 11 in the refrigerator 100.

  The refrigerator compartment 12 is generally longer in the height direction than the width direction (vertically long shape). For this reason, the example which divides the refrigerator compartment 12 into two upper and lower divisions and detects a storage state is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, first, opening / closing of the refrigerator compartment door 12a is detected by the door opening / closing detection sensor 3 (S101). When it is detected that the door is in a closed state (closed), the arithmetic control unit 1 determines that there is a possibility that a stored item has been taken in and out, and starts arithmetic processing.

  The arithmetic control unit 1 can also start a storage state detection operation (basic data acquisition operation) after measuring a predetermined time with the timer 4 after the refrigerator compartment door 12a is closed (S102). In this case, the arithmetic control unit 1 starts control after the door open / close detection sensor 3 detects the closed state of the heat insulating door and a predetermined time has elapsed.

  Here, the reason why the timer 4 measures the predetermined time (reason for waiting for the predetermined time) in step S102 will be described.

  One is to prevent the storage state detection from being influenced by minute condensation on the surfaces of the storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19 that are at a low temperature and a change in transmittance. That is, it is for detecting the storage state after the condensation is eliminated after a predetermined time.

  The other is to turn on the interior lighting 20 as the lighting when the refrigerator door 12a is open, but to prevent the detection of the storage state from being affected by the decrease in the luminous intensity of the LED due to the generated heat. That is, when the door is closed, the LED is turned off, and after the temperature rise of the LED is resolved after a predetermined time, the LED is turned on again to detect the storage state.

  Moreover, since the time difference between the door opening / closing detection sensor 3 and the actual closed state can be absorbed by setting the predetermined time, light from the outside of the refrigerator can be surely excluded and the estimation accuracy of the storage amount can be increased.

  As described above, in order to stabilize the illuminance in the storage room, the apparatus waits for a predetermined time.

  As another method for stabilizing the illuminance in the storage room, the LED is lit for a while after the refrigerator compartment door 12a is closed to generate heat, and after a predetermined time, the temperature rise of the LED is saturated and becomes constant. There is also a method for starting the detection after this. Also by this method, the luminous intensity of the LED can be stabilized.

  When the storage control operation is started, the arithmetic control unit 1 first turns on the light sources of the top LEDs 20a and 20b arranged on the top, which is the upper compartment of the refrigerator 100 (S103).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a case is assumed in which food as the stored item 23 a is stored on the internal storage shelf 18 and the stored item 23 b is stored in the door storage shelf 19. In this case, the light 24a output from the top LED 20a (the light component is indicated by an arrow in FIG. 8; the dotted line indicates that the light intensity is attenuated) is reflected by the stored object 23a and attenuated, and the light It diffuses in another direction like 24b and 24c. And light 24b, 24c repeats reflection in the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 12, another foodstuff, etc. further. In addition, the light 24d reflected by the stored item 23b of the door storage shelf 19 is also attenuated, diffuses in another direction like the light 24e, and is repeatedly reflected on the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 12 and other stored items such as food. After repeating reflection in this way, the distribution of brightness in the refrigerator compartment 12 is saturated and stabilized.

  In general, the irradiation light of the LED emits light with a predetermined irradiation angle. For this reason, the lights 24a and 24d indicated by arrows in FIG. 8 are part of the light components emitted by the LEDs. The same applies to the description of light.

  The optical axes of the top LEDs 20a and 20b are directed vertically downward, the detection directions of the main light sensors 21a and 21c are directed horizontally, and are not opposed to each other. For this reason, most of the light components generated from the top LEDs 20a and 20b do not directly enter the main light sensors 21a and 21c, but light reflected by the wall surfaces and the stored items enter the main light sensors 21a and 21c. It is configured.

  Specifically, the main light sensors 21a and 21c may be arranged at positions shifted from the optical axes of the top LEDs 20a and 20b serving as light sources. That is, since the LED has high directivity, it is desirable to arrange the main light sensors 21a and 21c at positions where the light from the top LEDs 20a and 20b does not enter directly or so as not to enter.

  An example of the storage state detection characteristic detected by the main light sensor 21a at this time is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, it can be seen that the illuminance decreases as the storage amount increases. However, when only the top LEDs 20a and 20b are lit (when the side lower LED 20g is not lit), the maximum value (when the stored item is biased downward) and the minimum value (stored item) even if the stored amount is the same. Error occurs when the value is biased upward. For this reason, it is necessary to correct this error. The correction method will be described later. The arithmetic control unit 1 records the measured illuminance information as detection data A in the memory 2 (S104).

  In FIG. 9, the vertical axis of the graph is “illuminance”, but relative values such as “relative illuminance” or “illuminance attenuation rate” with reference to the standard storage room illuminance when there is no storage can be used. it can. In other words, the attenuation rate calculation unit 81 of the calculation control unit 1 determines the reference storage room illuminance in the state in which the stored item is stored based on the reference storage room illuminance in the state in which there is no storage in the storage room and the detected illuminance of the optical sensor 21. Calculate the decay rate from. In this case, it is easy to deal with variations in luminous intensity and the like that the LED has as initial characteristics. In addition, the vertical axis may be an “illuminance attenuation amount” based on the reference storage room illuminance when there is no stored item. Hereinafter, the concept regarding “illuminance” is the same.

  The light intensity of the top LEDs 20a and 20b can be adjusted by the arithmetic control unit 1 so that the output value based on the detected illuminance of the optical sensor 21 in a state where there is no stored item in the storage room becomes a predetermined value. The light intensity adjustment of the top LEDs 20a and 20b is performed before the refrigerator 100 is used by the user. Thereby, each light intensity variation of top LED20a, 20b can be absorbed.

  The output value based on the detected illuminance of the optical sensor 21 is a current value or a voltage value, and an attenuation rate (%) is calculated by comparing the output values. This attenuation rate (%) may be stored in the memory 2, and the control by the arithmetic control unit 1 becomes easy.

  Further, the correlation data between the illuminance decay rate and the storage amount is experimentally obtained in advance for each of different forms such as the capacity, width, and height of the refrigerator 100 and is built in the arithmetic control unit 1. Thereby, it can estimate on the basis of the empty state in which there is no storage thing of the actual refrigerator including the storage shelf and wall surface in a storage room, and can improve the estimation precision of storage amount. In addition, it is possible to estimate the stored amount (absolute amount) of the stored items in the refrigerator.

  The correlation data between the illuminance attenuation rate of the optical sensor 21 and the storage amount when there is no storage in the storage chamber has a plurality of correlation data corresponding to each of the plurality of light sources.

  Further, the detected illuminance of the optical sensor 21 is a value read after a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) after the top LEDs 20a and 20b are turned on. In addition, it is good also as an average value of time during which top LED20a, 20b is lighted.

  Next, after turning off the top LEDs 20a and 20b, the arithmetic control unit 1 turns on the side lower LED 20g disposed on the wall below the side that is the lower compartment of the refrigerator 100 (S105). For example, a case is assumed in which stored items 23c and 23d (for example, food) are stored on the storage shelf 18 as shown in FIG. At this time, the light 24f output from the LED 20g (the light component is indicated by an arrow in FIG. 10; the dotted line indicates that the light intensity is attenuated) is reflected by the storage 23c and attenuated, and the light 24g To spread in another direction. The light 24g further repeats reflection on the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 12 and other stored items. Further, the light 24h reflected by the stored item 23d is also attenuated, diffused in another direction like the light 24i and 24j, and further reflected by the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 12 and other stored items. After repeating reflection in this way, the distribution of brightness in the refrigerator compartment 12 is saturated and stabilized.

  Note that at least one of the side lower LEDs 20g and 20h may be turned on in accordance with the required detection accuracy.

  When the side lower LED 20g is turned on, detection is performed by the main light sensor 21a. The side lower LED 20g and the main light sensor 21a are attached to the same wall surface (FIGS. 3A and 3B), and thus do not face each other. Since detection is performed in such a combination, most of the light components from the side lower LED 20g do not directly enter the main light sensor 21a, but enter through the reflection on the wall surface or the stored item. Thereby, indirect irradiation light including the reflected light in the stored item in the storage chamber can be detected.

An example of the storage state detection characteristic by the main light sensor 21a at this time is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, it can be seen that the illuminance decreases as the storage amount increases. However, when only the side lower LED 20g is lit (when the top LEDs 20a and 20b are not lit), the maximum value (when the stored item is biased upward) and the minimum value (stored item) even if the stored amount is the same. There is an error in between. Therefore, it is necessary to correct this error. The correction method will be described later. As a result, it is possible to reduce the variation factor due to the bias of the storage items in the storage chamber, and it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the storage amount due to the storage state of the storage items. The arithmetic control unit 1 records the measured illuminance information as detection data B in the memory 2 (S106).

  As described above, when the stored item is biased toward the upper section, the illumination attenuation due to the increase in the storage amount is large when the top LEDs 20a and 20b are turned on (FIG. 9), and the increase in the storage amount when the side lower LED 20g is turned on. Illuminance attenuation is small (FIG. 11). On the other hand, when the storage item is biased toward the lower compartment, the illumination attenuation due to the increase in the storage amount is small when the top LEDs 20a and 20b are turned on (FIG. 9), and the illumination attenuation due to the increase in the storage amount is large when the LED 20g below the side surface is turned on. (FIG. 11).

  That is, when the top LEDs 20a and 20b in the upper section are turned on, the sensitivity is high with respect to the storage in the upper section, and when the side lower LED 20g in the lower section is turned on, the sensitivity is with respect to the storage in the lower section. Can be said to be expensive.

  In the present embodiment, the storage state of the stored item is detected by combining the measurement results obtained by sequentially lighting the top LED 20a, 20b in the upper section and the lower side LED 20g in the lower section. Specifically, the arithmetic control unit 1 calculates, for example, a value obtained by averaging the detection data A (characteristic shown in FIG. 9) and the detection data B (characteristic shown in FIG. 11) as the detection data C (S107). . The storage state detection characteristics of the detection data C are shown in FIG. Comparing FIG. 12 with FIG. 9 and FIG. 11, by using the average value, the error is almost eliminated, and the storage state can be detected with high accuracy regardless of the deviation in the arrangement of the storage items above and below. It turns out that it was corrected so that it could be done. At this time, the calculation control unit 1 functions as an attenuation rate calculation correction unit that corrects the reference data of the attenuation rate calculation unit 81 based on the storage state of the storage items in the vertical direction in the storage chamber. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably increase the estimation accuracy of the storage amount due to the vertical deviation of the storage items.

  In the above-described example, the example in which the deviation of the arrangement of the stored items in the vertical direction is corrected is shown. In addition, regarding the uneven arrangement of the storage items in the left-right direction or the back / front direction, the refrigerator compartment 12 is divided into two sections in each direction based on the same idea as described above, and the LED or the optical sensor 21 is provided for each. What is necessary is just to provide. Although the number of LEDs and optical sensors 21 increases, it is possible to detect the storage state with higher accuracy.

  Next, the arithmetic control unit 1 executes a step (obstacle correction step) of correcting an error that occurs when there is an obstacle in the light incident path to the main light sensor 21a. The calculation control unit 1 includes an attenuation rate calculation unit 81 that calculates the attenuation rate of the detected illuminance based on the detected illuminance of the optical sensor 21 and the reference data. The calculation control unit 1 functions as an attenuation factor calculation correction unit in the obstacle correction step and a reflection correction step described later. In this case, the storage state estimation unit 82 estimates the storage amount of the stored item based on the calculation result of the attenuation rate calculation unit 81 and the calculation result of the attenuation rate calculation correction unit.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of storage near the main light sensor 21a of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of the occurrence of an error due to the stored items in the vicinity of the main light sensor 21a of the refrigerator 100. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a storage state detection characteristic in the vicinity of the main light sensor 21 a in the refrigerator 100.

  As shown in FIG. 13, it is assumed that a stored item 23e (hereinafter also referred to as an obstacle) is placed on the lower door storage shelf 19. In such a case, since the stored item 23e exists in the vicinity of the main light sensor 21a, the stored item 23e may become an obstacle that narrows the light incident path of the main light sensor 21a.

  FIG. 14 (detection data C) shows an example of a storage state detection characteristic by the main light sensor 21a when such an obstacle exists. As shown in FIG. 14, the maximum value (a) of the discrimination characteristic F when there is no obstacle is attenuated to the maximum value (b) of the discrimination characteristic G when there is an obstacle. That is, an error occurs depending on the presence or absence of an obstacle. Similarly, the minimum value (c) of the discrimination characteristic F when there is no obstacle is attenuated to the minimum value (d) of the discrimination characteristic F when there is an obstacle, and an error occurs.

  In the present embodiment, in order to correct these errors, the lower side LED 20h provided on the wall surface opposite to the lower side LED 20g and the door side position of the same wall surface as the main light sensor 21a are shifted. The stored state of the stored item 23e is detected using the sub light sensor 21b.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the arithmetic control unit 1 turns off the side lower LED 20g, turns on the side lower LED 20h (S108), and acquires the detection data D of the sub light sensor 21b (S109). The characteristics of the detection data D are shown in FIG. If the stored item 23e has a size that narrows the light incident path to the main light sensor 21a, the light path connecting the side lower LED 20h and the sub light sensor 21b is blocked. For this reason, the detection data D of the sub optical sensor 21b is extremely reduced (see FIG. 15).

  Using this phenomenon, the arithmetic control unit 1 compares the detection data D with a predetermined threshold E (S110) to determine whether there is an obstacle. When the detection data D is larger than the predetermined threshold E, it is determined that there is no obstacle, and when the detection data D is smaller than the predetermined threshold E, it is determined that there is an obstacle. When it is determined that there is an obstacle, the arithmetic control unit 1 determines the storage state using the determination characteristic F when there is no obstacle shown in FIG. 14 (S111), and when it is determined that there is no obstacle, The storage state is determined using the determination characteristic G when there is an obstacle shown in FIG. 14 (S112).

  That is, the arithmetic control unit 1 holds in advance two types of reference data (discriminant characteristics F and discriminant characteristics G) when there is an obstacle and when there is an obstacle, and selects either one in the obstacle correction process to determine the storage state. To do.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to correct an error that occurs when there is an obstacle in the light incident path to the main light sensor 21a.

  In the above description, the step of correcting the occurrence of errors due to the stored items in the vicinity of the main light sensor 21a has been described. However, this step may be a step of detecting the stored state of the stored items 23e at the heat insulating door. . In this case, the main light sensor 21a may be disposed at a position that becomes a shadow when the stored item 23e is disposed on the door storage shelf 19. At this time, the calculation control unit 1 functions as an attenuation rate calculation correction unit that corrects the reference data of the attenuation rate calculation unit 81 based on the storage state of the stored items in the heat insulating doors in the storage chamber. In addition, the calculation control unit 1 functions as an attenuation rate calculation correction unit that corrects the reference data of the attenuation rate calculation unit 81 based on the storage state of the storage object in the vicinity of the optical sensor 21. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably increase the estimation accuracy of the storage amount due to the bias of the stored items at the heat insulating door.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment can also correct an error that occurs when there is a stored item 23f with a high reflectance around the main light sensor 21a (hereinafter also referred to as a reflecting object). This correction method (reflecting object correction step) will be described.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining an example of storing the reflecting object in the vicinity of the main light sensor 21a of the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining an example of an error caused by a reflecting object in the vicinity of the main light sensor 21a of the refrigerator 100. 18A to 18C are diagrams illustrating the relationship between the wavelength of light and the reflectance in the refrigerator 100. FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the reflected object detection characteristics in the vicinity of the main light sensor 21 a of the refrigerator 100.

  In general, a storage object (reflecting object) having a high reflectance is an object having a white color or a color close to white. An object having a low light diffusibility on the surface, such as a metal container, and having a light collecting property is also defined as a reflector.

  In FIG. 16, it is assumed that the stored item 23f arranged in the vicinity of the main light sensor 21a is a reflecting object. When the reflectance of the stored item 23f is high, the attenuation of light due to reflection is small, and the light may be condensed without being diffused. For this reason, the illuminance around the stored item 23f tends to increase. Accordingly, the illuminance around the main light sensor 21a in the vicinity also increases.

  As shown in an example of the storage state detection characteristic detected by the main light sensor 21a (detection data C) in FIG. 17, an error occurs due to the difference in reflectance of the stored item 23f. For example, an error J occurs in the characteristic (b) when there is a somewhat high reflectivity with respect to the characteristic (a) when there is no reflection, and the characteristic (c) when there is a high reflectivity. Then, an error H occurs.

  In order to correct this error, in this embodiment, the blue LED 22a and the main light sensor 21a are used to detect the reflection effect of the stored item 23f. Since a white object generally has a high reflectance, an example of identifying a white object will be described here.

  First, the reason for using the blue LED 22a will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 18A, light in a blue wavelength band having a peak at 400 to 500 nm (light in the peak wavelength band of the blue LED 22a) has a low reflectance at a red object. Further, as shown in FIG. 18B, the light in the peak wavelength band of the blue LED 22a has a low reflectance of 50% or less at a blue object. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18C, since the white object has a characteristic of strongly reflecting light in the entire wavelength band, the reflectance also increases with respect to the light in the peak wavelength band of the blue LED 22a. That is, the blue wavelength is less likely to be reflected by objects other than white, and thus is suitable for distinguishing white objects. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a white object is identified using the blue LED 22a.

  For example, assume that light of red wavelength is used rather than blue. At this time, as shown in FIG. 18A, the light in the red wavelength band having a peak around 650 nm has a high reflectance at the red object, which is equivalent to the reflectance at the white object shown in FIG. 18C. That is, red light is reflected at a constant level even with an object of the same color having a low reflectance, so it is difficult to distinguish between a white object and a red object, and it is better to use the blue LED 22a in order to distinguish the reflected object. .

  Since the reflectance is affected by the color of the object, for example, if the reflected object is detected using a chromaticity sensor using RGB wavelengths, the reflectance can be determined with higher accuracy.

  In addition, an object having a low light diffusibility such as a metal container collects light regardless of the wavelength of the light, and can be detected using the characteristics.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 19, since there is a correlation between the error due to the reflecting object and the output of the main light sensor 21a when the blue LED 22a is lit, this error is corrected using this relationship.

  Specifically, first, the calculation control unit 1 turns off the interior lighting 20, turns on the blue LED 22a (S113), and records the detection data K by the main light sensor 21a in the memory 2 (S114).

  Next, the threshold value L determined as shown in FIG. 19 is compared with the detection data K (S115), and if the detection data K is smaller, it is determined that the influence of the reflector is very small and correction is not performed ( S116). On the other hand, if the detection data K is larger, it is determined that there is a reflection influence, and the value of the error J or the error H is estimated based on the error discriminating characteristic M due to the reflecting object, and the detection data C shown in FIG. Is corrected (S117).

  Specifically, the detection data C is corrected by subtracting the value of the error J or the error H.

  By executing the above-described steps (basic data acquisition process, obstacle correction process, and reflector correction process), the calculation control unit 1 calculates a corrected storage amount detection characteristic. At this time, the calculation control unit 1 functions as an attenuation rate calculation correction unit that corrects the reference data of the attenuation rate calculation unit 81 based on the reflectance of the stored items in the storage room. Thereby, the estimation accuracy of the storage amount due to the reflectance of the storage object can be reliably increased.

  FIG. 20 is a storage state detection characteristic diagram after the correction calculation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 20 shows storage capacity detection characteristics (after correction) after basic data acquisition, obstacle correction, and reflection object correction are performed by the arithmetic control unit 1 by the steps shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. Yes. It can be seen that the error between the corrected maximum value (a) and the corrected minimum value (b) is extremely small, and the storage state can be estimated in an analog manner with high accuracy. Using this corrected characteristic, the arithmetic control unit 1 performs storage amount detection. Specifically, the storage state estimation unit 82 estimates the storage amount of the stored item based on the calculation result of the attenuation rate calculation unit 81 (step 118). The storage state estimation unit 82 estimates the storage state of the stored item based on the output value based on the irradiation light from the optical sensor 21.

  In the present embodiment, in the storage state estimation, as shown in FIG. 20, a plurality of threshold values P, Q, R, and S are provided, and the storage amount level is determined in five stages of levels 1 to 5. It was. Specifically, the storage state estimation unit 82 of the arithmetic control unit 1 stores the level 1 storage amount when the threshold value P is greater than or equal to the threshold value P, the level 2 storage amount when the threshold values P to Q, and the threshold value Q to R level. When the storage amount is 3, thresholds R to S, it is determined that the storage amount is level 4, and when it is less than or equal to threshold S, the storage amount is level 5. That is, when the attenuation rate calculated by the attenuation rate calculation unit 81 is large, the storage state estimation unit 82 estimates that the storage amount is large.

  In the above example, the storage state estimation unit 82 estimates the storage amount of the storage item based on the value of the attenuation rate calculated by the attenuation rate calculation unit 81, that is, the estimation of the storage amount based on the absolute value of illuminance. did.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the storage state estimation unit 82 is configured to estimate the storage amount based on the calculation result of the attenuation rate calculation unit 81. Specifically, the attenuation rate calculation unit may calculate the previous calculation result (the previous calculation result may be used). Further, the attenuation rate from the reference storage room illuminance may be calculated using the previous calculation result as a reference storage room illuminance.

  Thereby, the memory 2 only needs to store data up to the previous time, and the control by the arithmetic control unit 1 becomes easy.

For example, in the relationship of FIG. 20, when determining the increase in the storage amount, if the storage amount before the change is level 3, it is level 4 only when the illuminance change is greater than or equal to the difference of “threshold Q−threshold R”. It is discriminated to shift to, otherwise it is held at level 3. Thereby, even if a detection error of several percent occurs due to external noise or the like, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of a change in the storage state. The same way of thinking is used when determining a decrease in the storage amount. In this way, that is, it is possible to estimate the relative change in the storage amount based on the relative value of the illuminance change.

  Further, the arithmetic control unit 1 normally estimates the relative change in the storage amount based on the relative value of the illuminance change, and periodically estimates the absolute value of the storage amount based on the absolute value of the illuminance. It is good. By adopting such a configuration, even when the change in the storage amount with time is very small and the determination level of the storage amount does not change, by periodically estimating the absolute value, The correct storage amount can be determined.

  In addition, when calculating the attenuation rate from the reference storage room illuminance using the calculation result up to the previous time as the reference storage room illuminance (= data = attenuation rate), a predetermined threshold is set with respect to the previous data (= attenuation rate). If it exceeds the limit, it is determined that a change in the storage amount has occurred, and cooling or output control according to the relative change (increase / decrease amount) in the storage amount of the stored items inside the refrigerator becomes possible. Then, when the predetermined threshold value is exceeded, the data up to the previous time is rewritten to become new data, whereby an appropriate change in the storage amount can be determined. If it is not determined that the storage amount has changed for a certain time, the data up to the previous time may be rewritten to new data after a certain time.

The storage state estimation unit 82 of the arithmetic control unit 1 uses the detection result of the door opening / closing detection sensor 3 based on the output value of the optical sensor 21 before opening and the output value of the optical sensor 21 after closing. It is also possible to estimate the storage state (increase / decrease) of the storage items in the storage chamber.
For example, the storage state estimation unit 82 stores the stored items in the storage room when the output value from the optical sensor 21 before opening the door and the output value from the optical sensor 21 after closing the door are smaller than a predetermined value. It is also possible to estimate that the quantity has not changed.

  Thereby, when the refrigerator 100 is performing energy saving operation, it is determined that there is little change in the storage amount before and after the door is opened and closed, and it is not necessary to cancel the energy saving operation, and the refrigerator 100 continues energy saving operation to save power. Can do.

  The output value based on the detected illuminance of the optical sensor 21 is a current value or a voltage value, and the attenuation rate (%) is calculated by comparing the output values. The memory 2 calculates the attenuation rate (%). What is necessary is just to memorize | store, and the control in the calculation control part 1 becomes easy.

  Further, when the calculation result up to the previous time is used as the reference storage room illuminance and the attenuation rate from the reference storage room illuminance is calculated, that is, the relative change in the storage amount is estimated based on the relative value of the illuminance change ( 7A and 7B, the basic flow is the same, but in the obstacle correction process, there are two types of thresholds with different amounts of change depending on the presence or absence of obstacles. It is good also as obstacle correction by selecting.

  Further, in the reflecting object correcting step, when there is a reflecting object, a fixed value may be subtracted to correct the reflecting object so as to determine a larger storage amount.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 20, the interval between the threshold values P to S is set wide when the storage amount is small and narrow when it is large. This is because the storage amount detection characteristic (after correction) takes into consideration that the inclination is larger as the storage amount is smaller, and the inclination is smaller as the storage amount is larger. The intervals between the storage levels 1 to 5 are equal. It is set to become.

  Note that the storage amount is estimated based on the absolute value of the illuminance based on the completely analog determination (that is, based on the characteristic diagram of FIG. 20) without performing the step division using the plurality of thresholds as described above. The absolute value of the storage amount to be calculated may be calculated).

  After estimating the storage state, the arithmetic control unit 1 controls the cooling system 35 such as the compressor 30, the cooling fan 31, and the air volume adjustment damper 32 according to the storage amount or a change in the storage amount or the storage position. The conditions to change the cooling operation.

  In addition, even if the arrangement relationship between the LED and the optical sensor 21 described above is reversed, the storage state detection method described above is established.

  The arithmetic control unit 1 can also notify the user by sequentially turning on the LEDs and blinking the lamp of the display unit 17 while detecting the storage state of the storage items. . Furthermore, after detecting the storage state, the arithmetic control unit 1 can display the detection result on the display unit 17 to notify the user.

  In addition, after the door opening / closing detection sensor 3 detects the closed state of the heat insulating door, the door opening / closing detection sensor 3 detects the open state of the heat insulating door before the series of control operations in the arithmetic control unit 1 is completed. Assume a case. In such a case, a series of control operations in the calculation control unit 1 are forcibly terminated, and a series of control operations in the calculation control unit 1 are started after the closed state of the heat insulating door is detected again. Thereby, even when the heat insulation door is opened halfway, a more accurate storage state detection is possible by performing a series of control operations again.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the description has been given using an example in which all of the basic data acquisition process, the obstacle correction process, and the reflection object correction process are performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it is possible to omit at least one of the obstacle correction process and the reflection object correction process.

  Briefly, it is possible to estimate the storage amount of the stored item by performing the basic data acquisition process (S103 to S107) and determining the storage amount based on the result (S118).

  In the basic data acquisition process (S103 to S107), the order of lighting the top LED 20a, 20b and the side lower LED 20g may be either.

  In such a case, the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment includes the top LED 20a, 20b and the side lower LEDs 20g, 20h installed in the refrigerator compartment 12, and the main light that is the optical sensor 21 that detects the irradiation light. What is necessary is just the structure which has the sensors 21a and 21c. The refrigerator 100 can estimate the storage state of the stored items based on the illuminance attenuation amount in the main light sensors 21a and 21c. Thereby, it is possible to cope with variations in initial characteristics and the like of the LED that is the light source, and it is possible to estimate the entire storage state in the refrigerator compartment 12 with high accuracy.

  In addition, S105 to S107 (step in which the average value of data A and data B is C) in the basic data acquisition step (S103 to S107) is not essential, and data A may be used as the basic data acquisition step.

  Moreover, the obstacle correction process and the reflection object correction process are not essential, and the storage state of the storage object can be estimated only by the basic data acquisition process.

  In addition, the storage state of the storage item can be estimated by combining the basic data acquisition step and the obstacle correction step.

Further, it is possible to estimate the storage state of the storage item by combining the basic data acquisition step and the reflector correction step.

  Further, in this embodiment, in FIG. 7A, after the refrigerator compartment door 12a is closed, after a predetermined time is counted by the timer 4 (S102), the storage state detection operation (basic data acquisition operation) is started. As described above, after the door opening / closing is detected in S101, the calculation control unit 1 confirms that the output value of the optical sensor 21 is equal to or less than a predetermined value (the state in which there is no irradiation light), and then the basic data acquisition process. You can also migrate. Thereby, the influence of the light from the outside of a store | warehouse | chamber can be excluded reliably. Moreover, abnormality, such as a failure of the optical sensor 21, can be detected, and the reliability of the refrigerator 100 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the light emitted from the light source is repeatedly reflected in the storage room, reaches the entire interior, and enters the optical sensor 21. Thereby, the number of components is small, and the storage state can be detected with a simple configuration. Only one of the main light sensors 21a and 21c may be arranged. Thereby, further cost reduction can be achieved. At this time, the arithmetic control unit 1 estimates the storage state of the storage items from the storage state of each light source based on the light received by a plurality of light sources and a single optical sensor 21 provided in the storage chamber. When the storage chamber is divided into a plurality of sections (divided into two sections in the height direction, the depth direction, and the width direction, etc.), at least one of the plurality of light sources is disposed in the section where the optical sensor 21 is disposed, Based on the result of detecting the light emitted from the light source in each section by the optical sensor 21, the storage state of the storage object is estimated.

  Moreover, the attenuation amount of the illuminance detected by the main light sensors 21a and 21c can be set as the attenuation amount of the illuminance in the actual storage state with respect to the reference storage room illuminance in the state where there is no storage in the storage chamber, Using this, the storage state of the stored item is estimated. Thereby, it is possible to cope with not only the variation of the LED as the light source but also the individual variation within the storage room of the refrigerator 100, and the estimation accuracy of the stored state of the stored items can be further increased.

  The attenuation amount of illuminance detected by the main light sensors 21a and 21c is calculated by detecting indirect irradiation light including reflected light from the stored items in the storage chamber. Thereby, the storage state of the stored item can be estimated easily and accurately.

  Further, the main light sensors 21a and 21c are arranged so as to be shifted from the optical axis of the light source. Thereby, since the main light sensors 21a and 21c do not receive the direct light from the light source, it is possible to easily and accurately estimate the storage state of the storage items in the entire warehouse.

  In addition, the main light sensors 21a and 21c and the light source are arranged on surfaces that do not face each other in the storage chamber, or are arranged so as not to face each other. Thereby, the main light sensors 21a and 21c can reliably prevent the reception of direct light from the light source, and can easily and accurately estimate the storage state of the storage items in the entire storage.

  Further, by providing an attenuation rate calculation correction unit that corrects the illuminance attenuation amount in the main light sensors 21a and 21c according to the storage state, it is possible to absorb the variation factor due to the bias of the storage items in the storage chamber, and to store the storage items. The estimation accuracy of the storage amount resulting from the state can be improved.

  In addition, as an attenuation rate calculation correction unit that corrects the illuminance attenuation amount in the main light sensors 21a and 21c depending on the storage state, a unit for correcting the storage state in the vertical direction of the storage item in the storage chamber is provided. It is possible to reliably increase the estimation accuracy of the storage amount due to the vertical deviation.

In addition, as an attenuation factor calculation correction unit that corrects the illuminance attenuation amount in the main light sensors 21a and 21c depending on the storage state, a means for correcting the storage state of the storage item in the heat insulating door in the storage chamber is provided. It is possible to reliably increase the estimation accuracy of the storage amount caused by the bias in the heat insulating door.

  In addition, as an attenuation rate calculation correction unit that corrects the illuminance attenuation amount in the main light sensors 21a and 21c depending on the storage state, a unit for correcting the storage state of the storage object in the vicinity of the optical sensor 21 in the storage room is provided. It is possible to reliably increase the estimation accuracy of the storage amount resulting from the generation of shadows by the storage object with respect to the optical sensor 21.

  In addition, as an attenuation rate calculation correction unit that corrects the illuminance attenuation amount in the main light sensors 21a and 21c according to the storage state, a means for correcting the reflectance of the storage item in the storage chamber is provided, thereby improving the reflectance of the storage item. It is possible to reliably improve the estimation accuracy of the resulting storage amount.

  Further, by arranging the optical sensor 21 below the light source, the optical sensor 21 can reduce the influence of dew condensation due to the inflow of outside air when the door is opened and closed. The storage state can be estimated with high accuracy.

  Further, the interior lighting 20 and the optical sensor 21 are provided closer to the refrigerator compartment door 12a than the center of the refrigerator compartment 12 in the depth direction. Thereby, the storage state of the storage thing near the entrance which is easy to be influenced by the outside air inflow by opening and closing the door can be reliably detected.

  The interior lighting 20 and the optical sensor 21 are provided between the front end of the interior storage shelf 18 provided in the refrigerator compartment 12 and the refrigerator compartment door 12a. There is a low possibility that the upper and lower spaces between the refrigerator compartment door 12a and the front end of the storage shelf 18 are blocked by stored items. Thereby, while ensuring a stable optical path from the light source, the stored state of the stored item is accurately estimated based on the illuminance attenuation amount in the optical sensor 21 due to the presence of the stored item in the heat insulating door or the storage cabinet 18. be able to.

  Further, since the refrigerator compartment 12 is divided into a plurality of sections, the storage state can be detected with high accuracy regardless of the bias of the storage items.

  Moreover, since at least a part of the light source used for the storage state detection is also used as the interior lighting 20, it is possible to detect the storage state with a simple configuration without providing a new light source. When the interior lighting 20 and at least a part of the light source used for the storage state detection are combined, the brightness for the illumination when the door is opened and the brightness of the illumination necessary for the storage state detection are changed. By doing so, the accuracy of the storage state detection can be further improved.

  In addition, since the detection is performed with a combination in which the LED and the optical sensor 21 are not opposed to each other, the light component directly incident on the optical sensor 21 from the LED can be suppressed, and the attenuation factor of light by the stored item is increased. Detection accuracy can be improved.

  Further, as a configuration for identifying and correcting the storage state in the vicinity of the LED or the optical sensor 21, for example, an error due to an obstacle with respect to an incident path of light in the vicinity of the optical sensor 21 and a reflection object stored in the vicinity of the optical sensor 21. Can be suppressed.

(Embodiment 2)
Hereinafter, the configuration of the refrigerators 200 to 205 in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings from FIG. 21 to FIG. 25.

  In addition, about the structure which is the same as that of the structure demonstrated in Embodiment 1, or similar, the description is abbreviate | omitted using the same code | symbol.

  FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view seen from the side of refrigerator 200 in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the stored item 23h is stored in the back of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator 200. FIG. 23A is a cross-sectional view seen from above showing an arrangement example of the optical sensor 21 of the refrigerator 201 in the same embodiment. FIG. 23B is a cross-sectional view seen from above showing an arrangement example of the photosensors 21 of the refrigerator 202 in the same embodiment. FIG. 24A is a cross-sectional view seen from the side showing an arrangement example of the optical sensors 21 of the refrigerator 203 in the same embodiment. FIG. 24B is a cross-sectional view seen from the side showing an arrangement example of the photosensors 21 of the refrigerator 204 in the same embodiment. FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view seen from above showing an arrangement example of the optical sensor 21 in the air passage in the refrigerator 205 according to the embodiment.

  This Embodiment demonstrates the example of the arrangement | positioning method of various optical sensors 21 in the case of detecting using the interior lighting 20 mainly provided in the side surface.

  The positional relationship between the LED and the optical sensor 21 will be described.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, main light sensors 21d and 21e are arranged on the top surface. The light from the LED 20c to 20f for illumination and the LED 20g below the side surface irradiated from the refrigerator compartment door 12a in the back direction are reflected by the inner wall of the cabinet or food and spread to the entire interior, and then the main light sensor 21d, 21e. For this reason, the luminous intensity of the illumination LEDs 20c to 20f and the side lower LED 20g is 50% or more so that the light from the illumination LEDs 20c to 20f and the side lower LED 20g does not directly enter the main light sensor 21d. Is disposed outside the irradiation angle β.

  Moreover, in order to distribute light to the whole inside of a store | warehouse | chamber, it is desirable to detect the place where the light reflected in the back | inner store | warehouse | chamber and returned to the interior door side. For this reason, the top light sensor 21d is provided at a position closer to the refrigerator compartment door 12a than 1/2 (center) of the interior depth. However, the main light sensor 21e is installed in a role of complementing the main light sensor 21d in order to more accurately detect the stored state on the inner side of the interior. For this reason, the main light sensor 21e is disposed on the inner side of the interior and within the incident angle β of the illumination LED 20c.

  When the refrigerator compartment door 12a is opened and closed, outside air flows into the cabinet and the temperature in the cabinet rises slightly. At this time, the stored item near the door is more susceptible to the temperature change than the stored item in the back. Therefore, since it is necessary to more accurately detect the storage state of the stored item on the door side, the effect of providing the main light sensor 21a on the refrigerator compartment door 12a side is higher.

  In addition, there are cases where it is difficult to provide the main light sensor 21a on the side of the refrigerator compartment door 12a due to the structural design, or the main light sensor 21a falls within the LED irradiation angle. In this case, consideration is given to avoid installing the main light sensor 21a as far as possible from the LED light source so that the irradiation light of the LED does not directly enter the main light sensor 21a.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, even if one of the main light sensors 21d and 21e (in this case, the main light sensor 21e) is blocked by the stored item 23h. The housing state can be detected by the other main light sensor 21d.

In the above description, the main light sensor 21d is disposed on the top surface on the refrigerator compartment door 12a side from 1/2 (center) in the depth direction of the storage room. Further, the main light sensor 21e is provided on the top surface on the back side with respect to 1/2 (center) in the depth direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this example.

  For example, as shown in the refrigerator 201 of FIG. 23A, the main light sensor 21f is arranged on the door side to the left of 1/2 (center) in the horizontal width direction of the storage room, and the main light sensor 21g is 1 / of the horizontal width of the interior. You may install in the right door side rather than 2 (center).

  Further, as shown in the refrigerator 202 in FIG. 23B, the main light sensor 21h is disposed in the refrigerator compartment door 12a, and the main light sensor 21i is installed on the back side to the right of 1/2 (center) of the horizontal width of the interior. May be. With this configuration, it is possible to detect not only the left and right food storage states but also the back and front food storage states in detail. Further, by providing the main light sensor 21h on the refrigerator compartment door 12a, the main light sensor 21h is arranged so as to look over the entire interior in the back direction, and the storage amount of the entire interior can be easily detected. In order to obtain the same effect, the main light sensor can be provided on the inner wall surface by installing the main light sensor toward the back.

  Further, as shown in the refrigerator 203 of FIG. 24A, the main light sensor 21j is installed at the upper part of the storage room and on the refrigerator compartment door 12a side, and the main light sensor 21k is installed at the lower part of the storage room and on the refrigerator compartment door 12a side. May be. Thus, the main light sensor 21j detects the amount of light in the storage space above ½ (center) of the interior height, and the main light sensor 21k is below ½ (center) of the interior height. It is possible to detect the amount of light in the storage space on the side.

  Generally, since the main light sensors 21j and 21k are provided above and below the refrigerator compartment 12 having the highest height compared to other storage rooms, the food storage state can be detected in detail.

  Further, as shown in the refrigerator 204 in FIG. 24B, a main light sensor 21m is provided on the upper side of the storage room and on the refrigerator door 12a side, and the main light sensor 21n is installed on the lower side and the back side of the storage room. Also good. With this configuration, the storage space on the front and upper side of the storage space can be detected by the main light sensor 21m, and the storage space on the rear and lower side of the storage space can be detected by the main light sensor 21n. As a result, not only the storage state of the storage items in the vertical direction but also the storage state of the storage items in the back and front directions can be detected in detail.

  Further, as shown in the refrigerator 205 of FIG. 25, in addition to the optical sensor 21 (not shown) provided on the door side in the cabinet, the main optical sensors 21p and 21q are used to blow cool air into the refrigerator compartment 12. You may provide in the cooling air path 25 provided in this. At this time, the light passes through the discharge port 26 and enters the sub-light sensor 21b. However, since the discharge port 26 into the storage chamber of the cooling air passage 25 is reliably opened, the main light sensors 21p and 21q are stored. A light incident path can be secured without being blocked by an object. In the unlikely event that the discharge port 26 is blocked by a stored item such as food, the luminous intensity of the light decreases, so that it can be detected that the efficiency of cooling air blowing into the refrigerator compartment 12 decreases.

  In addition, you may provide the optical sensor 21 not only in the discharge port 26 of an air path but in the suction port vicinity.

  In addition, in the description so far, although the form which uses the two main light sensors 21a-21q was described, the number of use of the optical sensor 21 is not restricted to this, and in order to suppress the usage-amount of material, it is set as one piece. Alternatively, a large number may be provided in order to easily improve the detection accuracy. Further, the arrangement of the plurality of optical sensors 21 is not limited to the above-described pattern, and when the refrigerator 200 is divided into two sections, the light sources or the optical sensors 21 may be disposed in both sections.

  Further, in order to perform detection in more detail, the optical sensor 21 or LED may be driven by a motor actuator or the like so that the angle can be freely changed.

  Moreover, even if the arrangement relationship between the LED and the optical sensor 21 described above is reversed, this storage state detection method is established.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the refrigeration chamber 12 partitioned by the heat insulating wall and the heat insulating door is provided with the lighting LEDs 20c to 20f and the side lower LEDs 20g and 20h as the storage state detection unit for determining the storage state. Optical sensors 21a to 21q are provided. Further, at least one of the optical sensors 21 is provided on the door side with respect to the depth center of the refrigerator compartment 12. Accordingly, since the food temperature affected by the storage state can be controlled to be an appropriate temperature, the freshness can be improved and the power consumption can be suppressed by preventing “too cold”.

  In addition, by providing the optical sensor 21 constituting the storage state detection unit closer to the refrigerator compartment door 12a than the center of the depth of the storage room, the storage state of the food near the entrance that is easily affected by outside air inflow due to opening and closing of the door can be achieved. It can be detected accurately and kept at an appropriate temperature. Further, for example, in the case of the refrigerator compartment 12, since there is a space between the storage shelf 18 and the door storage shelf 19, by arranging the optical sensor 21 here, the storage state detection unit is blocked by the stored food. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, when the optical sensor 21 is provided in the refrigerator compartment door 12a, the optical sensor 21 can be provided so as to look over the entire interior from the door side toward the interior of the interior.

  Further, when the refrigerator compartment 12 is divided into two front and rear sections at the center of the depth, if the optical sensor 21 is provided in each section, it is possible to accurately detect the storage state of the stored item on the inner side of the interior.

  In addition, when the refrigerator compartment 12 is divided into two left and right sections at the center of the width, if the optical sensor 21 is provided in each section, it is possible to determine the left and right bias of the stored food.

  Moreover, when the refrigerator compartment 12 is divided into two upper and lower sections at the center of the height, the optical sensor 21 can be provided in each section. Thereby, generally in the refrigerator compartment 12 with the longest height dimension, the optical sensor 21 is arrange | positioned at the upper side and the lower side, and the accommodation state of the whole inside of a store | warehouse | chamber can be detected correctly.

  In addition, by providing the optical sensor 21 outside the irradiation range where the luminous intensity of the LED is 50% or more, the irradiation light of the LED does not directly enter the optical sensor 21, but is reflected or shielded by the stored items. Since the light is incident on the optical sensor 21, the storage state can be easily detected.

  Moreover, the optical sensor 21 can also be provided in the cooling air path 25 for sending cold air into the storage chamber. Thereby, since the discharge port 26 to the storage chamber of the cooling air passage 25 is reliably opened, the light incident path can be secured without the optical sensor 21 being blocked by food. In the unlikely event that the discharge port is blocked by a stored item such as food, the luminous intensity of the light is reduced, so that it can be detected that the efficiency of cooling air blowing into the refrigerator compartment 12 is reduced.

  In addition, when an angle changing means capable of changing the direction of the LED and the optical sensor 21 is provided, the storage state can be confirmed in every corner of the warehouse even in a large storage room.

  It can apply to a household or commercial refrigerator using the structure of the refrigerator 100,200-205 mentioned above. Thereby, it can implement and apply to control which switches an operation mode to a power-saving operation etc. using the storage capacity detection function of refrigerator 100,200-205.

As described above, the refrigerators 100 and 200 to 205 described in the respective embodiments not only determine the position of the stored items in the storage chamber but also can estimate the total storage amount. By performing temperature control according to the state, it is possible to improve usefulness such as improving the freshness and suppressing power consumption by preventing excessive cooling.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the description has been given using an example in which the storage state of the stored items in the refrigerator compartment 12 is detected as the storage chamber. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and can be applied to other storage rooms such as the ice making room 13, the switching room 14, the freezing room 15, and the vegetable room 16.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since it is possible to achieve a special effect that cooling according to the storage state of the stored item in the refrigerator is possible, the stored state of the stored item in the warehouse is detected. It is useful as a refrigerator provided with means.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Arithmetic control part 2 Memory 3 Door opening / closing detection sensor 4 Timer 11 Refrigerator main body 12 Refrigeration room 12a Refrigeration room door 13 Ice making room 14 Switching room 15 Freezing room 16 Vegetable room 17 Display part 18 Inner storage shelf 19 Door storage shelf 20 In the storage Lighting 20a, 20b Top LED
20c-20f LED for illumination
20g, 20h Side down LED
21 Optical sensor 21a, 21c-21q Main optical sensor 21b Sub optical sensor 22a, 22b Blue LED
23a to 23h Items to be stored 24a to 24j Light 25 Cooling air passage 26 Discharge port 30 Compressor 31 Cooling fan 32 Air volume adjustment damper 35 Cooling system 81 Decay rate calculation unit 82 Storage state estimation unit 100, 200 to 205 Refrigerator

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a refrigerator according to the present invention is divided by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door and stores a stored item, a light source installed inside the storage chamber, and a light source irradiated from the light source. An optical sensor for detecting the irradiated light, and an arithmetic control unit for performing arithmetic processing based on the detection result of the optical sensor, and the illuminance detected by the optical sensor is determined by the wall surface in the storage chamber and the storage object. Indirect illumination light including reflected light is detected. A storage shelf is provided in the storage chamber, the transmittance of the storage shelf is set to 70% or more, and the reflectance of the wall surface of the storage chamber is set to 0. The minimum illuminance for the range that the calculation control unit performs calculation processing is defined as 5 or more, and the calculation control
The control unit has correlation data used for quantitatively estimating the storage amount in relation to the attenuation rate of the illuminance detected by the optical sensor and the storage amount, and estimates the storage rate of the stored item above the minimum illuminance. To do .

The invention according to claim 1 is a storage chamber that is partitioned by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door and stores stored items, a light source installed inside the storage chamber, and light that detects irradiation light emitted from the light source. A sensor and a calculation control unit that performs calculation processing based on a detection result of the optical sensor, and the detected illuminance by the optical sensor is indirect including the reflected light from the wall surface and the stored item in the storage chamber. And a storage shelf in the storage chamber, the transmittance of the storage shelf is set to 70% or higher, and the reflectance of the wall surface of the storage chamber is set to 0.5 or higher. Defines the minimum illuminance for the range to be processed, and the arithmetic control unit has correlation data used for quantitatively estimating the storage amount in relation to the attenuation rate of the detection illuminance of the optical sensor and the storage amount. Less than the minimum illuminance In is intended to estimate the collection rate of the stored articles, enhanced light stability in light sensor, can improve the estimation accuracy of the storage amount in the arithmetic control unit, in accordance with the storage state of the refrigerator inside the housing thereof Cooling or output control is possible.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, further comprising a door opening / closing detection unit that detects opening / closing of the heat insulating door, and the calculation control unit is configured to detect the opening / closing of the heat insulating door by the door opening / closing detection unit. When the closed state is detected and a predetermined time elapses, the control of the arithmetic control unit is started . When the refrigerator is operating in an energy-saving manner, there is little change in the storage amount before and after opening and closing the door, and the energy-saving operation is performed. It is determined that there is no need to cancel the power consumption, and the refrigerator can continue the energy saving operation, so that the power saving rate can be increased.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the illuminance detected by the optical sensor is less than or equal to the minimum illuminance, a failure is diagnosed , and the serviceability of the refrigerator is improved. Can be increased.

Claims (3)

A storage room that is partitioned by a heat insulating wall and a heat insulating door to store storage items, a light source installed inside the storage room, a light sensor that detects irradiation light emitted from the light source, and a detection result of the light sensor An illuminance detected by the optical sensor detects indirect irradiation light including a wall surface in the storage room and reflected light from the storage object. Refrigerator. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the reflectance of the wall surface of the storage room is 0.5 or more. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a storage shelf is provided in the storage chamber, and the transmittance of the storage shelf is 70% or more.