KR20120072605A - A refrigerator comprising a chamber for hydroponics - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A refrigerator equipped with a hydroponics room is provided to control the growth rate of plants using light sources having various waves as needed. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator comprises a body, a hydroponics room(10), a water supply unit(90), and a light source unit(30). The body comprises a storage chamber. The hydroponics room is placed inside the body. The water supply unit supplies water to the hydroponics room. The light source unit emits lights having various waves to the hydroponics room.

Description

A refrigerator comprises a chamber for hydroponics

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a hydroponic cultivation room, and more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of supplying fresh vegetables by arranging a hydroponic cultivation room capable of hydroponically growing plants in a storage room.

Refrigerators are electrical products that can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen storage using the refrigerant cycle.

The general configuration of the refrigerator includes a main body provided with a storage compartment, a door provided in the main body to open and close the storage compartment, and a compressor, an evaporator, a condenser, an expansion device, and the like provided in the main body.

A drawer-type specialty room may be provided inside the storage compartment to store vegetables or fruits separately. This specialty compartment maintains a different storage temperature and humidity than other parts of the storage compartment to keep the vegetables or fruits fresher inside. Can be.

Recently, however, a plant cultivation device or plant cultivator, which functions as a `` plant factory '' for growing vegetables or fruits inside the house, has become popular, and such plant cultivation devices or plant cultivators are applied to refrigerators. By doing so, there has been a discussion to provide user convenience.

The present invention has been made to satisfy this need, and an object thereof is to provide a refrigerator having a hydroponic cultivation room capable of hydroponically growing plants.

The present invention for achieving the above object and the storage compartment is provided; Hydroponic cultivation room is provided in the main body, the plant is provided to be hydroponic cultivation; A water supply unit supplying water to the hydroponic cultivation chamber; It provides a refrigerator comprising a light source unit for irradiating light having a predetermined wavelength to the hydroponic cultivation room.

The water supply unit and the connection pipe is connected to the defrost water receiver for collecting the defrost water of the evaporator provided in the main body; It is characterized in that it comprises a valve device provided in the connecting pipe for selectively supplying the water collected in the defrost receiver to the hydroponic cultivation room.

A water tank unit provided in the water supply unit; A guide tube connecting the water tank unit and the hydroponic cultivation chamber to guide the water of the water tank unit to the hydroponic cultivation chamber; It is characterized in that it comprises a valve device provided in the guide tube to selectively control the flow of water.

A filter device connected to the hydroponic cultivation chamber and filtering water discharged from the hydroponic cultivation chamber; A culture medium supply unit connected to the filter device to supply a culture solution to the filtered water; It is characterized in that it further comprises a supply pump connected to the culture solution supply unit for supplying the culture medium supplied water to the hydroponic cultivation room.

It is characterized in that it further comprises a sensor unit provided in front of the hydroponic cultivation room or the culture solution supply unit for detecting the state of the culture solution contained in the water discharged from the hydroponic cultivation room.

The hydroponic cultivation chamber further includes a heat insulating member surrounding the hydroponic cultivation chamber, wherein the hydroponic cultivation chamber is slidably moved forward and backward in the storage chamber, and the heat insulating member covering the front of the hydroponic cultivation chamber is provided to be opened and closed. do.

It is characterized in that it further comprises a reflecting plate provided on the inner surface of the hydroponic cultivation room to reflect the light irradiated by the light source.

The light source unit is disposed above the hydroponic cultivation room, the light source unit is characterized in that it is provided to irradiate light having at least two wavelength ranges.

With the refrigerator according to the present invention, fresh and pesticide-free vegetables and fruits can be grown regardless of climate using simple hydroponic cultivation at home.

On the other hand, using a light source having a variety of wavelengths there is an advantage that the growth rate of the plant can be adjusted as needed.

In particular, when the light source is used as an LED, it is possible to obtain high efficiency with low power consumption, thereby increasing energy efficiency.

In addition, since there is a hydroponic cultivation room in the refrigerator itself, there is also an advantage that it is not necessary to purchase and use a separate hydroponic cultivator.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator having a hydroponic cultivation room according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a side sectional view of a refrigerator having a hydroponic cultivation room according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view of the hydroponic cultivation room of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the operation of the hydroponic cultivation room of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a main body 2 having a storage compartment 1 and a door 3 rotatably provided in the main body 2 to open and close the storage compartment 1. Include.

The front of the door (3) is provided with a dispenser (4) for taking out drinking water, the dispenser (4) is provided with a lever (5) when the user pushes the lever (5) can be discharged drinking water have.

The storage chamber 1 is provided with a storage shelf 6 on which a predetermined object can be placed.

One side of the storage compartment 1 is provided with a hydroponic cultivation room 10 that can be hydroponically grown plants to obtain vegetables or fruits.

The hydroponic cultivation room 10 is provided in the form of a drawer can move in the front and rear direction, or may be provided in the form that the front is opened and closed.

Inside the hydroponic cultivation room 10 is provided with a support plate 20 on which the seeds or sprouts of the plant are placed.

The support plate 20 is spaced apart a predetermined interval from the bottom surface of the hydroponic cultivation room 10 to the top, the reason for such a space is to accommodate the culture and water in the portion.

The upper portion of the interior space of the hydroponic cultivation room 10 is provided with a light source unit 30 is provided with a plurality of light sources for irradiating light to help photosynthesis of the plant, the light source is preferably composed of LED.

The main body 2 is provided with a water supply part 40 to supply water to the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, wherein the water supply part 40 is a water tank part for supplying water to the dispenser part 5. A guide tube 42 connecting the water tank 41 and the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 to guide the water to the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, and a connection pipe 42. And a valve device 43 for selectively controlling the flow of water.

In addition, the guide tube 42 is preferably provided with a filter device 44 that can filter the water.

When plants are cultivated in the hydroponic cultivation room 10, the water absorbs water, and thus water must be continuously supplied accordingly. Thus, the water tank 41 and the hydroponic cultivation room 10 Connect to supply water.

The plant is grown in the hydroponic cultivation room 10 is preferably a circulating hydroponic cultivation method.

That is, in order to reuse the culture solution, the main body 2 includes a filter device 51 for filtering the culture solution discharged from the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 and foreign matter contained in the water, and the culture solution discharged from the filter device 51; A culture medium supply unit 52 for supplying a new culture medium to the water, and a supply pump 53 for supplying the water and the culture medium passed through the culture medium supply unit 52 to the hydroponic cultivation chamber (10) again.

Hydroponic cultivation is classified into pure hydroponic and solid medium according to the use of medium.

Pure water culture (water culture) is a method of cultivation by exposing the roots directly to the culture medium without using a medium, such as immersion hydroponic, thin-film hydroponic, spraying, and the like.

Substrate culture is a method of cultivating crops while supplying the necessary amount of amniotic fluid to a small amount of medium that can support crops, and is classified into inorganic media and organic media according to the media type.

Inorganic badges use three types of media: natural inorganic badges, artificial inorganic badges, and organic synthetic badges. Organic badges use natural organic materials such as peat moss, coco peat, rice husk, hultan, sawdust, and bark.

In addition, in order to improve the physicochemical properties of a single medium, several media may be mixed and used, which is called a mixed medium diameter.

Currently, solid medium diameter using pearlite, rock wool, etc. is the mainstream, and pure hydroponic, such as freshwater hydroponic thin film, takes up some cultivated area.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention uses a pure hydroponic cultivation method for supplying water and culture medium.

Hydroponic cultivation, on the other hand, is circulated hydroponically (closed) depending on whether or not the culture medium used in the crop root zone (growing environment where the growing roots ingest and store the substance, resulting in a variety of changes, such as a change in the proportion of constituent organisms). hydroponics) and acyclic hydroponics (run-to-waste hydroponics).

Circulating hydroponic cultivation is an eco-friendly cultivation system because it consumes less nutrients and water and has less drainage. However, as the cultivation period elapses, the balance of the culture composition is disrupted, so thorough management of the culture solution is required, and a device capable of removing pathogens is needed because the risk of spreading or spreading the pathogen by the drainage is high.

On the other hand, acyclic hydroponic cultivation is easy to manage nutrients, and the installation of facilities is simple, so the facility investment cost is low. In addition, the risk of spreading or spreading pathogens in the root zone is low. However, since the discharge of drainage increases the amount of nutrients and water consumed, the amount of fertilizer and water is increased, which increases the possibility of causing environmental pollution such as soil and water pollution, compared to the circulation type.

In the present invention for the above reasons, while circulating hydroponic cultivation is carried out to prevent environmental pollution, to minimize the consumption of the culture.

In the interior of the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, a predetermined heat insulating member 60 is disposed to prevent heat transfer between the storage chamber 1 and the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10.

It is necessary to maintain the temperature of the hydroponic cultivation room (10) at an almost room temperature state to provide an optimal environment for the plant to grow. Therefore, a heat treatment using the heat insulating member 60 is required.

In addition, a reflector plate 70 is disposed on the inner wall of the hydroponic cultivation chamber 1 to guide the light emitted from the light source unit 30 to be actively irradiated to the leaves and stems of the plant therein.

On the other hand, the bottom portion of the hydroponic cultivation room 10 is provided with a sensor unit 80 that can detect the current state (specific gravity or concentration of minerals or other nutrients) of the culture medium, the information related to the control unit of the refrigerator ( (Not shown).

The controller (not shown) may control the valve device 43 to adjust the supply amount of water or adjust the amount of the culture solution supplied from the culture solution supply unit 52 based on this information.

Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the water supply unit of the refrigerator of the present invention.

An evaporator 7 is provided at the rear of the main body 2, a defrost heater 8 is provided around the evaporator 7, and a defrost water is disposed below the evaporator 7 and the defrost heater 8. The defrosting part 91 which can collect the is provided.

The lower portion of the defrost water receiver 91 is provided with a connection pipe 92, the connection pipe 92 is connected to the hydroponic cultivation room 10 to guide the defrost water to the hydroponic cultivation room (10).

The connection pipe 91 is provided with a valve device 93 for selectively supplying defrost water to the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, and a filter device 94 for filtering the defrost water.

When the defrost water is supplied to the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 as described above, there is an advantage that water can be supplied without supplying water from the separate water tank unit.

On the other hand, also in the second embodiment, the filter device 51, the culture medium supply unit 52, and the supply pump 53 for circulating the water and the culture medium are provided outside the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10.

In addition, a heat insulating member 60 surrounds the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 outside the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, and a reflecting plate 70 is provided inside the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of light sources 31 are arranged in a matrix form in the light source unit 30 provided above the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, and the light source unit 30 may have various colors rather than a single color. It is preferred to be provided to emit light having.

The color of the light emitted from the light source unit 30 is preferably made of red, blue, green, yellow, white, and the like.

The light source unit 30 includes a plurality of light sources 31 spaced apart from each other, and a mounting plate 32 on which the light sources 31 are disposed, and the light source 31 provided on the mounting plate 32. Is preferably provided on the lower surface of the mounting plate (32).

The support plate 20 is disposed below the hydroponic cultivation room 10 is disposed the seeds or sprouts of the plant is preferably a mesh or the small holes are spaced apart from each other.

Therefore, when seeds or sprouts are placed in the mesh or hole, the roots of the plants grow down to be in contact with the culture medium to absorb nutrients and moisture.

The support plate 20 is preferably disposed detachably in the hydroponic cultivation room (10).

A support leg 21 may be provided below the support plate 20 to separate the support plate 20 from the bottom surface of the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, and the support leg 21 may be provided on the support plate 21. It is preferable to be spaced apart from each other at the lower portion of (20).

The reflection plate 70 is disposed on an inner wall surface of the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 to reflect light emitted from the light source 31.

As described above, the light source 31 is preferably composed of LEDs, and by using LEDs, energy can be obtained with high efficiency at low power consumption, thereby helping to save energy.

In addition, by combining LED lamps of different wavelengths for each plant, the growth of the plant can be fast or slow.

In view of the optimum wavelength of the plant growth process, 670 nm of red light or 430 nm of blue light is preferable for plant photosynthesis, and 655 nm of red light and 440 nm of blue light are preferable for chlorophyll synthesis.

One side of the hydroponic cultivation room 10 is provided with a connecting portion 11 is connected to the water supply, it can be supplied with water through the connecting portion 11 as needed.

The hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 is connected to the filter device (see FIGS. 2 and 51), the culture medium supply unit (see FIGS. 2 and 52), and the supply pump (see FIGS. 2 and 53).

Hereinafter, an operation of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, when water is supplied to the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, when the valve device 43 provided in the connecting pipe 42 is opened, the water in the water tank part 41 is released. The hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 is introduced, and the introduced water is mixed with the culture solution to supply water and nutrients to the plant P rooted in the support plate 20.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, the defrost water is formed by the defrost action on the evaporator 7, the defrost water is collected in the defrost receiver 91, and then by the opening action of the valve device 93 Therefore, the impurities may be removed from the filter device 94 and supplied to the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, roots of plants grown on the support plate 20 grow under the support plate 20 to contact the culture solution and water, and absorb various nutrients and moisture.

On the other hand, the water and the culture medium undergo a circulation process, it is necessary to remove impurities, and to receive minerals or other nutrients contained in the culture solution.

Therefore, the water and the culture solution are discharged from the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10, and after passing through the filter device 51 and the culture medium supply unit 52, the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 again by the supply pump 53 Is supplied.

The light source unit 31 provided on the upper side of the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 is irradiated with light corresponding to the type of plant cultivated in the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 to effect photosynthesis and chlorophyll synthesis of the plant. Help

On the other hand, some of the irradiated light is reflected by the reflecting plate 70 is irradiated back to the plant.

The heat insulating member 60 surrounds the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10 so that the cold energy of the storage chamber (see FIG. 2, 1) does not affect the internal air of the hydroponic cultivation chamber 10.

 On the other hand, the front side of the heat insulating member 60 is provided to be opened and closed (A direction) it is preferable to allow the user to manage or harvest the plants in the hydroponic cultivation room (10).

On the other hand, the hydroponic cultivation room 10 is fixed to the inside of the storage compartment (see Fig. 2, 1), or is provided to be slidably movable in the front and rear direction (B direction) in the form of a drawer to allow the user to easily manage the plant Allow them to harvest leaves or fruits.

1: storage room 10: hydroponic cultivation room
20: support plate 30: light source
40, 90: water supply 51: filter device
52: culture medium supply unit 53: supply pump
91: defroster 92: connector
93: valve device

Claims (8)

A main body provided with a storage compartment;
Hydroponic cultivation room is provided in the main body, the plant is provided to be hydroponic cultivation;
A water supply unit supplying water to the hydroponic cultivation chamber;
And a light source unit for irradiating light having a predetermined wavelength to the hydroponic cultivation room. The method of claim 1,
The water supply unit and the connection pipe is connected to the defrost water receiver for collecting the defrost water of the evaporator provided in the main body;
And a valve device provided in the connection pipe and selectively supplying water collected in the defrost water receiver to the hydroponic cultivation room. The method of claim 1,
A water tank unit provided in the water supply unit;
A guide tube connecting the water tank unit and the hydroponic cultivation chamber to guide the water tank unit to the hydroponic cultivation chamber;
Refrigerator, characterized in that provided in the guide tube valve device for selectively controlling the flow of water. The method of claim 1,
A filter device connected to the hydroponic cultivation chamber and filtering water discharged from the hydroponic cultivation chamber;
A culture medium supply unit connected to the filter device to supply a culture solution to the filtered water;
And a supply pump connected to the culture solution supply unit and supplying water supplied with the culture solution to the hydroponic cultivation room. The method of claim 4, wherein
And a sensor unit provided in front of the hydroponic cultivation room or the culture medium supply unit to detect a state of the culture solution contained in the water discharged from the hydroponic cultivation room. The method of claim 4, wherein
Further comprising a heat insulating member surrounding the hydroponic cultivation room,
The hydroponic cultivation chamber is provided in the storage room so as to be movable in the front and rear slide, and the heat insulating member for covering the front of the hydroponic cultivation room, characterized in that provided in the opening and closing. The method of claim 4, wherein
And a reflector provided on an inner surface of the hydroponic cultivation room for reflecting light irradiated by the light source unit. The method of claim 1,
The light source unit is disposed above the hydroponic cultivation room,
The light source unit is a refrigerator, characterized in that provided to irradiate light having at least two wavelength ranges.

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