TWI614470B - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided, which utilizes the general diurnal rhythm of plants and takes into consideration the state of the plant stomata, so that photosynthesis of vegetables and fruits in storage can be promoted. Therefore, the refrigerator (1) includes a light-emitting portion (14) capable of irradiating visible light inside a storage compartment (500) storing food, and a control portion (8) that controls the operation of the light-emitting portion to repeat it alternately A visible light irradiation program that causes the light emitting section to irradiate light containing visible light and a non-irradiation program that causes the light emitting section not to irradiate light containing visible light are executed. The light emitting section includes a first light source (16a) that irradiates light with a first wavelength in the visible range as a center wavelength, and a second light source (16b) that irradiates a second wavelength in the visible range that is different from the first wavelength as Center wavelength light. The control unit controls the light emitting unit so that in the visible light irradiation program, a first irradiation program that causes both the first and second light sources to irradiate light and a second irradiation program that causes only the first light source to irradiate light are executed.

Description

refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

A refrigerator has been known in the past. A storage container mainly for leafy vegetables is provided at a corner of a vegetable room. A low-light irradiation device is arranged above the storage container. The light-emitting element is a red LED that emits light having a wavelength of about 660 nm (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Advance technical literature Patent literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-267348

However, in the conventional refrigerator shown in Patent Document 1, fruits and vegetables such as leafy vegetables (vegetables) are continuously irradiated with red light for 24 hours a day. On the other hand, plants such as vegetables perform activities such as photosynthesis in a cycle of about 24 hours. The activities in this cycle are called circadian rhythms. In the use of solar energy for photosynthesis, the brightness of light has a significant effect on the general rhythm. In natural light, the wavelength of prevailing light changes with the passage of time in a day. So in continuous In a state where red light of the same wavelength is irradiated, fruits and vegetables such as leafy vegetables (vegetables) cannot efficiently use the energy of the irradiated light. Specifically, during photosynthesis, the stomata of fruits and vegetables are not fully opened, and the carbon dioxide necessary for photosynthesis cannot be fully absorbed, so the efficiency of photosynthesis will be reduced.

The present invention provides a refrigerator for solving the above-mentioned problems, which utilizes the general daily rhythm of plants and considers the state of plant stomata, so that photosynthesis of vegetables and fruits (especially leafy vegetables) in storage can be promoted.

The refrigerator according to the present invention includes: a storage room for storing food; a light-emitting section capable of irradiating visible light inside the storage room; and a control section that controls the operation of the light-emitting section so that it repeatedly executes the light-emitting section A visible light irradiation program for irradiating light including visible light, and a non-irradiation program for preventing the light emitting section from irradiating light including visible light. The light emitting unit includes a first light source that irradiates light with a first wavelength in a visible light range as a center wavelength, and a second light source that irradiates light with a second wavelength in a visible light range that is different from the first wavelength as the center wavelength. . The control unit controls the light emitting unit so that, in the visible light irradiation program, a first irradiation program that causes both the first light source and the second light source to irradiate light and a second irradiation program that causes only the first light source to irradiate light Exposure procedure.

In the refrigerator of the present invention, the general rhythm of the plant is used, and the state of the stomata of the plant is taken into consideration, and the effect of promoting photosynthesis of vegetables and fruits (especially leafy vegetables) during storage is exerted.

1‧‧‧ refrigerator

2‧‧‧compressor

3‧‧‧ cooler

4‧‧‧Air supply fan

5‧‧‧ wind road

6‧‧‧ operation panel

7‧‧‧Refrigerator door

7a‧‧‧Right door

7b‧‧‧Left door

8‧‧‧Control device

8a‧‧‧Processor (CPU)

8b‧‧‧Memory

9‧‧‧ Vegetable Room Door

10‧‧‧ Lower storage box

11‧‧‧Upper storage box

12‧‧‧Door opening and closing detection switch

13‧‧‧Thermistor

14‧‧‧Lighting Department

15‧‧‧ opening

16a‧‧‧The first light source

16b‧‧‧Second light source

90‧‧‧ Insulated Box

100‧‧‧ Refrigerator

200‧‧‧ Switch Room

300‧‧‧ Ice Making Room

400‧‧‧freezer

500‧‧‧ Vegetable Room

201‧‧‧ Switching room storage box

401‧‧‧Freezer storage box

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a vegetable compartment portion of FIG. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a light-emitting section provided in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a time chart of light irradiation control of each light source provided in the light emitting section of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a light irradiation control process of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a comparison of the amount of vitamin C in a case where cabbage has been stored for three days under a plurality of light irradiation conditions.

FIG. 9 is a time chart of light irradiation control of each light source included in the light-emitting part of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the opening and closing states of the vegetable compartment door.

Embodiments for implementing the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same symbols, and repeated descriptions are appropriately simplified or omitted. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1.

Figures 1 to 9 are views of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 1 is a front view of the refrigerator, Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator, and Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the vegetable compartment portion of Figure 2. The figure and FIG. 4 show the structure of a light emitting part provided in a refrigerator 5 and FIG. 5 are block diagrams showing the configuration of the control system of the refrigerator, FIG. 6 is a time chart of light irradiation control of each light source provided in the light emitting part of the refrigerator, and FIG. The flowchart of the process, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a comparison of the amount of vitamin C in the case where cabbage has been stored for 3 days under a plurality of light irradiation conditions, and FIG. 9 is a light from each light source provided in the light emitting part of the refrigerator Time chart of irradiation control and open / closed state of vegetable room door.

Moreover, in each figure, the dimensional relationship, shape, etc. of each constituent member may differ from an actual article. In addition, in principle, a positional relationship (for example, an up-down relationship, etc.) between the constituent members is a positional relationship in which the refrigerator is placed in a usable state.

(Composition of refrigerator)

The refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a heat insulation box 90 as shown in FIG. 2. The heat-insulating box 90 is open at the front (front) and forms a storage space inside. The heat insulation box 90 includes an outer box, an inner box, and a heat insulating material. The outer box is made of steel. The inner box is made of resin. The inner box is disposed inside the outer box. The heat insulating material is, for example, foamed polyurethane, which fills the space between the outer box and the inner box. The storage space formed inside the heat-insulating box 90 is divided into a plurality of storage rooms for storing and storing food by one or a plurality of partition members.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a refrigerating compartment 100, a switching compartment 200, an ice-making compartment 300, a freezing compartment 400, and a vegetable compartment 500 as a plurality of storage compartments. These storage rooms are arranged in four stages in the vertical direction in the heat-insulating box 90.

The refrigerator compartment 100 is arranged at the uppermost stage of the heat insulation box 90. The switching chamber 200 is disposed on one of the left and right sides below the refrigerating chamber 100. Security of switch room 200 The cold temperature zone can be selected and switched to any of a plurality of temperature zones. For example, a plurality of temperature zones can be selected as the cooling temperature zone of the switching chamber 200: a freezing temperature zone (for example, about -18 ° C), a refrigerating temperature zone (for example, about 3 ° C), a cooling temperature zone (for example, about 0 ° C), and Weak freezing temperature zone (for example, about -7 ° C). The ice-making chamber 300 is adjacent to the side of the switching chamber 200 and is juxtaposed with the switching chamber 200, that is, the ice-making chamber 300 is disposed on the other side of the left and right sides below the refrigerating chamber 100.

The freezing compartment 400 is disposed below the switching compartment 200 and the ice-making compartment 300. The freezer compartment 400 is mainly used when the storage object is stored for a relatively long period of time. The vegetable compartment 500 is disposed at the lowermost stage below the freezing compartment 400. The vegetable room 500 is mainly used to store vegetables or large large bottles (for example, 2L, etc.).

An opening portion formed in front of the refrigerator compartment 100 is provided with a rotary refrigerator compartment door 7 that opens and closes the opening portion. Here, the refrigerator compartment door sheet 7 is a double-opening type (half-open type), and is composed of a right door sheet 7a and a left door sheet 7b. An operation panel 6 is provided on the outer surface of the refrigerator compartment door 7 (for example, the left door 7b) in the front of the refrigerator 1. The operation panel 6 includes an operation portion 6 a and a display portion 6 b. The operation section 6 a is an operation switch for setting the cold storage temperature of each storage room and the operation mode (such as a defrosting mode) of the refrigerator 1. The display portion 6b is a liquid crystal display that displays various information such as the temperature of each storage room. The operation panel 6 may be provided with a touch panel that doubles as the operation portion 6 a and the display portion 6 b.

Each of the storage compartments (the switching compartment 200, the ice making compartment 300, the freezing compartment 400, and the vegetable compartment 500) other than the refrigerator compartment 100 is opened and closed by a drawer-type door. These drawer-type door pieces can be opened and closed in the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the refrigerator 1 by sliding a frame fixedly provided on the door pieces relative to a rail formed horizontally on the left and right inner wall surfaces of each storage compartment.

Furthermore, inside the switching chamber 200 and the freezing chamber 400, Each of the switching room storage box 201 and the freezer storage box 401 that can store food and the like can be housed in a freely retractable manner. Similarly, in the inside of the vegetable compartment 500, an upper storage box 11 and a lower storage box 10 that can store food and the like can be accommodated in a freely retractable manner.

(Cooling mechanism)

The refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerating cycle circuit for cooling air to be supplied to each storage compartment. The refrigeration cycle circuit includes a compressor 2, a condenser (not shown), a pressure reducing device (not shown), a cooler 3, and the like. The compressor 2 compresses and discharges the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle circuit. The condenser condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2. The decompression device expands the refrigerant flowing from the condenser. The cooler 3 cools the air to be supplied to each of the storage compartments with the refrigerant that has been expanded in the decompression device. The compressor 2 is arranged, for example, on the lower portion of the rear side of the refrigerator 1.

The refrigerator 1 forms an air path 5 for supplying air cooled by the refrigeration cycle circuit to each storage compartment. This air path 5 is mainly arranged on the back side in the refrigerator 1. The cooler 3 of the refrigerating cycle circuit is installed in the air path 5. Furthermore, a blower fan 4 is provided in the air passage 5 to blow the air cooled by the cooler 3 to each storage room.

When the blower fan 4 is operated, the air (cold air) cooled by the cooler 3 is blown to the freezing compartment 400, the switching compartment 200, the ice-making compartment 300, and the refrigerating compartment 100 through the air passage 5, and cools these storage compartments. The vegetable compartment 500 is cooled by introducing the cold air returned from the refrigerating compartment 100 into the vegetable compartment 500 through the refrigerating compartment return air passage. The cold air that has cooled the vegetable compartment 500 passes through the return air path for the vegetable room and returns to the air path 5 with the cooler 3 (the return air path is not shown). Then, it is cooled again by the cooler 3, and the cold air is circulated in the refrigerator 1.

An airlock (not shown) is provided halfway from the air path 5 to each storage room. Each air lock opens and closes where the air passage 5 leads to each storage room. By changing the opening / closing state of the airlock, it is possible to adjust the amount of airflow of the cold air supplied to each storage room. Furthermore, the temperature of the cold air can be adjusted by controlling the operation of the compressor 2.

The refrigerating cycle circuit composed of the compressor 2 and the cooler 3 described above, the air supply fan 4, the air passage 5, and the air lock are provided to form a cooling device that cools the inside of the storage room.

A control device 8 is housed in, for example, an upper portion of the back side of the refrigerator 1. The control device 8 includes a control circuit and the like for performing various controls necessary for the operation of the refrigerator 1. The control circuit included in the control device 8 is, for example, a circuit that controls the operations of the compressor 2 and the blower fan 4 and the opening degree of the airlock based on the temperature in each storage room and information input to the operation panel 6. That is, the control device 8 controls the above-mentioned cooling device and the like, and controls the operation of the refrigerator 1. In addition, the temperature in each storage chamber can be detected by a thermistor (not shown) or the like provided in each storage chamber.

(Composition of vegetable room)

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a vegetable compartment 500 included in the refrigerator 1. The vegetable room 500 is a storage room for storing food, especially vegetables. The lower storage box 10 is supported by a frame (not shown) of the vegetable compartment door 9. The upper storage box 11 is placed on the upper side of the lower storage box 10. When the vegetable room door piece 9 is pulled out forward, the lower storage box 10 and the upper storage box 11 are pulled out together with the vegetable room door piece 9 to the front. When the vegetable compartment door 9 is pulled out, when only the upper storage box 11 is slid rearward, only the lower storage box 10 is pulled out. In a state where only the lower storage box 10 is pulled out, food can be put into or taken out of the lower storage box 10.

Inside the vegetable room 500, a door opening / closing detection switch 12, a thermistor 13 and a light emitting section 14 are provided. The door opening / closing detection switch 12 is a device for detecting the opening / closing state of the vegetable room door 9. The door opening / closing detection switch 12 is provided in the edge portion of the front opening of the vegetable room 500 and is opposed to the vegetable room door 9.

A thermistor 13 and a light-emitting portion 14 are mounted on a back portion in the vegetable compartment 500. The thermistor 13 detects the temperature in the vegetable compartment 500. The light emitting unit 14 can irradiate visible light inside the vegetable compartment 500 as a storage compartment. Here, an opening portion 15 is formed in a portion of the back surface of the lower storage box 10 opposite to the light emitting portion 14. In addition, the light emitting unit 14 can transmit visible light to the inside of the lower storage box 10 through the opening 15. In addition, at least a portion of the lower storage box 10 corresponding to the opening portion 15 may be made of a material having a property of transmitting visible light radiated by the light emitting portion 14.

(Light emitting part structure)

Next, the configuration of the light emitting section 14 will be described further with reference to FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the light emitting section 14 includes two types of light sources: a first light source 16 a and a second light source 16 b. As described above, the light emitting section 14 can irradiate visible light. Therefore, the light emitting section 14 includes a visible light source that emits visible light. The first light source 16a and the second light source 16b are visible light sources.

The first light source 16a irradiates light having a first wavelength as a center wavelength. The second light source 16b irradiates light having a second wavelength as a center wavelength. Both the first wavelength and the second wavelength belong to the visible light range. However, the second wavelength is different from the first wavelength.

Specifically, the first wavelength which is the center wavelength of the first light source 16a is preferably 500 nm or more and 700 nm or less, and preferably 600 nm or more and 700 nm or less. That is, the light irradiated from the first light source 16a is red light. Specifically, for example, A red LED is used as the first light source 16a.

The second wavelength, which is the center wavelength of the second light source 16b, is 400 nm or more and 500 nm or less. That is, the light irradiated from the second light source 16b is blue light. Specifically, for example, a blue light LED can be used as the second light source 16b.

The first light source 16a and the second light source 16b are configured to be independently turned on and off.

(Control system of refrigerator)

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control system of the refrigerator 1. This figure 5 particularly shows a part related to the control of the vegetable room 500. The control device 8 includes, for example, a microcomputer including a processor (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 8a and a memory 8b. The control device 8 executes a program stored in the memory 8b by a processor (CPU) 8a, thereby executing a process set in advance to control the refrigerator 1.

The temperature detection signal in the vegetable compartment 500 is input to the control device 8 from the thermistor 13. The operation signal from the operation section 6 a of the operation panel 6 is also input to the control device 8. The detection signal from the door opening / closing detection switch 12 is also input to the control device 8.

The control device 8 executes processing based on the input signals to control the operations of the compressor 2 and the air-sending fan 4, so that the inside of the vegetable compartment 500 is maintained at a set temperature. The control device 8 outputs a display signal to the display portion 6 b of the operation panel 6.

The control device 8 also outputs a control signal to the light emitting section 14 to control the light emitting operation of the light emitting section 14. As described above, the light emitting section 14 includes the first light source 16a and the second light source 16b. These two light sources can be turned on and off independently. The control device 8 can control the first light source 16 a and the second light source included in the light emitting section 14. The on and off states of 16b are controlled independently of each other.

(Control of light emitting section)

Next, control of the light emitting operation of the light emitting unit 14 by the control device 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The control device 8 controls the operation of the light emitting section 14 so that it repeatedly executes a visible light irradiation program for causing the light emitting section 14 to irradiate light including visible light, and a non-irradiation program for preventing the light emitting section 14 from irradiating light including visible light. In the visible light irradiation program, at least one of the first light source 16a and the second light source 16b is turned on. In the non-irradiation procedure, neither the first light source 16a nor the second light source 16b is turned on.

The visible light irradiation program is divided into two programs. In the visible light irradiation program, a first irradiation program is performed first, and then a second irradiation program is performed. That is, the control device 8 controls the light emitting unit 14 during the visible light irradiation program so that the first irradiation program and the second irradiation program are executed. In the first irradiation program, the control device 8 causes both the first light source 16a and the second light source 16b to irradiate light. That is, both red light and blue light are irradiated. In the second irradiation program, the control device 8 causes the first light source 16a to irradiate light, and causes the second light source 16b to turn off. That is, only red light is irradiated, and blue light is not irradiated.

The duration of each program is set in advance. The duration of the first irradiation program was set to ΔT1, the duration of the second irradiation program was set to ΔT2, and the duration of the non-irradiation program was set to ΔT3.

In this manner, the control device 8 controls the light emitting unit 14 so that the first irradiation program, the second irradiation program, and the non-irradiation program are sequentially executed. Then, after the non-irradiation procedure ends, the visible light irradiation procedure (that is, the first irradiation procedure) is started again, and each procedure is repeatedly executed in the aforementioned order. Therefore, the time ΔT taken by each program to execute one cycle at a time is the total time of ΔT1, ΔT2, and ΔT3. again The duration of the visible light irradiation program is the total time of ΔT1 and ΔT2.

The control device 8 controls the light emitting section 14 so that the visible light irradiation program and the non-irradiation program are repeatedly executed in a cycle of 24 hours or less. That is, it is set such that ΔT is 24 hours or less. The duration ΔT3 of the non-irradiation program is set to be equal to or shorter than the duration of the visible light irradiation program. That is, the duration ΔT3 of the non-irradiation program is set to be less than the total time of the duration ΔT1 of the first irradiation program and the duration ΔT2 of the second irradiation program. The duration ΔT1 of the first irradiation program is set to be equal to or shorter than the duration ΔT2 of the second irradiation program. Specifically, an example of the duration of each program that satisfies the above conditions is that ΔT1 is set to 2 hours, ΔT2 is 10 hours, and ΔT3 is set to 8 hours. ΔT in this case was 20 hours.

A series of processes for controlling the light emitting section 14 of the vegetable compartment 500 included in the refrigerator 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 7. When the refrigerator 1 is powered on, first, in step S101, the control device 8 turns on the first light source 16a and the second light source 16b of the light emitting section 14. Next, in step S102, the control device 8 resets the value of the timer t for measuring the elapsed time to 0, and starts counting with the timer.

Next, in step S103, the control device 8 checks whether the elapsed time t of the timer has reached ΔT1. If the elapsed time t of the timer has not reached ΔT1, the confirmation step of step S103 is repeated until the elapsed time t of the timer reaches ΔT1. When the elapsed time t of the timer reaches ΔT1, step S104 is performed. The above steps S101 to S103 are the first irradiation procedures.

In step S104, the control device 8 turns off the second light source 16b of the light emitting section 14. Therefore, only the first light source 16a is turned on. Next, in step S105, the control device 8 resets the value of the timer t for measuring the elapsed time to 0, start counting with the timer.

Next, in step S106, the control device 8 checks whether the elapsed time t of the timer has reached ΔT2. If the elapsed time t of the timer has not reached ΔT2, the confirmation step of step S106 is repeated until the elapsed time t of the timer reaches ΔT2. When the elapsed time t of the timer reaches ΔT2, step S107 is performed. The above steps S104 to S106 are the second irradiation procedures.

In step S107, the control device 8 turns off the first light source 16a of the light emitting section 14. Therefore, both the first light source 16a and the second light source 16b are in a state of being turned off. Then, step S108 is performed, and the control device 8 resets the value of the timer t for measuring the elapsed time to 0, and starts counting with the timer.

Next, in step S109, the control device 8 checks whether the elapsed time t of the timer has reached ΔT3. If the elapsed time t of the timer has not reached ΔT3, the confirmation step of step S109 is repeated until the elapsed time t of the timer reaches ΔT3. Then, when the elapsed time t of the timer reaches ΔT3, the process returns to step S101 and the above steps are repeatedly performed. The above steps S107 to S109 are non-irradiation procedures.

(The role of light irradiation control)

Next, the functions that can be exerted by the light irradiation control of the light emitting section 14 as described above will be described. First, the plant's general diurnal rhythm maintains itself for about a 24-hour period without giving time information such as the light-dark cycle of light. However, when fruits and vegetables such as vegetables (especially fruits and vegetables) are stored in a dark environment without being irradiated with light, photosynthesis is not performed, and thus effects such as storage improvement and nutrient increase cannot be obtained. On the other hand, when the fruits and vegetables are stored in a bright environment that is continuously irradiated with light, although photosynthesis is performed, it will cause obstacles as described below: insufficient nutrients can be produced, or photosynthesis speed or photosynthesis capacity reduce.

Therefore, in the refrigerator 1 of the present invention, as described above, the light-emitting portion 14 of the vegetable room 500 performs the visible light irradiation procedure for irradiating light including visible light in the lower storage box 10 of the vegetable room 500 alternately and repeatedly. Procedure for non-irradiation of visible light.

Therefore, the lower storage box 10 is in a dark period which becomes a bright environment in which visible light is irradiated and a dark period which becomes a dark environment in which visible light is not irradiated with time. That is, in the lower storage box 10, an environment that simulates a change in the amount of light in nature due to a rising sun and a sunset is realized. Therefore, plants such as fruits and vegetables that have been placed in the lower storage box 10 can be promoted to perform activities such as photosynthesis in accordance with the general rhythm.

Here, the photosynthetic reaction of a plant is demonstrated. The photosynthesis reaction can be expressed by the following formula (1).

6CO ₂ + 12H ₂ O + 688kcal → C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ + 6H ₂ O + 6O ₂ . ． ． (1)

In the formula (1), CO ₂ carbon dioxide, H ₂ O is water, 688 kcal is light energy, and C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ is glucose.

According to the photosynthesis reaction of formula (1), plants use light energy to produce oxygen and sugar from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and water contained in plants. This reaction is divided into two stages. In the first stage, light energy absorbed by pigments such as chlorophyll contained in leaves and the like is used to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen, and chemical energy is stored by enzyme proteins. The second stage is the synthesis of glucose using electrons, hydrogen ions, and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Vegetables with increased glucose have better storage properties and produce vitamin C from glucose.

In order for photosynthesis to proceed actively, it is necessary to make the light irradiated into the vegetable compartment 500 be light effective for photosynthesis. It is known that the absorption spectrum of chlorophyll has two light absorption peaks in red light (around 660 nm) and blue light (around 450 nm), and this wavelength is particularly effective for photosynthesis. In addition, although the absorption rate of green light (500-600 nm) absorbed by chlorophyll is low, light is scattered inside the leaves, and the frequency with which it hits chlorophyll is high, which makes its absorption rate in the whole leaf increase.

Furthermore, blue light has the effect of opening the stomata of plants. Therefore, the stomata of vegetables and fruits can be opened by irradiating light containing blue light in the early stage of the bright period of light irradiation. Moreover, the bright period continues after the stomata of the fruits and vegetables are opened, so that the fruits and vegetables can fully absorb carbon dioxide in the air, and can efficiently perform photosynthesis. On the other hand, blue light also promotes germination and flowering. Therefore, in the case of long-term storage of fruits and vegetables, it is better to shorten the time of blue light irradiation as much as possible.

Therefore, in the visible light irradiation program that promotes photosynthesis, first the second light source 16b is turned on in the first irradiation program to irradiate light containing blue light, and then the second light source 16b is turned off in the second irradiation program to irradiate. Light that does not contain blue light can thereby enable photosynthesis of the air holes of the vegetables and fruits in the lower storage box 10 to be opened, and further promote photosynthesis of the vegetables and fruits in the lower storage box 10. Furthermore, at this time, the first irradiation procedure for irradiating light containing blue light is made shorter than the second irradiation procedure for irradiating light containing no blue light, and thereby a sufficient stomata opening effect can be achieved without promoting germination and flowering as much as possible.

The general diurnal rhythm of plants is a period of about 24 hours corresponding to the time from morning to night and then to morning. However, the general diurnal rhythm of plants has the characteristics described later, and the phase of the rhythm is changed by the influence of ambient light. For example, in the dark ring When the environment is illuminated by light and becomes a bright environment, the rhythm phase shifts toward the morning side. With this feature, the time of the non-irradiation program is made shorter than that of the visible light irradiation program (that is, the dark period in which the light is not irradiated is shorter than the light period in which the light is irradiated), so that the period of light irradiation is 24 hours or less, thereby increasing the Time proportion of photosynthesis of vegetables and fruits in the lower storage box 10 during storage. Therefore, by increasing the proportion of time during which photosynthesis is performed during storage, the production efficiency of nutrients such as sugar and vitamin C of vegetables and fruits can be improved.

Here, referring to FIG. 8, a specific comparative example is used to explain what happens to the amount of nutrients (vitamin C) contained in vegetables and fruits when they are stored under a plurality of different light irradiation conditions as described above. Kind of difference. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a comparison of the amount of vitamin C in a case where cabbage has been stored for three days under a plurality of light irradiation conditions. The ratio of the change in the amount of vitamin C is represented by the initial amount of vitamin C before the preservation is 100. The conditions for light irradiation are such that the light intensity is the same, and the color light included in the irradiated light and the irradiation time per day are changed.

In a non-irradiated state where no light was irradiated for one day, the amount of vitamin C after storage was smaller than in the initial stage (the leftmost graph in FIG. 8). On the other hand, the amount of vitamin C after storage has increased from the initial stage under any light irradiation conditions. Compare the conditions of continuous exposure to light during one day, compared to the case where only red light is emitted (item 2 from the left of Fig. 8), and red light and blue light are combined (item 3 from the left of Fig. 8). The increase in vitamin C after storage is large.

In addition, a period of time during which no light is irradiated (that is, a dark period) is provided, and light irradiation corresponding to the general rhythm is performed to achieve a result that the increase amount of vitamin C after storage is higher (the rightmost graph in FIG. 8) . In this way, light of an appropriate wavelength is irradiated in accordance with the general rhythm of vegetables and fruits, so that photosynthesis and nutrition can be efficiently performed. The production of nutrients can achieve the effects of improving the storability of the vegetables being stored and increasing the nutrients. That is, according to the refrigerator 1 of the present invention, by performing light irradiation that simulates light changes in the natural world and utilizing the daily rhythm of vegetables and fruits, it is possible to control activities such as photosynthesis of vegetables and fruits and promote the production of nutrients caused by photosynthesis. It also suppresses unnecessary evapotranspiration and preserves vegetables with high quality.

(Other examples of control of the light emitting section)

In the control of the light emitting unit 14 described above, it is not specifically described in which time zone of a day a visible light irradiation program, a non-irradiation program, or the like is performed. Here, referring to FIG. 9, the control of the light-emitting section 14 such as the time zone during which a non-irradiation procedure is performed in accordance with the detection result of the open / close state of the vegetable room door 9 will be described as another example of the control of the light-emitting section 14.

As described above, the vegetable compartment door panel 9 is a door panel capable of opening and closing the vegetable compartment 500 serving as a storage compartment. Furthermore, the door opening / closing detection switch 12 is a detection device for detecting the opening and closing of the vegetable room door 9. The control device 8 calculates the number of times of opening and closing of the vegetable room door 9 detected by the door opening / closing detection switch 12 in each predetermined time (that is, each reference time set in advance). The reference time at this time is, for example, the duration ΔT3 of the non-irradiation program. Then, the control device 8 controls the light-emitting section 14 so that the non-irradiation program is executed in a time zone in which the number of times the vegetable compartment door 9 is opened and closed at a predetermined time is equal to or less than a preset number of times.

The door of the refrigerator 1 is usually opened and closed when preparing food or before and after shopping, and the user is not opened or closed while sleeping or when going out. Therefore, in daily life, changes in the number of door openings and closings in a day can be modeled and predicted. Therefore, the control device 8 calculates the number of times of opening and closing the door 9 of the vegetable room, and memorizes a time zone in which the number of times of opening and closing of the door is less in a certain time. Show the memory section and so on. Then, the non-irradiation program is started in the memorized time zone after the second day, or 24 hours after the memorized time zone, so that the non-irradiation program can be executed in a time zone with a small number of openings and closings.

If the vegetable compartment door 9 is opened and closed during the non-irradiation process, the phase of the general rhythm of the vegetables and fruits under storage may change due to the influence of the light outside the refrigerator 1. Therefore, the non-irradiation process is performed in a time zone in which the number of openings and closings of the vegetable room door 9 is small, thereby ensuring that the dark period of the fruits and vegetables in the lower storage box 10 is not irradiated with light, and it is possible to efficiently perform the whole day Rhythmic light exposure control.

In addition, the user can switch the implementation and stop of the light irradiation control of the light-emitting section 14 by operating the operation section 6 a of the operation panel 6 provided in the refrigerator door 7 (the light-emitting section 14 is always turned off). The user can use the operation panel 6 to select whether or not to control the lighting of the light-emitting portion 14. Thus, when it is not necessary to save or there is no long-term use of fruits and vegetables, etc., the user can choose to stop so that the light-emitting portion 14 is always off Lamp to reduce the energy consumption and provide a way of use like a normal refrigerator 1.

In the implementation of the light irradiation control, "light irradiation" or the like may be displayed on the display portion 6b of the operation panel 6. In addition, the display portion 6b may display "lighting up" in a visible light irradiation program (bright period), and "lighting out" in a non-irradiation program (dark period). In addition, the state of the light in the refrigerator (in the vegetable room 500) may be changed to a one-day display of natural light, and this may be displayed on the display portion 6b. Specifically, for example, in accordance with a program being implemented in the light irradiation control, the display section 6b displays "morning" in the first irradiation program, "daylight" in the second irradiation program, and non-irradiation program. "Night" and so on are displayed. With this, can It is enough to inform the user of the state of light in the refrigerator, which can improve convenience and satisfaction. In addition, the user can be reminded not to perform unnecessary door opening and closing during the non-irradiation procedure.

In addition, the operation panel 6 is not limited to be provided outside the refrigerator 1, and may be provided in a refrigerator (storage room). In addition, a communication device may be provided in the refrigerator 1. The mobile information terminal (including a mobile phone of a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc.) may transmit a command to the control device 8 of the refrigerator 1 through an electric communication line, or receive and display Information for refrigerator 1. That is, the mobile information terminal may have one or both of the functions of the operation section 6 a and the display section 6 b of the operation panel 6.

[Industrial possibilities]

The present invention is applicable to a refrigerator including a light-emitting portion in a storage room for storing food, and radiating visible light to the inside of the storage room from the light-emitting portion.

Claims (7)

A refrigerator includes: a storage room for storing food; a light-emitting part capable of irradiating visible light inside the storage room; and a control part that controls the operation of the light-emitting part and causes it to repeatedly and repeatedly execute a preset program The light emitting unit includes: a first light source that irradiates light having a first wavelength in a visible light range as a center wavelength; and a second light source that irradiates a light having a center wavelength in a visible light range that is different from the first wavelength from the first wavelength. Light; the control unit controls the light emitting unit so that, in the preset program, executes a first irradiation program that causes both the first light source and the second light source to irradiate light, and is executed after the first irradiation program A second irradiation procedure that causes only the first light source to irradiate light, and a non-irradiation procedure that does not irradiate light containing visible light from the light emitting section after the second irradiation procedure. According to the refrigerator described in item 1 of the patent application scope, the first wavelength is 500 nm or more and 700 nm or less. In the refrigerator described in the first item of the patent application scope, the second wavelength is 400 nm to 500 nm. In the refrigerator described in any one of the first to third aspects of the patent application, the control unit controls the light emitting unit so that the foregoing program is repeatedly executed in a cycle of less than 24 hours. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the duration of the non-irradiation procedure is equal to or less than the total time of the duration of the first irradiation procedure and the duration of the second irradiation procedure. According to the refrigerator described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the duration of the first irradiation procedure is equal to or shorter than the duration of the second irradiation procedure. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further includes: a door piece capable of opening and closing the storage compartment; and a detection device that detects the opening and closing of the door piece; wherein the control unit controls the above The light emitting unit causes the non-irradiation procedure to be performed in a time zone in which the number of openings and closings of the door panel detected by the detection device in a preset reference time is equal to or less than the preset number of times.