JP2023043199A - food storage - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 The present disclosure provides a food storage that can reliably detect food characteristics without saturating a sensing part of a gas sensor with food-derived gas.
A food storage cabinet according to the present disclosure includes a storage room for storing stored items such as food, an odor sensor provided outside the storage room for detecting gas components derived from the stored items, and an odor sensor and the stored items. and a control means for controlling the operation of the odor sensor and the shield release means. It detects both the state of contact with gas and the state of shielding, and the difference between the two is used as an index to determine the state of stored items.
[Selection drawing] Fig. 5

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a food storage that stores food, and relates to a food storage that has a function of detecting changes in characteristics such as freshness and maturity of food.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a refrigerator that addresses the problem of deviation of a reference value for gas concentration measurement by a gas sensor. This refrigerator includes a gas sensor having a sensing portion inside the storage chamber, and a gas supply portion that supplies the air outside the storage chamber to the sensing portion. Then, the value when the air supply is stopped is measured, and the freshness is determined based on the difference between the two.

JP 2017-72344 A

The present disclosure provides a food storage that can reliably detect food properties without saturating the sensing portion of the gas sensor with food-derived gases.

The food storage in the present disclosure includes a storage room for storing stored items such as food, an odor sensor provided outside the storage room for detecting gas components derived from the stored items, and a combination of the odor sensor and the gas derived from the stored items. It has shielding release means for releasing the contact shielding, and control means for controlling the operation of the shielding release means and receiving the detection signal of the odor sensor. The state of the stored items is determined using the difference between the gas contact state and the shielding state as an index.

In the food storage according to the present disclosure, when the shield release means is inoperative, the sensor measures the gas outside the storage room to obtain a reference value. At that time, since the concentration of the gas to be measured is low, the surface of the sensing portion of the sensor can be kept in an unsaturated state. Therefore, when the shield releasing means is activated, the surface of the sensing portion of the sensor is always in an unsaturated state, so a quantitative response is possible, and the characteristics of the food can be reliably detected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Sectional drawing which shows the longitudinal section of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 which concerns on this invention Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit provided in the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1; Time chart showing the operation of the odor sensor in the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in the refrigerator of Embodiment 2 Time chart showing the operation of the sensor in the refrigerator of Embodiment 2 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to Embodiment 3 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to Embodiment 3 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to another embodiment 1 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to another embodiment 2 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to another embodiment 3 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to another embodiment 4 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to another embodiment 5 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to another embodiment 6 Cross-sectional view showing a fruit ripening chamber in a refrigerator according to another embodiment 6

(Knowledge, etc. on which this disclosure is based)
In the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, switching between the reference state (state in which the sensing section is unsaturated) and the response state (state in which the sensing section is partially saturated) is performed by a simple and practical method of introducing outside air. It is intended. However, since the sensor sensing portion is provided in the food storage compartment and is exposed to relatively high concentrations of food-derived gases for a long period of time, the sensing portion is maintained near saturation. If the amount of external air introduced is not sufficiently increased, the sensing portion of the sensor will not return to the reference state and will enter a partially saturated state, narrowing the detection range. On the other hand, if the amount of external air introduced is increased, the gas concentration in the food storage chamber will decrease, resulting in another problem of reduced detection sensitivity. Although it is theoretically possible to introduce well-balanced air that solves both problems, it is difficult to solve in practice because ventilation resistance changes depending on the amount of storage in household refrigerators.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a sensor sensing portion outside the food storage chamber, thereby switching the odor sensor between the reference state and the response state without requiring strict adjustment of the amount of air introduced, thereby reliably and quantitatively detecting odors. Provide food storage that can

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters or redundant descriptions of substantially the same configurations may be omitted.

It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to allow those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the claimed subject matter thereby.

(Embodiment 1)
The refrigerator according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

[1-1. composition]
In FIG. 1 , the left side is the front side of refrigerator 10 and the right side is the rear side of refrigerator 10 . The refrigerator 10 includes an outer case 1 mainly made of steel plate, an inner case 2 made of resin such as ABS, and a heat insulating material 21 ( For example, it is composed of a heat insulating box made of hard urethane foam.

The heat-insulating box body of the refrigerator 10 has a plurality of storage compartments, and each storage compartment has a front-side opening provided with an openable/closable door. Each storage compartment is sealed to prevent cold air from leaking by closing the door. In refrigerator 10 of Embodiment 1, the uppermost storage compartment is refrigerating compartment 3 .

Two storage compartments, an ice-making compartment 4 and a freezing/thawing compartment 5, are arranged side by side on both sides immediately below the refrigerating compartment 3. - 特許庁Further, a freezer compartment 6 is provided directly below the ice making compartment 4 and the freeze/thaw compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 7 is provided at the lowest portion directly below the freezer compartment 6. - 特許庁Each storage compartment in refrigerator 10 of Embodiment 1 has the above-described configuration, but this configuration is an example, and the arrangement configuration of each storage compartment can be appropriately changed at the time of design according to specifications and the like.

The refrigerator compartment 3 is maintained at a non-freezing temperature, specifically a temperature range of 1° C. to 5° C., in order to refrigerate stored items such as food. The vegetable compartment 7 is maintained in a temperature range equal to or slightly higher than that of the refrigerator compartment 3, eg, 2°C to 7°C. The freezer compartment 6 is set to a freezing temperature range, for example, −22° C. to −15° C. for frozen storage. The freezing/thawing chamber 5 is normally maintained in the same freezing temperature range as that of the freezing chamber 6, and thawing processing for thawing stored items (frozen items) is performed according to a user's thawing command. Details of the configuration of the freezing/thawing chamber 5 and the thawing process will be described later.

A machine room 8 is provided in the upper part of the refrigerator 10 . The machine room 8 accommodates parts constituting the refrigerating cycle such as a compressor 9 and a dryer for removing moisture in the refrigerating cycle. Note that the arrangement position of the machine room 8 is not specified in the upper part of the refrigerator 10, but is appropriately determined according to the arrangement position of the refrigerating cycle, etc., and is in another area such as the lower part of the refrigerator 10. may be placed in

A cooling chamber 11 is provided behind the freezer compartment 6 and the vegetable compartment 7 in the lower region of the refrigerator 10 . The cooling chamber 11 includes a cooler 12, which is a component of a refrigeration cycle that generates cool air, and a cooling fan 13 that blows the cool air generated by the cooler 12 to each of the storage compartments (3, 4, 5, 6, 7). is provided. Cool air generated by the cooler 12 flows through air paths 18 connected to each storage compartment by the cooling fan 13 and is supplied to each storage compartment. A damper 19 is provided in the air passage 18 leading to each storage compartment, and each storage compartment is maintained in a predetermined temperature range by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 9 and the cooling fan 13 and opening/closing control of the damper 19. be.

A deodorizing filter (not shown) is provided in the air passage 18 to absorb odor components of the air inside the refrigerator. A defrost heater 14 for defrosting frost and ice adhering to the cooler 12 and its surroundings is provided in the lower part of the cooling chamber 11 . A drain pan 15, a drain tube 16, and an evaporating dish 17 are provided below the defrosting heater 14, and have a structure for evaporating water generated during defrosting.

Refrigerator 10 of Embodiment 1 is provided with an operation unit (not shown). The user can issue various commands to the refrigerator 10 through the operation unit (for example, temperature setting of each storage compartment, rapid cooling command, thawing command, ice making stop command, etc.). Further, the operation unit has a display unit 20 for notifying the occurrence of an abnormality or the like. Refrigerator 10 may be configured to include a wireless communication unit and connect to a wireless LAN network to input various commands from an external terminal held by the user and display the commands on the external terminal.

Next, the configuration of the fruit ripening chamber will be described.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the fruit ripening chamber 30 of the first embodiment viewed from the right side of the refrigerator. A fruit ripening chamber 30 is provided in the refrigerating chamber 3 and has a rotating door 22 on the front side through which foods such as fruits can be stored. A rear air vent 32 is provided at a position facing the outlet 31 of the air passage 18 on the rear side. An upstream odor sensor 33 is provided on the refrigerator body around the outlet 31 .

In addition, a front vent 34 is provided on the front surface, and a downstream odor sensor 35 is provided on the refrigerator main body or the refrigerator compartment door around the front vent 34 . The upstream odor sensor 33 and the downstream odor sensor 35 are gas sensors having the same detection characteristics. Both gas sensors are of, for example, a semiconductor type, an electrochemical type, or a MEMS type equipped with a sensitive film. is an ingredient.

As shown in FIG. 3, detection information from the upstream odor sensor 33 and the downstream odor sensor 35 and ON/OFF information of the cooling fan are input to the control unit, and the control unit outputs an output based on the information to the cooling means (compressor). machine 9, cooling fan 13, cooling damper 19), heating means (heater), and display unit 20.

[1-2. motion]
The operation and function of the fruit ripening chamber 30 constructed as described above will be described below. The upstream odor sensor 33 and the downstream odor sensor 35 are used for the purpose of detecting and judging the ripening state of the fruit in the fruit ripening chamber 30 .

When the refrigerating compartment cooling damper is opened, the cold air discharged from the discharge port 31 flows into the fruit ripening chamber 30 through the rear vent 32, and the air containing the fruit-derived gas flows from the front vent 34 into the refrigerating chamber. 3 is discharged. The dashed line in the lower part of FIG. 4 indicates the output of the upstream odor sensor 33 and the solid line indicates the output of the downstream odor sensor 35 .

The outputs of both sensors are affected by the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment cooling damper shown at the top of FIG. That is, when the cooling damper is open, the output of the upstream odor sensor 33 slightly decreases due to the gas concentration dilution effect, and when the cooling damper is closed, it increases slightly.

On the other hand, since the downstream odor sensor 35 is supplied with fruit-derived gas when the cooling damper is open, its output temporarily shows a large increase, and as the gas is diluted, it settles to a value similar to that of the upstream odor sensor 33.

The upstream odor sensor 33 is not supplied with a high-concentration fruit-derived gas and is supplied with low-concentration air that has passed through a deodorizing filter. be done.

Since the downstream odor sensor 35 is provided outside the fruit ripening chamber 30, when the damper is closed, the fruit-derived gas is not supplied at a high concentration, and an unsaturated state can be maintained. Although it is exposed to fruit-derived gas when the damper is opened, it is used for the purpose of measuring fruit-derived gas because the sensor is not saturated for a relatively short time and a quantitative response is possible. The difference between the two sensor outputs (response value - reference value) indicated by arrows in Fig. 4 is proportional to the fruit-derived gas concentration.

By determining in advance the gas concentration that serves as an indicator of the timing (e.g., edible, ripeness, deterioration, etc.) to be notified to the user through experiments or the like, the ripening state of the fruit can be determined and notified on the display unit 20. . Furthermore, once a predetermined ripening state is determined, it is also possible to control the cooling device and heater to lower the temperature of the fruit ripening chamber 30 to delay ripening and deterioration, or conversely raise the temperature to hasten ripening. is.

In the case of tropical fruits, lowering the storage temperature may cause chilling injury, but by controlling the cooling device and heater together to reduce the cooling rate or by applying temperature fluctuation stimulation, biological chilling can be prevented. It is also possible to achieve acclimatization and suppress cold injury.

[1-3. effects, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 10 includes the fruit ripening chamber 30 for storing the fruit being ripened, and the upstream odor sensor provided outside the fruit ripening chamber 30 for detecting the gas component derived from the fruit. 33, a downstream odor sensor 35, a refrigeration compartment cooling damper which is a blocking release means for releasing the shielding of the upstream odor sensor 33 and the fruit-derived gas, and a control means for controlling the operation of both the odor sensor and the refrigeration compartment cooling damper. Then, the control means detects whether the odor sensor and the fruit-derived gas are in contact or not by opening and closing the cooling damper of the refrigerating compartment, and determines the ripening state of the fruit using the difference between the two as an index.

As a result, when the refrigerator compartment cooling damper is closed, the downstream odor sensor 35 is exposed to the low-concentration gas, so that the unsaturated state can be maintained. Therefore, when the refrigerating compartment cooling damper is opened, the downstream odor sensor 35 sensing part is always in an unsaturated state, so a quantitative response is possible, and the degree of fruit maturity can be reliably detected.

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG.

[2-1. composition]
In FIG. 5, a downstream odor sensor 35 is provided outside the fruit ripening chamber 30 facing the front vent 34 . The downstream odor sensor 35 is installed on the main body of the refrigerator 10 or inside the door of the refrigerator compartment.

[2-2. motion]
The operation and function of the fruit ripening chamber 30 constructed as described above will be described below. When the refrigerating compartment cooling damper is opened, the cold air discharged from the discharge port 31 flows into the fruit ripening chamber 30 through the rear vent 32, and the air containing the fruit-derived gas flows from the front vent 34 into the refrigerating chamber. 3 is discharged. The lower curve in FIG. 6 shows the output of the downstream odor sensor 35 .

The output is affected by the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment cooling dampers shown at the top of FIG. That is, since the fruit-derived gas is supplied when the cooling damper is in the open state, the output temporarily shows a large increase and then decreases as the gas is diluted.

Since the downstream odor sensor 35 is provided outside the fruit ripening chamber 30, when the damper is closed, the fruit-derived gas is not supplied at a high concentration, and an unsaturated state can be maintained. Therefore, the measured value when the damper is closed can be used as a reference value. Although the fruit-derived gas is supplied when the damper is opened, it is used for the purpose of measuring the fruit-derived gas because the sensor sensing part is not saturated for a relatively short time and a quantitative response is possible. The difference between the outputs of both sensors (response value - reference value) indicated by arrows in Fig. 6 is proportional to the fruit-derived gas concentration.

[2-3. effects, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 10 includes the fruit ripening chamber 30 for storing the fruit being ripened, and the downstream odor sensor provided outside the fruit ripening chamber 30 for detecting the gas component derived from the fruit. 35, a refrigerating compartment cooling damper, and a control means for controlling the operation of the downstream odor sensor 35 and the refrigerating compartment cooling damper, the controlling means controlling the downstream odor sensor 35 and the fruit-derived gas by operating the refrigerating compartment cooling damper. The ripening state of the fruit is determined by using the difference between the contact state and the non-contact state as an index.

As a result, when the refrigerator compartment cooling damper is closed, the downstream odor sensor 35 is exposed to the low-concentration gas, so that the unsaturated state can be maintained. Therefore, when the refrigerating compartment cooling damper is opened, the downstream odor sensor 35 sensing part is always in an unsaturated state, so a quantitative response is possible, and the degree of fruit maturity can be reliably detected. Compared with the first embodiment, it has the advantage that the configuration is simple because it can be detected by a single odor sensor.

(Embodiment 3)
Embodiment 3 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B.

[3-1. composition]
7A and 7B show only the fruit ripening chamber 30, but it is assumed that the fruit ripening chamber 30 is housed in the refrigerating chamber 3 as in the first and second embodiments. A door open sensor 37 is provided on the front side of the main body of the fruit ripening chamber 30 , and an odor sensor 36 is provided at the end of the rotating door 22 .

The installation position of the odor sensor 36 is the end near the rotary shaft, and is installed in a position where the distance from the ripening chamber is moved by the rotation of the door. The odor sensor 36 is positioned outside the fruit ripening chamber 30 when the door is closed (FIG. 7A), but is exposed to the interior of the fruit ripening chamber 30 when the door is open (FIG. 7B).

[3-2. motion]
The operation and function of the fruit ripening chamber 30 constructed as described above will be described below. During storage in the refrigerator, the open door sensor 37 detects the closed state, and the smell sensor 36 does not come into contact with the high-concentration fruit-derived gas. A reference value is measured in this state. Next, when the user opens the door to store or take out the fruit or to check the ripening state, the open door sensor 37 detects the open state, and the smell sensor 36 is exposed inside the fruit ripening chamber 30. , in contact with fruit-derived gases. Upon receiving the detection signal of the door open sensor 37, the response value is detected in this state.

[3-3. effects, etc.]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 10 includes the fruit ripening chamber 30 that stores the fruit being ripened, and the fruit ripening chamber 30 that detects the gas component derived from the fruit and is provided outside the rotating door 22 of the fruit ripening chamber 30. and an odor sensor 36, a revolving door 22 as shield release means for releasing the shielding of the odor sensor 36 and the fruit-derived gas, a door opening sensor 37 for detecting the opening of the revolving door 22, and control means. receives the detection signal from the rotating door 22, detects the state in which the odor sensor 36 is in contact with the fruit-derived gas and the state in which it is shielded, and determines the state of the stored items using the difference between the two as an index.

Thus, when the revolving door 22 is closed, the odor sensor 36 is exposed to the low-concentration gas, so that the unsaturated state can be maintained. Therefore, when the revolving door 22 is opened, the sensing part of the odor sensor 36 is always in an unsaturated state, so a quantitative response is possible, and the degree of maturity of the fruit can be reliably detected.

As in the present embodiment, the deshielding means may be the rotating door 22 which is a sensor moving means in which the odor sensor 36 is movably provided inside and outside the fruit ripening chamber 30 .

As a result, the fruit-derived gas coming into contact with the odor sensor is less likely to be diluted by the outdoor air, so it is possible to detect changes in fruit ripening with higher sensitivity than in the first and second embodiments.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, Embodiments 1 to 3 have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be applied to embodiments with modifications, replacements, additions, omissions, and the like. Also, it is possible to combine the constituent elements described in the first to third embodiments to form a new embodiment.

Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

In the second embodiment, the downstream odor sensor 35 provided at a position facing the front vent 34 has been described as an example of the odor sensor. The odor sensor may be provided at a position where contact/non-contact with the fruit-derived gas can be switched by opening and closing the damper (whether air is blown or not).

Therefore, the position of the odor sensor is not limited to downstream of the fruit ripening chamber 30 . For example, the upstream odor sensor 33 may be used as the odor sensor shown in FIG. By providing an odor sensor on the upstream side and providing a rear vent 32 larger than that of the second embodiment and larger than a front vent 34, when the damper is closed, the fruit leaked out of the fruit ripening chamber 30 by diffusion is detected. A response value can be measured in contact with the source gas. On the other hand, when the damper is open, the reference value can be measured mainly by contacting the deodorized air.

In the case of a refrigerator designed to reduce the opening and closing of the damper to reduce temperature fluctuations in the refrigerator compartment, the time the damper is open is longer than the time it is closed. This form is more suitable than the second embodiment.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, opening and closing utilization of the cooling damper for the refrigerator compartment was explained as an example of the shield releasing means (FIGS. 4 and 6). The deshielding means may be means capable of switching contact/non-contact between the odor sensor sensing portion and the fruit-derived gas.

Therefore, the shield releasing means is not limited to the refrigerator compartment cooling damper. For example, a fruit ripening heater 38 provided at the bottom of the fruit ripening chamber 30 shown in FIG. 9 may be used. While the fruit ripening heater 38 is not energized, the fruit-derived gas does not positively leak out of the fruit ripening chamber 30 and is not in contact with the odor sensor 36 .

On the other hand, when the fruit ripening heater 38 is energized, convection is activated in the fruit ripening chamber 30 , and relatively high-temperature air containing fruit-derived gas is discharged outside and comes into contact with the odor sensor 36 . Since the fruit ripening heater 38 can also be used for the purpose of hastening the ripening of fruit, it can exhibit features not found in other embodiments by combining two functions.

For example, an exhaust fan 39 provided on the wall surface of the fruit ripening chamber 30 shown in FIG. 10 may be used as other shield releasing means. While the exhaust fan 39 is not operating, the fruit-derived gas does not positively leak out of the fruit ripening chamber 30 and is not in contact with the odor sensor 36 .

On the other hand, while the exhaust fan 39 is operating, the fruit-derived gas comes into contact with the odor sensor 36 . Since the exhaust fan 39 can also be used for the purpose of suppressing deterioration due to plant hormones such as ethylene, it can exhibit features not found in other embodiments by combining two functions.

As another shield release means, for example, a highly airtight fruit ripening chamber 43 provided with a drawer door type shown in FIG. good too. While the drawer door is not opened and closed during storage, the fruit-derived gas does not positively leak out of the highly airtight fruit ripening chamber 43 and is not in contact with the odor sensor 36. - 特許庁

On the other hand, when the user opens and closes the drawer door, the fruit-derived gas is discharged from the back vent 32 and comes into contact with the odor sensor 36 by pushing the drawer door. Since the highly airtight fruit ripening chamber 43 can store the fruit-derived gas in a highly airtight manner, the highly concentrated gas can be supplied to the odor sensor 36 compared to other embodiments. Therefore, there is an advantage that the aging state can be determined with higher sensitivity.

For example, an opening/closing wall 40 provided with a magnetic material and an electromagnetic coil 41 provided on the refrigerator main body facing the opening/closing wall 40 shown in FIG. 12 may be used as other shield releasing means. By energizing the electromagnetic coil 41 , the opening/closing wall 40 is opened and closed to control contact/non-contact between the fruit-derived gas and the odor sensor 36 . Since this embodiment is a means specialized for removing shielding, it has the advantage of being able to detect odors without being affected by the control and operating conditions of the refrigerator 10 and the fruit ripening chamber 30 compared to other embodiments. .

As another shield releasing means, for example, a manual sensor moving unit 42 that can manually push the odor sensor 36 into the fruit ripening chamber 30 shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B may be used.
During storage, as shown in FIG. 13A, the odor sensor 36 is out of the room and does not come into contact with the fruit-derived gas. When the user pushes the manual sensor mover 42 into the room, the odor sensor 36 comes into contact with the fruit-derived gas. This embodiment has the advantage of being able to detect and determine aging information at the timing when the user wants to know it, so that the latest information can be displayed at the user's desired timing.

Note that the above-described embodiment is for illustrating the technology in the present disclosure, and various changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. can be made within the scope of the claims or equivalents thereof.

The refrigerator of the present invention has been described with an application to a home freezer-refrigerator incorporating a fruit ripening chamber. Household and business with functions such as deterioration of freshness of food, oxidation of fats and oils, maintenance of quality of halal ingredients, calming of flavor after cooking processing, change in aroma of coffee beans, wine, polished rice, etc., detection of food allergy ingredients, etc. It is thought that it will also be useful for storage for food storage.

1 outer box 2 inner box 3 refrigerator compartment 4 ice making compartment 5 freezing/thawing compartment 6 freezing compartment 7 vegetable compartment 8 machine compartment 9 compressor 10 refrigerator 11 cooling compartment 12 cooler 13 cooling fan 14 defrosting heater 15 drain pan 16 drain tube 17 Evaporation dish 18 Air passage 19 Damper 20 Display unit 21 Heat insulating material 22 Rotating door 30 Fruit ripening chamber 31 Discharge port 32 Rear vent 33 Upstream odor sensor 34 Front vent 35 Downstream odor sensor 36 Odor sensor 37 Door opening sensor 38 Fruit ripening heater 39 Exhaust fan 40 Opening/closing wall 41 Electromagnetic coil 42 Manual sensor moving unit 43 Highly airtight fruit ripening chamber

Claims (8)

A storage room for storing stored items such as food, an odor sensor provided outside the storage room for detecting gas components derived from the stored items, and contact shielding between the odor sensor and the odor derived from the stored items is released. and a control means for controlling the operations of the odor sensor and the odor release means, wherein the control means operates the odor sensor and the odor derived from the stored items by operating the odor sensor and the odor originating from the stored items. To provide a food preservation cabinet in which a contact state and a shielding state are detected respectively, and the difference between the two is used as an index to determine the state of stored items. An air passage is provided between the storage chamber and the odor sensor, and the shield releasing means discharges the gas in the storage chamber and contacts the odor sensor through the air passage. 2. Food storage according to claim 1, which is generating means. The storage room has a communicating portion between the indoor and the outdoor, the odor sensor is provided so as to be movable between the outside and the inside of the communicating portion, and the shield releasing means moves the odor sensor from the outside to the inside of the communicating portion. 2. The food storage cabinet according to claim 1, wherein the sensor moving means moves the food. 3. A food storage cabinet according to claim 2, wherein said airflow generating means is air blowing means provided on said air passage. 5. A food storage cabinet according to claim 2 or 4, wherein said airflow generating means is temperature varying means for varying the temperature of said storage chamber. 6. Any one of claims 2, 4, and 5, wherein said airflow generating means is movable part interlocking exhaust means for discharging gas in said storage room when a user operates a movable part such as a door of said storage room. food storage as described in paragraph 1. 4. A food storage cabinet according to claim 3, wherein said sensor moving means is controlled by said control means. 4. The food according to claim 3, wherein said sensor moving means is movable part interlocking moving means configured to move said odor sensor inside said communicating part when a user operates a movable part such as a door of said storage chamber. Storage.

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