Refrigeration and/or freezer device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators and freezers lack intelligent temperature control adjustments for freshly stored goods and varying climate conditions, leading to increased energy consumption and reduced food quality due to general standard settings.
Innovation Solution
A control unit connected to a terminal device uses user and environmental data, such as shopping lists, location, and weather data, to automatically adjust cooling performance and temperature settings based on user behavior and external influences, reducing energy consumption and improving food quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If warm refrigerated goods are stored in the refrigerator without pre-cooling, then the appliance is easier to use, but energy consumption increases and refrigerated goods quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit pre-cools the refrigerated interior before the user stores warm goods by retrieving shopping list data from the terminal device, predicting upcoming storage needs, and adjusting temperature in advance to minimize energy consumption while maintaining ease of use
2Reliability
If the refrigerated interior temperature is lowered to accommodate warm goods, then refrigerated goods quality is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary temperature adjustment based on predicted storage needs from shopping list data, rather than reactive cooling, which reduces the total energy required while maintaining food quality
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit dynamically adjusts the refrigerated interior temperature based on real-time data from the terminal device, optimizing the balance between food quality preservation and energy consumption
3Ease of manufacture
If the refrigerator uses general default settings without location-specific adaptations, then the device is simpler to manufacture, but temperature control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives location data, weather data, and climate data from the terminal device, using feedback loops to automatically adjust temperature settings according to environmental conditions while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerator autonomously adapts to local conditions by processing data from the terminal device, eliminating the need for manual configuration or complex hardware modifications while achieving location-specific optimization
4Measurement precision
If the control unit uses data from a terminal device for automatic control, then temperature control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal device acts as an intermediary, handling data collection, storage, and processing externally, while the control unit in the refrigerator receives processed information through a communication interface, reducing the complexity burden on the appliance itself
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator and/or freezer with a control unit for controlling an element of the appliance, wherein the control unit has an interface designed such that a connection between the control unit and an end device (1) is established, wherein the control unit is designed such that the control of the element is carried out automatically using resources of the end device and/or data that have been stored in the end device by a user and/or by an automatic configuration of the end device.