Refrigerator and cooling system

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator or the like having high convenience.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes a cool air supply part 9 for supplying cold air into a refrigerator chamber, a camera unit for imaging the inside of the refrigerator chamber to generate picked-up image information 7a, an item information acquisition part 8b for acquiring item information 7b of articles in the refrigerator chamber on the basis of the picked-up information 7a or on the basis of operation of a portable terminal by a user, a position information acquisition part 8c for acquiring position information 7c of the articles in the refrigerator chamber on the basis of the picked-up image information 7a or on the basis of operation of the portable terminal by the user, and an apparatus control part 8d for controlling at least one of wind direction adjustment for sending the cold air to an area including positions of articles of rapid cooling object articles and air volume adjustment for making air volume of cold air to the area larger than the other areas on the basis of the item information 7b and the position information 7c by the cold air supply part 9 in the case of selecting the rapid cooling object article by operation of the portable terminal by the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to refrigerators and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] As a control technique based on the image capture results of a camera unit of a refrigerator, for example, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. That is, Patent Document 1 describes a refrigerator that includes "image display means for displaying an image captured by an image capture means, area identification means for identifying a predetermined area based on the image displayed by the image capture means, and temperature state confirmation means for confirming the temperature state of the area identified by the area identification means." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6303125 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a user selects a specific area on an image of the interior of a refrigerator by operating a display terminal, if the temperature of that area is higher than a predetermined temperature, the amount of cooling for that area is increased. However, if a user wants to cool a specific item in the refrigerator, they must find the corresponding item in the image of the interior of the refrigerator, which is time-consuming. As such, the technology described in Patent Document 1 leaves room for improvement in terms of convenience.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a highly convenient refrigerator or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the refrigerator according to the present disclosure comprises a cold air supply unit that supplies cold air into the refrigerator, an imaging unit that images the interior of the refrigerator and generates captured image information, an item information acquisition unit that acquires item information of items in the refrigerator based on the captured image information or based on operation of a mobile device by a user, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the items in the refrigerator based on the captured image information or based on operation of the mobile device by the user, and an equipment control unit that, when an item to be rapidly cooled is selected by operation of the mobile device by the user, controls at least one of adjusting the air direction to send cold air to an area including the position of the item to be rapidly cooled, and adjusting the air volume to make the volume of cold air sent to that area larger than that of other areas, using the cold air supply unit, based on the item information and the location information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a highly convenient refrigerator or the like can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors open. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors open. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of a camera unit of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment, viewed from diagonally below. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a configuration diagram of a cooling system including a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a functional block diagram including a storage unit, a control unit, and a cold air supply unit of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart of a process executed by a control unit of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is an example of a display screen of a list of candidates for items to be rapidly cooled in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is an example of a selection screen for a detection range in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram relating to rapid cooling of an area including items to be rapidly cooled in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram including a storage unit, a control unit, and a cold air supply unit of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is an example of a display screen of an inventory list in the refrigerator according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart of a process executed by a control unit of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a modified example with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors open. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First Embodiment <Refrigerator configuration> FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment. Refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a device for storing items at low temperatures. As shown in FIG. 1, refrigerator 100 includes housing 1, multiple doors such as refrigerator compartment doors 211 and 212, and camera unit 3 (image capturing section). Housing 1 is configured with a steel outer box 11 and a resin inner box 12 (see FIG. 3), with vacuum insulation material and urethane foam filled between them. Housing 1 is provided with multiple storage compartments. In the example of FIG. 1, the multiple storage compartments include, from top to bottom, refrigerator compartment 21, ice making compartment 22 arranged on the left and right, upper freezer compartment 23, vegetable compartment 24, and lower freezer compartment 25.

[0010] Refrigerator 100 also has a pair of left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 as French-style doors that, together with housing 1, form refrigerator compartment 21. Left refrigerator compartment door 211 is rotatable about the axis of hinge 211a (see FIG. 4) at the left end. The same is true for right refrigerator compartment door 212. Refrigerator 100 also has drawer-type doors, such as ice-making compartment door 221 and upper freezer compartment door 231, as well as vegetable compartment door 241 and lower freezer compartment door 251.

[0011] Ice making compartment 22 is provided with an ice making compartment container (not shown) that is pulled out integrally with ice making compartment door 221. Similarly, upper freezer compartment 23 is provided with an upper freezer compartment container (not shown), vegetable compartment 24 is provided with a vegetable compartment container (not shown), and lower freezer compartment 25 is provided with a lower freezer compartment container (not shown).

[0012] Although not shown, the refrigerator 100 includes a compressor, a radiator (condenser), a capillary tube (throttle mechanism), and a cooler (evaporator). A refrigerant circulates through the compressor, the radiator, the capillary tube, and the cooler in this order, and air cooled by the refrigerant in the cooler is blown out into each storage compartment. The camera unit 3 (imaging unit) shown in Fig. 1 captures images of the interior of the refrigerator 100 and generates captured image information, and is installed on the upper side of the housing 1.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a side view of the refrigerator 100. As shown in Fig. 2, the camera unit 3 includes a main body 31 and a support 32. The main body 31 is configured to capture an image of a storage compartment or the like when a predetermined door of the refrigerator 100 is opened, and is elongated in the front-to-rear direction. The support 32 is configured to support the main body 31, and is installed on the top surface of the housing 1.

[0014] A lens 31a is provided near the front end of the main body 31. The lens 31a is an optical element that refracts light and focuses it on an image sensor 31d (see FIG. 6). For example, a fisheye lens is used as this lens 31a. The lens 31a faces downward so that it can capture an image of the storage compartment when a specific door of the refrigerator 100 is opened.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, lens 31a is located forward of the front end of housing 1 (opening 10 of housing 1). Lens 31a is also located further forward than the front of refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see Fig. 1) in the closed state. This makes it easier for refrigerator compartment 21 (see Fig. 1) to be within the field of view of lens 31a when refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 are open, for example.

[0016] 2 is a device for transmitting image information captured by the camera unit 3 to a server 63 (see FIG. 6) and for receiving predetermined information from the server 63. In the example of FIG. 2, the wireless LAN unit 4 is installed near the rear end of the top surface of the housing 1.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a front view of the refrigerator 100 with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 open. As shown in Fig. 3, shelves 13a and 13b are provided in refrigeration compartment 21. These shelves 13a and 13b are plate-like members for dividing refrigeration compartment 21 into predetermined sections, and their plate surfaces are approximately parallel to the horizontal plane. A plurality of door pockets 211c for storing items are provided on inner panel 211b of left-side refrigeration compartment door 211 (similar to right-side refrigeration compartment door 212). When left and right refrigeration compartment doors 211 and 212 are opened, the items in refrigeration compartment 21 and door pockets 211c and 212c come into the field of view of lens 31a of camera unit 3 in a bird's-eye view.

[0018] The refrigerator 100 also includes a plurality of louvers 14a, 14b, and 14c. These louvers 14a, 14b, and 14c are provided to correspond one-to-one to the spaces A1, A2, and A3 of the refrigerator compartment 21. For example, the louver 14a is a member that adjusts the direction of airflow toward the space A1 above the shelf 13a in the refrigerator compartment 21. More specifically, an opening (not shown) is formed in the wall at the far side of the space A1, and the louver 14a is disposed in this opening. The louver 14a adjusts the left-right direction of the airflow when cool air is blown into the space A1.

[0019] Another louver 14b is a member that adjusts the direction of airflow into space A2 between shelves 13a and 13b in refrigerator compartment 21. In addition, louver 14c is a member that adjusts the direction of airflow into space A3 below shelf 13b in refrigerator compartment 21. Each of louvers 14a, 14b, and 14c is rotated by a stepping motor (not shown).

[0020] Imaging buttons 211d, 212d shown in Fig. 3 are pressed by the user when manually capturing an image of refrigerator compartment 21 using camera unit 3. In the example of Fig. 3, one imaging button 211d, 212d is provided on each of the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212. Note that imaging buttons 211d, 212d may be omitted as appropriate.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the refrigerator 100 with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 open. As shown in Fig. 4, hinges 211a and 212a are provided on the top surface of housing 1. Hinge 211a on the left side pivotally supports refrigerator compartment door 211 so that it can rotate freely (the same applies to hinge 212a on the right side). Main body 31 of camera unit 3 extends in an elongated shape in the front-to-rear direction. The position of main body 31 in the left-to-right direction may be directly above the joint between refrigerator compartment doors 211 and 212 (see Fig. 1), or may be in another predetermined position.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the camera unit 3 when viewed from diagonally below. The main body 31 of the camera unit 3 includes the lens 31a, a case 31b, and a cover 31c. The case 31b has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction. A circular hole (not shown) is provided on the underside near the front end of the case 31b, and the lens 31a is exposed through this hole.

[0023] Case 31b has a long, narrow hole (no reference numeral is shown) in the left-right direction behind lens 31a, and cover 31c is fitted into this hole. Inside case 31b, camera LED 31e (see FIG. 6) is disposed above cover 31c. Cover 31c is a translucent resin member that protects camera LED 31e and diffuses light from camera LED 31e.

[0024] <Cooling system configuration> FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a cooling system 200 including the refrigerator 100. In addition to the lens 31a, the camera unit 3 includes an image sensor 31d, a camera LED 31e, and a camera / communication control SoC 31f. The image sensor 31d is a device that photoelectrically converts light incident through the lens 31a to generate captured image information. For example, a CCD sensor (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS sensor (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) is used as the image sensor 31d.

[0025] The camera LED 31e is a light source that lights up when capturing an image with the camera unit 3. As a result, for example, when the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see FIG. 3) are opened, images of the refrigerator compartment 21 (see FIG. 3) and the door pockets 211c, 212c (see FIG. 3) inside the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 are captured with appropriate brightness.

[0026] The camera / communication control SoC 31f is an integrated circuit that integrates circuits having microcomputer functions and other applied functions on a single chip and is designed to function in cooperation with each other. The camera / communication control SoC 31f communicates with the control unit 8 in a predetermined manner and outputs an image capture command to the image sensor 31d. As a result, captured image information is input from the image sensor 31d to the camera / communication control SoC 31f.

[0027] In addition to the camera unit 3 and wireless LAN unit 4, the refrigerator 100 also includes a door sensor 5, a control panel 6, a storage unit 7, a control unit 8, and a cool air supply unit 9. The wireless LAN unit 4 transmits and receives information to and from a server 63 via a network 62 and a router 61.

[0028] The door sensors 5 are sensors that individually detect the opening and closing of each door of the refrigerator 100. Although one door sensor 5 is shown in FIG. 6, in reality, one door sensor 5 is provided for each door. A predetermined signal indicating the opening and closing state of the door is output from the door sensors 5 to the control unit 8.

[0029] The control panel 6 displays the status of the refrigerator 100 and accepts operations such as changing settings, and is provided on the outer or inner surface of the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see FIG. 1). The control panel 6 is also used when setting up pairing between the user's mobile terminal 64 and the refrigerator 100.

[0030] Although not shown, the storage unit 7 includes a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The data stored in the storage unit 7 will be described later. The control unit 8 includes a processor (not shown) that loads a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes predetermined processing. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is used as such a processor. The processing executed by the control unit 8 will be described later.

[0031] The cold air supply unit 9 is a functional unit that supplies cold air to the interior of the refrigerator 100. The cold air supply unit 9 includes a cooler (not shown), a fan (not shown), and louvers 14a, 14b, and 14c (see FIG. 3). The air cooled by the cooler flows through a predetermined air path by the driving of the fan, and is further guided in a predetermined direction by the louvers 14a, 14b, and 14c (see FIG. 3).

[0032] 6, the cooling system 200 includes a refrigerator 100, a router 61, a server 63, a network 62, and a mobile terminal 64. The router 61 is a communication relay device and is installed outside the refrigerator 100. Captured image information output from the image sensor 31d to the camera / communication control SoC 31f is transmitted to the server 63 via the wireless LAN unit 4, the router 61, and the network 62 in this order.

[0033] Network 62 is a wired or wireless communication network. Server 63 performs predetermined processing on captured image information, which is the result of imaging by camera unit 3, and stores the captured image information in association with the identification information of refrigerator 100. When server 63 receives a request signal for captured image information of the interior of refrigerator 100 from mobile terminal 64 with which pairing has been set, server 63 transmits the captured image information to mobile terminal 64. Such mobile terminal 64 may be, for example, a smartphone, tablet, or mobile phone.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram including a storage unit 7, a control unit 8, and a cool air supply unit 9. As shown in FIG. 7, the memory unit 7 stores captured image information 7a, item information 7b, location information 7c, a list of candidate items for rapid cooling 7d, detection range information 7e, and information on items to be rapid cooled 7f.

[0035] The captured image information 7a is information based on the image capturing results of the camera unit 3 (see FIG. 6). Note that the image capturing results of the camera unit 3 may be subjected to predetermined processing or manipulation in the server 63 (see FIG. 6) and used as the captured image information 7a.

[0036] The item information 7b is information indicating the types of items stored in the refrigerator 100 (see FIG. 3). In other words, the item information 7b is information indicating the types of items that are actually stored in the refrigerator 100. The "item" mentioned above is information indicating the type of item. For example, the item may be identified by the contents, such as juice, beer, or alcohol. The item may also be identified by the type of container and contents, such as canned drinks, paper-packaged drinks, or PET bottled drinks. It is not necessary that all of the items actually present inside the refrigerator 100 be included in the item information 7b; it is sufficient that the items placed within the range that can be photographed by the camera unit 3 (for example, near the opening 10 on the front side of the refrigerator compartment 21: see Figure 2) are included in the item information 7b.

[0037] The position information 7c indicates the position of an item in the refrigerator 100 (see FIG. 3). In other words, the position information 7c indicates the actual position of an item in the refrigerator 100. For example, the refrigerator compartment 21 (see FIG. 3) may be vertically divided into three spaces A1, A2, and A3 (see FIG. 3) based on the height positions of the shelves 13a and 13b (see FIG. 3), and horizontally divided into three areas: a left area, a center area, and a right area. It may also be possible to specify which of the nine areas in the refrigerator compartment 21 each item is located in. Such position information 7c is associated with each item included in the item information 7b. For example, information that beer is placed in the left area of ​​the space A1 (see FIG. 3) is stored as the position information 7c.

[0038] The number of areas divided into space A1 may be two or less, or may be four or more (the same applies to other spaces A2 and A3). When at least one of the doors of refrigerator 100 (see FIG. 3) is opened, item information 7b and location information 7c are updated appropriately. This is because there is a possibility that an item may have been put into or removed from a storage compartment such as refrigerator compartment 21 after the door was opened.

[0039] The quenching item candidate list 7d shown in FIG. 7 is a list of candidates for quenching items, and is set in advance. Here, "quenching item" refers to an item selected as a target for quenching by a user operating the mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6). The quenching item candidate list 7d is set in advance based on the accuracy of image recognition based on the captured image information 7a, ease of use for the user, and the like. For example, the quenching item candidate list 7d may be set as a list of items for which image recognition based on the captured image information 7a is possible.

[0040] The detection range information 7e is information that specifies the detection range of an item in the freezer space. In the first embodiment, the user selects an appropriate detection range from a plurality of detection range candidates by operating the mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6). Then, if an item to be rapidly cooled selected by the user is present within the predetermined detection range, the item is rapidly cooled. By allowing the user to appropriately select the detection range in this way, the items to be rapidly cooled are more likely to be concentrated in the predetermined detection range. Therefore, energy savings can be achieved compared to when the items to be rapidly cooled are dispersed. Furthermore, convenience is improved because there is less chance of an item that should not be rapidly cooled being mistakenly placed near an item to be rapidly cooled.

[0041] The quenching target item information 7f shown in Fig. 7 is information for identifying the quenching target item. That is, the quenching target item information 7f is information on a specific item selected from the quenching target item list 7d by the user operating the mobile terminal 64 (see Fig. 6).

[0042] As shown in Fig. 7, the control unit 8 includes a data acquisition unit 8a, an item information acquisition unit 8b, a location information acquisition unit 8c, and an equipment control unit 8d. The data acquisition unit 8a acquires captured image information 7a from the camera unit 3 (see Fig. 6) or the server 63 (see Fig. 6). The data acquisition unit 8a also acquires detection range information 7e and rapid-cooling item information 7f from the mobile terminal 64 (see Fig. 6) based on a user's input operation. The captured image information 7a, detection range information 7e, and rapid-cooling item information 7f acquired in this manner are stored in the memory unit 7.

[0043] The item information acquisition unit 8b acquires item information 7b of items inside the refrigerator 100 (see FIG. 3). In the example of the first embodiment, the item information acquisition unit 8b acquires the item information 7b of items inside the refrigerator based on captured image information 7a. For example, the item information acquisition unit 8b identifies the items actually placed inside the refrigerator by image recognition (pattern matching, etc.) of the captured image information 7a. The item information 7b acquired by the item information acquisition unit 8b is stored in the storage unit 7.

[0044] The position information acquisition unit 8c acquires position information 7c of items inside the refrigerator 100 (see FIG. 3). In the example of the first embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 8c acquires position information 7c of items inside the refrigerator based on captured image information 7a. For example, the position information acquisition unit 8c identifies the positions of items actually placed inside the refrigerator by image recognition of the captured image information 7a. The position information 7c acquired by the position information acquisition unit 8c is stored in the memory unit 7.

[0045] The device control unit 8d controls the cool air supply unit 9 in a predetermined manner based on the item information 7b acquired by the item information acquisition unit 8b and the location information 7c acquired by the location information acquisition unit 8c. Specific processing by the device control unit 8d will be described later.

[0046] <Processing of control section> FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control unit of the refrigerator (also see FIG. 7 as appropriate). It is assumed that, at the time of "START" in FIG. 8, pairing has already been set up between the user's mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6) and the refrigerator 100 (see FIG. 6). It is also assumed that the item and location of each item stored in the refrigerator 100 have already been identified and stored as item information 7b and location information 7c. It is also assumed that the user has performed a predetermined operation to display the rapid-cooling item candidate list 7d on the display of the mobile terminal 64.

[0047] In step S101, the control unit 8 causes the mobile terminal 64 of the user to display the quench-cooling item candidate list 7d.

[0048] FIG. 9 shows an example of a display screen of the quenching item candidate list 7d. In the example of Fig. 9, a plurality of items such as tea, juice, beer, milk, and yogurt drinks are displayed vertically on the mobile terminal 64 (see Fig. 6) as a rapid-cooling item candidate list 7d. As described above, such a rapid-cooling item candidate list 7d is set in advance based on the accuracy of image recognition of the captured image information 7a. Depending on the accuracy of image recognition, the items in the rapid-cooling item candidate list 7d may be roughly categorized, such as canned drinks, carton drinks, and PET bottle drinks.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 8 again, the explanation will be continued. In step S102, the control unit 8 acquires the quenching target item information 7f from the mobile terminal 64 via the data acquisition unit 8a. In the example of FIG. 9, the user operates the mobile terminal 64 to select "beer" as the item to be quenched. In this case, the selected item to be quenched is highlighted in a predetermined color or frame on the display screen of the quenching item candidate list 7d. Then, the user operates the confirm button E1 to confirm the selection of the item to be quenched. In this way, the user operates the mobile terminal 64 to select an item to be quenched from the predetermined quenching item candidate list 7d.

[0050] Next, in step S103 of FIG. 8, the control unit 8 causes the user's mobile terminal 64 to display a detection range selection screen.

[0051] FIG. 10 shows an example of a detection range selection screen. In the example of FIG. 10, the most recently captured image of refrigerator compartment 21 is displayed on the display of mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6). Also, a total of three detection range candidates D1, D2, and D3 are indicated by dashed frame lines in the vertical direction of refrigerator compartment 21. That is, on mobile terminal 64, detection range candidates D1, D2, and D3 are superimposed on the most recently captured image by camera unit 3 (imaging section: see FIG. 3). This allows the user to select a detection range while viewing the current status of refrigerator compartment 21, thereby improving convenience for the user. Note that a predetermined model image may be used instead of the most recently captured image.

[0052] Detection range candidates D1, D2, and D3 shown in Fig. 10 are spaces that are candidates for the detection range and are set in advance. In the example of Fig. 10, the space A1 above the shelf board 13a is set as the detection range candidate D1. The space A2 between the shelves 13a and 13b is set as the detection range candidate D2. The space A3 below the shelf board 13b is set as the detection range candidate D3.

[0053] In the example of FIG. 10, a storage space A4 is also provided below the detection range candidates D1, D2, and D3, but this space A4 is not included in the detection range candidates. It is assumed that no louvers for adjusting the airflow direction are provided in space A4. For example, it may be difficult to provide louvers in a specific space A4 due to restrictions such as the installation space of the device. In this way, it is preferable that an area within the interior space of refrigerator 100 that is outside the range where rapid cooling control is possible (space A4 in the example of FIG. 10) is not displayed as a detection range candidate on mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6). This can prevent a situation in which rapid cooling control cannot be performed in a detection range even though that detection range has been selected.

[0054] Next, in step S104 of Fig. 8, the control unit 8 causes the data acquisition unit 8a to acquire detection range information 7e from the mobile terminal 64. For example, when the detection range candidate D1 shown in Fig. 10 is selected as the detection range, this detection range may be highlighted by being surrounded by a thick frame or colored. Then, the user operates the decision button E2 to confirm the selection of the detection range. Furthermore, the control unit 8 acquires model information about the refrigerator 100 to be photographed from the server 63 using information about the paired refrigerator 100 (for example, the model and model number). The model information includes various information, and may also include, for example, detection range candidates D1, D2, and D3. Since the number of spaces A1, A2, and A3 (the number of shelves 13a and 13b) and the presence or absence of louvers for adjusting the airflow direction vary depending on the model of the refrigerator 100, the positions and number of detection range candidates D1, D2, and D3 can be set according to the model of the refrigerator 100.

[0055] Next, in step S105 of FIG. 8, the control unit 8 determines whether or not an item to be rapidly cooled is present within the detection range. This process is performed, for example, by image recognition using the most recent captured image information 7a. For example, assume that the item to be rapidly cooled is "beer" and the detection range candidate D1 shown in FIG. 10 has been selected as the detection range. In the current state of the refrigerator compartment 21, a can of beer is placed within the detection range selected by the user (space A1 in FIG. 10). In other words, a can of beer that corresponds to the item to be rapidly cooled ("beer") is present within the detection range. In this way, if an item to be rapidly cooled is present within the detection range (S105: Yes), the control unit 8 proceeds to step S106.

[0056] Note that a specific item to be rapidly cooled may be placed within the detection range before rapid cooling item information 7f is acquired (S102) or detection range information 7e is acquired (S104). Also, after rapid cooling item information 7f is acquired (S102) or detection range information 7e is acquired (S104), a user may open refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see FIG. 3) and place a new item to be rapidly cooled within the detection range of refrigerator compartment 21. In either of these cases, if a rapid cooling item is present within the specified detection range (S105: Yes), the location of the item is appropriately identified based on item information 7b and location information 7c.

[0057] 8, the control unit 8 rapidly cools an area including the items to be rapidly cooled. That is, when the user selects an item to be rapidly cooled by operating the mobile terminal 64 (S102), the equipment control unit 8d controls the cold air supply unit 9 to adjust the airflow direction to send cold air into the area including the location of the item to be rapidly cooled, based on the item information 7b and the location information 7c (S106).

[0058] For example, space A1 of refrigerator compartment 21 may be divided into a left area L1, a center area C1, and a right area R1 (see FIG. 11), and cool air may be selectively supplied to any one of these three areas by adjusting the airflow direction of louver 14a (see FIG. 3). Similarly, in spaces A2 and A3 (see FIG. 11), cool air may be selectively supplied to any one of the left area, center area, and right area.

[0059] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram regarding the rapid cooling of an area containing items to be rapidly cooled. It is assumed that, among the above-mentioned detection range candidates D1, D2, and D3 (see FIG. 10), the detection range candidate D1, which has the highest height position, is selected as the detection range. In the example of FIG. 11, a can of beer, which is an item to be rapidly cooled ("beer"), is placed in the left area L1 of the space A1, which is the detection range selected by the user. In this case, the control unit 8 controls the stepping motor (not shown) of the louver 14a (see FIG. 3) so that cold air is supplied to the left area L1 of the detection range. As a result, cold air is supplied primarily to the left area L1 of the detection range, and the can of beer placed in the left area L1 is quickly cooled.

[0060] In this way, when the user operates the mobile terminal 64 to select a detection range for detecting an item to be rapidly cooled from among multiple detection range candidates D1, D2, D3 (see Figure 10) (S104 in Figure 8), if an item to be rapidly cooled is present within this detection range (S105: Yes), the equipment control unit 8d controls rapid cooling for the area included in this detection range (S106).

[0061] Next, in step S107 of FIG. 8, the control unit 8 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the rapid cooling control (S106). The predetermined time is the duration of the rapid cooling control, and is set in advance. In step S107, if the predetermined time has not elapsed since the start of the rapid cooling control (S107: No), the control unit 8 returns to step S106. Then, the control unit 8 continues the rapid cooling control (S106).

[0062] Furthermore, in step S107, if the predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the rapid cooling control (S107: Yes), the process of the control unit 8 proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the control unit 8 stops the rapid cooling control (S106) and performs normal cooling control. For example, the control unit 8 rotates the louver 14a (see FIG. 3) alternately left and right so that the predetermined detection range (space A1 in FIG. 11) is cooled evenly.

[0063] Furthermore, in step S105, if there are no items to be rapidly cooled within the detection range (S105: No), the control unit 8 proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the control unit 8 continues normal cooling control. After performing the process of step S108, the control unit 8 ends the series of processes (END).

[0064] The determination process of step S105 may be repeated at a predetermined interval, or may be performed every time the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see FIG. 3) are opened (that is, every time new captured image information 7a is acquired).

[0065] Furthermore, the settings of the detection range information 7e and the rapid cooling target item information 7f are maintained unless the user changes or deletes them by operating the mobile terminal 64. To give a specific example, suppose that a specific rapid cooling target item (e.g., "beer") is placed in the left area L1 of the detection range (see FIG. 11) on a specific date and time. In this case, rapid cooling of the left area L1 of the detection range is performed. Then, suppose that the settings of the detection range information 7e and the rapid cooling target item information 7f are not changed, and the next day, a new item of the rapid cooling target item (e.g., "beer") or a different type of rapid cooling target item (e.g., "juice") is placed in the right area R1 of the detection range (see FIG. 11). In this case, rapid cooling of the right area R1 of the detection range is performed. Rapid cooling control is initiated when a new rapid cooling target item is stored in the specified detection range, and also when an item already stored in the detection range is selected as a new rapid cooling target item.

[0066] <Effects> According to the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not an item to be rapidly cooled is present within a predetermined detection range based on captured image information 7a from camera unit 3. Therefore, for example, if a user wishes to rapidly cool lukewarm beer, the user can select beer as an item to be rapidly cooled and place the beer within the predetermined detection range, thereby quickly cooling the beer.

[0067] If an area where the temperature detection value is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature threshold is rapidly cooled, it becomes difficult to rapidly cool items that are relatively low in temperature (i.e., lukewarm) for the following reason: For example, if a user purchases various items while shopping and puts them in refrigerator 100 at once, most of the items in the refrigerator will be lukewarm. In this case, there is a possibility that the item that the user wants to rapidly cool will not be rapidly cooled, and other items will be rapidly cooled instead.

[0068] In contrast, in the first embodiment, as described above, the items to be quenched are identified based on image recognition. In other words, there is no particular need to use temperature detection values ​​when identifying the items to be quenched, so the items to be quenched can be appropriately identified. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the user selects a specific item to be quenched from the quenching item candidate list 7d (see FIG. 9). This saves the user time and effort and improves operability compared to when the user visually searches for and selects the item to be quenched from the captured image displayed on the mobile terminal 64.

[0069] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the user selects a predetermined detection range from among a plurality of detection range candidates D1, D2, and D3 (see FIG. 10), and rapid cooling is performed when an item to be rapidly cooled is placed in this detection range. This makes it easier for the items to be rapidly cooled to be concentrated in the detection range selected by the user. Therefore, energy savings can be achieved compared to when multiple items to be rapidly cooled are placed dispersedly within the refrigerator. Furthermore, items that the user does not want to be rapidly cooled can be placed outside the detection range set by the user, thereby preventing rapid cooling from being performed against the user's intention. In this way, according to the first embodiment, a highly convenient refrigerator 100 and cooling system 200 can be provided.

[0070] Second Embodiment The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a predetermined inventory list 7g (see FIG. 13) is used instead of the rapid-cooling item candidate list 7d (see FIG. 9) described in the first embodiment. The second embodiment also differs from the first embodiment in that no particular detection range is set. Note that the rest (such as the configuration of the refrigerator 100 and the cooling system 200: see FIGS. 1 to 6) is the same as the first embodiment. Therefore, only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described, and explanations of overlapping parts will be omitted.

[0071] FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram including a storage unit 7A, a control unit 8, and a cold air supply unit 9 of a refrigerator according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 12, memory unit 7A stores captured image information 7a, item information 7b, location information 7c, rapid cooling target item information 7f, and inventory list 7g. Inventory list 7g is a list showing items in stock (items actually present inside) of refrigerator 100. Each of the multiple items included in inventory list 7g is associated with location information 7c that shows the location of the item inside the refrigerator. Such inventory list 7g is generated, for example, by image recognition based on captured image information 7a.

[0072] Specifically, camera unit 3 captures an image every time the door of refrigerator 100 is opened. Then, control unit 8 identifies the item of the item shown in the current captured image by image recognition, and identifies the item and position of the newly stored item based on the difference between the previous captured image and the current captured image. This process may be performed every time the door of refrigerator 100 is opened.

[0073] Alternatively, for example, each time the user stores an item in refrigerator 100, the user may input the item type by operating mobile terminal 64. In this case, the user may input the position of the newly stored item in association with the item type into mobile terminal 64. Furthermore, based on the item type input by operating mobile terminal 64, the position of the item may be identified by image recognition.

[0074] FIG. 13 is an example of a display screen of the inventory list 7g. In the example of Fig. 13, a plurality of items such as juice, beer, and cake are displayed vertically as an inventory list 7g on the mobile terminal 64 (see Fig. 6). An image of the item is displayed next to the item name. This image may be a predetermined design or may be extracted from the most recent captured image information 7a.

[0075] Furthermore, it is preferable that items located outside the range in the storage space where rapid cooling can be controlled are not displayed in the inventory list 7g on the mobile terminal 64. This can prevent a situation in which an item to be rapid cooled is selected from the inventory list 7g, but rapid cooling cannot be controlled for the area where the item to be rapid cooled is placed. In addition to the inventory list 7g that can be rapidly cooled, it is also possible to display a list of inventory that includes items that are placed in places where rapid cooling is not possible.

[0076] In the example of FIG. 13, the user operates the mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6) to check the checkbox next to "beer." In other words, "beer" is selected as the item to be rapidly cooled. Then, the user operates the decision button E3 to confirm the selection of the item to be rapidly cooled. In this way, the user operates the mobile terminal 64 to select the item to be rapidly cooled from the in-warehouse inventory list 7g.

[0077] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control unit of the refrigerator (also see FIG. 12 as appropriate). 14, it is assumed that the item and location of each item in refrigerator 100 have already been identified and stored in storage unit 7A as item information 7b and location information 7c. It is also assumed that a predetermined operation has been performed on mobile terminal 64 to display inventory list 7g.

[0078] In step S201, the control unit 8 causes the user's mobile terminal 64 to display the inventory list 7g. That is, the control unit 8 causes the display of the mobile terminal 64 to display the inventory list 7g as shown in FIG.

[0079] In step S202, the control unit 8 causes the data acquisition unit 8a to acquire the rapid cooling target item information 7f from the mobile terminal 64. In the example of Fig. 13, the user operates the mobile terminal 64 to select "beer" as the rapid cooling target item. In step S203, the control unit 8 determines whether or not there is an item to be rapidly cooled inside the refrigerator 100. This determination process is performed, for example, by image recognition using the most recent captured image information 7a.

[0080] If an item to be rapidly cooled is present in the refrigerator in step S203 (S203: Yes), the control unit 8 proceeds to step S204. In this way, when an item to be rapidly cooled is selected from the inventory list 7g (S202), and it is determined based on the most recent captured image information 7a that an item to be rapidly cooled is present in the refrigerator (S203: Yes), the equipment control unit 8d starts rapid cooling control (S204).

[0081] Furthermore, if there are no items to be rapidly cooled in the refrigerator in step S203 (S203: No), the process by the control unit 8 proceeds to step S206. Note that steps S204 to S206 are the same as steps S106 to S108 (see FIG. 8) described in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0082] <Effects> According to the second embodiment, if the item to be rapidly cooled selected by the user from the inventory list 7g is present in the refrigerator (S203: Yes in FIG. 14), the area including the item to be rapidly cooled is rapidly cooled (S204). This allows the item desired by the user to be rapidly cooled quickly, thereby improving convenience for the user. For example, the user can rapidly cool a specific item stored in the refrigerator 100 by operating the mobile terminal 64 in a specific manner while out. Furthermore, the user can manually add items that cannot be identified by image recognition based on the captured image information 7a to the inventory list 7g as appropriate using the mobile terminal 64.

[0083] <<Variations>> The refrigerator 100 and the cooling system 200 according to the present disclosure have been described above in the respective embodiments, but they are not limited to these descriptions and can be modified in various ways. For example, in each embodiment, the louvers 14a, 14b, and 14c (see FIG. 3) are used to adjust the airflow direction when rapid cooling is performed, but this is not limiting. That is, as will be described next, dampers 16a, 16b, and 16c (see FIG. 15) may be controlled when rapid cooling is performed.

[0084] FIG. 15 is a front view of a refrigerator 100B according to a modified example with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 open. In the example of Fig. 15, an opening 15a is formed in the wall at the back of area B1. Air cooled by a cooler (not shown) is blown out into area B1 through opening 15a. Similarly, an opening 15b is formed in the wall at the back of area B2, and an opening 15c is formed in the wall at the back of area B3.

[0085] As shown in Fig. 15, refrigerator 100B includes dampers 16a, 16b, and 16c (cold air supply units). Damper 16a adjusts the volume of cold air blown into area B1 through opening 15a. Similarly, damper 16b adjusts the volume of cold air blown into area B2 through opening 15b. Furthermore, damper 16c adjusts the volume of cold air blown into area B3 through opening 15c.

[0086] In this configuration, areas B1, B2, and B3 may be displayed as detection range candidates on mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6), and the user may select a detection range. If an item selected by the user as a target for rapid cooling is present within the predetermined detection range, the item may be rapidly cooled. For example, assume that area B1 is set as the detection range and a predetermined target for rapid cooling is present in area B1. In this case, device control unit 8d (see FIG. 7) controls the volume of cool air blown into area B1 through opening 15a to be greater than the volumes of cool air blown into areas B2 and B3. For example, cool air may be blown into area B1 through opening 15a, but not through openings 15b and 15c.

[0087] In this way, when a user selects an item to be rapidly cooled by operating the mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6), the equipment control unit 8d (see FIG. 7) controls the cold air supply unit 9 (see FIG. 7) to adjust the air volume so that the volume of cold air directed to area B1, which includes the location of the item to be rapidly cooled, is greater than that directed to other areas B2 and B3, based on the item information 7b (see FIG. 7) and location information 7c (see FIG. 7). This allows the item to be rapidly cooled placed in area B1. It is also possible to combine the modified example of FIG. 15 with the second embodiment.

[0088] Furthermore, for example, louvers 14a, 14b, and 14c (see FIG. 3) may adjust the airflow direction, and dampers 16a, 16b, and 16c (see FIG. 15) described in the modified example may adjust the airflow volume. That is, when a user selects an item to be rapidly cooled by operating mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6), device control unit 8d (see FIG. 7) may use cold air supply unit 9 (see FIG. 7) to perform at least one of the following controls based on item information 7b (see FIG. 7) and location information 7c (see FIG. 7): adjusting the airflow direction to send cool air to an area including the location of the item to be rapidly cooled, and adjusting the airflow volume to send cool air to that area at a higher volume than other areas. This process also allows the item to be rapidly cooled.

[0089] Furthermore, in each embodiment, the case where item information 7b and position information 7c are identified based on captured image information 7a of the interior of the warehouse has been described, but this is not limited to this. That is, the item information acquisition unit 8b (see FIG. 7) may acquire item information 7b (see FIG. 7) of the items in the warehouse based on the user's operation of the mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6). Furthermore, the position information acquisition unit 8c (see FIG. 7) may acquire position information 7c (see FIG. 7) of the items in the warehouse based on the user's operation of the mobile terminal 64 (see FIG. 6).

[0090] In addition, item information 7b (see Figure 7) may be obtained by the user operating mobile terminal 64 (see Figure 6), while location information 7c (see Figure 7) may be obtained based on captured image information 7a (see Figure 7). In addition, item information 7b (see Figure 7) may be obtained based on captured image information 7a (see Figure 7), while location information 7c (see Figure 7) may be obtained by the user operating mobile terminal 64 (see Figure 6).

[0091] In the first embodiment, the case where the rapid-cooling item candidate list 7d is displayed and acquired (S101, S102 in FIG. 8) and then the detection range information 7e is displayed and acquired (S103, S104) has been described, but this is not limiting. That is, the detection range information 7e may be displayed and acquired before the rapid-cooling item candidate list 7d is displayed and acquired.

[0092] In addition, in each embodiment, the case where the camera unit 3 (image capturing unit: see FIG. 1) is installed on the outside of the housing 1 of the refrigerator 100 has been described, but this is not limiting. For example, a camera unit (not shown) that captures images of the interior of the refrigerator may be installed inside the housing 1. Furthermore, a camera unit (not shown) that captures images of the interior of the refrigerator may be installed in at least one of the multiple doors of the refrigerator 100.

[0093] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the case has been described in which the control unit 8 performs the process of displaying a detection range selection screen on the mobile terminal 64 (S103 in FIG. 8) and the process of acquiring detection range information 7e (S104), but this is not limitative. That is, the processes of steps S103 and S104 may be omitted as appropriate from the flowchart in FIG. 8. Even when a specific detection range is not set in this way, the control unit 8 can identify the position of the item to be rapidly cooled based on the captured image information 7a of the fridge interior.

[0094] In the first embodiment, text data is used as the quenching item candidate list 7d (see FIG. 9), but this is not limiting. For example, instead of text data, images of items representing the items may be displayed on the mobile terminal 64 as the quenching item candidate list 7d. Furthermore, both text data and images of items representing the items may be displayed on the mobile terminal 64 as the quenching item candidate list 7d. The same can be said for the inventory list 7g (see FIG. 13) of the second embodiment.

[0095] In the second embodiment, a case where a predetermined detection range is not specifically set has been described, but this is not limiting. That is, in the second embodiment, a predetermined detection range may be set. Then, when an item to be rapidly cooled selected from the inventory list 7g is present within the predetermined detection range, the control unit 8 may rapidly cool a predetermined area including the item to be rapidly cooled.

[0096] Furthermore, in each embodiment, a configuration has been described in which refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see FIG. 1) are provided as a pair of French doors, but this is not limited thereto. For example, each embodiment can also be applied to a refrigerator with a single swinging door. Furthermore, the camera unit 3 may be configured to capture an image of the interior of the refrigerator when a drawer-type door, such as vegetable compartment door 241 (see FIG. 1) or lower freezer compartment door 251 (see FIG. 1), is opened. In this case, the control unit 8 controls rapid cooling based on the captured image information 7a.

[0097] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the case where the rapid cooling item candidate list 7d (see FIG. 9) includes specific items such as "tea," "juice," and "beer" has been described, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the item names may include "pot" and "dish." For example, when "pot" is selected as the item to be rapidly cooled and a pot is placed within a predetermined detection range, the control unit 8 rapidly cools the area including the pot. This allows curry, stew, etc. contained in the pot to be rapidly cooled. The same can be said for the second embodiment.

[0098] In addition, in each embodiment, the case where rapid cooling control is performed on a predetermined area of ​​the refrigerator compartment 21 (see FIG. 1) has been described, but this is not limiting. That is, rapid cooling control may be performed on a predetermined area of ​​the freezer compartment.

[0099] In each embodiment, the refrigerator 100 is described as having the storage unit 7 and the control unit 8 as shown in Fig. 7, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, at least some of the captured image information 7a, item information 7b, location information 7c, rapid-cooling item candidate list 7d, detection range information 7e, and rapid-cooling target item information 7f may be stored in the server 63 (see Fig. 6). Also, at least some of the functions of the data acquisition unit 8a, item information acquisition unit 8b, location information acquisition unit 8c, and device control unit 8d may be performed by the server 63 (see Fig. 6).

[0100] In addition, the programs executed by the control unit 8 (see Figure 6) and the server 63 (see Figure 6) can be provided via a communication line, or can be written to a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed.

[0101] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to each embodiment and includes various modifications. For example, each embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present disclosure, and is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0102] Furthermore, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partly or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, etc. may be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0103] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1 chassis 3 Camera unit (imaging unit) 4 Wireless LAN unit 5 Door Sensor 6. Control Panel 7,7A storage section 7a Captured image information 7b Item Information 7c Location information 7d. Quenching Item Candidate List 7e Detection range information 7f Information on items subject to rapid cooling 7g Stock List 8 Control Unit 8a Data acquisition section 8b Item information acquisition section 8c Location information acquisition section 8d Equipment control section 9. Cold air supply section 14a, 14b, 14c Louvers (cold air supply section) 15a,15b,15c opening 16a, 16b, 16c Damper (cold air supply section) 61 Router 62 Network 63 servers 64 Mobile Devices 100,100B refrigerator 200 Cooling System B1, B2, B3 Area C1 Central Area (Area) D1, D2, D3 detection range candidates L1 Left Area (Area) R1 Right Area (Area)

Claims

1. a cold air supply unit that supplies cold air into the storage compartment; an imaging unit that images the interior of the fridge and generates captured image information; An item information acquisition unit that acquires item information of items in the warehouse based on the captured image information or based on the operation of a mobile terminal by a user; A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of items in the warehouse based on the captured image information or based on the operation of the mobile terminal by a user; and an equipment control unit that, when a user operates the mobile terminal to select an item to be rapidly cooled, controls at least one of adjusting the direction of the airflow to send cold air to an area including the location of the item to be rapidly cooled, and adjusting the airflow volume to make the volume of cold air sent to that area larger than that of other areas, based on the item information and the location information, using the cold air supply unit.

2. The user operates the mobile terminal to select the item to be quenched from a predetermined list of candidate items for quenching. The refrigerator according to claim 1 .

3. the rapid-cooling item candidate list is a list of items that can be image-recognized based on the captured image information, the item information acquisition unit acquires the item information based on the captured image information, The position information acquisition unit acquires the position information based on the captured image information. The refrigerator according to claim 2,

4. When a detection range for detecting the item to be rapidly cooled is selected from a plurality of detection range candidates by a user operating the mobile terminal, and when the item to be rapidly cooled is present within the selected detection range, the device control unit performs the control on the area included in the selected detection range. The refrigerator according to claim 1 .

5. In the mobile terminal, the detection range candidate is superimposed on the most recent image captured by the imaging unit. The refrigerator according to claim 4,

6. In the space inside the refrigerator, areas outside the controllable range are not displayed on the mobile terminal as the detection range candidates. The refrigerator according to claim 4,

7. The user operates the mobile terminal to select the item to be rapidly cooled from the inventory list in the warehouse. The refrigerator according to claim 1 .

8. When the item to be rapidly cooled is selected from the inventory list, and it is determined based on the most recent captured image information that the item to be rapidly cooled is present in the storage room, the equipment control unit starts the control. The refrigerator according to claim 7,

9. Any items located outside the controllable range in the storage space will not be displayed on the mobile terminal as part of the inventory list. The refrigerator according to claim 7,

10. a cold air supply unit that supplies cold air to the interior of the refrigerator; an imaging unit that captures an image of the interior of the refrigerator and generates captured image information; an item information acquisition unit that acquires item information of items in the refrigerator based on the captured image information or based on an operation of a mobile terminal by a user; a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of items in the refrigerator based on the captured image information or based on an operation of the mobile terminal by a user; and an equipment control unit that, when a user operates the mobile terminal to select an item to be rapidly cooled, controls at least one of adjusting the direction of the airflow to send cold air to an area including the location of the item to be rapidly cooled, and adjusting the airflow volume to make the volume of cold air sent to that area greater than that of other areas, based on the item information and the location information, using the cold air supply unit.

Images