Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that can provide a user with change information on freshness or maturity corresponding to various kinds of fruit and vegetables stored in the refrigerator.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a storage chamber sectioned to a chamber in a refrigeration temperature zone; food material registration means for registering a type of a food material that is stored in the storage chamber; light irradiation means for irradiating a food material stored in the storage chamber with light; fluorescent light receiving means for receiving fluorescent light emitted from a food material with light that is emitted from the light irradiation means; and food material state determination means for determining a state of the food material from a type of the food material registered by the food material registration means and output from the fluorescent light receiving means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to refrigerators. [Background technology]

[0002] In household refrigerators, the vegetable compartment is generally a low-temperature compartment maintained at around 5 to 10 degrees Celsius, which suppresses the respiration and deterioration of fruits and vegetables and keeps them fresh. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5002980 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, fruits and vegetables are generally not labeled with a best-before date or expiration date, and consumers have no choice but to judge their freshness empirically. As a means of detecting the freshness of fruits and vegetables, the idea of ​​irradiating the fruits and vegetables with short-wavelength light during storage and checking the change in fluorescence intensity is well known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, this is specific to certain fruits and vegetables, and is not sufficient for use in home refrigerators in which a variety of fruits and vegetables are stored. This is because the intensity or change in fluorescence depending on the freshness of each fruit and vegetable varies.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator that can provide a user with information on changes in freshness or ripeness of various types of fruits and vegetables stored in the refrigerator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The refrigerator according to the present disclosure comprises a storage compartment partitioned into refrigeration temperature range rooms, a food ingredient registration means for registering the type of food ingredient stored in the storage compartment, a light irradiation means for irradiating light onto the food ingredients stored in the storage compartment, a fluorescence receiving means for receiving fluorescence emitted from the food ingredients by the light irradiated from the light irradiation means, and a food ingredient status determination means for determining the status of the food ingredients from the type of food ingredient registered by the food ingredient registration means and the output of the fluorescence receiving means. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can provide a user with information on changes in freshness or ripeness corresponding to various types of fruits and vegetables stored in the refrigerator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a home refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an electrical connection diagram of devices provided in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a control flowchart of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a correlation diagram of control parameters in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 6 is a control flowchart of a refrigerator according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a correlation diagram of control parameters in the modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a control flowchart of a refrigerator according to another modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a correlation diagram of control parameters in another modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for implementing the functions of a control device according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to denote common or corresponding elements, and the description is simplified or omitted. The configurations shown in the embodiments below are examples of the technical ideas related to the present disclosure, and may be combined with other known technologies, or multiple technical ideas described in the present disclosure may be combined. In addition, it is also possible to omit or modify a part of the configuration without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0010] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a home refrigerator according to embodiment 1, FIG. 2 is an electrical connection diagram of devices provided in the refrigerator according to embodiment 1, FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of the refrigerator according to embodiment 1, and FIG. 4 is a correlation diagram of control parameters in embodiment 1.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a home refrigerator 1 of this embodiment includes a compressor 2, a cooler 3, and a blower 4 that blows the cool air from the cooler 3 to each room. The air cooled by the cooler 3 is pushed out by the blower 4, passes through a blower duct, and is blown to each room from an outlet. The air that has been warmed by cooling the stored items in each room returns to below the cooler 3 through a return duct from an inlet provided in each room, passes through the cooler 3 to be cooled, and is blown to each room again.

[0012] The refrigerator 1 is equipped with an operation panel 5 provided on the door on the front of the main body. The operation panel 5 has an input section 5a and a notification section 5b. Using the operation panel 5, the user of the refrigerator 1 can specify temperature adjustments for each room of the refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 is equipped with a control device 6. The control device 6 controls the operation of the compressor 2, the blower 4, and dampers (not shown) provided at various locations in the air passages based on the output of a room thermistor (not shown) for detecting room temperature provided in each room of the refrigerator 1 or information from the operation panel 5, and also communicates with external devices, for example, sending and receiving information such as instructions to change the set temperature or information to check the status inside the refrigerator from a smartphone.

[0013] The refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerator compartment 7, a chilled compartment 8 provided in the refrigerator compartment 7, a switchable compartment 9 for which multiple temperature settings can be selected using the operation panel 5, an ice-making compartment (not shown) next to the switchable compartment 9, a freezer compartment 11, and a vegetable compartment 12 for storing fruits and vegetables, or 2L plastic bottles. Each compartment is separated by a heat insulating material such as urethane foam. The refrigerator 1 includes a vegetable compartment door opening / closing sensor 13 provided on the door of the vegetable compartment 12. The vegetable compartment door opening / closing sensor 13 allows the control device 6 to count the door open time or door closed time as necessary and use it as various control parameters, or to alert the user of the refrigerator 1 with a buzzer sound or the like if the door is left open for a certain period of time or more. Although not shown in the figure this time except for the vegetable compartment 12, each compartment is also provided with a sensor that can detect the door opening / closing. The vegetable compartment 12 includes an upper vegetable compartment case 14 for storing small fruit vegetables such as eggplants or tomatoes, and a lower vegetable compartment case 15 for storing large vegetables such as radishes, Chinese cabbage, and watermelons, or plastic bottles.

[0014] The refrigerator 1 is equipped with a freshness detection means 16. The freshness detection means 16 is composed of a UV_LED 16a that emits excitation light as a light irradiation means, and a camera 16b that serves as a fluorescence receiving means for measuring the amount of fluorescence from food. In this embodiment, the excitation light is in the range of ultraviolet to blue light (up to 500 nm), preferably short-wavelength light in the UV-A range to the blue range (315 to 500 nm), and more preferably ultraviolet light in the UV-A range (315 to 400 nm). Since fluorescence is emitted over the entire visible light range, it is preferable that the fluorescence receiving means is a means that can receive light in the entire visible light range except for the excitation wavelength. Therefore, although the camera 16b is given as an example of a means for realizing this embodiment, other means such as an RGB sensor may also be used.

[0015] The freshness detection means 16 is provided on the ceiling surface at the rear side of the vegetable compartment 12. This is the installation position for detecting fruits and vegetables placed in the vegetable compartment upper case 14. It is obvious that the freshness detection means 16 may be installed in a different position when it is desired to detect other fruits and vegetables.

[0016] Fluorescence is a form of excess energy released when a substance is irradiated with light containing an excitation wavelength, and the substance enters an excited state corresponding to the energy of the irradiation, but is also in an unstable state. In general, when short-wavelength light is irradiated on fruits and vegetables, they emit fluorescence. Fluorescent substances are present on the surface of fruits and vegetables, and there are many types of fluorescent substances, such as the production of flavonoids, lignin production, oxidation of fatty acids, changes in starch properties, and decomposition of chlorophyll. The amount of each substance contained varies depending on the fruit and vegetable, so the fluorescence intensity varies depending on the fruit and vegetable. In addition, some fruits and vegetables increase their fluorescence intensity during storage, while others decrease. For this reason, it is desirable to determine evaluation criteria for each fruit and vegetable.

[0017] The operation will be described with reference to Figure 3. The actual control operation involves first placing the fruit or vegetable to be detected in vegetable compartment 12, upper case 14, closing the door, and inputting the name of the fruit or vegetable to be detected using an input device such as a smartphone that can send and receive information to and from control device 6 of refrigerator 1. In this case, control device 6 corresponds to food ingredient registration means that registers the type of food ingredient stored in vegetable compartment 12, which is a storage compartment.

[0018] The control device 6 selects and sets data corresponding to changes in freshness of the fruit or vegetable according to the inputted name of the fruit or vegetable. Specifically, in the control of this embodiment, in order to obtain an amount of received light that can reliably detect changes in the amount of fluorescence accompanying changes in the fruit or vegetable, the control device 6 selects and sets as fixed values ​​the exposure time of the camera 16b and the current value of the UV_LED 16a, a correlation equation between the fluorescence intensity and the number of days the fruit or vegetable retains freshness, and a reference fluorescence intensity FL_b, which are obtained in advance through an experiment or the like (step S1).

[0019] Next, the control device 6 detects the fluorescence intensity. To detect the fluorescence intensity, it is desirable that the door is closed to make it dark and the lens of the camera 16b is clear of fogging. Therefore, the control device 6 confirms that a certain time has passed since the door was closed from the output of the crisper door opening / closing sensor 13 (step S2), measures the fluorescence intensity FL, and calculates the freshness retention days (step S3). Specifically, the control device 6 turns on the UV_LED 16a (step S7) and obtains the fluorescence intensity FL with an exposure time determined for each fruit or vegetable (step S8). The method of obtaining the fluorescence intensity FL with the camera 16b may be any method that can digitize color or brightness, such as obtaining RGB values ​​by image analysis or calculating them using the L*a*b* color system.

[0020] Then, the control device 6 calculates the number of days Δday that the fruit can be eaten in a fresh state from the difference between the detected fluorescence intensity FL and the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b (step S9). Here, for example, the number of days Δday is calculated using the formula Δday=f(x), x=FL-FL_b. In this way, the number of days Δday may be calculated using a preset formula, or may be stored as matrix data to reduce the calculation load. Then, the control device 6 turns off the UV_LED 16a (step S10) and notifies the number of days Δday to the smartphone of the user of the refrigerator 1 (step S11). After that, the control device 6 counts the time since the fruit or vegetable to be detected was stored using a timer built into the refrigerator 1 (step S4), and measures the fluorescence intensity FL every day (step S5), calculates Δday, and notifies the user of the refrigerator 1 (step S3). This is repeated until the detection is completed (step S6). The detection is completed when the user of the refrigerator 1 deletes the registration of the detection target, that is, when the detection target is used up.

[0021] The correlation of the preset control parameters will be explained using Figure 4. Here, tomatoes are used as an example of fruits and vegetables whose fluorescence intensity increases as their freshness decreases, and cucumbers are used as an example of fruits and vegetables whose fluorescence intensity decreases as their freshness decreases. In this graph, the current value of the UV_LED 16a and the exposure time of the camera 16b are constant.

[0022] The freshness of tomatoes decreases with the number of days they are stored, and the fluorescence intensity FL when exposed to UV light increases accordingly. The fluorescence intensity at the point where a tomato reaches its limit of freshness, when it can no longer be eaten raw and is perceived as having lost its freshness due to changes in taste such as softening of the flesh, is set as the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b. If the difference between the measured fluorescence intensity FL of a tomato and the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b is 0, then the number of days until the limit of freshness, Δday, is also 0, and in other cases a negative correlation equation is obtained between the two.

[0023] Cucumbers also lose freshness over the number of days they are stored, and as a result, the fluorescence intensity FL when exposed to UV light decreases. The fluorescence intensity at the point where the cucumber reaches its limit of freshness, when the freshness is reduced as can be sensed from changes in texture and taste, is taken as the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b. Therefore, if the difference between the measured fluorescence intensity FL of a cucumber and the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b is 0, the number of days until the limit of freshness, Δday, is also 0, and in other cases a positive correlation equation is obtained between the two.

[0024] Thus, in this embodiment, the output of the camera 16b, which is the fluorescent light receiving means, is the fluorescent light intensity FL. The control device 6 corresponds to an ingredient condition determining means that determines the number of days until the freshness limit is reached, Δday, as the ingredient condition, using the fixed values ​​of the exposure time of the camera 16b and the current value of the UV_LED 16a, a correlation equation between the fluorescent light intensity and the number of days to keep freshness obtained in advance through an experiment or the like, the reference fluorescent light intensity FL_b, and the measured fluorescent light intensity FL, in accordance with the name of the fruit or vegetable registered by the ingredient registration means. In this embodiment, the reference fluorescent light intensity FL_b, which is the reference value of the output of the camera 16b, which is the fluorescent light receiving means, is set in accordance with the type of ingredient registered by the ingredient registration means. This makes it possible to appropriately detect the ingredient condition.

[0025] Here, a representative example with a positive and negative relationship is shown, but since there are other differences in fluorescence intensity, the setting should be made according to the type of fruit or vegetable.

[0026] As another example, the operation will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a control flow chart of a refrigerator according to a modified example of the first embodiment. In the actual control operation, first, the fruit or vegetable to be detected is placed in the crisper upper case 14 in the crisper 12, the door is closed, and the name of the fruit or vegetable to be detected is input using an input device such as a smartphone capable of receiving and transmitting information to the refrigerator 1. In the control of this example, in order to obtain an amount of received light that can reliably detect a change in the amount of fluorescence accompanying a change in the fruit or vegetable, the current value of the UV_LED 16a, a reference fluorescence intensity FL_b obtained in advance by an experiment or the like, a correlation equation between the exposure time until the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b and the number of days for which freshness is maintained, and a reference exposure time ET_b are selected and set as fixed values ​​(step S12).

[0027] Next, the exposure time ET until the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b is reached is detected. To detect the fluorescence intensity, it is desirable that the door is closed to create a dark place and the lens of the camera 16b is clear of fogging. Therefore, it is confirmed from the output of the crisper door opening / closing sensor 13 that a certain time has passed since the door was closed (step S2), and the exposure time ET is measured to calculate the number of days to maintain freshness (step S13). Specifically, the UV_LED 16a is turned on (step S7), and the exposure time ET until the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b, which is set for each fruit or vegetable, is reached is obtained (step S14).

[0028] Then, the control device 6 calculates the number of days Δday that the fruit can be eaten in a fresh state from the difference between the measured exposure time ET and the reference exposure time ET_b (step S15). Here, for example, the number of days Δday is calculated using the formula Δday=f(x), x=ET-ET_b. In this way, the number of days Δday may be calculated using a preset formula, or may be stored as matrix data to reduce the calculation load. Then, the UV_LED 16a is turned off (step S10), and the number of days Δday is notified to the smartphone of the user of the refrigerator 1 (step S11). After that, the timer built into the refrigerator 1 counts the time since the fruit or vegetable to be detected was stored (step S4), and the exposure time ET is measured every day (step S5), Δday is calculated, and notified to the user of the refrigerator 1 (step S13). This is repeated until the detection is completed (step S6). The detection is completed when the user of the refrigerator 1 deletes the registration of the detection target, that is, when the detection target is used up.

[0029] The correlation of the preset control parameters will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a correlation diagram of the control parameters in a modified example of the first embodiment. Here, tomatoes are given as an example of fruits and vegetables whose fluorescence intensity increases with decreasing freshness, and cucumbers are given as an example of fruits and vegetables whose fluorescence intensity decreases with decreasing freshness. In this graph, the amount of UV light and the target fluorescence intensity are kept constant, and the exposure time of the camera 16b is changed.

[0030] The freshness of tomatoes decreases with the number of days they are stored, and the fluorescence intensity FL when irradiated with UV light increases accordingly, so the exposure time required to obtain a certain level of fluorescence intensity decreases. The exposure time at which tomatoes reach their limit of freshness, when their freshness is reduced and they can no longer be eaten raw, due to changes in taste such as softening of the flesh, is set as the reference exposure time ET_b. When the difference between the measured exposure time ET of a tomato and the reference exposure time ET_b is 0, the number of days until the limit of freshness, Δday, is also 0, and in other cases a positive correlation equation is obtained between the two.

[0031] The freshness of cucumbers also decreases with the number of days they are stored, and as a result, the fluorescence intensity FL when irradiated with UV light decreases, so the exposure time ET required to obtain a certain level of fluorescence intensity increases. The exposure time at which the cucumber reaches its limit of freshness, at which it can no longer be eaten raw and tasty, due to a decrease in freshness that can be sensed from changes in texture and other aspects, is set as the reference exposure time ET_b. Therefore, when the difference between the measured exposure time ET of a cucumber and the reference exposure time ET_b is 0, the number of days until the limit of freshness, Δday, is also 0, and in other cases a negative correlation equation is obtained between the two.

[0032] In the above example, the exposure time corresponds to the time for measuring the amount of received light. The output of the camera 16b, which is the fluorescent light receiving means, is the exposure time ET. The control device 6 corresponds to the food condition determining means that determines the number of days Δday until the freshness limit is reached as the food condition, using the current value of the UV_LED 16a, which is a fixed value, the reference fluorescent intensity FL_b obtained in advance by an experiment or the like, a correlation equation between the exposure time ET until the reference fluorescent intensity FL_b and the number of days for which freshness is maintained, and the reference exposure time ET_b, in accordance with the name of the fruit or vegetable registered by the food registration means.

[0033] Although a typical example having a positive and negative relationship is shown here, there may be other fruits and vegetables for which parameters are set individually based on differences in fluorescence intensity.

[0034] As another example, the operation will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a control flowchart of a refrigerator according to another modified example of the first embodiment. In the actual control operation, first, the fruits and vegetables to be detected are placed in the upper case 14 of the vegetable compartment 12, the door is closed, and the name of the fruits and vegetables to be detected is input using an input device such as a smartphone that can send and receive information to and from the refrigerator. In the control of this example, in order to obtain an amount of received light that can reliably detect changes in the amount of fluorescence associated with changes in the fruits and vegetables, the exposure time of the camera 16b, the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b obtained in advance through an experiment or the like, the correlation equation between the current value CT of the UV_LED 16a up to the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b and the number of days for which freshness is maintained, and the reference current value CT_b of the UV_LED 16a are selected and set as fixed values ​​(step S16).

[0035] Next, the current value CT of the UV_LED 16a until the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b is reached is detected. To detect the fluorescence intensity, it is desirable that the door is closed to make it dark and the lens of the camera 16b is clear of fogging. Therefore, it is confirmed from the output of the crisper door opening / closing sensor 13 that a certain time has passed since the door was closed (step S2), and the freshness retention days are calculated from the current value of the UV_LED 16a (step S17). Specifically, the UV_LED 16a is turned on (step S7), and the current value CT of the UV_LED 16a until the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b determined for each fruit or vegetable is reached is obtained (step S18).

[0036] Then, the control device 6 calculates the number of days Δday that the fruit can be eaten in a fresh state from the difference between the measured current value CT of the UV_LED 16a and the reference current value CT_b of the UV_LED 16a (step S19). Here, for example, the number of days Δday is calculated using a formula of Δday=f(x), x=CT-CT_b. In this way, the number of days Δday may be calculated using a preset formula, or may be stored as matrix data to reduce the calculation load. Then, the UV_LED 16a is turned off (step S10), and the number of days Δday is notified to the smartphone of the user of the refrigerator 1 (step S11). After that, a timer built into the refrigerator counts the time since the fruit or vegetable to be detected was stored (step S4), and every day (step S5), the current value CT of the UV_LED 16a is measured to calculate Δday, and the user of the refrigerator 1 is notified (step S17). This is repeated until the detection is completed (step S6). The detection end timing is the timing when the user of the refrigerator 1 deletes the registration of the detection target, that is, when the user finishes using the detection target.

[0037] The correlation of the preset control parameters will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a correlation diagram of the control parameters in another modified example of the first embodiment. Here, tomatoes are given as an example of fruits and vegetables whose fluorescence intensity increases with decreasing freshness, and cucumbers are given as an example of fruits and vegetables whose fluorescence intensity decreases with decreasing freshness. In this graph, the exposure time and target fluorescence intensity of the camera 16b are kept constant, and the current value of the UV_LED 16a is changed.

[0038] The freshness of tomatoes decreases with the number of days they are stored, and the fluorescence intensity FL when irradiated with UV light increases accordingly, so the current value of the UV_LED16a required to obtain a certain fluorescence intensity decreases. The current value at which tomatoes reach their limit of freshness, when their freshness is reduced and they can no longer be eaten raw, due to changes in taste such as softening of the flesh, is set as the reference current value CT_b. When the difference between the measured tomato current value CT and the reference current value CT_b is 0, the number of days until the limit of freshness is reached, Δday, is also 0, and in other cases a positive correlation equation is obtained between the two.

[0039] The freshness of cucumbers also decreases with the number of days they are stored, and the fluorescence intensity FL when irradiated with UV light decreases accordingly, so the current value of the UV_LED16a to obtain a certain fluorescence intensity increases. The current value when the cucumber reaches the limit of freshness, when the freshness is reduced as can be sensed from changes in texture and taste, and it is no longer tasty to eat raw, is set as the reference current value CT_b. Therefore, when the difference between the measured cucumber current value CT and the reference current value CT_b is 0, the number of days until the limit of freshness Δday is also 0, and in other cases a negative correlation equation is obtained between the two.

[0040] In the above example, the current value of UV_LED16a corresponds to the output of the light irradiation means. The control device 6 corresponds to the food condition determination means that determines the number of days Δday until the freshness limit is reached as the food condition, using the exposure time of the camera 16b as a fixed value, the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b obtained in advance by an experiment, the correlation equation between the current value CT of UV_LED16a up to the reference fluorescence intensity FL_b and the number of days to maintain freshness, and the reference current value CT_b of UV_LED16a, according to the name of the fruit or vegetable registered by the food registration means.

[0041] Although a typical example having a positive and negative relationship is shown here, there may be other fruits and vegetables for which parameters are set individually based on differences in fluorescence intensity.

[0042] In the above example, the food ingredient registration means for identifying the type of fruit or vegetable is based on information registered by the user of the refrigerator 1 using a smartphone app, but it may also be based on a method in which, for example, a white LED is provided and images of the fruit or vegetable are taken with a camera and automatically recognized. This reduces the work required of the user of the refrigerator 1.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned examples, in the operation of measuring the fluorescence intensity, exposure time, and current value, if the fluorescence receiving means is a camera or an array-type element, a correlation between the fluorescence intensity distribution and the freshness / ripeness for each fruit or vegetable may be preset, and the freshness / ripeness for each input fruit or vegetable may be estimated from the change in the fluorescence intensity distribution.

[0044] Furthermore, the means for optimizing the fluorescence intensity or fluorescence intensity distribution obtained by the fluorescence receiving means need not be the exposure time, but may be the aperture or ISO of the fluorescence receiving means.

[0045] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing the functions of the control device 6 in the first embodiment. Each function of the control device 6 is realized by, for example, a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware 600. The processing circuit may include a processor 601 and a memory 602. A part of the processing circuit may be formed as the dedicated hardware 600, and the processing circuit may further include the processor 601 and the memory 602. In the example shown in FIG. 9, a part of the processing circuit is formed as the dedicated hardware 600. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the processing circuit further includes the processor 601 and the memory 602 in addition to the dedicated hardware 600.

[0046] The processing circuitry of which at least one portion is dedicated hardware 600 may be, for example, a single circuit, multiple circuits, a programmed processor, parallel programmed processors, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0047] Where the processing circuitry includes at least one processor 601 and at least one memory 602, the functions of each part of the control device 6 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.

[0048] The software and firmware are written as a program and stored in the memory 602. The program may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. The processor 601 realizes the functions of each unit by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 602. The processor 601 is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. The memory 602 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, an EPROM, and an EEPROM, or a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, and a DVD.

[0049] In this way, the processing circuit can realize the functions of the control device 6 by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these. Each function of the control device 6 may be realized by a plurality of devices working together, or may be realized by a single device. Also, at least a part of each function of the control device 6 may be implemented in a server or the like on an external network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] REFRIGERATION SYSTEM, 2 COMPRESSOR, 3 COOLER, 4 BLOWER, 5 OPERATION PANEL, 5a INPUT UNIT, 5b NOTIFICATION UNIT, 6 CONTROL DEVICE, 7 REFRIGERATOR, 8 CHILLED UNIT, 9 SWITCHABLE UNIT, 11 FREEZER, 12 VEGETABLE UNIT, 13 VEGETABLE UNIT DOOR OPENING SENSOR, 14 UPPER VEGETABLE CASE, 15 LOWER VEGETABLE CASE, 16 FRESHNESS DETECTION MEANS, 16a UV_LED, 16b CAMERA, 600 DEDICATED HARDWARE, 601 PROCESSOR, 602 MEMORY

Claims

1. A storage room divided into refrigerated temperature rooms; A food material registration means for registering the types of food materials stored in the storage chamber; A light irradiation means for irradiating light onto the food stored in the storage chamber; A fluorescent light receiving means for receiving fluorescent light emitted from the food material by the light irradiated from the light irradiating means; a food state determination means for determining a state of the food based on the type of food registered by the food registration means and the output of the fluorescent light receiving means; Equipped refrigerator.

2. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a reference value of the output of said fluorescent light receiving means is set in accordance with the type of food material registered by said food material registering means.

3. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the output of said fluorescent light receiving means is a fluorescent light intensity.

4. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the output of said fluorescent light receiving means is a time period during which the amount of received light is measured.

5. A storage room divided into refrigerated temperature rooms; A food material registration means for registering the types of food materials stored in the storage chamber; A light irradiation means for irradiating light onto the food stored in the storage chamber; A fluorescent light receiving means for receiving fluorescent light emitted from the food material by the light irradiated from the light irradiating means; a food state determination means for determining a state of the food based on the type of food registered by the food registration means and the output of the light irradiation means; Equipped refrigerator.

6. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the output of the light irradiating means is a current value.

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