REFRIGERATOR

• US 20100170278A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Eun Jeong, Min, Deul Re, Lim, Seok Min, Hwang, Yeon Yi, Shin, Jong Min
• Granted Patent: US 8,327,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/264
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/042 Air treating means within refrigerated spaces air conditioning in general F24F
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/041 by purification
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/005 combined with control means

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a refrigerator which can store foodstuffs like vegetables in a fresh state, restrain reduction of nutritive elements contained in foodstuffs, and prevent damage of irradiation device. The refrigerator includes a main body, a storage chamber which is provided in the main body to store foodstuffs, and an irradiation device which irradiates light within a visible light region into the storage chamber. The refrigerator farther includes a reflection member which is mounted to the storage chamber to reflect the light emitted from the irradiation device, and a transforming member which transforms the light emitted from the irradiation device into a side light type.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body;

a storage chamber which is provided in the main body to store foodstuffs; and

an irradiation device which irradiates light within a visible light region into the storage chamber.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reflection member which is mounted to the storage chamber to reflect the light emitted from the irradiation device.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transforming member which transforms the light emitted from the irradiation device into a side light type.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the storage chamber includes a vegetable compartment for storing vegetables.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the storage chamber includes a storage box, and

the reflection member is mounted to the storage box.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the transforming member is an optical fiber.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the transforming member is formed correspondingly to a shape of an edge of the vegetable compartment.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the transforming member is mounted to an inner wall of the vegetable compartment.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the transforming member is formed correspondingly to a shape of the vegetable compartment in at least one direction of a depth direction and a width direction of the vegetable compartment.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the irradiation device includes a plurality of light sources for emitting the light in all directions.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the irradiation device is mounted to an inner wall of the vegetable compartment.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the irradiation device is protrudingly mounted to the inner wall of the vegetable compartment, and

the vegetable box is formed with an opening at a position corresponding to the irradiation device.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the irradiation device is mounted in an inner wall of the vegetable compartment.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the vegetable box includes a scattering member which scatters the light emitted from the irradiation device.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the vegetable box further includes a reflection plate which reflects the light irradiated into the vegetable box.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the irradiation device is protrudingly mounted to an inner wall of the vegetable compartment, and

the vegetable box is formed with an opening at a position corresponding to the irradiation device.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the irradiation device is mounted in an inner wall of the vegetable compartment, and is formed with a scattering member which scatters the light emitted from the irradiation device.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a body which is mounted in the main body, and provided with a storage chamber and an insertion part; and

a light permeation member which seals the insertion part of the body,

wherein the irradiation device is mounted in the insertion part of the body.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the insertion part is provided with a reflection plate which reflects the light emitted from the irradiation device toward an inside of the body.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein the reflection plate is formed with a plurality of convex portions.

21. The refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein the reflection plate is formed in a semispherical shape, and has an opening which opposes the storage chamber.

22. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the light permeation member is a polarized light filter.

23. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the light permeation member is a concave lens.

24. The refrigerator according to claim 18, wherein the light permeation member is provided with a sealing member at a side surface thereof.

25. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation device irradiates the light of different combinations of wavelengths correspondingly to a kind of the foodstuffs stored in the storage chamber.

26. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the irradiation device is disposed at an outer rear portion of the storage chamber.

27. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the irradiation device includes a protective cover, a surface of which is corrosion-treated.

28. The refrigerator according to claim 27, wherein the storage chamber and the protective cover are made of light permeable material.

29. The refrigerator according to claim 25, further comprising:

a selecting device which has a function of enabling a user to input information of a kind of the foodstuffs stored in the storage chamber, and changing a wavelength of the light emitted from the irradiation device, corresponding to a color of the foodstuffs.

30. The refrigerator according to claim 25, further comprising:

a color recognition device which recognizes a color of the foodstuffs stored in the storage chamber, and changes a wavelength of the light emitted from the irradiation device, corresponding to the color of the foodstuffs.

31. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the irradiation device includes a plurality of light emitting diodes which emit the light having different wavelengths.

32. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the storage chamber is configured to selectively store meats and vegetables.

33. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the irradiation device is configured to irradiate red light to the foodstuffs when the color of the foodstuffs is red.

34. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the irradiation device is configured to irradiate green light to the foodstuffs when the color of the foodstuffs is green.

35. The refrigerator according to claim 34, wherein the irradiation device is configured to further irradiate white light.

36. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the irradiation device is configured to irradiate green-white combined light when vegetables are stored in the storage chamber.

37. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the irradiation device is configured to irradiate red-blue combined light when meats are stored in the storage chamber.

38. The refrigerator according to claim 25, wherein the refrigerator is configured to adjust an inner temperature of the storage chamber, corresponding to the kind of the foodstuffs stored in the storage chamber,

and wherein the temperature adjustment is performed in cooperation with the change of the combination of the light emitted from the irradiation device.