Communication control device, cooling device

Abstract

This invention provides a communication control device and a cooling device. The refrigerator includes an acquisition unit and a communication unit. The acquisition unit acquires status information indicating the refrigerator's status, such as error information. The communication unit transmits the refrigerator status information acquired by the acquisition unit to the communication unit of a communication terminal or electrical device contained in a first area.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a communication control device and a cooling device. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In some refrigerators, if the mechanical compartment fan stops abnormally, the abnormality of the mechanical compartment fan is displayed externally, and the compressor is stopped, or runs at low speed or intermittently.

[0003] However, in some refrigerators, it is sometimes difficult to obtain information about the appliance's malfunction or other status. [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] [The problem the invention aims to solve]

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a communication control device and a cooling device that can easily obtain the status information of electrical appliances. [Technical Means for Solving the Problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the communication control device of the present invention includes an acquisition unit and a communication unit. The acquisition unit acquires status information indicating the state of an electrical appliance. The communication unit transmits the status information acquired by the acquisition unit to a communication device contained in a first region.

[0007] Furthermore, to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the cooling device of the present invention includes the aforementioned communication control device, a storage chamber, and a cooling unit. The storage chamber stores an object. The cooling unit cools the storage chamber. The status information includes internal information of the storage chamber. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] As described above, according to the present invention, a communication control device and a cooling device that can easily obtain the status information of electrical appliances can be provided.

Implementation Method

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention, specifically a refrigerator as an example of an electrical appliance, will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG1 is a diagram showing an example of a communication system including a refrigerator 10 ("a cooling device").

[0011] As shown in FIG1, the refrigerator 10 mainly has a storage compartment 11 for storing, for example, food ("object") and a plurality of doors 12 for opening and closing the front of the storage compartment 11. The refrigerator 10 is configured to communicate via wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and a communication terminal 30 ("communication device") and the communication unit 32 ("communication device") of other electrical appliances other than the refrigerator 10 (e.g., other refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, etc., hereinafter referred to as "electrical appliances 31").

[0012] The communication terminal 30 is, for example, a device carried by service personnel S who perform inspections and repairs on the refrigerator 10 and appliance 31. The communication terminal 30 is a terminal such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or wearable device that can communicate with the refrigerator 10. The communication terminal 30 stores application software for receiving and displaying information from the refrigerator 10.

[0013] The refrigerator 10 mainly includes a cooling unit 13, a control unit 14, a storage unit 15, and a communication unit 16. The cooling unit 13 includes, for example, a cooling coil (not shown) and a fan (not shown), which cools the interior of the storage compartment 11.

[0014] The control unit 14 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processor Unit), etc., which controls the various parts of the refrigerator 10 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 15 or an external storage medium (not shown).

[0015] The storage unit 15 is, for example, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., storing programs executed by the control unit 14, data generated by the programs executed by the control unit 14, data sent from the communication terminal 30 and the communication unit 32 of the electrical appliance 31, etc.

[0016] The communication unit 16 communicates with the communication terminal 30 using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like. The communication unit 16 may have a function for broadcasting communication, for example. The communication unit 16 may emit beacon signals, for example. The communication unit 16 may be built into the main body of the refrigerator 10, or it may be an external communication adapter installed on the main body of the refrigerator 10. The communication unit 16 is configured to send specified information to multiple unspecified communication terminals 30, and to periodically and continuously send information as needed, such as in the event of an abnormality in the refrigerator 10. The communication unit 16 sends status information indicating the status of the refrigerator 10 (hereinafter referred to as "refrigerator 10 status information") to the communication terminal 30. Here, the refrigerator 10 status information refers to error messages from the refrigerator 10 in the event of an abnormality, the model name of the refrigerator 10, the version of the program executed by the control unit 14, information on replacement parts (e.g., water filters for making ice) that need to be replaced during the use of the refrigerator 10, information about the interior of the storage compartment 11, and the maintenance schedule of the refrigerator 10, etc.

[0017] The communication unit 16 is configured to communicate with the communication unit 32 of the appliance 31. The communication unit 16 acquires status information (hereinafter referred to as "status information of appliance 31") indicating the status of appliance 31. Here, the status information of appliance 31 includes error information of appliance 31 in case of malfunction, the model name of appliance 31, the version of the program executed by the control unit of appliance 31, repair history information of appliance 31, information on replacement parts replaced according to the usage period of appliance 31, and maintenance period of appliance 31. The communication unit 32 of appliance 31 communicates with the communication unit 16 of refrigerator 10. The communication unit 32 of appliance 31 communicates with the communication unit 16 of refrigerator 10 in a unicast or multicast manner. In addition, the communication unit 32 of appliance 31 can also communicate in a broadcast manner. The communication unit 32 of appliance 31 can also communicate with communication terminal 30. In addition, the communication unit 32 of the appliance 31 can be built into the main body of the appliance 31, or it can be installed externally as a communication adapter on the main body of the appliance 31.

[0018] The control unit 14 includes an acquisition unit 17, a conversion unit 18, and a switching unit 19. The acquisition unit 17 acquires status information of the refrigerator 10. More specifically, the acquisition unit 17 acquires error information of the refrigerator 10, information about the interior of the storage compartment 11, etc., based on the detection results of various sensors installed in the refrigerator 10 (e.g., a storage compartment temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the storage compartment 11). The acquisition unit 17 acquires the model name of the refrigerator 10, the version of the program executed by the control unit 14, information on replacement parts replaced during the use of the refrigerator 10, etc., based on various data stored in the storage unit 15. The communication unit 16 obtains status information of the appliance 31 based on the information received by the communication unit 16 from the communication unit 32 of the appliance 31.

[0019] The conversion unit 18 converts the status information of the refrigerator 10 and the appliance 31 acquired by the acquisition unit 17 into maintenance information that can only be received by a pre-set specific communication terminal 30 or the communication unit 32 of the appliance 31. Here, maintenance information refers to information required for the inspection and repair of the refrigerator 10 or the appliance 31. In addition, the specific communication terminal 30 is the communication terminal 30 of the service personnel S who has activated the maintenance application on the terminal or the communication terminal 30 of the maintenance terminal carried by the service personnel S. In this way, by converting the status information of the refrigerator 10 and the appliance 31 into maintenance information by the conversion unit 18, it is possible to prevent an unspecified number of third parties from easily receiving the status information of the refrigerator 10 and the appliance 31. Furthermore, in the appliance 31, only the communication unit 32 receives the maintenance information sent from the communication unit 16 of the refrigerator 10 and sends it to the communication terminal 30 of the service personnel S, so the user of the appliance 31 cannot confirm the maintenance information.

[0020] The switching unit 19 is the part that switches the communication area that the communication unit 16 can communicate with. The switching unit 19 switches the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16 by changing the radio wave strength of the communication unit 16 at predetermined intervals. In this way, by periodically switching the communication area, the communication unit 16 can send information to the communication terminal 30 located in the wide area and receive information from the communication unit 32 of the appliance 31 located in the wide area.

[0021] Next, the control of the communication control device (communication unit 16, acquisition unit 17, conversion unit 18, and switching unit 19) of the refrigerator 10 will be described. In the refrigerator 10, the acquisition unit 17 acquires the status information of the refrigerator 10 at predetermined intervals. Then, if an abnormality occurs in the refrigerator 10 (e.g., a temperature rise in the storage compartment 11), the acquisition unit 17 acquires error information (e.g., error information about the storage compartment 11), and the communication unit 16 continuously sends the error information acquired by the acquisition unit 17 to a designated communication area. At this time, the communication unit 16 continuously sends status information of the refrigerator 10 (e.g., the model name of the refrigerator 10) along with the error information. Therefore, when a service personnel S equipped with a communication terminal 30 enters the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16, the communication terminal 30 receives the status information of the refrigerator 10, including the error information, from the communication unit 16. At this time, the status information of the refrigerator 10 is displayed on the display screen of the communication terminal 30, or announced via sound or the speaker of the communication terminal 30. For example, messages such as "Refrigerator 10, No. 000, requires repair. Please check." or "The water filter replacement period for refrigerator 10 has expired" may be displayed on the screen of communication terminal 30, or these messages may be announced audibly through the speaker of communication terminal 30. In this way, communication unit 16 continuously sends status information of refrigerator 10, including error information, when refrigerator 10 malfunctions. As a result, service personnel S located within the communication area of ​​communication unit 16 can quickly obtain status information from a specific appliance (refrigerator 10). Therefore, service personnel S can quickly respond to users of appliances (refrigerator 10) with malfunctioning conditions. For example, by continuously sending status information of refrigerator 10 to the designated communication area by communication unit 16, service personnel S performing inspection and repair of appliance 31 within the communication area of ​​communication unit 16 can receive the status information of refrigerator 10 through communication terminal 30. Therefore, service personnel S can simultaneously inspect and repair refrigerator 10, update its software, and perform other tasks while inspecting and repairing appliance 31. Therefore, service personnel S do not need to ask the user twice regarding the inspection and repair of refrigerator 10 and appliance 31, enabling efficient inspection and repair. Furthermore, during the inspection and repair of appliance 31, service personnel S can obtain information such as the maintenance period or replacement period of refrigerator 10, allowing them to quickly provide the user with relevant information about refrigerator 10 while simultaneously inspecting and repairing appliance 31.

[0022] In the refrigerator 10, the acquisition unit 17 acquires status information of each of the multiple appliances 31 from the communication unit 16 at predetermined intervals. Then, if an abnormality occurs in one of the multiple appliances 31, and the acquisition unit 17 acquires error information, the control unit 14 controls the communication unit 16 to send the error information acquired by the acquisition unit 17 to a designated communication area. The communication unit 16, according to the instructions of the control unit 14, continuously sends the error information acquired by the acquisition unit 17 to the designated communication area. At this time, the communication unit 16 continuously sends status information of the appliances 31, such as the model name, in addition to error information. Therefore, when a service personnel S with a communication terminal 30 enters the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16, the communication terminal 30 receives the status information of the appliances 31, including the error information, from the communication unit 16. At this time, the status information of the appliances 31 is displayed on the display screen of the communication terminal 30, or announced through sound from the speaker of the communication terminal 30. In this way, the communication unit 16 continuously sends the status information of the appliance 31 obtained by the acquisition unit 17 when the appliance 31 is malfunctioning. Thus, the service personnel S who are inspecting and repairing appliances other than refrigerator 10 or appliance 31 can receive the status information of appliance 31 through the communication terminal 30. Therefore, the service personnel S can inspect and repair appliances other than refrigerator 10 or appliance 31, and can also inspect and repair appliance 31, update software, etc. at the same time.

[0023] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16 in the refrigerator 10. As shown in Figure 2, in the refrigerator 10, the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16 is set as multiple areas (first area 20, second area 21). The first area 20 and the second area 21 are areas where the communication terminal 30 can receive information (radio waves) from the communication unit 16, or where the communication unit 16 can receive information (radio waves) from the communication unit 32 of the appliance 31. These are communication areas set within a specified range with the refrigerator 10 as the center. For example, the first area 20 is an area in the building T1 where the refrigerator 10 is installed where the communication terminal 30 can receive information (radio waves) from the communication unit 16, or an area in the building T1 where the communication unit 16 can receive information (radio waves) from the communication unit 32 of the appliance 31. That is, the refrigerator 10 and the communication terminal 30 or the appliance 31 are located in the same building T1, and the refrigerator 10 and the communication terminal 30 or the appliance 31 are areas where they can communicate with each other in the same building T1.

[0024] The second area 21 is an area that includes the first area 20 and is larger than the first area 20. For example, it is an area where the communication terminal 30 located in a different building T2 (hereinafter referred to as "other building T2") than the building T1 where the refrigerator 10 is installed can receive information (radio waves) from the communication unit 16, or an area where the communication unit 16 can receive information (radio waves) from the communication unit 32 of the appliance 31 located in a different building T2. That is, the refrigerator 10 and the communication terminal 30 or the appliance 31 are located in different buildings, and the refrigerator 10 and the communication terminal 30 or the appliance 31 are in areas where they can communicate with each other in different buildings.

[0025] In the refrigerator 10, the switching unit 19 changes the radio wave intensity of the communication unit 16, thereby switching the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16 between the first area 20 and the second area 21. The switching unit 19 switches the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16 between the first area 20 and the second area 21 at predetermined intervals. In this way, the switching unit 19 periodically switches the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16, so that not only the service personnel S located in the same building (first area 20) as the building T1 where the refrigerator 10 is installed, but also the service personnel S located in other buildings T2 (second area 21) different from the building T1 where the refrigerator 10 is installed, can obtain the status information of the refrigerator 10 or the status information of the appliance 31. Therefore, during the inspection and repair of the appliance 31, the service personnel S can obtain the maintenance period or the replacement period of the refrigerator 10, etc., and thus the service personnel S can quickly introduce information related to the refrigerator 10 to the user at the same time as the inspection and repair of the appliance 31. Furthermore, in this case, the service personnel S can determine the location (building where the refrigerator 10 is installed) by investigating the strength of the radio waves received by the communication terminal 30 from the communication unit 16.

[0026] Next, an example of the control of the communication control device (communication unit 16, acquisition unit 17, conversion unit 18, switching unit 19) of the refrigerator 10 will be described based on the flowchart in FIG3. FIG3 is a flowchart showing the control of the communication control device in the refrigerator 10. As shown in FIG3, the acquisition unit 17 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed (S1). If it determines that the predetermined time has elapsed (S1-Yes), it acquires the status information of the refrigerator 10 or the status information of the appliance 31 (S2). Then, the acquisition unit 17 determines whether error information has been acquired (S3). If the acquisition unit 17 determines that error information has been acquired (S3-Yes), the communication unit 16 continues to send the error information of the refrigerator 10 or the error information of the appliance 31 to the first area 20 (S4). In addition, the communication unit 16 determines whether the communication terminal 30 located in the first area 20 has received the error information (S5). If the communication unit 16 determines that the communication terminal 30 located in the first area 20 has received error information (S5-Yes), then it stops sending error information to the first area 20.

[0027] On the other hand, if the communication unit 16 determines that the communication terminal 30 located in the first area 20 has not received error information (S5-No) and a predetermined time has elapsed (S6-Yes), the switching unit 19 switches the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16 from the first area 20 to the second area 21 (S7). The communication unit 16 continuously sends error information of the refrigerator 10 or appliance 31 to the second area 21 by switching the communication area through the switching unit 19 (S8). In addition, the communication unit 16 determines whether the communication terminal 30 located in the second area 21 has received error information (S9). If the communication unit 16 determines that the communication terminal 30 located in the second area 21 has received error information (S9-Yes), the transmission of error information to the second area 21 ends.

[0028] On the other hand, if the communication unit 16 determines that the communication terminal 30 located in the second area 21 has not received the error information (S9-No) and a predetermined time has elapsed (S10-Yes), then the switching unit 19 switches the communication area of ​​the communication unit 16 from the second area 21 to the first area 20 (S11). The communication unit 16 continues to send the error information of the refrigerator 10 or the error information of the appliance 31 to the first area 20 by switching the communication area through the switching unit 19 (S4).

[0029] As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, status information indicating the status of the refrigerator 10 can be sent to the communication terminal 30 included in the first area 20, so the service personnel S can quickly obtain status information from a specific refrigerator 10. Therefore, the service personnel S can quickly respond to users of refrigerators 10 with malfunctions.

[0030] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention, the communication areas (first area 20, second area 21) of the communication unit 16 are set based on buildings (buildings T1, T2), but it is not limited to this. As long as the second area 21 includes the first area 20 and is larger than the first area 20, the first area 20 and the second area 21 can also be set in the same building. In addition, the communication areas of the communication unit 16 are not limited to the first area 20 and the second area 21, and more than three communication areas can be set.

[0031] Alternatively, it can be configured such that when there is operation on the refrigerator 10, the communication unit 16 sends information to the communication terminal 30. Furthermore, when there is a request from the communication terminal 30, the communication unit 16 can send information to the communication terminal 30.

[0032] Moreover, in the embodiments of the present invention, the appliance that communicates with the communication terminal 30 and the appliance 31 is the refrigerator 10, but it is not limited to this, and can also be various household appliances such as microwave ovens and washing machines.

[0033] Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various ways without departing from its spirit. In the drawings, each constituent element is schematically shown as the main body for ease of understanding, and for ease of drawing, the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each constituent element shown in the drawings may differ from the actual figures. In addition, the material, shape, size, etc. of each constituent element shown in the above embodiments are only examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the effects of the present invention without substantially departing from them. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a communication system for a refrigerator including an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the communication area of ​​the communication unit in the refrigerator. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the control of the communication control device in the refrigerator.

Claims

1. A communication control device, comprising: The system comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires status information indicating the status of electrical equipment; a communication unit that sends the status information acquired by the acquisition unit to a communication device; and a switching unit that switches a communication area between a first area and a second area by changing the radio wave intensity of the communication unit. The communication area refers to the range within which the communication device can receive the status information. The first area is a predetermined area centered on the electrical equipment, and the second area is a predetermined area centered on the electrical equipment that is larger than the first area. If the status information contains error information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the electrical equipment, the switching unit repeatedly controls the switching of the communication area between the first area and the second area at predetermined time intervals. When the communication device receives the status information, the switching unit stops controlling the switching of the communication area.

2. The communication control device as described in claim 1, wherein the status information includes information on replacement parts that are replaced according to the usage period of the electrical equipment.

3. The communication control device as described in claim 1 or 2 further comprises a conversion unit that converts the status information into maintenance information that can only be received by a predetermined specific communication device, and the communication unit sends the maintenance information.

4. A cooling device comprising: (Request item) The communication control device described in any one of 1 to 3; a storage compartment for storing objects; And a cooling unit for cooling the storage compartment, wherein the status information includes information about the interior of the storage compartment.

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