JP7623969B2 - Home appliances and refrigerators - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to home appliances and the like.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology for reducing the power consumption of home appliances, which "restricts the operation of a functional unit until a setting is made from a setting operation unit to permit the operation of the functional unit."

JP 2014-174816 A

As mentioned above, the technology described in Patent Document 1 restricts the operation of the functional units until a setting is made to permit their operation, but there is still room for improvement in reducing power consumption.

The home appliance of the present disclosure comprises a power plug electrically connected to a commercial power source, a first board to which power is supplied via the power plug, a second board connected to the first board via a power line, a power supply circuit used to drive the second board, a camera module that generates captured image data, a wireless LAN module that performs wireless communication, and a reset circuit connected to the wireless LAN module via a signal line.The home appliance also comprises a control circuit mounted on the first board and capable of outputting to the power supply circuit an enable mode command to reduce power consumption of the power supply circuit, a camera control circuit mounted on the second board that controls the camera module, the captured image data is transferred from the camera control circuit to the wireless LAN module, and when a voltage drop on the output side of the power supply circuit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the reset circuit resets a microcontroller of the wireless LAN module.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors open. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors open. 1 is a perspective view of a camera unit of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment when viewed from diagonally below. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of a camera unit of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. 6A in the direction of the arrows in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which a flat cable is provided inside a case of a camera unit. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment with the top lid of the camera unit case removed. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding wiring of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. FIG. This is an example of the result of capturing an image by the camera unit of the refrigerator in the first embodiment, without image processing. This is an example of an expanded image obtained by capturing an image using a camera unit of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment, after image processing has been performed. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart of a process executed by a control circuit of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. 13 is a flowchart of a process executed by a control circuit of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment. 13 is an example of an image captured when the lens of the camera unit is shifted from its original position in the refrigerator according to the third embodiment. 13 is an example of a corrected captured image of a refrigerator according to the third embodiment. 13 is a flowchart of a process executed by a camera microcomputer of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a process executed by a control circuit of a refrigerator according to a first modified example. 13 is a flowchart of a process executed by a control circuit of a refrigerator according to a second modified example. 13 is a flowchart of a process executed by a control circuit of a refrigerator according to a third modified example.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment.
Refrigerator 100 (home appliance) is an appliance for storing food and the like at low temperatures, and includes a housing 1, as well as doors such as refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212, and a camera unit 3. Housing 1 is configured with a steel plate outer box 11 and a resin inner box 12 (see FIG. 3) between which a vacuum insulation material, urethane foam, or other insulation material (not shown) is filled, and has multiple storage compartments inside. In the example of FIG. 1, refrigerator 100 includes, from the top, refrigerator compartment 21, ice making compartment 22 and upper freezer compartment 23 arranged on the left and right, as well as vegetable compartment 24 and lower freezer compartment 25, as storage compartments.

The front side (front face) of the housing 1 is provided with a number of openings 10 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to each compartment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 100 is provided with a pair of left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 as French-style doors that form the refrigerator compartment 21 by closing the openings of the housing 1. The left refrigerator compartment door 211 is rotatable about the axis of the left end hinge 211a (see FIG. 4). The same is true for the right refrigerator compartment door 212. The refrigerator 100 is also provided with a vegetable compartment door 241 and a lower freezer compartment door 251 as drawer-type doors in addition to the ice-making compartment door 221 and upper freezer compartment door 231 shown in FIG. 1.

Although not shown, the refrigerator 100 includes a compressor, a radiator (condenser), a capillary tube (throttling mechanism), and a cooler (evaporator). A refrigerant circulates through the compressor, radiator, capillary tube, and cooler in sequence, and the air in the storage compartment is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing through the cooler. The camera unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 is for capturing images of at least the refrigerator compartment 21 (storage compartment), and is provided on the outside of the housing 1 (on the upper side of the housing 1 in the example of FIG. 1). The imaging range of the camera unit 3 may be the ice making compartment 22, the upper freezer compartment 23, the vegetable compartment 24, and the lower freezer compartment 25.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the refrigerator 100.
2, the camera unit 3 includes a main body 31 and a support 32. The main body 31 takes images of the refrigerator compartment 21 and the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212. The support 32 supports the main body 31 and is installed on the top surface of the housing 1.

A lens 31a (see also FIG. 5) is provided near the front end of the main body 31. The lens 31a is an optical element that refracts light and focuses it on the image sensor 31e (see FIG. 6B). For example, a fisheye lens is used as this lens 31a. When the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see FIG. 3) are opened, the lens 31a faces downward so that the refrigerator compartment 21, etc. (see FIG. 3) are captured by the camera unit 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lens 31a is located forward of the front end of the housing 1 (opening 10 of the housing 1). More preferably, the lens 31a is located further forward than the front of the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see FIG. 1) in the closed state. This makes it easier for the refrigerator compartment 21 and the like to be included in the field of view of the lens 31a when the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 are opened, for example.

FIG. 3 is a front view of refrigerator 100 with left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 open.
3, the refrigerator compartment 21 is provided with a plurality of shelves 213 that divide the refrigerator compartment 21 into predetermined sections. A plurality of door pockets 211c for storing food and the like are provided on the inner panel 211b of the left refrigerator compartment door 211 (similar to the right refrigerator compartment door 212). When the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 are opened, the refrigerator compartment 21 and the food and the like in the door pockets 211c, 212c are arranged to be viewed from above within the field of view of the lens 31a of the camera unit 3.

When manually photographing the refrigerator compartment 21 etc. using the camera unit 3, a photographing button 7 that is pressed by the user is provided on each of the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212. In the example of FIG. 3, the photographing button 7 is provided on the left refrigerator compartment door 211 at the bottom of the surface opposite the hinge 211a (see FIG. 4) of this refrigerator compartment door 211. Similarly, the photographing button 7 is provided on the right refrigerator compartment door 212.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the refrigerator 100 with the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 open.
As shown in Fig. 4, hinges 211a and 212a are provided on the top surface of the housing 1. The left hinge 211a axially supports the refrigerator compartment door 211 so that it can rotate freely (the same is true for the right hinge 212a). In the example of Fig. 4, the main body 31 of the camera unit 3 is elongated and extends in the front-rear direction.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the camera unit 3 as viewed obliquely from below.
As shown in Fig. 5, the main body 31 of the camera unit 3 includes the lens 31a, a case 31b, and a cover 31c. The case 31b (see also Fig. 4) is generally a rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the front-rear direction. A circular hole (not shown) is provided on the underside near the front end of the case 31b, and the lens 31a is exposed through this hole.

In the case 31b, a long and narrow hole (not shown) is provided in the left-right direction on the rear side (rear side) of the lens 31a, and a cover 31c is fitted into this hole. The cover 31c is a translucent resin member that protects the camera LED 31f (see FIG. 6B) and diffuses the light from the camera LED 31f.

FIG. 6A is a front view of the camera unit 3. FIG.
6A, the main body 31 of the camera unit 3 is disposed on the upper side of the support portion 32. The main body 31 is disposed near the center of the support portion 32 in the left-right direction.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 6A.
As shown in FIG. 6B, the camera unit 3 includes a camera module M1 including the lens 31a (see also FIG. 5) and image sensor 31e, as well as a camera control board 65 (second board) and an LED board 31d (third board).

The camera module M1 includes a lens 31a and an image sensor 31e, and is provided near the front end of the case 31b. The camera control board 65 is a board on which a camera microcomputer 65a (see FIG. 13) is mounted, and is provided near the rear end of the case 31b.

The LED board 31d (third board) is a board on which the camera LED 31f (illumination unit) and buzzer 31g are mounted. The camera LED 31f is a light source that turns on when shooting with the camera unit 3, and is provided on the outside of the housing 1. This allows the refrigerator compartment 21 (see FIG. 3) and door pockets 211c, 212c (see FIG. 3) to be shot with appropriate brightness. A translucent cover 31c is provided below the camera LED 31f.

The buzzer 31g emits a predetermined sound when, for example, an image is captured by the camera unit 3. In this way, the camera control board 65 and the LED board 31d, in addition to the camera module M1, are housed in a single case 31b, which allows the camera unit 3 to be made smaller and the length of the wiring to be shortened, compared to when these are provided separately.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the camera unit 3 with the flat cable 31h provided inside the case 31b.
7 shows a state in which the top cover of the case 31b is removed. In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the camera unit 3 includes a flat cable 31h. The flat cable 31h is a belt-shaped cable that electrically connects the camera module M1 and the camera control board 65 (second board). One end of the flat cable 31h is connected to the connection terminal 651 of the camera control board 65, and the other end is connected to the connection terminal M11 of the camera module M1, and extends in the front-rear direction. A guide (not shown) for holding the flat cable 31h may be provided in the case 31b.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the camera unit 3 with the case 31b having its top cover removed.
In the example of Fig. 8, the LED board 31d is disposed between the camera module M1 and the camera control board 65 in the front-rear direction. The LED board 31d is also disposed on the upper surface of the camera module M1 and at a location lower in height than the camera control board 65. A predetermined gap (not shown) is provided in the height direction between the LED board 31d (third board) and the flat cable 31h. Providing such a gap can suppress the generation of noise in the signal transmitted via the flat cable 31h.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram regarding wiring of the refrigerator 100.
In addition, in FIG. 9, in a schematic plan view of the refrigerator 100 seen from above, wiring routed inside the refrigerator 100 is indicated by dashed lines or the like.

In addition to the above-described configuration, the refrigerator 100 includes a wireless LAN unit 4, a first board (power board 62, internal control board 63), an internal control board 63, a heater 84, and a relay connector 87.
Here, the first board (power board 62, interior control board 63) may be either an integrated board or an independent divided board. For example, the first board may be disposed in a machine room (not shown) at the lower rear side of refrigerator 100, between the inner box and the outer box of refrigerator compartment 21 at the center rear side as shown in Fig. 2, or on the top surface of refrigerator 100 (around camera unit 3, or inside main body 31 or support 32 of camera unit 3, around left and right hinges 211a and 212a, around wireless LAN unit 4, etc.) as shown in Fig. 4.
On the other hand, the wireless LAN unit 4 is a device that transmits photographed image data etc. generated by the camera unit 3 to a server 53 (see FIG. 10) via a router 51 (see FIG. 10). In the example of FIG. 9, the wireless LAN unit 4 is provided near the rear end of the housing 1. To explain in more detail, the wireless LAN unit 4 is provided at a predetermined position shifted laterally (to the left in the example of FIG. 9) with respect to the main body 31 of the camera unit 3.

The interior control board 63 is a board on which an interior control microcomputer 63a (see FIG. 13) is mounted that performs at least cooling control (control of the interior light, damper, control panel 300, door sensor 6, etc., turning the heater 84 on and off, functions of the current relay control unit 200, etc., in addition to humidity and temperature detection: see FIGS. 10 and 13). The power board 62 is a board on which at least a drive unit for cooling control (control of the compressor and fan: not shown) and a circuit for supplying power to the heater 84 are mounted.
In FIG. 9 , the internal control board 63 and the power board 62 are illustrated outside the housing 1 , but in reality, the internal control board 63 and the like are installed inside the housing 1 .
The heater 84 (a specific electric component different from the camera unit 3) is a heat source used to prevent condensation, etc. The heater 84 is provided near the rotating partitions (not shown) of the refrigerator compartment doors 211 and 212.

9 is a power line (AC power source E1 via a noise filter circuit 62a: see FIG. 13 ) that connects the power board 62, the internal control board 63, and the heater 84. In the example of FIG. 9 , the wiring 81 is routed around the left side surface of the housing 1 via a left hinge cylinder 85 and a relay connector 87.
9 connects the secondary DC voltage V1, which is insulated by the transformer 74 (voltage transformer) of the switching power supply circuit 62f (see FIG. 13) of the power board 62, to the camera unit 3 via the in-cabinet control board 63. This is the main power supply for the camera control board 65 and the camera module M1, which will be described later.
On the other hand, the wiring 83 also includes a signal line 77 (described later) that is connected to the interior control microcomputer 63a (see FIG. 13) of the interior control board 63.
Moreover, the wiring 82 indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 9 includes, in addition to a signal line connecting the camera unit 3 and the wireless LAN unit 4, a power line for applying the DC voltage V2 (see FIG. 13) generated by the in-cabinet control board 63 to the wireless LAN module 64a (see FIG. 13).
9, wirings 82 and 83 connected to the camera unit 3 are routed near the right side surface of the housing 1. This allows for an arrangement in which high frequency noise on the AC power supply side of the wiring 81 near the left side surface of the housing 1 and high frequency noise on the camera unit 3 and wireless LAN unit 4 sides of the wirings 82 and 83 near the right side surface of the housing 1 do not affect (interfere with) each other.

In this way, the wiring 82, 83 connected to the camera unit 3 is routed near one side (e.g., the right side) of the housing 1. The other wiring 81 connected to the heater 84 (electrical component) is routed near the other side (e.g., the left side) of the housing 1. The wiring 82, 83 connected to the camera unit 3, which is supplied with a predetermined DC voltage V1 on the secondary side insulated by the transformer 74 (transformer) of the switching power supply circuit 62f (see FIG. 13) of the power board 62, is arranged at a location away from the wiring 81 connected to electrical components such as the heater 84 of the AC power supply E1. This makes it possible to suppress noise from being generated in the wiring 82 of the wireless LAN unit 4 in particular.

FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram of the refrigerator 100.
As shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerator 100 includes a camera unit 3, a wireless LAN unit 4, a door sensor 6, a photographing button 7, and a control circuit 8.
The camera unit 3 includes a camera module M1 including a lens 31a and an image sensor 31e, as well as a camera LED 31f, a buzzer 31g, and a camera/communication control SoC 31k. The image sensor 31e is an element that photoelectrically converts light incident through the lens 31a to generate captured image data. For example, a CCD sensor (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS sensor (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) is used as the image sensor 31e.

The camera/communication control SoC31k is an integrated circuit designed to integrate circuits having microcontroller functions and other applied functions on a single chip and function in cooperation with each other. The camera/communication control SoC31k communicates with the control circuit 8 in a predetermined manner and outputs a shooting command to the image sensor 31e. As a result, the captured image data is input from the image sensor 31e to the camera/communication control SoC31k.

The wireless LAN unit 4 is a device that transmits and receives data to and from the server 53. The wireless LAN unit 4 is equipped with a wireless LAN module 64a that includes an antenna (not shown). The wireless LAN module 64a transmits captured image data output from the camera/communication control SoC 31k to the router 51. In this way, the refrigerator 100 (home appliance) has a communication function and a capture function (a specified related function) that uses the communication function.

The router 51 shown in Fig. 10 is a communication relay device, and transmits the captured image data received from the wireless LAN module 64a to the server 53 via the network 52. The server 53 performs a predetermined process on the captured image data and stores it in association with the identification information of the refrigerator 100. When the server 53 receives a request signal for an image of the interior of the refrigerator 100 from a mobile terminal 54 (terminal) of a user that has been paired with the control panel 300, the server 53 transmits the captured image data to the mobile terminal 54. As such a mobile terminal 54, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a wearable terminal, or the like may be used.
The control panel 300 may be provided on the design surface of either of the pair of left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 in Fig. 1, or on either of the inner wall surfaces of the refrigerator compartment 21 in Fig. 3. The interior control microcomputer 63a (see Fig. 13) appropriately controls the interior temperature according to the setting conditions of the control panel 300, while the control panel 300 is provided with a pairing setting (ON/OFF) with the wireless LAN module 64a (see Fig. 13).
In addition, captured image data can also be shared via a dedicated app between multiple user terminals that are paired with each other in a group of refrigerators 100 (not shown) equipped with multiple camera units 3.

The door sensor 6 outputs a predetermined signal indicative of the open/closed state of the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (not shown) to the control circuit 8. Although one door sensor 6 is shown in Fig. 10, in reality, a door sensor 6 corresponding to the left refrigerator compartment door 211 (see Fig. 1) and another door sensor 6 corresponding to the right refrigerator compartment door 212 (see Fig. 1) are provided.
As described above, the shooting button 7 (see also FIG. 3) is a button that is pressed by the user when manually taking a picture using the camera unit 3 .

The control circuit 8 is, for example, a microcomputer, and although not shown, is configured to include electronic circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and various interfaces. The control circuit 8 reads out a program stored in the ROM and expands it into the RAM, and the CPU executes various processes. Details of the processes performed by the control circuit 8 will be described later.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the result of shooting with the camera unit, without image processing being performed.
In Fig. 11, the upper side of the page is the front and the lower side is the rear, so that the left and right are reversed compared to Fig. 3 and the like. In the example of Fig. 11, both the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 are open, and in addition to the refrigerator compartment 21, the left and right door pockets 211c, 212c are also photographed. In particular, a fisheye lens is used as the lens 31a of the camera unit 3 (see Fig. 5), so that images can be captured with a wide range of angle of view. However, in a state where image processing is not performed, as shown in Fig. 11, an actually straight ridgeline appears curved, and even if the ridgeline has the same length, the number of pixels in the captured image decreases as it gets farther from the camera unit 3.

FIG. 12 is an example of a developed image obtained by photographing the camera unit 3 and after image processing.
For example, predetermined image processing is performed by server 53 (see FIG. 10) based on the photographed result of FIG. 11, converting the images into expanded images as if the refrigerator compartment 21 and the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 were seen from the front. By displaying such expanded images on mobile terminal 54 (see FIG. 10), the user can see at a glance what foods are stored in refrigerator compartment 21 etc.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram of the refrigerator 100.
In addition, in FIG. 13, the LED board 31d (see FIG. 6B) and the like are omitted as appropriate.
As shown in FIG. 13, the refrigerator 100 includes a power plug 61, a power board 62 (first board), an interior control board 63 (first board), a wireless LAN board 64, a camera control board 65 (second board), and a camera module M1.

The power plug 61 is a connector that is electrically connected to an AC power source E1 (commercial power source). When the power plug 61 is inserted into a socket T1 on a wall W1, power is supplied from the AC power source E1 to the power board 62 via plug blades 61 a of the power plug 61.
The power board 62 (first board) is a board on which a circuit for converting AC power supplied from the AC power source E1 into a predetermined power is mounted. In the example of Fig. 13, a noise filter circuit 62a, a rectifier circuit 62b, smoothing capacitors 62c and 62d, an inverter circuit 62e, and a switching power supply circuit 62f are mounted on the power board 62.

The noise filter circuit 62a is a circuit used to remove high-frequency noise and is connected to the input side of the rectifier circuit 62b via a reactor 62g. The reactor 62g is an element used to suppress inrush current when the power is turned on, and is located between the noise filter circuit 62a and the rectifier circuit 62b.

Although not shown, the rectifier circuit 62b includes multiple diodes connected in a bridge configuration, and rectifies the AC current in a predetermined manner. The smoothing capacitors 62c and 62d are capacitors that smooth the voltage (pulsating DC voltage) on the output side of the rectifier circuit 62b. In the example of FIG. 13, a series connection of two smoothing capacitors 62c and 62d is used. The positive electrode of the smoothing capacitor 62c is connected to a wiring 71, and the negative electrode of the other smoothing capacitor 62d is connected to a wiring 72. The wirings 71 and 72 are power lines that connect the rectifier circuit 62b and the inverter circuit 62e.

The inverter circuit 62e is a power converter that converts the DC voltage applied from the series connection of the smoothing capacitors 62c and 62d into an AC voltage. The output side of the inverter circuit 62e is connected to a three-phase winding (not shown) of the motor 73 via three-phase wiring (reference numbers not shown). The motor 73 is driven by the AC power output from the inverter circuit 62e. An example of such a motor is the motor of the compressor (not shown) of the refrigerator 100.

The switching power supply circuit 62f is a circuit that steps down the DC voltage across the series connection of smoothing capacitors 62c and 62d and converts it into a predetermined DC voltage. In the example of FIG. 13, the switching power supply circuit 62f includes a transformer 74, a switching element 75, and a diode 76.

The transformer 74 includes an iron core 74a, a primary winding 74b, and a secondary winding 74c, and in addition to voltage conversion, it also has the function of insulating the primary and secondary sides. In the transformer 74, the primary winding 74b is wound around the primary side of the iron core 74a, and the secondary winding 74c is wound around the secondary side. In the example of FIG. 13, the primary winding 74b and the secondary winding 74c have opposite polarities. One end of the primary winding 74b is connected to the positive wiring 71, and the other end is connected to the negative wiring 72. When the switching element 75 is conductive, the DC voltage across both ends of the series connection of the smoothing capacitors 62c and 62d is applied to the primary winding 74b.

The switching element 75 adjusts the voltage on the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer 74 by repeatedly turning on and off at a predetermined duty ratio. For example, a MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) is used as such a switching element. The voltage of the primary winding 74b changes as the switching element 75 repeatedly turns on and off at a predetermined duty ratio, and the voltage of the secondary winding 74c also changes accordingly. The current is rectified in the diode 76 connected to the secondary winding 74c, and a predetermined DC voltage V1 is generated on the secondary side of the transformer 74. This DC voltage V1 is, for example, a predetermined voltage lower than the effective value of the voltage of the AC power source E1, and is applied to the DC/DC converter 63b of the interior control board 63 and the DC/DC converters 65b and 65c of the camera control board 65. Although not shown in FIG. 13, a microcomputer that controls the switching element 75 and the inverter circuit 62e in a predetermined manner is mounted on the power board 62.

The internal control board 63 (first board) is a board on which an internal control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) and a DC/DC converter 63b are mounted. The internal control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) has at least the function of performing cooling control (control of the compressor, fan, etc.: not shown). The "first board" to which power is supplied via the power plug 61 is composed of a power board 62 and an internal control board 63.

The DC/DC converter 63b is a power converter that converts (e.g., steps down) the DC voltage V1 on the secondary side of the transformer 74 to a predetermined DC voltage V2. The DC voltage V2 on the output side of the DC/DC converter 63b is used as the power supply voltage for the in-cabinet control microcomputer 63a, and is also applied to the input side of the DC/DC converter 64b on the wireless LAN board 64.

Incidentally, in FIG. 13, the "V2" next to the arrow pointing upward from the box representing the internal control microcomputer 63a means that a specific DC voltage V2 is used to drive the internal control microcomputer 63a. The same is true for the camera microcomputer 65a and image sensor 31e described below.

As shown in FIG. 13, the interior control microcomputer 63a is connected to the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c of the camera control board 65 via a signal line 77. This signal line 77 is wiring for outputting a command signal for a predetermined enable mode (power reduction mode) from the interior control microcomputer 63a to the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c. The interior control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) is configured to be able to output an enable mode command to the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c, which reduces the power consumption of the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c (power supply circuits). Details of the enable mode will be described later.

The wireless LAN board 64 is a board for wireless communication and is included in the wireless LAN unit 4 (see FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 13, the wireless LAN board 64 is equipped with a wireless LAN module 64a and a DC/DC converter 64b. As described above, the wireless LAN module 64a transmits and receives data to and from the server 53 (see FIG. 10) via the router 51 (see FIG. 10). Examples of such data include, but are not limited to, image data captured by the camera unit 3 (see FIG. 10). For example, in addition to the operation data of the refrigerator 100, the detection value of a weight sensor (not shown) and the like may be transmitted from the wireless LAN module 64a to the server 53 (see FIG. 10) via the router 51 (see FIG. 10). The weight sensor (not shown) is a removable sensor that detects the weight of food and other items stored in the multiple shelves 213 (see FIG. 3) that divide the refrigerator compartment 21 into predetermined sections, the door pockets 211c, 212c (see FIG. 3), the ice-making compartment 22 and upper freezer compartment 23 that are lined up on the left and right, as well as the vegetable compartment 24 and lower freezer compartment 25 (see FIG. 3).

The DC/DC converter 64b converts (e.g., steps down) the DC voltage V2 applied from the DC/DC converter 63b of the internal control board 63 via the wires 78 and 79 to a predetermined DC voltage V8. This DC voltage V8 is used as the power supply voltage for the wireless LAN module 64a.

The camera control board 65 (second board) is a board connected to the interior control board 63 (first board) via a power line 67. The camera control board 65 is equipped with a camera microcomputer 65a (camera control circuit), as well as DC/DC converters 65b, 65c and regulators 65d, 65e. The camera microcomputer 65a is a microcomputer that controls the camera module M1. In the example of FIG. 13, three DC voltages V3, V4, V5 with different voltage levels are used to drive the camera microcomputer 65a. These DC voltages V3, V4, V5 are generated by DC/DC converters 65b, 65c and regulators 65d, 65e, which will be described next.

The DC/DC converters 65b and 65c are "power supply circuits" used to drive the camera control board 65 (second board). The DC/DC converter 65b has a function of converting (e.g., stepping down) the DC voltage V1 on the secondary side of the switching power supply circuit 62f to a predetermined DC voltage V3. As shown in FIG. 13, the input side of the DC/DC converter 65b is connected to the secondary side of the switching power supply circuit 62f via a power line 67, and the output side is connected to the regulators 65d and 65e via another wiring (not shown). The DC voltage V3 converted by the DC/DC converter 65b is applied to the regulators 65d and 65e and the regulator 66b of the camera module M1, and is also used to drive the camera microcomputer 65a.

The other DC/DC converter 65c in the camera control board 65 has the function of converting (e.g., stepping down) the DC voltage V1 on the secondary side of the switching power supply circuit 62f to a predetermined DC voltage V4. As shown in FIG. 13, the input side of the DC/DC converter 65c is connected to the secondary side of the switching power supply circuit 62f via a power line 67, and the output side is connected to the camera microcomputer 65a. The DC voltage V4 after conversion by the DC/DC converter 65c is used to drive the camera microcomputer 65a.

The two DC/DC converters 65b and 65c implemented on the camera control board 65 may be one-chip converters that switch from an on state to an off state when an enable mode command is input from the outside.

The regulators 65d and 65e have the function of stabilizing the voltage in addition to changing the level of the DC voltage. For example, a three-terminal regulator is used as such regulators 65d and 65e. One of the regulators 65d converts (e.g., steps down) the DC voltage V3 applied from the DC/DC converter 65b to a predetermined DC voltage V5. The output side of this regulator 65d is connected to the camera module M1 via wiring. The DC voltage V5 on the output side of the regulator 65d is used to drive the image sensor 31e.

The other regulator 65e converts (e.g., steps down) the DC voltage V3 applied from the DC/DC converter 65b to a predetermined DC voltage V6. The output side of this regulator 65e is connected to the camera module M1 via wiring. The DC voltage V6 on the output side of the regulator 65e is also used to drive the image sensor 31e.

As described above, the camera module M1 captures images of the refrigerator compartment 21 and the like when the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 (see FIG. 3) are opened, and is included in the camera unit 3 (see FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 13, the camera module M1 includes an image sensor 31e and a regulator 31m.

As described above, the image sensor 31e is an element that photoelectrically converts light incident through the lens 31a (see FIG. 10) to generate captured image data. In the example of FIG. 13, three DC voltages V5, V6, and V7 with different voltage levels are used to drive the image sensor 31e. The regulator 31m converts the DC voltage V3 applied from the DC/DC converter 65b into a predetermined DC voltage V7. The DC voltage V7 converted by the regulator 31m is also used to drive the image sensor 31e.
In terms of power consumption (heat generation), DC/DC converter 65b consumes less power (heat generation) than DC/DC converter 65c, so in order to promote a stable power supply, they are provided as independent power sources.
Furthermore, the output line of the DC/DC converter 65b is configured with a plurality of different power sources so that the DC voltage V3 (=V5, V6, V7) does not fluctuate due to voltage fluctuations when the image sensor 31e of the camera module M1 is driven by an analog voltage (when capturing an image). On the other hand, in order to prevent normal image data transfer from the camera microcomputer 65a to the wireless LAN module 64a (image capture failure) when the voltage fluctuation of the DC voltage V3 exceeds a predetermined value and the voltage drops, the following is done. That is, in response to the voltage drop of the DC voltage V3, a reset signal from the reset circuit 400 is output to the control microcomputer (not shown) of the wireless LAN module 64a to forcibly stop wireless communication. As soon as the DC voltage V3 returns to a normal value, the reset signal of the reset circuit 400 is released, thereby enabling wireless communication to be restored.

<Control circuit processing>
FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control circuit of the refrigerator (see FIG. 10 and FIG. 13 as appropriate).
As the "control circuit" which is the main processing unit of FIG. 14, for example, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a shown in FIG. 13 may be used.
In step S101, the control circuit 8 (see FIG. 10) determines whether the wireless LAN unit 4 is ON or OFF. The wireless LAN unit 4 is switched ON/OFF, for example, by a user operating the mobile terminal 54 (see FIG. 10) or the control panel 300 (control panel terminal) of the refrigerator 100. If the wireless LAN unit 4 is ON in step S101 (S101: Yes), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, the control circuit 8 supplies power to the camera unit 3. Specifically, the interior control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) shown in FIG. 13 drives the switching power supply circuit 62f as well as the DC/DC converters 63b, 65b, 65c and regulators 65d, 65e. As a result, a predetermined voltage is applied to the camera microcomputer 65a and image sensor 31e, and the camera unit 3 (see FIG. 10) is driven. As described above, since the wireless LAN unit 4 is ON (S101: Yes), the captured image data generated by the camera unit 3 (see FIG. 10) is transmitted to the server 53 (see FIG. 10) via the wireless LAN module 64a, etc.

While power is being supplied to the camera unit 3 (S102), an enable mode off signal (a signal to prevent the enable mode from being executed) may be output from the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a via the signal line 77 to the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c.
14, when the refrigerator compartment doors 211, 212 are opened while the camera unit 3 is being powered, the camera microcomputer 65a takes a picture with the camera LED 31f (see FIG. 10) turned on (automatic photography). Also, when the camera unit 3 is being powered and the user presses the photography button 7 (see FIG. 10), photography is performed (manual photography).

If the wireless LAN unit 4 is not ON in step S101 (S101: No), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S103. In other words, if the wireless LAN unit 4 is OFF (S101: No), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S103. Although not shown in FIG. 14, when a command to turn off the wireless LAN unit 4 is received from the control panel 300 (control panel terminal) of the refrigerator 100, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) outputs a predetermined reset signal to the wireless LAN module 64a to turn off the wireless LAN unit 4. When the wireless LAN unit 4 is OFF in this way, the captured image data is not sent to the server 53 (see FIG. 10), and the camera unit 3 is not used.

In step S103, when a command to turn off the wireless LAN unit 4 is received from the control panel 300 (control panel terminal) of the refrigerator 100, the control circuit 8 executes the enable mode (power reduction mode). Specifically, the interior control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) shown in FIG. 13 outputs an enable mode command signal to the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c of the camera control board 65 via the signal line 77. As a result, the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c of the camera control board 65 are switched from the ON state to the OFF state, so that the power consumption of the regulators 65d, 65e, the camera microcomputer 65a, and the image sensor 31e becomes almost zero (approximately 0.02 [W] to 0.05 [W]). In other words, during the execution of the enable mode, each circuit of the camera control board 65 and the camera module M1 are in the OFF state, so that the power consumption of the refrigerator 100 can be significantly reduced.

During execution of the enable mode, the in-cabinet control microcomputer 63a may continue to output an enable mode command signal to the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c via the signal line 77. After performing the process of step S102 or step S103, the process of the control circuit 8 returns to step S101 (RETURN).
Furthermore, when at least one of the camera unit 3 and the wireless LAN unit 4 is used, the interior control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) may cancel (turn off) the enable mode signal and activate the wireless LAN module 64a.

According to the first embodiment, when the wireless LAN unit 4 is in the OFF state (S101: No in FIG. 14), an enable mode command signal is output from the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a to the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c (S103). This prevents unnecessary power consumption by the camera unit 3 when the wireless LAN unit 4 is in the OFF state, and ultimately allows the amount of power consumed by the refrigerator 100 to be significantly reduced.

In addition, if the power plug 61 (see FIG. 13) of the refrigerator 100 is plugged into the outlet T1, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a is almost always running (monitoring temperature control, monitoring the temperature setting on the in-fridge control panel, and monitoring the ON/OFF setting of wireless communication). Therefore, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a can switch the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a ON/OFF at appropriate times based on the usage status of the wireless LAN unit 4. Also, the simple configuration of connecting the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a and the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c via the signal line 77 can reduce the amount of power consumed by the refrigerator 100.

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a switching element 63c (see FIG. 15) is provided on a wiring 88 that connects the secondary side of a switching power supply circuit 62f (see FIG. 15) and a power line 67 (see FIG. 15). The second embodiment also differs from the first embodiment in that a signal line for outputting an enable mode command signal from an in-cabinet control microcomputer 63a (see FIG. 15) to DC/DC converters 65b, 65c (see FIG. 15) is omitted. The rest of the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment. Therefore, only the parts that are different from the first embodiment will be described, and the description of the overlapping parts will be omitted.

FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram of a refrigerator 100A according to the second embodiment.
The refrigerator 100A shown in Fig. 15 includes a switching element 63c in addition to the configuration described in the first embodiment (see Fig. 13). The switching element 63c has a function of switching between supplying and cutting off power to power supply circuits such as the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c, and is mounted on, for example, the in-fridge control board 63. As shown in Fig. 15, the switching element 63c is provided on a wiring 88 (a wiring for applying a DC voltage V1) that connects the secondary side of the switching power supply circuit 62f and the power line 67. For example, a MOSFET is used as the switching element 63c.

A specific signal is input from the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a to the gate of the switching element 63c. The in-fridge control microcomputer 63a switches the switching element 63c between ON and OFF based on the ON/OFF state of the wireless LAN module 64a.

In the example of FIG. 15, there is no particular signal line (signal line 77 in FIG. 13) connecting the internal control microcomputer 63a and the DC/DC converters 65b and 65c. In the second embodiment, the power supply to the DC/DC converters 65b and 65c is switched by the switching element 63c, so no particular command signal for the enable mode is required.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control circuit of the refrigerator (see FIG. 10 and FIG. 15 as appropriate).
As the "control circuit" which is the main processing unit of FIG. 16, for example, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a shown in FIG. 15 is used.
In step S201, the control circuit 8 (see FIG. 10) determines whether or not the wireless LAN unit 4 is in the ON state. If the wireless LAN unit 4 is in the ON state in step S201 (S201: Yes), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the control circuit 8 turns on the switching element 63c. This causes power to be supplied to the DC/DC converters 65b and 65c and the regulators 65d and 65e via the switching element 63c and the power line 67 in sequence. As a result, a predetermined voltage is applied to the camera microcomputer 65a and the image sensor 31e, and the camera unit 3 is driven.

If the wireless LAN unit 4 is not ON in step S201 (S201: No), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S203. That is, if the wireless LAN unit 4 is OFF (S201: No), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S203.
In step S203, the control circuit 8 turns the switching element 63c to the OFF state. That is, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) shown in Fig. 15 outputs a signal (OFF command) to cut off the power supply to the power supply circuits such as the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c as a command to reduce the power consumption of these power supply circuits to the switching element 63c. As a result, the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c are turned OFF, and the power consumption of the camera microcomputer 65a and the image sensor 31e in addition to the regulators 65d, 65e is also reduced to approximately zero, so that the power consumption of the refrigerator 100A can be significantly reduced.

According to the second embodiment, when the wireless LAN unit 4 is in the OFF state (S201: No in FIG. 16), the interior control microcomputer 63a turns the switching element 63c to the OFF state (S203). This prevents unnecessary power consumption by the camera unit 3 when the wireless LAN unit 4 is in the OFF state, and ultimately reduces the amount of power consumed by the refrigerator 100A.

Third Embodiment
The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a camera microcomputer 65a (see FIG. 13) performs correction to cancel out misalignment of the lens 31a of the camera unit 3, but other aspects (such as the configuration of the refrigerator 100) are similar to those of the first embodiment. Therefore, only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described, and a description of the overlapping parts will be omitted.

FIG. 17A is an example of an image captured when the lens of the camera unit is displaced from its original position.
The rectangular area 55 shown in Fig. 17A is an area of a captured image based on electrical signals from a large number of image sensors 31e (see Fig. 10) arranged vertically and horizontally in a matrix. One corner of the rectangular area 55 (the lower left corner of the paper in the example of Fig. 17A) is set as the origin O, the horizontal direction is the x-axis, and the vertical direction is the y-axis. Each pixel in the captured image is identified based on the coordinate values of the x-axis and y-axis.

As shown in Figure 17A, the intersection of a straight line 91 in the y direction and a straight line 92 in the x direction that bisect a rectangular region 55 is set as the center 93 of the region 55. The region 55 of the captured image includes a circular image circle 56 that reflects the light incident through the lens 31a (see Figure 10). In the rectangular region 55, the black part outside the image circle 56 is a vignetting region 57 based on the electrical signal of the image sensor 31e (see Figure 10) at a position where almost no light is incident.

In the example of FIG. 17A, the diameter (number of pixels) of the image circle 56 is longer than the vertical length (number of pixels) of the rectangular area 55, and shorter than the horizontal length (number of pixels) of the rectangular area 55. Furthermore, when the lens 31a of the camera unit 3 is not displaced from its original position, the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 approximately coincides with the position of the center 93 of the rectangular area 55.

However, for example, when the lens 31a (see FIG. 10) of the camera unit 3 (see FIG. 10) is installed by screwing or the like, the lens 31a may be slightly shifted from its original position. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 17A, the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 is slightly shifted from the position of the center 93 of the area 55 of the captured image, which may cause problems in subsequent processing (for example, the creation of an expanded image as shown in FIG. 12). Therefore, in the second embodiment, the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 is made to approximately coincide with the position of the center 93 of the captured image (rectangular area 55). Note that the intersections 94a, 94b, and 94c shown in FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B will be described later.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the camera microcomputer (see FIG. 10 and FIG. 17A as appropriate).
18 may be performed, for example, at an inspection stage before refrigerator 100 is actually used, or may be performed at the beginning when refrigerator 100 is actually used. Alternatively, for example, the series of processes shown in Fig. 18 may be performed every time an image is captured by camera unit 3. Also, when a predetermined "setting mode" is entered by a user's operation of mobile terminal 54 (see Fig. 10), the series of processes shown in Fig. 18 may be performed.

18, at "START", image capturing is performed in a predetermined manner by the camera unit 3. In step S301, the camera microcomputer 65a (camera control circuit: see FIG. 13) reads a captured image. For example, a captured image as shown in FIG. 17A is read.
Next, in step S302, the camera microcomputer 65a identifies intersections 94a, 94b, and 94c (see FIG. 17A) between the edge of the image circle 56 and the edge of the rectangular region 55 of the captured image. The camera microcomputer 65a identifies at least three intersections 94a, 94b, and 94c (see FIG. 17A) in order to identify the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 (S303). When extracting these intersections 94a, 94b, and 94c, predetermined image processing such as binarization and edge extraction is performed.

In step S303, the camera microcomputer 65a identifies the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56. That is, the camera microcomputer 65a (camera control circuit) identifies the intersection points between the edge of the captured image and the edge of the image circle 56, and identifies the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 based on the positions of at least three intersection points. For example, the camera microcomputer 65a identifies the intersection point between the perpendicular bisector of the line segment (not shown) connecting the intersection points 94a and 94b and the perpendicular bisector of the line segment (not shown) connecting the intersection points 94b and 94c, among the three intersection points 94a, 94b, and 94c (see FIG. 17A), as the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56. Note that the above method is an example, and other methods may be used to identify the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56.

In step S304, the camera microcomputer 65a determines whether the center 95 of the image circle 56 is misaligned. For example, the camera microcomputer 65a determines whether the center 95 of the image circle 56 is misaligned based on whether the distance (number of pixels) between the center 93 of the rectangular area 55 of the captured image and the center 95 of the image circle 56 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the center 95 of the image circle 56 is not misaligned in step S304 (S304: No), the camera microcomputer 65a ends the series of processes (END). This is because there is no particular need to correct the captured image in this case. Also, if the center 95 of the image circle 56 is misaligned in step S304 (S304: Yes), the processing of the camera microcomputer 65a proceeds to step S305.

In step S305, the camera microcomputer 65a calculates the amount of deviation of the center of the image circle 56. That is, the camera microcomputer 65a calculates the amount of deviation of the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 from the position of the center 93 of the rectangular area 55 in each of the x and y directions in FIG. 17B. In the example of FIG. 17B, the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 is shifted to the positive side of the x axis (the right side of the paper in FIG. 17B) and to the negative side of the y axis (the lower side of the paper in FIG. 17B) from the position of the center 93 of the rectangular area 55. The camera microcomputer 65a may store the amount of deviation calculated in step S305, or the amount of deviation may be calculated by the server 53 (see FIG. 10).

In step S305 of FIG. 18, the camera microcomputer 65a corrects the captured image. That is, the camera microcomputer 65a corrects the captured image so as to cancel out the amount of deviation in the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56. As a specific example, assume that the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 is shifted by +30 pixels in the x-axis direction and -10 pixels in the y-axis direction from the position of the center 93 of the rectangular area 55. In such a case, the camera microcomputer 65a corrects the position of the image circle 56 on the captured image by moving it by -30 pixels in the x-axis direction and +10 pixels in the y-axis direction.

In this way, the camera microcomputer 65a (camera control circuit) performs a correction to move the image circle 56 on the captured image so that the position of the center 93 of the captured image and the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 that corresponds to the lens 31a in the captured image are closer together. As a result, the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 approximately coincides with the position of the center 93 of the captured image (rectangular area 55). After performing the processing of step S305, the camera microcomputer 65a ends the series of processes (END). Note that the correction of the position of the image circle 56 in the captured image is performed each time an image is captured by the camera unit 3.

FIG. 17B is an explanatory diagram showing the captured image after correction.
17B, in the corrected photographed image, the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 substantially coincides with the position of the center 93 of the photographed image (rectangular area 55). This allows the camera microcomputer 65a to appropriately perform subsequent image processing (such as the creation of an expanded image as shown in FIG. 12).

According to the third embodiment, the camera microcomputer 65a corrects the position of the center 95 of the image circle 56 (FIG. 17A) so that it coincides with the position of the center 93 of the captured image (rectangular area 55). In other words, since the correction caused by the deviation of the position of the lens 31a (see FIG. 10) is performed by software, the configuration of the refrigerator 100 can be simplified and manufacturing costs can be reduced compared to the case where the lens 31a is moved by a specified actuator (not shown).

<<Variations>>
Although the refrigerator 100 and the like according to the present disclosure have been described above in accordance with the various embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these descriptions and various modifications may be made. For example, in the first embodiment, the process in which the control circuit 8 executes the enable mode when the wireless LAN unit 4 is in the OFF state (S101: No, S103 in FIG. 14) is described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, the control circuit 8 may execute the process shown in FIG. 19 (first modified example), FIG. 20 (second modified example), or FIG. 21 (third modified example).

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of processing executed by a control circuit of a refrigerator according to the first modified example (also see FIG. 10 as appropriate).
In step S401, the control circuit 8 determines whether or not to use the camera unit 3. For example, the control circuit 8 determines whether or not to use the camera unit 3 (i.e., to capture images) based on the elapsed time from when an open signal was input from the door sensor 6 (see FIG. 10) to the control circuit 8 and whether or not the capture button 7 (see FIG. 10) has been pressed. If the camera unit is to be used in step S401 (S401: Yes), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S402.

In step S402, the control circuit 8 supplies power to the camera unit 3. That is, the control circuit 8 supplies power to the camera unit 3 by driving the DC/DC converters 65b and 65c (see FIG. 13). Also, if the camera unit 3 is not used in step S401 (S401: No), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S403.

In step S403, the control circuit 8 executes the enable mode. That is, the control circuit 8 (interior control microcomputer 63a in FIG. 13) outputs a command signal for the enable mode to the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c (see FIG. 13) via the signal line 77. As a result, when the camera unit 3 is not in use, the DC/DC converters 65b, 65c, etc. are stopped, so that the power consumption of the refrigerator 100 can be significantly reduced. In particular, even when the wireless LAN unit 4 is ON, the enable mode is executed when the camera unit 3 is not in use, so that the power consumption of the refrigerator 100 can be further reduced compared to the first embodiment. After the process of step S402 or S403 is performed, the process of the control circuit 8 returns to "START" (RETURN).
In the second embodiment (see FIG. 15), the control circuit 8 may turn off the switching element 63c when the camera unit 3 is not in use. This process also reduces the power consumption of the refrigerator 100A.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of processing executed by a control circuit of a refrigerator according to the second modified example (also see FIG. 10 as appropriate).
At the time of "START" in FIG. 20, it is assumed that the wireless LAN unit 4 and the camera unit 3 are in the ON state.
In step S501, the control circuit 8 determines whether or not it has received a command to turn off the wireless LAN unit 4. For example, the command to turn off the wireless LAN unit 4 may be transmitted based on the user's operation of the mobile terminal 54 (see FIG. 10) or the control panel 300 (control panel terminal) of the refrigerator 100. If the command to turn off the wireless LAN unit 4 has been received in step S501 (S501: Yes), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S502.

In step S502, the control circuit 8 turns off the wireless LAN unit 4 and also turns off the camera unit 3. That is, when a command to turn off the communication function of the wireless LAN unit 4 is received from the mobile terminal 54 (terminal: see FIG. 10) or the control panel 300 (control panel terminal), the control circuit 8 switches off the communication function and also switches off the shooting function (related function) of the camera unit 3. This makes it possible to prevent the camera unit 3 from wasting power when the wireless LAN unit 4 is in the OFF state.
Also, in step S501, if the command to turn off the wireless LAN unit 4 has not been received (S501: Yes), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S502.

In step S503, the control circuit 8 supplies power to the wireless LAN unit 4 and also to the camera unit 3. As a result, the captured image generated by the camera unit 3 is transmitted to the server 53 (see FIG. 10) via the wireless LAN unit 4. After performing the processing of step S502 or S503, the processing of the control circuit 8 returns to "START" (RETURN). Note that the series of processing shown in FIG. 20 can also be applied to the second embodiment (see FIG. 15).

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of processing executed by a control circuit of a refrigerator according to the third modified example (also see FIG. 10 as appropriate).
At the time of "START" in FIG. 21, it is assumed that the wireless LAN unit 4 and the camera unit 3 are in the OFF state.
In step S601, the control circuit 8 determines whether or not it has received an ON command for the camera unit 3. When switching the camera unit 3 from an OFF state to an ON state, for example, a control panel (not shown) of the refrigerator 100 is operated in a predetermined manner. If an ON command for the camera unit 3 has been received in step S601 (S601: Yes), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S602.

In step S602, the control circuit 8 switches the wireless LAN unit 4 to the ON state and switches the camera unit 3 to the ON state. As a result, the captured image data generated by the camera unit 3 is appropriately transmitted to the server 53 (see FIG. 10) via the wireless LAN unit 4. In this way, when the refrigerator 100 (home appliance) has a communication function using the wireless LAN unit 4 and a capture function (related function) of the camera unit 3 using the communication function, the following processing may be performed. That is, when an on command for the capture function (related function) is received from the user's mobile terminal 54 (terminal: see FIG. 10) or control panel (terminal: not shown), the control circuit 8 may switch the capture function (related function) of the camera unit 3 to the ON state and also switch the communication function of the wireless LAN unit 4 to the ON state.

Also, in step S601, if an ON command for the camera unit 3 has not been received (S601: No), the process of the control circuit 8 proceeds to step S603.
In step S603, the control circuit 8 maintains the wireless LAN unit 4 in an OFF state, and also maintains the camera unit 3 in an OFF state. This reduces the amount of power consumed by the camera unit 3, etc. After performing the process of step S602 or S603, the process of the control circuit 8 returns to "START" (RETURN). Note that the series of processes shown in Fig. 21 can also be applied to the second embodiment (see Fig. 15).

In addition, in each embodiment, the power board 62 (first board: see FIG. 13) and the in-fridge control board 63 (first board: see FIG. 13) are provided separately, but this is not limiting. That is, each element of the power board 62 and the in-fridge control board 63 may be mounted on a single "first board."
In each embodiment, the two DC/DC converters 65b, 65c and the two regulators 65d, 65e are mounted on the camera control board 65 (see FIG. 13 ), but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the number of DC/DC converters and regulators on the camera control board 65 can be changed as appropriate. The circuit diagrams in FIG. 13 and FIG. 15 are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate based on the specifications of the refrigerator 100, etc.

In addition, in each embodiment, the camera unit 3 is provided on the top surface of the housing 1 of the refrigerator 100 (see FIG. 1), but this is not limited to the above. In other words, the camera unit 3 may be provided at another predetermined position on the outside of the housing 1.

In the first embodiment, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a switches the DC/DC converters 65b and 65c to the off state when an enable mode command signal is output from the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a via the signal line 77. However, this is not limited to the above. In other words, when an enable mode command signal is output, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a may drive the DC/DC converters 65b and 65c with lower power than before the enable mode was output.

In the first embodiment, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a (see FIG. 13) outputs a reset signal to the wireless LAN module 64a (see FIG. 13) to stop the wireless LAN module 64a, but this is not limited to the above. For example, when the wireless LAN unit 4 is not in use, the in-fridge control microcomputer 63a may output an enable mode command signal to the wireless LAN module 64a to stop the wireless LAN module 64a.

In the first embodiment, the control circuit 8 switches the communication function to the OFF state and also switches the photographing function (related function) of the camera unit 3 to the OFF state when an OFF command for the wireless LAN unit 4 is received from the mobile terminal 54 or the like, but this is not limited to the process. For example, if a failure occurs in the communication function of the wireless LAN unit 4, the control circuit 8 may switch the communication function to the OFF state and also switch the photographing function (related function) of the camera unit 3 to the OFF state. The same can be said about the second embodiment.

The refrigerator 100 (home appliance) may also have a communication function of the wireless LAN unit 4 and one or more associated functions that use this communication function. Examples of such associated functions include a photographing function using the camera unit 3 and a weight detection function using a weight sensor (not shown) in the door pockets 211c, 212c (see FIG. 3). When a command to turn off the communication function is received from the mobile terminal 54 (terminal: see FIG. 10) or the control panel (terminal: not shown), the interior control microcomputer 63a (control circuit) may suggest to the user's mobile terminal 54 or control panel that at least one of the associated functions be switched off. In this case, the user may be able to select the function to be switched off by operating the mobile terminal 54 or the control panel.

In addition, in each embodiment, a case where both the camera LED 31f (illumination unit) and the buzzer 31g are mounted on the LED board 31d (third board) has been described (see FIG. 6B), but this is not limited to the above. In other words, at least one of the camera LED 31f and the buzzer 31g may be mounted on the LED board 31d.

In the second embodiment, a MOSFET is used as the switching element 63c (see FIG. 15) for switching the DC/DC converters 65b and 65c on and off, but this is not limiting. That is, other types of switching elements, such as transistors, may be used as the switching element 63c. Also, a mechanical switch (not shown) may be used instead of the switching element 63c.

The embodiments can be combined as appropriate. For example, the first embodiment (enable mode) and the third embodiment (correction of the image circle position) can be combined. The second embodiment (control of the switching element) and the third embodiment can be combined.

The refrigerator 100 and the like described in each embodiment are merely examples, and the present invention can be applied to refrigerators of other types. For example, each embodiment can be applied to a refrigerator having a single-wing refrigerator compartment door (not shown) and a portable refrigerator (not shown).
In addition, each embodiment can be applied to home appliances other than refrigerators (washing machines, vacuum cleaners, cooking appliances, air conditioners, water heaters, etc.).

In addition, each embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of an embodiment with other configurations.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned mechanisms and configurations are those considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all mechanisms and configurations of the product.

This specification includes the following technical ideas.
[Appendix 1]
a power plug electrically connected to a commercial power source;
a first board to which power is supplied via the power plug;
a second board connected to the first board via a power line;
a power supply circuit used to drive the second substrate;
a housing having a storage chamber;
a door that closes the opening of the housing;
a camera unit provided on the outside of the housing for photographing at least the storage chamber;
the camera unit has a camera module including an image sensor and a lens that focuses light onto the image sensor;
At least a control circuit for controlling cooling is mounted on the first substrate,
A camera control circuit that controls the camera module is mounted on the second board.
[Appendix 2]
A refrigerator is provided with a camera control circuit that performs correction to move an image circle on a captured image so that the center position of the captured image approaches the center position of an image circle corresponding to a lens in the captured image.
[Appendix 3]
a power plug electrically connected to a commercial power source;
a first board to which power is supplied via the power plug;
a second board connected to the first board via a power line;
a power supply circuit used to drive the second substrate;
A home appliance comprising: a control circuit mounted on the first substrate and capable of outputting to the power supply circuit a command for an enable mode that reduces power consumption of the power supply circuit.
[Appendix 4]
a power plug electrically connected to a commercial power source;
a first board to which power is supplied via the power plug;
a second board connected to the first board via a power line;
a power supply circuit used to drive the second substrate;
a switching element for switching between supplying and cutting off power to the power supply circuit;
a control circuit mounted on the first substrate and capable of outputting a signal to the switching element to cut off power supply to the power supply circuit as a command to reduce power consumption of the power supply circuit.
[Appendix 5]
A home appliance having a communication function and a predetermined related function using the communication function,
A home appliance comprising a control circuit that switches off the communication function and also switches off the related functions when a command to turn off the communication function is received from a terminal or when a failure occurs in the communication function.
[Appendix 6]
A home appliance having a communication function and one or more associated functions using the communication function,
a control circuit that, when receiving a command to turn off the communication function from a terminal, proposes to the terminal to switch off at least one of the related functions.
[Appendix 7]
A home appliance having a communication function and a predetermined related function using the communication function,
a control circuit that switches on the related function and also switches on the communication function when an on command for the related function is received from a terminal;

1. Case
21 Refrigerator (storage room)
211, 212 Refrigerator door (door)
3 Camera unit 8 Control circuit 10 Opening 31a Lens 31e Image sensor 31f Camera LED (illumination unit)
31d LED board (third board)
31g Buzzer 31h Flat cable 4 Wireless LAN unit 54 Portable terminal 56 Image circle 61 Power plug 62 Power board (first board)
63 Internal control board (first board)
63a Internal control microcomputer (control circuit)
63c switching element 64 wireless LAN board 64a wireless LAN module 65 camera control board (second board)
65a Camera microcomputer (camera control circuit)
65b, 65c DC/DC converter (power supply circuit)
67 Power line 77 Signal line 84 Heater (predetermined electrical component)
93 Center (center of the captured image)
95 Center (center of image circle)
94a, 94b, 94c Intersection 100, 100A Refrigerator (household appliance)
300 Control panel (terminal, control panel terminal)
M1 Camera module E1 AC power supply (commercial power supply)

Claims (7)

a power plug electrically connected to a commercial power source;
a first board to which power is supplied via the power plug;
a second board connected to the first board via a power line;
a power supply circuit used to drive the second substrate;
A camera module that generates captured image data;
a wireless LAN module for performing wireless communication;
A reset circuit connected to the wireless LAN module via a signal line,
a control circuit mounted on the first substrate and capable of outputting to the power supply circuit a command for an enable mode that reduces power consumption of the power supply circuit;
a camera control circuit that controls the camera module is mounted on the second substrate;
The captured image data is transferred from the camera control circuit to the wireless LAN module,
When a voltage drop on the output side of the power supply circuit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the reset circuit resets a microcomputer of the wireless LAN module. a power plug electrically connected to a commercial power source;
a first board to which power is supplied via the power plug;
a second board connected to the first board via a power line;
a power supply circuit used to drive the second substrate;
A camera module that generates captured image data;
a switching element for switching between supplying and cutting off power to the power supply circuit;
a wireless LAN module for performing wireless communication;
A reset circuit connected to the wireless LAN module via a signal line,
a control circuit mounted on the first substrate and capable of outputting a signal to the switching element to cut off power supply to the power supply circuit as a command to reduce power consumption of the power supply circuit;
a camera control circuit that controls the camera module is mounted on the second substrate;
The captured image data is transferred from the camera control circuit to the wireless LAN module,
When a voltage drop on the output side of the power supply circuit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the reset circuit resets a microcomputer of the wireless LAN module. The home appliance has a communication function and a predetermined associated function that uses the communication function,
The home appliance according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when a command to turn off the communication function is received from a terminal or when a failure occurs in the communication function, the control circuit switches the communication function to an off state and also switches the related functions to an off state. The home appliance has a communication function and one or more associated functions that use the communication function;
The home appliance according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when a command to turn off the communication function is received from a terminal, the control circuit makes a suggestion to the terminal to switch off at least one of the related functions. The home appliance has a communication function and a predetermined associated function that uses the communication function,
The home appliance according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when an instruction to turn on the related function is received from a terminal, the control circuit switches on the related function and also switches on the communication function. a camera unit having the camera module and provided on the outside of a housing;
an illumination unit that is turned on when the camera unit is photographing;
A buzzer that emits a predetermined sound;
a third substrate on which at least one of the illumination unit and the buzzer is mounted;
a flat cable electrically connecting the camera module and the second board in the camera unit;
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a gap is provided between the third board and the flat cable in a height direction. a wiring connected to the camera unit is routed near one side surface of the housing;
7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein other wiring connected to a predetermined electric component other than the camera unit is routed near the other side surface of the housing.

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