WO2023204130A1

WO2023204130A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2023204130A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/014987
Authority: WO
Inventors: 健一柿田; 桂南部; 剛樹平井
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2022-04-19
Filing date: 2023-04-13
Publication date: 2023-10-26
Also published as: JP2023158683A

Abstract

A refrigerator according to the present disclosure is provided with a state detecting means that detects the state of a vegetable, and a transpiration suppressing means that suppresses water transpiration from the vegetable, wherein the transpiration suppressing means is operated on the basis of a detection result from the state detecting means.

Description

refrigerator

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator, and particularly relates to a technique for maintaining freshness by suppressing water evaporation from vegetables.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator that irradiates vegetables with near-infrared rays. This refrigerator uses an infrared irradiation device to irradiate the vegetable storage section with near-infrared rays.

Patent No. 6928504

The present disclosure provides a refrigerator that can maintain freshness by suppressing water evaporation from vegetables with lower power consumption.

The refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes a state detection means for detecting the state of vegetables, and a transpiration suppression means for suppressing water evaporation from the vegetables, and operates the transpiration suppression means based on the detection result of the state detection means.

The refrigerator according to the present disclosure can maintain freshness by suppressing water evaporation from vegetables with lower power consumption.

Cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 Main part configuration block diagram of refrigerator in Embodiment 1 Cross-sectional view of the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 Block diagram of main parts of the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 Diagram of changes over time in environmental factors in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 A chart of changes over time in the temperature detected in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 Cross-sectional view of the cold storage compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3 Correlation diagram of the second vegetable indoor temperature of the refrigerator with the outside temperature and the vegetable case opening time in Embodiment 3 Diagram of temporal change in temperature detected in the second vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3 A graph showing how the temperature detected in the second vegetable compartment of the refrigerator changes over time depending on the presence or absence of cooling in Embodiment 3 Diagram of time-dependent changes in carbon dioxide generation rate in the second vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 3

(Findings, etc. that formed the basis of this disclosure)
At the time the inventors came up with the present disclosure, there was a social background of wanting to reduce food waste loss, and there was a need to maintain the freshness of vegetables and fruits stored in the refrigerator at home, especially leafy vegetables with a short shelf life. Improvement is needed. For this reason, there is a tendency for home refrigerators to adopt technology that uses near-infrared irradiation to close the stomata of leaves and suppress transpiration, which is used at agricultural facilities to treat harvested vegetables before they are shipped. However, the vegetables stored in home refrigerators are not necessarily vegetables that are highly active at room temperature and have large pores that allow water to evaporate easily. Therefore, the inventors discovered the problem that unnecessary near-infrared rays are applied even to vegetables in a low activity state, and in order to solve this problem, the subject of the present disclosure has been constituted.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a refrigerator that includes a state detection means for detecting the state of vegetables and a transpiration suppressing means for suppressing water evaporation from the vegetables, and suppresses transpiration and maintains freshness only when the vegetables are in a highly active state. do.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[1-1. composition]
In FIG. 1, a heat insulating box 2 of a refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment includes an outer box 3 mainly made of steel plate, an inner box 4 made of resin such as ABS, and an outer box 3 and an inner box 4. A foamed heat insulating material 2a, such as hard urethane foam, is filled and foamed into the space between. The refrigerator 1 is insulated from the surroundings and divided into a plurality of storage compartments.

As a configuration of a plurality of storage compartments, a refrigerating compartment 5 as a first storage compartment is provided at the top, and a switching compartment 6 and a fifth refrigerating compartment are arranged horizontally at the bottom of the refrigerating compartment 5 as a fourth storage compartment. Ice making compartments 7 (not shown) serving as storage compartments are provided side by side. Further, a freezer compartment 8 as a second storage compartment is provided below the switching compartment 6 and the ice making compartment 7, and a vegetable compartment 9 as a third storage compartment is provided at the lowest part.

The refrigerator compartment 5 is normally set at a temperature of 1° C. to 5° C., with the lower limit being a temperature that does not freeze for refrigerated storage. The switching chamber 6 also has a refrigeration temperature range set at, for example, 1°C to 5°C, a vegetable temperature range set at, for example, 2°C to 7°C, and a freezing temperature range usually set at, for example, -22°C to -15°C. In addition to the temperature range, it is possible to switch to a preset temperature range between the refrigeration temperature range and the freezing temperature range. The switching chamber 6 is generally configured as a storage chamber provided with an independent door that is arranged in parallel with the ice making chamber 7. The freezer compartment 8 is set in a freezing temperature range, and is normally set at, for example, -22°C to -15°C for frozen storage, but it may be set at, for example, -30°C or -15°C to improve frozen storage conditions. It is sometimes set at a low temperature of 25°C.

The temperature of the vegetable compartment 9 is set to be the same as or slightly higher than that of the refrigerator compartment 5, for example, 2°C to 7°C, and the vegetable compartment 9 is generally of a drawer type with a vegetable compartment door 19 on the front.

In this embodiment, the switching room 6 is used as a storage room that includes temperature ranges for refrigeration and freezing, but refrigeration is entrusted to the refrigerator compartment 5 and vegetable compartment 9, and freezing is entrusted to the freezer compartment 8. It is also possible to use a storage room specialized for switching only the above-mentioned temperature range between refrigeration and freezing.

Furthermore, the switching chamber 6 may be a storage chamber fixed to a specific temperature range. The ice making room 7 makes ice using an automatic ice maker (not shown) installed in the upper part of the room using water sent from a water storage tank (not shown) in the refrigerator room 5, and makes ice in an ice storage container (not shown) arranged in the lower part of the room. (not shown).

The top surface of the heat insulating box 2 has a step-like recess toward the back of the refrigerator 1, and a machine room is formed in this step-like recess to accommodate a compressor 10 and a dryer (for removing moisture). High-pressure side components of the refrigeration cycle such as (not shown) are housed therein. That is, the machine room in which the compressor 10 is disposed is formed by cutting into the uppermost rear area of the refrigerator compartment 5.

In this embodiment, a refrigerator 1 having a machine room at the top will be described as an example, but the refrigerator of the present disclosure has a machine room at the rear area of the storage room at the bottom of the heat insulating box body 2, which is conventionally common. The present invention may be applied to a type of refrigerator in which a compressor 10 is disposed therein. Further, the refrigerator of the present disclosure may be applied to a refrigerator 1 having a so-called bottom freezer configuration in which the positions of the freezer compartment 8 and the vegetable compartment 9 are exchanged.

Next, a cooling chamber 11 that generates cold air is provided on the back side of the freezer compartment 8 and vegetable compartment 9. Between the freezer compartment 8 and the cooling compartment 11 or between the vegetable compartment 9 and the cooling compartment 11, an air passage for conveying cold air to each compartment with insulation properties is constructed to separate the compartments from each other. It is composed of a rear partition wall 12.

A cooler 13 is disposed within the cooling chamber 11. A cooling fan 14 is arranged in the space above the cooler 13 to blow cold air cooled by the cooler 13 to the refrigerator compartment 5, switching compartment 6, ice making compartment 7, freezing compartment 8, and vegetable compartment 9 using a forced convection method. . A radiant heater 15 made of a glass tube is provided in the space below the cooler 13 to defrost frost and ice that adhere to the cooler 13 and its surroundings during cooling. Furthermore, a drain pan 16 for receiving defrosting water generated during defrosting, a drain tube 17 penetrating outside the refrigerator from the deepest part of the drain pan 16, and an evaporation plate 18 outside the refrigerator on the downstream side thereof are constructed. .

In addition, each storage compartment is divided into insulation compartments, with the switching compartment 6 being divided into an upper refrigerating compartment 5 and a first partition wall 21, a lower freezing compartment 8 and a second partition wall 22, and a lower part of the freezing compartment 8 being a third partition wall. The partition wall 23 is used as a heat-insulating section.

A vegetable compartment door 19 is provided at the front of the vegetable compartment 9, allowing food 24 (hereinafter referred to as vegetables) to be taken in and out from the outside. Moreover, there is a storage case inside the vegetable compartment 9, and in this embodiment, a storage section 20 is installed as a container for storing target vegetables. Further, in the third partition wall 23 on the top surface of the vegetable compartment 9, a state detection means 25 and a transpiration suppression means 26 are embedded.

Here, the condition detection means 25 for detecting the condition of vegetables includes a thermopile or thermistor type bolometer for detecting the leaf surface temperature, an IR moisture meter for detecting the leaf water content, and a leaf stomata as a means for directly observing the vegetables without contact. We will use a fiber optic microscope camera to observe the opening. By such means, for example, the active state of vegetables can be detected.

Further, the transpiration suppressing means 26 for suppressing water evaporation from vegetables is a light irradiation method that closes the stomata of leaves by stimulation, and its peak wavelength is preferably 600 to 1000 nm. As a light source for light irradiation, for example, a commercially available LED (Light-Emitting Diode) may be used for high area irradiation, and a laser may be used for spot area irradiation.

Next, the electrical configuration of vegetable state detection and suppression control will be specifically described using FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1 includes a state detection means 25, a transpiration suppression means 26, and a control section 27. The state detecting means 25 and the transpiration suppressing means 26 are connected to the control section 27, and the measured value detected from the vegetables by the state detecting means 25 is outputted to the control section 27 as a signal S1. The control unit 27 determines the active state of the vegetables based on the signal S1, and outputs the signal S2 to the transpiration suppressing means 26 when the vegetables are in a highly active state. When the signal S2 is input, the transpiration suppressing means 26 performs light irradiation. Note that the control unit 27 may be a specially designed hardware circuit that realizes these functions, or may realize the functions by a processor executing a program stored in a memory.

[1-2. motion]
The operation and effect of the refrigerator 1 configured as above will be explained.

First, I will explain the highly active state of vegetables. Even after they are harvested, vegetables continue to respire through biological reactions, using the stomata on the leaf surface to expel moisture and carbon dioxide. In particular, the higher the storage temperature, the larger the degree of stomata opening and the more active respiration is, and this state is called a highly active state.

In other words, since the degree of opening of the stomata is large, the deterioration of the freshness of the withers due to water evaporation is also significant. It is also known that in this state, sugar decomposition inside the vegetable is active, and the heat of decomposition causes the leaf temperature to rise.

It is also known that stomata close as a biological defense reaction when vegetables are subjected to physical stimuli, and these stimuli typically include temperature and light, as well as vibrations and humidity. be.

Based on the above principle, the state detecting means 25 and the transpiration suppressing means 26 are installed in the vegetable compartment 9 of the refrigerator 1, and the operation of detecting the active state of vegetables and controlling the transpiration suppressing means 26 from the result is shown in FIG. This will be explained using a block diagram.

First, when leaf vegetables are put into the container 20 of the vegetable compartment 9 and the vegetable compartment door 19 is closed, the state detection means 25 detects the leaf temperature, leaf water content, or stomata opening of the leaf vegetable (food 24). The information is sequentially output to the control unit 27 as a signal S1. The control unit 27 determines whether each physical quantity changes over time, and if it determines that the vegetables are actively respiring and in a highly active state, it outputs a signal S2 that controls the transpiration suppressing means 26.

The transpiration suppressing means 26 to which the signal S2 is input applies light stimulation to the vegetables by using red light having a peak wavelength of 600 to 625 nm, 635 to 655 nm, 670 to 800 nm, or near infrared light having a peak wavelength of 800 to 1000 nm. irradiate. Thereby, the transpiration suppressing means 26 closes the stomata of the vegetables to suppress the highly active state.

[1-3. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 includes the state detection means 25 that detects the state of vegetables, and the transpiration suppressing means 26 that suppresses water evaporation from the vegetables. Then, the refrigerator 1 operates the transpiration suppressing means 26 based on the detection result of the state detecting means 25.

More specifically, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 determines the active state of the vegetable from the directly changing physical quantity of the vegetable detected by the state detecting means 25, and suppresses transpiration when the vegetable is in a highly active state where respiration is active. The means 26 is operated to suppress the degree of opening of the pores. On the other hand, the refrigerator 1 does not operate the transpiration suppressing means 26 when the refrigerator 1 is in a low activity state where transpiration suppression is unnecessary.

Thereby, the refrigerator 1 can improve the quality of freshness preservation by keeping the active state of vegetables low. Furthermore, in the case of a low activity state where transpiration suppression is unnecessary, the transpiration suppression means 26 can be stopped (not operated). Therefore, the refrigerator 1 can reduce wasteful power consumption due to light irradiation even when vegetables are in a low activity state. That is, in the refrigerator 1, the state detecting means determines the active state of the vegetables, and when the active state is high, the transpiration suppressing means suppresses transpiration of light irradiation. Therefore, in the refrigerator 1, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary light irradiation to vegetables in a low activity state and warm air flowing outside the refrigerator due to opening and closing of the door, and it is possible to suppress transpiration with low power consumption.

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 will be described below using FIGS. 3 to 6.

[2-1. composition]
In FIG. 3, a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 is embedded as a state detection means 25 in the third partition wall 23 of the vegetable compartment 9 of the second embodiment. Further, the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment employs a light irradiation means 30 as the transpiration suppressing means 26, and the light irradiation means 30 is embedded as in the first embodiment. Further, there is a cooling means 28 on the back partition wall 12 on the back side of the vegetable compartment 9, allowing cold air from the cooling compartment 11 behind it to flow into the vegetable compartment 9. The cooling means 28 is, for example, a damper device that adjusts the amount of cold air circulated from the cooler 13.

Next, the electrical configuration of vegetable state detection and suppression control will be specifically explained using FIG. 4. The refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment includes a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29, a light irradiation means 30, a cooling means 28, and a control section 27. The vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29, the light irradiation means 30, and the cooling means 28 are connected to the control unit 27, and the temperature of the vegetable compartment 9 detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 is outputted to the control unit 27 as a signal S3.

Further, in the present embodiment, as an example, the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 and the light irradiation means 30 are mounted on the same substrate, and are removably buried in a recess formed in the third partition wall 23. .

The control unit 27 processes the activity state of the vegetables based on the input signal S3, and outputs a signal S4 to the light irradiation means 30 and a signal S5 to the cooling means 28 when the vegetables are in a highly active state. do. Thereby, in the second embodiment, the refrigerator 1 performs suppression control when the vegetables are in a highly active state.

[2-2. motion]
The operation and effect of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment configured as described above will be explained.

First, the change over time in the indoor environment of the vegetable compartment 9 when actively respiring vegetables are put into the vegetable compartment 9 will be explained using FIG. As described in Embodiment 1, highly active vegetables have a large amount of respiration, which increases temperature, evaporates water, and excretes carbon dioxide.

When these vegetables are put into the nearly airtight vegetable compartment 9, the temperature, humidity, and environmental values of carbon dioxide within the vegetable compartment 9 also begin to rise. If the detection point is the time T0 in FIG. 5 when the increased value that can be clearly processed by the control unit 27 is reached when compared with each environmental value before the input, it can be determined that vegetables in a highly active state have been input.

Next, the case where the environmental value to be detected is temperature will be explained in more detail using the change over time shown in FIG. When the vegetable compartment door 19 is opened when the temperature inside the vegetable compartment 9 is stable at temperature t0 and vegetables are put in at point A, the detected temperature starts to rise as shown by the solid line. Even if the vegetable compartment door 19 is closed at point B after the time ΔT1 has elapsed, the vegetables are highly active and the detected temperature continues to rise.

Here, the dotted line in FIG. 6 shows the detected temperature change when there is no input of vegetables, only opening/closing of the vegetable compartment door 19 (hereinafter referred to as "door opening/closing only"), and only warm outside air flowing in. Although the temperature will rise just by opening and closing the door, the rise will be very gradual since it does not have the heat capacity of vegetables.

For example, at point C, the difference in temperature detected when vegetables are added and when only the door is opened and closed becomes a very large value. Therefore, by setting the judgment threshold temperature t2, if the temperature is higher than the judgment threshold temperature t2 at point C after ΔT2 hours after adding the vegetables, vegetables are added, and if it is lower than the judgment threshold temperature t2, the door is only opened. becomes possible. Then, if vegetables are to be added, the control section 27 may operate the light irradiation means 30.

The above operation was tested in a vegetable compartment 9 with a capacity of 30 L and a steady temperature of 2° C. (=t0). If ΔT1 = 0.5 minutes, t1 = 2.5℃, and ΔT2 = 10 minutes, the judgment threshold temperature t2 = 5.5℃, then as input vegetables, for example, 300g of spinach at 20℃ and opening/closing of the door only. It was possible to separate it.

The conditions for only opening and closing the door at this time were an inflow of warm air with an outside temperature of 30°C and an opening time of 1 minute, assuming a very rare situation in actual use where the refrigerator 1's buzzer alarm would be sounded.

Although temperature is used as the environmental value to be detected here, it is also possible to detect the addition of vegetables using the same concept by changing the detection sensor and using humidity or carbon dioxide as the environmental value. That is, the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment may include a humidity sensor and a CO2 sensor as the state detection means 25 instead of or in addition to the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29. Then, a determination threshold value is set according to the environmental value detected by each sensor, and if the environmental value detected after a predetermined time after adding vegetables exceeds the determination threshold value, it can be determined that vegetables have been added. In addition, when a plurality of sensors are provided as the state detection means 25, it may be determined that vegetables have been added when the environmental values of all sensors exceed the corresponding determination threshold, or it may be determined that the environmental values of at least one sensor correspond. It may be determined that vegetables are being added when the amount exceeds a determination threshold value. Further, the predetermined time ΔT2 after adding vegetables, which is the timing for making the determination, may be changed depending on the environmental value used for the determination.

In addition to light irradiation, a common method for suppressing transpiration from the stomata of vegetables is to lower the temperature. In other words, it is also effective to cause the stomata of vegetables in a highly active state and at a high temperature to close quickly by stimulating them by cooling.

Therefore, when it is detected that vegetables in a highly active state are being added, the control unit 27 may operate the cooling means 28 to cause the cold air in the cooling chamber 11 to flow into the vegetable compartment 9. However, since vegetables have a large heat capacity, long cooling times are likely to be required. In such a case, it would be more effective to carry out combined transpiration suppression by irradiating light immediately after adding the vegetables and stopping the light irradiation means 30 once the temperature inside the vegetable compartment 9 has cooled down to some extent.

[2-3. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in this embodiment, the value detected by the state detection means 25 is at least one of temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration.

As a result, there is no need to directly monitor vegetables to determine their active state, and detection can be performed within the wide space of the vegetable compartment 9 where vegetables are placed. Therefore, there is no restriction on the positional relationship between the detection target vegetables and the state detection means 25, and the degree of freedom in designing the installation location can be increased.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the transpiration suppressing means 26 may include a cooling means 28 that cools the vegetable compartment 9 and a light irradiation means 30 that irradiates the vegetable compartment 9 with light.

Thereby, even if the cooling means 28 takes a long time to cool the vegetable compartment 9, the light irradiation means 30 can suppress transpiration immediately after adding vegetables. Therefore, even if the vegetable compartment 9 has a substantially sealed structure to maintain high humidity and an indirect cooling method is adopted in which it is difficult for cold air to flow into the vegetable compartment 9, light irradiation can assist in suppressing transpiration.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 also includes a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 that detects the temperature inside the vegetable compartment 9 as the state detection means 25, and a light irradiation unit that irradiates the interior of the vegetable compartment 9 as the transpiration suppressing means 26. 30. The refrigerator 1 may irradiate the light with the light irradiation means 30 if the temperature detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature after a predetermined period of time has passed after the door of the vegetable compartment 9 is opened and closed.

Thereby, the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment can reliably suppress transpiration by the light irradiation means 30 only for vegetables in a highly active state with a high temperature.

Therefore, the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment does not irradiate light on low-temperature vegetables that do not require transpiration suppression or when warm air flows in only by opening and closing the door, so the light emission power of the light irradiation means 30 can be reduced.

In another situation, light irradiation is also performed when the inflow of warm air by only opening and closing the door continues for an abnormally long time and the temperature rise in the vegetable compartment 9 exceeds a predetermined temperature (judgment threshold temperature t2 in FIG. 6). This is very effective because it suppresses the onset of transpiration when existing vegetables are exposed to high temperature environments.

(Embodiment 3)
Embodiment 3 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11.

[3-1. composition]
In FIG. 7, the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 5 is thermally isolated from the switching compartment 6 and the ice-making compartment 7 in the lower storage compartment by a first partition wall 21. Furthermore, the refrigerator compartment 5 has a plurality of shelves for storing food, and the lowest shelf is composed of a heat-insulating partition plate 34 having heat-insulating properties.

Then, a vegetable case 33 is inserted into a space surrounded by the first partition wall 21 and the heat insulating partition plate 34, forming a second vegetable compartment 32. Note that it is preferable that the back plate 36 in this space is also made of a material with heat insulating properties. Similar to the second embodiment, a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 and a light irradiation means 30 are embedded on the second vegetable compartment 32 side of the heat insulating partition plate 34.

In addition, the vegetable case 33 is a flat plate with a heat-insulating front surface, and one side of the flat plate has a handle that is used to take the vegetable case 33 in and out. An elastic sealing member 35 is attached to the upper part of the flat plate, and when the vegetable case 33 is pushed in, the second vegetable compartment 32 becomes a substantially sealed space. Furthermore, a cooling means 28 is provided on the back plate 36 in the second vegetable compartment 32 to allow cold air from the cooling compartment 11 to flow into the second vegetable compartment 32.

[3-2. motion]
The basic operation of the refrigerator 1 according to the third embodiment configured as described above is the same as that of the second embodiment, so the explanation will focus on the different parts.

First, let us consider a case where the refrigerator compartment door 31 is opened, the vegetable case 33 is subsequently pulled out, no vegetables are added, the vegetable case is only opened, and only warm outside air is allowed to flow in.

Since it is easy to understand, the explanation will be made using FIG. 6 of the second embodiment. In this case, since only the case is opened, that is, the door is opened and closed, the detected temperature changes over time as shown by the dotted line.

However, the behavior differs depending on the outside temperature and the time only for opening and closing the door (door opening time). This was confirmed through experiments, and a characteristic diagram of the detected temperature at a predetermined time ΔT2 (=10 minutes) is shown in FIG. The experiment was conducted using three types of outside temperature: 10℃, 20℃, and 30℃, and five types of door open time: 0.5 minutes, 1 minute, 1.5 minutes, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes. Measurements were taken.

As can be seen from FIG. 8, the detected temperature increases in linear proportion to the door open time at each outside temperature. Furthermore, for the same door opening time, the detected temperature increases in quadratic proportion (not shown) to the outside temperature.

In other words, the difference between the dotted line showing changes over time in FIG. 6 and the solid line showing vegetable input changes depending on the outside temperature and the time only for opening and closing the door.

Therefore, in order to ensure the determination accuracy, the accuracy can be improved by successively adjusting the temperature so that the predetermined temperature (determination threshold temperature t2) comes to the center point between the solid line and the dotted line, for example.

Next, the specific operation of the refrigerator 1 according to the third embodiment in which the second vegetable compartment 32 is configured inside the refrigerator compartment 5 will be explained using the change over time shown in FIG.

When the refrigerator 1 is operating stably and the temperature detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 of the second vegetable compartment 32 is t3, the control unit 27 first stores the temperature t3 at point D when the refrigerator compartment door 31 is opened. I'll keep it. It should be noted that the determination as to whether the refrigerator compartment door 31 is open may be made by utilizing a signal from an existing door switch (not shown).

Subsequently, when the vegetable case 33 is pulled out at point E and highly active vegetables are put in, the temperature detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 starts to rise in the behavior shown by the solid line (pattern example 1). Thereafter, the control unit 27 stores the temperature increase value Δt1 from the temperature t3 at point F after a time ΔT1 has elapsed. If this temperature increase value Δt1 is larger than a predetermined value, it can be determined that the vegetable case 33 has been pulled out without installing a new door switch.

At point G, where a time ΔT2 has elapsed since point E, the control unit 27 stores the temperature increase value Δt2 from the temperature t3, and determines that vegetables have been added if this temperature increase value Δt2 is larger than a predetermined value.

Here, in the second embodiment, the vegetable input is determined based on whether or not the absolute value temperature (determination threshold temperature t2) is exceeded, but in the third embodiment, the difference is that the determination is made based on the temperature fluctuation range.

After confirming that the refrigerator compartment door 31 is closed, the control unit 27 operates the light irradiation means 30 to start irradiation of light to suppress transpiration. The timing of ending light irradiation (light irradiation OFF) is preferably such that the cumulative time of irradiation ON, which allows the stomata of the vegetable leaves to sufficiently close, is about 1 to 2 hours, for example. The light irradiation may be by continuous energization or by intermittent irradiation by periodically repeating ON/OFF energization.

Further, another timing for turning off the light irradiation may be the behavior shown by the dotted line (pattern example 2) when the temperature falls below a predefined OFF determination temperature t4. In this way, light irradiation can be stopped when the transpiration suppressing effect due to cooling begins to work sufficiently.

Next, a method for improving the detection accuracy of distinguishing between vegetables being added and only door opening/closing will be described using FIG. 10, which is a cutout of the main part of FIG. 6 of the second embodiment. During the predetermined time period ΔT2 for detecting the addition of vegetables, there is no forced cooling whether vegetables are added or only the door is opened/closed, so the detected temperature behavior is shown as a solid line, and the temperature difference at point C is Δt3.

Here, when forced cooling operation is performed by the cooling means 28 during the period from point A to point C (predetermined time ΔT2), the detected temperature behavior is suppressed from increasing as shown by the dotted line ("with cooling") due to the difference in heat capacity. However, the temperature difference is Δt4 (>Δt3). In other words, the degree of freedom in setting the determination temperature for dividing is expanded.

Therefore, variations in the threshold value due to the installation position of the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 and sensor accuracy are constant, and the temperature difference Δt4 is larger, so by cooling the second vegetable compartment 32 for the predetermined time ΔT2. , the variation becomes smaller and more accurate detection becomes possible.

It is also possible to determine the irradiation OFF timing by the light irradiation means 30 based on the carbon dioxide concentration detected by a detection sensor that detects carbon dioxide. As shown in FIG. 11, vegetables continue to emit carbon dioxide when they are in a highly active state, and from point D, when their activity has calmed down and they enter a sleep state, their respiration decreases and the carbon dioxide concentration also decreases. Therefore, after this point D, the transpiration suppressing operation may be stopped.

[3-3. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in this embodiment, the vegetable compartment is the second vegetable compartment 32, which is a second storage compartment, which is partitioned by a heat-insulating partition wall in the refrigerator compartment 5, which is a first storage compartment. I'll decide.

This makes it easy to detect the addition of highly active vegetables in the heat-insulating space that is double-separated from the outside air space. Therefore, it is possible to apply the present invention to a so-called Lee-Chin type refrigerator 1 in which a vegetable compartment is provided in one section of the refrigerator compartment 5.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 may make the predefined predetermined time and predetermined temperature variable depending on the outside air temperature.

With this, the difference due to fluctuations in outside air temperature can be taken into account with respect to the temperature rise in the second vegetable compartment 32 due to the inflow of warm air only by opening the door, so it is possible to successively change the judgment temperature for slicing. Therefore, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy of detecting the addition of vegetables in a highly active state.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 may make the predetermined predetermined time and predetermined temperature variable depending on the door opening time of the second vegetable compartment 32.

As a result, the temperature rise in the second vegetable compartment 32 caused by the inflow of warm air only by opening the door can be taken into account, and the difference due to the variation in the door opening time can be taken into account, so the temperature at which the cutting is judged can be successively changed. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the determination accuracy of detecting the addition of vegetables in a highly active state.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the timing at which the light irradiation means 30 is irradiated may be after the refrigerator compartment door 31, which is the front door of the refrigerator compartment 5, is closed.

As a result, even if the judgment time for vegetable input detection ends and the light irradiation start state is entered, the light irradiation means 30 does not perform irradiation while the refrigerator compartment door 31 is open. Therefore, when the refrigerator compartment door 31 is open and can be seen by the user, the light source is not illuminated, so there is no false recognition that there is an abnormality, and the lighting color close to red does not make the user feel uncomfortable, giving the user peace of mind. It can provide a feeling.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 may set the temperature detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29 to a temperature fluctuation range based on the stable temperature state when the refrigerator compartment door 31 is closed.

As a result, even if the absolute value of the stable temperature of the refrigerator 1 during steady operation changes (such as when the user changes the temperature setting value), the influence on the determination accuracy of the input detection can be eliminated. Therefore, the detection method can be easily extended to models with different set temperature values.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 may set the second vegetable compartment 32 in the cooling operation mode for a predetermined period of time detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 29.

As a result, the temperature difference between when vegetables are added and when only the door is opened/closed at the point where the detected temperature is determined can be greatly expanded compared to when no cooling operation is performed. Therefore, it is now possible to detect even a small amount of vegetables thrown in, which could not be determined conventionally (when cooling operation is not performed), improving usability for the user.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 may decide the timing of turning off the irradiation of the light irradiation means 30 based on a predefined cumulative irradiation time.

As a result, it is possible to eliminate transpiration suppression due to unnecessary light irradiation on vegetables in a sleeping state where the active state has decreased and respiration has subsided. Therefore, the lifespan of the LED generally used in the light irradiation means 30 can be extended, and it can also contribute to power saving.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 may determine the timing of turning off the irradiation of the light irradiation means 30 based on the carbon dioxide concentration inside the second vegetable compartment 32.

As a result, the OFF timing can be determined based on the concentration of carbon dioxide generated from the vegetables themselves, instead of determining the OFF timing based on temperature and humidity, which have slightly large fluctuations due to disturbance effects. Therefore, light irradiation can be turned off more reliably, and high-quality transpiration suppression control becomes possible.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, Embodiments 1 to 3 have been described as examples of the technology in the present disclosure. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be applied to embodiments in which changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is also possible to create a new embodiment by combining the components described in the first to third embodiments above.

The present disclosure is applicable to a refrigerator that suppresses transpiration when vegetables in a highly active state are added to the storage chamber. Specifically, the present disclosure is applicable to, for example, household or commercial refrigerators, the restaurant industry that requires preservation of vegetables, the food processing industry, and even the home delivery industry if logistics coordination is improved.

1 Refrigerator 2 Heat insulation box body 2a Foam insulation material 3 Outer box 4 Inner box 5 Refrigerator compartment 6 Switching compartment 7 Ice making compartment 8 Freezer compartment 9 Vegetable compartment 10 Compressor 11 Cooling compartment 12 Back partition wall 13 Cooler 14 Cooling fan 15 Radiant Heater 16 Drain pan 17 Drain tube 18 Evaporating dish 19 Vegetable compartment door 20 Storage section 21 First partition wall 22 Second partition wall 23 Third partition wall 24 Food 25 Condition detection means 26 Transpiration suppression means 27 Control section 28 Cooling means 29 Vegetable compartment temperature sensor 30 Light irradiation means 31 Refrigerator door 32 Second vegetable compartment 33 Vegetable case 34 Heat insulating partition plate 35 Sealing member 36 Rear plate S1 Signal S2 Signal S3 Signal S4 Signal S5 Signal t0 Temperature t2 Judgment threshold temperature t3 Temperature t4 OFF judgment temperature ΔT2 Predetermined time Δt1 Temperature rise value Δt2 Temperature rise value Δt3 Temperature difference Δt4 Temperature difference

Claims

a condition detection means for detecting the condition of vegetables;
and transpiration suppressing means for suppressing water transpiration from the vegetables,
operating the transpiration suppressing means based on the detection result of the state detecting means;
refrigerator.
The value detected by the condition detection means is at least one of temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration.
The refrigerator according to claim 1.
comprising a vegetable compartment in which the vegetables can be placed;
The transpiration suppression means includes a light irradiation means that irradiates the vegetable compartment with light.
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2.
The transpiration suppressing means includes a cooling means for cooling the vegetable compartment.
The refrigerator according to claim 3.
The state detection means includes a vegetable compartment temperature sensor that detects the temperature in the vegetable compartment,
If the temperature detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature after a predetermined time has elapsed after opening and closing the door of the vegetable compartment, irradiating the light with the light irradiation means;
The refrigerator according to claim 3 or 4.
The vegetable compartment is a second storage compartment partitioned by a heat-insulating partition wall within the refrigerator compartment, which is the first storage compartment.
The refrigerator according to claim 5.
The predetermined time and the predetermined temperature are made variable depending on the outside temperature.
The refrigerator according to claim 5 or 6.
The predetermined predetermined time and the predetermined temperature are made variable depending on the opening time of the door of the vegetable compartment.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 5 to 7.
The timing for irradiating the light with the light irradiation means is after the front door of the refrigerator compartment is closed.
The refrigerator according to claim 6.
The detected temperature of the vegetable compartment temperature sensor is set to a temperature fluctuation range based on a stable temperature state with the front door of the refrigerator compartment closed.
The refrigerator according to claim 9.
The vegetable compartment is placed in a cooling operation mode during the predetermined time period detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 5 to 10.
determining the timing of turning off the irradiation of the light irradiation means according to a predefined cumulative irradiation time;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 3 to 11.
determining the timing of turning off the irradiation of the light irradiation means based on the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vegetable compartment;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 3 to 12.