Refrigerator food management module and refrigerator

Abstract

The application provides a refrigerator food material management module and a refrigerator. The refrigerator food material management module comprises: an identification element, wherein a radio frequency tag is arranged on the identification element; an identification access device, wherein a radio frequency reading module is arranged in the identification access device; a control module, which is configured to control the radio frequency reading module to read the radio frequency tag in the identification access device; and a processing module, which is configured to obtain an access state of the identification element and food material information associated with the identification element according to tag information read by the radio frequency reading module, and manage a food material storage list according to a final access state of the identification element if a number of access state changes of the same identification element within a first preset time period is greater than or equal to two.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of home appliances, and in particular to a refrigerator food management module and a refrigerator using the refrigerator food management module. Background Technology

[0002] To meet diverse user needs, some refrigerators are equipped with food management devices, such as RFID tags. Users can attach RFID tags to items when storing them in the refrigerator, and the information in the RFID tags can be linked to the food information. In this way, the food in the refrigerator can be intelligently managed by the changes in the tags in the RFID tag access device.

[0003] However, since this method indirectly obtains information about the food stored in the refrigerator by reading the tag information in the RFID tag access device, inaccurate identification often occurs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention proposes a refrigerator food management module that can reduce recognition errors.

[0005] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objectives, one embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator food management module, comprising:

[0006] An identification element, wherein an RFID tag is provided on the identification element;

[0007] An identification access device, wherein the identification access device is equipped with a radio frequency reading module;

[0008] The control module is configured to control the radio frequency reading module to read the radio frequency tag in the tag access device;

[0009] The processing module is configured to obtain the access status of the identifier and the food information associated with the identifier based on the tag information read by the radio frequency reading module. If the number of access status changes of the same identifier within a first preset time period is greater than or equal to two, the food storage list is managed according to the final access status of the identifier.

[0010] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the control module is specifically configured to: control the radio frequency reading module to read the radio frequency tag of the identification device at a preset time interval;

[0011] The processing module is configured to: after receiving the tag information read by the radio frequency reading module for a second preset duration, manage the food storage list according to the access status of the tag, wherein the first preset duration is greater than or equal to twice the preset time interval, and the second preset duration is greater than or equal to twice the preset time interval.

[0012] As a further improvement to one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module is specifically configured as follows:

[0013] If the initial access state of the identifier is the same as the final access state within the first preset time period, then the food information corresponding to the identifier in the food storage list remains unchanged.

[0014] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, each of the radio frequency tags stores encoded information, and the food management module further includes a storage module, which stores the encoded information of the tags and the food information corresponding to the encoded information.

[0015] The processing module is further configured to: if the encoded information read by the radio frequency reading module is not found in the storage module, then mark the identifier as an abnormal identifier.

[0016] As a further improvement to one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module is further configured as follows:

[0017] If the coded information read by the radio frequency reading module includes two or more identical coded information, then the identifiers corresponding to the two or more identical coded information are marked as abnormal identifiers.

[0018] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module is further configured to: record the retrieval time of the identifier when the storage state of the identifier changes from the storage state to the retrieval state.

[0019] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objectives, one embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator, including a cabinet and a door for opening and closing the cabinet, and the refrigerator also includes the refrigerator of any of the above embodiments.

[0020] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator further includes a door opening / closing status detection module, which is configured to detect the opening / closing status of the door; the tag access device is installed on the door, and the control module is further configured to: when the door is detected to be in an open state, control the radio frequency reading module to read the tag in the tag access device in real time.

[0021] As a further improvement to one embodiment of the present invention, the control module is further configured as follows:

[0022] If the door's opening state changes from open to closed, the radio frequency reading module will stop operating after reading the tags in the tag storage device a preset number of times.

[0023] As a further improvement of one embodiment of the present invention, the radio frequency readout module includes dual antennas.

[0024] The refrigerator food management module provided by this invention manages the food storage list based on the final access status of the identifier when it detects that the access status of the same identifier has changed more than twice within a first preset time period. Thus, when the access status of the identifier changes too rapidly, it automatically determines an abnormal situation, filters out invalid intermediate information, and manages the food storage list based on the final access status. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a refrigerator food management module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator module according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific Implementation

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this invention, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0029] See Figures 1 to 3 This application provides a refrigerator 100, which includes a cabinet and a door 101 for opening and closing the cabinet. The storage compartments formed within the cabinet may include a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment. The door 101 may include a refrigerator door 101 for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment and a freezer door 101 for opening and closing the freezer compartment. The refrigerator 100 may also be equipped with a display screen 102, allowing users to interact with the refrigerator 100. Alternatively, the refrigerator 100 may be equipped with a voice module, allowing users to interact with the refrigerator 100 via voice commands.

[0030] The refrigerator 100 can also be equipped with a WiFi module. The WiFi module can transmit data information inside the refrigerator 100 to the cloud or retrieve information from the cloud. It can also communicate with mobile terminals such as mobile phones.

[0031] In one embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator 100 includes a refrigerator food management module 200, which can automatically manage the food information in the refrigerator 100. For example, it can obtain the food information such as the name of the food stored in the refrigerator 100 and the food storage time, and display it through the display screen 102 or broadcast it through the voice module. Of course, it can also be transmitted to mobile terminals such as mobile phones through the WiFi module for users to view in real time.

[0032] In this embodiment, the refrigerator food management module 200 includes an identification element 210 and an identification access device 220. The identification element 210 may be equipped with a radio frequency tag 211, which can be an RFID tag or an NFC tag. The identification element 210 can be a clip with the radio frequency tag 211 attached to it; alternatively, the identification element may consist solely of the radio frequency tag 211. The identification access device 220 may contain a radio frequency reading module 230. The identification element 210 can be placed within the identification access device 220, which can be installed on the door 101 of the refrigerator 100, specifically on the inside of the refrigerator door 101, facilitating user access to the identification element 210 during use. When a user wants to store food in the refrigerator 100, they can take out the label 210 from the label storage device 220, attach the label 210 to the food and store it in the refrigerator 100 together with the food. When the user takes out the food from the refrigerator 100, they can remove the label 210 attached to the food and put it back into the label storage device 220.

[0033] The food management module may also include a control module 240 and a processing module 250. The control module 240 and the processing module 250 may be independent of the control module 240 and the processing module 250 of the refrigerator 100, or they may share the control module 240 and the processing module 250 with the refrigerator 100. The processing module 250 may also be set up in the cloud.

[0034] In this embodiment, the control module 240 can be configured to control the radio frequency reading module 230 to read the radio frequency tag 211 in the tag access device 220, and the processing module 250 can be configured to obtain the access status of the tag 210 and the food information associated with the tag 210 based on the tag information read by the radio frequency reading module 230, and can manage the food storage list according to the access status of the tag 210. The food storage list can be displayed on the display screen 102, and the food information stored in the refrigerator 100 can be obtained through the food storage list.

[0035] The RFID tag 211 can store encoded information, and each tag 211 can have a unique corresponding code. The refrigerator food management module 200 may also include a storage module 260, which can store the code of the tag 210 and the food information corresponding to each code. The food information corresponding to each code is the food information associated with its corresponding tag 210. At the same time, for user convenience, the corresponding food information can be indicated on the tag 210 using text or graphics.

[0036] After receiving the code of tag 211 read by RFID reader 230, processing module 250 can query storage module 260 to see if the corresponding code exists and the corresponding food information. Then, it determines whether the food is stored inside refrigerator 100 based on the access status of tag 210. When the access status of tag 210 in tag access device 220 changes, it can be assumed that the food stored inside refrigerator 100 has changed.

[0037] Of course, the storage module 260 may also store only the preset code of the identification piece 210. When the radio frequency reading module 230 detects that the user has taken the identification piece 210 out of the identification storage device 220, if the storage module 260 does not store the food information corresponding to the code of the identification piece 210, a prompt can be issued through the display screen 102, voice module, or mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, prompting the user to input the food information and storing the input food information in the storage module 260. When it is detected that the user has put the identification piece 210 back into the identification storage device 220, the food information corresponding to the code of the identification piece 210 can be deleted from the storage module 260.

[0038] Furthermore, the code stored in tag 211 can be the code that comes with the RFID tag 211 during manufacturing, or it can be a code written later. In order to improve transmission efficiency, short codes such as 01, 02, and 03 can be written into tag 211, which also facilitates the management of storage module 260 and mass production.

[0039] For a specific example, the tag storage device 220 can store five tags 210, and the tag 211 codes of the five tags 210 can be 01, 02, 03, 04, and 05 respectively. The storage module 260 can store the food information corresponding to each code, such as 01-beef; 02-fish; 03-apple; 04-vegetable; 05-milk. If the radio frequency reading module 230 detects that the code of the tag 211 placed in the tag storage device 220 is 01, 03, or 04, then the storage status of the tags 210 corresponding to 01, 03, and 04 can be marked as stored, and the status of the tags 210 corresponding to 02 and 05 can be marked as retrieved. In other words, it can be assumed that the user took the corresponding identification piece 210 for 02 and 05 and attached it to the corresponding food items and stored it inside the refrigerator 100. At this time, the food storage list can show that the refrigerator 100 stores fish and milk. For example, the refrigerator 100 display screen 102 can show 02-fish and 05-milk in the stored food item column.

[0040] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module 250 is further configured to manage the food storage list according to the final access status of the identifier 210 if the number of access status changes of the same identifier 210 within a first preset time period is greater than or equal to two.

[0041] In this embodiment, if multiple changes in the access status of the identifier 210 are detected within a first preset time period, it can be determined that there may be an abnormal situation. For example, the user may be blocking the label 211 of other identifiers 210 during the process of taking out or storing the identifier 210 from the identifier access device 220, resulting in failure to identify it. Or, the refrigerator door 101 or the identifier access device 220 may be shaking during use, causing the identifier 210 stored in the identifier access device 220 to jump, resulting in the radio frequency reading module 230 failing to read the label 211 of the identifier 210. Alternatively, the label 211 attached to the food may be misread when the user takes out some food or checks the food. If the food storage list is updated in real time according to the actual access status of the identifier 210, it will affect the accuracy of the corresponding food information storage. At the same time, the storage information of the food information corresponding to the same identifier 210 in the food storage list may change continuously in a short period of time. The corresponding information may jump on the display screen 102 or be repeatedly broadcast through the voice module, which may give users the impression of a malfunction and affect the user experience.

[0042] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the control module 240 is specifically configured to: control the radio frequency reading module 230 to read the radio frequency tag 211 in the identification access device 220 at a preset time interval; the processing module 250 is configured to: manage the food storage list according to the access status of the identification item 210 after receiving the tag information read by the radio frequency reading module 230 for a second preset time, wherein the first preset time is greater than or equal to twice the preset time interval, and the second preset time is greater than or equal to twice the preset time interval.

[0043] In this embodiment, the radio frequency (RF) reading module 230 may include an antenna, and to improve the accuracy of identification, the RF reading module 230 may include dual antennas. The tag storage device 220 may be a box installed on the door liner of the door body 101. The box may extend along the width direction of the door body 101. The dual antennas may be respectively set at both ends of the box, synchronously scanning the tags 210 inside the tag storage device 220, and performing deduplication processing after scanning to remove the codes corresponding to tags that are scanned repeatedly by the two antennas. During operation, the RF reading module 230 may continue to work, and the antenna may scan sequentially from one side to the other. The preset time interval may be the time required for the antenna to complete one scan, that is, the same tag is scanned by the antenna once after the preset time interval. Of course, the preset time interval may also be the time interval between the antenna completing one scan and the antenna restarting scan, or the time interval between two antenna startup times.

[0044] The information from tag 211 read by RFID reader 230 can be transmitted to processing module 250. Processing module 250 can process the tag 211 information and display it on display screen 102. Processing module 250 updates the food storage list after receiving the tag information from RFID reader 230 for a second preset time. In this way, during the time between two updates to the food storage list, RFID reader 230 can read the tag 211 of the identification element 210 in identification access device 220 at least twice, thereby obtaining more accurate information while ensuring the timeliness of food storage list updates as much as possible.

[0045] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module 250 is specifically configured as follows:

[0046] If the initial access state of the identifier 210 is the same as the final access state within the first preset time period, then the food information corresponding to the identifier 210 in the food storage list remains unchanged.

[0047] For a specific example, if at time t1 the access status of the identifier with tag code 01 is detected as "placed", at time t2 the access status of the identifier with tag code 01 is detected as "removed", and at time t3 the access status of the identifier with tag code 01 is detected as "stored", if the time interval from time t1 to time t3 is less than the first preset time, and the access status of the identifier 210 is the same at time t1 and time t3, that is, the initial access status and the final access status of the identifier 210 are the same within the first preset time, then it can be considered that the access status of the identifier 210 has not changed within the first preset time, and there is no need to update the food information associated with the identifier 210 in the food storage list.

[0048] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module 250 is further configured to:

[0049] If the encoded information read by the radio frequency reading module 230 is not found in the storage module 260, the identifier 210 is marked as an abnormal identifier 210.

[0050] In this embodiment, if the user places other items with RFID tags 211 into the tag storage device 220, it will generate disruptive information, which may cause the food storage list to become disordered. Therefore, when the encoded information read by the RFID reading module 230 is not stored in the storage module 260, the tag 210 can be directly marked as an abnormal tag 210. This can be indicated through interactive modules such as the display screen 102. At the same time, the tag 210 can be directly recorded as an abnormal tag 210 in the storage module 260 without updating the food storage list based on it.

[0051] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module 250 is further configured to: if the encoded information read by the radio frequency reading module 230 includes two or more identical encoded information, then mark the identifiers 210 corresponding to the two or more identical codes as abnormal identifiers 210.

[0052] In this embodiment, to ensure the normal operation of the food management module, each identifier 210 has a unique code that differs from the codes of other identifiers 210, thereby distinguishing different foods through coding. If the radio frequency reading module 230 reads two identical coding information, it indicates that an identifier 210 from another refrigerator of the same type 100 may have been mistakenly placed into the identifier access device 220. Therefore, to avoid confusion of food information, identifiers 210 with the same label code can be marked as abnormal identifiers 210.

[0053] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module 250 is further configured to: record the retrieval time of the identifier 210 when the storage state of the identifier 210 changes from the storage state to the retrieval state.

[0054] In this embodiment, the removal time of the identifier 210 can be recorded when it is removed. The removal time of the identifier 210 can be determined as the time when the corresponding food item was stored in the refrigerator 100. Thus, the storage time of the corresponding food item can be recorded based on the removal time of the identifier 210. The storage module 260 can also store the optimal storage time for the food item. When it is detected that the storage time of the food item has reached the optimal storage time, a corresponding prompt can be issued. If the storage and retrieval status of the identifier 210 changes twice or more within the first preset time period, and both the initial storage and retrieval status and the final storage and retrieval status are both in the removal state, then the removal time corresponding to the identifier 210 is recorded according to the initial storage and retrieval status. In this way, it is possible to avoid errors in recording the storage time of the corresponding food item due to abnormal states, which would prevent the prompt from being issued in a timely manner when the actual storage time of the food item reaches the optimal storage time.

[0055] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, a door opening / closing status detection module 103 may also be installed on the refrigerator door 101 of the refrigerator 100. The door opening / closing status detection module 103 can be used to detect the opening / closing status of the door 101. The door opening / closing status detection module 103 may be a pressure sensor, a Hall sensor, or any other suitable sensor installed between the door 101 and the refrigerator body. The control module 240 is configured to: when the door 101 is detected to be in an open state, control the radio frequency reading module 230 to read the tag 211 in the identification storage device in real time; if the opening / closing status of the door 101 changes from an open state to a closed state, control the radio frequency reading module 230 to read the tag 211 in the identification storage device a preset number of times and then stop operating. Thus, reading the tag 211 information of the identification component 210 in real time when the door is opened can improve the timeliness and accuracy of the radio frequency reading module 230 in reading the tag 211; after the door is closed, the radio frequency reading module 230 stops running after a preset number of readings, which can both ensure the accuracy of the identification component 210 and reduce energy consumption.

[0056] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0057] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific illustrations of feasible embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator food management module, characterized in that, include: An identification element, wherein an RFID tag is provided on the identification element; The identification storage device is equipped with an RFID reading module. When storing food in the refrigerator, the identification piece can be taken out from the identification storage device and attached to the food. The identification piece is then stored in the refrigerator together with the food. When taking the food out of the refrigerator, the identification piece attached to the food can be removed and placed into the identification storage device. The control module is configured to control the radio frequency reading module to read the radio frequency tag in the tag access device; The processing module is configured to obtain the access status of the identifier and the food information associated with the identifier based on the tag information read by the radio frequency reading module. If the number of times the access status of the same identifier changes within a first preset time period is greater than or equal to two, the food storage list is managed according to the final access status of the identifier. The control module is specifically configured to control the radio frequency reading module to read the radio frequency tag of the identification device at a preset time interval; The processing module is configured to: after receiving the tag information read by the radio frequency reading module for a second preset duration, manage the food storage list according to the access status of the tag, wherein the first preset duration is greater than or equal to twice the preset time interval, and the second preset duration is greater than or equal to twice the preset time interval.

2. The refrigerator food management module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The processing module is specifically configured as follows: If the initial access state of the identifier is the same as the final access state within the first preset time period, then the food information corresponding to the identifier in the food storage list remains unchanged.

3. The refrigerator food management module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the RFID tags stores encoded information. The food management module also includes a storage module that stores the encoded information of the tags and the food information corresponding to the encoded information. The processing module is further configured to: if the encoded information read by the radio frequency reading module is not found in the storage module, then mark the identifier as an abnormal identifier.

4. The refrigerator food management module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The processing module is further configured to: If the coded information read by the radio frequency reading module includes two or more identical coded information, then the identifiers corresponding to the two or more identical coded information are marked as abnormal identifiers.

5. The refrigerator food management module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The processing module is further configured to record the retrieval time of the identifier when the storage state of the identifier changes from the storage state to the retrieval state.

6. A refrigerator, comprising a cabinet and a door for opening and closing the cabinet, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a refrigerator food management module as described in any one of claims 1-5.

7. The refrigerator as described in claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a door opening / closing status detection module, which is configured to detect the opening / closing status of the door; the tag access device is installed on the door, and the control module is further configured to: when the door is detected to be in an open state, control the radio frequency reading module to read the tag in the tag access device in real time.

8. The refrigerator as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The control module is also configured to: If the door's opening state changes from open to closed, the radio frequency reading module will stop operating after reading the tags in the tag storage device a preset number of times.

9. The refrigerator as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The radio frequency readout module includes dual antennas.

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