Patent Publication Number: US-2012036875-A1

Title: Storage container with sensor device and regrigerator having the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2010-0077391, filed on Aug. 11, 2010 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     Embodiments relate to a storage container with a sensor device to detect a state of food stored therein and a refrigerator having the same. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus which is provided with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and maintains freshness of various foods using movement of heat according to phase change of a refrigerant. 
     Recently, a kimchi refrigerator which matures kimchi and stores kimchi in a fresh stated using the above principle of the refrigerator has been developed. 
     The kimchi refrigerator properly matures kimchi according to change of seasons and user tastes, and then maintains the kimchi at a proper temperature so as to preserve a properly matured flavor of the kimchi for a long time. 
     Kimchi is a kind of food preserved with salt which has a long shelf life, and a kind of fermented food using microbial fermentation, simultaneously. Since the rate at which fermentation of kimchi caries according to salinity and temperature, a measurement device to measure a storage state of the kimchi, such as salinity, acidity, and temperature of the kimchi, is provided to enable optimization of storage conditions of the kimchi. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, it is an aspect to provide a refrigerator having a storage container with a sensor device to detect a state of food preserved with salt. 
     Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     In accordance with one aspect, a storage container with a sensor device having a pair of electrode terminals to measure a state of food stored therein, includes channels depressed on the inner surface of a bottom of the storage container such that a liquid component of the food may flow in the channels, and a sensor plate installed on the bottom of the storage container so as to cover a part of an opened upper surface of one of the channels, wherein the pair of electrode terminals is exposed from the lower surface of the sensor plate so as to contact the liquid component of the food flowing in the channels. 
     The storage container may further include a circuit module provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the storage container to analyze and communicate signals sensed by the pair of electrode terminals, and wires may be embedded in the bottom of the storage container so as to pass through the bottom of the storage container to electrically connect the pair of electrode terminals to the circuit module. 
     The pair of electrode terminals may include a reference electrode and an ion electrode to measure pH of the liquid component. 
     Each of the pair of electrode terminals may include a sensing part provided with one end exposed from the lower surface of the sensor plate, and a contact part exposed from the lower surface of the sensor plate at a position separated from the sensing part, and one end of each wire may be connected to the circuit module and the other end of each wire may contact the contact part. 
     The storage container may further include sealing members, each of which is arranged between the sensor plate and the bottom of the storage container around the contact part so as to prevent the liquid component of the food from being introduced into the contact part. 
     The circuit module may include a circuit board electrically connected with the wires, a battery electrically connected with the circuit board and a housing to accommodate the circuit board and the battery, and the housing may be detachably mounted in a receipt space provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the storage container. 
     The housing may be provided with a first receipt part to receive the circuit board and a second receipt part to receive the battery, the first receipt part and the second receipt part may be divided from each other, and the battery may be detachably received in the second receipt part. 
     The second receipt part may include an opening through which the battery is put into and taken out of the second receipt part, a cover to open and close the opening, and a sealing member to hermetically seal a gap between the second receipt part and the cover. 
     In accordance with another aspect, a refrigerator includes at least one storage container to store food, and a sensor device to measure a state of the food stored in each of the at least one storage container, respectively, wherein the sensor device includes a circuit module mounted on the outer surface of a bottom of the at least one storage container, terminals embedded in the bottom of the at least one storage container such that one end of each terminal is exposed from the inner surface of the bottom of the at least one storage container to be electrically connected with the circuit module, and a sensor plate provided with a pair of electrode terminals contacting a liquid component of the food, and installed on the bottom of the at least one storage container. Here, each of the pair of electrode terminals may include a sensing part exposed from the lower surface of the sensor plate so as to face the bottom of the at least one storage container. 
     Channels in which the liquid component flows may be provided on the inner surface of the bottom of the at least one storage container, and the sensing part may contact the liquid component flowing in the channels. 
     Each of the pair of electrode terminals may further include a contact part exposed from the lower surface of the sensor plate so as to contact each terminal exposed from the inner surface of the bottom of the at least one storage container, and the refrigerator may further include sealing members, each of which is arranged between the sensor plate and the bottom of the at least one storage container around the contact part so as to prevent the liquid component of the food flowing on the bottom of the at least one storage container from being introduced into the contact part. 
     The sensor device may include a pH sensor to measure acidity of the food. 
     A circuit module receipt part depressed so as to receive the circuit module may be provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the at least one storage container, and the circuit module may be detachably mounted in the circuit module receipt part. 
     The circuit module may include a housing provided with a first receipt part and a second receipt part divided from each other, a circuit board received in the first receipt part and electrically connected with the other end of each terminal, and a battery received in the second receipt part and electrically connected with the circuit board. 
     The second receipt part may include an opening through which the battery is put into and taken out of the second receipt part, and a cover to open and close the opening. 
     The refrigerator may further include a sealing member arranged between the bottom of the at least one storage container and the cover to hermetically seal the second receipt part. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a schematic structure of a refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a view illustrating a storage container of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a sensor plate in accordance with the embodiment; and 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of a circuit module installed on the bottom of each storage container in accordance with the embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
     Hereinafter, a refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Now, a kimchi refrigerator to store food preserved with salt will be exemplarily described as the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a schematic structure of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment includes a main body  10  forming a plurality of storage chambers  20 , and doors  30  installed on the main body  30  so as to respectively open and close the plurality of storage chambers  20 . 
     The main body  10  includes an external case  11  forming the external appearance of the main body  10 , an internal case  12  installed in the external case  11  to form the plurality of storage chambers  20 , and a machinery chamber (not shown) to receive a plurality of electric components. 
     A gap between the external case  11  and the internal case  12  is filled with a foaming agent to maintain insulation of the storage chambers  20 . 
     The storage chambers  20  includes an upper storage chamber  21 , an intermediate storage chamber  22 , and a lower storage chamber  23 , which are divided from each other by two horizontal diaphragms  13 . The upper storage chamber  21 , the intermediate storage chamber  22 , and the lower storage chamber  23  respectively form independent storage spaces, and storage temperatures of the upper storage chamber  21 , the intermediate storage chamber  22 , and the lower storage chamber  23  are independently controlled according to amounts of cool air supplied to the respective storage chambers  21 ,  22 , and  23 . 
     An evaporator (not shown) in which a refrigerant flows to maintain the insides of the intermediate storage chamber  22  and the lower storage chamber  23  in a low temperature state is installed within the cases  11  and  12  forming the intermediate storage chamber  22  and the lower storage chamber  23 . The evaporator contacts the inner wall of the internal case  12  so as to surround both side surfaces and lower surfaces of the respective storage chambers  22  and  23 , thereby directly cooling the storage chambers  22  and  23 . 
     Further, a heater (not shown) consisting of conventional electric heat wires to heat the insides of the intermediate storage chamber  22  and the lower storage chamber  23  so as to maintain the respective storage chambers  22  and  23  at a temperature proper for maturing of kimchi is installed between the external case  11  and the internal case  12 . 
     A compressor (not shown) to compress the refrigerant and a condenser (not shown) to condense the refrigerant supplied from the compressor are installed in the machinery chamber, and the machinery chamber is separately divided from the storage chambers  20 . 
     The doors  30  includes a rotary door  31  rotatably connected to the main body  10  to open and close the upper storage chamber  21 , and drawer-type doors  32  and  33  slidably connected to the main body  10  to open and close the intermediate storage chamber  22  and the lower storage chamber  23 . 
     The rotary door  31  is provided with a subsidiary door  34  rotated in the vertical direction around a lower hinge shaft (not shown) to open and close a portion of the upper storage chamber  21 . The subsidiary door  34  serves as a rack on which an article may be placed at the maximal opened position thereof. 
     An operation panel  14  to select kinds, maturing times, and temperature conditions of food stored in the storage chambers  20  and then to display data regarding the selected factors is provided at one side of the rotary door  31 . 
     Each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33  is slid in the forward and backward direction of the storage chambers  22  and  23  by sliding units  36  so as to open and close each of the storage chambers  22  and  23 , and a basket  40  is detachably attached to each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33 . 
     For this purpose, receipt frames  35 , on which the basket  40  is received, are provided at both sides of the rear surface of each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33 , and the sliding unit  36  is installed on the receipt frames  35 . 
     The sliding unit  36  is formed in a triple rail structure. That is, the sliding unit  36  includes first rails  37  fixed to both side walls of each of the storage chambers  22  and  23 , second rails  38  received in the first rails  37  so as to move relative to the first rails  37 , and third rails  39  received in the second rails  38  so as to move relative to the second rails  38  and fixed to the receipt frames  35 . 
     Such a sliding unit  36  is made of stainless steel having high rigidity so as to support the basket  40  although heavy articles are loaded within the basket  40 . 
     The sliding unit  36  further includes an automatic door closing device  42  to move each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33  so as to allow each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33  to close the storage chamber  22  or  23  when each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33  reaches a designated position during sliding of each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33 . 
     The automatic door closing device  42  includes latching members (not shown) restricted by each other, and an elastic member (not shown) to attract each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33 . The automatic door closing device  42  causes each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33  to be automatically closed by elastic force of the elastic member together with release of the restriction of the latching members, when each of the drawer-type doors  32  and  33  reaches the designated position. 
     The basket  40  is made of plastic, and is formed in the shape of a case with an opened upper surface. 
     Storage containers  50  to store food preserved with salt, such as kimchi, pickles, and salted seafood, are received in the basket  40 , and flanges  41 , extended outwards so as to allow the basket  40  to be detachably held to the receipt frames  35 , are formed integrally with the upper ends of both side surfaces of the basket  40 . 
     A subsidiary cooling member  45  being in area contact with both side surfaces and lower surface of the exterior of the basket  40  is provided at the front portion of the exterior of the basket  40 . 
     The subsidiary cooling member  45  serves to reduce a temperature distribution deviation of the inside of the basket  40 , and may be a plate made of a metal having high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. 
       FIG. 2  is a view illustrating the storage container of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment. 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , the storage container  50  includes a box-shaped container body  50   a  with a storage space  51  to receive food, and a container cover  50   b  detachably attached to the upper portion of the container body  50   a  to open and close the storage space  51 . 
     The storage space  51  is provided with an opened upper portion, and is formed by a bottom  52  and a side wall  53  extended upwards from the edge of the bottom  52 . 
     Levers  55  extended from the container body  50   a  are provided on the upper portion of the container body  50   a , and a lever connection part (not shown), to which the levers  55  are connected, is provided on the edge of the container cover  50   b    
     Further, a packing member (not shown), pressed onto the upper end of the container body  50   a  to hermetically seal the storage space  51  when the container body  50   a  and the container cover  50   b  are connected, is provided on the edge of the container cover  50   b.    
     Food preserved with salt, which contains a liquid component, such as kimchi, is stored in the storage space  51  of the container body  50   a , and a sensor device  100  mounted on the bottom  52  of the storage container  50  detects a state of the food preserved with salt. 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a sensor plate in accordance with the embodiment, and  FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of a circuit module installed on the bottom of the storage container in accordance with the embodiment. 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , the sensor device  100  in accordance with the embodiment may include a pH sensor to measure acidity of food stored in the storage container  50 . 
     The sensor device  100  includes a pair of electrode terminals  120  and  130  provided on the internal surface of the storage container  50  and contacting a liquid component (for example, kimchi juice) of the food to measure acidity of the liquid component according to change of ions of the liquid component, a circuit module  150  provided on the external surface of the storage container  50 , and terminals  140  embedded in the bottom  52  of the storage container  50  to electrically connect the pair of electrode terminals  120  and  130  to the circuit module  150 . 
     The pair of the electrode terminals  120  and  130  includes a reference electrode  120  provided with an electric potential which does not change according to an ion concentration, and an ion electrode  130  to sense specific ions. 
     The ion electrode  130  is provided with an ion-selective membrane fixed to the end of the ion electrode  130  so as to directly contact the liquid component of food, and measures an electro-chemical potential generated thereby, thus calculating an ion concentration. 
     The ion electrode  130  in this embodiment is a coated wire ion-selective electrode formed by coating the surface of a metal plate made of metal, such as platinum, with an ion-selective membrane made of a porous material. Such a coated wire ion-selective electrode is only an example, and well-known ion electrodes which use a glass membrane, other solid membranes, or liquid membranes as the ion-selective membrane may be used as the ion electrode  30 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , the pair of electrode terminals  120  and  130  is provided on a sensor plate  110  installed on an inner surface  52   a  of the bottom  52  of the storage container  50 . 
     The sensor plate  110  is an approximately rectangular plate, the electrodes  120  and  130  are arranged on a lower surface  111  of the sensor plate  110  such that both ends of the electrodes  120  and  130  are exposed from the lower surface  111  of the sensor plate  110 . 
     Both exposed ends of each of the electrodes  120  and  130  includes a sensing part  121  or  131  contacting the liquid component of food to measure acidity of the liquid component, and a contact part  123  or  133  electrically connected to the circuit module  150 , which will be described later. 
     The sensing parts  121  and  131  are arranged so as to face the bottom  52 , if the sensor plate  110  is mounted on the inner surface  52   a  of the bottom  52 . This serves to prevent the sensing parts  121  and  131  from being damaged when the storage container  50  is washed or to reduce measurement errors generated due to direct contact of the sensing parts  121  and  131  with the liquid component of food during sensing. 
     The sensing parts  121  and  131  are separated from the inner surface  52   a  of the bottom  52  by a designated interval so as to sufficiently contact the liquid component of food present on the bottom  52 . 
     For this purpose, channels  54  depressed to a designated depth are provided on the bottom  52  of the storage container  50  so as to allow the liquid component of food stored in the storage container  50  to flow therethrough. 
     A plurality of channels  54  is extended in the lengthwise direction of the bottom  52  so as to be separated from each other and to be arranged in parallel. 
     The sensor plate  110  is installed such that the lower surface of the sensor plate  110  is closely attached to the inner surface  52   a  of the bottom  52  through fastening members  113  made of a resin. 
     Here, the sensing parts  121  and  131  provided on the sensor plate  110  are arranged above the channel  54 , and thus contact the liquid component of food flowing in the channel  54 . 
     Further, the contact parts  123  and  133  exposed from the lower surface  111  of the sensor plate  110  contact exposed ends of the terminals  140  embedded in the bottom  52 . 
     One end of each of the terminals  140  embedded in the bottom  52  of the storage container  50  is exposed from the inner surface  52   a  of the bottom  52 , and the other end of each of the terminals  140  is exposed from an outer surface  52   b  of the bottom  52 . These terminals  140  may be formed by insert molding during molding of the storage container  50 . 
     Each of the contact parts  123  and  133  exposed from the sensor plate  110  is provided with a sealing member  115  to preventing the liquid component of food present on the bottom  52  from being introduced into each of the contacts parts  123  and  133 . 
     The sealing members  115  may be O-rings received in sealing grooves  117  provided around the contact parts  123  and  133  exposed from the sensor plate  110 . The sealing members  115  are closely attached to the lower surface  111  of the sensor plate  110  and the inner surface  52   a  of the bottom  52 , if the sensor plate  110  is installed on the bottom  52 , thereby maintaining a hermetically sealed state between the sensor plate  110  and the bottom  52 . 
     Thereby, measurement of acidity of the liquid component at regions other than the sensing parts  121  and  131  may be prevented, or measurement errors generated due to submersion of the circuit module  150  under the liquid component leaked to the outer surface  52   b  of the bottom  52  along the terminals  140  embedded in the bottom  52  may be reduced. 
     Signals sensed by the sensing parts  121  and  131  are transmitted to the circuit module  150  provided on the outer surface  52   b  of the bottom  52  through the terminals  140  embedded in the bottom  52 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 , the circuit module  150  includes a circuit board  151  on which a signal processing unit to measure an impedance variation between the reference terminal  120  and the ion electrode  130  and a communication unit to transmit/receive a signal processed by the signal processing unit are formed, and a battery  153  electrically connected with the circuit board  151 . 
     The signal processing unit is a circuit to measure acidity (pH) using a potential difference between the reference electrode  120  and the ion electrode  130 , and the communication unit is a circuit to transmit/receive a data value of the measured acidity (pH) to/from a control unit (not shown) of the main body  10 . 
     The signal processing unit and the communication unit are integrally formed on the circuit board  151 , and detailed circuit diagrams thereof may be achieved by a general circuit design technique and thus a description thereof will be omitted. 
     The circuit module  150  is detachably mounted on the outer surface  52   b  of the bottom  52  of the storage container  50  so as to be replaceable. 
     For this purpose, the circuit module  150  is provided with a housing  160  having receipt part  161  and  163  to receive the circuit board  151  and the battery  153 , and the housing  160  is received in a circuit module receipt part  56  depressed on the outer surface  52   b  of the bottom  52  of the housing  160 . 
     The receipt parts  161  and  163  include a first receipt part  161  and a second receipt part  163  divided from each other to receive the circuit board  151  and the battery  153 , respectively. 
     The first receipt part  161  receives the circuit board  151 , and the circuit board  151  received in the first receipt part  161  is electrically connected to the terminals  140  embedded in the bottom  52 . 
     For this purpose, connection wires  162 , which are connected to the ends of the terminals  140  exposed from the outer surface  52   b  of the bottom  52  when the housing  160  is mounted on the bottom  52  of the storage container  50 , are embedded in the housing  160 . 
     The second receipt part  163  receives the battery  153 , and the battery  153  received in the second receipt part  163  is detachably mounted on the housing  160 . 
     For this purpose, the second receipt part  163  includes an opening  164  through which the battery  153  is put into or taken out of the second receipt part  163 , and a cover  170  to open and close the opening  164 . 
     The cover  170  is connected to the housing  160  through bolts  165 . The cover  170  is provided with a sealing member  180  to maintain a hermetically sealed state of the second receipt part  163 . 
     The sealing member  180  is provided so as to surround the opening  164 , and is closely attached between the housing  160  and the cover  170 , if the cover  170  is connected to the housing  160 . 
     The sealing member  180  prevents moisture from being introduced into a gap between the housing  160  and the cover  170 , thereby improving reliability of the circuit module  150 . 
     Although this embodiment exemplarily illustrates that only the battery  153  of the circuit module  150  is detachable, a circuit module  150  provided with a housing, in which only the connection wires  162  connected with the ends of the terminals  140  exposed from the outer surface  52   b  of the bottom  52  of the storage container  50  are exposed to the outside and the circuit board  151  and the rechargeable battery  153  are integrally sealed and received, may be prepared such that the whole of the circuit module  150  is detachably mounted on the storage container  50 . In this case, in order to charge the battery  153 , the circuit module  150  is separated from the storage container  50  and then the battery  153  is charged by wire or wirelessly. In the wired charging manner, a separate charging terminal may be provided or the connection wires  162  may be used as charging terminals, and in the wireless charging manner, an energy receipt unit to receive transmitted from a separate wireless charging terminal may be provided on the circuit module  150  so as to be used to charge the battery  153  (such a technique is disclosed in detail in Korean Patent Application No. 2010-0059911 filed by the applicant of the present invention). 
     The spirit of the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above description, and may include various modifications, which will be described later. 
     Although the sensor device  100  in accordance with the embodiment includes the pH sensor to measure acidity of food stored in the storage container  50 , the sensor device  100  may include a salinity sensor to measure salinity of food. 
     In this case, a pair of the electrode terminals  120  and  130  may include electrical conductivity sensors operating based upon the principle of changes in electrical conductivity due to change in ion concentration of stored food. 
     That is, salinity of food flowing in the channel  54  is measured by measuring an intensity of current flowing when a designated voltage is applied to the pair of the electrode terminals  120  and  130  contacting a liquid component of the food. 
     Here, the pair of the electrodes  120  and  130  is made of a material having an anti-corrosion property, and the circuit board  151  electrically connected to the pair of the electrodes  120  and  130  through the terminals  140  includes a measurement circuit to measure salinity. 
     Also, in this case, the pair of the electrodes  120  and  130  does not directly contact food stored in the storage container  50 , thereby facilitating a washing operation using a washing solution flowing in the channels  54  during washing of the storage container  50  as well as improving reliability in measurement. 
     As is apparent from the above description, a sensor device in accordance with one embodiment improves reliability in measurement. 
     Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.