JP2014209053A - Refrigerator and refrigerator system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator and a refrigerator system capable of facilitating discrimination of food items in a stockroom.SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises: communication means connectable to the Internet; and a camera 35-1 photographing food items in a stockroom, transmits data on an image picked up by the camera 35-1 to a server connected to the Internet by the communication means, and enables the image data to be visually recognized on a display terminal connected to the server. In the stockroom, an internal floodlight 34-1 is provided for emitting light into the stockroom at a time of photographing the food items by the camera 35-1, and the camera 35-1 and the internal floodlight 34-1 are provided to be placed in an opening side of a front surface of the stockroom. By doing so, the camera 35-1 photographs an interior of the stockroom from a side irradiated with the light from the internal floodlight 34-1, so that the camera 35-1 can pick up the image of the food items in the stockroom brightly and clearly. This can facilitate discriminating the food items in the stockroom. In addition, it is unnecessary to perform image processing for facilitating discriminating the food items, so that the refrigerator can be put to practical use at low cost.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator capable of photographing food in a storage and confirming the storage status with a display terminal or the like and a refrigerator system thereof.

  In general, many refrigerators and refrigeration systems of this type have been proposed. For example, the refrigerator and the refrigeration system described in Patent Document 1 are provided with a small camera in the storage, and the food storage status in the storage captured by the small camera is displayed on a display terminal such as a mobile phone via the Internet line. It is configured so that it can be confirmed.

  Patent Document 2 also discloses a refrigerator and a refrigeration system similar to Patent Document 1, and the one described in Patent Document 1 captures the state of food in a storage with a small camera when the refrigerator door is closed. It is comprised so that it may do.

  Furthermore, the refrigerator and the refrigeration system described in Patent Document 3 are provided with a display terminal on the surface of the refrigerator in addition to the structure described in Patent Document 1, and the display terminal includes a fixed terminal and a refrigerator incorporated on the refrigerator surface. It is composed of a display terminal such as a mobile phone that can be taken away from the surface, and both terminals can display the food storage status in the storage taken with a small camera via the Internet line on the display part, and when they are out Of course, it is configured so that the food storage status in the storage can be known without opening the refrigerator door even at home.

JP 2002-236798 A JP 2007-46833 A JP 2002-81818 A

  As described above, many refrigerators and refrigerator systems of this type have been proposed, that is, refrigerators and refrigerator systems in which food in a storage can be photographed and the storage status can be checked with a display terminal or the like. Nothing has been put to practical use yet.

  Therefore, the inventors have made studies for practical application of the refrigerator and the refrigerator system as described above, and have verified the practical application. As a result, the present inventors have found that this type of refrigerator and its refrigerator system have a number of problems that need to be solved before practical use.

  One of the problems is that the state of food in the storage by the small camera is poor and it is difficult to distinguish the type of food.

  Patent Document 2 described above discloses that when taking a picture with a small camera, taking a picture with an interior lighting in the storage, the food illuminated with the interior lighting located on the inner wall of the storage is disclosed. When shooting with a small camera on the inner surface of the door, the image is dark and it is difficult to determine the food type as it is, or it is necessary to perform advanced correction processing to make it easy to determine the food type, which greatly increases the cost. This is a major obstacle to commercialization.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides an inexpensive refrigerator and refrigeration system which can easily photograph foods in a storage and can easily identify foods.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises communication means connectable to the Internet and a camera for photographing food in the storage, and transmits image data photographed by the camera to a server connected to the Internet by the communication means. The image data can be viewed from a display terminal connected to the server, and the storage is provided with an internal illumination lamp that illuminates the storage when the camera and the camera take a picture. Each of the internal lighting lamps is arranged on the front opening side of the storage.

  As a result, the food in the storage is illuminated with the interior lighting, and the camera is photographed from the side illuminated by the interior lighting, so the food in the storage is photographed brightly and clearly. be able to. Therefore, the food in the storage can be easily discriminated, and it is not necessary to perform image processing for facilitating the food discrimination, so that it can be put into practical use at a low cost.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the cheap refrigerator and refrigeration system which can image | photograph the foodstuff in a storage well and can perform discrimination | determination of foodstuffs easily can be provided.

The perspective view of the refrigerator in embodiment of this invention Schematic sectional view of the refrigerator The perspective view which shows the inside when the storage door of the refrigerator is opened (A) The perspective view which equipped the same refrigerator with the display terminal integrally, (b) The perspective view which equipped the display terminal with the display terminal so that attachment or detachment was possible. The example of the mounting configuration of the display terminal used for the refrigerator is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view when the display terminal is attached integrally, (b) is a cross-sectional view when the display terminal is detachably attached. The display visual recognition structural example of the display terminal used for the refrigerator is shown, (a) (b) is a schematic sectional view when the cover panel of the door is made of glass, (c) is a cover panel of the door configured with a magic mirror Schematic cross section when Longitudinal sectional view showing an example of camera mounting of the refrigerator The camera attachment example of the refrigerator is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door portion with the door closed, and (b) is a front view of the door inner surface when the door is opened. (A) (b) (c) The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the other example of the camera attachment example of the refrigerator Longitudinal sectional view showing an example of camera installation in the case of a single door of the refrigerator The camera attachment example of the refrigerator is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door portion with the door closed, and (b) is a front view of the door inner surface when the door is opened. Vertical sectional view showing another example of camera mounting in the case of a single door of the refrigerator Explanatory drawing which shows the imaging | photography state in the camera attachment example of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the camera attached to the refrigerator System configuration diagram of refrigerator system in the same embodiment (A) is a block diagram showing a refrigerator configuration of the refrigerator system, (b) is a block diagram showing a modification of the refrigerator configuration Block diagram showing the server configuration of the refrigerator system Flowchart showing photographing to data storage operation when the door of the refrigerator system is closed Flow chart showing photographing to data storage operation when cooling operation of the refrigerator system is stopped Flowchart showing photographing to data storage operation when the door of the refrigerator system is opened FIG. 15 to FIG. 20 are flowcharts showing other operation examples of the photographing operation. The flowchart which shows the case where data storage and the synthetic | combination operation | movement in the refrigerator system are performed with a server apparatus The flowchart which shows the case where the data preservation and composition operation in the refrigerator system are done on the refrigerator side The flowchart which shows the case where the data storage and composition operation in the refrigerator system are performed on the display terminal side Flow chart showing normal image data transmission / reception in the refrigerator system The flowchart which shows transmission / reception of the image data in case the image data is preserve | saved at the display terminal in the refrigerator system The flowchart which shows the case where a separate image and a synthesized image are switched and transmitted / received in the refrigerator system Flowchart showing image data transmission / reception upon advance transmission request in the refrigerator system Front view of a display terminal for explaining switching of transmission / reception paths in the refrigerator system The figure for demonstrating the image composition process in the refrigerator system

  Hereinafter, specific and detailed embodiments of the present invention will be described. First, the main points of the embodiments of the present invention will be described.

An embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a communication unit connectable to the Internet and a camera that captures food in the storage, and transmits image data captured by the camera to a server connected to the Internet by the communication unit. The image data can be viewed from a display terminal connected to the server, and the storage is provided with an internal illumination lamp that illuminates the storage when the camera and the camera take a picture. Each of the internal lighting lamps is arranged on the front opening side of the storage.

  As a result, the food in the storage is illuminated with the interior lighting, and the camera is photographed from the side illuminated by the interior lighting, so the food in the storage is photographed brightly and clearly. be able to. Therefore, the food in the storage can be easily discriminated, and it is not necessary to perform image processing for facilitating the food discrimination, so that it can be put into practical use at a low cost.

  The storage includes a plurality of shelves, and the camera and the interior lighting are provided on the front side of the front end of the shelves.

  As a result, the image in the storage room taken by the camera is the same as when the user actually opens the refrigerator door and sees the food status in the storage room without any discomfort when displayed on the display terminal. Can be confirmed. Moreover, since the interior lamp illuminates the food on the shelf from the front of the front end of the shelf, the food placed on the front end of the shelf can also be photographed brightly and clearly.

  The camera is provided on the inner surface of the door of the storage, and the interior lighting is provided on both side walls of the opening edge of the storage.

As a result, the camera can be positioned in the substantially right and left central part of the storage, and the image taken by the camera can be shaped to be close to the state where the user actually opens the refrigerator door, A wide range in the storage can be photographed by taking a large distance from the food on the shelf board, and the storage status of a wider range of food can be confirmed on the display terminal.

  Furthermore, the camera is provided at the center position in the front-rear direction of the door pocket provided on the inner surface of the door, so that food such as milk packs stored in the door pocket can be captured by the camera, and a wider area in the storage can be photographed. This is preferable.

  The interior illumination lamp is provided at a position where the direct light of the interior illumination lamp does not enter the camera, or is configured so that the light does not enter the camera directly.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent the light from the interior illumination light from entering the camera and the image of the camera from being deteriorated, and a good image can be obtained at all times.

  The camera is configured as a unit independent of the storage.

  This makes it possible to change the camera installation according to the usage of the user.

  The embodiment of the refrigerator system of the present invention is transmitted via the Internet from the refrigerator of any of the embodiments described above, a display terminal that requests an image in the storage of the refrigerator, and the communication means of the refrigerator. And a server that receives an image request signal transmitted from the display terminal via the Internet and transmits the image information to the display terminal.

  Thereby, the user can confirm the state of the food in the refrigerator in a clear form at any time and anywhere, and can prevent the user from forgetting to buy food, etc., which is easy to use.

  The server is preferably configured to have a function of transmitting image data in the refrigerator to the display terminal in advance when there is a request for transmitting image data in advance from the display terminal. Even if it is slow, if the display terminal is operated, the image data in the storage can be immediately confirmed, and the usability is further improved.

  Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[Embodiment 1]
<1. Configuration>
1-1. Configuration of refrigerator 1-1-1. Configuration of French Door Type Refrigerator First, a configuration example in the case of a French door type refrigerator will be described with reference to FIGS.

  1 to 3, the refrigerator body 1 includes a metal (for example, iron plate) outer box 2 that opens forward, an inner box 3 made of hard resin (for example, ABS), the outer box 2 and the inner box 3. It is made of a heat insulating material 4 such as hard foam urethane filled with foam. The refrigerator main body 1 has a plurality of storage compartments formed therein. This storage is located from the upper part of the refrigerator body 1 to the refrigerator compartment 5, the switching chamber 6 located below the refrigerator compartment 5, the ice making chamber 7 juxtaposed to the switching chamber 6, the switching chamber 6 and the ice making chamber 7 below. There are a freezer compartment 8 and a vegetable compartment 9 located below the freezer compartment 8. The front face of the refrigerator compartment 5 is closed freely by a double door 10 and the front parts of the switching compartment 6, ice making compartment 7, freezer compartment 8, and vegetable compartment 9 are drawer type doors 11, 12, 13 , 14 (hereinafter referred to as a pull-out door) can be freely opened and closed.

  There is a cooling chamber 16 on the back of the refrigerator main body 1, a cooler 17 that generates cool air, a blower fan 18 that supplies the cool air to each chamber, and a damper (air volume adjusting means) for adjusting the air volume to the refrigerator compartment. 22 is provided. In addition, a compressor 19 is provided at the back of the main body top of the refrigerator body 1, and a condenser (not shown), a heat radiating pipe 20, a capillary tube 21, and the cooler 17 described above are sequentially provided. A refrigerant is enclosed in a refrigeration cycle connected in a ring shape, and a cooling operation is performed.

  Here, each said door 10-14 is filled with hard foaming urethane like the refrigerator main body 1, and has heat insulation, In this refrigerator, the door of the storehouse 5 used as a refrigerator compartment among the said doors 10-14. A display terminal 15 is provided on one front surface of the display 10. The display terminal 15 includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel and a control unit that controls the display unit 15 as shown in FIG. 4A. The display terminal 15 is attached to the door 10 integrally or as shown in FIG. 4B. It is formed by a smartphone or a tablet PC, and is detachable from the door 10 and may be equipped by any method.

  5 (a) and 5 (b) show examples of the configuration of mounting the display terminal 15 on the door 10, FIG. 5 (a) shows a case where the display terminal 15 is integrally attached, and FIG. The case where it is detachably mounted is shown.

  5 (a) and 5 (b), the door 10 mainly includes an outer cover panel 10a facing the front side of the refrigerator, an inner plate 10b facing the refrigerator interior, an outer cover panel 10a and an inner plate. It is comprised with the heat insulating material 4 with which it filled between 10b. The jacket panel 10a is made of a metal member such as a color steel plate or a transparent member such as a glass plate, and the inner plate 10b is a synthetic resin member formed by vacuum forming. A raised wall portion 10b-1 protruding inward in a square shape when viewed from the inner side is provided in a peripheral portion of the inner plate 10b. Further, as already described, for example, hard foamed urethane is used for the heat insulating material 4.

  Further, in the door 10 of FIG. 5A in which the display terminal 15 is integrated, a resin storage frame body 23 is provided on the front side of the door 10 so as to cover the heat insulating material 4 continuously with the jacket panel 10a. (If the jacket panel 10a is a glass plate, it is integrally bonded to the glass plate). The display terminal 15 is fixed to the storage frame body 23 via the terminal holding body 24. A touch panel 25 is provided on the front side of the display terminal 15. A gap 26 is provided between the display terminal 15 and the touch panel 25 so that the touch panel 25 does not malfunction due to noise from the display terminal 15. The display terminal 15 and the touch panel 25 are fixed by attaching a frame body 27 covering the outer periphery of the display terminal 15 and the touch panel 25 to the surface of the door 10. Moreover, since the heat insulating material 4 does not touch the display terminal 15 directly by providing the storage frame 23, the display terminal 15 is exposed to a high temperature or deformed when the heat insulating material 4 is foamed. And other problems can be prevented. On the other hand, in the door 10 of FIG. 5B in which the display terminal 15 is detachable, a recess 28 is formed by providing the storage frame 23 on the front surface of the door 10, and the display terminal 15 is attached to and detached from the recess 28. It is comprised so that it may do.

  6A, 6B, and 6C show an example of a display see-through configuration of the door 10 and the display terminal 15, and FIGS. 6A and 6B show that the outer cover panel 10a of the door 10 is a glass plate. In the case of 10a-1, FIG.3 (c) shows the case where the jacket panel 10a of the door 10 is comprised by the magic mirror 10a-2.

In FIG. 6A, a smoke sheet 29 in which only a portion facing the display terminal 15 is transparent is provided between the display terminal 15 embedded in the door 10 and the glass plate 10a-1, and the display terminal 15 is Even when turned off and looks blackish, the glass sheet 10a-1 other than the display terminal 15 also looks blackish by the smoke sheet 29 and the boundary with the display terminal 15 does not stand out, and the appearance can be maintained well. Further, in FIG. 6B, a transparent liquid crystal display unit is used as the display unit of the display terminal 15 and an entirely black smoke sheet 29a is laid along the back surface of the transparent liquid crystal display unit. Can be made good. Further, in FIG. 6C, the glass plate 10a-1 in FIGS. 6A and 6B is a magic mirror 10a-2, and the smoke sheet 29 is not required. be able to. In any case, an example in which the display terminal 15 is integrally attached to the door 10 is shown. Instead of the smoke sheet 29, the glass plate 10a-1 may be painted so that it looks blackish.

  7, 8 (a) and 8 (b) show an example of attachment of the camera and the interior lighting lamp as the main part of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator with the door closed, FIG. 8 (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the inner surface of the door in the refrigerator with the door closed, and FIG. 8 (b) is a front view of the inner surface of the door when the door is opened.

  In FIG. 7, FIG. 8 (a), (b), the storage board 5 of the refrigerator is provided with shelf plates 30-1 to 30-4 in a plurality of upper and lower stages. The shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4 are made of a transparent material such as a transparent synthetic resin material or glass except for the surrounding frame.

  Reference numeral 31 denotes a storage container provided so as to be freely drawn out below the lowermost shelf plate 30-4. Although the lowermost shelf plate 30-4 is fixed because it constitutes the upper surface of the storage container 31, the shelf plates 30-1 to 30-3 are respectively protruding side walls provided on both side walls of the storage 5. It is mounted on 32-1 to 32-4 and is detachable. In particular, among the shelf plates 30-1 to 30-3 excluding the bottom shelf plate 30-4, the central shelf plate 30-2 is provided with a plurality of corresponding side wall protrusions 32-2 at different heights. The shelf height can be adjusted.

  33-1 to 33-3 are door pockets provided on the inner surface of the door 10 that opens and closes the opening of the storage 5 and is provided in a plurality of stages. The door pockets 33-1 to 33-3 are also formed of a material having permeability.

  Reference numerals 34-1 and 34-2 denote interior illumination lamps provided on the front opening side walls and the front opening upper wall surface of the storage 5 ahead of the front ends of the shelf plates 30-1 to 30-4. In addition, the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided with a substrate having a plurality of LEDs arranged in the vertical direction, for example, for the purpose of energy saving and covered with a translucent cover.

  35-1 and 35-2 are cameras provided so as to be located on the front side of the storage 5 like the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2, and are constituted by, for example, a CCD camera or a CMOS camera. The type is not particularly limited, but is preferably resistant to condensation.

  In this embodiment, two cameras are provided, and one of the cameras 35-1 is attached in the vicinity of the lower surface of the upper door pocket 33-1, which is substantially at the center in the front-rear direction, and another camera 35-2. Is attached near the top of the door pocket 33-3. Here, the front-rear direction of the door pocket 33 is a direction perpendicular to the surface formed by the inner plate 10b of the door 10, and is the same direction as the front-rear direction of the storage 5 when the door 10 is closed. .

  Further, the upper camera 35-1 is provided at a position substantially in front of the uppermost shelf 30-1, and the lower camera 35-2 is provided at a position in front of the third shelf 30-3 in the drawing. In other words, each camera is not a shelf 30-2 placed on a plurality of side wall projections 32-2 provided on the premise of height adjustment, but a shelf that is detachable but is not premised on height adjustment. It is provided at a substantially forward position of the plate 30-1 and the shelf plate 30-3.

  Furthermore, as is clear from FIG. 7, both the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are located in front of the front ends of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4, and are shown in FIG. 8B. In the same manner, the two cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided so as to be positioned in the vicinity of the open end side end Y opposite to the shaft support X of the door 10, that is, in the substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 51. You can shoot almost the entire area of the warehouse. In the case of this French door, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided on the side of the door 10 having a large area, and are set so as to be positioned at a substantially central portion of the refrigerator 51. Further, in this example, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided on the door 10 side where the center pillar 36 (see FIG. 3) is not provided, and are set so as to be positioned at a substantially central portion of the refrigerator 51. . As is well known, the center pillar 36 is provided on one side surface of the two doors 10 in the case of a French door, and cold air in the storage 5 leaks from a gap generated between the two doors 10. It is a member provided in order to prevent this.

  The cameras 35-1 and 35-2 may be additionally provided with a dedicated camera 35-3 as shown in FIG. 9A, or the lower camera 35 as shown in FIG. -2 can be moved up and down, or the lower camera 35-2 can be turned up and down as shown in FIG. Good.

  Further, as is apparent from FIG. 7, the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided at positions on the far side of the storage from the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, and the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided. The second light is provided so as not to directly enter the photographing units of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2.

  More specifically, as shown to Fig.8 (a), the imaging | photography part of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 is the irradiation amount (maximum irradiation amount) of the irradiation direction of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2. ) In the range in which the irradiation amount is 1/2 or more, in this example, the irradiation angle is outside the range of 60 degrees.

  In addition, although this is not illustrated, a light-shielding part is provided on the camera side of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2, or a light source such as an LED constituting the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is provided. It is possible to prevent the light from the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 from directly entering the photographing units of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 by adopting a configuration such as being inclined obliquely rearward. Therefore, it may be selected appropriately according to the installation conditions of the camera. The same applies to a single door type refrigerator described below.

1-1-2. Configuration of Single Door Type Refrigerator FIGS. 10 to 13 show examples of attachment of a camera and an interior lighting when the door 10 is a single door. In this single-type door refrigerator, the same parts as those of the already described French door-type refrigerator are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  First, an example will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11A and 11B.

  10 and 11 (a) and 11 (b), in the case of this single door refrigerator, the upper camera 35-1 has a left and right divided door pocket 33-, which is a typical arrangement example in the single door. 4, 33-5, and 33-6 are provided on the raised wall 10 b-2, and the lower camera 35-2 is provided on the inner surface of the door between the door pockets 33-7 and 33-8. . Each of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 is provided at a substantially forward position of the shelf 30-1 and the shelf 30-3 that are detachable but are not predicated on height adjustment, similar to the French door type. And as shown in FIG. 10, it is a front position from the front end of each shelf board 30-1-30-4, and the center part vicinity of the door 10 so that it can understand in FIG. 11 (a) (b), ie, It is provided so as to be located at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 51 so that almost the entire area in the cabinet can be photographed by these two cameras 35-1 and 35-2.

  The interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided in the same manner as the French door type. That is, the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided in front of the front ends of the respective shelf plates 30-1 to 30-4, and are provided on the front opening both side walls and the front opening upper wall surface of the storage. There is a position where the light does not directly enter the imaging units of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, that is, the imaging units of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are irradiated by the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2. It is provided outside the range where the irradiation amount becomes 1/2 or more with respect to the direction irradiation amount (maximum irradiation amount), in this example, the irradiation angle is 60 degrees.

  12 (a), 12 (b), and 13 show other examples of the single door type.

  In the case of this example, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided in the vicinity of the door open end Y on the opposite side of the shaft support X of the door 10 as shown in FIGS. The height positions of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are the same as those in the case of the single door. When the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided in the vicinity of the door open end Y, the image is taken when the door 10 is opened at a predetermined angle, for example, 30 degrees. As a result, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 13, the image can be taken over a wide range up to the vicinity of the opening of the storage 5, and the image is in a state where the user sometimes opens the door slightly. When viewing the image, it is substantially the same as the state of viewing, and when viewing the image on the display terminal 15, the image can be viewed in a natural manner without any sense of incongruity.

1-1-3. Camera Configuration FIG. 14 shows an example of a camera used for internal shooting. As described in the above examples, it is most preferable that the cameras be provided at positions that are separated from each other in the up-down direction. However, even if the upper and lower cameras 35-1, 35-2 are installed close to each other as shown in FIG. As a result of the verification, it was confirmed that the entire area can be photographed.

  Therefore, in such a case, it is conceivable that the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are integrated to form the camera module 41, and the modularization in this way enables easy installation and cost reduction. The module can also be formed by using a wider-angle lens such as a fisheye lens.

1-2. Overall Configuration of Refrigerator System Next, the entire refrigerator system using the refrigerator as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 15 shows an overall configuration of a refrigerator system 50 using the above-described refrigerator. As shown in FIG. 15, the refrigerator system 50 is a system for confirming the state of food in the refrigerator 51 using the display terminal 15 or the like.

  The refrigerator system 50 includes a refrigerator 51 and a display terminal 15, and further includes a wireless adapter (communication device) 53, a gateway device (relay device) 54, a router device 55, the Internet 56, and a server device 57.

  The refrigerator 51 is arrange | positioned in a user's residence A, for example, is arrange | positioned in the kitchen room in the residence A.

The wireless adapter (communication device) 53 is configured to be electrically connected to a control unit (described later) of the refrigerator 51 and communicate with the router device 55 via a gateway device (relay device) 54. The wireless adapter 53 receives the signal transmitted from the router device 55 and outputs the received signal to the control unit of the refrigerator 51. Based on this signal, the refrigerator 51 is configured to perform a corresponding operation.

  The wireless adapter 53 also acquires identification information (for example, a serial number and model number) of the refrigerator 51, image data in a warehouse to be described later, and the like from the storage unit of the refrigerator 51, and a router via the gateway device (relay device) 54. It is configured to transmit to the device 55. The wireless adapter 53 may be provided integrally with the refrigerator 51 or may be configured to be detachable.

  The wireless adapter 53 includes a “connect” button 53a. The “connect” button 53a is used to newly connect to the gateway device (relay device) 54. When the “connect” button 53 a is operated by the user, the wireless adapter 53 is configured to acquire identification information (for example, a manufacturing number or a model number) of the refrigerator 51 from the storage unit of the refrigerator 51.

  As described above, the display terminal 15 is a general-purpose portable terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet PC (personal computer). In the present embodiment, the display terminal 15 is detachable from the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 described above. And a function (means) for connecting to the Internet 56 and a function (means) for communicating with a gateway device 54 described later.

  The display terminal 15 (for example, a smartphone) is configured to connect to the Internet 56 via a telephone line network (for example, a 3G line network). In addition or alternatively, for example, the display terminal 15 is configured to connect to the Internet 56 via a public wireless LAN with a Wi-Fi communication function.

  By connecting to the Internet 56, for example, the display terminal 15 obtains image data of food in the refrigerator that is the subject of the present invention and data for energy saving operation (for example, data such as the number of times the door is opened and closed). Can be obtained from the website of the manufacturer of the refrigerator 51 via the Internet 56. By installing the acquired program on the display terminal 15 and starting the installed program, the display terminal 15 can acquire image data of food in the refrigerator. That is, the display terminal 15 can generate and transmit an operation signal for acquiring the image data of the refrigerator 51 by operating the operation screen of the display 15a. Details will be described later.

  The display terminal 15 is also connected to the router device 55 by general-purpose communication not via the Internet 56 such as Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, or infrared communication, and the gateway device 54 via the router device 55. Is configured to connect to the communication. A device for that purpose (for example, a Wi-Fi antenna or the like) is incorporated in the display terminal 15.

  The gateway device (relay device) 54 is a device that relays communication between the wireless adapter 53 and the display terminal 15. For example, the gateway device (relay device) 54 and a specific low power wireless special small frequency band (924.0 to 928.0MHz). ) Is used for communication. The communication frequency band between the gateway device 54 and the wireless adapter 53 is preferably a low frequency band that reaches a long distance, and is installed in the residence A of the user where the refrigerator 51 is installed together with the router device 55.

  The gateway device 54 is also configured to be in communication connection with the display terminal 15 via the router device 55. That is, the gateway device 54 is configured so that communication (first communication) can be executed only through the router device 55 without going through the display terminal 15 and the Internet 56.

  The gateway device 54 is further configured to be connectable to the Internet 56 via the router device 55. Accordingly, the gateway device 54 can communicate with the display terminal 15 (second communication) via the Internet 56 and the router device 55 and can also communicate with the server device 57.

  Therefore, the gateway device 54 communicates with the display terminal 15 via the Internet 56 (ie, the first communication via the router device 55 only) and via the Internet 56 (ie, via the Internet 56 and the router device 55). Second communication). The reason for this configuration will be described later.

  The server device 57 is prepared by a manufacturer of the refrigerator 51, for example. The server device 57 manages information necessary for access and authentication regarding the display terminal 15, the refrigerator 51, and the wireless adapter 53. For example, the server device 57 determines whether or not the identification information of the display terminal 15 included in the communication request signal matches the identification information of the display terminal 15 stored (registered) in association with the wireless adapter 53. Authenticate (distinguish). And when these correspond, the display terminal 15 to access is authenticated as a regular display terminal, and communication with the refrigerator 51 in the residence A is permitted.

  The server device 57 stores the image data of the food in the refrigerator transmitted from the refrigerator 51, data for energy saving operation, and the like. These data are transmitted to the display terminal 15 based on a data call signal from the display terminal 15. That is, the user can confirm the food image data in the refrigerator by operating the display terminal 15 on the display.

1-3. System part configuration of refrigerator FIG. 16A shows a system part configuration of a refrigerator used in the refrigeration system.

  In FIG. 16A, the refrigerator 51 includes an interface (I / F) 58, a controller (control unit) 59, a storage unit 60, a door open / close detection unit 61, interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2, Cameras 35-1 and 35-2, a fan drive circuit 62, a compressor drive circuit 63, a blower fan 18, and a compressor 19 are provided, and are supplied with power from an AC power supply 64 such as a commercial power supply in the house A, for example.

  The interface (I / F) 58 exchanges data and the like between the wireless adapter 53 and the controller 59 of the refrigerator 51.

  A controller (control unit) 59 controls the operation of the refrigerator. The controller 59 controls the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 and the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 to photograph food in the refrigerator, and temporarily stores the image data in the storage unit 60. In addition, the data is transmitted to the server device 57 on the Internet 56. Further, if there is a request signal for image data pre-transmission from the display terminal 15 via the server device 57, the display terminal 15 is instructed to execute transmission immediately via the server device 57 after photographing food. Details thereof will be described later.

  The storage unit 60 rewrites and stores the image data of the food in the cabinet and the data for energy saving operation taken by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, in addition to the identification symbol and the control program.

  The interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are controlled to be turned on / off by the controller 59 based on a signal from the door opening / closing detection unit 61. The interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on when the door 10 is opened and several seconds when the door 10 is closed. Turns off after a delay.

  The cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are controlled by the controller 59 based on a signal from the door opening / closing detection unit 61, and take a picture of food in the refrigerator when the door 10 is closed. Details thereof will be described later.

  The fan drive circuit 62 receives a control signal from the controller 59 and controls the rotation of the blower fan 18.

  The compressor driving circuit 63 receives a control signal from the controller 59 and controls driving of the compressor 19 such as the rotational speed.

  The blower fan 18 operates according to the control of the fan drive circuit 62 and generates an air flow for circulating the cool air.

  The compressor 19 compresses a refrigerant (not shown) circulating in the refrigerator 51 according to the control of the compressor drive circuit 63.

  Although the case where the camera is provided has been described so far, as a modification, the camera 35-1, on the premise of the independent lower power supply 64 a different from the AC power supply 64 on the main body side as shown in FIG. 35-2 may be provided as another unit 51a. By doing in this way, a camera can be arranged according to a user's preference.

  In this case, the interface (I / F) 58a of the unit 51a exchanges information by performing wireless communication with the wireless adapter 53. In this case, it is needless to say that the communication with the wireless adapter 53 may always be established. However, the communication adapter may be established at a certain interval, for example, once a day or once every several hours. Communication may be established with

  In addition, communication between the wireless adapter 53 and the interface (I / F) 58a is not bidirectional communication, but is performed in one direction from the interface (I / F) 58a to the wireless adapter 53 based on operations other than communication. Communication may be used.

  In this way, the interface (I / F) 58a need not always be in a receiving state in order to receive communication from the wireless adapter 53, and image data or the like is transferred from the interface (I / F) 58a to the wireless adapter 53. It is sufficient to establish one-way communication only when it is necessary to transmit, and unnecessary power consumption for maintaining the reception state can be avoided.

  In this case, the unit 51a may be activated with an operation as an original function of the refrigerator 51 as a trigger. For example, in FIG. 16B, if the compressor 19 is used, a change in temperature state by the temperature detecting means may be used for activation, and if the interior lighting 34 is used, the illuminance state by the illuminance sensor is used. The change may be used for activation, and if the blower fan 18 is used, the change in the wind speed state by the wind speed sensor may be used, and the control calculation unit 59a may have these sensor functions as necessary.

  In this way, when the unit 51 a is activated using a means other than communication, and the image capturing in the storage 5 is completed with the camera 35, the image data is transferred from the interface (I / F) 58 a to the wireless adapter 53. Send.

In this way, the camera 35 is activated based on the operation related to the function of the refrigerator without using communication, and by performing one-way wireless communication using the wireless adapter 53 only in the case of image transmission. Therefore, unnecessary power consumption for maintaining the reception state can be suppressed.

  In the above description, the change in the state is, for example, a predetermined temperature Tx or lower if it is temperature, a predetermined wind speed Vx or lower if the wind speed, or a specific illuminance if it is illuminance. It is preferable to utilize the case of λx or the blinking state. Here, when the blinking state is used, there may be a case where a predetermined illuminance (15Lx) or more is detected a predetermined number of times (N times) and a predetermined illuminance (3Lx) or less is detected a predetermined number of times (M times) in Δt seconds. Conceivable.

1-4. Configuration of Server Device Next, a configuration example of the server device of the refrigerator system in Embodiment 1 will be described using FIG. Here, the configuration of the server device 57 in FIG. 15 is taken as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the server device 57 includes a server interface 65, a server control unit 66, and a data storage unit 67.

  The server interface 65 is a communication unit that exchanges data and the like between the display terminal 15 and the router device 55 and the server device 57 via the Internet 56 under the control of the server control unit 66.

  The server control unit 66 controls the overall operation of the server device 57. The server control unit 66 also combines the image data of the food transmitted from the refrigerator 51 and stores it in the data storage unit 67. When there is a signal for requesting prior transmission of image data from the display terminal 15, the data storage unit The latest image data of the image data stored in 67 is transmitted to the display terminal 15 each time the image data is transmitted from the refrigerator 51, and the display terminal 15 is rewritten and updated. Of course, when a data call signal is transmitted from the display terminal 15 in the absence of a signal for requesting prior transmission of image data, the latest image data stored in the data storage unit 67 is transmitted to the display terminal 15.

  The data storage unit 67 stores necessary data such as a management program and an application program for executing the refrigerator system. Further, the data storage unit 67 rewrites and stores the latest data of the food image data transmitted from the refrigerator 51 under the control of the server control unit 66. The data storage unit 67 is configured by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like.

  The server device 57 can be constructed by either a server composed of a single large computer or a cloud server composed of a large number of computers.

<2. Operation>
Next, the operation of the refrigerator and the refrigeration system configured as described above will be described. In the following descriptions, the same operations are described with the same step numbers added.

2-1. Food photographing operation 2-1-1. Photographing when the door is closed FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation when photographing the food in the storage when the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 is closed.

When the door 10 is opened to put in and out the food (Y in Step 1), the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on (Step 2), and when the door 10 is closed (Y in Step 3), The illuminance of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is decreased (step 4), and after a few seconds, for example, a few seconds have elapsed, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are activated to photograph the food in the interior (step 5). . Thereafter, the captured image data is stored in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 (step 6), and the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned off (step 7).

  Here, if the illuminance of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is reduced during the above photographing, the food can be clearly photographed, which is preferable. That is, when food is photographed by turning on the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2, the inner surface of the storage is white, and the reflected light is strongly reflected from the entire peripheral surface except the opening of the storage. However, the food is whitish with high illuminance without lowering the illuminance, and the food becomes whitish, making clear photography difficult. However, if the illuminance of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is reduced as in the above example, the influence of the reflected light from the inner surface of the storage can be greatly reduced, and a clear image can be taken. It becomes.

2-1-2. Photographing at the time of cooling in the refrigerator compartment FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an operation when photographing food in the storage room at the time of cooling the refrigerator compartment after the food in the refrigerator is taken in and out.
When the door 10 is opened to put food in and out (Y in Step 1), the interior lighting 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on (Step 2), the door 10 is closed (Y in Step 3), and the refrigerator compartment It is determined whether or not it is in the cooling operation state (step 8). If the blower fan 18 is ON and the damper 22 is open and the refrigerator is in the cooling operation, the illuminance of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is reduced as in the case of closing the door (step 4). ), The cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are activated, and the food in the cabinet is photographed (step 5). Thereafter, the captured image data is stored in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 (step 6), and the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned off (step 7).

  In this way, by taking a picture during the cold room cooling operation, even if condensation occurs due to a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the storage, for example, on the surface of the food newly put in the storage, this condensation is eliminated by the cooling operation, Disappear. Therefore, photographing with the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 is preferably performed so clearly that the characters written on the food packaging container can be read.

  During the above operation, when the door 10 is closed (Y in Step 1), the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are once turned off, and the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34 are again turned on before photographing. -2 is turned on to reduce the illuminance thereof, it is possible to suppress wasteful power consumption due to continuous lighting of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2.

2-1-3. Photographing when the door is opened FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an operation when photographing a food in the storage when the door 10 is opened at a predetermined angle in the case of a single door.

  When the door 10 is opened to put food in and out (Y in Step 1), the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on (Step 2), and the opening angle of the door is a predetermined angle, for example, as shown in FIG. When the opening angle shown is 30 degrees (Y in Step 10), the illuminance of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is decreased (Step 4), the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are activated, and the warehouse The food inside is photographed (step 5). Thereafter, the photographed image data is stored in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 (step 6). When the door is closed (Y in step 11), the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned off (step 7). .

  If the door 10 is photographed when the door 10 is opened at a predetermined angle as in this example, the interior of the storage can be photographed over a wide area as described above, and the image becomes natural with no sense of incongruity. is there.

Note that when shooting is performed when the predetermined angle is opened, shooting is performed at least twice during the door opening operation and the door closing operation. At this time, in the operation time from one door opening to closing, the last taken image data (at the time of the door closing operation) is stored in the storage unit 60, so that the latest storage that has finished taking in and out the food is stored. The state of food can be photographed.

Needless to say, in step 10 for detecting whether or not the opening angle of the door 10 reaches a predetermined angle, if the door 10 is closed before reaching the predetermined angle, the interior illumination lamp 34-1 is used. , 34-2 is turned off, and it is waited for the door 10 to be opened again.
18, 19, and 20, when the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided as a unit, the steps 1, 2, 3, and 10 of this flow are, for example, the temperature If it is a trigger, if the detection result of the temperature detection means is a predetermined temperature Tx or less, or if the wind speed is a trigger, if the detection result of the wind speed sensor is a predetermined wind speed Vx or less, or if the illuminance is a trigger, If the detection result of the illuminance sensor is a specific illuminance λx or if a blinking state is used as a trigger, a predetermined illuminance (15Lx) or more is repeated a predetermined number of times (N times) and a predetermined illuminance (3Lx) or less is a predetermined number of times for Δt seconds. (M times) When detecting each other, the illuminance of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is reduced (step 4) and the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are activated in the same manner as when the camera is installed. , Take food in the warehouse Shadow (step 5).

  As described above, a typical example of the shooting operation has been described. However, in addition to the shooting operation, for example, shooting is performed when a predetermined time elapses after a predetermined time or the previous shooting, or when a shooting instruction is given from the display terminal 15 A photographing operation such as, for example, is also conceivable.

2-1-4. Illumination at the time of photographing Food illumination at the time of photographing reduces the illuminance after lighting the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2, as already described with reference to FIGS. Irradiate and shoot. Depending on the case, it is also conceivable to illuminate and shoot with reduced illumination as lighting of only the interior lighting 34-1 on both sides of the storage or the interior lighting 34-2 on the upper surface of the storage. The reason for shooting with the illuminance lowered will be described later.

  As another example of food irradiation at the time of photographing, the following may be considered. That is, FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the state of lighting / extinguishing of the interior illumination lights 34-1 and 34-2 at the time of photographing by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2. This corresponds to the operation of the broken line portion.

  The imaging in FIGS. 18, 19, and 20 is an example in which the illumination lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on and the illuminance is lowered, and in this example, both sides of the storage are taken. Each one of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 on the surface is turned off, in other words, only one of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 on both sides of the storage is turned on, and the food is irradiated and photographed. In this case, the interior illumination lamp 34-2 on the upper surface of the storage may be either turned on or off, but any one may be appropriately selected so that the illuminance in the interior is optimal for photographing.

  In FIG. 21, before shooting with the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, one of the interior lighting lamps 3-1 on both sides of the storage area that has already been lit, for example, the right interior lighting lamp is turned off ( Step 12), taking a picture of the food that has been irradiated by the left interior lamp (step 13) and storing it (step 14). Thereafter, the right interior lamp is turned on (step 15), and then the left interior lamp is turned off (step 16), and the food being irradiated with the right interior lamp is photographed (step 17). ). The image data is stored (step 18), and the right interior illumination lamp is turned off (step 19). Thus, the image data stored by irradiating food from one side is synthesized and stored as one image.

As described above, the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on one by one to photograph foods and combine them into one. In other words, as described above, the illuminance of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is reduced during photographing, and if the illuminance reduction is too large, the image becomes dark and lacks in clarity. Therefore, there is a limit to the decrease in illuminance. For this reason, a certain level of illuminance is maintained. However, even if the illuminance is high, the effect of reflected light may remain when the internal volume of the storage is small. However, as described in this example, when food is photographed by lighting one of the left and right sides of the interior illumination lamp 34-1, the influence of the reflected light can be reduced, and the interior illumination lamp illumination lamp 34-1 is illuminated. The surface on the side you are shooting can be taken with moderate brightness. Therefore, it is preferable to perform a combining process that combines the left and right images of food taken with moderate brightness, so that the whole image becomes clear.

2-2. Image Storage and Composition Next, storage and composition of image data taken by the above-described operations will be described.

22-2-1 Storage and Compositing by Server FIG. 22 shows a case where image data is stored and combined by the server device. When the interior is photographed by the operations shown in FIG. 18 to FIG. 20 including FIG. The refrigerator 51 connects to the Internet 56 from the wireless adapter 53 via the gateway device 54 and the router device 55 (step 20), and transmits individual image data captured and stored by each camera to the server device 57 connected to the Internet 56. (Step 21). The image data transmitted via the Internet 56 is subjected to a combining process (step 22) for combining individual image data by the server control unit 66 of the server device 57. The combined image data is stored in the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57 (step 23).

  If the server device 57 synthesizes and stores the images as in this example, the load on the refrigerator-side controller 59 and storage unit 60 can be reduced, and an Internet-compatible refrigerator can be provided at low cost. can do.

2-2-2- Storage and Compositing on Refrigerator Side FIG. 23 shows a case where image data is stored and combined on the refrigerator side, and the interior is photographed by the operations shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 including FIG. The controller (control unit) 59 of the refrigerator 51 takes out the individual image data from each camera stored in the storage unit 60, combines them, and combines them (step 24). The synthesized image data is stored (step 25), the refrigerator 51 is connected to the internet 56 from the wireless adapter 53 via the gateway device 54 and the router device 55 (step 20), and the stored image data is connected to the internet 56. The data is transmitted to the server device 57 (step 21). The composite image data transmitted via the Internet 56 is stored in the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57 (step 23).

  In this example, the load on the controller 59 and the storage unit 60 on the refrigerator side increases, but image data can be transmitted and received with the display terminal 15 without going through the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57, and the system operation cost can be reduced. can do.

2-2-3. Storage and Compositing on Display Terminal Side FIG. 24 shows a case where image data is stored and combined on the display terminal 15 side. When the interior is photographed by the operations shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 including FIG. Connects to the Internet 56 from the wireless adapter 53 via the gateway device 54 and the router device 55 (step 20), and transmits image data to the display terminal 15 instead of the server (step 26). The image data transmitted via the Internet 56 is subjected to a combining process (step 27) for combining the image data by the display terminal 15. The combined image data is stored in the data storage unit of the display terminal 15 (step 28).

  Also in this example, although the load on the display terminal 15 increases, the load on the controller 59 and the storage unit 60 on the refrigerator side can be reduced, and an Internet-compatible refrigerator can be provided at low cost.

  The image data transmission and the composition operation have been described above by exemplifying typical ones. However, the storage and the composition portion are not necessarily performed at the same location, for example, the server device 57. For example, the refrigerator 51 The image data may be combined with each other and the server device 57 may store the image data.

2-3. Normal transmission / reception of image data 2-3-1. Transmission / Reception of Image Data Stored in Server and Refrigerator FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing transmission / reception between server device 57 or refrigerator 51 and display terminal 15, and shows transmission / reception of image data stored in server device 57 or refrigerator 51. is there.

First, the user presses a server connection button (not shown) displayed on the display terminal 15 at a shopping destination or the like, for example, and makes a request to read image data stored in the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57 (see FIG. Step 31). It is detected whether image data has been taken in from the server device 57 (step 32). If no image data is transferred, the display terminal 15 connects to the Internet 56 (step 33). The image data stored in the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57 or the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator is taken out (step 34), and the image data is transferred to the display terminal 15 such as a smartphone that is a data caller via the Internet 56. Is transferred (step 35). It is detected whether image data has been captured from the server device 57 (step 32), and when the image data is captured, the image data is output to the display of the display terminal 15 (step 36).
Thereafter, it is detected whether or not an enlarge button (not shown) displayed on the display of the display terminal 15 has been pressed (step 37). Image data obtained by enlarging image data 1.1 times or more by digital conversion is created. The enlarged and converted image data is output to the display of the display terminal 15 (step 36).

  After that, it is detected whether a numeric key button (not shown) displayed on the display is pressed (step 38). When it is detected that the numeric key button is pressed, the enlarged image data in the storage output on the display is displayed. The image data at the location designated by the numeric keypad is output to the display (step 36). Further, it is detected whether the numeric keypad is pressed (step 38). Exit if not detected.

  It should be noted that the enlargement button and the numeric keypad for displaying image data at a predetermined location may be of a type in which the surface of the display is slid with a finger. Such a configuration improves usability.

  As described above, according to this refrigerator system, the contents of the refrigerator 51 can be confirmed at a glance at a shopping destination, so that forgetting to buy can be prevented and the waste of purchasing extra ingredients can be eliminated. . In addition, in a family working together, it is possible to check the inside of the storage 5 of the refrigerator 51 just before returning, and to purchase foods and the like on the way home, thereby reducing time for the user.

  In addition, by displaying an enlarged display or a predetermined location, it is possible to reliably display foods that are difficult to confirm on the small display terminal 15 by displaying an enlarged image on the display terminal 15 that has been miniaturized like the display terminal 15. Can see.

2-3-2. Transmission / Reception of Image Data Saved on Display Terminal FIG. 26 shows a case where image data is already stored and saved on the display terminal 15. In this case, as described with reference to FIG. 24, the image data is transmitted and stored in the display terminal 15, and when this image data is requested to be read (step 31), the image data is fetched from the storage unit of the display terminal 15. The image data is output to the display of the display terminal 15 (step 36). The subsequent enlargement display operation and local display are as described with reference to FIG.

2-3-3. Image data switching reception Images taken by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are obtained by taking the respective photographed images of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 (the upper half or the lower half in the storage) and the respective photographed images. An example is shown in which composite images combined and combined (images combined in the storage from the top to the bottom) are stored and saved, and these images can be switched and transmitted and displayed on the display terminal 15.

  FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the operation in such a case.

  First, the user presses an individual image / composite image call button (not shown) displayed on the display of the display terminal 15 (step 41), and calls either an individual image or a composite image (step 42). ). Thereafter, either the individual image data or the composite image is captured by the flow shown in FIG. 25 or 26 and displayed on the display of the display terminal 15.

  When the image displayed on the display terminal 15 can be switched to either an individual image or a composite image as in this example, the state of food in the storage can be confirmed at a glance by generally calling and displaying the composite image. However, when it is difficult to discriminate the food due to the corner of the storage, etc., it can be surely discriminated by switching to an individual image and displayed, which improves usability.

2-4. Transmission / Reception at the Time of Prior Transmission Request for Image Data, etc. FIG. 28 shows a flowchart when there is a request for image prior transmission from the display terminal 15.

  First, the user operates the display terminal 15 to perform a request operation for a prior request signal (step 51). The server device 57 or the refrigerator 51 receives this request signal (step 52), and reads and transmits image data (individual image data or composite image data, the same applies hereinafter) stored in the data storage unit 67 or the storage unit 60 (step 52). 53). The display terminal 15 detects whether the image data from the server device 57 or the refrigerator 51 has been taken in (step 54). If no image data is transmitted, the display terminal 15 connects to the Internet 56 (step 55). The server devices 57 take out the image data stored in the refrigerator 51 (step 56), and transmit the image data to the display terminal 15 via the Internet 56 (step 57). It is detected whether the image data has been taken in from the server device 57 (step 54). When the image data is detected, the process waits until the image data is called (N in step 58). If there is an image data call (Y in step 58), the image data is output to the display of the display terminal 15 (step 59).

  Thus, when image data is requested on the display terminal 15, even when access to the server device 57 is concentrated and transmission of image data from the server device 57 is delayed, the image data is requested in real time simultaneously with the request for image data. Can be displayed on the display to check the image. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation of waiting for image data to be displayed at the shopping destination, and to shorten the shopping time.

In addition, if there is an image pre-transmission request from the display terminal 15, the server device 57 is set to transmit image data transmitted each time the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 is closed to the display terminal 15, and the display terminal 15 If the image data is transmitted, the user who has a can know this every time the door is opened or closed. Therefore, for example, when the number of times of door opening / closing increases and the power consumption is likely to increase, the user can talk to the child to refrain from using the refrigerator 51 by calling his home. Convenience is also improved.

2-5. Switching of transmission / reception path of image data etc. FIG. 29 shows a display on the display terminal 15 when a communication path is selected. The flow of transmission / reception of image data is as described above, but the communication route is changed to speed up the acquisition of image data.

  Specifically, the user can select whether to perform the display terminal 15 directly with the gateway device 54 via the router device 55 or with the server device 57 via the Internet 56.

  29, reference numerals 70 and 71 denote communication path selection buttons displayed on the display of the display terminal 15. Reference numeral 70 denotes a “direct” selection for directly connecting the display terminal 15 to the refrigerator 51 via the router device 55 and the gateway device 54. A button 71 is a “server” selection button for connecting to the server device 57 or the refrigerator 51 via the Internet 56. 72 and 73 are data selection buttons for data to be called, 72 is a button for food image data, and 73 is a button for energy saving related data such as the number of times the door is opened and closed. Reference numeral 74 denotes a transmission button.

  When the “direct” selection button 70 is selected, the display terminal 15 is set to “direct” communication. When the user touches the send button 74 while “direct” communication is set, the image data request signal of the display terminal 15 is directly transmitted from the display terminal 15 to the gateway device (relay device) 54 via the router device 55. Sent. The gateway device 54 transmits the received data request signal to the wireless adapter 53 of the refrigerator 51. When the wireless adapter 53 receives the image data request signal, it transmits it to the controller 59 of the refrigerator 51. When receiving the image data request signal, the controller 59 of the refrigerator 51 reads the image data stored in the storage unit 60 and transmits the image data to the display terminal 15 via the wireless adapter 53 and the router device 55.

  Accordingly, when the user is located in the residence A as shown by the broken line in FIG. 15, in a broad sense, when the display terminal 15 is present at a position where it can communicate directly with the router device 55, the display terminal 15 is connected to the router device 55. The image data can be directly acquired from the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 by communicating with the gateway device 54 via the network.

  As a result, when a delay occurs in the transmission response of the image data in response to the user's operation to the display terminal 15 due to congestion of the line due to concentration of access to the Internet 56, the user sets the display terminal 15 to “ By switching to “direct” communication, it is possible to acquire image data without being congested with the Internet 56 line. Therefore, the user can check the food state in the storage 5 by displaying an image on the display of the display terminal 15 in real time without waiting.

On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 15, when the user is located outside the residence A, in a broad sense, when the display terminal 15 exists in a position where the user cannot directly communicate with the router device 55, the user selects the “server” selection button. By touching 71, the display terminal 15 communicates with the server device 57 via the Internet 56 and reads the image data of the refrigerator 51. That is, when the user is outside the residence A and touches the “server” selection button 71 to set “server” communication, the user can obtain the image data of the refrigerator by the display terminal 15 even in a remote place, You can know the storage status of.

  As described above, the refrigerator system in this embodiment allows the user to select either “direct” communication or “server” communication. You can select the communication and view the image in a comfortable state without being affected by the congestion of the Internet line.

  As mentioned above, although the specific structure was illustrated and the refrigerator and refrigerator system of this invention were demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the said structure.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the gateway device 54 is interposed in the communication path between the display terminal 15, the wireless adapter 53 of the refrigerator 51, and the Internet 56. However, the gateway device 54 is not necessarily required, and the router device 55. It may be configured to communicate directly with the display terminal 15, the wireless adapter 53 of the refrigerator 51, and the Internet 56, and in this way, the system configuration can be simplified.

  In the above embodiment, the image data is acquired from the server device 57 when the user is outside the residence A. However, the Internet 56, the router device 55, and the gateway device are connected from the display terminal 15 without using the server device 57. The image data stored in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 may be directly captured from the refrigerator 51. In this case and when “direct” communication is performed, it is preferable to perform image combining processing in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 and transmit the image data after the combining processing.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a case where the “direct” selection button 70 and the “server” selection button 71 are displayed on the display of the display terminal 15 and the user selects “direct” communication or “server” communication is illustrated. However, this may be configured so that the display terminal 15 has a function of automatically switching to “direct” communication when the radio wave of the router device 55 is caught, so that “direct” communication is automatically selected. Can be improved.

<3. Effect>
As described above, the refrigerator and the refrigerator system according to the embodiment of the present invention achieve various functions and effects as described above with a specific configuration. However, the installation configuration of the camera and the interior lamp is the gist of the present invention. According to this, it is possible to provide an inexpensive refrigerator and refrigeration system that can take a good picture of food in the storage and can easily identify the food.

  That is, in the refrigerator of this embodiment, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 photograph foods in the storage 5 from the front side of the storage 5, and at this time, the interior lighting lamps 13-0 and 34-2 are also stored in the storage. 5, the food in the storage 5 is irradiated from the same front side as the photographing direction by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2. Therefore, the captured image is not as dark or difficult to see as when the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided on the back wall of the storage 5, and becomes a clear image. Further, it is not necessary to request the server device 57 to perform image processing that brightens and sharpens the captured image.

Moreover, since the said cameras 35-1, 35-2 and the interior lighting lamps 34-1, 34-2 are provided so that it may be located ahead from the front end of the said shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4, Images in the storage 5 taken by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are the same as when the user actually opens the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 and sees it. Therefore, when the user causes the display terminal 15 to display the image data, the food state in the storage 5 can be confirmed without any discomfort. Moreover, since the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 illuminate the food on the shelf board from the front front of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4, they are mounted on the front edge parts of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4. The food that is placed can be photographed brightly and clearly.

  Moreover, since the said cameras 35-1, 35-2 are provided so that it may be located in the door 10 inner surface part of the refrigerator 51, and in the left-right substantially center part of the storage 5, the said cameras 35-1, 35-2. The photographed image can be made closer to a state in which the user opens the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 and actually sees it. In addition, the distance between the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 and the food on the shelf can be increased so that a wide range in the storage 5 can be photographed. 15 can be confirmed. Further, in this example, the uppermost part of the storage 5 that is relatively difficult to be seen when the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided on the inner surface part of the door is provided with a compressor 19 in this example so that the uppermost part protrudes forward. Therefore, this part can also be photographed with certainty, and the compressor 19 is provided at the upper part of the main body to improve the storage capacity of the lower part of the main body, and the photographing with the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 is also good. be able to.

  In addition, since the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided so as to be positioned at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the door pockets 33-1 and 33-2 on the inner surface of the door, not only the food in the storage 5 but also the door pockets. A part of the food stored in 33-1 and 33-2, for example, milk cartons can be photographed. Since the user has stored it by himself, the user can recognize what it is even if only a part of it is shown. Therefore, it is possible to photograph almost all food items in the storage.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, if the camera is provided with a camera 14-3 dedicated to the storage container, the food in the storage container 31 can be clearly photographed. Further, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the camera 35-2 can be moved up and down, and the food in the storage container 31 is also made up of two cameras by making the camera 35-2 rotatable up and down as shown in FIG. 9 (c). You can shoot efficiently with a small number of cameras.

  On the other hand, the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided at positions farther from the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, as is apparent from FIGS. Since the light of 34-2 is provided so as not to directly enter the photographing units of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, the lights of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are transmitted to the cameras 35-1 and 35-2. The camera 35-1 and 35-2 can be prevented from being deteriorated, and a good image can always be obtained. This can be achieved by providing a light-shielding portion on the camera side of the interior lighting lamps 35-1 and 35-2, or tilting the light source such as the LED constituting the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 obliquely backward. The same effect can be obtained even if a configuration such as arrangement is adopted.

  In addition, the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 have an illuminance in the storage of 150 lux to 200 lux, and when photographing with the illuminance as it is, the food is whitish as described in the section of the photographing operation of FIG. It is difficult to see and distinguish. For this reason, in this embodiment, the illuminance is lowered to take a picture. As a result, even with a CCD camera or a CMOS camera, it is possible to capture a clear image with moderate brightness. The server controller 66 controls the illuminance of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 so that the illuminance is lower than normal only when the door 10 is closed or the door 10 is opened for photographing. By performing such control, it is possible to make clear photographing while keeping the illuminance as usual and making it easy to see the inside in the normal time when photographing is not performed. The decrease in illuminance may be caused by, for example, turning off a part of one or both of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2, or lighting both interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2. Various considerations such as lowering the illuminance of the lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are conceivable and may be appropriately selected.

Moreover, the image in the storage 5 image | photographed with the said cameras 35-1 and 35-2 transmits the image of each camera 35-1 and 35-2 to the server apparatus 57, the server apparatus 57, the refrigerator 51, or The combination processing is performed by combining within the display terminal 15, but in this embodiment, the image combining processing is facilitated.

  That is, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are door inner surfaces corresponding to the front ends of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4, in this example, the upper shelf board 30-1 and the third shelf board 30-. 3 is provided on the inner surface of the door corresponding to the front end of the camera 3, so that the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are mainly photographed on the shelf plates 30-1 and 30-3 where the line Z in FIG. Will shoot as.

  Therefore, the image data in the storage 5 photographed by the two cameras 35-1 and 35-2 can be combined at the shelf plate 30-2 serving as the boundary line Z. That is, as shown in the “photographed raw image” in FIG. 30, the shelf plate 30-2 is shown in common in the upper and lower images. After “image”, if the common shelf 30-2 moved to the upper and lower images is matched, a captured image of the entire storage is obtained. As a result, it is not necessary to perform extremely difficult correction processing to align and combine each food placed on the shelf board at the time of image combining processing, and image combining processing is easy. Become. Therefore, the processing program for image combining can be simplified, and the capacity of the control unit of the server device 57, the refrigerator 51, or the display terminal 15 for image combining processing is also required to be large. This can contribute to speeding up of processing speed.

  Further, since the two cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided substantially in front of the shelf plate 30-1 and the shelf plate 30-3 that cannot be adjusted in height, the shelf plate 30-that can be adjusted in height. Even when the height of 2 is changed, the image combining process can be easily performed by adjusting the range to be combined according to the height of the shelf 30-2 during the image combining process.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide an inexpensive refrigerator and refrigeration system that can easily photograph foods in a storage and easily distinguish foods, and can be used not only for household refrigerators but also for chain stores such as convenience store refrigerators ( In the present invention, including a freezer), the convenience store headquarters confirms the state of food in the refrigerator of each convenience store and automatically delivers the food, or the refrigerator installed in each facility such as a factory or laboratory It can also be used for business purposes such as checking the food and goods in the material department and delivering them automatically.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator main body 2 Outer box 3 Inner box 4 Insulation material 5 Storage (refrigeration room)
6 Switching room 7 Ice making room 8 Freezing room 9 Vegetable room 10 Door 10a Cover panel 10a-1 Glass plate 10a-2 Magic mirror 10b Inner plate 10b-1, 10b-2 Raised wall portion 11-14 Drawer type door 15 Display terminal 15a Display 16 Cooling chamber 17 Cooler 18 Blower fan 19 Compressor 20 Radiation pipe 21 Capillary tube 23 Storage frame body 24 Terminal holding body 25 Touch panel 26 Gap 27 Frame body 28 Recess 29, 29a Smoke sheet 30-1 to 30-4 Shelf plate 31 Storage container 32-1 to 32-4 Protruding side wall 33-1 to 33-8 Door pocket 34-1 and 34-2 Interior lamp 35-1, 35-2, 35-3 Camera 36 Center pillar 41 Camera Module 50 Refrigerator system 51 Refrigerator 53 Wireless adapter (communication device)
53a "Connect" button 54 Gateway device (relay device)
55 Router device 56 Internet 57 Server device 58 Interface (I / F)
59 Controller (control unit)
60 Storage Unit 61 Door Open / Close Detection Unit 62 Fan Drive Circuit 63 Compressor Drive Circuit 64 AC Power Supply 65 Server Interface 66 Server Control Unit 67 Data Storage Unit 70 “Direct” Selection Button 71 “Server” Selection Button 72 Image Data Selection Button 73 Energy Saving Related data selection button 74 Send button A Residence

Claims (8)

A communication means connectable to the Internet, and a camera for taking a picture of food in the storage; sending image data taken by the camera to a server connected to the Internet by the communication means; and from a display terminal connected to the server The refrigerator is capable of visually recognizing the image data, and the storage is provided with an interior illumination light that illuminates the interior of the storage during photographing by the camera, and the camera and the interior illumination light are respectively located on the front opening side of the storage. Arranged refrigerator. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the storage is provided with a plurality of shelves, and the camera and the interior lighting are provided on the front side of the front end of the shelves. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the camera is provided on an inner surface of the door of the storage, and the interior lighting is provided on both side walls of the opening edge of the storage. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the camera is provided at a substantially central position in the front-rear direction of a door pocket provided on the inner surface of the door. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the interior illumination lamp is provided at a position where the direct light of the interior illumination lamp does not enter the camera, or is configured so that the light does not enter the camera directly. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the camera is configured as a unit independent of the storage. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a display terminal that requests an image in a storage of the refrigerator, and image information transmitted from the communication means of the refrigerator via the Internet, and from the display terminal to the Internet A server that receives an image request signal transmitted through the server and transmits image information to the display terminal. The refrigerator system according to claim 7, wherein the server has a function of transmitting image data in the refrigerator to the display terminal in advance when there is a request for transmitting image data in advance from the display terminal.

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