Refrigerator

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and discloses a refrigerator which comprises a main body defining a storage space; the millimeter-wave radar detection system is arranged on the main body and can move relative to the main body, so that the movement track of the millimeter-wave radar detection system covers the surface, corresponding to the storage space, of the main body on the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane; the food material management system is connected with the millimeter wave radar detection system; wherein the millimeter wave radar detection system is used for transmitting microwave signals into the storage space and receiving reflected microwave signals, the millimeter wave radar detection system transmits the reflected microwave signals to the food material management system, and the food material management system obtains parameter information of food materials according to the received microwave signals; and the food material management system compares the parameter information of the food materials with a parameter information database of the food materials so as to identify the types and the quantity of the food materials. Through a synthetic aperture radar mode, wave beams fully cover the storage space, the resolution of the system is improved, and the cost is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and in particular to a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] At present, the food management methods of refrigerators are mainly divided into active and passive methods. The active food management method mainly relies on manual entry, voice entry, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag clip entry, etc. This method requires active participation of users, has high requirements for users, and does not conform to the actual usage habits of users. Therefore, although the refrigerator has such functions, the actual usage rate of users is extremely low, and the actual user value of food management cannot be brought into play.

[0003] Passive food management means that the user does not need to participate directly. The refrigerator's built-in equipment can extract the information of the food that the user puts in the refrigerator, thereby realizing the management of the refrigerator's food. Currently, the main technologies used include optical image recognition, laser radar, infrared radar, millimeter wave imaging, etc.

[0004] Optical image recognition can better identify the type and quantity of ingredients through self-learning algorithms, but this technology has high requirements for light. When the ingredients are covered with plastic bags or boxes with poor light transmittance, or when the ingredients are stacked, the optical image recognition technology will fail, and this problem cannot be solved through algorithm optimization. For actual refrigerator users, it is common to put different ingredients in bags and stack them in the refrigerator. Therefore, the data accuracy of the optical image recognition solution is low and cannot be solved by this technology.

[0005] Although laser radar can penetrate packaging bags, its penetration depth is small and it can only penetrate the surface layer. It mainly forms a two-dimensional image and judges the type of food by the shape of the food in the image. For food with similar shapes such as apples, pears, oranges, and tangerines, its judgment accuracy is extremely low, and this problem cannot be solved through algorithm optimization.

[0006] Infrared radar technology mainly relies on the temperature difference of food to achieve two-dimensional images. It mainly recognizes the type of food through the outline of the food and the infrared spectrum. In addition to being unable to accurately distinguish between foods of similar shapes such as apples, pears, oranges, and tangerines, its recognition accuracy will also be greatly reduced when the temperatures of the foods are similar or the foods are stacked, and this problem cannot be solved by algorithms.

[0007] Millimeter wave imaging technology. Although millimeter waves can penetrate packaging bags and non-metallic packaging boxes, relying solely on imaging technology requires high imaging accuracy, resulting in high hardware costs. At the same time, its accuracy in identifying food types is low.

[0008] The related art discloses a method for managing food materials in a refrigerator, which manages food materials based on millimeter-wave imaging technology. First, an image is formed, and then the types and quantities of food materials are identified according to the shape contours of the food materials in the image.

[0009] In the process of implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is found that there are at least the following problems in the related art:

[0010] In the related art, although millimeter waves can penetrate packaging bags and non-metallic packaging boxes, the millimeter-wave imaging technology has only a single shape parameter. For food materials with similar shapes such as apples, pears, oranges, etc., only distinguishing the types of food materials through the shape parameter has a low recognition accuracy. If the imaging accuracy is improved, the hardware cost is relatively high.

[0011] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background art is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present application, and thus may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0012] To have a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a simple summary is given below. The summary is not a general review, nor is it intended to identify key / important constituent elements or delineate the protection scope of these embodiments, but rather serves as a preface to the subsequent detailed description.

[0013] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a refrigerator that improves the imaging accuracy while saving costs, and improves the accuracy of identifying the types and quantities of food materials.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator, including: a main body defining a storage space; a millimeter-wave radar detection system disposed on the main body and capable of moving relative to the main body so that the movement trajectory of the millimeter-wave radar detection system covers the surface corresponding to the storage space on the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane of the main body; a food material management system connected to the millimeter-wave radar detection system; wherein, the millimeter-wave radar detection system is configured to transmit a microwave signal into the storage space and receive the reflected microwave signal, the millimeter-wave radar detection system transmits the reflected microwave signal to the food material management system, and the food material management system obtains parameter information of the food material according to the received microwave signal; the food material management system compares the parameter information of the food material with a parameter information database of the food material to identify the types and quantities of the food materials.

[0015] Optionally, the millimeter-wave radar detection system is slidably connected to the main body.

[0016] Optionally, the refrigerator further includes: a slide rail system disposed on the main body and connected to the millimeter-wave radar detection system; wherein, the slide rail system includes a slide rail and a slider, the millimeter-wave radar detection system is connected to the slider, and the slider drives the millimeter-wave radar detection system to move along the slide rail so that the movement trajectory of the millimeter-wave radar detection system covers the surface of the main body corresponding to the storage space in the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane.

[0017] Optionally, the slide rail includes: a first slide rail, and the slider is disposed on the first slide rail; wherein, the first slide rail is a numerically controlled slide rail and the slider is a numerically controlled slider.

[0018] Optionally, the slide rail further includes a second slide rail disposed opposite to the first slide rail; a chute is provided on the surface of the main body facing the second slide rail, and the second slide rail is disposed in the chute; wherein, one end of the millimeter-wave radar detection system is connected to the numerically controlled slider, and the other end is connected to the second slide rail.

[0019] Optionally, the parameter information of the food includes dielectric information; the parameter information database of the food includes a dielectric information database; wherein, the food management system obtains the dielectric information of the food according to the received microwave signal; compares the dielectric information of the food with the dielectric information database of the food to identify the type of the food.

[0020] Optionally, the food management system is configured to: layer the food according to the following calculation formula of the number of layers N; divide the food into N 1 layers, respectively forming N 1 dielectric information layers, wherein, N 1 =(Li - Hi) / n 1 ; analyze and fuse the N 1 dielectric information layers to obtain the dielectric information of the food; wherein, n 1 is a constant, and L i , H i are respectively the maximum distance and the minimum distance of the food from the millimeter-wave radar detection system.

[0021] Optionally, the parameter information of the food further includes a three-dimensional image; the parameter information database of the food further includes a shape database; wherein, the food management system is further configured to obtain the three-dimensional position information of the food according to the received microwave signal to obtain the three-dimensional image of the food; compare the three-dimensional image with the shape database of the food to identify the quantity of the food.

[0022] Optionally, the food management system is configured to: divide the food into N 2 layers, respectively forming N 2 image layers, wherein, N 2 =(L i -H i ) / n 2 ; for the N2 The image layer is analyzed and fused to obtain a three-dimensional image of the food ingredient; where n 2 is a constant, and L i , H i are respectively the maximum distance and the minimum distance of the food ingredient from the millimeter-wave radar detection system.

[0023] Optionally, the food ingredient management system is configured to filter out the microwave signals reflected from the main body.

[0024] The refrigerator provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can achieve the following technical effects:

[0025] On the surface corresponding to the storage space on the XY plane or XZ plane or YZ plane of the main body, a millimeter-wave radar detection system equivalent to a one-dimensional line is provided. The millimeter-wave radar detection system moves in the other dimension of the above plane and transmits and receives microwave signals to the storage space during the movement, that is, the beam full coverage of the storage space is achieved by the method of synthetic aperture radar. In this way, the resolution of the millimeter-wave radar detection system can be improved, the imaging accuracy can be improved, and the cost can be saved. In addition, the millimeter wave (a kind of microwave) used in the millimeter-wave radar detection system can penetrate the packaging bag and the non-metallic packaging box, reducing the interference of the packaging and stacking of food ingredients on the identification of the types and quantities of food ingredients, and improving the accuracy of identifying the types and quantities of food ingredients.

[0026] The above general description and the following description are only exemplary and explanatory, and are not used to limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] One or more embodiments are exemplarily illustrated by the corresponding drawings. These exemplary illustrations and the drawings do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are shown as similar elements. The drawings do not constitute a scale limitation, and among them:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, and the X, Y, and Z directions are shown as the coordinate axes in the figure;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic top view structural diagram of a refrigerator provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the slide rail system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the millimeter-wave radar detection system assembled to the slide rail system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Reference Numerals:

[0033] 10: Refrigerator; 11: Cabinet; 12: Door body;

[0034] 20: Main body; 21: Side wall; 30: Storage space; 31: Refrigerating chamber; 32: Freezing chamber; 33: Compartment;

[0035] 40: Millimeter-wave radar detection system; 41: Millimeter-wave antenna; 411: Transmitting antenna; 412: Receiving antenna; 413: Isolation antenna; 42: Radar control system; 43: Radar chip cascading system; 44: Radar chip; 441: Transmitting channel; 442: Receiving channel;

[0036] 50: Slide rail system; 51: Slide rail; 511: First slide rail; 512: Second slide rail; 52: Slide block. Detailed implementation mode

[0037] In order to be able to understand the features and technical content of the embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail, the implementation of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are for reference and illustration only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following technical description, for the sake of explanation, numerous details are provided to give a full understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, one or more embodiments may still be implemented without these details. In other cases, well-known structures and devices may be shown in a simplified manner to simplify the drawings.

[0038] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the embodiments of the present disclosure and the above-mentioned accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and do not necessarily have to be used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so as to describe the embodiments of the present disclosure here. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "middle", "outer", "front", "rear", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are mainly used to better describe the embodiments of the present disclosure and their embodiments and are not intended to limit that the indicated devices, elements or components must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. And, in addition to being able to represent the orientation or positional relationship, some of the above terms may also be used to represent other meanings. For example, the term "upper" may also be used to represent a certain attachment relationship or connection relationship in some cases. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of these terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0040] In addition, the terms "arranged", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connected" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal communication between two devices, components, or parts. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0041] Unless otherwise specified, the term "plurality" means two or more.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the character " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B.

[0043] The term "and / or" is an associative relationship describing an object, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B means: A or B, or, A and B these three relationships.

[0044] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the embodiments of the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0045] Combined Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a refrigerator 10, including a main body 20, a millimeter-wave radar detection system 40, and a food management system. The main body 20 defines a storage space 30. The millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is arranged on the main body 20 and can move relative to the main body 20 so that the movement trajectory of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 covers the surface corresponding to the storage space 30 on the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane of the main body 20. The food management system is connected to the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40. Among them, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is used to transmit microwave signals into the storage space 30 and receive the reflected microwave signals. The millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 transmits the reflected microwave signals to the food management system, and the food management system obtains the parameter information of the food according to the received microwave signals; the food management system compares the parameter information of the food with the parameter information database of the food to identify the type and quantity of the food.

[0046] It can be understood that for the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40, the size of the aperture of the millimeter-wave antenna 41 is equal to the length of the millimeter-wave antenna 41, and the aperture size determines the strength of the microwave signals that can be transmitted and received. The smaller the aperture, the weaker the microwave signals that can be transmitted and received, and the worse the resolution of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40. Therefore, for the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 with a real aperture to have a higher resolution, the physical size of its millimeter-wave antenna 41 needs to be larger, that is, more array antenna elements are required. However, in actual use, both the installation environment and cost of the millimeter-wave antenna 41 itself determine that the millimeter-wave antenna 41 of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 cannot be too large. Therefore, in order to achieve a higher resolution, the embodiments of the present disclosure adopt the synthetic aperture radar method.

[0047] The synthetic aperture radar uses a millimeter-wave antenna 41 with a small aperture as the basic unit. The millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 moves continuously in segments along a fixed route. For each segment of movement, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 with a small aperture emits a set of microwave signals to the storage space 30 and receives the reflected microwave signals. In this way, by combining a series of emitted microwave signals, it is equivalent to these microwave signals being emitted from a millimeter-wave antenna 41 with a large aperture. The reflected microwave signals received by the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 with a small aperture at different positions, after being synthesized, are equivalent to being received by a millimeter-wave antenna 41 with a large aperture. This process of synthesizing an equivalent "large-aperture millimeter-wave antenna 41" through a small-aperture millimeter-wave antenna 41 is the "synthetic aperture".

[0048] It can be understood that the parameter information database of the food ingredients can be set in the food ingredient management system or in other modules, and is called by the food ingredient management system during use.

[0049] By using the refrigerator 10 provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, a millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 equivalent to a one-dimensional line is provided on the surface of the main body 20 corresponding to the storage space 30 in the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane. The millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 moves in the other dimension of the above-mentioned plane and emits and receives microwave signals to the storage space 30 during the movement, that is, the beam is fully covered on the storage space 30 through the synthetic aperture radar method. In this way, the resolution of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can be improved, the imaging accuracy can be improved, and the cost can be saved. In addition, the millimeter waves (a type of microwave) used in the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can penetrate the packaging bags and non-metallic packaging boxes, reducing the interference of the packaging and stacking of the food ingredients on the identification of the types and quantities of the food ingredients, and improving the accuracy of identifying the types and quantities of the food ingredients.

[0050] Optionally, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is provided on the outer surface of the main body 20 corresponding to the storage space 30 in the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane.

[0051] In this way, by disposing the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 on the outer surface of the main body 20, the influence of water vapor in the storage space 30 on the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can be reduced, and the relative dryness of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can be maintained. The millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can be disposed on the outer surface of the main body 20 in the XY plane, or on the outer surface of the main body 20 in the XZ plane, or on the outer surface of the main body 20 in the YZ plane, as long as it is ensured that the microwave signals transmitted and received by the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 with synthetic aperture in the XY plane, XZ plane or YZ plane can cover the storage space 30, thus saving costs.

[0052] Optionally, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is disposed on the inner surface of the main body 20 corresponding to the storage space 30 in the XY plane, XZ plane or YZ plane, and a partition is provided between the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 and the storage space 30.

[0053] In this way, by disposing the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 on the inner surface of the main body 20, the distance from the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 to the bottom end of the storage space 30 can be reduced, and the requirement for the accuracy of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can be reduced. A partition is provided between the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 and the storage space 30, which can reduce the influence of water vapor in the storage space 30 on the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40.

[0054] Optionally, the millimeter-wave frequency adopted by the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is in the 76-81 GHz band.

[0055] The 76-81 GHz band belongs to the atmospheric window band. The absorption of microwave signals in this band by oxygen molecules and water molecules in the air is weak, and the attenuation of microwaves in this band in the air is small. In this way, the microwave signals transmitted by the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can obtain a longer transmission distance.

[0056] Optionally, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is slidably connected to the main body 20.

[0057] In this way, by the sliding connection, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 moves along the surface of the main body 20, so that the movement trajectory of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 covers the surface of the main body 20 corresponding to the storage space 30 in the XY plane, XZ plane or YZ plane.

[0058] Optionally, in combination with Figure 2 and Figure 3As described above, the refrigerator 10 further includes a slide rail system 50. The slide rail system 50 is provided on the main body 20 and is connected to the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40. Among them, the slide rail system 50 includes a slide rail 51 and a slider 52. The millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is connected to the slider 52, and the slider 52 drives the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 to move along the slide rail 51, so that the movement trajectory of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 covers the surface of the main body 20 corresponding to the storage space 30 in the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane.

[0059] In this way, a millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 equivalent to a one-dimensional line is provided on the surface of the main body 20 corresponding to the storage space 30 in the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane. The slider 52 drives the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 to move along the slide rail 51, that is, the slider 52 drives the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 to move in the other dimension in the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane, and emits and receives microwave signals to the storage space 30 during the movement, so as to achieve full beam coverage of the storage space 30.

[0060] Optionally, the slide rail 51 includes a first slide rail 511, and the slider 52 is provided on the first slide rail 511. Among them, the first slide rail 511 is a numerically controlled slide rail, and the slider 52 is a numerically controlled slider.

[0061] In this way, precise linear motion is achieved through the cooperation of the numerically controlled slide rail and the numerically controlled slider. For example, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 achieves precise linear movement with an interval of 1 millimeter through the cooperation of the numerically controlled slide rail and the numerically controlled slider. Each time it moves, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 emits and receives a microwave signal once.

[0062] Optionally, the slide rail 51 further includes a second slide rail 512 disposed opposite to the first slide rail 511. A chute is provided on the surface of the main body 20 facing the second slide rail 512, and the second slide rail 512 is provided in the chute. Among them, one end of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is connected to the numerically controlled slider 52, and the other end is connected to the second slide rail 512.

[0063] In this way, the second slide rail 512 supports the other end of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40, and the other end of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 moves along the second slide rail 512.

[0064] Optionally, the surface of the second slide rail 512 in contact with the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is provided with a self-lubricating material.

[0065] In this way, the friction force when the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 slides along the second slide rail 512 is reduced through the self-lubricating material.

[0066] Optionally, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is connected to the main body 20 in a rolling manner.

[0067] In this way, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is moved along the surface of the main body 20 through a rolling connection, so that the movement trajectory of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 covers the surface of the main body 20 corresponding to the storage space 30 in the XY plane, XZ plane or YZ plane.

[0068] Optionally, the parameter information of the food includes dielectric information, and the parameter information database of the food includes a dielectric information database. Among them, the food management system obtains the dielectric information of the food according to the received microwave signal; compares the dielectric information of the food with the dielectric information database of the food to identify the type of the food.

[0069] Dielectric properties refer to the properties of storing and losing electrostatic energy under the action of an electric field, usually expressed by the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss. For different types of foods, not only their sizes and shapes are different, but also the contents and types of water, sugar, vitamins, etc. contained in the foods are different. Therefore, the dielectric properties of different types of foods are different. For example, at room temperature, the relative dielectric constant of water is 81. When the ambient temperature remains unchanged, the higher the water content (the lower the concentration of nutrients such as sugar), the smaller the relative dielectric constant of the food and the stronger the microwave absorption performance; for round fruits such as apples, the microwave energy will accumulate at the center of the food (stronger reflection), and green leafy vegetables are more likely to accumulate microwaves at the roots and stems of the food (stronger reflection); for spinach, its nutrients and cell structure make it easier to absorb microwaves. Among them, the dielectric constant refers to the ratio of the electric field strength to the electric displacement in a substance under the action of an electric field; the relative dielectric constant refers to the ratio of the dielectric constant of a substance at a certain temperature to the vacuum dielectric constant, and the vacuum dielectric constant is a constant.

[0070] Different types of foods correspond to different dielectric information, and different dielectric information results in different absorption and reflection of microwave signals by the foods. The microwave signals absorbed by the foods are obtained from the transmitted microwave signals and the reflected microwave signals. In this way, the food management system can obtain the dielectric information of the foods according to the microwave signals absorbed and reflected by the foods, and compare the dielectric information of the foods with the dielectric information database of the foods to identify the types of the foods. Moreover, the millimeter waves (a type of microwave) used in the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can penetrate the packaging bags and non-metallic packaging boxes, reducing the interference of the packaging and stacking of the foods on the identification of the types of the foods and improving the accuracy of identifying the types of the foods.

[0071] Optionally, the food management system is configured to: divide the foods into N 1 layers, respectively forming N 1 dielectric information layers, where N 1 =(Li - Hi) / n 1 ; analyze and fuse the N 1 dielectric information layers to obtain the dielectric information of the foods; where n1 is a constant, L i , H i are respectively the maximum distance and the minimum distance of the food ingredient from the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40.

[0072] When the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 collects data, it collects data at different distances from the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40. Each distance plane is a layer of data. The food ingredient management system can form multiple dielectric information layers according to the data of each layer. However, for the entire storage space 30, only the height space where the food ingredient is located is the effective height. Through (L i -H i ), the effective height of the food ingredient in the storage space 30 can be obtained. n 1 The value of n is comprehensively determined according to the distance resolution of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 and the average height of common food ingredients, etc. For example, n 1 = 4 cm, which is used to divide the effective height corresponding to the storage space 30, so as to achieve N 1 layer data collection. The food ingredient management system analyzes and fuses the N 1 dielectric information layers to obtain the dielectric information of the food ingredient in the storage space 30, and identifies the type of the food ingredient according to the dielectric information.

[0073] Optionally, a dielectric information database of food ingredients is established through experiments. The food ingredient management system compares the obtained dielectric information of the food ingredient with the dielectric information database of food ingredients to identify the type of the food ingredient.

[0074] Specifically, food ingredients of known types are placed at different positions in the storage space 30. The millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 emits microwave signals into the storage space 30. After these microwave signals encounter the food ingredients, a part of them is absorbed by the food ingredients, and the other part is reflected by the food ingredients. At the same time, when transmitting different distances, the transmission loss of the microwave signals is also different (the transmission loss is directly related to the distance, and the transmission loss can be estimated through the distance. Similarly, the distance can also be estimated through the transmission loss). Therefore, through information such as the emitted microwave signals, the reflected microwave signals, and the transmission loss (transmission distance), the absorption and reflection data of the microwave signals by this known type of food ingredient at different positions in the storage space 30 can be obtained. In this way, through multiple experiments, the absorption and reflection data of microwave signals by various known types of food ingredients at different positions in the storage space 30 can be obtained, so as to establish a dielectric information database of food ingredients. At the same time, the recognition accuracy and recognition breadth can be further improved by optimizing the database information and recognition algorithms.

[0075] In summary, after the user completes the action of storing the food ingredient and closes the door body 12, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 starts to work, emits microwave signals into the storage space 30 and receives N 1The microwave signals reflected by the layer of food materials, and the food material management system processes the microwave signals transmitted by the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 to form N 1 dielectric information layers corresponding to the N 1 layers, analyzes and fuses the N 1 dielectric information layers to obtain the dielectric information of the food materials, and compares the dielectric information of the food materials with the data in the dielectric information database of the food materials to effectively identify the types of the food materials.

[0076] In addition, it can be understood that in actual use, the refrigerator 10 has multiple compartments 33, and food materials are placed in each compartment 33. However, for a single compartment 33, only the height space where the food materials are located is the effective height. Therefore, when collecting data, in order to improve efficiency, the effective height of each compartment 33 can be mainly collected, and the effective height of each compartment 33 can be divided. At this time, the above-mentioned N 1 =(L i -H i ) / n 1 formula can be used to layer each compartment 33, and each compartment 33 respectively forms N 1 dielectric information layers corresponding to the N 1 layers; analyzes and fuses the N 1 dielectric information layers of each compartment 33 to obtain the dielectric information of the food materials in each compartment 33. Wherein, n 1 is a constant, and L i , H i are respectively the maximum distance and the minimum distance of the food materials in the i-th layer compartment 33 from the millimeter-wave antenna 41.

[0077] Optionally, the parameter information of the food materials further includes a three-dimensional image, and the parameter information database of the food materials further includes a shape database. Among them, the food material management system is further configured to obtain the three-dimensional position information of the food materials according to the received microwave signals to obtain the three-dimensional image of the food materials; compare the three-dimensional image with the shape database of the food materials to identify the quantity of the food materials.

[0078] In this way, relying on the millimeter-wave imaging technology, the shape of the food materials and their positions in the storage space 30 can be obtained to form a three-dimensional image of the food materials, and the three-dimensional image of the food materials is compared with the data in the previously established shape database of the food materials to obtain the quantity of the food materials. According to the user's needs, the quantity of the food materials in the refrigerating chamber 31 can be identified, or the quantity of the food materials in the freezing chamber 32 can be identified.

[0079] The different shapes of food ingredients also affect the absorption and reflection of microwave signals. Therefore, a shape database of food ingredients can be established by imitating the method of establishing the dielectric information database of the above-mentioned food ingredients. Alternatively, the shape information can be directly input to establish a shape database of a certain food ingredient. During application, after identifying the type of food ingredient, the three-dimensional image of the obtained food ingredient is compared with the shape database of the food ingredients of the known type to obtain the quantity of this food ingredient.

[0080] Optionally, the food ingredient management system is configured to: divide the food ingredients into N 2 layers, and respectively form N 2 image layers, where N 2 = (L i - H i ) / n 2 ; analyze and fuse the N 2 image layers to obtain the three-dimensional image of the food ingredient; where n 2 is a constant, and L i , H i are respectively the maximum distance and the minimum distance of the food ingredient from the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40.

[0081] When the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 collects data, it collects data at different distances from the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40. Each distance plane is a layer of data, and the food ingredient management system can form multiple image layers according to the data of each layer. However, for the entire storage space 30, only the height space where the food ingredient is located is the effective height. The effective height of the food ingredient in the storage space 30 can be obtained through (L i - H i ). The value of n 2 is determined comprehensively according to the distance resolution of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 and the average height of common food ingredients, etc. For example, n 2 = 4 cm, which is used to divide the effective height corresponding to the storage space 30, so as to realize the collection of N 2 layers of data. The food ingredient management system analyzes and fuses the N 2 image layers to obtain the three-dimensional image of the food ingredient in the storage space 30, and identifies the quantity of the food ingredient according to the three-dimensional image.

[0082] In summary, after the user completes the action of storing the food ingredient and closes the door body 12, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 starts to work, emits microwave signals into the storage space 30 and receives the microwave signals reflected by the N 2 layers of food ingredients. The food ingredient management system processes the microwave signals transmitted by the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 to form N 2 image layers corresponding to the N 2 layers, and performs analysis and fusion on the N 2Analyze and fuse each image layer to obtain a three-dimensional image of the food ingredients, and compare the three-dimensional image of the food ingredients with the data in the shape database of the food ingredients to effectively identify the quantity of the food ingredients.

[0083] It can be understood that N 1 and N 2 can be the same or different; n 1 and n 2 can be the same or different.

[0084] The method for dividing the effective height of each bin 33 is the same as the method used to obtain the dielectric information of the food ingredients in each bin 33 above, and will not be elaborated here. Through the above method, a three-dimensional image of the food ingredients in each bin 33 can also be obtained.

[0085] Optionally, the food ingredient management system is configured to filter out the microwave signals reflected from the main body 20.

[0086] When the user powers on for the first time, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 will perform automatic initialization settings. Through initialization, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 collects the microwave signals reflected when no food ingredients are placed in the refrigerator 10 and transmits them to the food ingredient management system, and the food ingredient management system marks them as environmental data. In this way, the interference of the microwave signals reflected from the main body 20 on the identification of the types and / or quantities of food ingredients can be filtered out through the filtering algorithm.

[0087] It can be understood that when identifying the types and quantities of the lower-layer food ingredients, the food ingredient management system will, according to the three-dimensional position information of the food ingredients, in addition to filtering out the microwave signals reflected from the main body 20, also filter out the microwave signals absorbed and reflected by the upper-layer food ingredients to obtain the microwave data absorbed and reflected by the lower-layer food ingredients. When different food ingredients are placed on the left and right sides within the same bin 33, the food ingredient management system obtains the dielectric information of the food ingredients at different positions on the same plane according to the three-dimensional position information of the food ingredients to identify the types of food ingredients placed at this position.

[0088] Optionally, the main body 20 includes a side wall 21, and the side wall 21 connected to the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is made of plastic.

[0089] Compared with the metal material, the plastic material has good wave transmission performance. The side wall 21 is made of plastic material, which can reduce the interference of the side wall 21 structure on the transmission of microwave signals and save costs.

[0090] Optionally, the side wall 21 is located above the storage space 30, that is, in the positive Y direction, and the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is provided on the surface of the side wall 21 facing away from the storage space 30.

[0091] For a common refrigerator 10, the area of the side wall 21 above the storage space 30 is the smallest. Installing the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 on the side wall 21 above the storage space 30 can save costs, and being installed above the refrigerator 10 is less affected by other household electrical appliances.

[0092] It can be understood that the refrigerator 10 can be a refrigerator 10 with a door body 12, or a refrigerator 10 without a door body 12, such as a refrigerator 10 with an access opening. The millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 can be installed on the cabinet body 11 or on the door body 12.

[0093] Optionally, a cover plate is provided on the surface of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 facing away from the side wall 21.

[0094] By setting the cover plate to cover the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40, the influence of the external environment on the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 is reduced, such as dust accumulation and high humidity.

[0095] Optionally, as Figure 4 shown, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 includes a radar control system 42, a radar chip cascade system 43, and a millimeter-wave antenna 41. Among them, the radar control system 42 is connected to the radar chip cascade system 43, and the radar chip cascade system 43 is connected to the millimeter-wave antenna 41.

[0096] Optionally, the radar chip 44 in the radar chip cascade system 43 uses the AWR2243 device, which is an integrated single-chip frequency-modulated continuous-wave transceiver that can operate in the frequency band of 76 GHz to 81 GHz. The AWR2243 device achieves a high degree of integration with a very small package and has the advantages of low power consumption, self-monitoring, and ultra-precision.

[0097] Optionally, as Figure 4 shown, the radar chip cascade system 43 is a four-stage cascade.

[0098] The AWR2243 device has a built-in phase-locked loop and analog-to-digital converter. A single chip can achieve 3 transmissions and 4 receptions, and a four-stage cascade can achieve 12 transmissions and 16 receptions, greatly simplifying the number of control objects of the radar control system 42.

[0099] Optionally, the array unit of the millimeter-wave antenna 41 is a standing-wave series-fed array.

[0100] The standing-wave series-fed array has the characteristics of low loss of the transmission line, small spurious radiation, and high feeding efficiency, which can maximize the signal-to-noise ratio and improve the detection accuracy of the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40. The element spacing is about 1 / 2 wavelength, and the radiation pattern is optimized by fine-tuning the element spacing.

[0101] The radar chip 44 includes a transmitting channel 441 and a receiving channel 442, and the millimeter-wave antenna 41 includes a transmitting antenna 411, a receiving antenna 412, and an isolation antenna 413. Among them, the transmitting channel 441 is connected to the transmitting antenna 411, the receiving channel 442 is connected to the receiving antenna 412, and the isolation antenna 413 is disposed between the transmitting antenna 411 and the receiving antenna 412, as Figure 4 shown.

[0102] In this way, the millimeter-wave radar detection system 40 transmits microwave signals to the storage space 30 through the transmitting channel 441 and the transmitting antenna 411, and receives the microwave signals reflected by the storage space 30 through the receiving antenna 412 and the receiving channel 442. The isolation antenna 413 separates the transmitted microwave signals from the reflected microwave signals to avoid mutual interference.

[0103] The above description and the drawings fully illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure so that those skilled in the art can practice them. Other embodiments may include structural and other changes. Embodiments represent only possible variations. Unless explicitly required, individual components and functions are optional, and the order of operations may vary. Parts and features of some embodiments may be included in or substituted for parts and features of other embodiments. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the structures already described and shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, comprising: a main body defining a storage space; a millimeter-wave radar detection system provided on the main body and capable of moving relative to the main body so that the movement trajectory of the millimeter-wave radar detection system covers the surface corresponding to the storage space on the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane of the main body; a food ingredient management system connected to the millimeter-wave radar detection system; wherein, the millimeter-wave radar detection system is used to transmit microwave signals into the storage space and receive the reflected microwave signals, the millimeter-wave radar detection system transmits the reflected microwave signals to the food ingredient management system, and the food ingredient management system obtains the parameter information of the food ingredients according to the received microwave signals; the food ingredient management system compares the parameter information of the food ingredients with the food ingredient parameter information database to identify the type and quantity of the food ingredients.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, the millimeter-wave radar detection system is slidably connected to the main body.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that, the refrigerator further comprises: a slide rail system provided on the main body and connected to the millimeter-wave radar detection system; wherein, the slide rail system includes a slide rail and a slider, the millimeter-wave radar detection system is connected to the slider, and the slider drives the millimeter-wave radar detection system to move along the slide rail so that the movement trajectory of the millimeter-wave radar detection system covers the surface corresponding to the storage space on the XY plane or the XZ plane or the YZ plane of the main body.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that, the slide rail includes: a first slide rail, and the slider is provided on the first slide rail; wherein, the first slide rail is a numerically controlled slide rail and the slider is a numerically controlled slider.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, the slide rail further includes a second slide rail disposed opposite to the first slide rail; a chute is provided on the surface of the main body facing the second slide rail, and the second slide rail is disposed in the chute; wherein, one end of the millimeter-wave radar detection system is connected to the numerically controlled slider, and the other end is connected to the second slide rail.

6. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, the parameter information of the food ingredients includes dielectric information; the food ingredient parameter information database includes a dielectric information database; wherein, the food ingredient management system obtains the dielectric information of the food ingredients according to the received microwave signals; compares the dielectric information of the food ingredients with the dielectric information database of the food ingredients to identify the type of the food ingredients.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that, the food ingredient management system is configured to: Divide the food ingredients into N 1 layers, respectively forming N 1 dielectric information layers, where N 1 =(Li - Hi) / n 1 ; Analyze and fuse N 1 dielectric information layers to obtain the dielectric information of the food ingredients; where n 1 is a constant, and L i , H i are respectively the maximum distance and the minimum distance of the food ingredient from the millimeter-wave radar detection system.

8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, the parameter information of the food ingredients further includes a three-dimensional image; the food ingredient parameter information database further includes a shape database; wherein, the food ingredient management system is further used to obtain the three-dimensional position information of the food ingredients according to the received microwave signals to obtain the three-dimensional image of the food ingredients; compares the three-dimensional image with the shape database of the food ingredients to identify the quantity of the food ingredients.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, characterized in that, the food ingredient management system is configured to: Divide the ingredients into N 2 layers, and respectively form N 2 image layers, where N 2 = (L i - H i ) / n 2 ; Analyze and fuse the N 2 image layers to obtain a three-dimensional image of the food ingredients; where n 2 is a constant, and L i , H i are respectively the maximum distance and the minimum distance of the food ingredient from the millimeter-wave radar detection system.

10. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, the food ingredient management system is configured to: filter out the microwave signals reflected from the main body.

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