KR20060011061A - Refrigerator and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a main body cabinet having a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the main body cabinet, the sterilization driving unit sterilizing the storage compartment; An operation unit for selecting a kind of food housed in the storage compartment and manipulating an on / off state of the sterilization driver; And a control unit for setting the respective driving time information of the sterilization driving unit according to each food type and controlling the sterilization driving unit to be driven during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information. .

Accordingly, by controlling the driving time of the sterilization driver differently according to the type of food in the storage compartment, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of preventing discoloration of food and improving the life of the sterilization driver.

Description

Refrigerator and its control method {REFRIGERATOR AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

1 is a perspective view of a conventional kimchi refrigerator,

2 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

3 is a plan view illustrating a panel unit including an operation unit of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

4 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

5 is a control flowchart of a refrigerator according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10: main cabinet 20: door

30: panel portion 40: operation portion

41: food selection unit 42: sterilization drive operation unit

50: status display unit 60: sterilization drive unit

65: door open and close detection unit 70: control unit

80: ultraviolet reflecting portion 81: photocatalyst coating layer

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of efficiently sterilizing a storage compartment according to food types and a control method thereof.

In general, a refrigerator includes a compressor for compressing a low-temperature low-pressure gas phase refrigerant into a high-temperature high-pressure gas phase refrigerant, a condenser for condensing the refrigerant supplied from the compressor with liquid refrigerant, and vaporizing and evaporating the refrigerant condensed from the condenser. Consists of a cooling system consisting of an evaporator to generate a fresh food at a temperature lower than room temperature. Such refrigerators include, in particular, kimchi refrigerators for ripening or storing fermented foods such as kimchi.

 As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional kimchi refrigerator 101 is installed in a main cabinet 110 having a storage compartment 113 in which an opening 112a is formed, and installed in the main cabinet 110 to rotate opening and closing of the opening 112a. The door 120 and a front panel of the main cabinet 110 is provided with a panel 130 for operating the device.

The main cabinet 110 has an outer casing 111 forming an outer appearance and an inner casing 112 in which a storage chamber 113 is formed to accommodate a storage container and food with a foam material filling interval inside the outer casing 111. .

The outer casing 111 has a substantially rectangular tube shape, the front upper portion of the outer casing 111 is provided with a panel portion 130 for operating the device, the inner casing 112 in the lower rear region of the outer casing 111. ) And a device accommodating part (not shown) separated by a partition.

The panel unit 130 is provided with a ripening mode and a storage mode of the food including the kimchi housed in the storage compartment 113, and an operation unit 140 for selecting food types, and displays a state according to the operation of the operation unit 140. The status display unit 150 is provided.

By this configuration, fermented foods such as kimchi and other foods may be aged and stored in the storage compartment 113, and the aging / storage mode state and the accommodated food types in the storage compartment 113 are identified through the status display unit 150. can do.

By the way, in the conventional refrigerator, there is a problem that the food contained in the storage compartment 113 decays due to harmful substances such as mold or bacteria remaining in the storage compartment 113, resulting in a decrease in freshness.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0222844 has a quartz glass plate having a photocatalyst coating layer and an ultraviolet lamp installed on the back of the quartz glass plate so that ultraviolet rays injected from the ultraviolet lamp pass through the photocatalyst coating layer to perform deodorization and antibacterial activity. Kimchi refrigerator is disclosed.

However, the kimchi refrigerator of Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0222844 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays continuously when the door is closed. Accordingly, foods such as fruits or vegetables contained in the storage compartment are discolored, and the life of the ultraviolet lamp is shortened, so that the ultraviolet lamp must be frequently replaced.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of preventing discoloration of food and improving the life of the sterilization driver by controlling the driving time of the sterilization driver differently depending on the type of food in the storage compartment.

According to the present invention, a refrigerator having a main body cabinet having a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the main body cabinet, the refrigerator comprising: a sterilization driving unit for sterilizing the storage compartment; An operation unit for selecting a kind of food housed in the storage compartment and manipulating an on / off state of the sterilization driver; It is achieved by a control unit for setting the respective driving time information of the sterilization driving unit according to each food type, and controlling the sterilization driving unit to drive during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information.

In addition, the object of the present invention is a refrigerator having a main body cabinet having a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the main body cabinet, the sterilization driving unit for sterilizing the storage compartment; An operation unit for selecting a kind of food accommodated in the storage compartment; It is achieved by a control unit for setting the respective driving time information of the sterilization driving unit according to each food type, and controlling the sterilization driving unit to drive during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information.

Here, it is preferable to further include a door opening and closing detection unit for detecting whether the door is opened or closed.

The sterilization driving unit preferably includes an ultraviolet lamp provided in at least one of the main cabinet and the door.

The apparatus may further include an ultraviolet reflector provided in at least one of the main body cabinet and the door, and further include a photocatalyst coating layer provided in the ultraviolet reflector.

The ultraviolet reflector is preferably provided adjacent to the ultraviolet lamp.

On the other hand, according to another field of the present invention, in the control method of the refrigerator having a main body cabinet having a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the main body cabinet, the driving time information of the sterilization driving unit according to each food type Setting; Selecting a kind of food accommodated in the storage compartment; Selecting on / off of the sterilization driver; And controlling the sterilization driver to drive during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of a refrigerator having a main body cabinet having a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the main body cabinet. Setting; Selecting a kind of food accommodated in the storage compartment; And controlling the sterilization driver to drive during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information.

Here, when detecting the opening of the door, it is preferable to further include the step of turning off the sterilization driving unit.

The sterilization driving unit preferably includes an ultraviolet lamp provided in at least one of the main cabinet and the door.

Preferably, the apparatus further includes an ultraviolet reflecting unit provided in at least one of the main cabinet and the door.

In general, a refrigerator includes a compressor for compressing a low-temperature low-pressure gas phase refrigerant into a high-temperature high-pressure gas phase refrigerant, a condenser for condensing the refrigerant supplied from the compressor into a liquid refrigerant, and vaporizing and evaporating the refrigerant condensed from the condenser in the storage compartment. It consists of a cooling system consisting of an evaporator that generates cold air, and is a device that can store food freshly at a temperature lower than room temperature. Such refrigerators include, in particular, kimchi refrigerators for ripening or storing fermented foods such as kimchi.

Hereinafter, the kimchi refrigerator in the refrigerator will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as an example.

2 to 4, the refrigerator 1 according to the present invention includes a main cabinet 10 having a storage compartment 13 in which an opening 12a is formed, and an opening 12a installed in the main cabinet 10. Door 20 for rotating opening and closing, a panel unit 30 for operating the device, a sterilization driver 60 for sterilizing the storage chamber 13, and a sterilization driver ( And a controller 70 which controls the 60 to be driven for a predetermined driving time.

The main cabinet 10 has an outer casing 11 which forms an outer appearance and an inner casing 12 in which a storage chamber 13 for accommodating storage containers and foods is formed at intervals of filling the foam inside the outer casing 11. .

The outer casing 11 has a substantially rectangular tube shape, the front upper portion of the outer casing 11 is provided with a panel portion 30 for operating the device, the inner casing 12 in the lower rear region of the outer casing 11. ) And a device accommodating part (not shown) separated by a partition.

The sterilization driver 60 is mounted on the inner lower region of the door 20, and the sterilization driver 60 includes an ultraviolet lamp. Ultraviolet rays are generally called actinic rays due to their strong chemical action, and usually include wavelengths of 10 to 400 nm. The ultraviolet rays artificially emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 60 have excellent sterilizing effect in air and water, and thus can effectively sterilize harmful substances in the storage chamber 13. At this time, when the ultraviolet ray lamp 60 is turned on and turned on, the controller 70 starts to sterilize harmful substances such as bacteria or mold remaining in the storage chamber 13, and turns off the light. In this case, the driving of the ultraviolet lamp 60 is controlled so as not to perform the sterilization function.

In addition, the inside of the door 20 is preferably provided with an ultraviolet reflector 80 for sterilizing harmful substances such as bacteria or mold in the storage compartment 13. Thus, the ultraviolet reflector 80 may perform a more efficient sterilization function by reflecting the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 60 to the storage chamber 13. Here, the ultraviolet reflector 80 is provided on the inner plate surface of the door 20, but is provided in the rear region of the ultraviolet lamp 60 so as to be adjacent to the ultraviolet lamp 60 to store the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 60. It is preferable to make it reflect to (13).

In addition, it is preferable to further include a photocatalyst coating layer 81 provided on the ultraviolet reflecting portion (80). Accordingly, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 60 are reflected by the ultraviolet reflector 80 and cause the photocatalytic phenomenon by the photocatalytic coating layer 81 to efficiently sterilize the storage chamber 13.

The panel unit 30 includes an operation unit having a food selection unit 41 capable of selecting food types contained in the storage chamber 13 and a sterilization driving operation unit 42 capable of operating an on / off state of the sterilization driving unit 60 ( 40 and a state display unit 50 in which an operation state of the storage chamber 13 is displayed according to the operation of the operation unit 40.

The food selection unit 41 is composed of a ripening button 41a and a storage button 41b that can operate the ripening mode and the storage mode of the food including the kimchi accommodated in the storage room 13, the ripening button 41a and storage The type of food accommodated in the storage compartment 13 can be selected according to the number of times the button 41b is pressed. That is, by the number of presses of the ripening button 41a, the food type (water kimchi, cabbage kimchi, vegetable fruit, meat fish, etc.) and the ripening degree (less cooked, cooked, cooked more) are adjusted step by step, the storage button (41b) By the number of presses, food types (water kimchi, cabbage kimchi, vegetable fruit, meat fish, etc.) and storage degree (weak, medium, strong) are adjusted step by step. At this time, the status display unit 50 displays the type of food accommodated in the storage chamber 13 according to the operation of the food selection unit 41 and the ripening mode or the storage mode, so that the user can easily identify the state of the storage chamber 13. have.

The sterilization driving unit 42 may be operated on / off of the sterilization driving unit 60 as the user manually presses. Thus, the user may be protected from ultraviolet rays by driving the sterilization driver 60 provided with the ultraviolet lamp 60 in the state in which the door 20 is closed. At this time, the sterilization driving unit 42, including the LED, it is preferable that the color of the LED is displayed differently so that the on or off state of the sterilization driving unit 60 can be easily identified. Alternatively, the on / off state of the sterilization driver 60 may be displayed on the status display unit 50.

The control unit 70 differently controls the driving time of the sterilization driving unit 60 according to the type of food accommodated in the storage chamber 13. That is, the control unit 70 sets the driving time information of the sterilization driving unit 60 according to each food type, and corresponds to the food type of the storage chamber 13 selected by the operation unit 40 based on the driving time information. The sterilization driving unit 60 is controlled to drive during the driving time. Thus, since the storage chamber 13 is sterilized for a suitable time depending on the type of food in the storage chamber 13, it is possible to prevent the food from being damaged due to excessive or degrading sterilization.

Here, the sterilization driving operation unit 42 is provided in the shape of a button for the user to manually operate, but if the door 20 is closed by providing a door opening and closing detection unit 65 such as a door opening and closing sensor, the control unit 70 When the sterilization drive unit 60 is driven, and the door 20 is opened, the control unit 70 preferably stops the driving of the sterilization drive unit 60 even while the sterilization drive unit 60 is being driven.

Here, the control flow of the refrigerator 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the control unit 70 sets each driving time of the sterilization driving unit 60 according to each food type (S100). Thereafter, the user presses the food selection unit 41 of the operation unit 40 to select the food type according to the food type accommodated in the storage chamber 13 (S110). In order to sterilize the food in the storage chamber 13, when the sterilization driving unit 42 is operated to turn on the sterilization driving unit 60 (S120), the control unit 70 controls the sterilization driving unit 60 to be driven. (S130). The door open / close detection unit 65 determines whether the door 20 is open while the sterilization drive unit 60 is driven (S140), and when the door 20 is opened, stops the drive of the sterilization drive unit 60 ( In operation S160, when the door 20 is closed, it is determined whether the sterilization driving unit 60 is driven during the driving time corresponding to the food type selected by the food selection unit 41 (S150). Thereafter, when the sterilization driving unit 60 is driven during the driving time, the sterilization control unit 60 is automatically turned off (OFF) to stop the driving (S160). That is, for example, when the vegetables are stored in the storage chamber 13, when the user presses the food selection unit 41 a predetermined number of times to select the vegetables and then operate the sterilization driving unit 42 to drive the sterilization driving unit 60, the control unit 70 is automatically stopped after driving the sterilization driving unit 60 for 30 seconds when the proper driving time of the set sterilization driving unit 60 corresponding to the vegetable 30 seconds.

In the above-described embodiment, the operation unit is divided into a food selection unit and a sterilization driving operation unit, but the sterilization driving unit may be controlled to be driven during the driving time according to the food type only by selection according to the food selection unit without a separate configuration of the sterilization driving operation unit. .

In the above-described embodiment, the sterilization driver is provided on the inside of the door, but may be provided at any position that facilitates the sterilization function, including the inner casing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the ultraviolet reflector is provided inside the door, but may be provided in the inner casing, and both the door and the inner casing may be provided.

In the above, the present invention is taken as a kimchi refrigerator, but can be applied to all products that require the sterilization of the storage room of the general refrigerator and the cooling system.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator capable of preventing discoloration of food and improving the life of the sterilization driver by controlling the driving time of the sterilization driver differently according to the type of food in the storage compartment.

Claims (12)

A refrigerator having a main body cabinet having a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the main body cabinet, Sterilization drive unit for sterilizing the storage compartment; An operation unit for selecting a kind of food housed in the storage compartment and manipulating an on / off state of the sterilization driver; And a control unit for setting the respective driving time information of the sterilization driving unit according to each food type and controlling the sterilization driving unit to be driven during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information. Refrigerator. A refrigerator having a main body cabinet having a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the main body cabinet, Sterilization drive unit for sterilizing the storage compartment; An operation unit for selecting a kind of food accommodated in the storage compartment; And a control unit for setting the respective driving time information of the sterilization driving unit according to each food type and controlling the sterilization driving unit to be driven during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information. Refrigerator. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The refrigerator further comprises a door opening and closing detection unit for detecting whether the door is opened or closed. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The sterilization drive unit comprises a ultraviolet lamp provided in at least one of the main cabinet and the door. The method of claim 4, wherein And a ultraviolet reflector provided in at least one of the main cabinet and the door. The method of claim 5, Refrigerator, characterized in that it further comprises a photocatalyst coating layer provided in the ultraviolet reflecting portion. The method of claim 6, The ultraviolet reflector is a refrigerator, characterized in that provided in the rear region of the ultraviolet lamp. In the refrigerator control method comprising a main body cabinet having a storage compartment, and a door for opening and closing the main body cabinet, Setting operation time information of each sterilization driver according to each food type; Selecting a kind of food accommodated in the storage compartment; Selecting on / off of the sterilization driver; And controlling the sterilization driving unit to be driven during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information. In the control method of the refrigerator provided with the main body cabinet which has a storage chamber, and the door which opens and closes this main body cabinet, Setting operation time information of each sterilization driver according to each food type; Selecting a kind of food accommodated in the storage compartment; And controlling the sterilization driving unit to be driven during the driving time corresponding to the selected food type based on the driving time information. The method according to claim 8 or 9, If the opening of the door is detected, the control method of the refrigerator further comprising the step of turning off the sterilization driving unit. The method according to claim 8 or 9, The sterilization driving unit control method of the refrigerator, characterized in that it comprises an ultraviolet lamp provided in at least one of the main cabinet and the door. The method of claim 11, The control method of the refrigerator further comprising an ultraviolet reflecting unit provided in at least one of the main cabinet and the door.

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