KR20120011454A - Refrigerator and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A refrigerator and a control method thereof are provided to reduce power consumption because stored foods and air in storage and an inner circumference are selectively sterilized based on a change of the inner temperature. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator comprises a main body, a door, and a lamp(100). The main body comprises one or more storages for a cold storage. The door is rotatably installed in the main body and selectively opens and shuts the storage. The lamp installed inside of the storage generates UV and ozone generating wavelengths together. The lamp operates by one or more among duration, intensity, and a period of a light emitting input to the storage. The control unit controls an operation of the lamp.

Description

Refrigerator and controlling method thereof

The present invention relates to a refrigerator capable of effectively sterilizing food stored in a low temperature storage and storage space of food and keeping the storage space clean and a control method thereof.

In general, a refrigerator is a device that enables low-temperature storage of food in order to keep food fresh for a long time. The refrigerator is stored by refrigeration or refrigeration by adjusting the state of cold air according to the state of the storage to be stored.

The cold air supplied to the inside of the refrigerator is generated by the heat exchange action of the refrigerant, is continuously supplied into the refrigerator while repeatedly performing a cycle of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation, and the supplied refrigerant is supplied by convection. It is evenly distributed inside the refrigerator to store food in the refrigerator at a desired temperature.

Refrigerators may be classified into general refrigerators, double door refrigerators, and bottom freezer type refrigerators according to the structure of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment.

A general refrigerator has a structure in which a freezer compartment is located at an upper side and a refrigerating compartment is located at a lower side, and a double door type refrigerator (Side By Side type) has a structure in which a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment are adjacent to the left and right sides.

The bottom freezer type refrigerator is a type commonly used in the United States or Europe, and has a structure in which a refrigerating compartment having a larger size than the freezer is located at the top and the freezer is located at the bottom.

On the other hand, the refrigerator includes a main body having at least one storage space for low-temperature storage and rotatably mounted to the main body, the door for selectively opening and closing the storage space.

The storage space of the refrigerator is generally divided into a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment, and at the rear of the storage space, an evaporator and an air of the lower space which generate cold air by heat exchange with the air of the storage space are introduced into the evaporator, and the heat exchanged cold air is stored again. A fan is provided to blow air into the space.

In addition, in recent years, various functions have been added for convenience of use of the refrigerator, and in order to implement such a function, a home bar for easily storing and storing a certain amount of food or food containers is provided on the door, or a plurality of the rear surfaces of the door are provided. A basket of is prepared.

These refrigerators store not only vegetables and fruits but also meat, fish, various food ingredients and finished foods. If the storage space is not cleaned periodically, the odor generated from various foods contained in the storage space may vibrate in the refrigerator, and molds, bacteria, and viruses may breed, which may not be good for hygiene, and may cause discomfort to the user. Done.

In addition, bacteria or the like generated from one food is transmitted to other foods, or because the inside of the refrigerator moves along the cold air circulation, there is a problem that the hygiene state inside the refrigerator is poor.

The present invention is to solve the problem to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof that can effectively sterilize the food stored in the storage space, keep the storage space clean.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of sterilizing air and an inner circumferential surface of a storage space as well as housed food, and a control method thereof.

In addition, the present invention is to solve the problem to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof that can reduce the power consumption by selectively sterilization based on the input of food or the change in the internal temperature.

In order to solve the above problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, the body having one or more storage space for low temperature storage; One or more doors rotatably mounted to the main body, for selectively opening and closing the storage space; A lamp mounted in the storage space and configured to generate an ultraviolet ray generation wavelength and an ozone generation wavelength together; And a refrigerator including a control unit for controlling the operation of the lamp is provided.

In addition, the lamp may be operated according to at least one of the light emission duration, the light emission intensity, and the light emission period stored in the controller.

In addition, the refrigerator according to an aspect of the present invention may further include a door sensor for detecting an open state of the door, the control unit is the lamp according to the open state of the door, the number of opening of the door or the opening time of the door. Can control the operation of.

In addition, the refrigerator according to an aspect of the present invention may further include a temperature sensor for measuring the internal temperature of the storage space, the controller may control the operation of the lamp according to the temperature change of the storage space.

The controller may operate the lamp for a predetermined time when the temperature of the storage space rises above a predetermined reference value.

According to another aspect of the invention, (a) recognizing the opening of the door and the temperature change inside the storage space; And (b) generating the ultraviolet ray generation wavelength and the ozone generation wavelength together in the storage space according to the recognition result.

In addition, in step (b), when the door is opened and then closed, it is possible to generate the ultraviolet ray generation wavelength and the ozone generation wavelength together for a predetermined time.

Alternatively, in step (b), when the temperature of the storage space rises above the reference value, the ultraviolet ray generation wavelength and the ozone generation wavelength may be generated together for a predetermined time.

Alternatively, in step (b), after the door is opened and closed, when the temperature of the storage space rises above the reference value, the ultraviolet generation wavelength and the ozone generation wavelength may be generated together for a predetermined time.

As described above, according to the refrigerator and the control method thereof according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to effectively sterilize food stored in the storage space and keep the storage space clean.

In addition, according to the refrigerator and the control method thereof according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to sterilize the air and the inner circumferential surface of the storage space as well as the stored food.

In addition, according to the refrigerator and a control method thereof according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the power consumption can be reduced by selectively sterilizing based on the input of food or the change of the internal temperature.

1 is a perspective view showing a partially open state of a door of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation principle of the lamp constituting the refrigerator related to one embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a main configuration diagram of a control unit constituting a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a graph for explaining the operation of the lamp constituting the refrigerator related to one embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a graph for explaining a control method of a refrigerator related to one embodiment of the present invention;
6 and 7 are flowcharts illustrating a control method of a refrigerator related to one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator and a control method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings show exemplary forms of the present invention, which are provided to explain the present invention in more detail, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, irrespective of the reference numerals, the same or corresponding components will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. For convenience of description, the size and shape of each component may be exaggerated or reduced. have.

On the other hand, terms including ordinal numbers such as first or second may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms, and the terms are defined by one component from another component. It is used only for the purpose of distinguishing.

1 is a perspective view showing a partially open state of a door of a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to all refrigerators of various forms (for example, a general type, a double door type or a bottom freezer type), specifically a main body having one or more storage spaces for low temperature storage and Is rotatably mounted to the main body 10, it can be applied to both refrigerators including one or more doors (20, 30) for selectively opening and closing the storage space, the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment for the convenience of description An embodiment applied to a double-door refrigerator which is positioned side by side and selectively opened and closed by each door will be described as an example.

The refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is rotatably mounted to the main body 10 and the main body 10 provided with at least one storage space for low temperature storage, and for selectively opening and closing the storage space. A control unit (not shown) mounted in one or more doors 20 and 30 and the storage space, and configured to control the operation of the lamp 100 and the lamp 100 for simultaneously generating an ultraviolet generation wavelength and an ozone generation wavelength. It includes.

Referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 that provides a space and an appearance for storing food and food containers at a low temperature, and the main body 10 includes It may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a front surface thereof may be formed in an open state for storing food and food containers.

The body 10 of the refrigerator 1 may include an outer case (unsigned) and an inner case (unsigned) disposed in the outer case and providing a storage space for refrigeration or freezing of food. .

Doors 20 and 30 are rotatably mounted on the open front surface of the main body 10 to selectively open and close the open front surface of the storage space of the main body 10. 1 shows a double door refrigerator, and a case in which the first door 20 and the second door 30 are mounted on the main body 10 to open and close the left storage space and the right storage space 40, respectively. It is.

In addition, in recent years, various functions are added for convenience of use of the refrigerator 1, and in order to implement such a function, a dispenser 21 and a predetermined amount of food or water may directly extract purified water or ice from an external space. A home bar 31 and the like may be further provided on the doors 20 and 30 for easily storing and storing food containers.

In addition, one or more baskets 33 may be mounted on the rear surface of the door 30.

In addition, in the case of the refrigerator 10 of the double-door type, the internal space of the main body 10 may be divided into a left space and a right space, and usually the left space is a freezer (not shown) that accommodates food and food containers at subzero temperatures. And the right space performs the function of the refrigerating chamber 40 to accommodate the food and the food container at the temperature of the image.

The freezer compartment is used for long-term storage of the food stored by freezing the food stored in the internal space to the sub-zero temperature, the refrigerating chamber 40 is to maintain the temperature of the image lower than room temperature, if the food is stored fresh Used for

In the interior space of the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment 40 are provided with a plurality of shelves 41 for raising food and food containers, and thus the internal space of the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment 40 is divided into a plurality of layers and divided into a plurality of storage spaces. Can be. In addition, a drawer 42 may be further provided to accommodate food, such as vegetables and fruits.

In the refrigerator, not only vegetables and fruits, but also meat, fish, various food ingredients and finished foods are stored, and the main body 10 is provided with a plurality of storage spaces such as shelves and drawers, so it is possible to separately store food types.

For example, any one drawer 42 provided in the refrigerating compartment may be used as a storage space for vegetables and / or fruits, and another drawer may be used as a storage space for meat or fish, and a rear surface of the door 30 The storage box 32 provided in may be used as a storage space for grains such as rice, beans, or red beans.

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an operation principle of a lamp constituting a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the lamp 100 may be mounted in a storage space (freezer and / or cold room) of the main body 10, and may be mounted on one or a plurality of side surfaces of the storage space 40. have.

The lamp 100 generates an ultraviolet ray generating wavelength and an ozone generating wavelength together, and may be an AOP (Advanced Oxidation Process) type lamp (hereinafter, referred to as an 'AOP lamp').

Here, the AOP method is an innovative new technology that oxidizes organic substances, which are various pollutants, by generating an intermediate product called OH radicals. When the discharge lamp simultaneously generates 253.7 nm of ultraviolet wavelength and 184.9 nm of ozone generating wavelength, the air is It refers to a method of generating and oxidizing a large amount of OH radicals in the process of photolysis by combining with oxygen (O ₂ ) in.

In particular, the AOP method can show perfect sterilizing power without leaving any toxicity, and it has much stronger oxidizing power than existing oxidizing agents such as chlorine, chlorine dioxide, potassium permanganate, etc. High sterilization power

 On the other hand, oxidation means that a substance loses electrons by reacting with oxygen or hydrogen, and the electron obtained is reduced. In other words, oxidation and reduction occur simultaneously. OH radicals refer to unstable ions of hydrogen (H-) and oxygen (O-). These electrons react with various pollutants to oxidize and sterilize and deodorize the pollutants to safe water and air. .

In addition, if the bacteria are oxidized, OH radicals react with the constituents of the cell membrane or cell wall of the bacteria to peroxidate lipids of the cell membrane. Peroxidated membranes have poor fluidity and are impaired in transporting substances into and out of the membranes. Cell membranes will not function properly will kill bacteria.

In one embodiment, the lamp 100 may have a double quartz tube structure.

Therefore, when the lamp 100 is operated, food sterilized in the storage space 40 of the refrigerator 1 can be effectively sterilized, and the air and the inner circumferential surface of the storage space can be sterilized as well as the stored food. .

3 is a diagram illustrating a main part of a controller constituting a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 3, the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 200 for controlling the operation of the lamp 100. The controller 200 may be a central controller (not shown) for controlling operations of the entire refrigerator, or may be a local controller for controlling only the operation of the lamp 100.

The control unit 200 controls the state of the input unit 203 and the storage space for inputting control commands such as on / off of the lamp, continuous light emission, light emission intensity (for example, strong, medium, weak), and light emission period. It may include a display unit 204 for showing.

In addition, the input unit 203 may include a refrigerator compartment temperature controller, a freezer compartment temperature controller, and a temperature controller of a special storage space, and may include an operation mode selector and a lock setting / release input unit.

The state information of the storage space 40 may include at least one of an operation mode, an operating temperature, a door opening, a lock setting, and state abnormality information of the storage space 40.

In detail, the display unit 204 may display not only an operating temperature of the freezer compartment and an operating temperature of the refrigerating compartment but also an operating temperature of a food storage space (eg, a drawer and a storage box) requiring special handling.

In addition, the display unit 204 may be configured as a liquid crystal display, or may be configured as an array of a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) capable of displaying numbers, letters, and various symbols.

The lamp 100 may be operated according to at least one of a light emission duration, a light emission intensity (for example, strong, medium, weak), and a light emission period stored in the controller 200.

In addition, the light emission duration, the light emission intensity (for example, strong, medium, weak) and the light emission period of the lamp 100 are input by the user in advance, so that the lamp 100 is continuously controlled by the controller 200. It may be controlled, or may be input intermittently and controlled at a time when the user wants to drive the lamp 100.

In addition, the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment may further include a temperature sensor 201 for measuring the temperature of the storage space.

Here, the control unit 200 may control the operation of the lamp 100 according to the temperature change of the storage space, and in one embodiment, when the temperature of the storage space rises above a predetermined reference value, the lamp 100 is turned on. It can be operated for a predetermined time.

The reference value may be determined experimentally, for example, may be 2 ℃ to 6 ℃, may be about 3 ℃. As such, when the temperature change of the storage space is greater than or equal to the reference value, the controller 200 may predict that the food is stored in the storage space in a state of concern, and operate the lamp 100.

In addition, the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment may further include a door sensor 201 for detecting an open state of the door.

The controller 200 may control the operation of the lamp according to the open state of the door, the number of opening of the door, or the opening time of the door.

That is, the controller 200 may be concerned about the contamination of food stored in the storage space by introducing new food, so that the operation of the lamp may be controlled according to the opening state of the door, the number of opening of the door, or the opening time of the door. Can be.

In the meantime, the embodiments of controlling the operation of the lamp according to the open state of the door or the internal temperature change of the storage space have been described. Of course, the operation of the lamp can be controlled in consideration.

Accordingly, when the lamp 100 is operated, sterilization may be selectively performed based on the input of food or the change of the internal temperature, thereby reducing power consumption.

4 is a graph for explaining the operation of the lamp constituting the refrigerator related to one embodiment of the present invention.

4, the horizontal axis represents the distance from the AOP lamp 6W, and the vertical axis represents the emission duration of the AOP lamp. As a result of the test, the closer the distance from the AOP lamp is, the longer the emission duration is, the higher the sterilization rate is, and in particular, it can be seen that there exists an area O indicating the sterilization rate of 99%. For example, when the distance from the AOP lamp is about 25cm, when the emission duration is about 40 seconds or more, it can be seen that the sterilization rate of 99%.

5 is a graph illustrating a control method of a refrigerator related to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts illustrating a control method of a refrigerator related to an embodiment of the present invention.

A control method of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of (a) recognizing an opening (S102) of a door and a temperature change (S202) inside a storage space after driving the refrigerator (S101, S201) and (b) the According to the recognition result, it comprises the step (S103, 203) of generating the ultraviolet generation wavelength and ozone generation wavelength together in the storage space.

In addition, in step (b), when the door is opened and then closed, it is possible to generate the ultraviolet ray generation wavelength and the ozone generation wavelength together for a predetermined time.

Since new food may be introduced and contamination of food stored in the storage space may be concerned, when the door is opened and closed, the above lamp 100 may be operated for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute to 60 minutes). have.

Alternatively, in step (b), when the temperature of the storage space rises above the reference value, the ultraviolet ray generation wavelength and the ozone generation wavelength may be generated together for a predetermined time.

The reference value may be determined experimentally, for example, may be 2 ℃ to 6 ℃, may be about 3 ℃. As described above, when the temperature change of the storage space is greater than or equal to the reference value, it is predicted that the contamination of the food stored in the storage space may be anticipated, and the lamp 100 may be operated.

Alternatively, in step (b), after the door is opened and closed, when the temperature of the storage space rises above the reference value, the ultraviolet generation wavelength and the ozone generation wavelength may be generated together for a predetermined time.

Referring to FIG. 4, the operation point S of the lamp represents a case where the door is opened and closed and / or the temperature of the storage space rises above the reference value, and the sterilization time may be 1 minute to 60 minutes. The lamp can then be deactivated and subsequently reactivated after the door is opened and closed and / or when the temperature of the storage space has risen above the reference value.

Therefore, according to the control method of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the power consumption can be reduced by selectively sterilizing based on the input of food or the change of the internal temperature.

As described above, according to the refrigerator and the control method thereof according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to effectively sterilize food stored in the storage space and keep the storage space clean.

In addition, according to the refrigerator and the control method thereof according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to sterilize the air and the inner circumferential surface of the storage space as well as the stored food.

In addition, according to the refrigerator and a control method thereof according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the power consumption can be reduced by selectively sterilizing based on the input of food or the change of the internal temperature.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for purposes of illustration, and those skilled in the art having various ordinary knowledge of the present invention may make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention. And additions should be considered to be within the scope of the following claims.

1: refrigerator 10: main body
20, 30: door 33: basket
40: storage space 41: shelf
42: drawer 33: basket
100: lamp

Claims (9)

A body having at least one storage space for cold storage;
One or more doors rotatably mounted to the main body, for selectively opening and closing the storage space;
A lamp mounted in the storage space and configured to generate an ultraviolet ray generation wavelength and an ozone generation wavelength together; And
Refrigerator including a control unit for controlling the operation of the lamp. The method of claim 1,
And the lamp is operated according to at least one of a light emission duration, a light emission intensity, and a light emission period stored in the controller. The method of claim 2,
It further comprises a door sensor for detecting the open state of the door,
The control unit is characterized in that the refrigerator controls the operation of the lamp according to the open state of the door, the number of opening of the door or the opening time of the door. The method of claim 2,
It further includes a temperature sensor for measuring the internal temperature of the storage space,
The control unit is a refrigerator, characterized in that for controlling the operation of the lamp in accordance with the temperature change of the storage space. The method of claim 4, wherein
And the controller operates the lamp for a predetermined time when the temperature of the storage space rises above a predetermined reference value. (a) recognizing the opening of the door and the temperature change inside the storage space; And
(b) controlling the refrigerator according to the recognition result, including generating an ultraviolet ray generation wavelength and an ozone generation wavelength together in the storage space. The process of claim 6, wherein in step (b),
When the door is opened and closed, the control method of the refrigerator, characterized in that for generating a predetermined time to generate the ultraviolet and ozone generating wavelength. The process of claim 6, wherein in step (b),
When the temperature of the storage space rises above the reference value, the control method of the refrigerator, characterized in that for generating a ultraviolet ray and the ozone generating wavelength for a predetermined time. The process of claim 6, wherein in step (b),
After the door is opened and closed, when the temperature of the storage space rises above the reference value, the control method of the refrigerator, characterized in that for generating a ultraviolet ray and the ozone generating wavelength for a predetermined time.

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