JPH09215539A - Cupboard with food storage - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To enable a part of a cupboard to store foods and foods in a deodorized state at room temperature. A food storage room (10) is provided in a part of a cupboard body (1), a photocatalyst (4) made of titanium oxide is applied to an inner wall (10a) of the room, and the photocatalyst (4) is irradiated with ultraviolet light (black light).
Irradiate with. Thereby, the odorous components from the food in the food storage room 10 are adsorbed on the surface of the photocatalyst 4, and the adsorbed odorous components are decomposed by the action of the photocatalyst 4 by the ultraviolet rays to become odorless components. The photocatalyst 4 made of titanium oxide can be semi-permanently used, and it does not require a troublesome replacement like an activated carbon filter, and maintenance can be simplified.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a domestic cupboard having a deodorizing function and a sterilizing function in a cabinet for storing food materials and cooked foods at room temperature.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, cooked foods and side dishes left over are often placed in a refrigerator, but some foods such as grilled fish do not need to be cooled in the refrigerator. Items may be placed on the table or table. However, this narrows the top of the table or table, reducing the original function of using the table or table by half. Also, in Japanese housing conditions and in families with children, leaving food and side dishes on the table or table may cause the tableware to be upset or toppled.
Therefore, in general, such foods are currently stored in a part of the cupboard.

[0003]

However, when the above-prepared foods or prepared foods are stored in a part of the cupboard, the cupboard itself does not have a deodorizing function. There is a problem that the smell is filled and the smell sticks to the inner wall of the cupboard and the dishes and cannot be removed. Therefore, there is a deodorizing method using activated carbon,
After a certain period of time, the adsorbed amount of the odorous component of activated carbon reaches a saturated state, and the deodorizing function is significantly deteriorated. If the adsorbed saturated odorous component remains as it is, it may become a source of generation of odor and mold. Therefore, it is necessary to frequently replace the activated carbon.

When a catalyst carrying a platinum catalyst is installed in a part of the cupboard by a method other than the above, a deodorizing effect can be obtained by heating the catalyst at a high temperature. As the indoor temperature rises due to the increase in the amount of electricity used, the environment was not suitable for deodorizing the inside of the refrigerator and storing food.

The object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and it is possible to store and store food in a deodorized state in a part of the cupboard at room temperature without using activated carbon or platinum catalyst. To provide a cupboard.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a food storage room is provided in a part of a cupboard main body, and a photocatalyst such as titanium oxide is applied to all or part of the inner wall of the food storage room, and the inner wall is coated with the photocatalyst. It is characterized in that an ultraviolet irradiation means such as a black light for irradiating ultraviolet rays is attached.

Instead of applying the photocatalyst to the whole or a part of the inner wall of the food storage room, a film or sheet coated with the photocatalyst can be arranged. Also,
Instead of directly coating the photocatalyst on the whole or a part of the inner wall of the food storage room, a reflecting plate may be provided on the whole or a part of the inner wall of the food storage room, and the photocatalyst may be coated on the reflecting plate. it can.

Inside the food storage room, a cupboard such as a basket which transmits the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet ray irradiating means can be detachably provided.

A means for detecting the presence or absence of foodstuffs or foods is provided inside the food storage room. When the foodstuffs or foods are judged to be present, the ultraviolet irradiation means is turned on, and when it is judged that there is no foods or foods, the ultraviolet irradiation means is turned on. The ultraviolet irradiation means is turned off. Further, the food storage room is provided with a door opening / closing detection means and a safety mechanism for turning off the ultraviolet irradiation means while it is determined that the door is open.

In the above structure, the odorous component from the food is adsorbed on the surface of the photocatalyst applied to the inner wall of the food storage chamber. The adsorbed odor component is decomposed into a odorless component by the action of the photocatalyst by ultraviolet rays.

When the cupboard is detachably provided inside the food storage room, the dishes can be stored in the cupboard when the food storage room does not store foods and foods, and ultraviolet rays can be emitted by using the ultraviolet irradiation means. Since it is possible to sterilize by irradiation, it is possible to prevent the germs in the room and tableware from propagating and keep the tableware and room clean at all times.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 and 2 show Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a cupboard for storing tableware for home use. A part of the cupboard main body 1 is formed with a food storage room 10 in which cooked foods or prepared foods can be temporarily stored and stored at room temperature. The food storage room 10 is opened and closed by the door 11. The inner wall 10a of the food storage chamber 10 is coated with a mixture of a photocatalyst 4 such as titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) and an adsorbent so as to form a thin film by a sol-gel method, as shown in the sectional view of FIG.

At the upper part of the food storage room 10, there is installed an ultraviolet ray irradiating means 2 such as a black light for irradiating the inner wall 10a with ultraviolet rays. It is possible to prevent the odor generated from the food in the food storage chamber 10 from being decomposed and adsorbed by the ultraviolet irradiation from the ultraviolet irradiation means 2 to prevent the odor from sticking to the inner wall 10a of the food storage chamber 10.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
Is shown. In this embodiment, the inner wall 10a of the food storage room 10
This is the same as the case of the first embodiment except that a film or sheet 5 coated with a photocatalyst 4 such as titanium oxide is attached to a part or the whole surface of the above. According to this, the deodorizing function can be easily provided in the food storage chamber 10.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
Is shown. This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, except that the food storage room 10 is detachably attached with the cupboard 7 made of a basket or the like on which the dishes can be leaned. According to this, the cupboard 7 is removed when the food or food is stored and stored, but when the food or food is not stored, the ultraviolet irradiation means 2 is used by storing the tableware in the cupboard 7. Then, by irradiating the surface of the tableware with ultraviolet rays, in addition to the deodorizing function, it is possible to prevent the growth of bacteria on the tableware.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIGS. 5 and 6 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the inner wall 10a of the food storage room 10 is provided with a reflection plate 3 formed of a metal or a mirror,
The procedure is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the photocatalyst 4 is applied on the reflection plate 3. According to this, as shown in FIG. 6, it becomes a structure in which the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet ray irradiating means 2 are diffusely reflected in the food storage chamber 10, and the ultraviolet rays can be more efficiently irradiated, and the deodorizing action and the decomposing action of the photocatalyst 4 can be achieved. To excite.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
Is shown. In this embodiment, means for detecting the presence or absence of food is provided inside the food storage room 10. Specifically, the floating floor plate 12 of the food storage room 10 is supported by an elastic body 13 such as a spring, a switch 6 is arranged on the back side of the floor plate 12, and tableware and food are placed on the floor plate 12. This is a detection means that the switch 6 is turned on.

When the switch 6 is turned on when foods, foods, etc. are contained, the ultraviolet irradiation means 2 irradiates the inner wall 10a of the food storage chamber 10 with ultraviolet rays, and the inner wall 1
The odorous component in the chamber 10 is adsorbed by the mixture of titanium oxide, which is the photocatalyst, and the adsorbent coated on the surface 0a, and is decomposed and desorbed to become an odorless component. When there is no tableware or food, the switch 6 is turned off and the ultraviolet irradiation means 2 remains unlit. Therefore, energy can be saved by irradiating ultraviolet rays only when necessary. In addition, for example, a method of configuring and detecting an electronic circuit such as a weight sensor or a photo coupler may be considered.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 8 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
Is shown. In this embodiment, the food storage room 10 is provided with door open / close detection means. Specifically, a switch 14 for detecting the opening and closing of the door is provided at the entrance of the food storage room 10, and when it is determined that the food storage room 10 is filled with food or foodstuffs and the door 11 is tightly closed, ultraviolet irradiation is performed. Means 2 lights up,
It was configured to irradiate with ultraviolet rays. When it is determined that the door 11 cannot be closed tightly and is opened even a little, the ultraviolet irradiation means 2 does not light up and remains in a standby state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary leakage of ultraviolet rays.

[0020]

According to the invention of claim 1, since the odor component due to ultraviolet rays can be absorbed and decomposed by the action of the photocatalyst applied to the inner wall of the food storage chamber, the strong odor component generated from the food in the food storage chamber can be absorbed. Is also deodorized. Since the coated photocatalyst film does not deteriorate and can be used semipermanently, it does not require a troublesome replacement like an activated carbon filter, and maintenance can be simplified.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by using the coated photocatalyst film or sheet, it is possible to easily obtain a cupboard with a food storage function having a deodorizing / sterilizing function.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the food storage room is not used for food storage, a tableware can be attached to store the tableware upright and the tableware can be sterilized by ultraviolet rays and other bacteria attached to the tableware. It can be used to prevent the breeding of animals.

According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to form a structure that diffusely reflects ultraviolet rays on the entire surface of the food storage room.
Ultraviolet irradiation can be performed efficiently, and the deodorizing function can be made stronger and more effective.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, when it is detected that the food is stored, the irradiation of ultraviolet rays is turned on, so that the ultraviolet rays are irradiated only when necessary, which leads to energy saving.

According to the invention of claim 6, an opening / closing door is provided in the room where food is stored, and by detecting the opening / closing, ultraviolet rays can be emitted only when the door is completely closed. It is advantageous.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cupboard showing a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inner wall of the food storage compartment of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inner wall of the food storage compartment showing the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inside of a food storage room showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the inner wall of the food storage compartment showing the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inside of a food storage room according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a food storage room showing a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a food storage room showing a sixth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cupboard Main Body 2 Ultraviolet Irradiation Means 3 Reflector 4 Photocatalyst 5 Photocatalyst-Coated Film or Sheet 6 Food Presence / Absence Detection Switch 7 Cupboard 10 Food Storage Room 10a Inner Wall 14 Door Open / Closed Detection Switch

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A food storage room is provided in a part of the cupboard main body,
A photocatalyst is applied to the whole or part of the inner wall of the food storage room, and inside the food storage room, an ultraviolet irradiation means for irradiating the inner wall with ultraviolet rays is attached to the food storage function. With a cupboard. 2. A food storage room is provided in a part of the cupboard main body,
A film or sheet coated with a photocatalyst is arranged on the whole or a part of the inner wall of the food storage room, and an ultraviolet irradiation means for irradiating the inner wall with ultraviolet rays is installed inside the food storage room. A cupboard with a food storage function. 3. The cupboard with a food storage function according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a cupboard that transmits the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet irradiation means is detachably provided inside the food storage room. 4. A food storage room is provided in a part of the cupboard body,
A reflection plate is provided on the whole or a part of the inner wall of the food storage room, and a photocatalyst is applied on the reflection plate, and an ultraviolet irradiation means for irradiating the inner wall with ultraviolet rays is installed inside the food storage room. A cupboard with a food storage function that is characterized by being. 5. A means for detecting the presence or absence of foodstuffs and foods is provided inside the food storage room, and when it is determined that foodstuffs and foods are present, the ultraviolet irradiation means is turned on, and when it is determined that there is no foodstuffs. 5. The cupboard with a food storage function according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation means is turned off. 6. The food storage compartment door opening / closing detection means is provided, and a safety mechanism is provided to turn off the ultraviolet irradiation means while it is determined that the door is open. The cupboard with a food preservation function according to any one of 4 above.