JP2019070460A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator for imaging a storage room in a state in which fogging and condensation of a lens of an imaging unit are suppressed. A refrigeration cycle including a storage room, an imaging unit that captures an image of the inside of the storage room, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, and a cooler that evaporates the refrigerant to generate cold air. It is a refrigerator supplied to a storage room, Comprising: An imaging part images when a compressor stops. [Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

As a related technology, a refrigerator has been proposed that captures the state of food in the storage with a camera.
In the camera system of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, the imaging device performs imaging of the inside of the storage room with the imaging device during cooling operation of the cooler, whereby the imaging device and stored food are generated due to the entrance of the open air by door opening and closing. Cloudiness and condensation are suppressed.
Further, Patent Document 2 determines that the cloudiness is removed when the high frequency component of the image is high.

JP, 2014-196844, A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2017-40425

  However, during the cooling operation, temperature fluctuations in the storage room are relatively strong, and depending on the position of the camera, it is assumed that the camera may be directly cooled by the cold air, and fogging or condensation may easily occur on the lens. In addition to intrusion of external air by opening and closing the door, for example, after a defrosting operation that melts the frost adhering to the cooler or after cooling of a vegetable room where it is necessary to maintain a certain degree of humidity, the storage room where the camera is installed has high humidity Timing is present. Under such an environment, it is desirable to avoid imaging at this timing, since fogging and condensation are likely to occur. Also, in order to analyze the frequency of an image, computer resources and the like for that are required.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object thereof is to suppress fogging by a configuration different from that of the related art and to realize imaging under the environment.

  The present invention made in view of the above circumstances includes a storage room, an imaging unit for imaging the inside of the storage room, a compressor for compressing the refrigerant, and a cooler for evaporating the refrigerant to generate cold air. It is a refrigerator which has a cycle and the said cool air is supplied to the said storage chamber, Comprising: The said imaging part is characterized by imaging at the time of a stop of the said compressor.

Example of Configuration of Camera System of Refrigerator in Embodiment 1 Block diagram of a refrigerator camera system in the first embodiment Flow chart showing imaging timing of the camera in the first embodiment

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the same description will not be repeated. Also, the various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent; for example, one component may be composed of a plurality of members, or a plurality of components may be composed of one member, some configurations Allowing part of an element and part of another component to overlap, etc.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration example of a camera system of a refrigerator according to the present embodiment. The refrigerator camera system includes the refrigerator 1, the communication unit 3 and the camera unit 4 provided in the refrigerator 1, and the communication terminal 6. The communication terminal 6 can perform information communication with the communication unit 3 via the network 5 (for example, a home LAN or the Internet). The refrigerator 1 has, as a storage room, a refrigerator compartment of a refrigerator temperature zone, a high temperature and high humidity vegetable room than the refrigerator compartment, and a freezer compartment of a freezer temperature zone. The camera unit 4 can be provided in any of these storage chambers.

[Communication unit 3]
Communication unit 3 stores information such as home appliance communication unit 31 capable of exchanging information with refrigerator 1 by wire or wirelessly, external communication unit 32 capable of exchanging information with camera unit 4 and communication terminal 6, and image data Memory 33 and a control unit 35 for controlling them.

[Camera unit 4]
The camera unit 4 includes a communication unit 41 capable of exchanging information such as image data with the communication unit 3 via the network 5 and a memory 42 capable of temporarily storing image data. The camera unit 4 is installed at an arbitrary position in the storage chamber of the refrigerator 1.

[Communication terminal 6]
The communication terminal 6 is an apparatus capable of exchanging information via the communication unit 3 and the network 5. The communication terminal 6 has a function of instructing the communication unit 3 to capture an image, and displaying and storing image data captured by the camera 4. The communication terminal 6 is preferably a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal that is easy to carry.

[Network 5]
The configuration of the network 5 is not particularly limited as long as the communication unit 3, the camera unit 4 and the communication terminal 6 can be mutually connected for communication, for example, the communication unit 3 and the camera unit 4 are connected via a home LAN Alternatively, communication from outside the home can be enabled by making the communication terminal 6 connectable via the home LAN and the Internet. The camera unit 4 may be configured to be able to directly communicate with the communication terminal 6 via the communication unit 41 without using the communication unit 3. The communication unit 3 and the camera unit 4 may be connected by wire connection of the refrigerator 1.

[Example of display operation of image data]
The communication unit 3 issues an imaging instruction to the camera unit 4 based on the imaging timing information obtained from the refrigerator 1. When an imaging instruction is issued from the communication unit 2 or the direct communication terminal 6, the camera unit 4 images the storage room and transmits image data obtained by imaging to the communication unit 3 or the direct communication terminal 6. The communication unit 3 stores the image data received from the camera unit 4 in the memory 33. The user may want to check the food in the refrigerator 1 when trying to shop food etc. outside the home. In this case, the user can operate the communication terminal 6 to give an instruction to display the condition in the refrigerator 1. The communication terminal 6 that has received such an instruction requests the communication unit 3 or the direct camera unit 4 to transmit image data. The communication unit 3 transmits the image data stored in advance in the memory 33 to the communication terminal 6, and the communication terminal 6 displays the received image data. By transmitting the image data stored in advance in the memory 33 to the communication terminal 6, the response is good as compared with the case where the camera unit 4 is activated each time and the image is taken at a good imaging timing. The use of image data has the advantage of making it easier to determine the food in the storage room.
The memory for storing the image data is not limited to the memory 33 provided in the communication unit 3, and may be, for example, the memory 42 mounted in the camera unit 4. When, for example, a camera-equipped communication terminal that is detachable from the refrigerator 1 is adopted as the camera unit 4, the communication unit or memory of this terminal may be used.

  In addition, the user may be instructed to distinguish whether to display the stored image data or to display the image data re-captured again by the operation of the communication terminal 6.

[Fridge 1]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment. The refrigerator 1 includes a control unit 11 that controls the entire refrigerator, a control panel 12, a memory 15, and various switches, sensors, and devices necessary for cooling the storage room. Specifically, storage room door switch 16 which acquires the opening and closing information of the door of each storage room, storage room temperature sensor 17 which detects the temperature of each storage room, humidity sensor 18 which detects the humidity outside the storage of refrigerator 1; Various switches and sensors such as a cooler temperature sensor 19 for detecting the temperature of the cooler and an outside temperature sensor 20 for detecting the temperature outside the refrigerator of the refrigerator 1 are included. In addition, the compressor 21 that compresses the refrigerant by obtaining the sensor state or the detected value, the condensation unit that dissipates the compressed high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant, the decompression unit that decompresses the refrigerant that has passed through the condensation unit, Refrigeration cycle including evaporating the refrigerant to generate cold air, a storage room cooling fan 22 for blowing the generated cold air to the storage room, and an electric damper 24 for distributing the cold air blown by the storage room cooling fan 22 , And a storage light 23 provided in the storage room to emit light.

  The interior light 23 is lighting in the storage room, and while the storage room door switch 16 of the storage room where the interior light 23 is provided detects the opening of the storage room door, or the interior light 23 is The camera unit 4 provided in the provided storage room can be lighted when imaging or the like. The control panel 12 has an input unit 121 for receiving a user's instruction such as setting change of cooling temperature or shutdown of rapid freezing, an operation state of the preset cooling temperature, quick freezing, open state of each storage room door, etc. The display unit 122 is shown.

  The control unit 11 exchanges data such as imaging timing with the home appliance communication unit 31 of the communication unit 3.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of imaging in the present embodiment. When the storage room door switch 16 detects "open" and "close" of the storage room door after "open" and "open" (S101, Yes), the imaging start time (for example, 10 minutes) is set and the timer is started (S102) ), And waits for the imaging start time to elapse (S104). If it is detected that the storage chamber door is opened and closed again (S104, No and S101, Yes) before the imaging start time has elapsed, the imaging start time is reset and a timer is started (S102). In this imaging start time, the storage room door is frequently opened and closed to prevent an increase in the number of times of imaging.
During the storage chamber door "open", the high temperature and high humidity outside air usually enters the storage chamber as compared to the storage chamber. If imaging is performed immediately after the storage room door is closed, it is highly possible that the lens of the camera unit 4 is fogged due to a temperature difference or humidity, so it is possible to wait for the fogging to be eliminated. Therefore, when the opening / closing frequency of the storage room door for a predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes) is high or when a certain “open” time exceeds the threshold, the imaging start time is set longer than usual, etc. It is desirable to adjust the time according to the frequency and the opening time of the door.

  If the imaging start time has elapsed (S104, Yes), it is determined whether the imaging condition by the camera unit 4 is satisfied (S105), and if the condition described later is satisfied, the internal lamp is turned on (106) After the storage room is in a bright state, imaging is performed (S107), and the interior light is turned off (108).

  At the time of imaging, it is desirable to perform imaging in a clear state as much as possible without fogging the lens. As a first imaging condition, imaging is performed after the stop of the cooling operation, that is, immediately after or after the stop of the compressor 21. At the start of the cooling operation, the temperature change in the storage chamber is large, and the lens is easily fogged. Under the condition that the storage room becomes substantially constant near the set temperature by performing the cooling operation and the compressor 21 is stopped, the occurrence of fogging can be suppressed, and the humidity is also lowered by the cooling operation. convenient.

However, when the temperature of the storage room becomes high, such as when the door is opened and closed frequently or when high temperature food is introduced into the storage room, the operation of the compressor 21 may be prolonged and it may take several hours to stop the compressor 21 . If the user desires an image in the storage room during this time, it is preferable to image even during the cooling operation. Therefore, within the predetermined time (for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 minutes) during the defrosting operation and after the defrosting operation as the second imaging condition, even if the first imaging condition is not satisfied. If it is a time zone except for, imaging shall be performed. In the defrosting operation, the storage room becomes hot and humid because the frost adhering to the cooler is melted by the heater, which is not convenient for imaging. Therefore, imaging is performed avoiding a predetermined time after the defrosting operation and the defrosting operation in which the storage room becomes high temperature and high humidity.
The reception of the image request from the communication terminal 6 may be added as a condition for executing the imaging based on the establishment of the second imaging condition.

  Furthermore, there is a cooling operation of the vegetable compartment as a condition that the storage compartment becomes high temperature and high humidity. The vegetable compartment is usually set at 3 ° C. to 7 ° C., and the freezer compartment is set higher than the refrigerator compartment as well. Moreover, in order to maintain the freshness of vegetables, it is general to set it as high humidity state. Therefore, in the camera in the vegetable room, a third imaging condition may be provided as the imaging condition. That is, even if the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition are not satisfied, imaging is performed after a predetermined time or more has elapsed after the vegetable room cooling operation (after the compressor is stopped). Specifically, the predetermined time is set to be longer than the time until the camera arranged in the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment performs imaging after the compressor is stopped. During cooling of the vegetable compartment, the temperature of the vegetable compartment is relatively high due to the storage compartment cooling fan 22 so that the cold of high humidity circulates, so the camera 4 is more likely to be cloudy than in the other storage compartments. Therefore, imaging is performed avoiding a predetermined time during and after cooling of the vegetable room.

  In addition, based on the information input from the outside air temperature sensor 20, the humidity sensor 18, and the storage room temperature sensor 17 when opening and closing the storage room door, the temperature rise and humidity in the storage room are calculated, Estimate and determine the imaging timing. In addition, after the defrosting operation that melts the frost adhering to the cooler, or after cooling the vegetable room where it is necessary to maintain a certain degree of humidity, avoid the condition that the storage room where the camera is installed gets high humidity, and capture timing Decide.

  In addition, when the imaging condition (S105) does not hold for a long time after the imaging start time (S104), a situation may occur in which imaging can not be performed indefinitely. For this reason, when the imaging condition is not provided or when the imaging condition is not satisfied for the predetermined time or the predetermined number of times continuously, the imaging condition may not be satisfied even if the imaging condition is not satisfied. In this way, the state in which imaging can not be performed will never continue.

  Although the present embodiment shows the operation of one camera unit 4 provided in a storage room, the camera system of the refrigerator 1 is, for example, one in the upper stage of the refrigerator compartment, one in the lower compartment, and a vegetable compartment It may be composed of a plurality of cameras such as one. Change the setting of the door and temperature sensor to be detected in the cold room and the vegetable room. As a result, it is possible to perform imaging under an optimal imaging condition for each camera unit 4.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 refrigerator 11 control part 16 storage room door switch 17 storage room temperature sensor 18 humidity sensor 19 cooler temperature sensor 20 outdoor temperature sensor 21 compressor 22 storage room cooling fan 23 interior light 24 electric damper 25 other control devices 3 communication unit 31 Home appliance communication unit 32 external communication unit 33 memory 35 control unit 4 camera unit (imaging unit)
5 Network 6 Communication Terminal

Claims (3)

A storage room,
An imaging unit for imaging the inside of the storage room;
A refrigeration cycle including a compressor for compressing a refrigerant and a cooler for evaporating the refrigerant to generate cold air;
A refrigerator in which the cold air is supplied to the storage room,
The imaging unit performs imaging when the compressor is stopped. It is possible to perform a defrosting operation for removing frost from the cooler,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit performs imaging while avoiding the defrosting operation. The storage room includes a cold room or a freezing room, and a vegetable room,
The imaging unit is disposed in each of the cold storage room or the freezing room and the vegetable room,
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the imaging unit of the vegetable room performs imaging after imaging of the cold storage room or the freezing room is performed after the driving of the compressor is stopped.

Images