WO2022009421A1 - Refrigerator and refrigerator system - Google Patents

Abstract

This refrigerator comprises: a plurality of storerooms; a display device that displays information; an input device for a user to input information; and a storage device that stores basic information input from the input device, including a food name and storeroom information related to the storeroom in which the food with the food name is stored among the plurality of storerooms. This refrigerator further comprises a control device that, when a first search request including the food name is input from the input device, identifies the basic information including the food name of the first search request from the storage device and displays the storeroom information of the basic information on the display device as a response to the first search request.

Description

Refrigerator and refrigerator system

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a refrigerator system equipped with a display device for displaying information.

The conventional refrigerator is provided with a photographing unit for photographing the storage room for storing food, and based on the image of the storage room photographed by the photographing unit, the state of the storage room is shown on the operation panel provided on the door surface of the refrigerator. It was designed to be displayed schematically on a display device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-68525

In Patent Document 1, the state of the storage room can be confirmed on the display device, but since the display on the display device is schematic, the shape and size of the food can only be roughly confirmed. In other words, it is not possible to distinguish whether the food is, for example, milk or vegetable juice. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult for the user to accurately grasp where the target food is stored.

This disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a refrigerator and a refrigerator system capable of accurately grasping in which storage chamber the food of interest is stored. The purpose.

The refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of storage chambers, a display device for displaying information, an input device for inputting information by a user, a food name input from the input device, and the plurality of storage chambers. A storage device that stores basic information including storage room information about a storage room that stores food with a food name, and when a first search request including a food name is input from an input device, the food name of the first search request. It is provided with a control device for specifying basic information including the above from the storage device and displaying the storage room information of the basic information on the display device as a response to the first search request.

The refrigerator system according to the present disclosure includes the above-mentioned refrigerator and an external device communicably connected to the refrigerator, and the refrigerator is provided with a communication device for communicating with the external device, and input a request from the external device. If there is, the storage room information as a response is specified from the storage device and transmitted to an external device via the communication device for display.

According to the present disclosure, basic information is input by the user himself / herself and stored in the storage device, and based on the basic information stored in the storage device, the storage room information in which the target food is stored is displayed on the display device. Since the basic information is the information input by the user himself / herself, it is possible to accurately identify the target food requested by the user, and as a result, it is possible to accurately grasp the storage room in which the target food is stored.

It is a front view of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the food registration operation of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the initial screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the food input screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the storage room input screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the food search operation of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the food search screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the search result screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the appropriate storage room notification operation of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the storage room input screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the storage room proposal function of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the storage room input screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the proposal screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the network configuration of the refrigerator system including the refrigerator in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the network configuration of the refrigerator system of Embodiment 3. FIG.

Embodiment 1.
First, the configuration of the refrigerator will be described.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 has a refrigerating chamber 20 having an opening / closing door 2 and an opening / closing door 3 at the top thereof, an ice making chamber 21 having a drawer door 4 below the refrigerating chamber 20, and ice making. It is provided with a switching chamber 22 arranged in parallel with the chamber 21 with a drawer door 5. The switching chamber 22 can switch the temperature zone. The refrigerator 1 further includes a freezing room 23 arranged with a drawer door 6 below the ice making room 21 and the switching room 22, and a vegetable room 24 arranged with a drawer door 7 below the freezing room 23. ing. In the present specification, the refrigerating room 20, the ice making room 21, the switching room 22, the freezing room 23, and the vegetable room 24 are collectively referred to as a plurality of storage rooms. Multiple storage chambers have different temperature zones.

The opening / closing door 3 is provided with an operation panel 8 on its surface. The operation panel 8 includes a display device 8a for displaying various information such as the temperature and setting of each storage room, and an input device 8b for inputting various information by the user. The display device 8a is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and the input device 8b is composed of, for example, an operation switch. Further, the operation panel 8 may be configured by a touch panel having both a display device 8a and an input device 8b.

A storage case 9 is installed in each of the opening / closing door 2 and the opening / closing door 3 to store food. A storage case 10 is installed in the drawer door 5, a storage case 11 is installed in the drawer door 6, and a storage case 12 is installed in the drawer door 7. Food can be stored in each of the storage case 10, the storage case 11, and the storage case 12. Similarly, a storage case (not shown) is installed in the drawer door 4. There may be one storage case or two or more storage cases.

A shelf 13 is arranged in the refrigerating room 20. The number of shelves 13 may be one or two or more. Further, in the refrigerating chamber 20, a chilled case for storing the chilled food 17 is arranged to form the chilled chamber 14.

A lighting device 19 such as an LED or a lamp is installed in each storage room. Specifically, it lights up when the door of each storage room is opened, such as the ceiling of the refrigerating room 20, the upper part of the chilled room 14, the ice making room 21, the switching room 22, the upper part of the frontage of each of the freezing room 23 and the vegetable room 24, and the like. The lighting device 19 is installed at a position where the light of the device 19 is easily visible. The lighting device 19 is provided separately from the lighting device (not shown) that illuminates the inside of the storage room when the door of each storage room is opened. The timing at which the lighting device 19 is lit will be described later.

Refrigerator 1 is equipped with a microphone 18 for voice recognition. The microphone 18 is attached at a height of, for example, 1300 mm to 1600 mm from the floor of the refrigerator. Although the microphone 18 shows an example attached to the upper part of the operation panel 8 in FIG. 1, the microphone 18 is not limited to this position. The microphone 18 may be mounted at an appropriate height position in order to acquire the user's voice. The microphone 18 functions as an input device for inputting various information.

A control board 25 is further installed in the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 25a is mounted on the control board 25. The control device 25a is composed of a microprocessor unit, includes an arithmetic unit 25aa such as a CPU, and a storage device 25ab, and the storage device 25ab stores a control program and basic information described later. For the storage device 25ab, for example, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or the like is used. The control device 25a controls the entire refrigerator according to the control program.

Further, the control device 25a has a food registration function for registering food in the refrigerator 1, a food search function for searching a storage room for food stored in the refrigerator 1, and an appropriate storage for notifying an appropriate storage room for food. It has a room notification function and a storage room proposal function that proposes an appropriate storage room for food. These functions are realized by executing the control program on the arithmetic unit 25aa. The control device 25a is not limited to the microprocessor unit. For example, the control device 25a may be configured by an updatable device such as firmware. Further, the control device 25a may be a program module and may be executed by a command from a CPU or the like (not shown).

(Food registration function)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the food registration operation of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an initial screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a food input screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a storage room input screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

When the food is newly stored in the refrigerator 1, the user performs the registration work of registering the food in the refrigerator 1. The initial screen 30 is displayed on the display device 8a of the operation panel 8 (step S1). On the initial screen 30, a "register stored food" button 30a, a "find food" button 30b, and a "store food" button 30c are displayed. When the control device 25a detects that the "register stored food" button 30a is pressed (step S2), the control device 25a displays the food input screen 31 shown in FIG. 6 on the display device 8a (step S3). The food input screen 31 has a keyboard unit 31a on which a keyboard for inputting characters is displayed and a selection input unit 31b on which a history for performing selection input is displayed, and the user performs an input operation using the finger 16. conduct.

The selection button 31ba showing the name of the food registered in the past is displayed on the selection input unit 31b. By selecting the selection button 31ba, the food name indicated by the selection button 31ba is input. The food names registered in the past are displayed at the higher level of the selection input unit 31b as the number of selections increases. The selection input unit 31b is a horizontally long display area, and a plurality of selection buttons 31ba are displayed side by side, and are from upper to lower from left to right. Note that this display example is an example, and when the selection input unit 31b is a vertically long display area, it may be from top to bottom from top to bottom.

When the food name is input by the input using the keyboard unit 31a or the selection input using the selection input unit 31b on the food input screen 31 (step S4), the control device 25a is the storage chamber input screen shown in FIG. 32 is displayed on the display device 8a (step S5). On the storage room input screen 32, a schematic diagram of the refrigerator 1 in a state where the opening / closing door 2 and the opening / closing door 3 are opened is displayed. In this schematic diagram, the opening / closing door 2, the opening / closing door 3, the portion 21a other than the chilled chamber 14 of the refrigerating chamber 20, the chilled chamber 14 of the refrigerating chamber 20, the ice making chamber 21, the switching chamber 22, the freezing chamber 23 and the vegetable compartment 24 are shown. A square-shaped selection button 32a corresponding to each is shown.

The user inputs the storage room for storing food by pressing any of the selection buttons 32a with the finger 16. Since food registration using the food registration function is mainly performed by a user (for example, a mother) who uses the refrigerator 1, when inputting a storage room, a storage room in a temperature range suitable for storing food is input. ..

When the control device 25a detects that one of the selection buttons 32a is pressed and the storage chamber is input (step S6), the control device 25a performs the next process. The control device 25a stores in the storage device 25ab basic information including the storage room information regarding the storage room corresponding to the selected selection button 32a and the food name input on the food input screen 31 (step S7). ..

From the above, basic information such as which storage room of the refrigerator 1 the food was stored in is registered in the refrigerator 1. A plurality of basic information is registered in the refrigerator 1. The reference information can be updated by the user inputting it again from the operation panel 8. Since the standard information can be updated, the food storage room can be customized according to the user's taste. Further, the storage room information may be a storage room name or an identification number assigned to each storage room, as long as it is information that can identify the storage room.

When the control device 25a finishes storing the basic information in the storage device 25ab, the display of the operation panel 8 returns to the initial screen 30.

When the control device 25a detects that, for example, the open / close door 2 or the open / close door 3 is opened by the door detection sensor (not shown) after the food registration is performed by the user, the control device 25a inputs the storage room as the storage location. The lighting device 19 is turned on. Specifically, for example, in the food registration operation, when the opening / closing door 2 is opened after the basic information including the chicken thigh and the chilled chamber is registered, the control device 25a is a lighting device installed in the chilled chamber 14. Turn on 19. This allows the user to instantly visually recognize where to store it.

Although the example in which the basic information is input from the input device 8b of the operation panel 8 is shown here, it may be input by voice from the microphone 18. Further, by incorporating a timer in the control device 25a and simultaneously storing the date and time information in which the basic information is registered, it is possible to provide the progress information and the history information from the registration date.

By registering the basic information in the storage device 25ab in this way, the basic information can be shared by a plurality of users. By sharing basic information with multiple users, the food search function described in detail below can be realized, and the time for searching for food can be shortened. In addition, the appropriate storage room notification function described in detail below can be realized, and the storage room can be organized.

(Food search function)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a food search operation of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a food search screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a search result screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

When the user wants to know where the target food is stored in the refrigerator 1, the "find food" button 30b is displayed on the initial screen 30 (see FIG. 5) (step S11) displayed on the display device 8a. Press. When the control device 25a detects that the "find food" button 30b is pressed on the initial screen 30 (step S12), the control device 25a displays the food search screen 33 shown in FIG. 9 on the display device 8a (step S13). The food search screen 33 has a keyboard unit 33a on which a keyboard for inputting characters is displayed, and a selection input unit 33b on which food candidates for inputting selection are displayed, and the user inputs using the finger 16. Perform the operation. The candidates displayed in the selection input unit 33b are food candidates predicted based on the characters input from the keyboard unit 33a.

The user inputs the name of the food to be searched from the keyboard unit 33a or by pressing any of the selection buttons 33ba displayed on the selection input unit 33b. When the food name is input (step S14), the control device 25a displays the search result screen 34 (see FIG. 10) showing the storage room information in which the food of the food name is stored on the display device 8a. As a specific process, when the food name is input on the food search screen 33, the control device 25a detects that the first search request including the food name is input. When the control device 25a detects that the first search request has been input, the control device 25a searches the storage device 25ab based on the food name of the first search request, and identifies the basic information including the food name of the first search request. Then, the control device 25a displays the search result screen 34 showing the storage room information included in the specified basic information on the display device 8a as a response to the first search request (step S15).

On the search result screen 34, a message that the target food is stored in the storage room identified by the storage room information of the basic information is displayed in characters, and the refrigerator 1 with the open / close door 2 and the open / close door 3 open is displayed. A schematic diagram of is displayed. In the schematic diagram of the refrigerator 1, the storage chamber portion thereof is identified and displayed. In the example of FIG. 10, the freezing chamber 23 is identified and displayed. With this search result screen 34, the user can grasp the storage room in which the target food is stored without opening the refrigerator 1. Therefore, since the trouble of searching for food can be saved, the time for keeping the door of the refrigerator 1 open for searching for food can be shortened, and the power consumption can be reduced.

After displaying the search result screen 34, the control device 25a turns on the lighting device 19 of the storage room when the door of the corresponding storage room displayed on the search result screen 34 is opened. This allows the user to instantly visually recognize that the desired food is stored in the now opened storage room. Further, for example, when the target food is stored in the chilled chamber 14, the lighting device 19 of the chilled chamber 14 lights up when the open / close door 2 or the open / close door 3 is opened, so that the chilled chamber 20 is particularly chilled. It is possible to instantly visually recognize that the target food is stored in 14.

Although the example of inputting the food name from the food search screen 33 is shown here, it may be input by voice from the microphone 18.

(Appropriate storage room notification function)
Even if the first user (for example, a mother) who mainly uses the refrigerator 1 selects a storage room in a temperature range suitable for the food and stores the food properly and organizes the inside of the refrigerator 1, the refrigerator 1 is used only occasionally. A second user (eg, a child) who does not use it may move the food. In this case, the next time the first user tries to take out the food from the refrigerator 1, it takes time to find the food, which leads to an increase in power consumption. The appropriate storage room notification function is an effective function in such a case, and is a function for promoting storage in an appropriate place. Hereinafter, the appropriate storage room notification function will be described assuming that the food A is stored in a storage room in a temperature zone suitable for the food A and the basic information is registered by the first user.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the proper storage room notification operation of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a storage room input screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

The second user takes out the food A stored in the refrigerator 1 from the refrigerator 1 and then returns the food A to the refrigerator 1 to input the storage information as follows. First, the second user presses the "food storage" button 30c on the initial screen 30 (step S21) displayed on the display device 8a. When the control device 25a detects that the "store food" button is pressed (step S22), the control device 25a displays the food input screen 31 (see FIG. 6) on the display device 8a (step S23). When the food name is input by the second user on the food input screen 31 (step S24), the control device 25a subsequently displays the storage room input screen 32 (see FIG. 7) on the display device 8a (step S25). .. The second user inputs the storage room for storing the food A by pressing any of the selection buttons 32a on the storage room input screen 32 with the finger 16. The storage information is input by the above.

When any of the selection buttons 32a is pressed (step S26), the control device 25a includes a second search request including the food name of the food A and the storage room information of the storage room corresponding to the selected selection button 32a. Is detected as input. When the control device 25a detects that the second search request has been input, the control device 25a compares the storage room information of the second search request with the storage room information of the corresponding basic information. The corresponding basic information is searched from the storage device 25ab based on the food name input on the food input screen 31.

When the storage room information input on the storage room input screen 32 and the storage room information of the basic information are different (step S27), the control device 25a displays the storage room notification screen 35 showing the storage room information of the basic information. It is displayed on the display device 8a as a response to the second search request (step S28). On the storage room notification screen 35, a message prompting storage in the storage room identified by the storage room information of the basic information is displayed in characters, and a schematic diagram of the refrigerator 1 with the open / close door 2 and the open / close door 3 open. Is displayed, and the storage room is identified and displayed on the schematic diagram. In the example of FIG. 12, the freezing chamber 23 is identified and displayed.

The storage room information of the basic information is the storage room information of the temperature zone suitable for storing the food A registered by the first user. Therefore, the second user can grasp the storage room suitable for storing the food A from the storage room notification screen 35. The control device 25a displays a correct answer screen (not shown) for notifying that the storage location is correct when the storage room information input on the storage room input screen 32 and the storage room information of the basic information match. Is displayed in (step S29).

After displaying the storage room notification screen 35 or the correct answer screen, the control device 25a lights the lighting device 19 of the storage room when the corresponding storage room displayed on the storage room notification screen 35 or the correct answer screen is opened. Let me. This allows the user to instantly visually recognize that the currently opened storage room is a proper storage room.

With the above appropriate storage room notification function, it is possible to confirm the appropriate storage location for food A stored in the refrigerator 1. Specific usage patterns include the following cases. For example, if the refrigerator 1 is shared with yet another third user, it is possible that the third user has already moved the food A from the proper storage location when the second user removes the food A from the refrigerator 1. There can be. In this case, the second user does not have to return the food A taken out from the refrigerator 1 to the original place. Therefore, in such a case, it is possible to organize the inside of the refrigerator by confirming the appropriate storage place of the food A by using the appropriate storage room notification function. As described above, the appropriate storage room notification function is particularly effective when the refrigerator 1 is shared with a plurality of users.

Note that the input of which storage room the second user stored the food in, that is, the input of the storage information is not limited to the method of inputting from the screen as described above. For example, the food may be photographed by a camera provided in the refrigerator 1, and the control device 25a may determine the food name and the storage room information from the photographed image and input the food.

(Storage room proposal function)
The storage room proposal function is a function of proposing a storage room suitable for storing food. The timing of using this function is arbitrary, but the storage room proposal function will be described below with an example used when registering basic information.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the storage room proposal function of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a storage room input screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a proposal screen displayed on the display device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. Steps S31 to S34 of FIG. 13 are the same as steps S1 to S4 of the flowchart of FIG. Further, steps S36 to S37 in FIG. 13 are the same as steps S6 to S7 in the flowchart of FIG. Hereinafter, the steps different from those in FIG. 4 will be mainly described in the flowchart of FIG.

After the food name is input in step S34, the control device 25a displays the storage room input screen 36 with the storage room proposal function shown in FIG. 14 (step S35). In the storage room input screen 36 with the storage room proposal function, a “recommended” button 36a is further displayed on the storage room input screen 32 shown in FIG. 7. When the control device 25a detects that the "recommended" button 36a is pressed (step S38), the control device 25a displays the proposal screen 37 shown in FIG. 15 on the display device 8a (step S39). On the proposal screen 37, a message recommending storage in the storage chamber of the temperature zone suitable for storing the food input in the food input screen 31 of step S33 is displayed in characters, and the opening / closing door 2 and the opening / closing door 3 are displayed. A schematic diagram of the refrigerator 1 in the open state is displayed. The storage chamber is identified and displayed on the schematic diagram. In the example of FIG. 15, the chilled chamber 14 is identified and displayed.

In the storage device 25ab, in addition to the basic information input by the user, management information associated with the storage room information of the temperature zone suitable for storing the food is stored for each food name. The control device 25a performs the following processing as a specific processing for displaying the proposal screen 37. When the "recommended" button 36a is pressed, the control device 25a detects that the proposal request including the food name input on the food input screen 31 in step S33 has been input. When the control device 25a detects that the proposal request has been input, the control device 25a identifies the storage room information regarding the storage room in the temperature zone suitable for storing the food of the food name of the proposal request based on the management information of the storage device 25ab, and makes the proposal request. Is displayed on the display device 8a as a response to the above.

After displaying the proposal screen 37, the control device 25a turns on the lighting device 19 of the storage room when the corresponding storage room displayed on the proposal screen 37 is opened. This allows the user to instantly visually recognize that the currently opened storage room is a proper storage room.

With the above storage room proposal function, even a user who does not know the proper storage room for food can know which storage room should be stored. Therefore, for example, even if a user does not know an appropriate storage room because he / she first obtained it, he / she can smoothly store it in the refrigerator 1.

As described above, the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment includes a plurality of storage rooms, a display device 8a for displaying information, and an input device 8b for inputting information by the user. The refrigerator 1 further includes a storage device 25ab for storing basic information including the food name input from the input device 8b and the storage room information regarding the storage room for storing the food of the food name among the plurality of storage rooms. , The control device 25a is provided. When the first search request including the food name is input from the input device 8b, the control device 25a identifies the basic information including the food name of the first search request from the storage device 25ab, and stores the basic information in the storage room. It is displayed on the display device 8a as a response to the first search request.

In this way, the basic information is input by the user himself / herself and stored in the storage device 25ab, and based on the basic information stored in the storage device 25ab, the storage room information storing the target food is displayed on the display device 8a. .. Since the basic information is the information input by the user himself / herself, it is possible to accurately identify the target food requested by the user, and as a result, it is possible to accurately grasp the storage room in which the target food is stored.

Further, in the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, the storage room information of the basic information is stored in the storage room of the temperature zone suitable for storing the food of the food name of the basic information among the plurality of storage rooms having different temperature zones. Room information. When the second search request including the food name and the storage room information regarding the storage room for storing the food of the food name is input from the input device 8b, the control device 25a basically includes the food name of the second search request. Information is specified from the storage device 25ab. Then, when the storage room information of the second search request and the storage room information of the basic information are different, the control device 25a displays the storage room information of the basic information on the display device 8a as a response to the second search request.

As described above, since the storage room information of the basic information is the storage room information regarding the storage room in the temperature zone suitable for storing food, the user can properly store the food by displaying this storage room information. I can grasp the room.

In the storage device 25ab of the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, apart from the basic information, the temperature zone suitable for storing the food of the food name is among a plurality of storage chambers having different temperature zones for each food name. The management information associated with the storage room information is stored. When the proposal request including the food name is input from the input device 8b, the control device 25a stores the storage room information regarding the storage room in the temperature zone suitable for storing the food of the food name of the proposal request, and the management information of the storage device 25ab. Is specified based on the above, and is displayed on the display device 8a as a response to the proposal request.

This makes it possible for a user who does not know the proper storage room for food to know in which storage room the food should be stored.

The refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment includes a microphone 18 for inputting voice, and the microphone 18 is used as an input device.

As a result, the input operation can be performed by voice from the microphone 18.

The refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment includes lighting devices 19 arranged in each of a plurality of storage rooms. After displaying the storage room information on the display device 8a, the control device 25a turns on the lighting device 19 arranged in the opened storage room when the storage room identified by the displayed storage room information is opened.

This makes it possible to instantly and visually recognize the corresponding storage room. The corresponding storage room is a storage room in which the target food is stored at the time of the first search request, and an appropriate storage room of the food at the time of the second search request and the request for proposal.

In the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, the display device 8a is provided on the surface of the door that opens and closes the storage chamber.

This makes it possible to grasp the corresponding storage room without opening the refrigerator 1. The corresponding storage room is a storage room in which the target food is stored at the time of the first search request, and an appropriate storage room of the food at the time of the second search request and the request for proposal.

Embodiment 2.
The refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment is capable of communicating from an external device via a network. Hereinafter, the refrigerator of the second embodiment will be mainly described as different from the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment. The configuration and operation not described in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a network configuration of a refrigerator system including a refrigerator according to the second embodiment.
The refrigerator system includes a refrigerator 1A and an external device 40. The refrigerator 1A includes a communication device 25ac, and is communicably connected to the refrigerator 1A and the external device 40 via the network 50. The network 50 includes, for example, the Internet or a LAN in each home.

The external device 40 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, a personal computer installed in the user's home, or the like, and has a communication function. An application for communicating with the refrigerator 1A is installed in the external device 40, and the external device 40 can use the above-mentioned food search function, appropriate storage room notification function, and storage room proposal function in the refrigerator 1A. It is possible.

In the refrigerator 1 of the above embodiment 1, by operating the operation panel 8, it was possible to use the food search function, the appropriate storage room notification function, and the storage room proposal function. In the refrigerator 1A of the second embodiment, the external device 40 is connected to the refrigerator 1A via the network 50, and the external device 40 can use the food search function, the appropriate storage room notification function, and the storage room proposal function. That is, when each request is received from the external device 40 via the communication device 25ac, the refrigerator 1A transmits the storage room information as a response to the request to the external device 40 via the communication device 25ac. The external device 40 displays the result screen based on the storage room information from the refrigerator 1A.

As a result, the user can check the result screen using the external device 40 without going to the installation position of the refrigerator 1A. Therefore, the position of the food in the refrigerator 1A can be confirmed diligently by using, for example, the food search function from the external device 40. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the existence of food is forgotten and the expiration date of the food is expired.

Further, the refrigerator 1A may have the management information used in the storage room proposal function connected to the refrigerator 1A via the network 50 by the administrator of the refrigerator system and updated periodically.

Further, in the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, the basic information registration operation is performed by the input device 8b of the operation panel 8 of the refrigerator 1. In the refrigerator 1A of the second embodiment, the basic information can be registered from the external device 40. Specifically, the external device 40 stores the basic information input by the external device 40 in the storage device 25ab of the refrigerator 1A by transmitting the basic information to the refrigerator 1A via the communication device 25ac and the network 50.

By making it possible to register basic information from the external device 40 in this way, the following effects can be obtained. When the seller asks for an appropriate storage location when purchasing food on the go, the information on the storage location can be registered on the go using the external device 40. As a result, when returning home and storing the food in the refrigerator 1A, the food can be stored in the appropriate storage room by reading out the registered storage room by using the appropriate storage room notification function. It is difficult to remember that the basic information can be registered from the external device 40 in this way, for example, if you purchased food that has been frozen as a souvenir from a distance, but the storage location after returning home is a good chilled room. Especially useful when it comes to information.

As described above, the refrigerator 1A of the second embodiment includes a communication device 25ac that communicates with the external device 40. When the control device 25a receives a request input from the external device 40 via the communication device 25ac, the control device 25a transmits the storage room information as a response to the external device 40 via the communication device 25ac.

In this way, when the refrigerator 1A is provided with the communication device 25ac, communication with the external device 40 becomes possible.

In the refrigerator 1A of the second embodiment, the storage device 25ab includes the food name input from the external device 40 and the storage room information regarding the storage room for storing the food of the food name among the plurality of storage rooms. Memorize basic information.

As described above, the storage device 25ab of the refrigerator 1A can store not only the basic information input from the input device 8b but also the basic information input from the external device 40.

The refrigerator system of the second embodiment includes a refrigerator 1A and an external device 40 communicably connected to the refrigerator. The refrigerator 1A includes a communication device 25ac that communicates with the external device 40, and when a request is input from the external device 40, the storage room information as a response is specified from the storage device 25ab and via the communication device 25ac. A refrigerator system that sends information to an external device 40 for display. The request from the external device 40 is a part or all of the first search request, the second search request, and the proposal request.

As a result, the storage room information corresponding to the above request can be confirmed from the external device 40 as well.

Embodiment 3.
The refrigerator system of the third embodiment registers basic information and the like in a server.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a network configuration of the refrigerator system of the third embodiment.
The refrigerator system of the third embodiment has a configuration in which the refrigerator system shown in FIG. 16 is further provided with a server 60. The communication device 25ac of the refrigerator 1A is instructed to be able to communicate with the server 60. The server 60 is, for example, a cloud server, and can communicate with the refrigerator 1A and the external device 40 via the network 50.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the basic information is stored in the storage device 25ab of the refrigerator 1. In the third embodiment, the basic information input by the refrigerator 1A or the external device 40 is transmitted to the server 60 via the network 50 and registered in the server 60. Further, the server 60 holds information necessary for the food search function, the appropriate storage room notification function, and the storage room proposal function. When the first search request, the second search request, or the proposal request is input from the refrigerator 1A or the external device 40, the server 60 identifies the storage room information of the response corresponding to the request, and the refrigerator 1A or the request input source refrigerator 1A or It is transmitted to the external device 40 and displayed.

Further, the management information used in the storage room proposal function may be stored in the server 60, and the management information may be updated periodically by the administrator of the refrigerator system. Then, the refrigerator 1A or the external device 40 may be connected to the server 60 so that the management information updated as appropriate can be used.

In the refrigerator 1A of the third embodiment, the communication device 25ac is communicably connected to the server 60, and basic information is transmitted from the communication device 25ac to the server 60 and stored. Further, the refrigerator system of the third embodiment includes a server 60 that communicates with the refrigerator 1A and the external device 40. The control device 25a transmits basic information to the server 60 via the communication device 25ac and stores it in the server 60, and the server 60 identifies the storage room information as a response when a request is input from the external device 40. , It is transmitted to the external device 40 and displayed.

In this way, the basic information can be stored in the server 60, and the storage room information corresponding to the above request from the external device 40 can be transmitted from the server 60 to the external device 40 for display.

1 refrigerator, 1A refrigerator, 2 open / close door, 3 open / close door, 4 drawer door, 5 drawer door, 6 drawer door, 7 drawer door, 8 operation panel, 8a display device, 8b input device, 9 storage case, 10 storage case, 11 storage case, 12 storage case, 13 shelves, 14 chilled room, 16 fingers, 17 chilled food, 18 microphone, 19 lighting device, 20 refrigerator room, 21 ice making room, 21a chilled outdoor, 22 switching room, 23 freezer room, 24 Vegetable room, 25 control board, 25a control device, 25aa arithmetic device, 25ab storage device, 25ac communication device, 30 initial screen, 30a "register stored food" button, 30b "find food" button, 30c "store food" ”Button, 31 food input screen, 31a keyboard part, 31b selection input part, 31ba selection button, 32 storage room input screen, 32a selection button, 33 food search screen, 33a keyboard part, 33b selection input part, 33ba selection button, 34 search result screen, 35 storage room notification screen, 36 storage room input screen, 36a button, 37 proposal screen, 40 external device, 50 network, 60 server.

Claims (11)

With multiple storage rooms
A display device that displays information and
An input device where information is input by the user, and
A storage device that stores basic information including a food name and storage room information regarding a storage room that stores the food with the food name among the plurality of storage rooms, which is input from the input device.
When the first search request including the food name is input from the input device, the basic information including the food name of the first search request is specified from the storage device, and the storage room information of the basic information is obtained. A refrigerator provided with a control device for displaying on the display device as a response to the first search request. The storage room information of the basic information is storage room information regarding a storage room in a temperature zone suitable for storing the food of the food name of the basic information among the plurality of storage rooms having different temperature zones.
When the second search request including the food name and the storage room information regarding the storage room for storing the food of the food name is input from the input device, the control device inputs the food name of the second search request. When the basic information to be included is specified from the storage device and the storage room information of the second search request and the storage room information of the basic information are different, the storage room information of the basic information is searched for in the second search. The refrigerator according to claim 1, which is displayed on the display device as a response to the request. In addition to the basic information, the storage device is associated with storage room information in a temperature zone suitable for storing food with the food name among the plurality of storage rooms having different temperature zones for each food name. Management information is stored,
When the proposal request including the food name is input from the input device, the control device stores the storage room information regarding the storage room in the temperature zone suitable for storing the food of the food name of the proposal request in the storage device. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, which is specified based on the management information and displayed on the display device as a response to the proposal request. Equipped with a microphone for inputting voice
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the input device is the microphone. A lighting device arranged in each of the plurality of storage chambers is provided.
After displaying the storage room information on the display device, the control device lights the lighting device arranged in the opened storage room when the storage room identified by the displayed storage room information is opened. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display device is provided on the surface of a door that opens and closes the storage chamber. Equipped with a communication device that communicates with external devices
Claims 1 to claim that when the control device receives an input of the request from the external device via the communication device, the control device transmits the storage room information as a response to the external device via the communication device. The refrigerator according to any one of items 6. A claim that the storage device stores the basic information including a food name input from the external device and storage room information regarding a storage room for storing the food of the food name among the plurality of storage rooms. The refrigerator described in 7. The communication device is communicably connected to the server and is connected.
The refrigerator according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the basic information is transmitted from the communication device to the server and stored. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
It is equipped with an external device that is communicably connected to the refrigerator.
The refrigerator includes a communication device that communicates with the external device, and when the request is input from the external device, the storage room information as the response is specified from the storage device, and the communication device is used. A refrigerator system that is transmitted to the external device via the above and displayed. A server for communicating with the refrigerator and the external device is provided.
The control device transmits the basic information to the server via the communication device and stores the basic information in the server.
The refrigerator system according to claim 10, wherein when the server receives an input of the request from the external device, the storage room information as the response is specified and transmitted to the external device for display.

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