KR20070045406A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a storage compartment and a door for opening and closing the storage compartment, the door opening and closing detection unit detecting whether the door is opened or closed; A lamp unit provided with a plurality of LEDs installed in the storage compartment; And a control unit controlling to turn on the lamp unit based on a signal detected by the door opening / closing detection unit when the door is opened. As a result, it is possible to reduce power consumption, take up less space in the storage compartment, and enable various implementations of light quantity and color desired by the consumer.

Description

Refrigerator {REFRIGERATOR}

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

2 is a control block diagram according to the present invention;

3 is a circuit diagram of the lamp unit of the first embodiment according to the present invention;

4 is a circuit diagram of a lamp unit in a second embodiment according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

 1: refrigerator 3: door

 4: storage room 5: control unit

 7: lamp unit 10: display unit

 11 input unit 12 door opening and closing detection unit

 13: circuit switch 20: red LED part

 21: blue LED part 22: green LED part

 23: driving chip

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having a lamp unit composed of LEDs so as to reduce power consumption and comply with consumer demands.

In general, a refrigerator is a generic term for a device that cools air in a storage compartment using a cooling cycle to cool food or the like stored in the storage compartment for a long time to prevent alteration. The refrigerator is a device that cools by the principle of absorbing heat in the storage compartment as vaporization heat when the refrigerant is vaporized by liquefying the refrigerant gas compressed at high temperature and high pressure by the operation of the compressor in the condenser and then vaporizing it in the evaporator through the expansion valve. to be. When the consumer removes food for use in the refrigerator or opens a door to store food in the storage compartment, a lighting device is provided to emit light in the storage compartment so that the food is easily distinguished.

In the conventional refrigerator, an incandescent lamp, a halogen lamp, a fluorescent lamp, and the like are used as a lighting device for emitting light.

However, when the incandescent lamp is used in the storage compartment, the efficiency is low due to high power consumption, and the lamp protection cover must be used due to the high heat generation temperature, which takes up a lot of space in the storage compartment. In the case of incandescent lamps, there is a problem in that a light color emits red light and gives a dark feeling in the same illumination contrast. In addition, the halogen lamp has the same high power consumption as the incandescent lamp, and there is a problem in that a lamp protection cover is required due to a high heating temperature. In addition, in the case of using fluorescent lamps, a lamp protection cover due to high power consumption and high heat generation temperature is required in the same way as incandescent lamps and halogen lamps. There is this.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a lamp unit capable of reducing power consumption and occupying a small amount of space in a storage compartment, and enabling various kinds of light quantity and color desired by a consumer.

According to the present invention, a refrigerator having a storage chamber and a door for opening and closing the storage chamber, the refrigerator comprising: a door opening and closing detection unit for detecting whether the door is opened or closed; A lamp unit provided with a plurality of LEDs installed in the storage compartment; It may include a control unit for controlling to turn on the lamp unit based on the signal detected by the door opening and closing detection unit when the door is opened.

The display unit may include a display unit provided at a front surface of the door and having an input unit configured to input the lamp unit to operate at a set input value.

The apparatus may further include a driving chip configured to select a color of the lamp unit and the amount of light provided by the plurality of LEDs, and the lamp unit provided by the plurality of LEDs may include two or more different colors.

The plurality of LEDs may be configured in series or in parallel, or may be mixed in series and in parallel.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 according to the present invention includes a casing 2, a storage compartment 4 formed in the casing 2, and a door 3 for opening and closing the storage compartment 4. ), A door opening / closing detection unit 12 for detecting whether the door 3 is opened or closed, and a plurality of LED units 20 installed in the storage compartment 4 to operate by detection of the door opening / closing detection unit 12. A display unit 10 having a lamp unit 7 provided with 21 and 22, an input unit 11 provided at the front of the door 3 such that the lamp unit 7 is operated at a set input value, and the door 3. The control unit 5 controls to turn on the lamp unit 7 based on the signal detected by the door opening and closing detection unit 12 when the door is opened.

The casing 2 includes an outer casing which forms an outer appearance and an inner casing which forms a storage chamber in an inner direction of the outer casing. The front of the casing 2 is formed with a door 3 that can open and close the storage compartment 4.

The storage chamber 4 is provided such that the cooling air generated when the refrigerant is evaporated in an evaporator (not shown) is stored and cooled in the food stored therein. The storage compartment 4 is an example of the present invention, which is formed in a side by side partitioned into two sides, and is divided into a refrigerator compartment for preserving and cooling the stored food and a freezer compartment for freezing the stored food. The storage chamber 4 is equipped with the some shelf 6 divided up and down so that the stored food etc. may be managed easily. The storage compartment 4 is provided with a lamp unit 7 that emits light so that the food 3 stored therein can be easily seen when the door 3 is opened.

The door 3 is provided as an example of the present invention in a parallel form and opened to the left and right. The door 3 is provided with a display unit 10 indicating the current state of the refrigerator 1 and an input unit 11 for inputting the state of the refrigerator 1 to be adjusted. The door 3 is provided with a door opening / closing detection part 12 for detecting whether the door 3 is opened or closed on one side of the casing 2 or the door 3 itself forming the storage compartment 4.

The door opening / closing detection unit 12 detects that the door 3 is opened and transmits a signal of the state in which the door 3 is opened to the controller 5 to be described later, so that the lamp unit 7 in the storage compartment 4 is illuminated. To diverge. Door opening and closing detection unit 12 is an example of the present invention, not only transmits a signal to the control unit 5 so that the light is radiated to the lamp unit 7, and also transmits a signal of the door open state to the control unit 5 to the consumer You can also send messages such as beeps.

The display unit 10 displays data of the current state of the refrigerator 1 and includes an input unit 11 so that various settings can be made. The display unit 10 is provided as an example of the present invention in one front area of the door 3.

The lamp unit 7 is installed in one region of the storage chamber 4 so as to emit light to the storage chamber 4 when the door 3 is opened. The lamp unit 7 is provided as an example of the present invention on the upper side of the storage chamber 4. However, the lamp unit 7 may be provided not only on the upper side of the storage chamber 4 but also on the same side of both sides. The lamp unit 7 includes a plurality of LED units 20, 21, and 22 as an example of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the light emitting diode (LED) units 20, 21, 22 generate electrons or holes injected using a pn junction structure of a semiconductor, and emit light by recombination thereof. Product. The LED units 20, 21, and 22 emit light in the storage compartment 4 as a light emitting phenomenon generated when a voltage is applied. The LED units 20, 21, and 22 include three colors of the red LED unit 20, the blue LED unit 21, and the green LED unit 22 as an example of the present invention. However, the LED unit 20, 21, 22 may be a product that implements a different color depending on the type of impurities added to the semiconductor. As one example of the present invention, the LED units 20, 21, and 22 are composed of three of the red (20), the blue (21), and the green LED (22). However, the number of LED units 20, 21, 22 may vary depending on the size of the storage compartment (4). The red LED unit 20 implements color with a wavelength of about 700 nm involving zinc and oxygen atoms. In addition, the green LED unit 22 implements a color with a wavelength of about 550nm in which nitrogen atoms are involved. The LED units 20, 21, and 22 may be manufactured in a small size and have a long lifespan. Since the electric energy is directly converted into light energy, the power is low and the efficiency is good. LED unit 20, 21, 22 is an example of the present invention, a power LED of 2.5W output is used, but less than 2.5W more than 2.5W may be used. Since the LED units 20, 21, and 22 do not generate high heat, an excessive lamp protection member (not shown) is not necessary, so that the space of the storage compartment 4 is not excessively occupied.

The control unit 5 is the LED unit 20, 21, 22 of the lamp unit 7 based on a value input by the consumer based on a signal from the door open / close detection unit 12 that detects that the door 3 is opened. Illuminates and turns on the LED units 20, 21, and 22 set among the red LED unit 20, the blue LED unit 21, and the green LED unit 22. FIG. The controller 5 may control the color and the amount of light of the LED units 20, 21, and 22 according to the second embodiment of the present invention described below.

3 is a circuit diagram according to a first embodiment according to the present invention.

The consumer inputs the input unit 11 of the display unit 10 to turn on a desired number of lamp units 7 composed of nine LEDs. When the door 3 is opened, the door open / close detection unit 12 detects and closes the circuit switch 13, and transmits a signal to the control unit 5. The controller 5 controls the lamp unit 7 including the plurality of LED units 20, 21, and 22 to be turned on.

Looking at the operation of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention by such a configuration as follows.

First, the consumer inputs the quantity of the LED units 20, 21, 22 of the lamp unit 7 to be turned on when the door 3 is opened to the input unit 11 of the display unit 10. The consumer opens the door 3 when trying to withdraw food or the like stored in the storage compartment 4. When the door 3 is opened, the door opening / closing detection unit 12 detecting the presence or absence of the door opening and closing is detected. The door open / close detection unit 12 transmits a detection signal according to the open state of the door 3 to the control unit 5, and the circuit switch 13 operates. The control part 5 controls the quantity of LED parts 20, 21, 22 which a consumer inputs initially based on a signal from the door opening / closing detection part 12, and lights it up as much as the quantity of LED parts 20, 21, 22 inputted. Control.

4 is a circuit diagram according to a second embodiment according to the present invention.

When the door 3 is opened according to the set value input to the input unit 11 of the display unit 10, the door open / close detection unit 12 detects the circuit switch 13 to close and sends a signal to the control unit 5. To pass.

Since the driving chip unit 23 is further included, the control unit 5 may allow only the current to flow in the lamp unit 7 or allow only the voltage to flow. The control unit 5 transmits a signal to the driving chip unit 23 so that each of the control unit 5 may be combined in various combinations, such as one of the red LED units 20, two of the blue LED units 21, and one of the green LED units 22. The number of LED units 20, 21, and 22 may be selected, and the light quantity of the selected and lit LED units 20, 21, and 22 may be controlled.

Looking at the operation of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention by such a configuration as follows.

First, the consumer may input a desired quantity and amount of light from among the red 20, blue 21, and green LED units 22 of the lamp unit 7 that are turned on when the door 3 is opened. 11). When the consumer opens the door 3, the door open / close detection unit 12 detects and delivers the control unit 5, and the circuit switch 13 operates. The control unit 5 controls the lighting of the number of colors initially set by the consumer and the amount of light by using the driving chip unit 23 based on the signal from the door opening and closing detecting unit 12.

Thus, the consumer can feel the satisfaction using the lamp unit of the desired color and the amount of light, and can improve the power consumption and use less space in the storage room using the LED.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator capable of improving power consumption, taking up less space in a storage room, and enabling various types of light and color desired by a consumer.

Claims (4)

A refrigerator having a storage compartment and a door that opens and closes the storage compartment, A door opening and closing detection unit detecting whether the door is opened or closed; A lamp unit provided with a plurality of LEDs installed in the storage compartment; And a control unit controlling to turn on the lamp unit based on a signal detected by the door open / close detection unit when the door is opened. The method of claim 1, And a display unit provided on a front surface of the door and having a input unit configured to input the lamp unit to operate at a set input value. The method of claim 1, And a driving chip for controlling color selection and light quantity of the lamp unit provided with the plurality of LEDs, wherein the lamp unit including the plurality of LEDs includes two or more different colors. The method according to claim 2 or 3, The plurality of LEDs are configured in series or in parallel, or a refrigerator, characterized in that configured by mixing in series and in parallel.

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