JP2010281481A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem wherein since a light detecting element is provided to detect surrounding brightness and power saving operation is performed by controlling rotational frequencies of a compressor and a fan motor etc. when it is dark, the use range is limited to inside of a cooling system and usability for a refrigerator user is not considered. <P>SOLUTION: In this refrigerator, an illuminance detection means such as a light sensor for detecting surrounding brightness is installed on the surface of a body, and the illuminance of a refrigerator interior light 6 is controlled in accordance with the surrounding brightness, to save electric charge. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator in which illuminance detection means such as an optical sensor for detecting ambient brightness is installed on the surface of a main body, and the illuminance of an interior lamp is adjusted according to the ambient brightness.

  Conventionally, this type of refrigerator is provided with a light detection element on the surface of the door to detect the brightness of the surroundings, and in the case of darkness, there is one that performs power saving operation by controlling the rotation speed of a compressor or a fan motor (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-93671

  However, in the conventional configuration, a light detection element is provided to detect ambient brightness, and in the case of darkness, the rotation speed of the compressor and fan motor is controlled to perform power saving operation. However, it has a problem that it is not considered for the convenience of users of the refrigerator.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and illuminance detection means such as an optical sensor for detecting ambient brightness is installed on the surface of the main body, and the illumination intensity of the interior lamp is adjusted according to the ambient brightness. The object is to provide a refrigerator that can save on electricity bills.

  In order to solve the conventional problems, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a refrigerator main body, an interior lamp in which a plurality of lamps provided on a side surface in the refrigerator cabinet are arranged, and illuminance of the interior lamp in a plurality of stages. Dimming means for dimming, an operation board provided on the front surface of the refrigerator body, and illuminance detection means for detecting the brightness near the front surface of the refrigerator body, the illuminance detection means being in the vicinity of the operation board It is arranged.

  With this configuration, the light receiving unit of the illuminance detection means detects the brightness of the refrigerator installation location, changes the dimming of the interior lamp according to the illuminance, and optimizes the illuminance to recognize the stored food with the interior lighting. It can be realized.

  In the refrigerator of the present invention, the illuminance of the interior lamp is automatically dimmed by the dimming means in accordance with the brightness detected by the illumination detection means.

  With this configuration, the illuminance detection means for detecting the ambient brightness is installed on the surface of the main body, and the illuminance of the interior lamp is adjusted according to the ambient brightness.

  The refrigerator of this invention is equipped with the human body detection means which detects the motion of the person in front of the said refrigerator main body, and the said human body detection means is arrange | positioned at the said interior lamp.

  With this configuration, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a person at the mounting position of the interior light by arranging the human body detection means on the interior light.

  In the refrigerator of the present invention, the lamps arranged in the interior lamp are divided into a plurality of groups, and one human body detecting means is arranged for each group.

  With this configuration, it is possible to detect the movement of the person up and down by arranging the interior light for the human body detection means for each group.

  The refrigerator of the present invention detects the movement of a person in front of the refrigerator body by the human body detecting means arranged one for each group, and increases or decreases the illuminance of the lamps of the group by the dimming means.

  According to this configuration, the illuminance of the lamps divided for each group of the interior lamps is increased or decreased according to the movement of the person up and down, and there is an energy saving effect of the interior lamps.

  In the refrigerator of the present invention, illuminance detection means for detecting the ambient brightness is installed on the surface of the main body, and the illuminance of the interior lamp is adjusted according to the ambient brightness. Further, since the illuminance of the lamps divided for each group of the interior lamps is increased or decreased according to the movement of the person up and down, there is an energy saving effect due to the intensity of the interior lamps due to the ambient illumination and movement of the person.

Front view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block diagram of the operation board of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block diagram of the refrigerator interior lamp in Embodiment 1 of this invention Control block diagram of refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Control flow chart of illuminance detection of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block diagram of the refrigerator interior lamp in Embodiment 2 of this invention Control block diagram of refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Control flowchart of human body detection of the refrigerator in the second embodiment of the present invention Block diagram of a conventional refrigerator Relationship graph between the illuminance in the room and the illuminance of the lamp in the cabinet in Embodiment 1 of the present invention

  Invention of Claim 1 is a refrigerator main body, the interior lamp which has arranged the lamp | ramp provided in the side surface in the said refrigerator store | warehouse | chamber, and the light control means which dimmes the illumination intensity of the said interior lamp in several steps, And an illuminance detection means for detecting brightness near the front surface of the refrigerator body, and the illuminance detection means is disposed in the vicinity of the operation board, thereby detecting illuminance. The light receiving unit of the means detects the brightness of the refrigerator installation location, changes the dimming of the interior light according to the illuminance, and can realize the optimum illuminance for recognizing the stored food by the illumination of the interior light.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the brightness detected by the illuminance detecting means according to the first aspect of the invention, the illuminance of the interior lamp is increased or decreased by the dimming means, thereby increasing the ambient brightness. An illuminance detection means for detecting the height is installed on the surface of the main body, and the illuminance of the interior lamp is automatically dimmed according to the ambient brightness.

  Invention of Claim 3 is equipped with the human body detection means which detects the motion of the person in front of the said refrigerator main body of the invention of Claim 1, and the said human body detection means is arrange | positioned in the said interior lamp, and is stored. It is possible to detect the presence or absence of a person at the installation position of the inner light.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the lamps arranged in the interior lamp of the first and third aspects of the invention are divided into a plurality of groups, and one human body detecting means is arranged for each of the groups. The human body detection means can detect the movement of the person up and down by arranging the interior lamp for each group.

  The invention according to claim 5 detects the movement of a person in front of the refrigerator body by the human body detecting means arranged one for each group of the invention according to claims 1, 3 and 4, and the dimming By increasing or decreasing the illuminance of the lamps of the group by means, the illuminance of the lamps divided for each group of the interior lamps is increased or decreased according to the movement of the person up and down, and there is an energy saving effect of the interior lamps.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, there is a door for each storage room on the front surface of the refrigerator body 1, and a freezer compartment door 2 and a refrigerator compartment door 3 are laid out. An operation board 7 is disposed near the center of the refrigerator compartment door 3, and illuminance detection means 8 for detecting the brightness near the front surface of the refrigerator body is provided. Illuminance detection means 8 can be specifically configured by using an optical sensor having a photodiode or phototransistor as a base element.

  In the refrigerator main body 1, door opening / closing detection means 7 for detecting the open / closed state of the door and an interior lamp for illuminating the interior of the refrigerator are arranged.

  The layout of the door is a typical one and is not limited to this layout.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  First, the illuminance detection means 8 attached to the front surface of the refrigerator main body 1 detects the illuminance level around the refrigerator due to solar radiation or irradiation of indoor lighting equipment. The detected illuminance level is input to the control means (not shown) of the refrigerator body 1.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an operation board of the refrigerator.

  In FIG. 2, a plurality of operation switches 9 for adjusting the set temperature and switching the operation mode are arranged below the operation board 7. Above the operation switch 8, a plurality of indicator lamps 9 configured by, for example, LEDs for displaying the state set by the operation switch 8 are arranged. Further, an illuminance detection means 5 is disposed on the upper part of the indicator lamp 9 and is configured on one substrate of the operation board 7 together with the operation switch 8 and the indicator lamp 9.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the interior lamp disposed in the refrigerator body 1.

  In FIG. 3, the interior lamp 6 is composed of a plurality of lamps 10.

  FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator body 1.

  The door opening / closing detection means 6 and the illuminance detection means 5 are connected to input information of the control device 11. The lamp 10 of the interior lamp 6 is connected as output information from the control device 11 via a dimming means 12 that can adjust the brightness of the lamp 10 to be strong or weak.

  The operation will be described with reference to the illuminance detection control flowchart of FIG.

  Step 0 is a main control flow for cooling the refrigerator body 1.

  Step 1 determines whether or not the refrigerator compartment door 2 is opened / closed by the door opening / closing detection means 6. If it is open, the process proceeds to step 2 with Yes, and if it is closed, the process proceeds to step 5.

  In step 2, the illuminance detection device 5 detects the illuminance X in the room, which is the ambient brightness detected by the illuminance detection means 5.

  In step 3, the illuminance A of the interior lamp is calculated from the illuminance X detected in step 2 with reference to FIG.

  In step 4, the lamp 10 is turned on via the dimming means 12 so as to be turned on at the illuminance A calculated in step 3.

  In step 5, the illuminance in the room, which is ambient brightness, is detected and used as information in step 1 next time.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator main body 1, the interior lamp 6 in which a plurality of lamps provided on the side surface in the refrigerator cabinet are arranged, and the illuminance of the lamp of the interior lamp in a plurality of stages. Dimming means 12 for dimming, an operation board 4 provided on the front surface of the refrigerator main body 1, and an illuminance detecting means 5 for detecting the brightness near the front surface of the refrigerator main body are detected by the illuminance detecting means 5. Depending on the brightness, the illuminance detection means 5 for detecting the ambient brightness is installed on the surface of the main body by increasing or decreasing the illuminance of the interior lamp 6 by the dimming means 12, and according to the ambient brightness. Because the illuminance of the interior light is adjusted, there is an energy saving effect of the interior light.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the interior lamp disposed in the refrigerator main body 1.

  In FIG. 6, the interior lamp 6 is composed of a plurality of groups of a plurality of lamps 13 and human body detection means A15, a plurality of lamps 14 and human body detection means A16.

  FIG. 7 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator body 1.

  The door opening / closing detection means 6 and the illuminance detection means 5 are connected to input information of the control device 11.

  The human body detection unit A15 and the human body detection unit B16 are connected to input information of the control device 11.

  Further, the lamp A13 and the lamp B14 of the interior lamp 6 are connected as output information from the control device 11 via the light control means 12 capable of individually adjusting the brightness of the lamp A13 and the lamp B14.

  The operation will be described with reference to the control flowchart of human body detection in FIG.

  Step 0 is a main control flow for cooling the refrigerator body 1.

  In step 1, it is determined whether the refrigerator compartment door 2 is opened or closed by the door opening / closing detection means 6. If it is open, the process proceeds to step 2 with Yes, and if it is closed, the process proceeds to step 8.

  In step 2, if the presence or absence of a person detected by the human body detecting means A15 is present, the process proceeds to step 4. If there is no person, the process proceeds to step 3.

In step 3, the lamp A13 is passed through the light control means 12 so that the lamp A13 of the interior lamp is weakly lit.
Lights weakly.

  In Step 4, the lamp A13 is strongly lit through the light control means 12 so that the internal lamp A13 is lit strongly.

  In step 5, if the presence or absence of a person detected by the human body detecting means B15 is present, the process proceeds to step 7. If there is no person, the process proceeds to step 6.

  In step 6, the lamp B14 is lightly lit through the light control means 12 so that the lamp B14 of the interior lamp is lightly lit.

  In step 7, the lamp B14 is lit strongly through the light control means 12 so that the interior lamp B14 is lit strongly.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator main body 1, the interior lamps 6 arranged on the plurality of lamps A and B provided on the side surface in the refrigerator cabinet, and the illuminance of the lamp of the interior lamp Dimming means 12 for dimming the light intensity in two steps, an operation board 4 provided on the front surface of the refrigerator body 1, an illuminance detection means 5 for detecting the brightness near the front surface of the refrigerator body, and the front of the refrigerator body The human body detection means for detecting the movement of the person and the lamps arranged in the interior lamp are divided into groups A and B, and one human body detection means is arranged for each group, so that one is arranged for each group. The human body detection means A and the human body detection means B detect the movement of the person in front of the refrigerator body, and the dimming means increases or decreases the illuminance of each group of lights A and B, thereby moving the person up and down. Depending on the lamp, the lamp A and lamp B are divided for each group of interior lamps. Degree is strength, there is an energy-saving effect of the interior lamp.

  As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes an illuminance detection means and a human body detection means in a household or commercial refrigerator, a system kitchen storage, a general storeroom, a storage, and the like. It can be implemented and applied to control the illuminance adjustment of the lamp.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator body 2 Freezer compartment door 3 Refrigeration compartment door 4 Operation board 5 Illuminance detection means 6 Interior light 7 Door open / close detection means 8 Operation switch 9 Indicator light 10 Light 11 Controller 12 Light control means 13 Light A
14 Light B
15 Human body detection means A
16 Human body detection means B

Claims (5)

Refrigerator body, interior lamp in which a plurality of lamps provided on the side surface in the refrigerator compartment are arranged, an operation board provided on the front surface of the refrigerator body, and illuminance for detecting brightness near the front surface of the refrigerator body A refrigerator comprising a detecting means, and a light adjusting means for adjusting the illuminance of the internal lamp in a plurality of stages. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the illuminance of the interior lamp is automatically dimmed by the dimming unit according to the brightness detected by the illumination detection unit. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising human body detection means for detecting a movement of a person in front of the refrigerator body, wherein the human body detection means is disposed in the interior lamp. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the lamps arranged in the interior lamp are divided into a plurality of groups, and one human body detecting means is arranged for each group. The human body detecting means arranged for each group detects the movement of a person in front of the refrigerator main body, and the light control means increases or decreases the illuminance of the lamps of the group. 4. The refrigerator as described in any one of 4.