Cooling time prediction system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a cooling time prediction system that can predict the cooling time during a power outage. [Solution] The system includes: a refrigerator 10 with a cooler 20 for cooling the interior; and a server control unit 41. In the event of a power outage, the system calculates the predicted cooling time based on the set interior temperature of the refrigerator 10 or the measured interior temperature, and notifies the user. Therefore, by calculating the predicted cooling time during a power outage and notifying the user through the server control unit 41, the cooling status of the refrigerator 10 during a power outage can be monitored, allowing for food management during such times.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a system for predicting cooling time. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses the following technology: when a power outage occurs and power is restored, a temperature detection unit detects the temperature of the storage compartment, and when the temperature of the storage compartment becomes higher than a predetermined reporting temperature, a power outage reporting unit issues a report. (Prior Art Documents, Patent Documents)

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-160422 [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] Problem to be solved by the invention The present invention discloses a cooling time prediction system that can predict the cooling time during a power outage.

[0005] Means for solving the problem The cold preservation time prediction system disclosed herein is characterized by having: a refrigerator equipped with a cooler for cooling the inside of the refrigerator; and a control unit that, in the event of a power outage, calculates the cold preservation time during the power outage based on the refrigerator's set temperature inside the refrigerator or the measured temperature inside the refrigerator, and notifies the user.

[0006] Effects of the invention The cooling time prediction system disclosed herein calculates the cooling time during a power outage through the control unit and notifies the user, thereby enabling the system to monitor the cooling status of the refrigerator during a power outage and manage the food inside the refrigerator during a power outage.

Implementation Method

[0008] The form in which the invention is carried out (knowledge and insights that form the basis of this disclosure) When the inventors conceived of this disclosure, the following technology already existed: when a power outage occurs and power is restored, the temperature of the storage room is detected by a temperature detection unit, and when the temperature of the storage room becomes higher than the predetermined reporting temperature, a power outage reporting unit is used to report it.

[0009] In conventional technology, although notifications are issued when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises during power restoration after a power outage, users could manage the food and other items inside the refrigerator if they could know the cooling time inside during a power outage. However, the inventors have found it difficult to predict the cooling time inside the refrigerator, and this disclosure is the subject of this invention in order to solve this problem. Therefore, this disclosure provides a cooling time prediction system that can predict the cooling time during a power outage.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, sometimes unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters or repetitive descriptions of substantially the same structures may be omitted. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand this disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 will be described using figures. [1-1. Structure] Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator 10 in Embodiment 1.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the refrigerator 10 has a box-shaped shell 11 with an open front. A refrigerator compartment 12 is formed above the shell 11, and a freezer compartment 13 is formed below the shell 11. A partition wall 14 is provided between the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13. The refrigerator 10 has a side-opening door 15 at the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12, which is designed to open and close freely. A drawer 16 for storing food is provided in the freezer compartment 13.

[0013] A vertically connected duct 17 is provided at the rear of the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 of the refrigerator 10. A plurality of refrigeration outlets 18 connected to the duct 17 are formed at the rear of the refrigerator compartment 12. Similarly, a plurality of freezing outlets 19 connected to the duct 17 are formed at the rear of the freezer compartment 13. A cooler 20, functioning as an evaporator, is positioned at the duct 17 corresponding to the rear of the freezer compartment 13. A cooling fan 21 is positioned above the cooler 20 in the duct 17. A damper 22 is provided at the duct 17 corresponding to the partition wall 14, and the damper 22 adjusts the amount of cold air, cooled by the cooler 20 and driven by the cooling fan 21, delivered to the refrigerator compartment 12.

[0014] A compressor 23 is installed at the upper rear of the refrigerator compartment 12. The compressor 23, condenser (not shown), expansion mechanism, and cooler 20 are connected by refrigerant piping and form a refrigeration cycle. Refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 23, cooled to a predetermined temperature, and heat is exchanged with air flowing in the duct 17 to generate cold air. This cold air is circulated between the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13 by a cooling fan 21 to cool the interior of both compartments.

[0015] [1-1-2. Composition of the Cooling Time Prediction System] Next, the cooling time prediction system 1 using the aforementioned refrigerator 10 will be described. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the cooling time prediction system 1. As shown in Figure 2, the cooling time prediction system 1 is a system in which a machine connected to a global network GN controls the refrigerator 10 through the global network GN. The global network GN includes the Internet, telephone network, and other communication networks. The cooling time prediction system 1 includes a refrigerator 10, a refrigerator management server 40, and a terminal device 50.

[0016] First, the control configuration of the refrigerator 10 will be described. The refrigerator 10 includes a refrigerator control unit 30, a refrigerator communication unit 31, a cooling unit 32, and a sensor unit 33. The refrigerator control unit 30 is configured as a processor that executes programs such as a CPU or MPU, and includes a refrigerator storage unit 34. The refrigerator control unit 30 reads the control program stored in the refrigerator storage unit 34, and executes the control of the refrigerator 10 through the cooperation of hardware and software.

[0017] The refrigerator storage unit 34 has a storage area that stores programs executed by the refrigerator control unit 30 or data processed by the refrigerator control unit 30. The refrigerator storage unit 34 stores control programs executed by the refrigerator control unit 30, setting data related to the settings of the refrigerator 10, and various other data. The refrigerator storage unit 34 has a non-volatile storage area. Alternatively, the refrigerator storage unit 34 may also have a volatile storage area, constituting the working area of ​​the refrigerator control unit 30.

[0018] The refrigerator communication unit 31 is equipped with communication hardware according to a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with a machine connected to the overall network GN according to the predetermined communication standard under the control of the refrigerator control unit 30. The refrigerator communication unit 31 communicates with the refrigerator management server 40 according to the predetermined communication standard. The communication standard used by the refrigerator communication unit 31 can be a wireless communication standard (e.g., IEEE 802.11a / 11b / 11g / 11n / 11ac, Bluetooth (registered trademark)) or a wired communication standard.

[0019] The cooling unit 32, under the control of the refrigerator control unit 30, causes the compressor 23, cooling fan 21 and damper 22 and other mechanisms to cool each compartment of the refrigerator 10, thereby cooling each compartment of the refrigerator 10.

[0020] The sensor unit 33 is equipped with various sensors, and outputs the detection value of each sensor to the refrigerator control unit 30. These various sensors include temperature sensors that detect the temperature inside the refrigerator 10, and opening / closing sensors that detect the opening and closing of the door 15 and drawer 16 of the refrigerator 10. As shown in FIG1, the sensor unit 33 includes a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 35 and a freezer compartment temperature sensor 36 as temperature sensors. The refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 35 is installed at a predetermined position in the refrigerator compartment 12 and detects the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 12. The freezer compartment temperature sensor 36 is installed at a predetermined position in the freezer compartment 13 and detects the temperature inside the freezer compartment 13. An ambient temperature sensor 37 is installed at a predetermined position outside the refrigerator 10 and detects the ambient temperature of the refrigerator 10.

[0021] The refrigerator control unit 30 controls the refrigerator 10 in either the standard operating mode or a pre-cooling operating mode where the internal temperature is lower than the standard operating mode. The refrigerator 10 can operate in "weak," "medium," and "strong" cooling stages for the refrigerator compartment 12 and / or the freezer compartment 13 in the standard operating mode. For example, in the standard operating mode, the refrigerator compartment 12 is set to 5°C in the "weak" mode, 4°C in the "medium" mode, and 3°C in the "strong" mode. In the pre-cooling operating mode, the refrigerator compartment 12 is set to 3°C. Similarly, in the standard operating mode, the freezer compartment 13 is set to -18°C in the "weak" mode, -20°C in the "medium" mode, and -22°C in the "strong" mode. In the pre-cooling operating mode, the freezer compartment 13 is set to -28°C.

[0022] Next, the configuration of the refrigerator management server 40 will be described. The refrigerator management server 40 includes a server control unit 41 and a server communication unit 42.

[0023] The server control unit 41 is composed of a processor that executes programs such as a CPU or MPU, and has a server storage unit 43. The server control unit 41 reads the control program stored in the server storage unit 43, and controls the various parts of the refrigerator management server 40 through the cooperation of hardware and software.

[0024] The server storage unit 43 has a storage area that stores programs executed by the server control unit 41 or data processed by the server control unit 41. The server storage unit 43 stores control programs executed by the server control unit 41, setting data related to the settings of the refrigerator management server 40, the cold storage management database 44, and various other data. The server storage unit 43 has a non-volatile storage area. Alternatively, the server storage unit 43 may also have a volatile storage area, constituting the working area of ​​the server control unit 41.

[0025] The cold preservation management database 44 is a database that stores various information related to the operation and control of the refrigerator 10. The cold preservation management database 44 stores information such as the refrigerator ID and the predicted cold preservation time of the refrigerator 10.

[0026] The server communication unit 42 is equipped with communication hardware according to a predetermined communication specification, and communicates with machines connected to the overall network GN according to the predetermined communication specification under the control of the server control unit 41. In this embodiment, the server communication unit 42 communicates with the refrigerator 10, the terminal device 50, and the power outage prediction server.

[0027] The predicted cold-keeping time information of the refrigerator 10 is stored in the cold-keeping management database 44 as described above. The predicted cold-keeping time information is obtained in advance for each refrigerator 10, for the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13, based on the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 12 or the ambient temperature, and the internal storage capacity of the refrigerator compartment 12 or the freezer compartment 13, through experiments, etc., and then databased.

[0028] Figure 3 is a chart showing one example of the predicted cold-keeping time in the refrigerator compartment 12. As shown in Figure 3, for example, when the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 12 is 5°C and the ambient temperature of the refrigerator 10 is 16°C, 25°C, and 32°C, the cold-keeping time for the storage capacity of the refrigerator compartment 12 is calculated respectively. In the example of Figure 3, for example, when the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 12 is 5°C, the ambient temperature is 25°C, and the storage capacity of the refrigerator compartment 12 is 50%, the cold-keeping time is 8 hours. Similarly, based on the internal temperature of the freezer compartment 13, the ambient temperature, and the storage capacity of the freezer compartment 13, a database is created to predict the cold-keeping time in the freezer compartment 13. In addition, the so-called cold-keeping time, in the case of the refrigerator compartment 12, refers to the time until it reaches 10°C, and in the case of the freezer compartment 13, it refers to the time until it reaches -15°C. This is set with consideration of the impact on the food in the refrigerator, but the reference temperature for the cold-keeping time can be appropriately changed. For example, in the case of refrigerator compartment 12, the base temperature for the cooling time can be set lower than 10°C or higher than 10°C. Similarly, in the case of freezer compartment 13, the base temperature for the cooling time can be set lower than -15°C or higher than -15°C.

[0029] In this embodiment, in addition to pre-creating a database of predicted cooling time information, the cooling time can also be generated based on the measured values ​​of the internal temperatures of the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of generating a predicted cooling time based on the measured value of the internal temperature of the refrigerator compartment 12. In this case, firstly, the refrigerator control unit 30 detects the internal temperature when the compressor 23 is stopped or in a state where the compressor 23 is not driven, such as during defrosting, using the sensor unit 33, and sends the detected value to the refrigerator management server 40 through the refrigerator communication unit 31. The refrigerator compartment temperature information and the freezer compartment temperature information are the detected temperature information of the refrigerator compartment 12 or the freezer compartment 13 detected by the sensor unit 33.

[0030] The server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40 calculates the prediction of the temperature rise in the refrigerator based on the changes in the detected temperature values ​​inside the refrigerator. For example, it predicts the subsequent temperature rise in the refrigerator from the changes in the detected temperature values ​​inside the refrigerator every 5 minutes, thereby generating a temperature rise prediction curve as shown in Figure 4.

[0031] The server control unit 41 calculates the cooling time at the time of the power outage based on the predicted cooling time stored in the cooling management database 44 or the temperature rise prediction curve calculated by the server control unit 41. This cooling time is then sent to the terminal device 50, which will be described later.

[0032] Next, the configuration of the terminal device 50 will be described. The terminal device 50 includes a terminal control unit 51, a terminal communication unit 52, and a touch panel 53.

[0033] The terminal control unit 51 is composed of a processor that executes programs, such as a CPU or MPU, and has a terminal storage unit 54. The terminal control unit 51 reads the control program stored in the terminal storage unit 54 and controls the various parts of the terminal device 50 through the cooperation of hardware and software.

[0034] A cooling support application can be pre-installed on the terminal device 50. The cooling support application 55 is read from the terminal storage unit 54 by the terminal control unit 51 and executed, thereby informing the user of the predicted cooling time through the terminal device 50.

[0035] The terminal storage unit 54 has a storage area that stores programs executed by the terminal control unit 51 or data processed by the terminal control unit 51. The terminal storage unit 54 stores control programs executed by the terminal control unit 51, setting data related to the settings of the terminal device 50, the cold-keeping support application 55, user IDs, and various other data. The terminal storage unit 54 has a non-volatile storage area. Alternatively, the terminal storage unit 54 may also have a volatile storage area, constituting the working area of ​​the terminal control unit 51.

[0036] The terminal communication unit 52 is equipped with communication hardware according to a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the machine connected to the overall network GN according to the predetermined communication standard under the control of the terminal control unit 51. The terminal communication unit 52 communicates with the refrigerator management server 40 according to the predetermined communication standard through the functions of the refrigeration support application 55. The communication standard used by the terminal communication unit 52 is a wireless communication standard.

[0037] The touch panel 53 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel and a touch sensor that is overlapped with or integrally disposed with the display panel. The display panel displays various images under the control of the terminal control unit 51. The touch sensor detects touch operations and outputs them to the terminal control unit 51. The terminal control unit 51 performs processing corresponding to the touch operation based on the input from the touch sensor.

[0038] For the terminal device 50, push notifications are sent from the power outage prediction server 60, such as alarm information based on weather information like typhoons or power outage risk prediction information. Push notifications can also be sent to the terminal device 50 at predetermined dates and times, such as the 1st of each month. When the terminal device 50 receives alarm information from the power outage prediction server 60, the terminal control unit 51 executes the cooling support application 55 to request the cooling time prediction result from the refrigerator management server 40. After the cooling time prediction result is sent from the refrigerator management server 40 based on this request, the cooling time of the refrigerator compartment 12 and freezer compartment 13 of the refrigerator 10 during a power outage is displayed on the touch panel 53. Alternatively, the cooling time prediction can be performed by the user executing the cooling support application 55 without push notifications.

[0039] [1-2. Operation, etc.] Next, the operation of the refrigerator 10 and the cold preservation time prediction system 1 in Embodiment 1 will be explained. First, referring to Figures 5 and 6, the operation of predicting the cold preservation time based on the database stored in the cold preservation management database 44 of the refrigerator management server 40 will be explained.

[0040] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the display of the touch panel of the display terminal device 50. Figure 6 is a time diagram showing an example of predicting the cooling time using a database based on previously obtained information. As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, the refrigerator 10 periodically measures the current internal temperature and ambient temperature, and sends the measurement results to the refrigerator management server 40. The refrigerator management server 40 stores the sent internal temperature information and ambient temperature information in the server storage unit 43.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in FIG6, when a push notification such as alarm information has been sent from the power outage prediction server 60, the terminal control unit 51 of the terminal device 50 displays a confirmation button for confirming the cooling time during a power outage on the touch panel 53.

[0042] Specifically, as shown in FIG5(a), when a push notification has been sent, the terminal control unit 51 of the terminal device 50 starts the cold preservation support application. When the cold preservation support application starts, the current operating mode of the refrigerator 10 (in FIG5, the operating mode is displayed as standard mode) and a confirmation button for predicting the cold preservation time are displayed on the touch panel of the terminal device 50. After the user presses the confirmation button, as shown in FIG5(b), the terminal control unit 51 displays the storage capacity selection icon of the refrigerator 10 on the touch panel. The user presses the storage capacity selection icon to input the storage capacity of the refrigerator compartment and presses the "Next" icon. Similarly, the user inputs the storage capacity of the freezer compartment (not shown).

[0043] When the user presses the confirmation button, an instruction is issued to send the storage quantity entered by the user in the refrigerator to the refrigerator management server 40 from the terminal device 50.

[0044] After the storage quantity in the refrigerator is sent to the refrigerator management server 40, the server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40 extracts the corresponding predicted cold preservation time from the database stored in the cold preservation management database 44 based on the sent storage quantity information, the pre-stored internal temperature information and ambient temperature information, and sends the predicted cold preservation time to the terminal device 50.

[0045] As shown in FIG5(c), the terminal device 50 displays the predicted cooling time sent from the refrigerator management server 40 on the touch panel 53. In addition, in the case of the refrigerator compartment 12, the predicted cooling time can be displayed not only from the current time until it reaches 10°C, but also, for example, the temperature inside the compartment after several hours.

[0046] In addition, in this case, for example, it is also possible to display a proposal aimed at extending the predicted cold-keeping time when frozen PET bottles are placed in the refrigerator compartment 12 or the freezer compartment 13. In this case, for example, it is also possible to display an extension of the predicted cold-keeping time corresponding to the capacity of the PET bottle by selecting the capacity of the PET bottle.

[0047] Figure 7 is a timeline showing another example of predicting the cooling time using a database based on pre-obtained information. In this embodiment, the refrigerator 10 is configured to automatically obtain the storage capacity inside the refrigerator compartment. That is, the refrigerator 10 periodically measures the current internal temperature and ambient temperature, and automatically measures the storage capacity inside the compartment, sending the measurement results to the refrigerator management server 40. The storage capacity inside the compartment is measured, for example, based on the illumination, weight, or images inside the compartment. The refrigerator management server 40 stores the transmitted internal temperature information and ambient temperature information in the server storage unit 43.

[0048] Furthermore, via push notification, when the user presses the confirmation button, the confirmation operation information of the terminal device 50 is sent to the refrigerator management server 40. After the confirmation operation information is sent to the refrigerator management server 40, the server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40, based on the pre-stored internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and storage quantity information, retrieves the corresponding predicted cooling time from the database stored in the cooling management database 44, and sends the predicted cooling time to the terminal device 50. The terminal device 50 displays the predicted cooling time sent from the refrigerator management server 40 on the touch panel 53.

[0049] Figure 8 is a timeline showing an example of predicting the cooling time using a database. As shown in Figure 8, when a push notification such as an alarm message has been sent from the power outage prediction server 60, the terminal control unit 51 of the terminal device 50 displays a confirmation button for confirming the cooling time during a power outage on the touch panel 53. When the user presses the confirmation button, an instruction is issued to measure the current internal temperature, ambient temperature, and storage capacity of the refrigerator 10 from the terminal device 50, and send the measurement results to the refrigerator management server 40.

[0050] After the measurement results are sent to the refrigerator management server 40, the server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40, as described above, extracts the corresponding predicted cold preservation time from the database stored in the cold preservation management database 44 based on the internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and internal capacity information sent from the refrigerator 10, and sends the predicted cold preservation time to the terminal device 50.

[0051] The terminal device 50 displays the predicted cooling time sent from the refrigerator management server 40 on the touch panel 53.

[0052] Figure 9 is a timeline showing an example of the refrigerator 10 predicting the cooling time. In this embodiment, the refrigerator storage section 34 stores a database of predicted cooling time information in advance. As shown in Figure 9, in this embodiment, when a push notification such as an alarm message has been sent from the power outage prediction server 60, the terminal control unit 51 of the terminal device 50 displays a confirmation button for confirming the cooling time during a power outage on the touch panel 53. When the user presses the confirmation button, an instruction is issued to measure the current internal temperature, ambient temperature, and storage capacity of the refrigerator 10 from the terminal device 50.

[0053] Based on the measured internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and storage capacity information, the refrigerator control unit 30 retrieves the corresponding predicted cooling time from the database stored in the refrigerator storage unit 34, and sends the predicted cooling time to the terminal device 50. The terminal device 50 displays the predicted cooling time sent from the refrigerator 10 on the touch panel 53.

[0054] Alternatively, as shown in FIG6, the user can input the storage capacity of the refrigerator 10 via the terminal device 50 and send the storage capacity information to the refrigerator 10, thereby allowing the refrigerator control unit 30 to extract the predicted cooling time. In this example, the predicted cooling time can be calculated using the refrigerator 10 without using the refrigerator management server 40 and displayed on the terminal device 50. Therefore, even without a device connected to a general network (GN) such as Wi-Fi, the predicted cooling time can be obtained as long as a short-range communication device such as Bluetooth is available.

[0055] Figure 10 is a time diagram showing an example of the terminal device 50 predicting the cooling time. In this embodiment, a database of predicted cooling time information is stored in advance in the terminal storage unit 54.

[0056] As shown in FIG10, in this embodiment, when a push notification such as alarm information has been sent from the power outage prediction server 60, the terminal control unit 51 of the terminal device 50 displays a confirmation button for confirming the cooling time during a power outage on the touch panel 53. When the user operates the confirmation button, an instruction is issued to measure the current internal temperature, ambient temperature, and storage capacity of the refrigerator 10 from the terminal device 50.

[0057] The refrigerator control unit 30 sends the measured internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and internal storage capacity information to the terminal device 50. Based on the internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and storage capacity information sent from the refrigerator 10, the terminal control unit 51 retrieves the corresponding predicted cooling time from the database stored in the terminal storage unit 54, and displays the predicted cooling time on the touch panel 53.

[0058] Alternatively, as shown in FIG6, the user can input the storage capacity of the refrigerator 10 via the terminal device 50. The terminal control unit 51 then extracts the predicted cooling time based on the internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and the input storage capacity information sent from the refrigerator 10. In this example, the predicted cooling time can be calculated using the refrigerator 10 without using the refrigerator management server 40 and displayed on the terminal device 50. Therefore, even without a device connected to a general network (GN) such as Wi-Fi, the predicted cooling time can be obtained as long as a short-range communication device such as Bluetooth is available.

[0059] Next, the operation of predicting the cooling time based on measured values ​​using the refrigerator management server 40 will be explained. Figure 11 is a timeline showing an example of predicting the cooling time based on measured values. As shown in Figure 11, when a push notification such as alarm information has been sent from the power outage prediction server 60, the terminal control unit 51 of the terminal device 50 displays a confirmation button for confirming the cooling time during a power outage on the touch panel 53. When the user presses the confirmation button, an instruction is issued to send the predicted cooling time to the refrigerator management server 40 from the terminal device 50.

[0060] In the refrigerator management server 40, the detected value of the internal temperature when the compressor 23 is stopped is sent from the refrigerator 10 to the refrigerator management server 40 in advance. As described above, the server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40 calculates the predicted temperature rise curve for the predicted cooling time based on the internal temperature sent from the refrigerator 10, calculates the cooling time when a power outage occurs at the current time, and sends the predicted cooling time to the terminal device 50.

[0061] The terminal device 50 displays the predicted cooling time sent from the refrigerator management server 40 on the touch panel 53. In this case, as mentioned above, it can be used to display the temperature inside the refrigerator after several hours, or it can be used to display a proposal aimed at extending the predicted cooling time.

[0062] Furthermore, although the operation for predicting the cooling time based on measured values ​​has been described, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the refrigerator management server 40 may also be configured not to obtain the internal temperature information of the refrigerator 10 in advance, but to send the detected value of the internal temperature in the refrigerator storage section 34 when the compressor 23 is stopped, which has been pre-stored in the refrigerator storage section 34, to the refrigerator management server 40 when the user operates the confirmation button. In this case, it is preferable to send the latest internal temperature detected value before the user operates the confirmation button, that is, the internal temperature detected value when the compressor 23 is stopped, to the refrigerator management server 40. At least two internal temperature detected values ​​need to be sent to the refrigerator management server 40. More than two internal temperature detected values ​​can also be sent to the refrigerator management server 40. Also, the internal temperature detected values ​​can also be stored in the temperature sensor. Also, similar to the case of using the aforementioned database to predict the cooling time, the prediction of the cooling time can be made not only by the refrigerator management server 40, but also by the refrigerator 10 or the terminal device 50.

[0063] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the refrigerator 10 includes a cooler 20 for cooling the interior; and a server control unit 41 (control unit) that, in the event of a predicted power outage, calculates the predicted cooling time during a power outage based on the set interior temperature of the refrigerator 10 or the measured interior temperature, and notifies the user. Therefore, since the server control unit 41 calculates the predicted cooling time during a power outage and notifies the user, the cooling status of the refrigerator 10 during a power outage can be monitored, and food management can be performed during a power outage.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the server control unit 41 (control unit) includes: a database that pre-calculates a cooling time based on the set internal temperature and ambient temperature; and the server control unit 41 calculates a predicted cooling time during a power outage based on the database. This allows for easy prediction of the cooling time based on the database.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the server control unit 41 (control unit) acquires the measured internal temperature of the refrigerator 10 when cooling has stopped, and calculates the predicted cooling time during a power outage based on the acquired internal temperature. Therefore, the cooling time during a power outage can be predicted based on the measured internal temperature.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the server control unit 41 (control unit) obtains the ambient temperature of the refrigerator 10 and the storage capacity inside the refrigerator, and calculates the predicted cooling time during a power outage based on the temperature inside the refrigerator, the ambient temperature, and the storage capacity. This allows for the prediction of the cooling time during a power outage.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a terminal device 50 is included, which can communicate with the refrigerator 10 and the refrigerator management server 40. The terminal device 50 displays the predicted cooling time calculated by the server control unit 41 and notifies the user. In this way, the predicted cooling time during a power outage can be notified to the user through the terminal device 50.

[0068] (Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. [2-1. Configuration] In this embodiment, the configuration of the refrigerator 10 and the cooling time prediction system 1 is the same as that in Embodiment 1, so the drawings used in the description of Embodiment 1 will be used for explanation, and the same symbols will be added to the same parts and their descriptions will be omitted. In Embodiment 1, the cooling time before a power outage is predicted; in contrast, in this embodiment, the cooling time during a power outage is predicted.

[0069] Similar to Embodiment 1, a cold preservation management database 44 is set up on the refrigerator management server 40, and the predicted cold preservation time information of the refrigerator 10, which has been database-processed, is stored in the cold preservation management database 44. In Embodiment 1, although the server control unit 41 is configured to calculate the predicted cold preservation time based on the internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and internal capacity information of the refrigerator 10, it becomes difficult to obtain this information during a power outage. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, a battery equipped with a sensor unit 33 and a refrigerator communication unit 31 that can only drive the refrigerator 10 is used to send the measured value of the internal temperature to the refrigerator management server 40 during a power outage. Then, the server control unit 41 will predict the cold preservation time from the cold preservation management database 44 based on the internal temperature information.

[0070] Similarly to Embodiment 1, the cooling time can also be generated based on the measured values ​​of the internal temperatures of the refrigerator compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 13. In this case, firstly, the refrigerator control unit 30 detects the internal temperature when the compressor 23 stops or when the compressor 23 is not running, such as during defrosting, using the sensor unit 33, and sends the detected value to the refrigerator management server 40 via the refrigerator communication unit 31. The server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40 calculates a prediction of an increase in the internal temperature based on the received changes in the internal temperature detection value.

[0071] In this case, in this embodiment, since there is a power outage, the refrigerator 10 is stopped at the current time, and the internal temperature of the refrigerator 10 cannot be obtained. Therefore, when predicting the cooling time based on the measured value of the internal temperature, it is sufficient to predict the cooling time based on the measured value obtained before the power outage. Alternatively, as mentioned above, it is also possible to use a battery to send the measured value of the internal temperature to the refrigerator management server 40 during a power outage.

[0072] Furthermore, during a power outage, the refrigerator management server 40 is unable to determine whether the refrigerator 10 is experiencing a power outage. Therefore, for example, communication can be established between the refrigerator management server 40 and the refrigerator 10 at predetermined intervals, and if a response is received, it can be determined that there is no power outage. Similarly, when predicting the cooling time based on measured values, a power outage can be determined if the refrigerator 10 does not send measured values ​​of the internal temperature within a certain period of time. In addition, the user can also send a message indicating a power outage to the refrigerator management server 40 via the terminal device 50.

[0073] [2-2. Operation, etc.] Next, the operation of the refrigerator 10 and the cold preservation time prediction system 1 in Embodiment 2 will be explained. First, referring to FIG12, the operation of predicting the cold preservation time based on the database stored in the cold preservation management database 44 of the refrigerator management server 40 will be explained.

[0074] Figure 12 is a time graph showing an example of predicting the cooling time using a database. As shown in Figure 12, the refrigerator 10 periodically measures the current internal temperature and ambient temperature, and automatically measures the amount of food stored inside the refrigerator, and sends the measurement results to the refrigerator management server 40. The refrigerator management server 40 stores the sent internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and amount of food stored information in the server storage unit 43.

[0075] Furthermore, during a power outage, when the user presses the confirmation button on the terminal device 50, the confirmation operation information of the terminal device 50 is sent to the refrigerator management server 40.

[0076] After the confirmation operation information is sent to the refrigerator management server 40, the server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40 extracts the corresponding predicted cold preservation time from the database stored in the cold preservation management database 44, based on the internal temperature information, ambient temperature information, and storage capacity information sent from the refrigerator 10.

[0077] In this situation, since there is a power outage, new information on the internal temperature, ambient temperature, and storage capacity will not be sent from the refrigerator 10. Therefore, the cooling time will be predicted based on the internal temperature, ambient temperature, and storage capacity information sent before the power outage. As mentioned above, for example, the refrigerator 10 can be communicated with from the refrigerator management server 40 at predetermined intervals, and a power outage is determined if there is no response. Therefore, the refrigerator management server 40 first stores the time of the power outage, and then subtracts the time from the time of the power outage to the time when the user presses the confirmation button from the predicted cooling time to calculate the remaining cooling time.

[0078] The terminal device 50 displays the remaining cooling time sent from the refrigerator management server 40 on the touch panel 53. At the same time, it displays the temperature inside the refrigerator. In this case, similar to Embodiment 1, it can be configured to display the temperature inside the refrigerator after several hours, or it can be configured to display a proposal aimed at extending the predicted cooling time.

[0079] Next, the operation of predicting the cooling time based on measured values ​​using the refrigerator management server 40 will be explained. Figure 13 is a timeline showing the operation of predicting the cooling time based on measured values. In this embodiment, for example, it is configured such that a battery, which can power only the sensor unit 33 and the refrigerator communication unit 31 of the refrigerator 10, can be used to send the measured value of the temperature inside the refrigerator to the refrigerator management server 40 during a power outage. Alternatively, it can be configured such that a temperature sensor used during a power outage, unlike the refrigerator, can send the measured value of the temperature inside the refrigerator to the refrigerator management server 40. In this case, the temperature sensor used during a power outage is powered by a battery and has the same functions as the sensor unit 33 and the refrigerator communication unit 31 of the refrigerator 10. As shown in Figure 13, when the user operates the confirmation button on the terminal device 50, an instruction is issued to send the predicted cooling time from the terminal device 50 to the refrigerator management server 40.

[0080] In the refrigerator management server 40, based on the pre-sent detection value of the temperature inside the refrigerator during the power outage, a predicted temperature rise curve for the predicted cooling time is calculated, and the predicted cooling time is obtained. Then, the refrigerator management server 40 calculates the remaining cooling time based on the predicted cooling time and sends it to the terminal device 50.

[0081] The terminal device 50 displays the remaining cooling time and / or the temperature inside the refrigerator that has been sent from the refrigerator management server 40 on the touch panel 53.

[0082] Next, the operation of predicting the cooling time based on measured values ​​will be explained. Figure 14 is a timeline showing an example of predicting the cooling time based on measured values. In this embodiment, for example, it is configured to include a battery that can drive the refrigerator control unit 30, sensor unit 33, and refrigerator communication unit 31 of the refrigerator 10. In the event of a power outage, the battery can be used to send the measured value of the temperature inside the refrigerator to the refrigerator management server 40. Alternatively, it can be configured such that, unlike the refrigerator 10, a temperature sensor used during a power outage can send the measured value of the temperature inside the refrigerator to the refrigerator management server 40. In this case, the temperature sensor used during a power outage has the same functions as the refrigerator control unit 30, sensor unit 33, and refrigerator communication unit 31 of the refrigerator 10.

[0083] As shown in Figure 14, when the user presses the confirmation button on the terminal device 50, an instruction is issued to measure the current internal temperature of the refrigerator 10 from the terminal device 50 and send the internal temperature information, including the measurement result, to the refrigerator management server 40. This internal temperature information also includes the result of measuring the internal temperature during a power outage before the user pressed the confirmation button. At least two internal temperature measurements must be sent to the refrigerator management server 40. More than two internal temperature measurements may also be sent to the refrigerator management server 40. In this case, the refrigerator storage unit 34 stores the internal temperature during a power outage. Alternatively, the sensor unit 33 may also have the function of storing the internal temperature during a power outage without driving the refrigerator control unit 30.

[0084] After the internal temperature information is sent to the refrigerator management server 40, the server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40 calculates the predicted temperature rise curve for the predicted cooling time based on the internal temperature information, calculates the predicted cooling time, and calculates the remaining cooling time based on the predicted cooling time, and sends it to the terminal device 50. Alternatively, when the user presses the confirmation button, an instruction can be issued to measure the current internal temperature of the refrigerator 10 from the terminal device 50 and send the measurement result to the refrigerator management server 40. In this case, after the measurement result is sent to the refrigerator management server 40, the server control unit 41 of the refrigerator management server 40 calculates the predicted temperature rise curve for the predicted cooling time based on the pre-sent internal temperature detection value during a power outage, calculates the predicted cooling time, and calculates the remaining cooling time based on the predicted cooling time, and sends it to the terminal device 50. The terminal device 50 displays the remaining cooling time and / or internal temperature sent from the refrigerator management server 40 on the touch panel 53.

[0085] Next, the operation of the refrigerator 10 predicting the cooling time based on measured values ​​will be explained. Figure 15 is a timeline showing an example of the refrigerator 10 predicting the cooling time based on measured values. In this embodiment, for example, it is configured to include a battery that can drive the refrigerator control unit 30, sensor unit 33, and refrigerator communication unit 31 of the refrigerator 10. In the event of a power outage, the battery can be used to send the measured values ​​of the remaining cooling time and / or the internal temperature to the terminal device 50. Alternatively, it can be configured such that, unlike the refrigerator 10, a temperature sensor used during a power outage can send the measured values ​​of the remaining cooling time and / or the internal temperature to the terminal device 50. In this case, the temperature sensor used during a power outage is driven by a battery and has the same functions as the refrigerator control unit 30, sensor unit 33, and refrigerator communication unit 31 of the refrigerator 10.

[0086] As shown in Figure 15, when the user operates the confirmation button on the terminal device 50, an instruction is issued to measure the current internal temperature of the refrigerator 10 from the terminal device 50, and to calculate the predicted cooling time and / or remaining cooling time based on the internal temperature information including the measurement results. This internal temperature information also includes the result of measuring the internal temperature during a power outage before the user operates the confirmation button. At least two internal temperature measurements are required. More than two internal temperature measurements may also be required. In this case, the refrigerator storage section 34 stores the internal temperature during a power outage. Additionally, the sensor section 33 may also have the function of storing the internal temperature during a power outage without driving the refrigerator control section 30. The refrigerator control section 30 calculates the predicted temperature rise curve for the predicted cooling time based on the measured internal temperature value, calculates the predicted cooling time, and calculates the remaining cooling time based on the predicted cooling time, and sends it to the terminal device 50. Terminal device 50 displays the remaining cooling time and / or internal temperature sent from refrigerator 10 on touch panel 53.

[0087] In this example, the remaining cooling time can be calculated using the refrigerator 10 without using the refrigerator management server 40, and displayed on the terminal device 50. Therefore, even if devices connected to a general network (GN) such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) cannot be used during a power outage, the remaining cooling time and / or the temperature inside the refrigerator can be obtained as long as a short-range communication device such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) is available.

[0088] Next, the operation of the terminal device 50 predicting the cooling time based on measured values ​​will be explained. Figure 16 is a timeline showing an example of the terminal device 50 predicting the cooling time based on measured values. In this embodiment, for example, it is configured to include a battery that can drive the sensor unit 33 and the refrigerator communication unit 31 of the refrigerator 10, so that the measured value of the temperature inside the refrigerator can be sent to the terminal device 50 using the battery during a power outage. Alternatively, it can be configured such that a temperature sensor used during a power outage, unlike the refrigerator 10, can send the measured value of the temperature inside the refrigerator to the terminal device 50. In this case, the temperature sensor used during a power outage has the same functions as the refrigerator control unit 30, the sensor unit 33, and the refrigerator communication unit 31 of the refrigerator 10.

[0089] As shown in Figure 16, when the user operates the confirmation button on the terminal device 50, an instruction is issued to measure the current internal temperature of the refrigerator 10 from the terminal device 50 and send the internal temperature information, including the measurement result, to the terminal device 50. This internal temperature information also includes the result of measuring the internal temperature during a power outage before the user operates the confirmation button. At least two internal temperature measurement results need to be sent to the terminal device 50. More than two internal temperature measurement results can also be sent to the terminal device 50. In this case, the refrigerator storage unit 34 stores the internal temperature during a power outage. In addition, the sensor unit 33 can also have the function of storing the internal temperature during a power outage without driving the refrigerator control unit 30. The terminal control unit 51 calculates the predicted temperature rise curve for the predicted cooling time based on the internal temperature information sent from the refrigerator 10, calculates the predicted cooling time, and calculates the remaining cooling time based on the predicted cooling time. The terminal device 50 displays the calculated remaining cold-keeping time and / or the temperature inside the storage room on the touch panel 53.

[0090] [2-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the refrigerator 10 includes a cooler 20 for cooling the interior; and a server control unit 41 (control unit) that, in the event of a power outage, calculates a predicted cooling time based on the set interior temperature of the refrigerator 10 or the measured interior temperature, and notifies the user. Therefore, since the server control unit 41 calculates the remaining cooling time during a power outage and notifies the user, the cooling status of the refrigerator 10 during a power outage can be monitored, and food management can be performed during a power outage.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the server control unit 41 (control unit) includes: a database that pre-calculates the cooling time based on the set internal temperature and ambient temperature; and the server control unit 41 calculates the remaining cooling time during a power outage based on the database. This allows for easy prediction of the cooling time based on the database.

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the server control unit 41 (control unit) obtains the measured internal temperature of the refrigerator 10 during a power outage, and the server control unit 41 calculates the remaining cooling time during the power outage based on the obtained internal temperature. Therefore, the cooling time during a power outage can be predicted based on the measured internal temperature.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the server control unit 41 (control unit) obtains the ambient temperature of the refrigerator 10 and the storage capacity inside the refrigerator, and calculates the remaining cooling time during a power outage based on the temperature inside the refrigerator, the ambient temperature, and the storage capacity. This allows for the prediction of the cooling time during a power outage.

[0094] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a refrigerator management server 40 is included, which can communicate with the refrigerator 10. The refrigerator includes a sensor unit for detecting the internal temperature and a battery that powers the sensor unit during a power outage. The refrigerator sends the internal temperature to the refrigerator management server 40 during a power outage. This allows for prediction of the cooling time during a power outage.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a terminal device 50 is included, which can communicate with the refrigerator 10 and the refrigerator management server 40. The terminal device 50 displays the predicted cooling time calculated by the server control unit 41 and notifies the user. In this way, the predicted cooling time during a power outage can be notified to the user through the terminal device 50.

[0096] Furthermore, embodiments 1 and 2 are described as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology disclosed herein is not limited to these embodiments and can also be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, omitted, etc.

[0097] As described above, the cold preservation time prediction system of the present invention is suitable for use as a cold preservation time prediction system that can determine the cold preservation time during a power outage and can perform food management in the warehouse based on the cold preservation time. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0007] Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the cold preservation time prediction system. Figure 3 is a graph showing one example of the predicted cold preservation time in the refrigerator compartment. Figure 4 is a graph showing an example of generating a predicted cold preservation time based on the measured value of the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the touch panel of the terminal device in Embodiment 1. Figure 6 is a time diagram showing an example of predicting the cold preservation time using a database based on previously obtained information in Embodiment 1. Figure 7 is a time diagram showing another example of predicting the cold preservation time using a database based on previously obtained information in Embodiment 1. Figure 8 is a time diagram showing an example of predicting the cold preservation time using a database in Embodiment 1. Figure 9 is a time diagram showing an example of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 predicting the cold preservation time. Figure 10 is a time diagram showing an example of the terminal device in Embodiment 1 predicting the cold preservation time. Figure 11 is a time graph showing an example of predicting the cooling time using measured values ​​in Embodiment 1. Figure 12 is a time graph showing an example of predicting the cooling time using a database in Embodiment 2. Figure 13 is a time graph showing an example of predicting the cooling time using measured values ​​in Embodiment 2. Figure 14 is a time graph showing an example of predicting the cooling time using measured values ​​in Embodiment 2. Figure 15 is a time graph showing an example of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 predicting the cooling time using measured values. Figure 16 is a time graph showing an example of the terminal device in Embodiment 2 predicting the cooling time using measured values.

Claims

1. A cold-keeping time prediction system, characterized by comprising: a refrigerator equipped with a cooler for cooling the interior; a control unit that, in the event of a power outage, calculates the predicted cold-keeping time during the power outage based on the refrigerator's set interior temperature or the measured interior temperature, and notifies the user; a refrigerator management server capable of communicating with the refrigerator; and a terminal device capable of communicating with both the refrigerator and the refrigerator management server, wherein the control unit is a server control unit of the refrigerator management server, the server control unit has a database that pre-calculates the cold-keeping time based on the set interior temperature, the server control unit calculates the predicted cold-keeping time for the refrigerator's refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment during the power outage based on the database, and the terminal device displays the remaining cold-keeping time for the refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment on the same screen, wherein the remaining cold-keeping time for the refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment is calculated by the server control unit by subtracting the time from the time of the power outage to the time when the user presses the confirmation button from the predicted cold-keeping time.

2. The cold preservation time prediction system of claim 1, wherein the refrigerator includes: a sensor unit for detecting the temperature inside the refrigerator; and a battery for energizing the sensor unit during a power outage, wherein the refrigerator sends the temperature inside the refrigerator to the refrigerator management server during a power outage.

3. A cold-keeping time prediction system, characterized by comprising: a refrigerator equipped with a cooler for cooling the interior; a control unit that, in the event of a power outage, calculates the predicted cold-keeping time during the power outage based on the refrigerator's set interior temperature or the actual measured interior temperature, and notifies the user; a refrigerator management server capable of communicating with the refrigerator; and a terminal device capable of communicating with both the refrigerator and the refrigerator management server, wherein the control unit is a server control unit of the refrigerator management server, the server control unit obtains the actual measured interior temperatures of the refrigerator's refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment during the power outage, the server control unit calculates the cold-keeping time during the power outage based on the obtained interior temperatures, and the terminal device displays the remaining cold-keeping time of the refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment on the same screen, wherein the remaining cold-keeping time of the refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment is calculated by the server control unit by subtracting the time from the time of the power outage to the time when the user presses the confirmation button from the predicted cold-keeping time.

4. The cold preservation time prediction system as described in claim 3, wherein the aforementioned control unit obtains the ambient temperature and the storage capacity of the aforementioned refrigerator, and calculates the cold preservation time during a power outage based on the temperature inside the refrigerator, the aforementioned ambient temperature, and the aforementioned storage capacity.

5. The cold preservation time prediction system as requested in item 3 or 4, wherein the refrigerator includes: a sensor unit for detecting the temperature inside the refrigerator; and a battery for energizing the sensor unit during a power outage, wherein the refrigerator sends the temperature inside the refrigerator to the refrigerator management server during a power outage.

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