Refrigerator and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a refrigerator and a control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises a smell sensor module used for sensing the smell of food materials, a signal processing module used for receiving and processing signals sensed by the smell sensor module, and a food material judging module used for comparing processing data of the signal processing module with a prepared sample database to obtain food material information. The automatic input module is used for automatically generating input food material management and control information according to a judgment result of the food material judgment module; according to the refrigerator capable of recognizing the food materials based on the smell, in the specific operation process, the food materials in the refrigerator are recognized through smell perception, the freshness of the food materials is judged, in this way, the food material input efficiency is high, the freshness of the food materials can be accurately judged, then a user can be reminded, it is avoided that the food materials go bad after being stored for a long time, and the user experience is improved. Compared with an intelligent refrigerator in the prior art, food material management and control can be better achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of intelligent refrigerators, and in particular to a refrigerator and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of science and technology and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the use of various household appliances such as refrigerators has become more and more popular. At present, refrigerators have become an indispensable household appliance in people's lives. As an important part of family diet, they have assumed the function of storing food. In recent years, in addition to the simple food storage function, intelligence has gradually become a major development trend of refrigerators, and the control of the freshness of food has become an indispensable part of the intelligence of refrigerators.

[0003] In the process of controlling the freshness of food, it is necessary to enter information about the food to be stored. Although there are many methods for entering food in smart refrigerators in the prior art, there are still many inconveniences in operation. Specifically: the first method is to manually enter food information, which requires frequent manual input operations, is complicated and inefficient; the second method is to use voice to enter food information, which has the problem of difficulty in entering information when the network is not good or the voice recognition rate is low, and requires a large time cost; the third method is to use image recognition to enter information. For this method, if the food is packaged or piled together, it will not be recognized; the fourth method is to use radio frequency identification technology such as RFID, which requires labels to be made for each food, and the cost of use is very high.

[0004] Generally speaking, the current methods of entering ingredients into smart refrigerators, such as manual, voice, image recognition, RFID, etc., all have some shortcomings to a greater or lesser extent, which makes users inefficient when entering ingredient information, has high learning and usage costs, and results in poor user experience; and although there are expiration reminders after the ingredients are entered, they are not accurate enough because the freshness of each ingredient when stored in the refrigerator is uncertain.

[0005] In view of this, it is necessary to provide an improved technical solution to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, the present invention provides a refrigerator, and its specific design is as follows.

[0007] A refrigerator comprises a box body having a storage chamber for storing food, the refrigerator also comprising an odor sensor module for sensing the odor of food, a signal processing module for receiving and processing the sensing signal of the odor sensor module, a food determination module for comparing the processing data of the signal processing module with a prepared sample database to obtain the food information, and an automatic entry module for automatically generating and entering food control information according to the determination result of the food determination module.

[0008] Furthermore, the refrigerator is also provided with a seat corresponding to the storage chamber, at least one of the odor sensor modules can be detachably coupled to the seat, and the seat is provided with a charging port for charging the odor sensor module when the odor sensor module is coupled to the seat.

[0009] Furthermore, the signal processing module is located in the base.

[0010] Furthermore, the seat body has a fixed portion and a movable portion movably arranged relative to the fixed portion, and a accommodating cavity for the odor sensor module to cooperate with is formed in the movable portion; the side wall of the storage chamber is provided with a groove, and the fixed portion is fixedly arranged corresponding to the groove, and the movable portion has the ability to move toward the outside of the groove to an open state in which the odor sensor module is exposed to the storage chamber, and to move toward the inside of the groove to a closed state in which the odor sensor module is accommodated in the groove.

[0011] Furthermore, the movable portion has a partition facing the interior of the storage chamber when in the receiving state, and a first vent hole connecting the accommodating cavity and the storage chamber is provided on the partition.

[0012] Furthermore, the odor sensor module includes a shell, an odor sensor disposed inside the shell, and a battery, and the shell is provided with a second vent hole for external air to enter.

[0013] Furthermore, the odor sensor module also includes a fan disposed in the shell for accelerating air convection inside and outside the shell.

[0014] Furthermore, the odor sensor module also includes an indicator light for displaying the working status of the odor sensor.

[0015] The present invention also provides a control method for a refrigerator, the refrigerator being the refrigerator described above, the control method comprising the following steps:

[0016] The odor sensor module senses the odor of food;

[0017] The signal processing module receives the sensing signal of the odor sensor module and processes it;

[0018] The food determination module compares the processed data of the signal processing module with the prepared sample database to obtain the type information and / or freshness information of the food;

[0019] The automatic input module automatically generates and inputs food control information according to the determination result of the food determination module.

[0020] Furthermore, the food management information includes shelf life information, and the refrigerator control method also includes sending an expiration reminder to the user through the refrigerator display and / or mobile communication APP.

[0021] The beneficial effect of the present invention is: based on the refrigerator provided by the present invention, during the specific operation process, the food in the refrigerator is identified and the freshness of the food is judged through odor perception. This method is not only efficient when entering food, but also can accurately judge the freshness of the food, and then can remind the user to avoid the food from being stored for a long time and spoiling. Compared with the existing technology, smart refrigerators can better realize food control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of an implementation structure of a refrigerator involved in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of an operation control flow of the refrigerator involved in the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 Shown is a schematic diagram of using an odor sensor module to sense odor and subsequent response;

[0026] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the odor sensor module and the base;

[0027] Figure 5 Shown is a schematic diagram of the movable portion of the seat body in a closed state;

[0028] Figure 6 Shown is a front schematic diagram of the odor sensor module;

[0029] Figure 7 Shown is an exploded view of the scent sensor module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] refer to Figure 1 As shown, the refrigerator involved in the present invention includes a box body 100, and the box body 100 has a storage chamber 10 for storing food. It can be understood that the box body 100 can have multiple storage chambers 10, and the storage chamber can be a refrigerator or a freezer, and the specific setting method can be referred to the prior art.

[0032] The refrigerator involved in the present invention also includes an odor sensor module 200 for sensing the odor of food, a signal processing module that receives and processes the sensing signal of the odor sensor module 200, an ingredient determination module that compares the processed data of the signal processing module with the prepared sample database to obtain ingredient information, and an automatic input module that automatically generates and inputs ingredient control information according to the determination result of the ingredient determination module. It is relatively easy to understand that the ingredient information involved in the present invention can include the type information of the ingredient, the freshness information, and other information that can show the characteristics of the ingredient.

[0033] Based on the refrigerator provided by the present invention, reference Figure 2 As shown, the control method includes the following steps:

[0034] The odor sensor module 200 senses the odor of food;

[0035] The signal processing module receives the sensing signal of the odor sensor module 200 and processes it;

[0036] The food determination module compares the processed data of the signal processing module with the prepared sample database to obtain the type information and / or freshness information of the food;

[0037] The automatic input module automatically generates and inputs food control information according to the judgment results of the food judgment module.

[0038] It should be understood that each food has its own unique smell, and there are certain differences in the smell characteristics at different freshness. Based on this, the smell characteristics of common food ingredients and the smell characteristics at different freshness can be collected through the smell sensor to form a preparatory sample database (this action can be completed by the user; it can also be completed by the manufacturer before the refrigerator leaves the factory; or it can be completed by the user and the manufacturer together). During the operation control process of the refrigerator, the food determination module can call the relevant data of the preparatory sample database.

[0039] Combination Figure 3As shown, the prepared sample database can be uploaded and stored in the cloud server 400. In this way, when the user puts food in the refrigerator, the odor sensor module 200 works to collect the odor characteristics of the food, and judges the type and freshness of the food based on the comparison of the collected odor characteristics with the prepared sample database of the cloud server 400, thereby realizing the automatic entry of food information. The user can enter the food information without user operation during the whole process, which is simple and efficient. In addition, compared with other existing technologies, the freshness of food can be judged more accurately through odor sensing, and the user can be reminded to avoid the food from being stored for a long time and deteriorating. Compared with the existing technology, the smart refrigerator can better realize food control.

[0040] Further in combination with FIG. 2 , during the operation control process of the refrigerator, the food control information may include shelf life information, and the refrigerator control method may further include sending an expiration reminder to the user via the refrigerator display screen 11 and / or a mobile communication APP. The mobile communication APP may generally be an APP application loaded on a mobile phone 500 or other mobile communication tools.

[0041] In specific application scenarios, dual reminders issued through the refrigerator display and mobile communication APP allow users to handle food in a timely manner and better avoid waste caused by spoilage.

[0042] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, Figure 1 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the refrigerator corresponding to the storage chamber 10 is also provided with a seat body 300, at least one odor sensor module 200 can be detachably matched to the seat body 300, and the seat body 300 is provided with a charging port for charging the odor sensor module 200 when the odor sensor module 200 is matched to the seat body 300.

[0043] It can be understood that in the specific implementation of the present invention, the storage chamber 10 is preferably provided with a plurality of odor sensor modules 200, and the plurality of odor sensor modules 200 can be separated and matched to the base 300. In the application scenario where the food is placed in a packaging bag, the odor sensor module 200 can be taken out of the base 300 and placed in the packaging bag, thereby realizing the odor collection of the corresponding food, and the plurality of odor sensors can simultaneously adapt to the odor collection of a plurality of food with packaging bags; and in the application scenario where the food is directly exposed to the internal space of the storage chamber 10, the odor sensor 200 located in the base 300 can directly collect the odor of the food.

[0044] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in a specific implementation structure of the present invention, the signal processing module is located in the base body 300. The odor sensor 200 can transmit the collected and sensed odor signal to the signal processing module in the base body 300 by wireless or wired means, and then send the processed data to the food determination module through the signal processing module.

[0045] Further references Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, in this specific embodiment, the base 300 has a fixed portion 32 and a movable portion 31 movably arranged relative to the fixed portion 32, wherein a receiving cavity 311 for the odor sensor module 200 to cooperate with is formed in the movable portion 31. Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, a groove (not marked in the figure) is provided on the side wall of the storage chamber 10, and the fixing portion 32 is fixedly arranged corresponding to the groove, and the movable portion 31 has the ability to move toward the outside of the groove to an open state in which the odor sensor module 200 is exposed to the storage chamber 10, and to move toward the inside of the groove to a closed state in which the odor sensor module 200 is accommodated in the groove. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The movable portion 31 is shown in two different states: open and closed.

[0046] More specifically, in Figure 4 , Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the movable part 31 rotates the connecting column fixing part 32 via a rotating shaft (not shown in the figure) at the bottom, and the two can rotate relative to each other at a certain angle. In the specific implementation process, the refrigerator has a position holding mechanism that locks the movable part 31 in the closed state, and the holding mechanism can be unlocked by pressing a button, etc., so that the movable part 31 can be opened, thereby making it convenient for users to take out the odor sensor module 200.

[0047] exist Figure 1 In the refrigerator implementation structure shown, the fixing portion 32 is independently provided from the refrigerator body 100 and is embedded and fixed in the groove. It can be understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, the fixing portion 32 of the base 300 can also constitute a part of the body 100.

[0048] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, in some specific embodiments of the invention, the movable portion 31 has a partition 310 facing the interior of the storage chamber 10 in the receiving state, and the partition 310 is provided with a first vent (not marked in the figure) connecting the accommodating cavity 311 and the storage chamber 10. Based on the setting of the first vent, when the movable portion 31 of the seat body 300 is in the closed state, the smell of the food in the storage chamber 10 can enter the accommodating cavity 311 through the first vent, and then be collected by the smell sensor module 200.

[0049] In some specific implementation structures, the partition 310 can be configured as a mesh plate with holes.

[0050] Further, refer to Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, the odor sensor module 200 involved in the present invention includes a housing 21, an odor sensor 20 disposed inside the housing 21, and a battery (not marked in the figure), and the housing 21 is provided with a second vent hole (not marked in the figure) for external air to enter. It is relatively easy to understand that the odor sensor 20 can be directly used for odor collection, and the battery provides power for the odor sensor module 200 to work independently of the base 300.

[0051] In the specific implementation process, the housing 21 is made of food grade material, so as to prevent the odor sensor module 200 from contaminating the food. Figure 7 As shown, in this specific implementation, the housing 21 includes a bottom shell 211 and a cover shell 212, wherein a second vent hole is disposed on the cover shell 212. It is understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, the second vent hole may also be disposed on the bottom shell 211.

[0052] In addition, in some more detailed implementation structures, the odor sensor module 200 may also include a PCB hard board 22 fixed inside the shell 21, and the odor sensor module 200, the battery and other necessary electronic components may be electrically connected to the PCB hard board 22.

[0053] As another preferred embodiment of the present invention, refer to Figure 7 As shown, the odor sensor module 200 further includes a fan 23 disposed in the housing 21 for accelerating air convection inside and outside the housing 21. Based on the arrangement of the fan 23, the odor collection efficiency of the odor sensor module 200 can be accelerated.

[0054] In other preferred embodiments of the present invention, reference Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, the odor sensor module 200 also includes an indicator light 24 for displaying the working state of the odor sensor 20. Specifically, the indicator light 24 can indicate different working states of the odor sensor module 200, such as collecting odors, odor collection is completed, and standby, by flashing, turning on and off, and changing colors. The specific configuration method can be adjusted according to needs, and will not be elaborated in detail here.

[0055] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each implementation mode may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0056] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation methods or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising a box body, wherein the box body has a storage room for storing food, characterized in that: The refrigerator also includes an odor sensor module for sensing the odor of food, a signal processing module that receives and processes the sensing signal of the odor sensor module, an ingredient determination module that compares the processed data of the signal processing module with a prepared sample database to obtain the ingredient information, and an automatic entry module that automatically generates and enters ingredient control information according to the determination result of the ingredient determination module.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The refrigerator is also provided with a seat corresponding to the storage chamber, and at least one of the odor sensor modules can be detachably coupled to the seat. The seat is provided with a charging port for charging the odor sensor module when the odor sensor module is coupled to the seat.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The signal processing module is located in the base.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The seat body has a fixed part and a movable part movably arranged relative to the fixed part, and a accommodating cavity for the odor sensor module to cooperate with is formed in the movable part; the side wall of the storage chamber is provided with a groove, and the fixed part is fixedly arranged corresponding to the groove, and the movable part has the ability to move toward the outside of the groove to an open state in which the odor sensor module is exposed to the storage chamber, and to move toward the inside of the groove to a closed state in which the odor sensor module is accommodated in the groove.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The movable part has a partition facing the interior of the storage chamber when in the receiving state, and the partition is provided with a first vent hole connecting the accommodating cavity and the storage chamber.

6. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The odor sensor module comprises a shell, an odor sensor arranged inside the shell, and a battery. The shell is provided with a second vent hole for the outside air to enter.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that: The odor sensor module also includes a fan disposed in the shell and used to accelerate air convection inside and outside the shell.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that: The odor sensor module also includes an indicator light for displaying the working status of the odor sensor.

9. A refrigerator control method, characterized in that: The refrigerator is the refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and the control method comprises the following steps: The odor sensor module senses the odor of food; The signal processing module receives the sensing signal of the odor sensor module and processes it; The food determination module compares the processed data of the signal processing module with the prepared sample database to obtain the type information and / or freshness information of the food; The automatic input module automatically generates and inputs food control information according to the determination result of the food determination module.

10. According to the refrigerator control method of claim 9, the food control information includes shelf life information, and the refrigerator control method also includes sending an expiration reminder to the user through the refrigerator display and / or mobile communication APP.

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