KR20100102302A - A storing place of vegetables for refrigerator and control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A vegetable box of a refrigerator and a control method thereof are provided to prevent the decomposition of food stuffs caused by excessive moisture in a storage unit. CONSTITUTION: A vegetable box of a refrigerator comprises a storage unit(200) provided in one side of a refrigerator compartment to storing food stuffs. The storage unit comprises a humidity sensor and a humidity controller(300). The humidity controller draws in the humidified interior air of the storage unit according to the interior humidity of the storage unit detected by the humidity sensor and provides dehumidified air to the storage unit. The humidity controller comprises a dehumidification duct connected to the internal space of the storage unit, a dehumidification fan, a dehumidification member eliminating the moisture from the air blown by the dehumidification fan, and a dehumidification damper selectively connecting the dehumidification duct to the storage unit.

Description

A storage place of vegetables for refrigerator and control method of the same}

The present invention relates to a vegetable compartment of a refrigerator and a control method thereof.

In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance that allows food to be stored at a low temperature in an interior storage space that is shielded by a door. The refrigerator supplies cold air generated by heat exchange between refrigerant and air circulated through a refrigeration cycle into the storage space. It is configured to keep the stored food in an optimal state.

Such refrigerators are becoming larger and more versatile as the dietary changes and user preferences are diversified, and the storage space for storing food is also diversifying.

In the storage space of the diversified food as described above may be provided with storage means such as shelves, drawers, baskets, such storage means to partition the inside of the storage space to effectively store food having a variety of sizes and storage conditions do.

On the other hand, among the storage means, particularly in the case of a drawer-type storage means is mainly used for food storage, such as vegetables or fruits, these foods will have a difference in storage properties depending on the state of moisture as well as temperature. That is, in order to store and maintain food in an optimal state for a long time, the humidity in the drawer should be properly maintained.

Therefore, in order to maintain the inside of the storage means of the drawer-type as described above, various structures are provided to reduce the water flowing out from the inside of the storage means and to supply water to the storage space from the outside. Is being developed.

The present invention provides a vegetable compartment of a refrigerator provided with a closed circulation path of air for collecting wet air in a storage means provided inside the vegetable compartment, removing moisture, and resupplying the dried air into the storage means.

The present invention provides a method for controlling a vegetable compartment of a refrigerator for controlling humidity inside the vegetable compartment of the above structure.

The present invention is provided in one side of the refrigerating chamber, in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator having a storage means for receiving food therein, the storage means in accordance with the humidity sensor, the humidity in the storage means sensed by the humidity sensor It is characterized in that it comprises a humidity control device for sucking and dehumidifying the humid air in the storage means, and resupply the dehumidified air into the storage means.

In another aspect, the present invention is a storage space provided in one side of the refrigerating compartment, a storage means provided in the storage space is accommodated in the food storage, and communicating with the storage means, by dehumidifying by sucking the humid air inside the storage means And humidity control means for resupplying the dehumidified air into the storage space, and a humidity sensor for generating a control signal of the humidity control means.

In the present invention, the step of detecting a high humidity state inside the storage means through a humidity sensor provided in the storage means inside the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, and when the humidity inside the storage means is in a high humidity state, the storage means is in communication with the storage means Operating a humidity control device for sucking moisture in the means to remove moisture and resupplying the dehumidified air into the storage means, and stopping the humidity control device after controlling the humidity in the storage means. It is characterized by including.

In the present invention, the humidity control device for detecting the humidity inside the storage means provided in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in a high humidity state to suck the humid air inside the storage means to dehumidify and resupply it into the storage means is provided. do.

Therefore, by preventing the humidity state inside the storage means by the humidity control device as described above, it is possible to prevent food stored in the storage means from being crushed or damaged by excessive moisture.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described a specific embodiment of the present invention. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can easily suggest other embodiments within the scope of the same idea.

1 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a view showing an embodiment of the storage means provided in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, 3 is a view for showing the detailed structure of the storage means shown in FIG.

As shown in these drawings, in the refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the storage space inside is largely divided up and down so that a refrigerating chamber for refrigerated storage of food is provided at the upper side and freezing storage of food at the lower side. A freezer compartment is provided.

In addition, the storage space partitioned as described above may be shielded by the refrigerating chamber door 10 and the freezing chamber door 30, respectively, and the door basket 12 is further provided in the refrigerating chamber door 10 to store a storage space of various articles. Will be provided.

In addition, the refrigerator compartment is further provided with a shelf 20 for storing the article more easily by partitioning a plurality of internal spaces, the shelf 20 and the door basket 12 may be provided in the freezer compartment. .

On the other hand, the inside of the refrigerating chamber is further provided with a vegetable compartment 100 for storing fresh foods such as vegetables or fruits more, the storage means 200 for storing food in the vegetable compartment 100 is provided.

The storage means 200 is formed in a box shape with an approximately upper surface open to accommodate food therein, and a cover 280 for shielding the opened upper surface is further provided to provide humidity of the internal space of the storage means 200. To be maintained.

To this end, the storage means 200 is provided on the bottom surface of the cover 280, the humidity holding plate 500 for collecting moisture generated in the food being stored and the humidity sensor for sensing the internal humidity of the storage means 200 400 and the humidity control device 300 is automatically controlled according to the detection result of the humidity sensor 400.

In detail, the humidity maintaining plate 500 is formed in a flat shape and is mounted on the bottom surface of the cover 280, and a plurality of protrusions forming a predetermined interval to maintain the humidity inside the storage means 200 protrude downward. The moisture generated in the food is formed between the protrusions formed as described above to form water droplets, thereby maintaining humidity inside the storage space.

On the other hand, due to the action of the humidity maintaining plate 500 as described above, the space inside the storage means 200 may occur in a humid state.

Therefore, the storage means 200 is further provided with a humidity sensor 400 for detecting the humidity of the internal space.

The humidity sensor 400 may be an electric resistance hygrometer made of a thin film polymer, and detects the variable state of the electrical resistance according to the relative humidity and transmits the detection result to the control unit (see 18. Fig. 7) to one side of the door Allows the user to check through a display (see FIG. 7) provided.

Here, the humidity sensor 400 may be mounted in consideration of the location where the contact with food is least while being able to best reflect the humidity distribution state inside the storage means 200. In the present invention, such a location selection requirement In consideration of the above, the humidity sensor 400 is mounted on an upper surface of the storage means 200, that is, a lower surface of the cover 280.

In addition, the humidity sensor 400, the mounting position is determined as described above is further provided with a sensor cover 420 in order to prevent water droplets from directly forming on the sensor, and to block the contact of food in storage.

In addition, a gap (Gap, 422) for air circulation is further formed in the sensor cover 420 to induce water droplets to be formed in the sensing unit of the humidity sensor 400 to be formed in the sensor cover 420. For this purpose, the gap 422 may be formed to have a width within 1 to 5mm in the form of a stripe or a lattice.

On the other hand, one side of the storage means 200, the humidity control device 300 to suck the air inside the storage means 200 in a humid state and to dry it, and to supply the dried air back into the storage means 200. ) Is further provided.

To this end, the humidity control device 300 is provided with a dehumidification duct 320 in communication with the internal space of the storage means 200 to form a closed circulation path of air.

In detail, the dehumidification duct 320 is formed in a pipe or tube shape, both ends of which pass through the cover 280, and each end is provided with a damper for selective air flow.

That is, one end of the dehumidification duct 320 is formed with a suction port 322 for sucking the air in the storage means 200, the suction port 322 one side of the suction for adjusting the opening and closing of the suction port 322 A side dehumidification damper 382 is provided.

In addition, a dehumidifying member 360 is provided on the air flow path of the dehumidifying duct 320 to remove moisture from the air sucked through the inlet 322, and the inlet 322 and the dehumidifying member 360 are provided. It is further provided with a dehumidifying fan 340 for forcing the flow of air.

The dehumidifying member 360 is provided with a drying agent such as silica gel therein to absorb moisture from the air passing through the dehumidifying member 360, one side of the dehumidifying duct 320 at the position where the dehumidifying member 360 is provided. Is to form a separate moisture discharge portion 362 so that the moisture absorbed by the dehumidifying member 360 can be discharged to the outside.

In addition, the lower side of the dehumidifying member 360 is further provided with a heat generating member 364, it is possible to dry the dehumidifying member 360 more effectively.

On the other hand, the other side of the dehumidification duct 320 is discharged through the suction port 322 and then discharged through the dehumidification member 360, the air dried through the dehumidification member 360 to be supplied back into the storage means (200) Is formed, and a discharge side dehumidification damper 384 for controlling the opening and closing of the discharge port 324 is further provided at one side of the discharge port 324.

In addition, the suction-side dehumidification damper 382, the dehumidification fan 340, the discharge-side dehumidification damper 384 and the heat generating member 364 is the humidity distribution state inside the storage means 200 detected by the humidity sensor 400. It is operated according to, the description thereof will be described in detail below.

On the other hand, the storage means 200 provided in the vegetable room 100 as described above may be formed in various forms according to the type of the refrigerator.

4 is a view showing a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a view showing a detailed structure of the storage means provided in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in these drawings, the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention has a storage means 200 for storing food in the vegetable compartment 100 provided at one side of the refrigerating compartment in a side by side type in which a storage space is partitioned from side to side. It is provided.

In addition, the storage means 200 is provided with a humidity sensor 400 and a humidity control device 300 as in the above-described embodiment, and both ends of the storage unit 200 are provided to protrude into the refrigerating chamber.

In addition, both ends of the humidity control device 300 protruded as described above is formed to be in communication with the connection portion 210 provided on the rear side of the storage means 200, the storage means through the humidity control device 300 200 is configured to inhale the moist air inside and dry and resupply.

In detail, the rear wall of the storage means 200 is provided with a connection portion 210 protruding to the rear side.

The connection portion 210 is formed to have an inner diameter of at least a size corresponding to the diameter of the dehumidification duct 320 which is one component of the humidity control device 300, the dehumidification duct 320 may be fitted.

As described above, the shielding plate 212 is further provided at the connection portion 210 accommodating the dehumidification duct 320 therein.

When the dehumidification duct 320 is not accommodated in the connection part 210, the shielding plate 212 shields an air flow path through the connection part 210 so that cold air flow does not occur, and the dehumidification duct When 320 is drawn into the connection portion 210 is rotated while being pressed by the dehumidification duct 320, the air flow is possible.

In addition, although not shown in the figure, it will be possible to further include a gasket at the edge of the shield plate 212.

In addition, the humidity control device 300 is connected to the connecting portion 210, the dehumidification duct 320 to suck the air from the lower and discharge the air sucked to the upper portion, the air flow inside the dehumidification duct 320 The dehumidification fan 340 for forcing and the dehumidification member 360 for absorbing moisture in the air flowing in the dehumidification duct 320 is further included, and each of these components is formed in the same manner as described above Description is omitted.

That is, in another embodiment of the present invention, if the air flow path through the dehumidification duct 320 inside the vegetable chamber 100 is not sufficiently secured, a dehumidification duct 320 is formed in the machine room 3, and the dehumidification duct ( By allowing only both ends of the 320 to protrude into the vegetable compartment 100, a closed circulation path of air may be formed.

Meanwhile, the display 16 may be further provided on the cover 280 provided above the storage means 200. The display 16 shows the humidity state inside the storage means 200 sensed through the humidity sensor 400 provided in the storage means 200 to the outside so that the user can easily check it.

6 is a view showing another embodiment of the humidity sensor provided in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 is a humidity sensing inside the storage means sensed by the humidity sensor shown in FIG. A block diagram showing a system configuration for showing the state is shown.

As shown in these figures, the upper portion of the storage means 200 is shielded by the cover 280, the cover 280 to collect and store the moisture generated in the food provided in the storage means 200 A humidity maintaining plate 500 is further provided to reduce the external leakage of humidity in the means 200 so that the humidity in the storage means 200 can be maintained.

In addition, a plurality of protrusions are formed at one side of the humidity maintaining plate 500 to induce condensation of water, and a humidity sensor 400 is provided at one side of the protrusions for sensing humidity in the storage means 200.

Here, the humidity sensor 400 is made of a conductor that is mounted or attached between the projections of the humidity holding plate 500, that is, the electrode plate made of a capacitance that varies depending on the amount of water droplets (W) formed between the electrode plate By sensing the amount of change to detect the humidity inside the storage means (200).

In detail, the first electrode plate 440 and the second electrode plate 460 are provided to be spaced apart from each other between the protrusions of the humidity maintaining plate 500.

In addition, when the first electrode plate 440 and the second electrode plate 460 are energized, the first electrode plate 440 and the second electrode plate 460 are connected to the controller 18 of the refrigerator including the microcontroller. A capacitive circuit for sensing the amount of change in the dielectric constant of the dielectric that connects therebetween is configured.

Here, looking at the relative dielectric constant of the dielectric that can be detected between the electrode plate, air is 1, resin, rubber, glass, etc. 2 to 10, while the relative dielectric constant of the water reaches 80, which is changed according to the change of the dielectric constant The change in capacitance can be used as a result of humidity sensing.

Therefore, the amount of change in capacitance changed according to the degree of the water droplet W formed between the first electrode plate 440 and the second electrode plate 460 is confirmed through the controller 18, and the confirmed result is confirmed. The user can confirm the humidity inside the storage means 200 by allowing it to be shown through the display 16.

Meanwhile, the display 16 may be provided at one side of the cover 280 as shown in FIG. 5, and may be provided at one side of the front plate 220 forming the storage means 200 as shown in FIG. 6. Could be

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a method for controlling the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator having the above configuration.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for controlling a vegetable compartment of a refrigerator according to the present invention.

As shown, first, when the power is supplied to the refrigerator, the inside of the refrigerator is maintained at a low temperature while the refrigerant circulation cycle is operated, so that an appropriate temperature for storing foods such as fruits or vegetables is formed in the vegetable chamber 100 provided at one side of the storage space.

When the appropriate temperature is formed in the vegetable room 100 as described above, the user is to store the food to be stored in the storage space 200 provided in the vegetable room 100, the storage space 200 is stored food In the interior, moisture evaporated from the food is maintained by the cover 280 or the humidity maintaining plate 500 to increase the internal humidity.

In addition, the humidity inside the storage means 200 is detected through the humidity sensor 400, and the detected result is used as a control signal of the humidity control device 300 through a control unit.

In detail, the control unit sets a reference value by dividing the humidity distribution inside the storage means 200 into a high humidity state (RH 95 to 100%) and an appropriate state (RH 80 to 95%), and sets the reference value and the humidity sensor ( By comparing the sensed humidity sensed through 400 to generate a drive command for the operation of the humidity control device 300.

That is, when the humidity sensed inside the storage means 200 reaches a set over-humidity state (RH 95 to 100%), the humidity control device 300 is operated to reduce the humidity inside the storage means 200. do.

In detail, when the humidity inside the storage means 200 sensed by the humidity sensor 400 reaches a humid state, the suction side dehumidification damper 382 and the discharge side dehumidification damper 384 are opened, and the dehumidification fan is provided. 340 is rotated to force some of the air inside the storage means 200 to flow along the dehumidification duct 320.

Therefore, the wet air inside the storage means 200 is introduced into the dehumidification duct 320 through the suction port 322, and the introduced wet air is dried through the dehumidifying member 360 and then the discharge port ( 324 is re-supplied into the storage space 200 to reduce the humidity in the storage means (200).

On the other hand, the humidity control device 300 operated as described above is continued until the humidity inside the storage means 200 reaches a proper state (RH 80 ~ 95%), the humidity sensor 400 by the When it is confirmed that the internal humidity of the storage means 200 reaches a proper state, the operation of the dehumidification fan 340 is stopped, and the suction side dehumidification damper 382 and the discharge side dehumidification damper 384 are shielded to form a dehumidification duct ( The flow of air through 320 is stopped.

When the dehumidification fan 340, the suction side dehumidification damper 382 and the discharge side dehumidification damper 384 are stopped, the heat generating member 364 is operated to dry the dehumidifying member 360, and generates heat. The operation of the member 364 may be controlled to be maintained only for a predetermined time through a timer.

Therefore, a humid state of the internal space of the storage means 200 provided in the vegetable compartment 100 of the refrigerator is prevented, and such a state is maintained until the operation of the refrigerator is stopped.

1 is a view showing a refrigerator which is one embodiment according to the present invention;

2 is a view showing an embodiment of a storage means provided in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view for showing a detailed structure of the storage means shown in FIG.

4 is a view showing a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing a detailed structure of the storage means provided in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view showing another embodiment of the humidity sensor provided in the vegetable room of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a block diagram showing a system configuration for showing a humidity sensing state inside the storage means sensed by the humidity sensor shown in FIG.

8 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method for controlling a vegetable compartment of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100 ..... Vegetable room 200 ..... Storage means

210 ..... Connections 212 ..... Shielding plate

220 ..... Front Plate 240 ..... Side Plate

280 ..... Cover 300 ..... Humidity controller

320 ..... Dehumidification duct 322 ..... Inlet

324 ..... Outlet 340 ..... Dehumidifying fan

360 ..... Dehumidifying element 362 ..... Moisture exhaust

364 ..... Heating element 382 ..... Dehumidification damper on suction side

384 ..... Dehumidification damper 400 ..... Humidity sensor

420 ..... Sensor cover 422 ..... Gap

440 ..... First electrode plate 460 ..... Second electrode plate

Claims (18)

In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator provided on one side of the refrigerator compartment, the storage means for accommodating food therein, The storage means, Humidity sensor, Vegetable chamber of the refrigerator including a humidity control device for sucking and dehumidifying the wet air in the storage means in accordance with the humidity inside the storage means detected by the humidity sensor, and resupply the dehumidified air into the storage means. . According to claim 1, wherein the humidity control device, The vegetable chamber of the refrigerator, characterized in that the wet air is sucked from the front of the storage means, and the dehumidified air is supplied to the rear of the storage means. According to claim 1, wherein the humidity control device, Dehumidification duct in communication with the internal space of the storage means, A dehumidification fan provided inside the dehumidification duct and forcing the flow of air; A dehumidifying member provided inside the dehumidifying duct and for removing moisture in the air flowing by the dehumidifying fan; And a dehumidification damper provided at one side of the dehumidification duct, the dehumidification duct being controlled to selectively communicate with the dehumidification duct. According to claim 3, The humidity control device, Vegetable chamber of the refrigerator further comprises a heating member for removing moisture absorbed by the dehumidifying member. The method of claim 4, wherein the humidity control device, Vegetable chamber of the refrigerator further comprises a moisture discharge unit for discharging the moisture absorbed by the dehumidifying member. The method of claim 1, The humidity sensor is further provided with a sensor cover for blocking direct contact of water droplets or food in the storage means, the sensor cover is a vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in which a gap (Gap) for air circulation is formed. According to claim 1, wherein the humidity control device, Vegetable chamber of the refrigerator provided on the rear side of the storage means. The method of claim 7, wherein the humidity control device, The vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in which the circulation paths of air communicate with each other when the storage means is introduced into the vegetable compartment. The method of claim 7, wherein the humidity control device, Dehumidification duct in communication with the internal space of the storage means, A dehumidification fan provided inside the dehumidification duct and forcing the flow of air; A dehumidifying member provided inside the dehumidifying duct and for removing moisture in the air flowing by the dehumidifying fan; A dehumidification damper provided at one side of the dehumidification duct and controlled to selectively communicate with the dehumidification duct and the storage means, The dehumidification duct, The vegetable compartment of the refrigerator provided inside the machine room, the end is protruded into the storage space. The method of claim 9, wherein the rear side of the storage means, The vegetable compartment of the refrigerator further comprises a connection portion so that the end of the dehumidification duct is accommodated in communication. The method of claim 10, And the connection part is further provided with a shielding plate which is opened when the dehumidification duct is accommodated and is shielded when the dehumidification duct is drawn out. The method of claim 1, One side of the storage means is provided with a display for showing the humidity inside the storage means sensed by the humidity sensor to the outside, The humidity sensor is a vegetable room of the refrigerator for detecting the humidity in the storage means by detecting the amount of change in capacitance caused by the change in the dielectric constant of the water droplets formed between the electrode plates spaced apart. 13. The method of claim 12, A humidity holding plate is provided above the storage means, and the humidity sensor is a vegetable chamber of the refrigerator provided at one side of the humidity holding plate. Sensing a high humidity state inside the storage means through a humidity sensor provided in the storage means inside the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator; When the humidity inside the storage means is in a high humidity state, the humidity control device which communicates with the storage means and removes moisture by sucking the wet air inside the storage means and supplies the dehumidified air into the storage means is operated. Becoming; Stopping the humidity control device after the humidity control in the storage means; Vegetable room control method of a refrigerator comprising a. The method of claim 14, wherein the high humidity state, Humidity sensed by the humidity sensor is RH 95 to 100% of the vegetable room control method of the refrigerator. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step of operating the humidity control device, The dehumidification damper inside the dehumidification duct communicating with the storage means is opened by the high humidity state detection signal detected by the humidity sensor, and a dehumidification fan provided in the dehumidification duct is provided to force air flow in the dehumidification duct. Working suction process, And a discharge process in which wet air forced by the dehumidification fan is dried through a dehumidification member provided in the dehumidification duct and then resupplied into the storage means. The method of claim 14, wherein in the step of stopping the humidity control device, When the humidity inside the storage means by the humidity sensor is RH 80 to 95% of the operation of the dehumidification fan is stopped and the dehumidification damper is shielded vegetable room control method. The method of claim 14, And a drying step of the dehumidifying member through a heating member provided at one side of the dehumidifying member for discharging the moisture absorbed by the dehumidifying member after the humidity control device is stopped.

Images