JP2005221177A - Household electrical appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator performing non-contact detection of food information while saving on a space and electric power. <P>SOLUTION: An inner case 32 is fixed to a wall face of a chill room 2, and an antenna coil of a reader/writer is accommodated in the inner case 32. The antenna coil detects the food information from an IC tag 35 of the food A in a non-contact state, and a receiving area 45 of the antenna coil is determined at a part of a port opening of the chill room 2. In this constitution, as the food information is detected in taking in and out the food A to the chill room 2 through the transmitting/receiving area 45, a large antenna coil of large output covering the whole chill room 2 becomes unnecessary. The occupied space and the power consumption of the antenna coil are reduced, and a degree of practical application is increased thereby. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a household electrical appliance that acquires article information transmitted from an article for management without contact.

In the refrigerator, it is proposed that food information magnetically transmitted from an IC tag of food is detected in a non-contact manner and food management is performed based on the detection result of the food information.
JP 2001-317862 A

  In the case of the above conventional configuration, the food information is detected in the storage state of the food. For this reason, since a large and high-power antenna that covers the entire storage is required, it is difficult to commercialize the antenna in terms of occupied space and power consumption.

Each of the inventions according to claims 1 to 7 has a common problem to provide home appliances excellent in practical use that can perform non-contact detection of article information with space saving and power saving. Means for solving the problem is as described in claim 1 and claim 2. Hereinafter, each invention according to claims 1 to 7 will be described together with the meaning of terms.
<Description of the Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the article information transmitted from the article transmitter is received by the receiver when the user enters and exits the article through the reception area of the receiver.
1) Storage: Refers to a storage container that stores articles, and a refrigerator storage room is an example of a storage.
2) Receiver: Receives article information transmitted wirelessly from a transmitter in a non-contact manner, and the article information transmission medium may be magnetic, radio wave, light, or the like. The transmitter may be attached to the article or may be incorporated in the article, and may be any transmitter as long as it is integrated with the article. The article information is a generic term for information transmitted from the article transmitter, and is not intended to refer to information of specific contents. In this receiver, the receiving area is set at a part of the entrance / exit of the storage, and communication with the transmitter of articles stored in the storage is disabled. That is, the receiver receives the article information when the article is moved in and out through the receiving area, and does not detect the article information in the storage state of the article. The receiving area of the receiver preferably intersects with the operation line of entry / exit in order to improve the detectability of the article information, and when the storage has a pivotable door, it is set on the opposite side of the pivot axis. good.
<Explanation of Invention According to Claim 2>
The invention according to claim 2 is provided with a first receiver and a second receiver as receivers, and the reception area of the first receiver is set as a part of the entrance / exit of the first storage. The communication with the articles stored in the first storage is disabled. The first receiver is used when an article is moved in and out of the first storage, and receives article information by moving the article through the receiving area. That is, the first receiver corresponds to the receiver of claim 1.
The reception area of the second receiver is set outside the first storage. The second receiver is used when the article is moved in and out of the second storage, and receives the article information when the article is passed through the receiving area. This second storage is called a storage different from the first storage. For example, when a refrigeration room is provided as the first storage, a vegetable room, a freezer room, an ice making room, etc. different from the refrigeration room All correspond to the second storage.
<Description of the Invention of Claim 3>
The invention according to claim 3 promotes power saving by selectively enabling the first receiver and the second receiver. That is, since the first storage is opened when the object to be moved in / out is the first storage, the first receiver is selectively activated in conjunction with the opening of the first storage. To do. Since the first storage is not opened when the object storage / removal target is the second storage, the second receiver is selectively activated in conjunction with the closing of the first storage.
<Explanation of Inventions According to Claims 4 to 5>
Each of the inventions according to claims 4 to 5 performs a notification operation based on receiving the article information and notifies that the article has been effectively passed through the receiving area.
The invention according to claim 5 is to notify the user of the receipt confirmation and the delivery confirmation of the article by making the notification mode different at the time of entry and delivery of the article. This entry / exit identification can be easily performed by software. That is, an article list is created based on the article information, and when article information specifying the article is detected in a state where the article presence is recorded in the article list, it is recognized as a delivery, and no article is recorded in the article list. When the article information specifying the article is detected in a state where the article is being stored, it is good to recognize that the goods are received.
<Explanation of Invention According to Claim 6>
The invention according to claim 6 transmits the reception result of the article information to the external management device and manages it by the external management device. In this case, it is preferable that an identification code for specifying the type of the article is set as the article information, and the external management device is configured to search a large number of management information related to the identification code based on the identification code.
<Explanation of Invention of Claim 7>
The invention according to claim 7 enables the receiver based on a change in the state of the article switch, and the article switch refers to a contact switch and a non-contact switch that change the state when the article is pressed. This article switch is provided in the reception area of the receiver, and when the article is pressed against the article switch at the time of loading and unloading, the receiver is activated and acquires article information. That is, the invention according to claim 7 uses a non-contact type receiver as a pseudo-contact type receiver.

  Since the article information is detected by moving the article in and out through the receiving area of the receiver, a large and high-power antenna that covers the entire storage is not required. For this reason, since the space occupied by the antenna and the power consumption are reduced, the degree of practical use increases.

<Example 1>
The refrigerator main body 1 is comprised from the heat insulating wall material, and has comprised the box shape which a front surface opens as shown in FIG. A refrigerator compartment 2 is formed at the top of the refrigerator body 1, and horizontal synthetic resin shelf plates 3 are mounted in the upper and lower stages in the refrigerator compartment 2. Each of these shelf boards 3 is for placing food A corresponding to an article, and a notch 4 is formed at the front end of the middle shelf board 3 at the left side. The refrigerator compartment 2 corresponds to a storage and a first storage.

A door 5 is attached to the front end of the refrigerator compartment 2. The door 5 is pivotable about a vertical axis on the right side, and the entrance of the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened and closed based on the pivoting operation of the door 5. A synthetic resin door pocket 6 is mounted on the rear surface of the door 5 at the upper end, and food such as a plastic bottle is stored in the door pocket 6.
A door switch 7 (see FIG. 2) is fixed to the front end of the refrigerator compartment 2. The door switch 7 is composed of a push switch that is turned on and off mechanically in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door 5, and is electrically connected to the operation control device 8 as shown in FIG. This operation control device 8 is housed in the refrigerator body 1 and detects the opening / closing of the door 5 based on the on / off state of the door switch 7. This operation control device 8 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and has a CPU 9, ROM 10, RAM 11, and I / O 12. The operation control device 8 corresponds to transmission means.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a vegetable room 13 is formed in the refrigerator main body 1 so as to be located below the refrigerator compartment 2. A door 14 is slidably mounted in the vegetable compartment 13 in the front-rear direction, and the entrance of the vegetable compartment 13 is opened and closed based on a sliding operation of the door 14. A door switch 15 (see FIG. 2) is fixed to the front end portion of the vegetable compartment 13, and the door switch 15 is electrically connected to the operation control device 8 as shown in FIG. The door switch 15 is composed of a push switch that is turned on and off mechanically in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door 14, and the operation control device 8 detects the opening and closing of the vegetable compartment 13 based on the on and off of the door switch 15. . The vegetable room 13 corresponds to a second storage.

  In the refrigerator main body 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the freezer compartment 16 is formed in the downward direction of the vegetable compartment 13. As shown in FIG. A door 17 is slidably mounted in the freezer compartment 16 in the front-rear direction, and the entrance of the freezer compartment 16 is opened and closed based on a sliding operation of the door 17. A door switch 18 (see FIG. 2) is fixed to the front end portion of the freezer compartment 16, and the door switch 18 is electrically connected to the operation control device 8 as shown in FIG. The door switch 18 is composed of a push switch that is turned on and off mechanically in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door 17, and the operation control device 8 detects the opening and closing of the freezer compartment 16 based on the on and off of the door switch 18. . The freezer compartment 16 corresponds to a second storage.

  A refrigeration cycle is stored in the refrigerator body 1. This refrigeration cycle generates cold air that cools the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 13, and the inside of the freezer compartment 16. The refrigerant circulation compressor and the refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 13, and the freezer compartment 16 It has a fan device that sends cold air. As shown in FIG. 2, the compressor motor 19 and the fan motor 20 which are the drive sources of the compressor and fan device are electrically connected to the operation control device 8, and the operation control device 8 includes the comp motor 19 and the fan motor. The amount of cold air generated and the amount of blown air are adjusted based on the drive control of 20, and the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 13, and the freezer compartment 16 is maintained at a preset temperature for food storage. That is, the operation control device 8 functions as an internal management device that internally manages the food storage state.

  A speaker 21 is electrically connected to the operation control device 8. The speaker 21 is fixed to the refrigerator main body 1, and the operation control device 8 detects that the continuous opening time of the refrigerator compartment 2, vegetable compartment 13, and freezer compartment 16 has reached the upper limit value. The user is notified of the continuous opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 13, and the freezer compartment 16 based on the output of the abnormal sound from the user. The speaker 21 corresponds to an alarm.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a reader / writer 22 is fixed to the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1. The reader / writer 22 has a power transmission function for wirelessly transmitting a power signal in a magnetic manner, a data transmission function for wirelessly transmitting a data request signal in a magnetic manner, and a data reception function for wirelessly receiving a data return signal in a magnetic manner. As shown in FIG. 2, the oscillation circuit 23, the modulation circuit 24, the internal resonance circuit 25, the external resonance circuit 26, the antenna drive circuit 27, the demodulation circuit 28, and the control circuit 29 are provided. The reader / writer 22 is supplied with driving power from a power supply circuit in the refrigerator main body 1 that is shared with the operation control device 8, and enters an operation state and a stop state in conjunction with the operation control device 8.

  The oscillation circuit 23 generates an oscillation signal having a constant frequency, and the oscillation signal from the oscillation circuit 23 is given to the antenna drive circuit 27 through the modulation circuit 24. The internal resonance circuit 25 and the external resonance circuit 26 are both composed of an antenna coil 30 and a resonance capacitor 31, and the antenna drive circuit 27 is based on the oscillation signal from the modulation circuit 24 and the antenna coil 30 and the external resonance of the internal resonance circuit 25. The antenna coil 30 of the circuit 26 is selectively driven. The antenna coil 30 is designated by the control circuit 29, and the antenna drive circuit 27 responds to the designation result of the control circuit 29 based on selectively driving the antenna coil 30 according to the designation result of the control circuit 29. A power signal is transmitted from the antenna coil 30.

  The modulation circuit 24 modulates the amplitude of the oscillation signal from the oscillation circuit 23, and the control circuit 29 controls the modulation content of the oscillation signal based on driving control of the modulation circuit 24, and the antenna coil of the internal resonance circuit 25. 30 and the antenna coil 30 of the external resonance circuit 26 selectively transmit a data request signal. The demodulation circuit 28 shapes the current flowing through the antenna coil 30 of the internal resonance circuit 25 and the current flowing through the antenna coil 30 of the external resonance circuit 26, and the control circuit 29 is based on the detection signal from the demodulation circuit 28. The reception contents of the antenna coil 30 of the resonance circuit 25 and the reception contents of the antenna coil 30 of the external resonance circuit 26 are recognized.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the antenna coil 30 of the internal resonance circuit 25 is housed in an inner case 32 made of synthetic resin, and the inner case 32 is fixed to the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 at the front end. The door 5 is disposed on the left side opposite to the rotation axis. As shown in FIG. 4, the inner case 32 protrudes from the wall surface of the refrigerator 2, and a mark 33 that enhances visual recognition is formed on the surface of the inner case 32. The internal resonance circuit 25 corresponds to a receiver and a first receiver.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the antenna coil 30 of the external resonance circuit 26 is housed in an outer case 34 made of synthetic resin, and the outer case 34 is fixed to the front surface of the door 5 of the refrigerator compartment 2. 5 is disposed on the left side opposite to the rotation axis. The outer case 34 projects from the front surface of the door 5, and a mark 33 is formed on the surface of the outer case 34. The external resonance circuit 26 corresponds to a second receiver.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the reader / writer 22 is connected to the operation control device 8 so as to be capable of bidirectional communication. The operation control device 8 externally resonates with the control circuit 29 of the reader / writer 22 when the refrigerator compartment 2 is closed. A command for driving the antenna coil 30 of the circuit 26 is transmitted, and a command for driving the antenna coil 30 of the internal resonance circuit 25 is transmitted when the refrigerator compartment 2 is open. That is, a carrier signal is oscillated from the external antenna coil 30 of the door 5 when the refrigerator compartment 2 is closed, and a carrier signal is oscillated from the internal antenna coil 30 of the refrigerator compartment 2 when the door 5 is open.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an IC tag 35 corresponding to a transmitter is attached to the food A. The IC tag 35 is activated based on receiving a power signal from the reader / writer 22 and transmits a data return signal based on receiving a data request signal from the reader / writer 22. FIG. As shown, a resonance circuit 36, a power supply circuit 37, a demodulation circuit 38, a memory 39, a load changing circuit 40, a modulation circuit 41, and a resistor 42 are provided.

  The resonance circuit 36 is composed of an antenna coil 43 and a resonance capacitor 44, and the antenna coil 43 of the IC tag 35 approaches the external antenna coil 30 of the door 5 and the internal antenna coil 30 of the refrigerator compartment 2 to be less than "4 cm". And the carrier signal from the external antenna coil 30 and the carrier signal from the internal antenna coil 30 are received.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the internal antenna coil 30 has a transmission / reception area 45 having a size of “4 cm” that covers a part of the entrance / exit of the refrigerator compartment 2. The cutout 4 avoids interference between the shelf board 3 and the transmission / reception area 45, and the door pocket 6 is in the transmission / reception area when the door 5 is closed. 45 is arranged at a portion not interfering with 45). Therefore, the IC tag 35 is magnetically coupled to the reader / writer 22 so that the user can intentionally bring the food A close to the inner case 32 in the open state of the refrigerator compartment 2, and in the closed state of the refrigerator compartment 2, FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the IC tag 35 is magnetically coupled to the reader / writer 22 so as to be able to transmit and receive when the user intentionally brings the food A close to the outer case 34.

  The power supply circuit 37 in FIG. 3 generates a stabilized power supply based on rectifying and smoothing the carrier signal from the resonance circuit 36, and the IC tag 35 is driven by using the stabilized output generated by the power supply circuit 37 as a power supply. To do. That is, the IC tag 35 is supplied with non-contact driving power based on entering the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30 when the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened, and the IC tag 35 is connected to the external antenna coil 30 when the refrigerator compartment 2 is closed. The drive power is supplied in a non-contact manner based on entering the transmission / reception area 45. This drive power supply is cut off when the IC tag 35 is disconnected from the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30 and the transmission / reception area 45 of the external antenna coil 30, and the IC tag 35 starts and stops supplying drive power. Automatically starts and stops in conjunction with.

  The demodulation circuit 38 detects the carrier signal from the resonance circuit 36 synchronously, and recognizes the data request signal from the reader / writer 22 based on demodulating the synchronization detection result of the carrier signal. The memory 39 stores an identification code. This identification code refers to unique information that identifies food A, and is composed of a combination of alphabets and numbers in a plurality of digits, as shown in FIG.

  3 detects the identification code from the memory 39 based on the reception of the data request signal by the demodulation circuit 38, and controls the load changing circuit 40 on / off based on the detection result of the identification code. When the load changing circuit 40 is turned on / off, the resistor 42 is switched between the invalid state and the valid state. The resistor 42 corresponds to the load of the antenna coil 43, and the inductance of the antenna coil 43 relatively changes when the resistor 42 is in an invalid state and an effective state, and the internal antenna coil 30 and the external antenna coil 30 of the reader / writer 22 are changed. The amplitude of the current flowing through the current changes.

  The demodulation circuit 28 of the reader / writer 22 shapes the current flowing through the internal antenna coil 30 and the external antenna coil 30 and outputs the waveform to the control circuit 29. The control circuit 29 receives the identification code from the IC tag 35 as the demodulation circuit 28. The identification code recognition result is transferred to the interrupt terminal INT of the operation control device 8. In addition, in the case of packed eggs formed by packaging a plurality of eggs, an IC tag 35 is attached to each egg in addition to the packaging container, and when food A is brought close to the internal antenna coil 30 or the external antenna coil 30 An identification code for identifying the packaging container is transmitted from the IC tag 35 of the packaging container to the reader / writer 22, and an identification code for identifying the egg is transmitted from the IC tag 35 of each egg to the reader / writer 22.

  An information processing program is recorded in the ROM 10 of the operation control device 8, and the CPU 9 of the operation control device 8 activates the information processing program based on detecting the recognition result of the identification code. Set entry / exit information. As shown in FIG. 2, an external management device 46 formed of a personal computer is connected to the operation control device 8 so as to be capable of two-way communication. The operation control device 8 sends the setting results of food information and entry / exit information to the outside. It transmits to the management apparatus 46. Hereinafter, an information processing program of the operation control device 8 will be described.

  When the information processing program is started, the CPU 9 of the operation control device 8 detects the identification code from the reader / writer 22 in step S1 in FIG. 6, and transmits the identification code detection result as food information to the external management device 46 in step S2. In step S3, it is determined whether the door switch 7 of the refrigerator compartment 2 is turned on. In step S4, the door switch 15 of the vegetable compartment 13 is turned on. In step S5, the door switch 18 of the freezer compartment 16 is turned on.

  When the CPU 9 detects that the door switch 7 is turned on in step S3, the CPU 9 determines that the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened, and transmits the entry / exit information S1 to the external management device 46 in step S6. That is, when the food A is put in and out of the refrigerator compartment 2, the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened and the food A is brought close to the inner case 32. In this case, it is determined that the warehousing source or warehousing destination of the food A is the refrigerator compartment 2, and the operation control device 8 transmits the warehousing information S1 together with the food information to the external management device 46.

  When the CPU 9 detects that the door switch 15 is turned on in step S4, the CPU 9 determines that the vegetable compartment 13 is opened, and transmits the entrance / exit information S2 to the external management device 46 in step S7. That is, when the food A is put in and out of the vegetable compartment 13, the food A is brought close to the outer case 34 with the refrigerator compartment 2 closed, and the vegetable compartment 13 is opened. In this case, it is determined that the delivery source or delivery destination of the food A is the vegetable compartment 13, and the delivery control information S2 is transmitted from the operation control device 8 to the external management device 46 together with the food information.

  When the CPU 9 detects that the door switch 18 is turned on at step S5, the CPU 9 determines that the freezer compartment 16 is opened, and transmits the loading / unloading information S3 to the external management device 46 at step S8. That is, when the food A is put in and out of the freezer compartment 16, the food A is brought close to the outer case 34 with the refrigerator compartment 2 closed, and the freezer compartment 16 is opened. In this case, it is determined that the delivery source or the delivery destination of the food A is the freezer compartment 16, and the delivery control information S3 is transmitted from the operation control device 8 to the external management device 46 together with the food information.

A food management program is recorded in the external management device 46. The external management device 46 activates the food management program based on detecting the food information and the loading / unloading information from the operation control device 8, and the food management program Manage food based on organizing food information and loading / unloading information. Hereinafter, processing contents and recording contents of the external management device 46 will be described.
A food database is recorded in the external management device 46. This food database searches for management information based on the identification code. As shown in Fig. 7, the food name, manufacturer, expiration date, cooking method, recommended menu, sweepstakes notification, It consists of recording traceability (production history).

  When the external management device 46 detects the food information and the entry / exit information from the operation control device 8, it searches the food database for the food name corresponding to the detection result of the identification code in step S11 of FIG. Then, in step S12, based on the detection result of the loading / unloading information, it is determined whether the loading source or the receiving destination of the food A is the refrigerated room 2, the vegetable room 13, or the freezing room 16, and the process proceeds to step S13.

  A food list is recorded in the external management device 46. As shown in FIG. 9, this food list records the names of foods and the presence / absence of storage for each storage room of the refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 13, and the freezer compartment 16, and the external management device 46 performs the steps shown in FIG. If it transfers to S13, the list | wrist content of the storage room according to the determination result of entrance / exit information in a food list will be detected, and the presence or absence of storage of the food according to an identification code will be recorded on the detection result of the list content. to decide. When it is detected that no storage is recorded here, the process proceeds to step S14, and the food list is recorded by recording storage in the food name corresponding to the identification code in the storage room corresponding to the determination result of the entry / exit information. Update.

  For example, when the determination result of the entry / exit information and the determination result of the identification code are “refrigerated room” and “tofu”, the list contents of the refrigerator compartment in the food list are detected, and the detection result of the list contents is “tofu storage present” Whether “tofu storage not stored” is recorded is determined. When it is detected that “tofu is not stored” is recorded, the recorded content is updated from “tofu is not stored” to “tofu is stored”. That is, when the presence of the food A corresponding to the detection result of the identification code is not recorded in the food list, it is recognized that the food A has been received, and the food list is updated based on the recognition result.

  When the external management device 46 updates the food list in step S14, it transmits a warehousing command to the operation control device 8 in step S15. This warehousing command instructs the operation control device 8 to notify the warehousing of food A, and the operation control device 8 drives the speaker 21 when detecting the warehousing command from the external management device 46. The speaker 21 outputs a sound “confirmed receipt” to notify the user of receipt confirmation of food A.

  When the external management device 46 detects in step S13 that food storage according to the identification code is recorded in the storage room corresponding to the determination result of the entry / exit information in the food list, the process proceeds to step S16. Here, storage is recorded in the food name corresponding to the identification code in the storage room corresponding to the determination result of the entry / exit information, and the food list is updated. For example, when the determination result of the entry / exit information and the determination result of the identification code are “vegetable room” and “green onion”, the list contents of the vegetable room in the food list are detected, and the detection result of the list content indicates “with onion storage” It is determined which of “no onion storage” is recorded. Then, when it is detected that “storing onion” is recorded, the recorded content is updated from “storing onion” to “storing onion”. That is, when the presence of the food A corresponding to the detection result of the identification code is recorded in the food list, it is recognized that the food A has been delivered, and the food list is updated based on the recognition result.

  When the external management device 46 updates the food list in step S16, it sends a delivery command to the operation control device 8 in step S17. This exit command instructs the operation control device 8 to issue the exit notification of the food A, and the operation control device 8 drives the speaker 21 when detecting the exit command from the external management device 46. The speaker 21 outputs a voice “confirmed delivery” to notify the user of the delivery confirmation of food A. That is, the external management device 46 manages the presence / absence of the food A as a food list for each storage room based on the food information and the loading / unloading information from the operation control device 8. When there is no consistency with the warehousing action, the inventory status of the food A and the recorded contents of the food list can be matched by redoing the warehousing action.

  For example, when “tofu” is stored in the refrigerator compartment 2, “tofu” is recorded in the food list. When “tofu” is received in this state, it is recognized that “tofu” is issued, so “no tofu” is recorded in the food list, and the sound “confirmed delivery” is output. In this case, the act of entering “tofu” and the notification content “confirmed delivery” are not consistent, so “tofu” is entered again. Then, “tofu” is detected in the state where “no tofu” is recorded in the food list, and “tofu” is recorded based on being recognized as the receipt of “tofu”. The state and the contents recorded in the food list match.

According to the first embodiment, food information is detected by moving food A into and out of the refrigerator compartment 2 through the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30, so that the food refrigerator A is large and large covering the entire refrigerator compartment 2. An output antenna coil is not required. For this reason, since the space occupied by the antenna coil and the power consumption are reduced, the degree of practical use increases.
Since the internal antenna coil 30 is arranged on the opposite side of the rotation axis of the door 5 and the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30 is set on the opposite side of the rotation axis, when the transmission / reception area 45 enters and exits the food A Crosses the operation line L (see FIG. 1). For this reason, since food A comes and goes in and out through the transmission / reception area 45 naturally, the detectability of food information is enhanced.

  Since the food A is configured in advance so as to be put in and out of the vegetable compartment 13 and the freezer compartment 16 through the transmission / reception area of the external antenna coil 30, the food information in the vegetable compartment 13 and the food information in the freezer compartment 16 are shared. It can be detected through the external antenna coil 30. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a large-sized and large-output antenna coil that covers the entire vegetable room 13 and freezer room 16, so that the reduction of the occupied space and the reduction of power consumption are promoted.

The operation control device 8 monitors the opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 13, and the freezer compartment 16 based on the detection of the food information, and based on which of the refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 13 and the freezer compartment 16 is opened. In addition, it is configured so as to specify the object of loading and unloading of food A. For this reason, since it becomes unnecessary to provide the reader / writer 22 for every refrigerator compartment 2, the vegetable compartment 13, and the freezer compartment 16, a structure becomes simple.
The notch 4 was formed in the shelf board 3 adjacent to the internal antenna coil 30. For this reason, since it becomes impossible to place food A on the shelf 3 close to the internal antenna coil 30, the food information from the food A on the shelf 3 when the internal antenna coil 30 opens the refrigerator compartment 2 Is prevented from being erroneously detected.

  Since the internal antenna coil 30 is driven in conjunction with the opening of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the external antenna coil 30 is driven in conjunction with the closure of the refrigerator compartment 2, the internal antenna is used when the food A is stored in the refrigerator compartment 2. The food information can be acquired through the coil 30, and the food information can be acquired through the external antenna coil 30 when the food A is in the vegetable compartment 13 or the freezer compartment 16. For this reason, it is not necessary to always drive both the internal antenna coil 30 and the external antenna coil 30, so that power saving is promoted.

When food information was detected through the internal antenna coil 30 or the external antenna coil 30, a sound was output from the speaker 21 to notify the user of food information acquisition. For this reason, since a user can confirm the non-output of a sound and can redo and unload food A, food management can be performed accurately.
When food A arrives, the voice “confirmed receipt” is output, and when food A exits, the voice “confirmed delivery” is output, so the user does not have consistency between the entry / exit action and the notification content. Recognizing this, the food A can be accurately managed by passing the food A through the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30 or the transmission / reception area 45 of the external antenna coil 30 again.

The reception result of the food information is transmitted from the operation control device 8 to the external management device 46 and managed by the external management device 46. For this reason, since it is not necessary to perform food management by the operation control device 8, the processing content of the operation control device 8 is simplified, and the recording capacity is also reduced.
Only the identification code is recorded as the food information on the IC tag 35, and the food management is performed based on the decoding of the identification code by the external management device 46. For this reason, since it becomes impossible to identify information such as purchased products only by illegally obtaining the identification code, the security is improved.

  The inner case 32 and the outer case 34 were protruded from the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment 2 and the wall surface of the door 5. For this reason, since the visual recognizability of the inner case 32 and the outer case 34 is improved, the food A can be easily passed through the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30 and the transmission / reception area 45 of the external antenna coil 30. In addition, marks 33 are formed on the surface of the inner case 32 and the surface of the outer case 34. For this reason, since the visual recognizability of the inner case 32 and the outer case 34 is further improved, the food A can be more easily passed through the transmission / reception region 45 of the internal antenna coil 30 and the transmission / reception region 45 of the external antenna coil 30.

In the first embodiment, the carrier signal is selectively oscillated from the internal antenna coil 30 and the external antenna coil 30 in response to opening / closing of the refrigerator compartment 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. Regardless of opening and closing, both the internal antenna coil 30 and the external antenna coil 30 may always oscillate the carrier signal. That is, the shelf board 3 and the door pocket 6 do not exist in the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30, and all the food A in the refrigerator compartment 2 comes out of the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30. However, communication with food A in the refrigerator compartment 2 is disabled.
<Second embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 10, a food switch 47 corresponding to an article switch is attached to the inner case 32 and the outer case 34. Each of the food switches 47 is a self-returning push switch that is turned on by pressing the food A against the plunger 48. The food switch 47 of the inner case 32 is located in the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30. The food switch 47 of the outer case 34 is arranged in the transmission / reception area of the external antenna coil 30. These food switches 47 are electrically connected to the operation control device 8, and the operation control device 8 connects the antenna coil 30 in the inner case 32 and the antenna coil 30 in the outer case 34 based on the state of both food switches 47. Drive selectively.

  For example, when the food A is put in and out of the refrigerator compartment 2, the user presses the food A against the plunger 48 of the food switch 47 of the inner case 32 with the door 5 opened. In this case, the operation control device 8 detects that the food switch 47 of the inner case 32 is turned on, and drives the internal antenna coil 30 for a predetermined time. Then, since an electric power signal is transmitted from the internal antenna coil 30 to the IC tag 35 of the food A, an identification code is transmitted from the IC tag 35 of the food A to the internal antenna coil 30, and the reader / writer 22 identifies the operation control device 8. The code is transferred.

  When the food A is put in and out of the vegetable compartment 13 or the freezer compartment 16, the user presses the food A against the plunger 48 of the food switch 47 of the outer case 34 with the door 5 closed, and the vegetable compartment 13 or the freezer compartment. 16 is released. In this case, the operation control device 8 detects that the food switch 47 of the outer case 34 is turned on, and drives the external antenna coil 30 for a predetermined time. Then, since an electric power signal is transmitted from the external antenna coil 30 to the IC tag 35 of the food A, an identification code is transmitted from the IC tag 35 of the food A to the external antenna coil 30, and the reader / writer 22 identifies the operation control device 8. The code is transferred.

  According to the second embodiment, the food switch 47 is provided in the transmission / reception area 45 of the internal antenna coil 30 and in the transmission / reception area 45 of the external antenna coil 30, and the food switch 47 of the inner case 32 and the food switch 47 of the outer case 34 are provided. Since the internal antenna coil 30 and the external antenna coil 30 are driven based on the pressing of the food A, the food information can be acquired by pressing the food A against the food switch 47.

In the second embodiment, the food switch 47 is constituted by a contact type mechanical switch. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be constituted by a non-contact type switch such as an optical sensor.
In the said 1st-2nd Example, although the warehousing and delivery of food A were alert | reported with the voice of the different aspect, it is not limited to this, For example, it alert | reports with the light of a different aspect, or the image | video of a different aspect You may inform by.

In the said 1st-2nd Example, although the personal computer was illustrated as the external management apparatus 46 which manages the food information from the driving | operation control apparatus 8 and the in / out information, it is not limited to this, For example, a server is used. It may be used.
In the first to second embodiments, magnetism is used as a wireless transmission medium for food information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and radio waves or light may be used.

In the said 1st-2nd Example, although the internal antenna coil 30 was arrange | positioned in the left side surface opposite to the rotating shaft of the door 5 among the refrigerator compartments 2, it is not limited to this, For example, a right side surface -It may be placed on the ceiling or bottom. In short, the transmission / reception area 45 may be set at a part of the entrance / exit of the refrigerator compartment 2.
In the said 1st-2nd Example, although this invention was applied to the refrigerator, it is not limited to this, For example, you may apply to a heat retention box and a stock shelf.

  In the first to second embodiments, the visual recognizability is enhanced on the basis of the formation of the mark 33 on the surface of the inner case 32 and the surface of the outer case 34. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Visual recognition may be enhanced by coloring the surface of the inner case 32 and the surface of the outer case 34 to a color different from that of the peripheral portion.

The figure which shows 1st Example of this invention (The perspective view which shows the external appearance of a refrigerator in the open state of a refrigerator compartment) Block diagram showing overall electrical configuration Block diagram showing electrical configuration of reader / writer and IC tag (A) is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a coil case, (b) is a figure which shows the mark of a coil case The perspective view which shows the external appearance of a refrigerator in the closed state of a refrigerator compartment Flow chart showing control contents of operation control device Diagram showing the contents of the food database Flow chart showing control contents of external management device Diagram showing food list records The figure which shows 2nd Example of this invention (The figure which shows the detection mechanism of a foodstuff)

Explanation of symbols

A is a food (article), 2 is a refrigerator compartment (storage, first storage), 8 is an operation control device (transmission means), 13 is a vegetable room (second storage), 16 is a freezer (first) 2), 21 is a speaker (notifier), 25 is an internal resonance circuit (receiver, first receiver), 26 is an external resonance circuit (second receiver), and 35 is an IC tag (transmitter). ), 45 is a transmission / reception area (reception area), 46 is an external management device, and 47 is a food switch (article switch).

Claims (7)

A vault for storing goods,
A receiver capable of receiving, in a contactless manner, article information transmitted from a transmitter of the article or a transmitter attached to the article;
The receiving area of the receiver is set at a part of the entrance / exit of the storage,
The receiver is configured to be incapable of communicating with an article stored in the storage. A first storage and a second storage for storing articles;
A first receiver and a second receiver capable of receiving, in a contactless manner, article information transmitted from an article transmitter or a transmitter attached to the article;
The reception area of the first receiver is set to a part of the entrance / exit of the first storage,
The reception area of the second receiver is set outside the first storage,
The first receiver is configured to be incapable of communicating with an article stored in the first storage.   The first receiver and the second receiver are alternatively activated in conjunction with opening of the first storage and closing of the first storage. Item 2. Home appliances.   The household electrical appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a notification device for notifying that article information transmitted from the article has been received.   5. The home electric appliance according to claim 4, wherein the notification device performs a notification operation in a manner corresponding to receipt and delivery of an article.   The home electric appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit a reception result of the article information to the external management device. Provided in the receiving area of the receiver, comprising an article switch whose state changes when the article is pressed,
The household electric appliance according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is activated based on a change in a state of the article switch.

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