Food management system and method of controlling thereof

Abstract

A food management system according to the present disclosure may comprise: a plurality of electrodes spaced apart from each other; a first power source supply unit for supplying, to the plurality of electrodes, a power source of a first RF frequency for thawing food; a second power source supply unit for supplying, to the plurality of electrodes, a power source of a second RF frequency, which is different from the first RF frequency and is for determining whether the food has been completely thawed; and at least one processor for determining, on the basis of a change in the amount of power consumed in the food by the power source of the second RF frequency during the food thawing, whether the food has been completely thawed.

Description

Food management system and its control method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a food management system capable of defrosting food and a control method thereof.

[0002] In general, there are several methods for defrosting food, including natural defrosting at room temperature, electromagnetic wave defrosting using electromagnetic waves such as those in a microwave oven, and hot air defrosting using forced convection of hot air.

[0003] Natural thawing is significantly better than other thawing methods, but it takes too long and can be unsanitary due to long-term exposure to room temperature. Microwave thawing allows for faster thawing compared to other thawing methods, but due to the nature of electromagnetic waves, they may not be able to penetrate deep into the food. Hot air thawing is superior to microwave thawing in terms of taste and quality, but the thawing time may be longer than microwave thawing.

[0004] Another thawing method, RF food thawing, utilizes the dielectric heating phenomenon of food. The RF wavelength is longer than that of electromagnetic waves, allowing for deeper penetration. Long-wavelength energy induces dielectric heating throughout the food, allowing for even thawing.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a food management system and a control method thereof that can detect whether food is completely thawed by utilizing changes in the unique characteristics of food before and after the thawing process without expensive sensors.

[0006] The technical problems to be achieved in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0007] A food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a plurality of electrodes arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a first power supply unit supplying power of a first RF frequency for defrosting food to the plurality of electrodes; a second power supply unit supplying power of a second RF frequency, which is different from the first RF frequency and is used to determine whether the food is defrosted; and at least one processor determining whether the food is defrosted based on a change in the amount of power consumed by the food by the second RF frequency power when the food is defrosted.

[0008] A control method of a food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a plurality of electrodes arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a first power supply unit supplying power of a first RF frequency for defrosting food to the plurality of electrodes; and a second power supply unit supplying power of a second RF frequency different from the first RF frequency and for determining whether the food has been defrosted; The control method of the food management system may include: starting defrosting of the food; determining an amount of power consumed by the food by the second RF frequency power; and determining whether the food has been defrosted based on a change in the amount of power consumed by the food.

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a home appliance communicating with a server and a user terminal.

[0010] Figures 2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining changes in temperature and dielectric constant as food is thawed.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a control block diagram of a food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a change in impedance according to a change in resonant frequency according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for determining whether thawing of food is complete according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a change in impedance according to a change in resonant frequency according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for determining whether thawing of food is complete according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether thawing of food is complete according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 12 is a drawing to explain how the resonance frequency changes as food thaws.

[0020] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether thawing of food is complete according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] It should be understood that the various embodiments and terms used in this document are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but rather to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments.

[0022] In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components.

[0023] The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0024] In this disclosure, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof.

[0025] The term "and / or" includes any combination of a plurality of related described elements or any one of a plurality of related described elements.

[0026] Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish one component from another and do not qualify the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0027] In addition, terms such as 'front', 'rear', 'top', 'bottom', 'side', 'left', 'right', 'upper', and 'lower' used in the present disclosure are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms.

[0028] Terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the present disclosure, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0029] When a component is said to be “connected,” “coupled,” “supported,” or “in contact with” another component, this includes not only cases where the components are directly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact, but also cases where the components are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact through a third component.

[0030] When we say that a component is "on" another component, this includes not only cases where the component is in contact with the other component, but also cases where there is another component between the two components.

[0031] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a home appliance communicating with a server and a user terminal.

[0032] The home appliance (10) may include a communication module capable of communicating with another home appliance, a user device (200), or a server (300), a user interface for receiving user input or outputting information to a user, at least one processor for controlling the operation of the home appliance (10), and at least one memory storing a program for controlling the operation of the home appliance (10).

[0033] The home appliance (10) may be at least one of various types of home appliances. For example, the home appliance (10) may include, but is not limited to, at least one of a refrigerator (11), a dishwasher (12), an electric range (13), an electric oven (14), an air conditioner (15), a clothes manager (16), a washing machine (17), a dryer (18), and a microwave oven (19) as illustrated, and may include, for example, various types of home appliances such as a cleaning robot, a vacuum cleaner, and a television, which are not illustrated in the drawing. In addition, the home appliances mentioned above are merely examples, and in addition to the home appliances mentioned above, a device that is connected to another home appliance, a user device (200), or a server (300) and can perform the operations described below may be included in the home appliance (10) according to one embodiment.

[0034] The server (300) may include a communication module capable of communicating with another server, a home appliance (10), or a user device (200), at least one processor capable of processing data received from another server, a home appliance (10), or a user device (200), and at least one memory capable of storing a program for processing data or processed data. The server (300) may be implemented as various computing devices such as a workstation, a cloud, a data drive, or a data station. The server (300) may be implemented as one or more servers that are physically or logically separated based on function, detailed configuration of function, or data, and may transmit and receive data through communication between each server and process the transmitted and received data.

[0035] The server (300) can perform functions such as managing user accounts, registering home appliances (10) by linking them to user accounts, and managing or controlling registered home appliances (10). For example, a user can access the server (300) via a user device (200) and create a user account. The user account can be identified by an ID and password set by the user. The server (300) can register home appliances (10) to the user account according to a set procedure. For example, the server (300) can register, manage, and control the home appliance (10) by linking the identification information (e.g., serial number or MAC address, etc.) of the home appliance (10) to a user account. The user device (200) can include a communication module capable of communicating with the home appliance (10) or the server (300), a user interface that receives user input or outputs information to the user, at least one processor that controls the operation of the user device (200), and at least one memory that stores a program for controlling the operation of the user device (200).

[0036] The user device (200) may be carried by the user or placed in the user's home or office, etc. The user device (200) may include, but is not limited to, a personal computer, a terminal, a portable telephone, a smart phone, a handheld device, a wearable device, etc.

[0037] A program for controlling a home appliance (10), i.e., an application, may be stored in the memory of the user device (200). The application may be sold installed in the user device (200) or downloaded and installed from an external server.

[0038] A user can access a server (300) by executing an application installed on a user device (200), create a user account, and communicate with the server (300) based on the logged-in user account to register a home appliance (10).

[0039] For example, when the home appliance (10) is operated so that the home appliance (10) can be connected to the server (300) according to the procedure guided by the application installed on the user device (200), the home appliance (10) can be registered in the user account by registering the identification information (e.g., serial number or MAC address) of the home appliance (10) in the corresponding user account on the server (300).

[0040] A user can control a home appliance (10) using an application installed on a user device (200). For example, when a user logs into a user account using an application installed on the user device (200), a home appliance (10) registered to the user account appears, and when a control command for the home appliance (10) is input, the control command can be transmitted to the home appliance (10) via the server (300).

[0041] A network can include both wired and wireless networks. Wired networks include cable networks or telephone networks, while wireless networks can include any network that transmits and receives signals via radio waves. Wired and wireless networks can be interconnected.

[0042] A network may include a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN) formed around an access point (AP), and a short-range wireless network that does not use an access point (AP). Short-range wireless networks may include, but are not limited to, Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1), Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4), Wi-Fi Direct, Near Field Communication (NFC), Z-Wave, etc.

[0043] An access point (AP) can connect a home appliance (10) or a user device (200) to a wide area network (WAN) to which a server (300) is connected. The home appliance (10) or the user device (200) can be connected to the server (300) via the wide area network (WAN).

[0044] The access point (AP) can communicate with a home appliance (10) or user device (200) using wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1), or Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4), and can connect to a wide area network (WAN) using wired communication, but is not limited thereto.

[0045] According to various embodiments, the home appliance (10) may be directly connected to a user device (200) or a server (300) without going through an access point (AP).

[0046] The home appliance (10) can be connected to a user device (200) or a server (300) via a long-distance wireless network or a short-distance wireless network.

[0047] For example, the home appliance (10) can be connected to the user device (200) via a short-range wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi Direct).

[0048] As another example, the home appliance (10) may be connected to a user device (200) or a server (300) via a wide area network (WAN) using a long-distance wireless network (e.g., a cellular communication module).

[0049] As another example, a home appliance (10) may connect to a wide area network (WAN) using wired communication and be connected to a user device (200) or a server (300) through the wide area network (WAN).

[0050] If the home appliance (10) can connect to a wide area network (WAN) using wired communication, it can also function as a connection relay. Accordingly, the home appliance (10) can connect other home appliances to the wide area network (WAN) to which the server (300) is connected. In addition, other home appliances can connect the home appliance (10) to the wide area network (WAN) to which the server (300) is connected.

[0051] A home appliance (10) can transmit information about its operation or status to another home appliance, a user device (200), or a server (300) via a network. For example, the home appliance (10) can transmit information about its operation or status to another home appliance, a user device (200), or a server (300) when a request is received from a server (300), when a specific event occurs in the home appliance (10), or periodically or in real time. When information about its operation or status is received from the home appliance (10), the server (300) can update the information about the operation or status of the home appliance (10) that has been stored therein, and transmit the updated information about the operation and status of the home appliance (10) to the user device (200) via a network. Here, updating information can include various operations that change existing information, such as an operation of adding new information to existing information, or an operation of replacing existing information with new information.

[0052] The home appliance (10) can obtain various information from other home appliances, user devices (200), or servers (300), and provide the obtained information to the user. For example, the home appliance (10) can obtain information related to the function of the home appliance (10) (e.g., cooking methods, washing instructions, etc.) and various environmental information (e.g., weather, temperature, humidity, etc.) from the server (300), and output the obtained information through a user interface.

[0053] The home appliance (10) can operate according to a control command received from another home appliance, a user device (200), or a server (300). For example, if the home appliance (10) has obtained prior approval from the user so that it can operate according to the control command of the server (300) even without user input, the home appliance (10) can operate according to the control command received from the server (300). Here, the control command received from the server (300) may include, but is not limited to, a control command input by the user through the user device (200) or a control command based on preset conditions.

[0054] The user device (200) can transmit information about the user to the home appliance (10) or the server (300) via the communication module. For example, the user device (200) can transmit information about the user's location, health status, preferences, schedule, etc. to the server (300). The user device (200) can transmit information about the user to the server (300) with the user's prior consent.

[0055] The home appliance (10), user device (200), or server (300) may determine a control command using technology such as artificial intelligence. For example, the server (300) may receive information regarding the operation or status of the home appliance (10) or information regarding the user of the user device (200), process the information using technology such as artificial intelligence, and transmit the processing result or control command to the home appliance (10) or user device (200) based on the processing result.

[0056] The present invention relates to a food management device capable of defrosting food. The defrosting function may be performed in the home appliance (10) as an example of the above-described home appliance, or may be implemented in the form of a separate home appliance (10).

[0057] Figures 2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining changes in temperature and dielectric constant as food is thawed.

[0058] When you begin to thaw food that has been stored at sub-zero temperatures, a phase transition occurs as the food begins to thaw from a frozen state as the temperature rises.

[0059] That is, a phase transition occurs from 15 minutes to 25 minutes when the temperature of the food reaches approximately 0℃ in Fig. 2, and during this process, the permittivity of the food changes significantly, as shown in Fig. 3. Specifically, before the phase transition occurs, the rate of change in permittivity is small, but during the phase transition, the permittivity of the food can increase significantly. In other words, the rate of change in permittivity can be very large during the phase transition section. After the phase transition is complete, the rate of change in permittivity can decrease again.

[0060] As the dielectric constant of the food placed between the electrodes increases, the capacitance between the electrodes increases according to the mathematical expression 1 below.

[0061] [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0062] C=ε A / d

[0063] Here, C represents capacitance, A represents the area of ​​the electrodes, d represents the distance between the electrodes, and ε represents the permittivity.

[0064] As the capacitance increases, the resonant frequency decreases according to Equation 2 below.

[0065] [Equation 2]

[0066]

[0067] Here, ω represents the resonant frequency, L represents the inductance, and C represents the capacitance.

[0068] As the resonant frequency decreases, the impedance may have a characteristic of decreasing in a frequency band lower than the resonant frequency, and an impedance may have a characteristic of increasing in a frequency band higher than the resonant frequency. This is related to FIGS. 7 and 9 described below.

[0069] According to the mathematical expression 3 below, when the impedance decreases, the power consumed increases, and conversely, when the impedance increases, the power consumed decreases.

[0070] [Equation 3]

[0071] P = V*I = V 2 / Z = I 2 / Z

[0072] Here, P represents power consumption, V represents voltage, I represents current, and Z represents impedance.

[0073] That is, since power consumption is inversely proportional to impedance, when impedance decreases, power consumption increases, and conversely, when impedance increases, power consumption decreases.

[0074] That is, by utilizing the characteristic of impedance changing in a frequency band lower or higher than the resonant frequency, the amount of power consumed can be detected and whether food is defrosted can be determined based on the change in the amount of power consumed.

[0075] By utilizing the unique characteristic of food dielectric constant change in this way, we can determine more accurately whether food is completely thawed.

[0076] Specific details on determining whether defrosting is complete based on changes in power consumption are described later.

[0077] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a control block diagram of a food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a configuration of a food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control method of a food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 4, a food management system (1) according to one embodiment may include a plurality of electrodes (30) arranged to be spaced apart from each other, a first power supply unit (40) that supplies power of a first RF frequency for defrosting food to the plurality of electrodes (30), a second power supply unit (50) that supplies power of a second RF frequency different from the first RF frequency and for determining whether the food has been defrosted, to the plurality of electrodes (30), and a communication interface and a control unit (21). The control unit (21) may include at least one processor (22) and a memory (23).

[0079] The first RF frequency is the frequency of a signal for defrosting food provided between multiple electrodes (30), and may be, for example, 13.56 MHz.

[0080] The second RF frequency is the frequency of a signal transmitted and received separately to determine whether the food has been thawed, and may be higher or lower than the first RF frequency. For example, the second RF frequency may be 1 MHz.

[0081] As illustrated in Fig. 5, the first power supply unit (40) and the second power supply unit (50) may be connected in parallel to the plurality of electrodes (30). The first power supply unit (40) may supply power of the first RF frequency to the plurality of electrodes (30) for defrosting food, and the second power supply unit (50) connected in parallel may supply power of the second RF frequency to the plurality of electrodes (30) for detecting a change in power consumption for determining whether the food has been defrosted.

[0082] In this way, the first power supply unit (40) and the second power supply unit (50) supply power of different frequencies depending on the purpose, and thus, modules such as filters may be included to avoid being affected by each other's frequencies.

[0083] That is, the first power supply unit (40) may include a first filter (42) that reduces a signal of the second RF frequency, and the second power supply unit (50) may include a second filter (52) that reduces a signal of the first RF frequency.

[0084] Although the term filter is used, it is not limited to this and can also be implemented in a way that has a large impedance in a specific frequency band so that signals in a specific frequency band do not pass through.

[0085] The resonance tank (80) can play a role in creating a sufficient impedance difference in the second RF frequency band when defrosting food.

[0086] The food management system (1) may include a communication interface for communicating with an external device (e.g., a server, a user device) via wires and / or wirelessly.

[0087] The communication interface may include at least one of a short-range communication module or a long-range communication module.

[0088] The communication interface can transmit data to an external device (e.g., a server, a user device, a temperature probe), or receive data from the external device. To this end, the communication interface (250) can support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the external devices, and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. According to one embodiment, the communication interface (250) can include a wireless communication module (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Among these communication modules, a corresponding communication module can communicate with the external device through a first network (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These different types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips).

[0089] The short-range wireless communication module may include, but is not limited to, a Bluetooth communication module, a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication module, a near field communication module, a WLAN (Wi-Fi) communication module, a Zigbee communication module, an infrared (IrDA, infrared Data Association) communication module, a WFD (Wi-Fi Direct) communication module, an UWB (ultrawideband) communication module, an Ant+ communication module, a microwave (uWave) communication module, etc.

[0090] The remote communication module may include a communication module that performs various types of remote communication and may include a mobile communication interface. The mobile communication interface transmits and receives wireless signals with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network.

[0091] In one embodiment, the communication interface can communicate with external devices via a peripheral access point (AP). The access point (AP) can connect a local area network (LAN) connected to the food management system (1) to a wide area network (WAN) connected to the server. The food management system (1) can be connected to the server via the wide area network (WAN).

[0092] The food management system (1) can transmit and receive various data with external devices (e.g., servers, user devices) via a communication interface. The operations performed by the processor described below may also be performed by the external device based on the transmission and reception of data via the communication interface. In other words, the server can receive data from the food management system (1) and determine whether food has been thawed.

[0093] The control unit (21) may include at least one processor (22) that controls the operation of the food management system (1) and at least one memory (23) in which a program and data for controlling the operation of the food management system (1) are stored.

[0094] At least one memory (23) can store data required for various embodiments. The memory (23) may be implemented as at least one of volatile memory (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., one time programmable ROM (OTPROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), mask ROM, flash ROM, flash memory (e.g., NAND flash or NOR flash), hard drive, or solid state drive (SSD). In addition, in the case of the removable memory (23), it may be implemented in the form of a memory card (e.g., compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro secure digital (Micro-SD), mini secure digital (Mini-SD), extreme digital (xD), multi-media card (MMC), etc.), external memory connectable to a USB port (e.g., USB memory), etc.

[0095] At least one processor (22) controls the overall operation of the food management system (1). Specifically, at least one processor (22) is connected to each component of the food management system (1) and can control the overall operation of the food management system (1). For example, at least one processor (22) is electrically connected to a memory (23) and can control the overall operation of the food management system (1). The processor may be composed of one or more processors.

[0096] At least one processor (22) can perform operations of the food management system (1) according to various embodiments by executing at least one instruction stored in the memory (23).

[0097] At least one processor (22) may include one or more of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), an MIC (Many Integrated Core), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator. At least one processor (22) may control one or any combination of other components of the food management system (1), and may perform operations related to communication or data processing. At least one processor (22) may execute at least one program or instruction stored in a memory (23). For example, at least one processor (22) may perform a method according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure by executing at least one instruction stored in the memory (23).

[0098] At least one processor (22) can control a second power supply (50) to supply power of a second RF frequency to a plurality of electrodes (30) when thawing food (601).

[0099] At least one processor (22) can determine the amount of power consumed by the food between the plurality of electrodes (30) by the second RF frequency power source (603).

[0100] At least one processor (22) can determine whether the food is thawed or not based on the change in power consumption (605).

[0101] That is, at least one processor (22) can determine whether the food has been thawed based on a comparison result between the rate of change in power consumption and a reference rate of change. The reference rate of change can be set to an appropriate value for determining whether the food has been thawed, and in some cases, can be divided into a reference decrease rate and a reference increase rate.

[0102] At least one processor (22) may generate a notification containing information regarding the completion of thawing when it is determined that thawing of food is complete according to the process described below. This notification may be provided to a user or the like in a visual or auditory form.

[0103] Below, we describe the specific process for determining whether food has been thawed.

[0104] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a change in impedance according to a change in resonant frequency according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether thawing of food is complete according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0105] At least one processor (22) can control a second power supply (50) to supply power of a second RF frequency to a plurality of electrodes (30) when thawing food (801).

[0106] At least one processor (22) can determine the amount of power consumed by the food between the plurality of electrodes (30) by the second RF frequency power source (803).

[0107] As described above, when the resonant frequency decreases, the impedance has the characteristic of decreasing in a frequency band lower than the resonant frequency, and the impedance has the characteristic of increasing in a frequency band higher than the resonant frequency.

[0108] When the second RF frequency is lower than the resonant frequency, the impedance decreases in the second RF frequency band as the resonant frequency decreases, as shown in Fig. 7. Accordingly, the amount of power consumed will increase, and thus, whether the food has been thawed can be determined based on the rate of increase in this amount of power consumed.

[0109] As shown in Figure 3, since the dielectric constant of food changes rapidly in the phase transition region, the power consumption can also change rapidly in the same region. When the second RF frequency is lower than the resonant frequency, a change in power consumption can be detected in the direction of a rapid increase in power consumption.

[0110] Therefore, when the rate of increase in power consumption rises sharply and then falls again, a phase transition is considered to have occurred, and at that point, it can be determined that the food has been thawed.

[0111] That is, at least one processor (22) can determine whether the rate of increase in power consumption is higher than the reference rate of increase (805).

[0112] If the rate of increase in power consumption becomes higher than the reference rate of increase (example of 805), at least one processor (22) can determine whether the rate of increase in power consumption becomes lower than the reference rate of increase again (807).

[0113] If the rate of increase in power consumption is lower than the reference rate of increase (example of 807), at least one processor (22) can determine that the thawing of the food is complete (809).

[0114] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a change in impedance according to a change in resonant frequency according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether thawing of food is complete according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0115] At least one processor (22) can control a second power supply (50) to supply power of a second RF frequency to a plurality of electrodes (30) when thawing food (1001).

[0116] At least one processor (22) can determine the amount of power consumed by the food between the plurality of electrodes (30) by the second RF frequency power source (1003).

[0117] When the second RF frequency is higher than the resonant frequency, as the resonant frequency decreases, the impedance increases in the second RF frequency band, as shown in Fig. 9. Accordingly, the amount of power consumed will decrease, and thus, whether the food has been thawed can be determined based on the rate of decrease in this amount of power consumed.

[0118] As described above, since the dielectric constant of food changes rapidly during the phase transition, the power consumption can also change rapidly during the same period. When the second RF frequency is higher than the resonant frequency, a change in power consumption can be detected in the direction of a rapid decrease in power consumption.

[0119] Therefore, when the rate of decrease in power consumption rises sharply and then falls again, a phase transition is considered to have occurred, and at that point, it can be determined that the food has been thawed.

[0120] That is, at least one processor (22) can determine whether the rate of reduction in power consumption is higher than the reference rate of reduction (1005).

[0121] If the rate of reduction in power consumption becomes higher than the reference rate of reduction (example of 1005), at least one processor (22) can determine whether the rate of reduction in power consumption becomes lower than the reference rate of reduction again (1007).

[0122] If the rate of decrease in power consumption is lower than the standard rate of decrease (example of 1007), at least one processor (22) can determine that the thawing of the food is complete (1009).

[0123] In this way, the change in power consumption can be detected depending on whether the second RF frequency is higher or lower than the resonant frequency, thereby determining whether complete thawing has occurred.

[0124] Additionally, since changes in power consumption can be better detected in a specific frequency band, the second RF frequency band that is most appropriate for determining whether food is thawed can be determined through learning of an artificial intelligence model.

[0125] For this purpose, the second power supply unit (50) may further include a frequency modulator (53) that controls the second RF frequency.

[0126] That is, by controlling the second RF frequency, power of different second RF frequencies can be supplied.

[0127] At least one processor (22) can input the change in the amount of power consumed at each of the plurality of second RF frequencies, which are controlled by the frequency modulator (53), into an artificial intelligence model that can be provided on a separate server, etc.

[0128] The artificial intelligence model can be trained by data related to multiple input frequencies and changes in power consumption corresponding to the multiple frequencies.

[0129] Based on the learning of the AI ​​model, the specific frequency band where power consumption changes most rapidly can be identified and used as a second RF frequency to determine whether food is thawed. This allows for a more accurate determination of food thawing.

[0130] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether thawing of food is complete according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0131] The above describes how to determine whether food is thawed based on changes in the amount of power consumed by the food. However, as previously mentioned, because the resonant frequency decreases as the food thaws, changes can also be detected by directly detecting the resonant frequency.

[0132] For this purpose, the second power supply unit (50) may further include a frequency modulator (53) that controls the second RF frequency. The frequency modulator (53) may be included in the second power supply unit (50) as a configuration for determining the resonant frequency, or may not be included in some cases.

[0133] At least one processor (22) can control a frequency modulator (53) to supply power of a plurality of second RF frequencies from a second power supply (50) to a plurality of electrodes (30) (1201).

[0134] At least one processor (22) can determine a resonant frequency based on the impedance of the food at each of a plurality of frequencies (1203), and can determine whether the food is thawed or not based on a change in the resonant frequency (1205).

[0135] FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining that the resonance frequency changes according to the thawing of food, and FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether thawing of food is complete according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0136] As shown in Figure 12, the resonant frequency may also decrease rapidly as the permittivity of the food increases rapidly.

[0137] Therefore, the rate of decrease in the resonance frequency can be compared with the reference resonance rate, and based on the comparison result, it can be determined whether the food is completely thawed.

[0138] At least one processor (22) can control a frequency modulator (53) to supply power of a plurality of second RF frequencies from a second power supply (50) to a plurality of electrodes (30) (1301).

[0139] At least one processor (22) can determine the resonant frequency based on the impedance of the food at each of the plurality of frequencies (1303).

[0140] At least one processor (22) can determine whether the rate of decrease of the resonant frequency becomes higher than the reference resonant rate of decrease (1305).

[0141] If the rate of decrease of the resonant frequency becomes higher than the reference resonant rate of decrease (example of 1305), at least one processor (22) can determine whether the rate of decrease of the resonant frequency becomes lower than the reference resonant rate of decrease (1307).

[0142] If the rate of decrease of the resonant frequency becomes lower than the reference resonant rate (example of 1307), at least one processor (22) can determine that the thawing of the food is complete (1009).

[0143] A food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a plurality of electrodes arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a first power supply unit that supplies power of a first RF frequency for defrosting food to the plurality of electrodes; a second power supply unit that supplies power of a second RF frequency different from the first RF frequency and for determining whether the food is defrosted; and at least one processor that determines whether the food is defrosted based on a change in the amount of power consumed by the food by the second RF frequency power when the food is defrosted.

[0144] According to the present disclosure, by detecting whether food is thawed by utilizing changes in the unique characteristics of the food before and after the thawing process, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the food is completely thawed.

[0145] Additionally, the manufacturing process can be simplified and cost-effective by detecting whether food is thawed without expensive sensors.

[0146] The at least one processor may determine whether the food is thawed based on a comparison result between the rate of change in the power consumption and the reference rate of change.

[0147] The second RF frequency is lower than the resonant frequency, and the at least one processor can determine that the thawing of the food is complete based on the increase rate of the power consumption becoming lower than the reference increase rate after becoming higher than the reference increase rate.

[0148] The second RF frequency is higher than the resonant frequency, and the at least one processor can determine that the thawing of the food is complete based on the reduction rate of the power consumption becoming lower than the reference reduction rate after becoming higher than the reference reduction rate.

[0149] The second power supply unit further includes a frequency modulator that controls the second RF frequency, and the at least one processor controls the frequency modulator to determine a resonant frequency based on the impedance of the food at a plurality of frequencies, and determines whether the food is completely thawed based on a change in the resonant frequency.

[0150] The at least one processor may determine that the thawing of the food is complete based on the resonant frequency decrease rate becoming lower than the reference resonant decrease rate after becoming higher than the reference resonant decrease rate.

[0151] The second power supply unit further includes a frequency modulator that controls the second RF frequency, and the at least one processor inputs a plurality of frequencies controlled by the frequency modulator and a change in the amount of power consumed at each of the plurality of frequencies into an artificial intelligence model, and the artificial intelligence model can be learned by data related to the plurality of input frequencies and the change in the amount of power consumed corresponding to the plurality of frequencies.

[0152] The first power supply unit may include a first filter that reduces a signal of the second RF frequency, and the second power supply unit may include a second filter that reduces a signal of the first RF frequency.

[0153] The at least one processor may generate a notification including information regarding the completion of thawing when it is determined that thawing of the food is complete.

[0154] A control method of a food management system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a plurality of electrodes arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a first power supply unit supplying power of a first RF frequency for defrosting food to the plurality of electrodes; and a second power supply unit supplying power of a second RF frequency different from the first RF frequency and for determining whether the food has been defrosted; The control method of the food management system may include: starting defrosting of the food; determining an amount of power consumed by the food by the second RF frequency power; and determining whether the food has been defrosted based on a change in the amount of power consumed by the food.

[0155] Determining whether the food has been thawed may include determining whether the food has been thawed based on a comparison result between the rate of change in the power consumption and the reference rate of change.

[0156] The second RF frequency may be lower than the resonant frequency, and determining whether the food is thawed may include determining that the food is thawed based on the rate of increase in the power consumption becoming higher than the reference rate of increase and then becoming lower than the reference rate of increase.

[0157] The second RF frequency may be higher than the resonant frequency, and determining whether the food is thawed may include determining that the food is thawed based on a decrease in the power consumption amount becoming higher than a reference decrease rate and then becoming lower than a reference decrease rate.

[0158] The second power supply unit may further include a frequency modulator that controls the second RF frequency, and determining whether the food is thawed may include controlling the frequency modulator to determine a resonant frequency based on the impedance of the food at a plurality of frequencies, and determining whether the food is thawed based on a change in the resonant frequency.

[0159] Determining whether the food is thawed may include determining that the food is thawed based on the resonance frequency decrease rate becoming higher than the reference resonance decrease rate and then becoming lower than the reference resonance decrease rate.

[0160] The second power supply unit further includes a frequency modulator that controls the second RF frequency, and further includes inputting a plurality of frequencies controlled by the frequency modulator and a change in the amount of power consumed at each of the plurality of frequencies into an artificial intelligence model; and the artificial intelligence model can be learned by data related to the plurality of input frequencies and the change in the amount of power consumed corresponding to the plurality of frequencies.

[0161] The first power supply unit may include a first filter that reduces a signal of the second RF frequency, and the second power supply unit may include a second filter that reduces a signal of the first RF frequency.

[0162] The method may further include generating a notification including information regarding the completion of thawing when it is determined that the thawing of the food is complete.

[0163] According to the disclosed invention, by detecting whether food is thawed by utilizing changes in the unique characteristics of the food before and after the thawing process, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the food is completely thawed.

[0164] Additionally, the manufacturing process can be simplified and cost-effective by detecting whether food is thawed without expensive sensors.

[0165] Meanwhile, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in the form of a recording medium storing computer-executable instructions. The instructions may be stored in the form of program code, and when executed by a processor, may generate program modules to perform the operations of the disclosed embodiments. The recording medium may be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium.

[0166] Computer-readable storage media include all types of storage media that store instructions that can be deciphered by a computer. Examples include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic tape, magnetic disks, flash memory, and optical data storage devices.

[0167] Additionally, a computer-readable recording medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the term "non-transitory storage medium" simply means a tangible device that does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves). This term does not distinguish between cases where data is permanently stored in the storage medium and cases where data is temporarily stored. For example, a "non-transitory storage medium" may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

[0168] According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable recording medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable app) may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated on a machine-readable recording medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0169] The disclosed embodiments have been described with reference to the attached drawings as described above. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be implemented in forms other than the disclosed embodiments without altering the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and should not be construed as limiting.

Claims

1. A plurality of electrodes arranged to be spaced apart from each other; A first power supply unit that supplies power of a first RF frequency for defrosting food to the plurality of electrodes; A second power supply unit that supplies power of a second RF frequency different from the first RF frequency to the plurality of electrodes and for determining whether the food has been thawed; and A food management system comprising at least one processor that determines whether the food is thawed based on a change in the amount of power consumed by the food by the second RF frequency power source when the food is thawed.

2. In paragraph 1, At least one processor, A food management system that determines whether the food has been thawed based on a comparison result between the change rate of the power consumption and the reference change rate.

3. In paragraph 2, The above second RF frequency is lower than the resonant frequency, At least one processor, A food management system that determines that the thawing of the food is complete based on the increase rate of the power consumption being higher than the standard increase rate and then lowering below the standard increase rate.

4. In paragraph 2, The above second RF frequency is higher than the resonant frequency, At least one processor, A food management system that determines that the thawing of the food is complete based on the reduction rate of the power consumption being higher than the standard reduction rate and then lower than the standard reduction rate.

5. In paragraph 1, The above second power supply unit, Further comprising a frequency modulator for controlling the second RF frequency, At least one processor, A food management system that controls the frequency modulator to determine a resonant frequency based on the impedance of the food at multiple frequencies, and determines whether the food is completely thawed based on a change in the resonant frequency.

6. In paragraph 5, At least one processor, A food management system that determines that the thawing of the food is complete based on the resonance frequency decrease rate becoming higher than the reference resonance decrease rate and then becoming lower than the reference resonance decrease rate.

7. In paragraph 1, The above second power supply unit Further comprising a frequency modulator for controlling the second RF frequency, At least one processor, A plurality of frequencies controlled by the frequency modulator and the change in the amount of power consumed at each of the plurality of frequencies are input into the artificial intelligence model, A food management system in which the above artificial intelligence model is learned by data related to the input plurality of frequencies and the amount of change in power consumption corresponding to the plurality of frequencies.

8. In paragraph 1, The above first power supply unit, comprising a first filter for reducing the signal of the second RF frequency; The above second power supply unit, A food management system comprising a second filter for reducing a signal of the first RF frequency.

9. In paragraph 1, At least one processor, A food management system that generates a notification including information regarding the completion of thawing when it is determined that the thawing of the above food is complete.

10. A control method of a food management system comprising: a plurality of electrodes arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a first power supply unit supplying power of a first RF frequency for defrosting food to the plurality of electrodes; and a second power supply unit supplying power of a second RF frequency different from the first RF frequency and for determining whether the food has been defrosted; Begin defrosting the above food; Determining the amount of power consumed by the food by the second RF frequency power source; A control method for a food management system, comprising: determining whether the food has been thawed based on a change in the amount of power consumed by the food.

11. In paragraph 10, Determining whether the above food has been thawed is as follows: A control method for a food management system, comprising determining whether the food has been thawed based on a comparison result between the rate of change in the power consumption and the reference rate of change.

12. In paragraph 11, The above second RF frequency is lower than the resonant frequency, Determining whether the above food has been thawed is as follows: A control method for a food management system, comprising determining that thawing of the food is complete based on the increase rate of the power consumption being higher than the reference increase rate and then lowering to the reference increase rate.

13. In paragraph 11, The above second RF frequency is higher than the resonant frequency, Determining whether the above food has been thawed is as follows: A control method for a food management system, comprising determining that thawing of the food is complete based on the decrease rate of the power consumption being higher than the reference decrease rate and then lower than the reference decrease rate.

14. In paragraph 10, The above second power supply unit, Further comprising a frequency modulator for controlling the second RF frequency, Determining whether the above food has been thawed is as follows: A control method of a food management system, comprising: controlling the frequency modulator to determine a resonant frequency based on the impedance of the food at a plurality of frequencies, and determining whether the food is completely defrosted based on a change in the resonant frequency.

15. In paragraph 14, Determining whether the above food has been thawed is as follows: A control method for a food management system, comprising determining that thawing of the food is complete based on the resonance frequency decrease rate becoming higher than the reference resonance decrease rate and then becoming lower than the reference resonance decrease rate.

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