JP2022102566A - Food storage - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a food storage capable of adjusting the internal atmosphere at lower cost.SOLUTION: A food storage 1 comprises a storage body 10 and an atmosphere adjustment unit 40 (an example of a gas separation unit). The atmosphere adjustment unit 40 has a mechanism that can switch between the condition where gas inside a storage chamber 15 (an example of the storage body) is taken in and used for component separation, and the condition where gas outside the storage chamber 15 is taken in and used for component separation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

This technique relates to food storage.

Conventionally, as an example of a food storage storage for storing foodstuffs, one equipped with an internal air adjusting device for adjusting the composition of the internal air is known. The following Patent Document 1 discloses, for example, an in-compartment air control device that adjusts the composition of air in a warehouse or a transportation container to one suitable for storing cargo such as an agricultural product to be accommodated. This internal air control device has a configuration in which carbon dioxide in the internal air, whose concentration is increased by breathing agricultural products, is discharged to the outside to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration in the internal air.

Japanese Patent No. 6658837

However, the above-mentioned internal air adjusting device needs to be provided with two separation parts, a first separation part for separating the supply air and a second separation part for separating the exhaust air, in addition to increasing the cost. , There is a problem that space for installation is required.
The present technique has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a food storage that can adjust the atmosphere in the storage at a lower cost.

(1) The food storage according to the present technology has a storage main body capable of storing food and a first component in which the concentration of the first component contained in the gas is reduced by taking in a gas and separating the components. The gas separation unit includes a gas separation unit that supplies gas to the storage unit, and the gas separation unit takes in the gas inside the storage unit and uses it for component separation, and the gas outside the storage unit. It is provided with a configuration that can be switched between taking in and using the above-mentioned component separation.

(2) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of (1) above, the gas separation unit can take in gas and separate at least oxygen, and the first component is The first gas may be an oxygen poor gas containing oxygen and having a lower oxygen concentration than the gas.

(3) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of (1) or (2) above, the gas separation unit can take in a gas and separate at least ethylene, and is described above. The first component may contain ethylene, and the first gas may be ethylene poor gas having a lower concentration of ethylene than the gas.

(4) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of (1) to (3) above, the gas separation unit can take in gas and separate at least water. Therefore, the first component may contain water, and the first gas may be a dry gas having a water concentration lower than that of the gas.

(5) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of (1) to (4) above, the gas separation unit is included in the gas by taking in the gas and separating the components. The first gas having a reduced concentration of the first component is supplied to the storage main body, and the remaining gas obtained by removing the first gas from the gas has an increased concentration of the first component. It may have a configuration in which it is possible to switch between supplying the second gas to the storage main body.

(6) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of (1) to (5) above, a pressure detecting unit for detecting the pressure inside the main body of the storage is provided, and the pressure detection is provided. When the pressure inside the storage body detected by the unit becomes equal to or lower than a preset lower threshold value, the gas outside the storage unit is taken in and used for component separation, and the pressure detection unit performs. When the detected pressure inside the storage body becomes equal to or higher than a preset upper threshold value, the gas inside the storage body may be taken in and used for the component separation.

(7) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of (1) to (6) above, the gas separation unit is included in the gas when the gas is taken in and the components are separated. The amount of the first gas produced in which the concentration of the first component is reduced, and the remaining gas obtained by removing the first gas from the gas, the production of the second gas in which the concentration of the first component is increased. A configuration may be provided in which the component separation is performed so that the amount and the amount are equal to each other.

(8) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of (1) to (7) above, the gas inside the storage body contains a third component to be removed. At this time, the gas separation unit takes in the gas inside the storage body and separates the components, thereby supplying the third gas having a reduced concentration of the third component to the storage body and at the same time. The fourth gas having an increased concentration of the third component is discharged from the storage body, and the third component is a gas outside the storage body and is more than the gas inside the storage body. By taking in a gas having a low content of the gas and subjecting it to the component separation, a gas having a reduced concentration of the third component with respect to the fourth gas is generated and supplied to the storage main body. May be provided with a configuration to execute.

(9) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of (1) to (8) above, the gas separation unit separates the components of air to have a higher nitrogen concentration than the air. It may be provided with a nitrogen separation membrane capable of producing an enhanced nitrogen-rich gas.

(10) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of (1) to (9) above, the storage main body has a box body having one side open and the opening / closing. The box body and the door may be configured to realize a closed structure in a state where the door is closed.

(11) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of (1) to (10) above, a cooling device capable of cooling the air inside the storage main body is provided. May be good.

(12) Further, in one embodiment of the present technology, in addition to the configuration of any one of the above (1) to (11), an interior box arranged with a gap between the storage and the storage, and the storage. A cooling device capable of cooling the air in the space between the main body and the interior box is provided, and the gas separation unit puts the first gas into the space between the storage main body and the interior box. It may have a configuration that can be supplied.

According to this technique, it is possible to provide a food storage that can adjust the atmosphere in the storage at a lower cost.

Front view of food storage according to one embodiment A forward sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the food storage in FIG. 1. Partially enlarged view illustrating the separated body of FIG. Block diagram of the controller Atmosphere control operation flow chart The figure which shows the control example of the atmosphere control unit of FIG. A forward sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the food storage according to another embodiment. The figure which shows the control example of the atmosphere adjustment unit of FIG. A forward sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the food storage according to another embodiment. Atmosphere control operation flow chart The figure which shows the control example of the atmosphere adjustment unit of FIG. Flow diagram of oxygen concentration monitoring operation The figure which shows the control example of the atmosphere adjustment unit of FIG. A forward sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the food storage according to another embodiment. A forward sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the food storage according to another embodiment. A forward sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the food storage according to another embodiment. A forward sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the food storage according to another embodiment. A forward sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the food storage according to another embodiment.

<< Embodiment 1 >>
The foodstuff storage according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In this embodiment, a table-type food storage 1 used in a kitchen such as a hotel or a restaurant is illustrated. The food storage 1 has a function of keeping the atmosphere in the storage suitable for foods to be stored. The reference numerals U, D, L, and R shown in FIG. 1 represent the top, bottom, left, and right when the food storage 1 is viewed from the front, respectively. However, these directions are for convenience only and should not be interpreted in a limited way. Further, the atmosphere adjusting unit 40 shown in FIG. 2 and the like is shown as a conceptual diagram above the food storage storage 1 for convenience in order to explain its configuration in an easy-to-understand manner.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the food storage 1 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and its shape and the like are designed so that the upper surface can be used as a countertop. The food storage 1 includes a main body 10 made of a horizontally long heat insulating box having an open front surface, and doors 14 and 14 for closing the opening. In the main body 10, an inner box 12 made of synthetic resin such as ABS resin is fitted in an outer box 11 made of stainless steel plate, and a heat insulating material 13 such as foamed resin is placed between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12. It is filled. A pair of heat insulating doors 14 and 14 are attached to the front opening of the main body 10 in a double door manner, and the storage chamber 15 is defined by closing the openings with the doors 14 and 14. The heat insulating structure of the doors 14 and 14 is substantially the same as that of the main body 10. By opening and closing one opening with the two doors 14 and 14 in this way, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in the atmosphere of the storage chamber 15 and to put food and other stored items in and out of the storage chamber 15. The main body 10 and the doors 14 and 14 are examples of the storage main body of the present technology.

The doors 14 and 14 are attached to the left side portion and the right side portion of the opening edge portion 10A (peripheral portion of the front opening) on the front surface of the main body 10 via a pair of upper and lower hinge mechanisms H. A magnetic packing 16 is attached in a frame shape to the peripheral edge of the back surface 14A facing the storage chamber 15 when the doors 14 and 14 are closed. The magnetic packing 16 is attached between the position facing the opening edge 10A when the doors 14 and 14 are closed and between the pair of doors 14 and 14, so that the airtightness of the storage chamber 15 when the doors are closed can be ensured. It has become. The magnetic packing 16 is a sealing member made of an elastic body mixed with a magnetic material, and is attracted to a magnetic member embedded in the opening edge portion of the main body 10 to seal the doors 14 and 14 and the opening edge portion 10A. A magnet 17A is provided on the lower edges of the doors 14 and 14, respectively, and a magnetically sensitive proximity switch 17B (for example, a reed switch) is provided at a position of the opening edge 10A close to the magnet 17A when the door is closed. ing. Then, for example, when the doors 14 and 14 are normally closed, the proximity switch 17B is closed in response to the magnets 17A of the doors 14 and 14, so that the closed state is detected. The proximity switch 17B and the magnet 17A are examples of the door sensor 17, and the door sensor 17 is electrically connected to a control device 60 described later.

The storage chamber 15 is provided with an introduction port 15A and a discharge port 15B that communicate the inside and outside of the storage room 15, and a pressure sensor 18 (an example of a pressure detection unit). The introduction port 15A and the discharge port 15B are connected to the atmosphere adjustment unit 40 described later, and in the present embodiment, the introduction port 15A is provided in the cooler chamber 20 described later, and the discharge port 15B is the upper right of the storage room 15. It is provided on the side. The pressure sensor 18 is an element for detecting the pressure in the storage chamber 15, and is not limited to, for example, a semiconductor diaphragm type pressure sensor can be used. In the semiconductor diaphragm type pressure sensor, silicon oil is sealed between the metal diaphragm exposed to the air in the refrigerator and the silicon diaphragm having a silicon gauge, and the silicon chip changes as the silicon chip bends according to the pressure inside the refrigerator. The resistance of the silicon gauge can be converted into an electric signal and detected.

A machine room 30 is provided on the left side when viewed from the front of the main body 10. An operation unit 65 is installed in the upper part of the front surface of the machine room 30. The operation unit 65 is electrically connected to the control device 60, and is provided with an input unit (for example, an operation button) and a display unit (liquid crystal panel) (not shown). This input unit can be used to instruct and set various operations of the food storage 1, for example, and the display unit can display status information, operating conditions, etc. of each part of the food storage 1. can. Behind the upper part of the machine room 30, a heat insulating cooler room 20 is provided in which a storage room 15 projects from the machine room 30, and the cooler room 20 has a cooler 21 and a cooling fan. 22 and the thermistor 23 in the refrigerator are installed. Of the machine room 30, the space extending to the left and below the cooler room 20 is a storage space, and the storage space includes a compressor 32, a condenser 33, a condenser fan 34 (see FIG. 1), and an expansion valve. (Not shown) and the like, and the atmosphere adjustment unit 40 and the control device 60 described later are housed. The compressor 32, the condenser 33, and the cooler 21 are connected by a refrigerant pipe 35, and constitutes a refrigerating device 31 that realizes a known refrigerating cycle by circulating a refrigerant in each part. Each element of the refrigerating device 31 (cooler 21, cooling fan 22, internal thermistor 23, compressor 32, condenser fan 34, expansion valve, etc.) is electrically connected to the control device 60.

On the left side of the storage chamber 15, a duct 24 made of a plate-shaped synthetic resin is provided so as to cover the opening of the cooler chamber 20 and the lower left side wall of the storage chamber 15. The gap between the upper end of the duct 24 and the ceiling of the storage chamber 15 becomes the air outlet 26, the gap between the lower end of the duct 24 and the bottom surface of the storage chamber 15 becomes the suction port 25, and the air in the refrigerator is cooled from below the storage chamber 15. It can be guided to the lower part of the vessel 21. The cooling fan 22 is on the side of the storage chamber 15 with respect to the cooler 21, and is attached above the duct 24 and is rotationally driven to generate an air flow from the side of the cooler 21 toward the storage chamber 15. It is configured as follows. Further, the introduction port 15A is arranged on the upstream side of the cooler 21 in this air flow.

The atmosphere adjustment unit 40 takes in air and separates the components, so that at least the oxygen-rich gas having a higher oxygen concentration than the air before taking in and the oxygen poor gas having a lower oxygen concentration than the air before taking in are separated. It is an element to generate. The atmosphere adjusting unit 40 is installed inside the machine room 30, and in FIG. 2, the configuration thereof is schematically shown above the food storage storage 1. The atmosphere adjusting unit 40 (an example of a gas separation unit) of the present embodiment includes an air supply unit P, a filter unit F, a separator 41, an oxygen poor flow path 42 (an example of a first flow path), and an oxygen-rich flow. It includes a passage 43 (an example of a second flow path), an air flow path 44, a valve body 45, an internal flow path 46, and an external flow path 47. Hereinafter, each element will be described.

The separator 41 is a main element of the atmosphere adjustment unit 40, and various air separation devices capable of separating oxygen poor gas having a reduced oxygen concentration by taking in air and separating the components can be used. can. The component separation process or the like in the air separation device is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a so-called deep cold separation method, an adsorption separation method, a membrane separation method or the like. Among them, it is preferable to adopt an air separation device by a membrane separation method, which has features such as a relatively compact device, easy operation and maintenance, and suitable for processing a relatively small volume of gas. The air separation device may use a separation membrane that selectively separates oxygen, or may use a separation membrane that selectively separates other components. Here, when storing foodstuffs in the refrigerator, it is desirable that the air (atmosphere) in the refrigerator has a low oxygen content that promotes deterioration of the foodstuffs. In addition, depending on the foodstuff, components that are not suitable for storage of the foodstuff (for example, ethylene gas) and offensive odor components (for example, alcohol, acetaldehyde, etc.) may be secreted and discharged with breathing, and the content of these components may be adjusted. It is also desired that it can be reduced. From this point of view, as the separator 41 in the present embodiment, a separation membrane that selectively separates nitrogen, which is an inert gas, is used. As the separator 41, for example, a nitrogen separation membrane used for producing a nitrogen-enriched gas can be preferably used. The composition of air is approximately 78.1% by volume of nitrogen, 20.9% by volume of oxygen, 0.93% by volume of argon, 0.04% by volume of carbon dioxide, 0.0 to 3.0% by volume of water vapor, and the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, oxygen poor gas can be naturally obtained by separating nitrogen from air (atmosphere), and oxygen-rich gas having a relatively high oxygen concentration can be efficiently removed as residual gas. This is because it can be done. Further, by selectively separating nitrogen, it is possible to indirectly remove the components unsuitable for storage of the above-mentioned foodstuffs and the offensive odor components.

The nitrogen separation membrane is not limited to this, but is mainly a polymer obtained by forming a polymer such as polyimide, which is excellent in thermal stability, chemical stability, and mechanical properties, into a hollow thread shape. It may be a separation membrane. The nitrogen separation membrane has high permeability based on the primary structure (polymer chain gap) of polyimide and a carrier by supporting a small molecule compound having a strong affinity for nitrogen on the polyimide membrane as a carrier. It may be such that the selectivity based on is obtained at the same time. Further, the nitrogen separation membrane may be one in which a polar group such as an oxyethylene group is introduced into the polymer chain to improve the solubility selectivity. As such a nitrogen separation membrane, for example, manufactured by Daicel Ebonic Co., Ltd., which can generate a nitrogen-enriched gas having a nitrogen gas concentration of 95% by volume or more, for example, 99.5% by volume or more from air at 23 ° C. A suitable example is "SEPURUN (registered trademark) N2 membrane". The separator 41 includes an introduction port 41A (an example of an introduction unit in the present technology) for introducing air to be separated from the components, a first air supply port 41B to which oxygen poor gas separated from the components is sent, and after the components are separated. It is provided with a second air supply port 41C to which the oxygen-rich gas of the above is sent.

The oxygen poor flow path 42 is a flow path for sending oxygen poor gas, and is composed of, for example, a silicon tube or the like. One end of the oxygen poor flow path 42 is connected to the first air supply port 41B of the separator 41, and the other end is connected to the introduction port 15A of the storage chamber 15. The oxygen-rich flow path 43 is a flow path for sending oxygen-rich gas, and is composed of, for example, a silicon tube or the like. One end of the oxygen-rich flow path 43 is connected to the second air supply port 41C of the separator 41, and the other end is open to the outside of the food storage 1. The end of the oxygen-rich flow path 43 on the side not connected to the separator 41 is an example of an external discharge port in the present technique. The air flow path 44 is a flow path for sending air for separating components to the separator 41, and is composed of, for example, a metal tube made of stainless steel or the like. One end of the air flow path 44 is connected to the introduction port 41A of the separator 41, and the other end is connected to the valve body 45. A filter unit F and an air supply unit P are interposed in the air flow path 44 in order from the side of the valve body 45. The filter unit F is an element that removes foreign matter such as dust and dirt and moisture from the air sent to the separator 41, and is provided to suppress deterioration of the performance of the separator 41. The filter unit F may be called, for example, a medium-performance filter having a collection rate of 30% or more (typically 30 to 95%) for particles having a particle size of 1 μm or more. The air supply unit P is an element for sending air to the separator 41 at a predetermined flow rate, and is configured by, for example, an air pump or the like capable of sending air at a predetermined flow rate.

The valve body 45 switches the air sent to the air flow path 44 connected to the separator 41 between the air inside the storage chamber 15 (air inside the refrigerator) and the air outside the storage chamber 15 (air outside the refrigerator). It is an element. The valve body 45 in the present embodiment is an electromagnetic three-way valve, and is, for example, an air flow path 44, an internal flow path 46 connected to the discharge port 15B of the storage chamber 15, and an open to the outside of the storage chamber 15. It is connected to the out-of-storage flow path 47. The outside flow path 47 is an example of an outside air introduction port in the present technology. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the valve body 45 includes a rotating body having one curved flow path inside, and by rotating this rotating body, the communication destination of the internal flow path can be switched. It has become. The valve body 45 is electrically connected to the control device 60, and serves as a flow path switching valve capable of electromagnetically switching the communication destination of the air flow path 44 between the internal flow path 46 and the external flow path 47. It is configured. The state in which the valve body 45 has the communication destination of the air flow path 44 as the internal flow path 46 is referred to as "inside air ventilation", and the state in which the communication destination of the air flow path 44 is the outside flow path 47 is referred to as "outside air ventilation". ..

The control device 60 includes an interface (I / F) for transmitting and receiving various information, a central processing unit (CPU) for executing instructions of a control program, and a ROM (read) containing a program executed by the CPU. Mainly composed of a microcomputer having only memory), a RAM (random access memory) used as a working area for developing a program, a storage unit M for storing various information, a timer T having a timing function, and the like. It is connected to each part of the food storage 1 (door sensor 17, refrigerating device 31, valve body 45, etc.) in a communicable manner via a wired or wireless device. As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 60 in the present embodiment defines the atmosphere of the temperature control unit 61 that keeps the temperature of the storage chamber 15 of the food storage 1 at a predetermined temperature and the atmosphere of the storage chamber 15 of the food storage 1. It is provided with an atmosphere control unit 62 that keeps the conditions of. These temperature control unit 61 and atmosphere control unit 62 may be configured by hardware such as an electronic circuit or a microcomputer, for example, or may be functionally realized by the CPU executing a computer program. It may be configured.

For example, the temperature control unit 61 drives the refrigerating device 31 when the main power supply (not shown) of the food storage 1 is turned on so as to keep the temperature inside the refrigerator at a preset refrigerating temperature. It is configured. When the refrigerating device 31 starts operation, the cooling fan 22 rotates, and as shown by the arrow line in FIG. 2, the air inside the storage chamber 15 is drawn from the suction port 25 into the cooler chamber 20 for cooling. It is introduced below the vessel 21. Then, the air in the cooler chamber 20 is cooled while passing through the cooler 21, becomes cold air, and is blown out into the refrigerator from the outlet 26. In this way, the air in the refrigerator is cooled to a predetermined refrigerating temperature by overlapping the circulation of the storage chamber 15 and the cooler chamber 20. When the temperature of the air in the refrigerator reaches a preset refrigerating temperature, the temperature control unit 61 drives the refrigerating device 31 so that the temperature in the refrigerator maintains this refrigerating temperature. (For example, intermittent operation is performed so that the refrigerating temperature is maintained in the range of about ± 1 degree). As a result, the temperature inside the storage chamber 15 can be maintained at a temperature suitable for the foodstuffs to be stored.

The atmosphere control unit 62 starts the atmosphere control operation in the refrigerator, for example, when the main power supply (not shown) of the food storage 1 is turned on. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, in step S1, the valve body 45 is set to the state of internal air ventilation (see FIG. 2), and the operation of the air supply unit P is started. Then, the air in the storage chamber 15 is sent to the separator 41 through the discharge port 15B, the internal flow path 46, the valve body 45, and the air flow path 44 (air supply unit P and filter unit F). In the separator 41, the sent air is separated into oxygen poor gas and oxygen rich gas. The oxygen poor gas is returned to the storage chamber 15 through the first air supply port 41B, the oxygen poor flow path 42, and the introduction port 15A. The oxygen-rich gas is discharged to the outside of the food storage 1 through the second air supply port 41C and the oxygen-rich flow path 43. As a result, the atmosphere inside the refrigerator can be directly ventilated to oxygen poor gas. At this time, since the introduction port 15A is arranged on the upstream side of the cooler 21, the relatively warm gas introduced from the outside to the inside of the refrigerator is efficiently cooled by the cooler 21, so that the storage chamber The temperature rise in 15 can be effectively suppressed.

According to the internal air ventilation, the amount of oxygen poor gas returned to the storage chamber 15 is smaller than that of the air discharged from the storage chamber 15, so if the internal air ventilation is continued, the air in the storage chamber 15 becomes thin and the pressure drops. do. As a result, inconveniences such as difficulty in opening the doors 14 and 14 of the food storage 1 may occur. Further, in the food storage 1 provided with a drain port (not shown) on the bottom surface of the storage room 15 in order to facilitate cleaning and maintenance of the inside, air and drainage in the drain pipe, which is difficult to control hygiene, flow back. There is a concern that the hygiene condition inside the refrigerator will be significantly deteriorated. Therefore, as shown in step S2, the atmosphere control unit 62 monitors the pressure in the atmosphere of the storage chamber 15 by the pressure sensor 18. Then, when the atmosphere control unit 62 detects that the pressure inside the refrigerator is equal to or less than a predetermined predetermined pressure P1 (lower threshold value) (YES in step S2), the atmosphere inside the refrigerator is further ventilated. As shown in step S3, the valve body 45 is switched to the outside air arousal (see FIG. 5). The pressure P1 is not limited to this, but can be set to, for example, about “outside air pressure − (20 to 50) hPa” in consideration of the installation location (altitude, etc.) of the food storage storage 1. .. The pressure P1 is stored in the storage unit M in advance, for example.

In the outside air ventilation, the air outside the food storage 1 is sent to the separator 41 through the outside flow path 47, the valve body 45, and the air flow path 44 (air supply unit P and filter unit F). In the separator 41, the sent air is separated into oxygen poor gas and oxygen rich gas in the same manner as described above, and the generated oxygen poor gas has the first air supply port 41B, the oxygen poor flow path 42, and the introduction port 15A. It passes through and is supplied to the storage chamber 15. The generated oxygen-rich gas is discharged to the outside of the food storage 1 through the second air supply port 41C and the oxygen-rich flow path 43. As a result, the pressure inside the refrigerator reduced by the ventilation of the inside air is recovered.

According to the outside air ventilation, oxygen poor gas generated from the outside air is supplied without the air being discharged from the storage chamber 15, so if the outside air ventilation is continued, the air in the storage chamber 15 becomes excessive and the pressure increases. Be done. However, during this period, the components generated inside the storage chamber 15 that are not suitable for storage of the foodstuff cannot be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator. Therefore, as shown in step S4, the atmosphere control unit 62 monitors the pressure in the atmosphere of the storage chamber 15 by the pressure sensor 18. When the atmosphere control unit 62 detects that the pressure inside the refrigerator is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure P2 (upper threshold value) (YES in step S4), the pressure inside the refrigerator is sufficiently recovered. As shown in step S5, the valve body 45 is switched to arousing the inside air (see FIG. 5). The pressure P2 is not limited to this, but can be set to, for example, about "outside air pressure + (10 to 30) hPa" in consideration of the installation location (altitude, etc.) of the food storage 1. .. The pressure P2 is stored in the storage unit M in advance, for example. After the step S5, the atmosphere control unit 62 can return to the step 1 again and repeatedly execute the steps S2 to S5. When the atmosphere control unit 62 is instructed to stop the atmosphere control operation (for example, process SS1 and process SS2) via, for example, the operation unit 65, the atmosphere control unit 62 stops the atmosphere control operation.

The atmosphere control unit 62 monitors the open / closed state of the doors 14 and 14 by the door sensor 17, executes the above-mentioned atmosphere control operation when the doors 14 and 14 are in the closed state, and opens the doors 14 and 14. At some point, it may be configured to stop the atmosphere control operation. Further, the atmosphere control unit 62 may be configured to start the atmosphere control operation from the step S1 when the doors 14 and 14 change from the open state to the closed state.

The above-mentioned food storage storage 1 includes a storage storage main body 10 and an atmosphere adjusting unit 40 (an example of a gas separation unit). The atmosphere adjustment unit 40 can switch between taking in the gas inside the storage chamber 15 (an example of the storage main body) and using it for component separation and taking in the gas outside the storage chamber 15 and using it for component separation. It is configured in.

According to the above configuration, the air inside the food storage 1 (air inside the refrigerator) and the outside air (air outside the refrigerator 1) are selected, and oxygen poor gas is generated from either air by the atmosphere adjusting unit 40. Can be supplied to the refrigerator. As a result, it is not necessary to use two atmosphere adjustment units, and the atmosphere inside the refrigerator can be adjusted at low cost. Further, for example, by switching the valve body 45 and setting the communication destination of the introduction portion to the discharge port 15B, oxygen can be directly removed from the air inside the refrigerator, and the inside of the refrigerator can be directly and quickly created with an oxygen poor atmosphere. can do. At this time, since the amount of gas in the refrigerator is reduced, negative pressure may be generated. However, by switching the communication destination of the introduction port 41A to the outside air flow path 47, which is the outside air introduction port, from the air outside the refrigerator. Oxygen poor gas can be generated and supplied to the food storage to eliminate negative pressure. Thereby, the atmosphere in the food storage 1 can be efficiently adjusted. Further, according to the atmosphere adjusting unit 40 having the above configuration, for example, one separator 41 can be used for separating the air inside the refrigerator and the air outside the refrigerator, so that the atmosphere adjusting unit 40 can be compactly configured.

Further, in the above-mentioned food storage 1, the atmosphere adjusting unit 40 can take in a gas and separate at least oxygen, the first component contains oxygen, and the first gas is more oxygen than the above-mentioned gas. It is an oxygen poor gas with a reduced concentration of. According to such a configuration, it is possible to supply oxygen poor gas having a low concentration of oxygen that promotes deterioration (for example, putrefaction) of foodstuffs into the refrigerator, and it is possible to change the atmosphere in the refrigerator to an oxygen poor atmosphere. As a result, deterioration of the food material to be stored can be suppressed.

Further, in the above-mentioned food storage storage 1, a pressure sensor 18 (an example of a pressure detecting unit) for detecting the pressure inside the storage chamber 15 (an example of the storage storage main body) is provided. Then, when the pressure inside the storage chamber 15 detected by the pressure sensor 18 becomes equal to or lower than a preset lower threshold value, the food storage 1 takes in the gas outside the storage chamber 15 and uses it for component separation. When the pressure inside the storage chamber 15 detected by the pressure sensor 18 becomes equal to or higher than a preset upper threshold value, the gas inside the storage chamber 15 is taken in and used for component separation. According to such a configuration, the switching of the valve body 45 can be automatically executed by the control device 60 based on the internal pressure. This makes it possible to easily and appropriately control the atmosphere inside the refrigerator without requiring human labor.

In the above food storage 1, the atmosphere adjusting unit 40 is provided with a nitrogen separation membrane capable of producing a nitrogen-rich gas having a higher nitrogen concentration than air by separating the components of air. Since the maximum component in air is nitrogen, the oxygen content in the oxygen poor gas can be reduced at a high level by selectively extracting nitrogen from the air to obtain oxygen poor gas. In addition, among the methods for separating air components, the membrane separation method using a nitrogen separation membrane can separate nitrogen from air with a relatively compact configuration, and it is easy to switch between starting and stopping the separation, and There are advantages such as less noise. Therefore, it is preferable to apply a nitrogen separation membrane that separates nitrogen from air by a membrane separation method to a food storage, because the above advantages can be suitably exhibited.

In the above food storage 1, the storage main body 10 includes a storage chamber 15 (an example of a box body) having one side open, and doors 14 and 14 for opening and closing the opening, and the storage chamber 15 is a door. It is configured to realize a closed structure when 14 and 14 are closed. Specifically, the doors 14 and 14 are provided with a magnetic packing 16 at a position facing the opening edge 10A when the doors 14 and 14 are closed and between the pair of doors 14 and 14. The storage chamber 15 can be kept in a closed state when the door is closed. Since the food storage 1 is highly airtight, the pressure inside the storage can be sensitively increased or decreased by controlling the atmosphere. Therefore, it is preferable to apply the technique disclosed here to such a highly airtight food storage 1 because the effect is fully exhibited.

The above-mentioned food storage storage 1 is provided with a cooling device capable of cooling the air inside the storage chamber 15. The food storage may be a refrigerated storage or a freezing storage for storing foods that need to be refrigerated or frozen. In general, many such foodstuffs are deteriorated in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. On the other hand, in the food storage 1 disclosed here, the atmosphere can be controlled so that the atmosphere in the storage is an oxygen poor atmosphere. In particular, for the food storage 1 using the nitrogen separation membrane as the separator 41, the inside of the food storage 1 can have an oxygen poor atmosphere having a high content of nitrogen, which is an inert gas, and for example, bacteria and the like can be used in the storage environment. Propagation can be suppressed. Therefore, it is preferable to apply the technique disclosed here to the food material storage 1 for storing such food materials because the effect is fully exhibited.

<< Embodiment 2 >>
The food material storage 101 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. In the atmosphere adjustment unit 140 (an example of a gas separation unit) provided in the food storage 101, an oxygen poor flow path 42 (an example of a first flow path) that sends oxygen poor gas whose oxygen concentration is reduced by the separator 41, and The end of the oxygen-rich flow path 43 (an example of the second flow path) that sends the oxygen-rich gas whose oxygen concentration is increased by the separator 41 is connected to the second valve body 48. The second valve body 48 is further connected to a supply flow path 49A connected to the introduction port 15A of the storage chamber 15 (box body) and an external flow path 49B opened to the outside of the food storage 101. There is. The second valve body 48 is configured as a flow path switching valve capable of switching the communication destination of the supply flow path 49A between the oxygen poor flow path 42 and the oxygen rich flow path 43. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description of the same configurations, actions, and effects will be omitted.

The second valve body 48 includes a rotating body having two curved flow paths inside. Then, by rotating this rotating body, the second valve body 48 communicates with (1) the oxygen poor flow path 42 and the supply flow path 49A, and the oxygen rich flow path 43 and the external flow path 49B, and oxygen is stored in the refrigerator. The oxygen-rich gas is sent into the refrigerator through the first state of sending the poor gas (see FIG. 7) and (2) the oxygen poor flow path 42 and the external flow path 49B, and the oxygen-rich flow path 43 and the supply flow path 49A. It is possible to switch to the second state (see FIG. 8). The second valve body 48 is electrically connected to the control device 160, and the control device 160 electromagnetically rotates the second valve body 48 to allow the communication destination of the supply flow path 49A to be an oxygen poor flow path. Switching between 42 (first state) and external flow path 49B (second state).

According to the food storage 101 having the above configuration, not only oxygen poor gas but also oxygen rich gas can be sent to the storage room 15. Therefore, for example, when the component contained in the oxygen poor gas is not desirable for the foodstuff to be stored due to the configuration of the separator 41, the oxygen-rich gas can be sent to the storage chamber 15 by switching the second valve body 48. Further, for example, when it is desired to store the food material to be stored in an oxygen-rich atmosphere, the storage chamber 15 can be made into an oxygen-rich atmosphere by switching the second valve body 48.

<< Embodiment 3 >>
The warehouse-type food storage 201 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. Ethylene (C ₂ H ₄ ) generated by respiration of fruits and vegetables can promote the ripening of surrounding foodstuffs such as fruits and vegetables. When it is stored for a long time, it is preferable to remove ethylene (an example of the first component) from the atmosphere inside the refrigerator. Therefore, the atmosphere adjustment unit 240 in the food storage 201 is provided with a nitrogen separation membrane containing polyamide as a separator 241 and the storage chamber 15 is provided with an oxygen concentration sensor 19 (an example of an oxygen concentration detection unit). There is. Here, in the nitrogen separation membrane containing the polyamide used in the present embodiment, ethylene penetrates into the polyamide constituting the separator 241 quickly, so that it is separated on the oxygen-rich gas side, and the amount thereof is large in the oxygen poor gas. It will be reduced. Other configurations may be the same as those in the second embodiment, and the description of the same configurations, actions and effects will be omitted.

In the control device 260 (see FIG. 4), the atmosphere control unit 262 starts the atmosphere control operation in the refrigerator when, for example, the main power supply (not shown) of the food storage 1 is turned on. That is, for example, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 10, in step S201, the valve body 45 is in a state of internal air ventilation, and the second valve body 48 includes an oxygen poor flow path 42, a supply flow path 49A, and an oxygen rich flow path 43. The operation of the air supply unit P is started as the first state (see FIG. 9) in which the oxygen poor gas is sent into the refrigerator through the external flow paths 49B. This is called "shyness oxygen discharge". Then, the air in the storage chamber 15 is sent to the separator 241 through the discharge port 15B, the internal flow path 46, the valve body 45, and the air flow path 44 (air supply unit P and filter unit F). In the separator 241 the sent air is separated into an oxygen-poor gas (that is, also an ethylene-poor gas) and an oxygen-rich gas (that is, also an ethylene-rich gas). The oxygen poor gas is returned to the storage chamber 15 through the first air supply port 41B, the oxygen poor flow path 42, the second valve body 48, the supply flow path 49A, and the introduction port 15A. The oxygen-rich gas is discharged to the outside of the food storage 201 through the second air supply port 41C, the oxygen-rich flow path 43, the second valve body 48, and the external flow path 49B. As a result, the ethylene gas in the refrigerator can be directly discharged from the storage chamber 15 as oxygen-rich, and the inside of the refrigerator can be ventilated to oxygen poor gas in which the amount of ethylene is reduced.

According to the internal oxygen discharge, the amount of oxygen poor gas returned to the storage chamber 15 is smaller than that of the air discharged from the storage chamber 15, so that the pressure inside the refrigerator drops and the doors 14 and 14 are difficult to open. , There is a concern that inconveniences such as backflow of air and drainage in the drainage pipe through the drainage port (not shown) may occur. Further, as the ethylene gas is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator, even oxygen is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator, and the oxygen concentration in the storage chamber 15 decreases. Therefore, as shown in step S202, the atmosphere control unit 262 monitors the pressure in the storage chamber 15 by the pressure sensor 18. Then, when the atmosphere control unit 262 detects that the pressure inside the refrigerator is equal to or lower than a predetermined predetermined pressure P11 (lower threshold value) (YES in step S202), the atmosphere inside the refrigerator is further ventilated. In step S203, the atmosphere control is executed as "outside air oxygen introduction" in which the valve body 45 is used to arouse outside air and the second valve body 48 is switched to the second state. reference).

In the introduction of outside air oxygen, the air outside the food storage 1 is sent to the separator 241 through the outside flow path 47, the valve body 45, and the air flow path 44 (air supply unit P and filter unit F). In the separator 241 as described above, the sent air is separated into oxygen poor gas and oxygen rich gas, and the generated oxygen rich gas is the second air supply port 41C, the oxygen rich flow path 43, and the second valve body 48. , Is supplied to the storage chamber 15 through the supply flow path 49A and the introduction port 15A. The generated oxygen poor gas is discharged to the outside of the food storage 201 through the first air supply port 41B, the oxygen poor flow path 42, the second valve body 48, and the external flow path 49B. As a result, the pressure inside the refrigerator reduced by the discharge of oxygen from the inside air is recovered, and the oxygen-rich gas generated from the air outside the refrigerator can be introduced into the storage chamber 15 in a form in which the amount of ethylene is reduced. The pressure P11 can be set in the same manner as the pressure P1 of the first embodiment and stored in the storage unit M, for example.

According to this introduction of outside air oxygen, oxygen poor gas generated from the outside air is supplied without discharging air from the storage chamber 15, so that if the introduction of outside air oxygen is continued, the air in the storage chamber 15 becomes excessive. The pressure is increased. However, during this period, the components generated inside the storage chamber 15 that are not suitable for storage of the foodstuff cannot be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator. Therefore, as shown in step S204, the atmosphere control unit 262 monitors the pressure in the atmosphere of the storage chamber 15 by the pressure sensor 18. When the atmosphere control unit 262 detects that the pressure inside the refrigerator exceeds a predetermined predetermined pressure P12 (upper threshold value) (YES in step S204), the pressure inside the refrigerator is sufficiently recovered. As shown in step S205, the valve body 45 is switched to arousing the inside air (see FIG. 9). The pressure P12 is not limited to this, but can be set to, for example, about "outside air pressure + (10 to 30) hPa" in consideration of the installation location (altitude, etc.) of the food storage storage 1. .. The atmosphere control unit 262 can return to the process 201 again after the process S205, and can repeatedly execute the process from the process S202 to the process S205. The atmosphere control unit 262 can stop the atmosphere control operation when an instruction to stop the atmosphere control operation (for example, process SS1 and process SS2) is given via, for example, the operation unit 65.

On the other hand, in the internal oxygen discharge that removes oxygen together with ethylene from the atmosphere inside the storage chamber 15 shown in steps 201 and 205, depending on the foodstuff (for example, fruits and vegetables) stored in the storage chamber 15, the storage chamber is breathed or the like. Since the oxygen inside the storage chamber 15 is consumed, the oxygen concentration inside the storage chamber 15 may be significantly reduced. Therefore, the atmosphere control unit 262 is configured to monitor the oxygen concentration, for example, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. In this oxygen concentration monitoring, the atmosphere control unit 262 monitors the oxygen concentration inside the storage chamber 15 by the oxygen concentration sensor 19 as shown in step S206. Then, when the atmosphere control unit 262 detects that the oxygen concentration sensor 19 is equal to or lower than a predetermined oxygen concentration D1 (lower threshold value) (YES in step S206), the above-mentioned "outside air oxygen" shown in step S207 is shown. "Introduction" and the following "inside air poor oxygen discharge" shown in step S208 are repeatedly executed, for example, at predetermined time intervals.

In the internal air poor oxygen discharge in step S208, as shown in FIG. 13, the valve body 45 is switched to the internal air arousal, and the second valve body 48 maintains the second state. As a result, the air inside the food storage 1 is sent to the separator 41 through the discharge port 15B, the internal flow path 46, the valve body 45, and the air flow path 44 (air supply unit P and filter unit F). Be done. In the separator 41, the sent air is separated into oxygen poor gas and oxygen rich gas. The oxygen poor gas is discharged to the outside of the food storage 201 through the first air supply port 41B, the oxygen poor flow path 42, the second valve body 48, and the external flow path 49B. The oxygen-rich gas is returned to the storage chamber 15 through the second air supply port 41C, the oxygen-rich flow path 43, the second valve body 48, the supply flow path 49A, and the introduction port 15A. In the "outside air oxygen introduction", since oxygen-rich air is introduced into the storage chamber 15 from the outside, the pressure inside the refrigerator may increase, but the pressure increase is alleviated by performing the "inside air poor oxygen discharge". The "outside air oxygen introduction" and "inside air poor oxygen discharge" are repeated until, for example, in step 209, the oxygen concentration sensor 19 detects that the predetermined oxygen concentration D2 (upper threshold value) or higher is reached. It can be executed (YES in step S209). As a result, oxygen can be supplied to the storage chamber 15 in preference to the discharge of ethylene (and by extension, the discharge of oxygen).

Although there are individual differences, in general, when the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere is less than 18% by volume, symptoms of oxygen deficiency may appear in humans and small animals. Therefore, the oxygen concentration D1 is not limited to this, but can be set to, for example, about 18% by volume or 18.5% by volume as a guide. The oxygen concentration D2 is not limited to this, but can be set to, for example, about 21% by volume or 22% by volume as a guide. These oxygen concentrations D1 and D2 can be stored in the storage unit M, for example, via the operation unit 65.

According to the food storage 201 having the above configuration, since the separator 41 uses a polymer separation film having the ability to separate ethylene from air, the control device 260 uses the air inside the refrigerator and the air outside the refrigerator. Is separated into an oxygen-rich gas in which the ethylene concentration is increased by the separator 41 and an oxygen-poor gas in which the ethylene concentration is reduced, and the oxygen-poor gas in which the ethylene concentration is reduced is returned to the inside of the refrigerator to form an ethylene gas. It is possible to carry out the discharge from the inside of the refrigerator. Further, the control device 260 can then introduce an oxygen-rich gas having a reduced amount of ethylene into the refrigerator to recover the oxygen concentration and pressure in the refrigerator reduced with the discharge of ethylene. These are performed to monitor the pressure inside the refrigerator and maintain an appropriate pressure inside the refrigerator. Further, the control device 260 can monitor the oxygen concentration in the refrigerator in preparation for an unexpected decrease in the oxygen concentration and maintain the oxygen concentration in the refrigerator in a state suitable for human breathing. Thereby, the atmosphere inside the food storage 201 can be more appropriately controlled according to the characteristics of the food to be stored.

<< Embodiment 4 >>
The food material storage 301 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The food storage 301 is a so-called indirect cooling method in which cold air is allowed to flow through the wall of the heat insulating box without directly sending cold air to the storage chamber 315, and the storage chamber 315 is indirectly cooled through the wall surface. It is a storage (also called a constant temperature and high humidity storage). A general configuration of an indirect cooling type cooling storage is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-11506, and the whole thereof is incorporated in the present specification by reference. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the food storage 301 has a storage chamber 315 inside the inner box 12 constituting the main body 10 while forming a gap between the inner box 12 and the inner box 12. , An interior box 12A made of stainless steel plate is provided. The inner box 12A defines a cooling duct between the inner box 12 and the inner box 12, and the air outlet 26 and the suction port 25 of the duct 24 communicate with the gap between the inner box 12A and the inner box 12. It is configured in. Further, the introduction port 15A and the discharge port 15B are configured to communicate with each other in the gap between the inner box 12A and the inner box 12, and the pressure sensor 18 is installed in the cooling duct. Other configurations (for example, the atmosphere adjusting unit 40) are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the description of the same configurations, actions, and effects will be omitted.

Such a food storage 301 has an advantage that the food to be stored is less likely to dry because the food is not directly blown into the storage, and the humidity inside the storage chamber 315 can be kept high. be. However, as a trade-off, a defrost operation is required to eliminate "frosting" in which moisture in the air adheres to the cooler 21 and freezes, and this defrost operation has a demerit that the cooling efficiency is significantly lowered. .. Further, the gap between the inner box 12A and the inner box 12 has poor cleanability, and for example, if fungi such as mold grow in this space, there is a problem that it takes a lot of time, labor and cost for cleaning.

On the other hand, the food storage 301 disclosed here includes an atmosphere adjusting unit 40 including a separator 41 made of a nitrogen separation membrane. This nitrogen separation film can generate a nitrogen-enriched gas (oxygen poor gas) having a nitrogen gas concentration of 95% by volume or more, for example, 99.5% by volume or more from air at 23 ° C., and is in the air. Moisture can be separated as oxygen-rich gas together with oxygen. In other words, oxygen poor gas is produced as a drier gas with water separated. Most molds (filamentous fungi) are aerobic and require oxygen to grow. Therefore, in the food storage 301, by performing the same atmosphere control operation as in the first embodiment by the control device 60, oxygen poor gas having a reduced concentration of water and oxygen can be sent to the cooling duct, and the inside of the duct can be sent. The space can be made into a dry oxygen poor atmosphere. This makes it possible to suppress the growth of fungi such as mold in the duct. Further, it is possible to reduce the amount of water that condenses on the cooler 21 and becomes frost, and it is possible to reduce the frequency of defrost operation of the cooler 21 and shorten the operation time. As a result, it is possible to effectively reduce the decrease in cooling efficiency due to the defrost operation of the food storage 301.

Some nitrogen separation membranes have a function of adjusting the flow rate ratio of oxygen-rich gas and oxygen-poor gas (nitrogen-rich gas) separated from the taken-in air. For example, in the case of "SEPURUN N2 membrane" used in the first and fourth embodiments, when the flow rate ratio of the oxygen rich gas and the oxygen poor gas is set to 1: 1 by volume, the concentration of oxygen contained in the oxygen poor gas is about 6. It is reduced to%. In addition to changing the oxygen concentration in oxygen poor gas to one that can sufficiently suppress the growth and growth of mold compared to the normal atmosphere, for example, the setting of the flow rate ratio is such that the pressure in the space inside the duct is set. It will be easier to manage. For example, since the volume of oxygen-rich gas discharged to the outside from the duct internal space due to internal air ventilation is the same as the volume of oxygen poor gas, the decrease in pressure in the duct internal space due to internal air ventilation is for the same amount of time as the internal air ventilation. It can be recovered by arousing. Therefore, by setting the flow rate ratio (separation ratio) in the separator 41 to 1: 1 by volume, the control device 60 is based on the timer T without monitoring the pressure in the space inside the duct by the pressure sensor 18. The valve body 45 can be switched by time management in which the inside air ventilation and the outside air arousal are performed at predetermined time intervals.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the first embodiment, the atmosphere control unit is configured to execute the inside air ventilation first and then the outside air arousal, but either the inside air ventilation or the outside air arousal is executed first. You may.
(2) In the above embodiment, a polymer separation membrane is used as the separator, but as the separator, an inorganic membrane such as a silica membrane, a zeolite membrane, or a molecular sieve carbon membrane may be used, or the inorganic membrane may be used. A hybrid membrane with a polymer separation membrane may be used. Further, as the separator, two or more separation membranes may be used in combination.
(3) In the above embodiments 1 and 2, the separator was a polymer separation membrane mainly composed of polyimide or polyamide. However, the material mainly constituting the polymer separation film is not limited to this, and for example, cellulose resins such as cellulose acetate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose nitrate, and cellulose, polyacrylonitrile, aromatic polyamide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, and polycarbonate. , Polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, silicone, etc., and these may be any one or a combination of two or more (including a complex). It may be there.

(4) In the first embodiment, the control device switches the valve body based on the internal pressure detected by the pressure detecting unit, but the timing of switching the valve body is not limited to this. For example, in the food storage, the oxygen concentration of the oxygen-poor gas produced, the amount of oxygen-poor gas produced per unit time, and the like can be known in advance depending on the type of the separated body to be used, the conditions of use, and the like. In addition, the time required to directly convert the air inside the refrigerator to oxygen poor gas (decompression time) and the time required to supply the oxygen poor gas derived from the air outside the refrigerator required to restore the decompression caused by this (decompression time). Recovery time) and can be set in advance. Therefore, when the control device detects that the time for the valve body to communicate with the introduction port (introduction portion) and the discharge port has reached the decompression time for reducing the pressure in the refrigerator by a predetermined amount, the communication destination of the introduction port is set. The valve body is controlled so as to be an outside flow path (outside air introduction port), and the time for the valve body to communicate between the introduction port (introduction portion) and the outside flow path (outside air introduction port) is a predetermined amount of pressure inside the refrigerator. When it is detected that the recovery time for recovery has been reached, the valve body may be controlled so that the communication destination of the introduction port (introduction portion) becomes the discharge port. As a specific example, when an air separation membrane that produces oxygen poor gas and oxygen rich gas at a volume ratio of 1: 1 is used as the separator, the decompression time and recovery time can be the same. The inside air ventilation and the outside air arousal may be switched at predetermined time intervals. According to such a configuration, the control device can control the timing of valve body switching based on the decompression time and the recovery time. In addition, the food storage does not necessarily have to be equipped with a pressure detector. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to easily and appropriately control the atmosphere inside the refrigerator without requiring manpower.

(5) According to the food storage of the above embodiment, the operation of maintaining the inside of the storage chamber 15 in an oxygen poor atmosphere can be performed. Further, by using a nitrogen separation membrane as the separator 41, for example, oxygen poor gas having an oxygen concentration of about 6% by volume or less can be introduced into the storage chamber 15 to create an oxygen poor atmosphere. Here, if the pressure inside the storage chamber 15 is maintained to be substantially equal to the pressure outside, when the doors 14 and 14 are slightly opened, oxygen is oxygenated from the gap between the front opening of the main body 10 and the doors 14 and 14. There is a concern that the poor gas may flow out, and in some cases, the user outside the refrigerator may inhale oxygen poor gas and fall into an oxygen deficient state. Therefore, in the control device of the food storage, for example, according to the flow chart of FIG. 5, when the atmosphere control unit performs the atmosphere control operation, the pressure (upper threshold) for stopping the outside air ventilation is slightly negative than the outside air pressure. The pressure P2'can be adopted. The pressure P2'is not limited to this, but can be set to, for example, about (outside air pressure −5 hPa) in consideration of the installation location (altitude etc.) of the food storage. The pressure P2'is stored in the storage unit M in advance, for example. According to the food storage with such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the outflow of oxygen poor gas from the inside to the outside when the door is opened, and it is possible to avoid the risk of suffocation of the user or the like.

<Other reference examples>
Further, the food storage is not limited to the configuration shown in the above embodiment, and may have the following configuration, for example.

(6) In the second embodiment, the atmosphere preparation unit 140 of the food storage 101 includes a second valve body 48 in addition to the valve body 45. However, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, the atmosphere adjusting unit 440 in the food storage 401 may include only the second valve body 48 without the valve body 45. Here, although the main body 10 is provided with the introduction port 15A, there is no discharge port. Then, in the atmosphere adjusting unit 440, the air flow path 44 for sending the air for separating the components to the separator 41 has the end portion of the food storage 401 having the air supply unit P and the filter unit F interposed therebetween. It is open to the outside. According to such a configuration, by driving the air supply unit P, the air taken in from the outside by the separator 41 has a first gas (for example, oxygen) whose concentration of the first component (for example, oxygen) is lower than that of the air. It can be separated into an oxygen poor gas) and a second gas (for example, oxygen-rich gas) having a higher concentration of the first component (for example, oxygen) than air. Further, by controlling the second valve body 48, either one of the first gas and the second gas can be efficiently cooled and introduced into the refrigerator.

(7) In the second embodiment, the atmosphere control unit of the food storage has a second valve body 48 in addition to the valve body 45. However, as shown in FIG. 16, for example, the atmosphere adjusting unit 540 in the food storage 501 may include only the second valve body 48 without the valve body 45. Here, in the atmosphere adjusting unit 540, in the air flow path 44 for sending the air for separating the components to the separator 41, the end portion of the air flow path 44 in which the air supply unit P and the filter unit F are interposed is connected to the discharge port 15B. It is directly connected. Further, the atmosphere adjusting unit 540 includes an outside air introduction path 545 including an air filter 545A and a check valve 545B. The outside air introduction path 545 is a flow path connecting the inside and the outside of the storage chamber 15, and one end thereof is on the upstream side of the cooler 21 and is arranged in the vicinity of the introduction port 15A. Further, the check valve 545B allows the flow of gas from the outside to the inside of the storage chamber 15 in the outside air introduction path 545, and regulates the flow of gas in the opposite direction.

According to such a configuration, the air taken in from the inside of the storage chamber 15 by the separator 41 is separated from the first gas (oxygen poor gas) having a lower concentration of the first component (for example, oxygen) than the air and the air. Can also be separated into a second gas (oxygen-rich gas) having an increased concentration of the first component (for example, oxygen). Further, by controlling the second valve body 48, either one of the first gas and the second gas can be efficiently cooled and introduced into the refrigerator. At this time, there is a concern that the pressure of the storage chamber 15 may decrease due to the other gas being discharged to the outside of the refrigerator. However, since the atmosphere adjusting unit 540 is provided with the outside air introduction path 545, the storage chamber is provided. Based on the pressure difference between the outside and the inside of 15, the amount of air that compensates for the reduced pressure inside the refrigerator is naturally introduced from the outside of the refrigerator. Further, since the air from the outside of the refrigerator is supplied to the upstream side of the cooler 21, the air can be efficiently cooled by the cooler 21 and introduced into the refrigerator 21.

(8) In the food storage 501, the outside air introduction path 545 intervenes an air filter 545A and a check valve 545B. Here, the atmosphere adjusting unit 640 of the food storage 601 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, an outside air introduction path 645 interposing an air filter 645A and a solenoid valve 645B instead of a check valve. May be. Here, the solenoid valve 645B is electrically connected to the control device 660 (see FIG. 4), opens the outside air introduction path 645 in conjunction with the drive of the air supply unit P, and interlocks with the stop of the air supply unit P. It is configured to seal the outside air introduction path 645. Therefore, according to this atmosphere adjustment unit 640, the outside air introduction path 645 is released only during the atmosphere control operation, and the movement of gas through the outside air introduction path 645 is allowed. With such a configuration, it is possible to compensate for the pressure drop inside the refrigerator due to the discharge of the other gas to the outside of the refrigerator.

(9) In the food storage 501, the outside air introduction path 545 intervenes an air filter 545A and a check valve 545B. Here, as shown in FIG. 18, for example, the atmosphere control unit 740 of the food storage storage 701 includes an outside air introduction path 745 that intervenes an air filter 745A and a solenoid valve 745B instead of a check valve. May be. Here, the solenoid valve 745B is electrically connected to the control device 760 (see FIG. 4), and when the pressure sensor 18 determines that the pressure inside the refrigerator is lower than the predetermined normal pressure, the outside air introduction path. The 745 is opened, and the outside air introduction path 745 is sealed when the pressure sensor 18 determines that the pressure is a predetermined normal pressure. Therefore, according to the atmosphere control unit 740, the outside air introduction path 745 is released only when the pressure in the refrigerator is reduced due to the atmosphere control operation, and the movement of gas through the outside air introduction path 745 is allowed. With such a configuration, it is possible to compensate for the pressure drop inside the refrigerator due to the discharge of the other gas to the outside of the refrigerator. The determination as to whether or not the pressure inside the refrigerator is reduced is not limited to this, but when the average atmospheric pressure in the installation environment (for example, altitude) of the food storage storage 701 is set to the normal outside air pressure P0, for example, the refrigerator. When the pressure inside is about (P0-10) hPa or less, it can be determined that the pressure is reduced.

1,101,201,301,401,501,601,701 ... Food storage, 10 ... Storage body (main body), 12A ... Interior box, 14 ... Door, 15,315 ... Storage room (box body), 15A ... introduction port, 15B ... discharge port, 18 ... pressure sensor, 19 ... oxygen concentration sensor, 24 ... duct, 31 ... refrigerating device, 40, 140, 240, 440, 540, 640, 740 ... atmosphere adjustment unit (gas separation unit) ) 41,241 ... Separator, 41A ... Introduction port (introduction part), 41B ... First air supply port, 41C ... Second air supply port, 42 ... Oxygen poor flow path (first flow path), 43 ... Oxygen Rich flow path (second flow path), 44 ... air flow path, 45 ... valve body, 46 ... inside flow path, 47 ... outside flow path (outside air introduction port), 48 ... second valve body, 49A ... supply flow Road, 49B ... External flow path, 60, 160, 260, 660, 760 ... Control device, 61 ... Temperature control unit, 62, 262 ... Atmosphere control unit, 545,645,745 ... Outside air introduction path 545A, 645A, 745A ... Air filter, 545B ... Check valve, 645B, 745B ... Electromagnetic valve

Claims (12)

The main body of the storage that can store ingredients and
A gas separation unit that supplies a first gas having a reduced concentration of the first component contained in the gas to the storage main body by taking in a gas and separating the components.
Equipped with
The gas separation part is
Taking in the gas inside the main body of the storage and using it for the separation of the components,
Taking in the gas outside the main body of the storage and using it for the separation of the components,
Ingredient storage with a switchable configuration. The gas separation unit is capable of taking in a gas and separating at least oxygen, the first component contains oxygen, and the first gas is an oxygen poor gas having a lower oxygen concentration than the gas. The food storage according to claim 1. The gas separation unit can take in a gas to separate at least ethylene, the first component contains ethylene, and the first gas has an ethylene poor concentration lower than that of the gas. The food storage according to claim 1 or 2, which is gas. The gas separation unit can take in a gas to separate at least water, the first component contains water, and the first gas is a dry gas having a lower water concentration than the gas. The food storage according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The gas separation unit takes in gas and separates the components by separating the components.
Supplying the first gas in which the concentration of the first component contained in the gas is reduced to the storage main body, and
The remaining gas obtained by removing the first gas from the gas and having an increased concentration of the first component is supplied to the storage main body.
The foodstuff storage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which has a structure capable of switching between the two. It is equipped with a pressure detection unit that detects the pressure inside the storage body.
When the pressure inside the storage body detected by the pressure detection unit becomes equal to or lower than a preset lower threshold value, the gas outside the storage body is taken in and used for component separation.
When the pressure inside the storage body detected by the pressure detection unit becomes equal to or higher than a preset upper threshold value, the gas inside the storage body is taken in and used for component separation. The food storage according to any one of claims 1 to 5. When the gas separation unit takes in a gas and separates the components,
The amount of the first gas produced in which the concentration of the first component contained in the gas is reduced, and
The amount of the second gas produced, which is the remaining gas obtained by removing the first gas from the gas and in which the concentration of the first component is increased,
The foodstuff storage according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a configuration in which the components are separated so as to be equal to each other. When the gas inside the storage body contains the third component to be removed,
The gas separation part is
By taking in the gas inside the storage body and separating the components, the third gas having the reduced concentration of the third component is supplied to the storage body, and the concentration of the third component is increased. Discharging the fourth gas from the storage body and
By taking in a gas outside the storage body and having a lower content of the third component than the gas inside the storage body and subjecting it to the component separation, the fourth gas can be obtained. On the other hand, a gas having a reduced concentration of the third component is generated and supplied to the storage body.
The foodstuff storage according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a configuration for executing the above. The gas separation unit is provided with a nitrogen separation membrane capable of producing a nitrogen-rich gas having a higher nitrogen concentration than the air by separating the components of air, according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Ingredient storage listed in. The storage main body includes a box body having one side open and a door for opening and closing the opening.
The food storage according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the box body and the door are configured to realize a closed structure in a state where the door is closed. The food storage according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a cooling device capable of cooling the air inside the storage main body. An interior box arranged with a gap between the storage box and the main body,
A cooling device capable of cooling the air in the space between the storage body and the interior box, and
Equipped with
The one according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the gas separation unit has a configuration capable of supplying the first gas to the space between the storage main body and the interior box. Food storage.

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