JP2005065622A - Irradiation device for preserving vegetable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an irradiation device for preserving vegetable irradiating light with adequate wavelength according to the kind of vegetables. <P>SOLUTION: This irradiation device is such that an irradiation board 3 arranged with a plurality of LED elements 9 of three colors of red, blue and green is set up on the upper part of the vegetable room 2 of a refrigerator 1, the irradiation board 3 is divided into a plurality of areas 4, a selection means 8 to change every area 4 a combination of luminescent colors of the LED elements 9 to be irradiated is set up so that the combination of luminescent colors is selected by the selection means 8 according to the kind of vegetables held in the area of the vegetable room 2 facing each area 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vegetable storage irradiation apparatus that can irradiate light having an appropriate wavelength according to the type of vegetable.

Plants are said to be able to grow and grow if there is light of a specific wavelength. Moreover, it is said that the freshness of a plant can also be maintained by irradiating with the light of the said specific wavelength. For example, an invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-267348 has been conventionally known as a refrigerator that maintains the freshness of leaf vegetables stored in a refrigerator by utilizing this property. In this conventional refrigerator, in order to maintain the freshness of the green leafy vegetables in the refrigerator, a weak light irradiation device for irradiating light of a specific wavelength is disposed in the leafy vegetable storage container.
The weak light irradiating unit is configured by a red light emitting diode element (hereinafter referred to as “LED”) that outputs light having a wavelength of about 660 nm suitable for preservation of freshness of leaf vegetables. By irradiating the leaf vegetables stored in the vegetable room with light having a wavelength of about 660 nm by the weak light irradiation unit, the freshness of the leaf vegetables is kept high.
JP 2002-267348 A

In the said conventional refrigerator, since LED which comprises a weak light irradiation part is only red LED, a weak light irradiation part always irradiates the light of a fixed wavelength.
This constant wavelength light is suitable for leaf vegetables, but is not necessarily suitable for vegetables other than leaf vegetables.

Therefore, when a vegetable of a different type from leafy vegetables is stored in the vegetable room, there is a problem that the freshness of vegetables other than leafy vegetables cannot always be kept high.
The objective of this invention is providing the irradiation apparatus for vegetable preservation | save which can irradiate the light of the wavelength suitable for the kind of vegetable accommodated in the vegetable compartment.

  1st invention provides the irradiation board which arrange | positioned the light emitting diode element of three colors of red, blue, and green in the vegetable room of a refrigerator, divides this irradiation board into several areas, and is light emission irradiated for every area A selection means for changing a combination of emission colors of the diode elements is provided.

  A second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, a light intensity control unit is provided, and the light intensity control unit controls on / off of the light emitting diode element and the light intensity to be irradiated.

According to 1st invention, since the wavelength of the light which an irradiation plate irradiates can be changed for every area, when different kinds of vegetables are mixed and stored in a vegetable room, the light of the wavelength suitable for the kind of vegetables Can be irradiated.
Thus, if the light of the wavelength suitable for the kind of vegetable is irradiated, even if it is a case where different kinds of vegetables are accommodated in a vegetable room, the freshness of all the vegetables can be kept high.

  According to the second invention, the light intensity control unit can intermittently turn on / off the LED or change the light intensity to be irradiated. If it does in this way, it can prevent that the part of the vegetable which hits the focus of LED burns.

1 to 4 show an embodiment of an irradiation device for vegetable preservation according to the present invention.
The refrigerator 1 is provided with a vegetable compartment 2. This vegetable room 2 is formed in a drawer shape, and allows the vegetables to be taken in and out. An irradiation plate 3 is installed above the vegetable room 2. The irradiation plate 3 is divided into three areas 4a, 4b, and 4c.
The vegetable compartment 2 is divided into three areas 2a, 2b, 2c by a partition plate 5, and these areas 2a, 2b, 2c correspond to the areas 4a, 4b, 4c of the irradiation plate 3. .

As shown in FIG. 3, the irradiation plate 3 includes an operation unit 6 and a substrate 7 for each of the areas 4a, 4b, and 4c.
A plurality of LEDs 9 are arranged on one side 7 a of the base 7. These LEDs are composed of three types of LEDs, a red LED, a green LED, and a blue LED. And the surface 7a which has arrange | positioned these LED9 is made to oppose the vegetable in the vegetable compartment 2. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, R represents a red LED, G represents a green LED, and B represents a blue LED. And red LED and green LED are alternately arrange | positioned in 1 row, and the row | line | column only of blue LED is arrange | positioned next to it. Next to the row of blue LEDs only, green LEDs and red LEDs are alternately arranged in one row, and further, a row of blue LEDs only is arranged next to the row. Individual LEDs in each row are staggered with individual LEDs in adjacent rows.
The arrangement of the LEDs shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and any arrangement may be used as long as the LEDs of any color are arranged on the entire surface 7a of the substrate 7.

  The operation unit 5 includes selection means 8 for selecting the color LED 9 to be turned on, and the selection means 8 includes eight buttons. That is, the selection means 8 includes a button for selecting a single red color, a button for selecting a single blue color, a button for selecting a single green color, a button for selecting a mixture of red and blue, and a mixture of red and green. It consists of a button for selecting, a button for selecting a mixture of blue and green, a button for selecting a mixture of three colors of red, blue and green, and a button for turning off all the LEDs 9.

The eight types of buttons of the selection means 8 are selected as follows.
For example, since the peak in which chlorophyll absorbs light is around 660 nm in red, it is said that red contributes most to photosynthesis and is preferred by plants. Therefore, when saving leaf lettuce and komatsuna, which are said to grow only in red, the button for selecting a single red color is turned on.

Moreover, it is said that the blue light near 450 nm is necessary for the morphogenesis of plants, and there is an effect that, when red light and blue light are mixed, the cut flower length is increased.
Therefore, when the preservation period is to be extended while keeping the freshness of the cut vegetables, a button for selecting a mixture of red and blue is turned on.

  On the other hand, some vegetables should not be exposed to light. When storing such vegetables, the button for turning off all LEDs 9 is turned on.

  The LED 9 is used as a light emitter because its peak wavelength is suitable for plant photosynthesis, but there are other reasons as follows. That is, the heat generated by the light irradiation of the LED 9 is extremely small. Therefore, even if a large amount of vegetables are stored in the vegetable room 2 and the vegetables touch the irradiation plate 3 directly, there is no concern that the vegetables will be burned.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the control means 20 for turning on / off the LED 9 is mounted on the other surface 7b of the substrate 7, that is, the surface opposite to the side where the LED 9 is disposed. The control means 20 includes an IC that stores which LED 9 is turned on, a timer, and the like.

  In addition, a light intensity control unit is provided on one surface 7b of the substrate 7, although not particularly illustrated. The light intensity control unit includes a timer and an IC that stores a program for controlling the magnitude of the input current of the LED at regular time intervals and adjusting the light intensity.

  The substrate material of the substrate 7 may be metal or resin, but when a metal such as Ni having excellent light reflection efficiency is used, the substrate surface itself can be used as a reflector. Alternatively, if a resin substrate is used, the reflecting plate 11 may be formed by forming a lens on each LED 9 to improve the reflection efficiency.

Next, how to use this embodiment will be described.
In the vegetable compartment 2, it stores for every kind of vegetables, for example, fruit vegetables, leaf stem vegetables, root vegetables and the like. At that time, since the vegetable compartment 2 is divided into three areas 2a, 2b, and 2c by the partition plate 5, the same kind of vegetables is organized and stored for each area. And the button suitable for the accommodated vegetable is selected among the selection means 8 of the operation part 6 provided in the area 4 of the irradiation plate 3 corresponding to the division of this vegetable room 2. FIG. When the button of the selection means 8 is selected, only the LED 9 corresponding to the button stored in the IC is turned on. In this way, the freshness of each vegetable can be maintained by irradiating the LED light with an appropriate wavelength according to the type of vegetable.

In this embodiment, the selection unit 8 is provided with a button combining a single color or two-color or three-color LED, but other buttons may be provided on the selection unit 8.
For example, a button suitable for the type of vegetables to be stored, such as a button for turning on the LED 9 optimal for green leafy vegetables or a button for turning on the LED 9 optimal for fruit vegetables such as eggplant or legumes, is used as the selection means 8. It may be provided. In this case, the type of the target vegetable may be displayed as a picture on the surface of the button. In this way, it is convenient for the user.

There are so many kinds of vegetables in circulation that it is said that there are about 150 kinds.
Also, there is a difference that even if the same root vegetable is exposed to potatoes, it should not be exposed to light because toxic substances increase, whereas sweet potatoes that hit the roots of plants cannot be exposed to light.

In this way, when trying to match the optimum combination of LEDs 9 to the kind of vegetables, there are many combinations, and it can be considered that there are too many kinds of selection means 8 for turning on.
Therefore, in this embodiment, only a total of eight buttons are provided according to the combination of LED colors.

By the way, as described above, when the state where a specific LED 9 is turned on continues, the portion irradiated with the light of the LED 9 may be burnt.
Therefore, it is preferable to intermittently turn off the LED 9 or change the light intensity by the light intensity control unit.
For example, if the input current to the LED 9 is controlled at an appropriate time interval, the light intensity applied to the vegetables can be adjusted.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, according to the kind of vegetable accommodated immediately under each area 4a, 4b, 4c of the irradiation board 3, what color LED9 is turned on can be changed suitably for every area.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, potatoes are stored in the area 2a of the vegetable room 2, and leaf lettuce is stored in the area 2b of the vegetable room 2 corresponding to the area 4b, and the vegetable room 2 corresponding to the area 4c. It is assumed that spinach is stored in the area 2c.

  In this case, in the area 4a, a button for turning off all the LEDs 9 may be selected from the operation unit 6. This is because potatoes should not be exposed to light. In the area 4b, a button for turning on the red single color LED 9 may be selected from the operation unit 6. This is because leaf lettuce is said to grow only with red light. In the area 4c, a button for turning on the red and blue LEDs 9 may be selected from the operation unit 6.

In this way, since the type of LED 9 to be turned on can be changed for each of the areas 4a, 4b, and c of the irradiation plate 3, even when different types of vegetables are stored in the vegetable room 2 at once, the types of vegetables The vegetable can be irradiated with light having an appropriate wavelength according to the condition.
Moreover, since LED9 can be turned on or off for every area 4, the area which does not irradiate light can also be provided in the vegetable compartment 2. FIG.

By the way, in said embodiment, although the irradiation plate 3 is installed above the vegetable compartment 2, the reason why the irradiation plate 3 was installed above is to arrange the vegetable compartment 2 for taking in and out of vegetables and the like. It is convenient because it does not become an obstacle when pulling out. Moreover, it is because the irradiation board 3 itself can be utilized also as a lid | cover of the vegetable compartment 2 if it is set as the structure irradiated from above in this way.
Further, the irradiation plate 3 may be installed on the side surface of the vegetable room 2 and installed on the bottom surface of the vegetable room 2.

  In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the irradiation plate 3 is installed in the vegetable room 2 in the refrigerator 1, but this irradiation plate 3 can be used in addition to the vegetable room 2 in the refrigerator 1. For example, the irradiation plate 3 may be provided in a vegetable storage container stored under a kitchen sink or the like.

  By the way, the light intensity has a great influence on the freshness of vegetables, and if it is too strong, the freshness may be adversely affected. Therefore, a means capable of setting the initial value of the light intensity may be added to the above embodiment, and the maximum value of the input current to the LED corresponding to the vegetable type may be set in advance by this setting means. Thus, if the light intensity is made variable according to the type of vegetable, the problem of adversely affecting the freshness of the vegetable due to the light applied to the vegetable can be avoided.

It is a perspective view which shows the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator of embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the vegetable compartment and irradiation plate of embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the irradiation plate of embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the irradiation board of embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state which accommodated the vegetable in the vegetable compartment of embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 refrigerator 2 vegetable room 3 irradiation plate 4 (of irradiation plate) area 8 selection means 9 LED

Claims (2)

  In the vegetable room of the refrigerator, there is provided an irradiation plate in which a plurality of light emitting diode elements of three colors, red, blue, and green, are arranged. An irradiation apparatus for preserving vegetables characterized by providing selection means for changing the combination.   The vegetable storage irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a light intensity control unit, wherein the light intensity control unit controls on / off of the light emitting diode element and light intensity to be irradiated.

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