KR100774191B1 - Kimchi Refrigerator and Control Method for the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a kimchi refrigerator and a control method thereof that constantly adjusts the degree of fermentation of kimchi in consideration of the relationship to the initial state. The present invention, kimchi storage room for storing kimchi; A temperature controller for controlling the temperature in the kimchi storage room; An acidity sensor for measuring the acidity of kimchi stored in the kimchi storage room; And controlling the temperature control device according to the ripening mode and the storage mode of kimchi, and at least one of an operation temperature of the temperature control device and a duration of the ripening mode in response to the acidity of kimchi measured by the acidity measuring sensor. It provides a kimchi refrigerator and a control method thereof comprising a control unit for controlling the.

Therefore, according to the present invention, regardless of the initial state of kimchi can always consume kimchi ripened according to the taste of the user.

Kimchi refrigerator, pH sensor, target pH

Description

Kimchi Refrigerator and Control Method for the Same}

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional kimchi refrigerator;

2 is a graph showing the change over time of the kimchi acidity according to the degree of initial fermentation of kimchi in the conventional kimchi refrigerator;

3 is a graph showing the change over time of the control temperature and kimchi temperature of the refrigerator for each mode of kimchi;

Figure 4 is a graph showing the change with time of kimchi acidity for each degree of kimchi initial fermentation in the control method of the kimchi refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the kimchi refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a graph showing a change with time of kimchi acidity for each degree of initial fermentation of kimchi in the control method of the kimchi refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a kimchi refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a kimchi refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a flow chart showing a control method of the kimchi refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings>

10: Kimchi Refrigerator 20: Upper Kimchi Storage Room

30: lower kimchi storage room 40: control panel

S11: pH measurement step S12: pH control step

S13: temperature control step S14: mode switching step

The present invention relates to a kimchi refrigerator and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a kimchi refrigerator and a control method thereof that can control the fermentation degree of kimchi by improving the structure.

In general, the kimchi refrigerator is a refrigerator manufactured for the ripening and storage of kimchi, and can store kimchi for a longer time than a general refrigerator, and the ripening state can be adjusted. And the kimchi refrigerator keeps fresh kimchi taste for a long time by applying the principle of kimchi dog which is buried in the ground during winter season to cook and store kimchi.

The storage temperature of the kimchi refrigerator is generally maintained between 0 ° C. and −2 ° C., which is known to be due to the smallest change in acidity of kimchi at the storage temperature. And the control method of the storage temperature is the intercooling circulating the cold air by the cooling fan and the direct cooling circulating the cold air by natural convection inside the storage compartment. The direct cooling has a relatively low cooling rate, low electric consumption, low noise, and is mainly used for small refrigerators. On the other hand, the inter-cooling has a fast cooling rate, a large amount of electricity consumption, high noise, and is mainly used for large refrigerators.

It looks at briefly about the process of storing the kimchi of the kimchi refrigerator.

The refrigerant used in the kimchi refrigerator is compressed to high temperature and high pressure in a compressor and sent to the condenser along the refrigerant pipe. After that, the refrigerant is liquefied in the condenser, and is moved to the expansion valve along the refrigerant pipe and then the low temperature and low pressure state by the expansion valve. It is then moved back to the evaporator, which is wrapped around the outside of the storage compartment. As the refrigerant vaporizes in the evaporator, the surrounding heat is instantaneously taken away so that the temperature of the main body wall decreases. Then, in the storage chamber formed by the main body wall, the temperature is lowered by the natural convection or cooling fan of cold air, so that the kimchi can be stored at a low temperature.

Referring to Figure 1, when describing the structure of the conventional kimchi refrigerator storage room as follows.

Conventional kimchi refrigerator 10 is provided with an upper kimchi storage room 21, the lower kimchi storage room 31 for storing kimchi, respectively. And the upper door 27 which opens and closes the upper kimchi storage room 21 is provided, and the lower door 37 which consists of a drawer type which opens and closes the lower kimchi storage room 31 by a sliding method is provided.

The upper and lower kimchi storage rooms 21 and 31 are surrounded by the body wall of the kimchi refrigerator as a place where kimchi is stored, aged, and stored. In addition, an evaporator (not shown) for supplying cold air to the storage compartment is provided at a predetermined interval on the main body wall.

The upper door 27 and the lower door 37 are installed at the upper portion of the kimchi refrigerator 10 body to open and close the upper and lower kimchi storage rooms 21 and 31. Here, the upper door 27 is made of a structure that is opened and closed by a hinge formed on one side of the kimchi refrigerator 10, the lower door 37 is made of a structure that is opened and closed in a sliding manner.

The doors 27 and 37 may be made of the same material as the main body of the kimchi refrigerator 10, and the inside may be filled with a heat insulating material. And gaskets (not shown) are installed at the edges of the upper and lower doors 27 and 37 to prevent the inflow and outflow of air generated between the kimchi storage chambers 21 and 31 and the external atmosphere. It serves to seal.

On the other hand, although not shown, a separate machine room is provided inside the main body of the kimchi refrigerator 10. Inside the machine room, various components for a cooling system, such as a compressor for compressing a refrigerant flowing inside the evaporator, are mounted in interconnection. In addition, the kimchi refrigerator is equipped with various accessories such as various controls and sensors required for ripening and storing the kimchi for a long time.

And a control panel 40 is provided on the front of the body of the kimchi refrigerator 10, to control the overall operation of the kimchi refrigerator.

So far, the kimchi refrigerator has been described as an example in which the kimchi storage chambers are provided at the upper and lower portions, respectively, but the kimchi refrigerator in which the upper and lower portions are not divided, or the refrigerator or freezer compartment for storing various foods is generally combined. Used.

Referring to FIG. 2, the change of Kimchi acidity over time according to the initial fermentation degree of kimchi in the conventional kimchi refrigerator will be described.

In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents acidity. Here, acidity refers to total acidity and is generally expressed in%. Since calculating the total acidity is well known to those skilled in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

 On the other hand, when the kimchi is first put into the kimchi refrigerator, the initial acidity of the kimchi is put as shown in Figure 2 shows a difference. Therefore, when the temperature of the kimchi is controlled in a batch to control the fermentation degree of the kimchi, the acidity of the kimchi is different from the fermentation completion point (t1), resulting in a difference in the taste of the kimchi.

Therefore, the conventional kimchi refrigerator described above has a problem that the taste of kimchi is different at the time of completion of maturation because it controls the degree of fermentation by adjusting the temperature in the kimchi storage chamber without considering the initial fermentation degree of kimchi.

In other words, when fermenting freshly prepared kimchi and fermenting kimchi that has been fermented to some time after soaking the kimchi, if the batch is matured, it is possible to achieve the same degree of fermentation of kimchi when the fermentation is completed. There was no problem.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a kimchi refrigerator and its control method to maintain a constant kimchi taste after aging by improving the structure and algorithm.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, kimchi storage room for storing kimchi; A temperature controller for controlling the temperature in the kimchi storage room; An acidity sensor for measuring the acidity of kimchi stored in the kimchi storage room; And controlling the temperature control device according to the ripening mode and the storage mode of kimchi, and at least one of an operation temperature of the temperature control device and a duration of the ripening mode in response to the acidity of kimchi measured by the acidity measuring sensor. It provides a kimchi refrigerator comprising a control unit for controlling the.

The kimchi refrigerator includes a memory for storing a target acidity of kimchi, which the user prefers, and the controller may control the kimchi when the acidity of the kimchi measured by the acidity measuring sensor reaches the target acidity of the kimchi stored in the memory. It is preferable to convert the ripening mode to the storage mode.

Control method of the kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention, the temperature control step of adjusting the temperature in the kimchi storage room stored kimchi; An acidity measuring step of measuring acidity of kimchi stored in the kimchi storage room; And controlling the temperature control device according to the ripening mode and the storage mode of kimchi, and at least one of an operation temperature of the temperature control device and a duration of the ripening mode in response to the acidity of kimchi measured by the acidity measuring sensor. It is configured to include a pH control step of controlling.

The method of controlling the kimchi refrigerator may include a target acidity storing step of storing a target acidity of kimchi which the user prefers. The control method of the kimchi refrigerator includes a mode switching step of converting the ripening mode to a storage mode when the acidity of kimchi measured in the acidity measurement step reaches the target acidity of kimchi stored in the target acidity storage step. More preferably.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this embodiment, the same name and the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration and additional description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to Figure 3, when explaining the structure of controlling the fermentation degree of the kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention.

Kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention is configured to include a kimchi storage room, a temperature control device, an acidity sensor, and a control unit.

The kimchi storage room is a storage space for storing kimchi, and is formed by a body wall and a bottom surface. The structure of the kimchi storage room is divided into the upper kimchi storage room and the lower kimchi storage room as in the conventional kimchi refrigerator described above, the kimchi storage room (210,310) provided in the upper and lower may be formed in a form partitioned to the left and right again. However, if necessary, the kimchi storage compartment may be partitioned only to the left and right side without the lower kimchi storage compartment.

On the other hand, kimchi is generally stored in the kimchi storage room in the form of a kimchi storage container for storing it.

The temperature control device is a device for controlling the temperature in the kimchi storage room, and is provided in the main wall of the kimchi refrigerator to provide a cooling system consisting of an evaporator for supplying cold air to the kimchi storage room, and a compressor for compressing the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator. Can be.

The acidity measuring sensor is a sensor for measuring the acidity of kimchi stored in the kimchi storage room, it may be made in various forms, in particular can be configured to measure the acidity of kimchi in contact with the kimchi stored in the kimchi storage container. .

On the other hand, the control unit basically controls the temperature control device according to the ripening mode and storage mode of kimchi. That is, as shown in Figure 3, by controlling the temperature control device to control the temperature of the kimchi storage room where the kimchi is stored, thereby controlling the temperature of the kimchi.

Here, the storage mode is a mode for long-term storage of kimchi, by controlling the temperature control device to inhibit the ripening of kimchi at the maximum storage temperature. On the other hand, the ripening mode is a mode for premature ripening of kimchi stored, by setting the fermentation temperature to a temperature relatively higher than the storage temperature to ripen kimchi to give a delicious taste.

As shown in Figure 3, the control temperature of the temperature control device changes in detail with time, but controls to maintain the storage temperature and fermentation temperature on average.

Meanwhile, the controller of the kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention controls at least one of an operating temperature of the temperature regulating device and a duration of the ripening mode in response to the acidity of kimchi measured by the acidity measuring sensor. A detailed control method of the controller will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5, 7, and 9.

Meanwhile, the kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention further includes a memory for storing a target acidity of kimchi which the user prefers, so that the acidity of kimchi measured by the acidity measuring sensor reaches the target acidity of kimchi stored in the memory. When the ripening mode is preferably converted to the storage mode. Detailed description thereof will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

4 and 5, the method of controlling the kimchi refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The present embodiment is a method of controlling the kimchi refrigerator to have the same acidity (P) at the time of fermentation completion (t2), even if the fermentation degree of the initial kimchi is controlled to control the operating temperature of the temperature control device corresponding to the acidity Way.

Referring to FIG. 5, an initial acidity of kimchi is measured by an acidity sensor (S11). Then, the operating temperature of the temperature control device is set corresponding to the acidity measured by the acidity measurement sensor.

Specifically, the freshly prepared kimchi has a low initial acidity value, and when fermentation is carried out to some extent after soaking the kimchi, the initial acidity is relatively high.

Therefore, when the initial pH value is relatively low, the operating temperature of the temperature controller is set relatively high so that the kimchi can ripen quickly.On the contrary, when the value of the initial pH is relatively high, It is desirable to slow the degree of ripening of kimchi by setting the operating temperature relatively low.

Then, the kimchi is aged for the duration of the ripening mode according to the operating temperature of the set temperature controller (S13). Here, the duration of the ripening mode is a preset value, when the user does not want the current kimchi ripening state in the middle and no longer aged, the user switches directly from the ripening mode to storage mode during the ripening mode It is desirable to make this possible.

Next, if the set duration has elapsed, switching from the ripening mode to the storage mode to further suppress the ripening for long-term storage (S14).

According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the kimchi may have a constant acidity P at the time t1 when the fermentation is completed, even if the initial fermentation state is different.

6 and 7, the method of controlling the kimchi refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment, unlike the first embodiment described above, controls the duration of the ripening mode, that is, each fermentation completion point (t3, t4, t5) c, instead of the operating temperature of the temperature control device in response to the measured initial acidity. As a result, the kimchi refrigerator is controlled to have the same acidity at the fermentation completion point (t3, t4, t5).

Referring to FIG. 7, first, the initial acidity of kimchi is measured by an acidity sensor (S21). The duration of the ripening mode is set corresponding to the acidity measured by the acidity sensor.

As described above, the initial acidity of kimchi is freshly measured kimchi low value of the initial acidity, when the fermentation to some extent after soaking kimchi is measured relatively high initial acidity.

Accordingly, when the value of the initial acidity is relatively low, the duration of the ripening mode is set longer. On the contrary, when the value of the initial acidity is relatively high, the duration of the ripening mode is preferably set longer.

And kimchi is aged in the ripening mode for the set duration (S23). The ripening mode is a mode of ripening kimchi by the operating temperature of the preset temperature control device, when the user does not want the current kimchi ripening state in the middle and no longer aged, the user directly aged during the ripening mode It is desirable to be able to switch from the mode to the storage mode.

Next, when the set duration has elapsed, switching from the ripening mode to the storage mode to suppress further ripening for long term storage (S24).

According to this embodiment, according to the above-described control method, as shown in FIG. 6, the kimchi is set differently at different fermentation states (t2, t3, t4) even if the initial fermentation state is different, and after the fermentation is completed, kimchi is completed. Can all have a constant acidity (P).

Meanwhile, the first and second embodiments have described an example in which only one of the operating temperature of the temperature controller and the duration of the aging mode is controlled, but it is also possible to control both factors.

Referring to Figure 8, when describing the control method of the kimchi refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, instead of measuring the initial acidity of kimchi, after starting the ripening mode, the kimchi refrigerator is measured to continuously change the pH change of the kimchi so that when the measured acidity reaches the target acidity, the kimchi refrigerator is converted into a storage mode. To control.

First, kimchi is put in and starts the ripening mode of kimchi (S31). The acidity of the kimchi is periodically measured by the acidity sensor (S32), and it is determined whether the measured acidity reaches the target acidity (S33).

Here, the target acidity refers to the acidity of kimchi that the user prefers to taste, and is a value stored in a memory provided in the kimchi refrigerator.

Subsequently, it is determined whether the target acidity is reached continuously, and when the measured acidity reaches the target acidity, the mode is switched to the storage mode of the aged mothers (S34).

The above-described embodiment is a method for switching the mode by determining whether the measured acidity reaches the target acidity, but otherwise, the lungs reflecting the difference between the measured acidity and the target acidity in the operating temperature of the thermostat. It is also possible to use closed-loop control.

That is, the feedback value of the difference between the measured acidity and the target acidity (feedback) can be configured to continuously control the operating temperature of the thermostat. For example, if the difference between the measured acidity and the target acidity is greater than (above) the preset threshold, increase the operating temperature of the thermostat to accelerate ripening, and if the difference is less than (the below) preset threshold, This can be done by lowering the operating temperature of the regulator.

Referring to Figure 9, it will be described a control method of the kimchi refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

This embodiment is a control method combining the first and third embodiments described above. First, the initial acidity of kimchi is measured by an acidity measurement sensor (S41), and the temperature control device corresponding to the measured initial acidity is measured. After setting the operating temperature (S42), start the ripening mode of kimchi at the set operating temperature (S43).

Next, the acidity of the kimchi is periodically measured by the acidity sensor (S44), and it is determined whether the measured acidity reaches the target acidity (S45). Subsequently, it is determined whether the target acidity is reached, and when the measured acidity reaches the target acidity, the mode is switched to the storage mode of the aged mother (S46).

So far, the examples of applying kimchi to the kimchi refrigerator mainly have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and targets various kinds of foods containing other lactic acid bacteria, and functions to store kimchi in addition to the kimchi refrigerator. It can be applied to various products such as a general refrigerator or food storage container.

Accordingly, those skilled in the art can make modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

Kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention having the above configuration has the following effects.

First, by measuring the initial acidity of kimchi and controlling the operating temperature of the temperature control device or the duration of the ripening mode, even if the initial fermentation degree of kimchi is different, it is possible to obtain the same fermentation degree at the completion of fermentation. There is an advantage to keep it.

Second, by continuously measuring the acidity of kimchi and judging it against the target acidity to control the maturation of kimchi, there is an advantage to more accurately ripen with kimchi tailored to the user's preferred taste.

Claims (7)

delete delete delete An acidity measurement step of measuring acidity of kimchi stored in the kimchi storage room; A temperature adjusting step of setting a temperature of each kimchi storage room in response to the measured acidity; Ripening step according to the set temperature for a predetermined duration so that the kimchi stored in each kimchi storage room has a certain acidity; And Switching to the storage mode after the duration; control method of the kimchi refrigerator comprising a. Selecting a ripening mode; Periodically measuring the acidity of kimchi stored in the kimchi storage room; Comparing the measured acidity with a target acidity; Adjusting the temperature of the kimchi storage room in response to the difference between the measured acidity and the target acidity; And And switching to a storage mode when the measured acidity reaches a target acidity. The method of claim 5, Adjusting the temperature of the kimchi storage room, When the difference between the measured acidity and the target acidity is higher than the reference value, the operating temperature of the kimchi storage room, and when the difference is less than the reference value control method of the kimchi refrigerator, characterized in that to lower the operating temperature of the kimchi storage room. The method of claim 5, After selecting the ripening mode, PH measurement step of measuring the acidity of kimchi stored in the kimchi storage room; A temperature adjusting step of setting a temperature of the kimchi storage room in response to the measured acidity; And A control method of the kimchi refrigerator further comprising; a maturation step of aging the kimchi of the kimchi storage room.

Images