JP2018013302A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator which can efficiently radiate light to vegetables stored in a vegetable compartment.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 1 includes: a vegetable compartment 15; a vegetable storage case 4 provided at the vegetable compartment 15; and a light emitting device 5 provided at the vegetable compartment 15. The light emitting device 5 includes LEDs 51a to 53a (light emitting parts) each having an optical axis Ax inclining downward relative to a horizontal surface and causes the LEDs 51a to 53b to emit light to an interior part of the vegetable storage case 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator such as a household refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator provided with a light emitting device that irradiates light to a stored item in a vegetable room.

  Conventionally, a refrigerator has been developed in which LEDs (light emitting diodes) are arranged on the back of a vegetable room so that the vegetables stored in the vegetable room are irradiated with light (for example, Patent Document 1). By irradiating vegetables with light, for example, the effect of activating chlorophyll of green leafy vegetables to produce vitamin C and promoting the increase of polyphenols can be obtained.

Japanese Patent No. 4433958 (see paragraph 0027 and FIG. 2)

  Here, since the back surface of the vegetable room is generally a vertical surface, the optical axis direction of the emitted light of the LED is horizontal. Therefore, if an LED is placed at the top of the back of the vegetable room, sufficient light may not be irradiated unless the vegetable is tall, such as spinach or Chinese cabbage (uncut) that is stored in the vegetable room. There is sex.

  In addition, when an LED is placed in the lower part of the back of the vegetable room, light can be irradiated to parts that do not require light irradiation, such as the roots or stems of vegetables, or vegetables that are not desirable to be irradiated, such as potatoes. There is sex.

  This invention is made | formed in order to solve said subject, and it aims at providing the refrigerator which can irradiate light efficiently to the vegetable accommodated in the vegetable compartment.

  The refrigerator of the present invention includes a vegetable room, a vegetable storage case provided in the vegetable room, and a light emitting device provided in the vegetable room. The light emitting device includes a light emitting unit having an optical axis inclined downward with respect to a horizontal plane, and emits light from the light emitting unit toward the inside of the vegetable storage case.

  According to the refrigerator of the present invention, light is emitted from the light emitting part having the inclined optical axis toward the inside of the vegetable storage case, so that it is possible to irradiate the vegetables with low height enough.

It is a sectional side view of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a front view of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 of this invention, and the structure of the circumference | surroundings. It is a perspective view of the vegetable storage case of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the light-emitting device of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of LED of the light-emitting device of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structural example of the light-emitting device of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structural example of the light-emitting device of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the drive circuit of the light-emitting device of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the light-emitting device of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows operation | movement of the light-emitting device of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator of Embodiment 2 of this invention, and the structure of the circumference | surroundings. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the refrigerator of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram (A), (B) for demonstrating the example of operation | movement of the light-emitting device of Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 are a side sectional view and a front view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. The refrigerator 1 is a household refrigerator, for example. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 includes a plurality of storage rooms, that is, a refrigerating room 11, a switching room 12, an ice making room 13 (FIG. 2), a freezing room 14, and a vegetable room 15.

  Here, the refrigerating room 11 is arranged at the top, the switching room 12 and the ice making room 13 are arranged side by side, the freezing room 14 is arranged below, and the vegetable room 15 is arranged at the bottom. ing. However, it is not limited to such an arrangement.

  The refrigerator compartment 11 is provided with a double door (or one-sided) rotating door 11a on the front surface. The inside of the refrigerator compartment 11 is divided into a plurality of spaces by a food shelf 11b. A chilled chamber is provided below the lowermost food shelf 11b, and a chilled case 11c that can be pulled forward is disposed.

  The switching chamber 12 is a storage chamber in which the temperature can be switched in two ways: a freezing temperature zone (for example, −18 ° C.) and a soft freezing temperature zone (for example, −7 ° C.). The switching chamber 12 includes a drawer door 12a on the front surface and a food storage case 12b on the inside. The ice making chamber 13 is arranged side by side at the same height as the switching chamber 12, and includes a drawer door 13a on the front surface and an ice storage case (not shown) inside.

  The freezer compartment 14 has a drawer door 14a on the front and a food storage case 14b inside. The vegetable compartment 15 has a drawer door 15a on the front and a vegetable storage case 4 inside. In addition, each store room of the refrigerator 1 is not limited to these examples.

  The refrigerator 1 has a refrigeration cycle device for cooling each storage room. The refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a compressor 17 provided at a lower portion on the back side (rear) of the refrigerator 1, a condenser (not shown) that condenses refrigerant discharged from the compressor 17, and refrigerant that has flowed out of the condenser. A squeezing device (not shown) for expanding the air, a cooler 18 for cooling the air by heat exchange with the refrigerant expanded by the squeezing device, and a blower (blower fan) 19 for sending the cooled air to each storage chamber And an air passage 22 that is an air passage. A defroster 23 is disposed below the blower 19.

  The air cooled by the cooler 18 is sent to each storage room (the refrigeration room 11, the switching room 12, the ice making room 13, the freezing room 14, and the vegetable room 15) by the blower 19, and cools the inside of each storage room. Air warmed by cooling the contents in each storage chamber returns from the suction port provided in each storage chamber to the periphery of the cooler 18 via the return duct, is cooled by the cooler 18, and is stored again. It is blown into the chamber.

  An operation panel 21 as an operation input unit is disposed on the front surface of the refrigerator 1. The operation panel 21 is a part where the user inputs settings such as the temperature of each storage room. In addition, although the operation panel 21 is arrange | positioned here at the rotation door 11a of the refrigerator compartment 11, it should just be a position where it is easy to operate by a user.

  The refrigerator 1 is provided with a control unit 20 (control board) that controls the entire refrigerator 1. Based on the output signal of the temperature detection sensor (for example, thermistor) provided in each storage room and the setting information of the operation panel 21, the control unit 20 is connected to the compressor 17, the blower 19, and a damper (not shown) connected to each storage room. Control). The control unit 20 also communicates with an external device. For example, a setting temperature change instruction or an in-chamber status confirmation instruction from a smartphone is received, and a response to these instructions is transmitted.

  The temperature inside each storage chamber is detected by a temperature detection sensor (for example, a thermistor) (not shown). The control unit 20 adjusts the opening of a damper (not shown), the capacity of the compressor 17, the amount of air blown from the blower 19, and the like so that the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor becomes a preset temperature.

  The refrigerator 1 is covered with a housing 16 having a heat insulating member such as urethane foam or a vacuum heat insulating material. Moreover, the partition which has heat insulation members, such as foaming urethane or a vacuum heat insulating material, is provided also between each store room of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG.

  The refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment includes a light emitting device 5 that irradiates light on vegetables stored in a vegetable storage case 4 in a vegetable compartment 15. Below, the structure of the vegetable compartment 15 and the light-emitting device 5 is demonstrated.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the vegetable room 15 and the surrounding structure. The vegetable compartment 15 is provided with a vegetable storage case 4 for storing vegetables and large (for example, 2 liters) PET bottles 201. The vegetable storage case 4 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction (the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 1) integrally with the drawer door 15a described above. A door opening / closing sensor 25 for detecting opening / closing of the drawer door 15a is provided in the upper front portion of the vegetable compartment 15.

  The door opening / closing sensor 25 outputs an ON signal when detecting the open state of the drawer door 15a, and outputs an OFF signal when detecting the closed state. The ON signal and OFF signal of the door opening / closing sensor 25 are collectively referred to as a door opening / closing signal. The control unit 20 measures the time when the drawer door 15a is opened (door opening time) and uses it as various control parameters, or generates a buzzer sound when the door opening time exceeds the set time. Call attention to. A similar door opening / closing sensor is also provided in a storage room other than the vegetable room 15.

  The vegetable storage case 4 has a configuration divided into two upper and lower stages. More specifically, the vegetable storage case 4 has a lower case 41 and an upper case 42. The lower case 41 has a configuration in which a part of the back surface, that is, a portion located in front of the light emitting device 5 is opened, and the light of the light emitting device 5 is irradiated into the lower case 41 when the door is closed. Note that both the lower case 41 and the upper case 42 may be partially or wholly formed of transparent plastic or the like so as to transmit light from the light emitting device 5.

  The lower case 41 (large vegetable case) stores relatively large vegetables, for example, leafy vegetables (leaf vegetables) 202 such as spinach, Japanese mustard spinach, cabbage and Chinese cabbage, and heavy root vegetables 203 such as potatoes and radishes. . In the upper case 42 (small vegetable case), relatively small vegetables, for example, used vegetables, cucumbers, tomatoes and the like are stored.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the shape of the vegetable storage case 4. The lower case 41 has a front surface portion 41a, a back surface portion 41b, a left side surface portion 41c, a right side surface portion 41d, and a bottom surface portion 41e, and the upper side is open. The upper case 42 has a front surface portion 42a, a back surface portion 42b, a left side surface portion 42c, a right side surface portion 42d, and a bottom surface portion 42e, and the upper side is open.

  The upper case 42 is held on the left and right side surfaces 41 c and 41 d of the lower case 41. The front portions (portions close to the front surface portion 41a) of the side surface portions 41c and 41d of the lower case 41 are formed to be higher than other regions, and restrict the front end position of the upper case 42. Therefore, a region that is not covered by the upper case 42 is formed in front of the lower case 41. In this region, for example, a large plastic bottle 201 (FIG. 3) is stored.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the vegetable compartment 15 includes a bottom 31 that faces the bottom of the vegetable storage case 4, a ceiling 32 that faces the top of the vegetable storage case 4, and a back wall 33 that faces the back of the vegetable storage case 4. The side wall 34, 35 (FIG. 2) which opposes the both right and left side surfaces of the vegetable storage case 4 is provided.

  The light emitting device 5 is disposed on the back wall 33 of the vegetable compartment 15 so as to face the back of the vegetable storage case 4. The light emitting device 5 is disposed above the center in the vertical direction of the vegetable storage case 4. Here, the light emitting device 5 is disposed at a position facing the back surface portion 41 b of the lower case 41 of the vegetable storage case 4. That is, the light emitting device 5 is disposed at a position lower than the upper case 42. Moreover, the light-emitting device 5 is arrange | positioned in the center part in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 1, for example, as shown with code | symbol A1 in FIG.

  The back wall 33 of the vegetable compartment 15 is composed of the above-described heat insulating member and has high strength. Therefore, by arranging the light emitting device 5 on the back wall 33, vibration applied to the LEDs (described later) of the light emitting device 5 can be suppressed and the reliability can be improved. Moreover, since driving parts such as a blower 19 and a damper are also arranged on the back side of the refrigerator 1, there is an advantage that wiring to the light emitting device 5 becomes easy.

  In addition, arrangement | positioning of the light-emitting device 5 is not limited to the example mentioned above. For example, the light emitting device 5 may be arranged at the upper corner on the back side of the vegetable compartment 15 as indicated by reference numeral A2 in FIG. 3, or the light emitting device as indicated by reference numeral A3 in FIG. 5 may be arranged in the upper right corner or the upper left corner on the back side of the vegetable compartment 15. There are few vegetables with a square shape like a rectangular parallelepiped, and there are many cases where vegetables do not exist above the back side of the vegetable storage case 4 (there are few things that block light), so the light emitting device 5 is placed at these positions. Even if it arrange | positions, light can be irradiated to the comparatively wide range in the vegetable storage case 4. FIG.

  2, the light emitting device 5 may be disposed on the side wall 34 or the side wall 35 of the vegetable compartment 15. In this case, there is an advantage that the user can easily confirm the lighting state of the LED of the light emitting device 5.

  2, the light emitting device 5 may be provided on the ceiling portion 32 of the vegetable compartment 15. The ceiling portion 32 serves as a partition between the vegetable compartment 15 and the freezer compartment 14 and can be detached from the casing 16 of the refrigerator 1. Therefore, when the light emitting device 5 is attached to the ceiling portion 32, there is an advantage that attachment / detachment at the time of failure becomes easy.

  The light emitting device 5 is disposed above the center in the vertical direction of the vegetable storage case 4 and is disposed so that the outgoing optical axis Ax is inclined downward with respect to the horizontal plane H. By arranging in this way, the vegetables stored in the lower case 41 of the vegetable storage case 4 can be efficiently irradiated with light. Below, the specific structure of the light-emitting device 5 is demonstrated.

  5 and 6 are a cross-sectional view and a front view showing a configuration example of the light-emitting device 5. The light emitting device 5 includes a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements having different wavelengths. Specifically, the light emitting device 5 emits green light (light having a wavelength of 500 to 550 nm) and LEDs 51a and 51b serving as first light emitting units that emit red light (light having a wavelength of 600 to 780 nm). LED52a, 52b as a 2nd light emission part and LED53a, 53b as a 3rd light emission part which light-emits blue light (light with a wavelength of 430-500 nm) are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the red LEDs 51 a and 51 b are arranged side by side to constitute an LED group 51. Under the red LEDs 51a and 51b, blue LEDs 53a and 53b are arranged side by side to constitute an LED group 53. Under the blue LEDs 53a and 53b, green LEDs 52a and 52b are arranged side by side to constitute an LED group 52. Here, two LEDs of each color are arranged, but one may be arranged, or three or more may be arranged.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the light emitting device 5 includes a mounting substrate 55 on which LEDs 51 a, 51 b, 52 a, 52 b, 53 a, 53 b (hereinafter, LEDs 51 a to 53 b) are fixed by solder, and a cover member 54 that covers the emission side of the LEDs 51 a to 53 b. It has. The cover member 54 is configured by a member that transmits light emitted from the LEDs 51a to 53b.

  The cover member 54 includes an emission surface portion 54a disposed on the emission side of the LEDs 51a to 53b, a peripheral wall portion 54b surrounding the periphery of the LEDs 51a to 53b and the mounting substrate 55, and a base portion 54c formed at an end portion of the peripheral wall portion 54b. Have. A base portion 54 c of the cover member 54 is fixed to the back wall 33.

  The mounting substrate 55 to which the LEDs 51 a to 53 b are fixed is fixed to the emission surface portion 54 a of the cover member 54 with screws 56 so that the irradiation angle does not fluctuate due to the vibration of the refrigerator 1. Further, the back side of the cover member 54 is covered with a seal 57 in order to prevent a short circuit of the circuit of the mounting substrate 55.

  The light emitting device 5 is configured such that the outgoing optical axis Ax, which is the optical axis of the LEDs 51a to 53b, is directed downward with respect to the horizontal plane H by an angle θ, and the upper portion of the rear wall 33 of the vegetable compartment 15 (vertical direction of the vegetable storage case 4). It is incorporated in the upper part of the center). As will be described later, the angle θ is in the range of 5 to 85 °, desirably 10 to 45 °.

  In the configuration example shown in FIG. 5, in order to incline the outgoing optical axis Ax of the LEDs 51 a to 53 b with respect to the horizontal plane H, an inclined attachment surface 33 a is formed on the back wall 33, and the light emitting device 5 is attached to the attachment surface 33 a. ing.

  However, the configuration is not limited to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 5, and it is only necessary that the outgoing optical axis Ax of the LEDs 51 a to 53 b can be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane H. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the LEDs 51 a to 53 b may be formed of bullet-shaped LEDs having long leads (legs) 58, and each lead 58 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane H by an angle θ.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the mounting board 55a to which the LEDs 51a and 51b are fixed, the mounting board 55b to which the LEDs 52a and 52b are fixed, and the mounting board 55c to which the LEDs 53a and 53b are fixed are configured by separate members. You may attach to the inclined surface of the support substrate 59, respectively.

  7 and 8, it is not necessary to tilt the light emitting device 5 as a whole. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to make the wall of the back wall 33 of the vegetable compartment 15 thin (decrease in heat insulation) and it is not necessary to reduce the space for storing the vegetable storage case 4.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the light emitting device 5. As shown in FIG. 9, the LEDs 51a to 53b are connected in parallel to a voltage source of DC (direct current) 2V to 15V. In addition, microcomputers 101, 102, and 103 are connected to the LED groups 51, 52, and 53, respectively. That is, the LEDs 51 a and 51 b emit light when a current of 10 to 50 mA is passed by the microcomputer 101. The LEDs 52 a and 52 b emit light when a current of 10 to 50 mA is passed by the microcomputer 102. The LEDs 53 a and 53 b emit light when a current of 10 to 50 mA is passed by the microcomputer 103.

  The control unit 20 stores in advance a combination of a light amount and an irradiation time effective for activating the function of the vegetable for each LED color (that is, for each of red, blue, and green). The control unit 20 drives the microcomputers 101, 102, and 103 based on the stored light amount and irradiation time combination.

  In addition, since the electric current which flows through each LED is as small as 10-50 mA, it is highly safe. Further, since the LEDs 51a to 53b are controlled for each group (for each of the LED groups 51, 52, and 53), the number of ports of the microcomputer can be reduced, and the control unit 20 can be simplified.

Next, the effect | action of the light irradiation by the light-emitting device 5 is demonstrated. First, the photosynthesis reaction will be described. The photosynthetic reaction is represented by the following chemical formula (1).
6CO ₂ + 12H ₂ O + 688 kcal → C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ + 6H ₂ O + 6O ₂ (1)

In the formula (1), CO ₂ is carbon dioxide, H ₂ O is water, and O ₂ is oxygen. 688 kcal is light energy and C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ is glucose. This reaction is classified into a bright reaction that uses light energy and a dark reaction that does not use light energy.

  The light reaction is a reaction that changes light energy into chemical energy. At this stage, carbon dioxide is not used, and pigments such as chlorophyll use light energy to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the enzyme protein acts as a chemical. Store energy. On the other hand, in the dark reaction, glucose is synthesized using hydrogen generated in the bright reaction and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Vegetables with increased glucose have improved storability and produce vitamin C.

  In the first embodiment, red light, green light and blue light are used, and these have individual effects. Red light is a wavelength with a high absorption rate of chlorophyll in vegetables and is absorbed by the leaf surface and used for photosynthesis. Since green light has a low absorption rate of chlorophyll, it penetrates into the inside of the leaf, is repeatedly reflected and absorbed, and is used for photosynthesis. The blue light becomes a signal for transmitting to the vegetable that the light has been irradiated, and is used to open pores and take in carbon dioxide. Due to these effects, the photosynthetic reaction represented by the formula (1) is efficiently promoted.

  Among the vegetables stored in the lower case 41, vegetables that are preferably irradiated with light are leafy vegetables such as spinach, komatsuna, and cabbage. On the other hand, a vegetable that is preferably not irradiated with light is, for example, potato. Both leafy vegetables and potatoes are placed on the bottom surface portion 41e of the lower case 41. However, potatoes are lower in height than leafy vegetables.

  Therefore, by setting the angle θ of the outgoing optical axis Ax of the light emitting device 5 to 5 to 85 ° (more preferably 10 to 45 °), light is emitted to vegetables (leafy vegetables) that are preferably irradiated with light. However, it is possible to prevent light from being irradiated to vegetables (potatoes) that are preferably not irradiated with light.

  In addition, an area for storing a large plastic bottle 201 and the like is provided in front of the lower case 41. However, since items stored in this area are not affected by light irradiation, the angle θ is set. Has no effect.

  The light emitting device 5 is desirably arranged above the center of the height from the bottom surface portion 41e of the lower case 41 to the bottom surface portion 42e of the upper case 42. If the light emitting device 5 is arranged in this way, for example, when a vertically long leafy vegetable such as spinach is placed against the back surface portion 41b of the lower case 41, or horizontally in the center on the bottom surface portion 41e of the lower case 41. Even when placed in this manner, the vertically long leafy vegetables can be irradiated with light.

  Here, the upper case 42, which is a small vegetable case, is provided on the lower case 41, which is a large vegetable case. However, the large vegetable case may be provided on the small vegetable case upside down. In this way, the small vegetables stored in the small vegetable case roll into the large vegetable case so that it does not rot before it is noticed, and the large vegetable case functions as a lid for the small vegetable case, so it is easy to use vegetables The quality of the vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment 15 can be improved as a whole, such as the drying of the vegetables being suppressed.

  Next, the light irradiation control of the light emitting device 5 in the refrigerator 1 configured as described above will be described. First, the concept of activating the function of vegetables will be described. Many living things have a circadian rhythm, that is, they live in the normal state of having day and night, and plants are no exception. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an environment in which vegetables are alive even during storage, and the time zone in which light is irradiated and the time zone in which light is not irradiated alternate as before harvesting, that is, there is day and night.

  Therefore, the light emitting device 5 repeats lighting and extinguishing of the LEDs at a constant rhythm. The turn-on time and turn-off time of the LED are each 5 hours or longer, preferably 5 to 15 hours. This is because if the light is turned on and off repeatedly in a very short cycle, it becomes dark before the biosynthetic function activation by light occurs, which is the same as not irradiating light.

  Irradiating a plant with blue light will signal that the plant has begun irradiating with light, so the plant (here, vegetables) opens the pores and takes in the carbon dioxide required for biosynthesis from the air. . Simultaneously with the application of blue light, red light and green light for activating the chlorophyll of vegetables and generating glucose by biosynthetic functions and accompanying synthesis of vitamin C and the like are irradiated.

  The blue light is more efficient when the light amount is weaker than the red light and the green light. For this reason, the amount of blue light is preferably ¼ or less of each light amount of red light and green light, more preferably 1/5 to 1/10. In addition, it is desirable to turn off the blue light after opening the pores of the vegetables. Thus, after continuing light irradiation for a fixed time, LED of the light-emitting device 5 is light-extinguished.

  Based on the above points, the operation (light irradiation control) of the light emitting device 5 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the light-emitting device 5. After the power of the refrigerator 1 is turned on, the control unit 20 starts light irradiation control in accordance with the circadian rhythm of vegetables according to the operation of the operation panel 21 by the user (step S1). First, it is determined whether the present time is a time zone (daytime zone) in which light irradiation is to be performed (step S2).

  The daytime zone or the nighttime zone is determined using a 24-hour timer provided in the control unit 20. For example, 6 to 18 o'clock is set as a daytime zone, and other times are set in advance as a nighttime zone. The timing of the daytime zone and the nighttime zone may be changed according to the season. For example, the daytime zone may be the longest during the summer solstice, and the daytime zone may be the shortest during the winter solstice. In addition, here, the daytime zone and the nighttime zone are 24 hours in total, but this length may be appropriately changed.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the present day is a daytime zone, the control unit 20 discloses light irradiation in the daytime mode. That is, irradiation of red light by the LEDs 51a and 51b, irradiation of green light by the LEDs 52a and 52b, and irradiation of blue light by the LEDs 53a and 53b are started simultaneously (step S3). As described above, red light and green light are light suitable for activation of vegetable functions, and blue light is light that triggers the opening of vegetable pores. And the control part 20 starts the time measurement of the daytime mode by a timer, for example (step S4).

  Irradiation of blue light by the LEDs 53a and 53b is performed for a time required until the pores of the vegetables are opened, for example, 10 minutes or more, and after the time has elapsed, the LEDs 53a and 53b are turned off (step S5). Thereafter, the elapsed time from the start of the daytime mode is acquired (step S6), and when the elapsed time reaches the preset daytime mode upper limit time (step S7), the night mode is entered and the LEDs 51a, 51b, 52a, 52b are turned off. (Step S8). Thereby, all the LEDs 51a to 53b are turned off, and the night mode is started.

  The control unit 20 starts time measurement in the night mode with a timer, for example, together with the start of the night mode (step S9). Thereafter, the elapsed time from the start of the night mode is acquired (step S10), and when the elapsed time reaches the preset night mode upper limit time (step S11), the process returns to the above step S3 to start the daytime light irradiation. .

  FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing the operation of the light emitting device 5. As shown in FIG. 11, with the start of the daytime period, irradiation of red light by the LEDs 51a and 51b, irradiation of green light by the LEDs 52a and 52b, and irradiation of blue light by the LEDs 53a and 53b are started simultaneously.

  When the necessary time elapses until the vegetable pores are opened, only the blue light irradiation by the LEDs 53a and 53b is stopped. Thus, the vegetables in the vegetable storage case 4 are irradiated with red light and green light used for photosynthesis. Then, with the end of the daytime period, the irradiation of red light by the LEDs 51a and 51b and the irradiation of green light by the LEDs 52a and 52b are stopped. Thereby, it becomes the environment where light is not irradiated to the vegetables in the vegetable storage case 4. FIG.

  In this case, the daytime zone and the nighttime zone are determined by the 24-hour timer, but a method that does not use the timer is also possible. For example, based on the output of the door opening / closing sensor 25 of the vegetable compartment 15, the time when the opening / closing of the drawer door 15a is the least may be determined to be midnight, that is, 0:00.

  According to the operation of the light-emitting device 5 described here, even if the drawer door 15a is opened and closed during the daytime (for example, the time zone from 6 o'clock to 18 o'clock) and external light enters the vegetable compartment 15, the vegetable Is already irradiated with light by the light-emitting device 5, so that there is less stress on the vegetables.

  In the nighttime zone (for example, the time zone from 18:00 to 6 o'clock in the morning), the vegetables in the vegetable storage case 4 are not irradiated with light by the light emitting device 5, but the drawer door 15a is not frequently opened and closed at night. Therefore, there is little stress that vegetables receive.

  Here, although the light-emitting device 5 is provided with LED 51a-53b which radiate | emits red light, green light, and blue light, it is not limited to these wavelength bands, It is light which leads to activation of the function of vegetables. I just need it. Moreover, according to the objective, you may add the light emitting element (LED etc.) which irradiates an ultraviolet-ray, for example for polyphenol increase.

  Moreover, you may add white light to blue light by combining yellow fluorescent substance with blue LED53a, 53b. Thereby, since white light can be irradiated to vegetables with blue light, visibility can be improved.

  As described above, according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the light emitting device 5 arranged in the vegetable compartment 15 includes the LEDs 51a to 53b having the emission optical axis Ax inclined downward with respect to the horizontal plane H, Light is emitted from the LEDs 51 a to 53 b toward the inside of the vegetable storage case 4. Therefore, it is possible to irradiate sufficient light even to vegetables with a low height.

  Moreover, since the light-emitting device 5 is arrange | positioned upwards rather than the center of the perpendicular direction of the vegetable storage case 4, and opposes the back surface part 41b of the vegetable storage case 4, a vertically long leafy vegetable is made into the back of the vegetable storage case 4. The leafy vegetables can be irradiated with light even when placed against the portion 41 b or when placed horizontally in the center on the bottom surface portion 41 e of the vegetable storage case 4.

  Moreover, since the vegetable storage case 4 has the lower case 41 and the upper case 42, and it is comprised so that the emitted light of the light-emitting device 5 may go to the lower case 41, the leaf which is mainly accommodated in the lower case 41 Vegetables can be irradiated with light efficiently.

  In addition, since the angle formed by the outgoing optical axis Ax and the horizontal plane H is in the range of 5 to 85 degrees (more desirably 10 to 45 degrees), the leafy vegetables that should be irradiated with light are irradiated with light. However, it is possible to prevent light from being applied to potatoes that are preferably not irradiated with light.

  The light emitting device 5 includes an LED group 51 that emits red light, an LED group 52 that emits green light, and an LED group 53 that emits blue light, and emits light simultaneously from the LED groups 51 to 53. After that, by turning off the LED group 53 first, after the pores of the vegetables are opened by the irradiation of blue light, only light (red light and green light) necessary for photosynthesis is irradiated to reduce energy consumption. Can do.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the vegetable room 15 and the surrounding configuration in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the light emitting device 5 can be swung around a swing shaft 62 in the horizontal direction (more specifically, in the left-right direction), and the inclination of the emission optical axis Ax of the light emitting device 5 with respect to the horizontal plane H is changed. It is possible to let you.

  Specifically, the light emitting device 5 is supported by a swing frame 61 that can swing around a swing shaft 62. The swing frame 61 is swung by a motor 6 as a drive device. The motor 6 is, for example, a stepping motor. The motor 6 and the swing frame 61 constitute a moving mechanism that moves the light emitting device 5 (that is, swings about the swing shaft 62).

  The configuration of the light emitting device 5 is as described in the first embodiment. For example, when the light emitting device 5 has the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the cover member 54 (FIG. 5) of the light emitting device 5 can be attached to the swing frame 61 so as to be swingable.

  Further, in the second embodiment, a camera 7 as an imaging device is disposed on the back side of the vegetable compartment 15. The camera 7 is arranged so as to image the inside of the vegetable storage case 4 (here, the inside of the lower case 41).

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a control system of the refrigerator in the second embodiment. An operation input from the operation panel 21, a door open / close signal from the door open / close sensor 25, and image data from the camera 7 are input to the control unit 20 of the refrigerator 1. Based on these inputs, the control unit 20 controls the compressor 17, the cooler 18, the blower 19, the motor 6, and the light emitting device 5 (LEDs 51a to 53b).

  In this Embodiment 2, the control part 20 detects the position of leafy vegetables by processing the image data which the camera 7 imaged, for example, extracting a green image. Then, the motor 6 is driven according to the detected position of the leafy vegetable, and the inclination of the outgoing optical axis Ax of the light emitting device 5 is changed so that the leafy vegetable can be irradiated with light most efficiently.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a change in the inclination of the outgoing optical axis Ax of the light emitting device 5 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13 (A), when the leafy vegetable 200 is at a high position in the vegetable storage case 4, by reducing the inclination angle θ1 of the light emitting device 5 with respect to the horizontal plane H of the output optical axis Ax, Light is irradiated to a relatively high position in the vegetable storage case 4.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the leafy vegetable 200 is in a low position in the vegetable storage case 4, the inclination angle θ2 of the emission optical axis Ax of the light emitting device 5 with respect to the horizontal plane H is increased. By doing so, light is irradiated to a relatively low position in the vegetable storage case 4. By comprising in this way, the leafy vegetables 200 accommodated in the vegetable storage case 4 can be efficiently irradiated with light.

  Here, although the position of the vegetable in the vegetable storage case 4 is detected based on the image which the camera 7 imaged, you may detect the position of the vegetable in the vegetable storage case 4 by another method. For example, the user may input the position of the vegetable using the operation panel 21 (FIG. 1) or another input terminal. In this case, the internal space of the vegetable storage case 4 is, for example, three areas in the front-rear direction (front, middle, rear), two in the left-right direction (right, left), and two in the vertical direction (upper, lower) It is also possible to make the user select an area.

  Here, although the overall inclination of the light emitting device 5 is changed, only the inclination of a specific LED group among the LED groups 51 to 53 described in the first embodiment may be changed. Alternatively, the light emitting devices 5 may be arranged at a plurality of locations, and the inclination of each light emitting device 5 may be changed according to the necessity of light irradiation (for example, the position of leafy vegetables).

  As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the inclination angle of the emission optical axis Ax of the light emitting device 5 with respect to the horizontal plane H is changed according to the position (height) of the vegetables in the vegetable storage case 4. Depending on the state of storage of vegetables in the vegetable storage case 4, light can be efficiently irradiated.

  Further, if the position of the vegetable in the vegetable storage case 4 is determined based on the image captured by the camera 7, the convenience for the user is further improved.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the light-emitting device 5 includes the LED groups 51, 52, and 53 each including two LEDs, and the light emission is controlled for each group (each of the LED groups 51, 52, and 53). However, one LED may be provided for each wavelength band, and light emission may be controlled for each LED (each light emitting element). Further, the light emitting elements are not limited to LEDs, and other light emitting elements may be used.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the vegetable storage case 4 is divided into the lower case 41 and the upper case 42, but the vegetable storage case 4 does not necessarily have to be divided.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the whole vegetable storage case 4 (the lower case 41 and the upper case 42) is transparent, but only the portion of the light emitting device 5 that allows light to pass through may be transparent. Alternatively, a portion of the light emitting device 5 through which light passes may be used as the opening.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements or modifications are made without departing from the scope of the present invention. be able to.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator, 4 Vegetable storage case, 5 Light-emitting device, 6 Motor (drive part), 7 Camera (imaging device), 11 Refrigeration room, 12 Switching room, 13 Ice making room, 14 Freezing room, 15 Vegetable room, 16 Housing | casing, 17 compressor, 18 cooler, 19 blower, 20 control unit, 21 operation panel (operation input unit), 25 door opening / closing sensor, 41 lower case (lower case), 42 upper case (upper case), 51 LED group (first 1 light emitting part), 51a, 51b LED (light emitting element), 52 LED group (second light emitting part), 52a, 52b LED (light emitting element), 53 LED group (third light emitting part), 53a, 53b LED (Light emitting element), 54 cover member, 55 mounting substrate, 56 screw, 57 seal, 58 lead, 59 support substrate, 61 Dynamic frame, 62 pivot shaft, 101, 102, 103 micro-computer.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes a vegetable compartment, a vegetable storage case provided in the vegetable compartment and having an upper case and a lower case, and a light emitting device provided in the vegetable compartment. The light emitting device is arranged to face the lower case at a position lower than the upper case. The light emitting device includes a light emitting unit having an optical axis inclined downward with respect to a horizontal plane, and emits light from the light emitting unit toward the inside of the lower case of the vegetable storage case.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes a vegetable compartment, a vegetable storage case provided in the vegetable compartment and having an upper case and a lower case, and a light emitting device provided in the vegetable compartment. The light emitting device is arranged to face the lower case at a position lower than the upper case. The light emitting device includes a first light emitting unit that emits red light, a second light emitting unit that emits green light, and a third light emitting unit that emits blue light. The first light-emitting portion, a second light emitting unit and the third light-emitting unit may have a light axis inclined downwardly relative to the horizontal plane, the first light emitting portion, a second light emitting unit and the third light emitting portion To emit light toward the inside of the lower case of the vegetable storage case. After simultaneously emitting light from the first light emitting unit, the second light emitting unit, and the third light emitting unit, the third light emitting unit is first turned off .

Claims (12)

Vegetable room,
A vegetable storage case provided in the vegetable room;
A light emitting device provided in the vegetable compartment,
The light-emitting device includes a light-emitting unit having an optical axis inclined downward with respect to a horizontal plane, and emits light from the light-emitting unit toward the inside of the vegetable storage case.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting device is disposed above a vertical center of the vegetable storage case.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting device is disposed so as to face a back surface of the vegetable storage case. The vegetable storage case has an upper case and a lower case,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light emitting device is arranged such that light emitted from the light emitting unit is directed toward the inside of the lower case.   5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by the optical axis and a horizontal plane is in a range of 5 degrees to 85 degrees.   6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein an angle formed by the optical axis and a horizontal plane is in a range of 10 degrees to 45 degrees. The light-emitting device has a plurality of light-emitting portions that emit light having different wavelengths from each other,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein light is emitted from a selected light emitting unit among the plurality of light emitting units.   The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of light emitting units are a plurality of light emitting elements or a plurality of groups of light emitting elements. The light emitting device includes a first light emitting unit that emits red light, a second light emitting unit that emits green light, and a third light emitting unit that emits blue light,
The first light emitting unit, the second light emitting unit, and the third light emitting unit emit light simultaneously, and then the third light emitting unit is turned off first. The refrigerator according to any one of 6 to 6.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the light emitting device emits light during a daytime and the light emitting device is turned off during a nighttime. A moving mechanism for moving the light-emitting device so that an inclination of the optical axis with respect to a horizontal plane changes;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a control unit that controls the moving mechanism according to a position of the vegetable in the vegetable storage case. An image pickup device for picking up an image in the vegetable storage case;
The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the control unit detects a position of the vegetable in the vegetable storage case based on an image captured by the imaging device.

Images