JP6907022B2 - Controls, refrigerators, refrigeration systems, control methods, and control programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a precooling function, a refrigerator control device, a refrigerating system including a refrigerator, a refrigerator control method, and a control program.

With the progress of IoT technology, technology for connecting a refrigerator to an external network has been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a control device that acquires a storage temperature of an article and an estimated position of a user and changes the set temperature of the refrigerator from a first set temperature to a second set temperature lower than this. Has been done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-02730 (published on January 26, 2017)

The refrigerator cools by repeatedly turning the compressor on and off. Then, in the case of precooling, a time of about 30 minutes is required. This is because the food and the heat insulating wall in the refrigerator will not cool unless the compressor is turned on continuously for about 30 minutes.

In Cited Document 1 described above, when the user unlocks the house or the user's position is within a limited range from the home, the temperature of the refrigerator is changed to the second set temperature, that is, precooling is started. is doing. However, it is unlikely that sufficient pre-cooling time will be available even if pre-cooling is started when the house is unlocked. Also, if pre-cooling is started only from the location information, it is unknown by what means (train, car, bicycle, walking, etc.) the user will return home from that position, and sufficient pre-cooling time cannot be taken. there is a possibility. Conversely, if the user makes a detour, precooling may be wasted.

Further, in Cited Document 1, the storage temperature of the article is acquired by using the POS information. However, in order to acquire the POS information, it is necessary to cooperate with the POS device, which is complicated. Moreover, it is not realistic to cooperate with all POS devices in the world.

One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to realize a control device or the like capable of appropriately precooling a refrigerator.

In order to solve the above problems, the control device according to one aspect of the present invention is a control device that controls a refrigerator, and when the number of articles in the refrigerator has increased in the past, the user's stay before the increase. An acquisition determination unit that determines whether or not the user has acquired the article to be put into the refrigerator at the stay position by using the stay position information indicating the position and the position information indicating the current position of the user. , It is determined that the charging time derivation unit for deriving the charging time until the user puts the article in the refrigerator after acquiring the article at the staying position, the charging time, and the user acquired the article at the staying position. From the elapsed time from the time of preparation to the present time, the estimated charging time until the article is charged into the refrigerator at the present time is derived, and if the estimated charging time is within the first predetermined time, the refrigerator is precooled. It is configured to include a pre-cooling instruction transmitting unit that transmits a pre-cooling instruction to be executed to the refrigerator.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the control method of the control device according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method of the control device for controlling the refrigerator, and when the number of articles in the refrigerator has increased in the past. Whether or not the user has acquired the article to be put into the refrigerator at the stay position by using the stay position information indicating the stay position of the user before the increase and the position information indicating the current position of the user. an acquisition determination step of determining whether, and on time derivation step of deriving a charged time to put into the refrigerator after the acquisition of the article at the user the stay position, and the on time, the user the stay position From the elapsed time from the time when it was determined that the article was acquired in the above to the present time, the estimated charging time until the article is put into the refrigerator at the present time is derived, and the estimated charging time is within the first predetermined time. In this case, the method includes a pre-cooling instruction transmission step of transmitting a pre-cooling instruction to the refrigerator to execute the pre-cooling treatment.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the pre-cooling can be started in consideration of the time until the article is put into the refrigerator, so that the pre-cooling time can be appropriately secured and the pre-cooling is wasted. It has the effect of being able to prevent.

It is a block diagram which shows the main part structure of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the main part structure of the refrigerator which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the said Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the determination table. (A) to (f) are diagrams for explaining the flow of generating the determination table. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the precooling process in the refrigerator. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the quenching process in the refrigerator. It is a table which shows the setting of the parameter in the refrigerator. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the precooling process in the refrigerating system which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the display example which is displayed on the mobile communication terminal which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which the said communication apparatus sends a precooling start instruction. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which sends the precooling stop instruction after the said communication device sends a precooling start instruction. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the determination process of the purchase forecast condition in the communication device. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the determination process of the purchase forecast condition in the communication device. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process when the communication apparatus which concerns on another Embodiment of this invention determines the defrosting process. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process of accelerating the defrosting process in the said communication device. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process of determining whether or not the purchase preliminary forecast condition is satisfied in the said communication device.

[Embodiment 1]
〔overview〕
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. First, an outline of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerating system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a refrigerator 1, a communication device (control device) 2, a router 3, an information server 4, a mobile communication terminal 5, and a network 6. In the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 and the communication device 2 are described separately, but the refrigerator 1 may include the functions of the communication device 2. Further, in the present embodiment, the freezing room will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to rooms other than the freezing room such as a refrigerating room and a vegetable room.

As shown in FIG. 3, the communication device 2 connects the refrigerator 1 and the network 6 via the router 3. That is, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 1 and the network 6 are not directly connected, but the communication device 2 plays a role as a buffer zone (DMZ). Further, the information server 4 and the user's mobile communication terminal 5 are connected to the network 6. The information server 4 transmits various information to the mobile communication terminal 5 and the refrigerator 1 via the network 6. If the information provided by the information server 4 is not required, the information server 4 may not be included in the refrigerating system 10.

In the refrigerating system 10 according to the present embodiment, the user needs to freeze by using the position of the user acquired from the mobile communication terminal 5 and the determination table (details will be described later) stored in the communication device 2. Determine whether or not food, etc. (articles) have been purchased. Then, when it is determined that the purchase has been made, the estimated return time of the user is derived, and precooling is performed in the refrigerator 1 based on the derived estimated return time.

As a result, unlike the conventional technique, precooling is not started only from the position information, so that it is possible to prevent the precooling time from being insufficient or the precooling from being wasted.

In this embodiment, an example in which the purchase determination of the frozen food and the pre-cooling instruction are executed by the communication device 2 will be described, but the refrigerator 1 may execute these processes.

[Communication device 2]
Next, the communication device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the communication device 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication device 2 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 200, a storage unit 210, a network communication unit 220, and a transmission / reception unit 230.

The storage unit 210 stores various data used in the processing in the communication device 2, including the determination table 211. The determination table 211 is a table used for determining whether or not to start precooling in the communication device 2. The details of the determination table 211 will be described later.

The control unit 200 controls each unit of the communication device 2 in an integrated manner, and includes a position information acquisition unit 201, a precooling determination unit (acquisition determination unit, input time derivation unit, precooling instruction transmission unit) 202, and a defrosting determination unit (defrosting determination unit). Defrosting postponement instruction transmitting unit) 203, control command generating unit (pre-cooling instruction transmitting unit, defrosting postponement instruction transmitting unit) 204, and determination table generation unit (position registration unit, position designation receiving unit) 205 are included.

The position information acquisition unit 201 periodically acquires the position of the mobile communication terminal 5 as the user's position via the network 6. The acquisition cycle can be set as appropriate.

The pre-cooling determination unit 202 uses the position of the user acquired by the position information acquisition unit 201 and the determination table 211 to determine whether or not to start the pre-cooling in the refrigerator 1, and the timing of the start when the pre-cooling is started. Make a decision.

The defrosting determination unit 203 determines whether or not to start defrosting in the refrigerator 1 or whether or not to postpone defrosting by using the position of the user acquired by the position information acquisition unit 201 and the determination table 211. If the defrosting determination is not performed, the defrosting determination unit 203 may be omitted.

When the precooling determination unit 202 determines that the refrigerator 1 starts precooling, the control command generation unit 204 generates a control command indicating that fact and transmits it to the refrigerator 1 via the transmission / reception unit 230. Further, when the defrosting determination unit 203 determines that the refrigerator 1 starts defrosting, or determines that the defrosting is postponed, the control command generation unit 204 generates a control command indicating that fact, via the transmission / reception unit 230. And send it to the refrigerator 1.

The determination table generation unit 205 determines using the temperature of the refrigerating room acquired from the refrigerator 1, the temperature of the freezing room, the opening / closing information of the door, the operating status of the compressor, and the position of the user acquired by the position information acquisition unit 201. Table 211 is generated and updated. Details of the generation and update of the determination table 211 will be described later.

The network communication unit 220 connects the communication device 2 and the network 6 via the router 3. The transmission / reception unit 230 communicates with the refrigerator 1.

[Refrigerator 1]
Next, the main configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1 includes a control unit 100, a storage unit 110, a transmission / reception unit (reception unit) 120, an ambient temperature detector 131, a freezer room temperature detector 132, a refrigerator room temperature detector 133, and a door open / close detection. Includes device 134, compressor 135, blower 136, damper 137, and defrost heater 138.

The control unit 100 controls each unit of the refrigerator 1 in an integrated manner, and includes a precooling processing unit 101, a quenching processing unit 102, a defrosting processing unit 103, and an inquiry unit 104.

The pre-cooling treatment unit 101 executes the pre-cooling treatment in the refrigerator 1. The precooling treatment includes lowering the temperature of the freezing chamber, increasing the number of revolutions of the compressor, and lowering the temperature of the refrigerating chamber for the purpose of accelerating freezing. The content of the precooling process can be set by the parameters described later. Further, these parameters may be arbitrarily set by the user.

Further, in the present embodiment, the precooling treatment time is assumed to be 30 minutes, but the precooling treatment time is not limited to this, and may be increased or decreased depending on the ambient temperature of the refrigerator 1, the season, and the like. For example, it may be set longer in summer.

The quenching processing unit 102 executes the quenching processing in the refrigerator 1. The content of the quenching process can be set by the parameters described later. Further, these parameters may be arbitrarily set by the user.

The defrosting treatment unit 103 executes the defrosting treatment in the refrigerator 1 and controls the execution timing of the defrosting treatment.

When the inquiry unit 104 receives the precooling start instruction from the communication device 2, the inquiry unit 104 confirms with the user whether or not the precooling process may be started. More specifically, a pre-cooling confirmation requesting confirmation from the user is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 5.

The storage unit 110 stores various data used in the processing in the refrigerator 1. The transmission / reception unit 120 communicates with the communication device 2. Specifically, the transmission / reception unit 120 receives the precooling start instruction, the parameters of the freezing room and the refrigerating room from the communication device 2, and evaluates the operating status of the refrigerator 1 (current temperature setting, error information, and necessity of defrosting). Value etc.) is sent. Further, the transmission / reception unit 120 periodically transmits information detected by various detectors of the refrigerator 1 described later to the communication device 2.

The ambient temperature detector 131 detects the temperature around the refrigerator. The freezing room temperature detector 132 detects the temperature of the freezing room. The refrigerating room temperature detector 133 detects the temperature of the refrigerating room. The door opening / closing detection device 134 detects the opening / closing of the door of the refrigerator 1.

The compressor 135 compresses the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerator 1. The compressed gaseous refrigerant is liquefied by a condenser (not shown), the pressure is reduced by a capillary tube (not shown), and the reduced pressure gas-liquid mixed refrigerant is sent to an evaporator (not shown) and vaporized by the evaporator. , The evaporator is cooled. By increasing the rotation speed of the compressor 135, the temperature of the evaporator becomes lower.

The blower 136 sucks the air in the chamber into the evaporator, discharges it as low-temperature air into the chamber, and blows air for circulation.

The damper 137 is a valve body provided in an air flow path connecting the blower 136 and the refrigerator compartment. By opening the damper 137, the air cooled by the evaporator is sent to the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber. By closing the damper 137, the air cooled by the evaporator is sent only to the freezing chamber.

The defrost heater 138 is a heater for melting the frost adhering to the evaporator.

[Details of processing of judgment table generation unit 205]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the details of the processing in the determination table generation unit 205 and the determination table 211 generated by the determination table generation unit 205 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the determination table 211. Further, FIGS. 5A to 5F are diagrams for explaining the flow of generating the determination table 211.

As shown in FIG. 4, the determination table 211 shows the location (location information), time distance (average, shortest), presence / absence of purchase other than food, shopping frequency, probability of food cooling within 5 minutes after returning home (frozen food). , Refrigerated food), average staying time, average door opening time after returning home (freezing room door, refrigerating room door), temperature rise value of temperature detector after opening the door after returning home (freezing room, refrigerating room) It is attached. The time distance (time information) represents the distance in time, and here, the place (A department store, etc.) shown in the determination table 211 and the time required for the user to move to the home are shown.
That is, the determination table 211 contains information that can be recognized when the inventory in the refrigerator increases (probability of cooling the food within 5 minutes after returning home) and the user's stay position (location (location information)) before the increase. It is associated. Further, these are also associated with the time (time distance) from when the user leaves the stay position until the inventory of the refrigerator increases.

For example, in the first row of the judgment table 211, the location (location information) is "A department store", the time distance (average, shortest) is "55 minutes on average, 52 minutes at the shortest", and whether or not there is a purchase other than food. Is "Yes", shopping frequency is "5 times / month", probability of food cooling within 5 minutes after returning home (frozen food, refrigerated food) is "50% for frozen food, 50% for refrigerated food", average staying time Is "30 minutes", the average door opening time after returning home (freezing room door, refrigerating room door) is "30 seconds for freezing room door, 20 seconds for refrigerating room door", temperature detector after opening the door after returning home The temperature rise value (freezing room, refrigerating room) is associated with "3.5K (Kelvin) in the freezing room and 2.5K in the refrigerating room". The second and subsequent lines are also associated in the same manner.

By using the determination table 211, for example, when the place is A department store (bounce), the time distance (average) is 55 minutes, so if 20 minutes have passed after leaving A department store, precooling (pre-cooling) is started, 55. It can be seen that -20 = 35> 30, and a precooling time of about 30 minutes can be secured. Therefore, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 can determine an appropriate timing for the start of pre-cooling by using the determination table 211. Similarly, for example, in the case of C supermarket, the time distance is 10 minutes, so if precooling is started after the start of movement to return home, the precooling time will be insufficient. Therefore, if the precooling is started 10 minutes after entering the C supermarket, the average staying time is 30 minutes, so 30-10 + 10 = 30, and it can be seen that the precooling time of about 30 minutes can be secured. Further, in the case of the C supermarket, it is possible to lower the set temperature when entering the C supermarket and increase the rotation speed of the compressor when exiting the C supermarket.

Next, a method of generating the determination table 211 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the relationship between the open / closed state of the freezing chamber door, the operating state of the compressor 135, and the temperature state (whether or not the temperature has reached high temperature) of the freezing chamber in chronological order.

As shown in FIG. 5A, after opening and closing the freezing chamber door, the rotation speed of the compressor 135 increases, and the increased state continues for a predetermined time (for example, 3 hours), and the rotation speed of the compressor 135 increases. When the temperature of the freezing chamber continues to be high for a predetermined time after the temperature rises, the determination table generation unit 205 determines that the food has been put into the freezing chamber. The refrigerator 1 notifies the communication device 2 of the open / closed status of the freezing chamber door, the magnitude of the rotation speed of the compressor 135, and the temperature status of the freezing chamber. The criteria for determining that food has been put into the freezing room are not limited to this, and the operating status of the compressor 135 and the temperature state of the freezing room when food is put into the freezing room. Can be set as appropriate from. Similarly, it can also be determined whether or not food has been put into the refrigerator compartment.

Then, when the determination table generation unit 205 determines that the food has been charged into the freezing room, the time when the food has been charged into the freezing room, in other words, the time when the door of the freezing room is opened (FIG. 5). In the example of (a) above, the time-series data of the user's position information from the time after 12:00) to the time when the user goes back a predetermined time is acquired. In other words, with respect to the position information acquired periodically, time-series data from the time when the refrigerator door is opened to the time when it goes back a predetermined number of times is acquired.

Here, an example of time series data is shown in FIGS. 5 (b) to 5 (d). In FIGS. 5 (b) to 5 (d), time-series data for 20 times (predetermined time) is shown, and the position indicated by the circled number "1" is when the freezing chamber door is opened. Yes, the position indicated by the circled number "2" indicates the previous position, and the position indicated by the circled number "3" indicates the previous position. After that, the same applies to the circled number "20".

Then, the determination table generation unit 205 compares a plurality of determined situations ((b) to (d) in FIG. 5) in which the food has been input into the freezing chamber, and the frequency is significantly higher than that in other places. A high place (position) is determined to be a place to purchase frozen food, and is registered in the determination table 211. An example of the position to be registered is shown in FIG. 5 (e). In FIG. 5 (e), each position is shown in a state where (b) to (d) of FIG. 5 are overlapped. In the example shown in FIG. 5 (e), the compartment 501 is registered as a place to purchase frozen food.

In addition, the time distance between the place where the frozen food is purchased and the home where the refrigerator is located, and the staying time can be calculated by counting the number of location information data. An example of the time distance between the place where the frozen food is purchased and the home where the refrigerator is located, and the staying time is shown in FIG. 5 (f). In FIG. 5 (f), the time spent at the place where the frozen food is purchased is 30 minutes for the first time, 35 minutes for the second time, and 25 minutes for the third time, and the average is 30 minutes. The time distance is all 25 minutes.

Items other than the above in the determination table 211 can also be obtained from the position information and the state of the refrigerator after opening and closing the door. Further, after the determination table 211 is created, the determination table generation unit 205 updates the determination table 211 every time it determines that food has been put into the freezing chamber. The update timing may be every time it is determined that the food has been put into the freezing chamber, or every time the number of times it is determined that the food has been put has reached a predetermined number of times.

Further, it may be determined whether or not the food has been put into the freezing room by the article sensor, the camera in the refrigerator, or the like instead of the temperature in the refrigerator.

The determination table generation unit 205 may register the place where the frozen food is purchased as follows.

Let g (x, y, t) be the time series data of the position information. Here, x and y are position coordinates. Further, t is the order of time series data until the door is opened.

The effective range of the map in the position information is divided into columns I × J to be m (i, j).

The divided maps are weighted as follows.

w (i, j) = Σ (t = N) (1 / N) W (i, j, t)
W (i, j, t) = 1 (when g (x, y, t) is within the range of m (i, j))
W (i, j, t) = 0 (when g (x, y, t) is not within the range of m (i, j))
Then, the position where the numerical value is statistically high is extracted from the distribution of the weighted data w (i, j). Then, the position of the home is removed, and the remaining position is registered as a place to purchase frozen food (or refrigerated food).

In the above-mentioned example, the place where the frozen food is purchased is registered by using the user's action history, but the user may manually register the position.
In addition, the registration place is a place where the user purchases frozen food, but the registration place is not limited to this, and a place where the freezing room is used after going to the place such as a fishing place is also a registration place. can do.

[Flow of processing in refrigerator 1]
Next, the flow of processing in the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the precooling process in the refrigerator 1. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of quenching processing in the refrigerator 1. FIG. 8 is a table showing parameter settings in the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the pre-cooling process is executed, the pre-cooling process unit 101 of the refrigerator 1 operates according to the pre-cooling setting (S601). An example of the precooling setting is shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, in the case of the precooling setting, the compressor and the blower are operated at the maximum, the freezing chamber is set to -21 ° C, and the refrigerating chamber is set to 0 ° C. The time limit is set to 2 hours. The time limit may be changed depending on the ambient temperature. Then, when the precooling end condition is satisfied (YES in S602), the normal setting is returned (S603), and the operation is performed. When the precooling end condition is satisfied, the elapse of the set time, the reception of the precooling stop command, and the like can be mentioned. An example of the normal setting is shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, in the case of the normal setting, the compressor and the blower are automatically operated, the freezing chamber is set to -18 ° C, and the refrigerating chamber is set to 4 ° C. The user can appropriately set the set temperatures of the freezing room and the refrigerating room. The above is the flow of the precooling process.

The precooling time may be increased or decreased according to the amount of the article. That is, the amount of the article to be refrigerated may be estimated from the staying time of the user, and if it is less than the predetermined amount, the pre-cooling time may be shortened, and if it is more than the predetermined amount, the pre-cooling time may be lengthened.

Next, the flow of the quenching process will be described with reference to FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, when the quenching process is executed, the quenching process section 102 of the refrigerator 1 operates according to the freezing room priority setting (S701). An example of the freezing room priority setting is shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, in the case of the freezing room priority setting, the compressor and the blower are operated at the maximum, the freezing room is set to -21 ° C, and the refrigerating room is set to 6 ° C. The time limit is set to 1 hour. The time limit may be changed depending on the ambient temperature. Then, when the set time elapses (YES in S702), the quenching processing unit 102 operates according to the freeze operation setting (S703). An example of the freezing operation setting is shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, in the case of the freezing operation setting, the compressor and the blower are operated at the maximum, the freezing chamber is set to -21 ° C, and the refrigerating chamber is set to 4 ° C. The time limit is set to 8 hours. The time limit may be changed depending on the ambient temperature. Then, when the quenching end condition is satisfied (YES in S704), the normal setting is returned (S705), and the operation is performed. Examples of cases where the quenching end condition is satisfied include the passage of a set time, the temperature inside the refrigerator falling below a predetermined temperature, and the like.

The setting parameters shown in FIG. 8 may be stored in the storage unit 110 of the refrigerator 1 or may be stored in the storage unit 210 of the communication device 2.

When stored in the storage unit 110 of the refrigerator 1, the refrigerator 1 executes an operation according to a setting parameter based on an instruction acquired from the communication device 2. Further, when stored in the storage unit 210 of the communication device 2, the refrigerator 1 acquires each parameter from the communication device 2 and executes the operation.

[Processing flow in refrigerating system 10]
Next, the flow of processing in the refrigerating system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the precooling process in the refrigerating system 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example displayed on the mobile communication terminal 5.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the precooling process is performed, the precooling start command is transmitted from the communication device 2 to the refrigerator 1 (S901). The details of the process of determining whether or not to transmit the precooling start command will be described later. When the refrigerator 1 acquires the precooling start command from the communication device 2 (YES in S902), the refrigerator 1 confirms the precooling to the user to confirm whether the precooling process may be started via the communication device 2. It is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 5 (S903). When the mobile communication terminal 5 receives the pre-cooling confirmation from the refrigerator 1 (S904), the mobile communication terminal 5 displays the pre-cooling permission screen on the display unit (S905). A screen example of the precooling permission screen is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, on the pre-cooling permission screen, a screen asking the user for permission to start pre-cooling is displayed. Then, the mobile communication terminal 5 receives the user's instruction and transmits the precooling permission or non-permission instruction to the refrigerator 1 (S906). The refrigerator 1 that has received the instruction executes the pre-cooling process (S909) if the content of the instruction is pre-cooling permission (YES in S908). On the other hand, if the content of the instruction is that precooling is not permitted (NO in S908), the operation according to the normal setting is performed (S910). The above is the flow of the precooling process in the refrigerating system 10.

[Process flow in communication device 2]
Next, the flow of processing in the communication device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in which the communication device 2 sends a precooling start instruction. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process of sending a precooling stop instruction after sending a precooling start instruction.

As shown in FIG. 11, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 of the communication device 2 determines whether or not the purchase prediction condition is satisfied (S1101, acquisition determination step). The purchase forecast condition is a condition for determining whether or not the user has purchased food or the like that needs to be frozen or refrigerated. That is, when the expected purchase conditions are satisfied, the user has purchased food or the like that needs to be frozen or refrigerated. The details of the determination process of the purchase forecast condition will be described later.

Then, when the purchase prediction condition is satisfied (YES in S1101), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 predicts the user's return time (input time) using the determination table 211 (S1102, input time derivation step). For example, if the purchase prediction condition is satisfied when the user enters the B shopping district, the time distance (average) of the B shopping district is 20 minutes and the average staying time is 40 minutes according to the determination table 211. The estimated return time will be 60 minutes later. In addition, if the purchase forecast condition is satisfied when 35 minutes have passed after the stay, the estimated return time will be 25 minutes later. That is, the estimated return time is calculated by the following formula.
Estimated return time = average stay time-stay time + time required for return route (time distance)
The predicted return time may be configured to be only the time required for the return route, or may be the time from the time when the user acquires the article until the user leaves the stay position + the time required for the return route.

Further, the time required for the return route may be acquired not from the determination table 211 but from a well-known navigation service.

Then, when the predicted user's return time to return home is within 30 minutes (within the first predetermined time) (YES in S1103), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 transmits a pre-cooling start instruction to the refrigerator 1 (S1104, pre-cooling instruction transmission step). ). On the other hand, if the predicted user's return time is not within 30 minutes (NO in S1103), the process returns to step S1102. The above is the flow of the process in which the communication device 2 sends the precooling start instruction.

In the above, 30 minutes is taken as an example as the first predetermined time, but the first predetermined time may be longer than the time for lowering the predetermined temperature of the refrigerator 1, and is not limited to 30 minutes. Further, the time for lowering the predetermined temperature of the refrigerator 1 changes depending on the external environment of the refrigerator 1 and the like, and in the present embodiment, the time for lowering the predetermined temperature is derived according to the external environment.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12, the flow of the process of sending the precooling stop instruction will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 determines whether or not the elapsed time after transmitting the pre-cooling start instruction is within the set time (S1201). When the elapsed time exceeds the set time (NO in S1201), the precooling determination unit 202 transmits a precooling stop command to the refrigerator 1 (S1208), and returns the setting of the refrigerator 1 to the normal setting (S1209).

On the other hand, if the elapsed time after transmitting the precooling start instruction is within the set time (YES in S1201), the precooling determination unit 202 bounces back by the user using the user's position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 201. It is determined whether or not it is (S1202). If it is determined that there is no bounce (NO in S1202), the process proceeds to step S1208. This is because it can be judged that the person has not bounced = is taking a detour.

When bounced (YES in S1202), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 determines whether or not the user went straight to the kitchen after returning home using the user's position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 201 (S1203). ). If it is not going straight (NO in S1203), the process proceeds to step S1208. Whether or not you went straight to the kitchen may be determined from the location information as described above, or from the situation of the house (the lights in the bedroom are turned on, the TV is turned on, etc.).

When going straight to the kitchen (YES in S1203), the precooling determination unit 202 determines whether or not the door of the freezing room is opened or closed from the refrigerator information acquired from the refrigerator 1 (S1204). When the door is opened / closed (NO in S1204), the precooling determination unit 202 transmits a precooling stop command to the refrigerator 1 (S1206) and a quenching start command (S1207). This is because if the door of the freezing room opens after going straight to the kitchen, it can be determined that frozen food has been added.

If the door is not opened or closed (YES in S1204), the precooling process is continued (S1205). That is, the communication device 2 does not send further instructions to the refrigerator 1. The above is the flow of the process in which the communication device 2 sends the precooling stop instruction after sending the precooling start instruction.

The pre-cooling stop instruction is not the above-mentioned process, but matches the user's past behavior pattern with the current behavior pattern, and this behavior pattern is a typical behavior pattern of putting frozen food into the freezer. The pre-cooling treatment may be stopped when it deviates from the above.

[Judgment processing of expected purchase conditions]
(1) Example of judgment processing 1
When the evaluation value exceeds the threshold value, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 determines that the purchase prediction condition is satisfied. Examples of the evaluation value include the distance from the refrigerator, the coordinates, the distance from the registered position, and the like.

For example, if the evaluation value is the distance from the registered position and the value decreases as the distance from the registered position decreases, if the predetermined distance from the registered position is used as the threshold value, it depends on whether or not the evaluation value exceeds the threshold value. , It is possible to determine whether or not the user has entered the vicinity of the registration position. This will be described with reference to FIG. 13 (a). FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the determination process of the purchase forecast condition in the communication device 2. In the graph of FIG. 13A, the vertical axis represents the evaluation value and the horizontal axis represents the time. The location log shows the user's location in each time zone. As shown in the graph of FIG. 13A, it can be seen that the evaluation value increases as the user's position shown in the position log approaches the registered position.

Then, at a certain point in time, the threshold value a is exceeded. The time when the threshold value a is exceeded is the time when the user enters the registration position. That is, when the user enters the place where the frozen food is purchased. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the user has entered the place where the frozen food is purchased by determining whether or not the evaluation value exceeds the threshold value a. As a result, it can be considered that "the purchase forecast condition is satisfied" = "the user has purchased the frozen food".

Further, a process of setting a plurality of threshold values may be performed. An example of setting two threshold values is shown in FIG. 13 (b). In the example shown in FIG. 13B, a threshold value b is provided in addition to the above-mentioned threshold value a. The threshold value b is set to a value lower than the threshold value a. Therefore, when the evaluation value exceeds the threshold value b, the user is not in the registered position, but is approaching the registered position to some extent. Therefore, by using this threshold value b, for example, it is possible to determine the postponement of the defrosting treatment (details will be described in the second embodiment described later).
(2) Example of judgment processing 2
Next, another example of the determination process will be described with reference to FIG. 14 (a). FIG. 14A is a diagram for explaining the determination process of the purchase forecast condition in the communication device 2.

In this example, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 determines whether or not the purchase prediction condition is satisfied depending on whether or not the user stays at the registered position for a predetermined time or longer. If the user stays at the registered position for a predetermined time or longer, it is highly possible that the user has purchased frozen food. Therefore, it is possible to make an accurate determination by determining whether or not the purchase prediction condition is satisfied depending on whether or not the user stays at the registered position for a predetermined time or longer.

A specific example is shown in FIG. 14 (a). In the example shown in FIG. 14A, a threshold value c is provided for the evaluation value, and a threshold value d is provided for the time when the evaluation value exceeds the threshold value c. Whether or not the user has entered the registered position can be determined based on whether or not the threshold value c has been exceeded, and whether or not the staying time at the registered position has exceeded a predetermined time depends on whether or not the threshold value d has been exceeded. It can be determined. Therefore, if the staying time at the registered position is short, it can be said that precooling is not performed.
(3) Example of judgment processing 3
Next, still another example of the determination process will be described with reference to FIG. 14 (b). FIG. 3B of the figure is a diagram for explaining the determination process of the purchase forecast condition in the communication device 2.

In this example, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 grasps the time-series data of the position information indicating the position of the user as an image. Then, the image is matched with the image indicated by the time-series data when the position is registered, and it is determined whether or not the purchase prediction condition is satisfied depending on whether or not the similarity exceeds the threshold value. Since the time-series data at the time of registration is the time-series data at the time of purchasing the frozen food, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the purchase prediction condition is satisfied by matching with the time-series data.

A specific example is shown in FIG. 14 (b). The example shown in FIG. 14B shows a case where the time series data of the position information indicating the position of the user is grasped as an image. This image is matched with the image of the time series data of the position information at the time of registration ((b) to (d) in FIG. 5), the similarity is calculated, and the purchase is made depending on whether the similarity exceeds the threshold value. Determine if the expected conditions are met.

Further, in this example, as in the above-mentioned example, two threshold values may be set and the processing may be performed in two steps.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the purchase determination and the precooling process are performed using the user's position and the determination table 211. Therefore, this allows the user to automatically start precooling when he / she is in a place where he / she is considered to purchase frozen foods.
Further, since the determination table 211 is created using the user's action history, precooling should be performed in consideration of the time required for moving from the registered position to the home, the amount of frozen food purchased at the registered position, and the like. Can be done.

Further, since it is not necessary for the user to input the content, amount, etc. of the frozen food, it can be realized without imposing an excessive burden on the user.

Further, since information that requires cooperation in advance such as POS information is not used, it can be carried out without going through complicated processing.

If it is determined from the acquired position information that the user is taking a detour, the precooling process may be interrupted.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, in addition to the determination as to whether or not the precooling is performed as described in the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the defrosting treatment is postponed or whether or not the defrosting treatment is accelerated. Normally, the defrosting treatment is performed about once a day, but the cooling treatment cannot be performed during the defrosting treatment. Therefore, if frozen food is added during the defrosting process or immediately after the defrosting process, the temperature inside the refrigerator may increase, the power consumption may increase, and the like. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the frozen food is expected to be added, the defrosting treatment is postponed, or the defrosting treatment is accelerated so that a sufficient time can be taken after the defrosting treatment until the frozen food is added. It is a thing.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent the harmful effect when the frozen food is added during the above-mentioned defrosting treatment or immediately after the defrosting treatment.

The processing flow of the communication device 2 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the communication device 2 when determining the defrosting process.

As shown in FIG. 15, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 of the communication device 2 determines whether or not the purchase prediction condition is satisfied (S1501). When the purchase prediction condition is satisfied (YES in S1501), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 predicts the user's return time to return home using the determination table 211 (S1502). Then, when the predicted user's return time to return home is within 30 minutes (within the second predetermined time) (YES in S1503), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 transmits a defrosting postponement instruction to the refrigerator 1 (S1504). Further, the precooling determination unit 202 transmits a precooling start instruction to the refrigerator 1 (S1505). On the other hand, if the predicted user's return time is not within 30 minutes (NO in S1503), the process returns to step S1502. The above is the flow of the process in which the communication device 2 sends the precooling start instruction.

Next, with reference to FIG. 16, the flow of the process for accelerating the defrosting process will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for accelerating the defrosting process.

As shown in FIG. 16, in the case of the process of accelerating the defrosting process, first, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 of the communication device 2 determines whether or not the purchase prediction condition is satisfied (S1601). When the purchase prediction condition is satisfied (YES in S1601), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 predicts the user's return time to return home using the determination table 211 (S1602). Then, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 determines whether or not the predicted user's return time to return home is within 120 minutes (S1603), and if it is within 120 minutes (YES in S1603), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 then determines whether or not the predicted user's return time is within 120 minutes (S1603). It is determined whether or not the return time of the person is within 30 minutes (S1604). Then, when the user's return time is within 30 minutes (YES in S1604), the defrosting postponement instruction is transmitted to the refrigerator 1 (S1605). Further, the precooling determination unit 202 transmits a precooling start instruction to the refrigerator 1 (S1606). On the other hand, when the predicted user's return time is not within 30 minutes (NO in S1604), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 determines whether or not to perform the defrosting process (S1607), and determines that the defrosting process is necessary (S1607). YES in S1608), and a defrosting start instruction is transmitted to the refrigerator 1 (S1609). If it is determined that defrosting is unnecessary (NO in S1608), the process returns to step S1602.

Whether or not defrosting in steps S1607 and S1608 is necessary can be determined, for example, as follows. The current amount of frost formation and the amount of frost formation due to the pre-cooling operation or quenching operation in the future are predicted, and it is judged whether or not the sum of these exceeds the amount of frost formation required for defrosting. That is, it is determined that defrosting treatment is necessary when the following formula is satisfied. Since the amount of frost formation can be predicted by the prior art, the description thereof will be omitted.

Current frosting amount + frosting amount by precooling (and quenching) operation> frosting amount required for defrosting For example, frosting per hour when the compressor is operated at a temperature of 30 ° C and a relative humidity of 80% RH. The amount is 2 g, the amount of frost when the door of the freezer is opened and closed once is 8 g, the amount of frost when the door of the refrigerating room is opened and closed once is 10 g, and the amount of frost on the evaporator exceeds 200 g. Think of a refrigerator that needs defrosting. In this refrigerator, if the operation time from the previous defrosting treatment to the present time is 12 hours, the freezing room door is opened and closed 6 times, and the refrigerating room door is opened and closed 4 times, the amount of frost formation is 24 + 48 + 40 = It will be 112 g.
In addition, the operation time from the present time until the end of precooling (and quenching) is 9 hours (1 hour until arrival, 8 hours of quenching operation), the number of times the freezing room door is opened and closed is 5, and the number of times the refrigerating room door is opened and closed Assuming 10 times, the expected amount of frost formation until the completion of precooling (and quenching) is 18 + 40 + 100 = 158 g. Therefore, the current frost formation amount (112 g) + frost formation amount by precooling (and quenching) operation (158 g) = 268 g> frost formation amount requiring defrosting (200 g), and defrosting is required.

The above is the flow of the process in which the communication device 2 accelerates the defrosting process.

In addition, before determining whether or not the purchase forecast condition is satisfied, it is determined whether or not the purchase preliminary forecast condition is satisfied, and if the purchase preliminary forecast condition is satisfied, whether or not the defrosting process is postponed or the defrosting process is performed. It may be determined whether or not to accelerate. The purchase preliminary prediction condition corresponds to the case where the threshold value b in Example 1 of the above-mentioned determination process is exceeded, the threshold value c in Example 2 of the determination process is exceeded, and the threshold value e in Example 3 of the determination process is exceeded. do.

With reference to FIG. 17, a flow of processing for determining whether or not the purchase preliminary forecast condition is satisfied will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for determining whether or not the purchase preliminary forecast condition is satisfied.

As shown in FIG. 17, first, the pre-cooling determination unit 202 of the communication device 2 determines whether or not the purchase preliminary prediction condition is satisfied (S1701). When the purchase preliminary prediction condition is satisfied (YES in S1701), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 predicts the user's return time using the determination table 211. Then, when the predicted user's return time to return home is within 30 minutes (YES in S1702), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 transmits a defrosting postponement instruction to the refrigerator 1 (S1703). On the other hand, when the predicted user's return time is not within 30 minutes (NO in S1702), the pre-cooling determination unit 202 determines whether or not to perform the defrosting process (S1704), and determines that the defrosting process is necessary (S1704). YES in S1705), and a defrosting start instruction is transmitted to the refrigerator 1 (S1706). If it is determined that defrosting is unnecessary (NO in S1705), the process is terminated as it is.

Further, after the process shown in FIG. 17 described above, it is also possible to perform a determination process of whether or not to transmit the precooling start instruction shown in FIG. Thereby, in the above-mentioned example of the determination process, it is possible to realize the process when the threshold value of two steps is set.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the defrosting process is executed, when it is determined that the frozen food purchased by the user cannot be cooled appropriately, that is, when it is determined that the user returns home early, the defrosting process is performed. Postpone. As a result, the frozen food purchased by the user can be appropriately cooled.

[Appendix 1]
The above-mentioned registration position may be shared with other users. For example, it may be an individuality to register a position where another user has purchased frozen food as a purchase position of frozen food in this user.

Further, the precooling process may be started from the position information of another person. More specifically, the precooling process may be started based on the position information of another person associated with the registered position. For example, a store that sells frozen foods may carry out mobile sales, and the precooling process may be started when the clerk of the store leaves the store.

[Embodiment 3]
In the refrigerating system 10 according to the present embodiment, the user purchases foods (articles) that need to be frozen by using the user's position acquired from the mobile communication terminal 5 and the determination table stored in the communication device 2. Determine if it has been done. Then, when it is determined that the purchase has been made, the estimated return time of the user may be derived, and based on the derived estimated return time, another process may be performed in the refrigerator 1 to change to precooling.

If the refrigerator is equipped with an automatic ice making device, ice making may be performed if the amount of ice stored is sufficient. If it has a rapid ice making function, it can make ice in a short time. By increasing the amount of ice stored, the cooling capacity in the refrigerator is improved, and the frozen food purchased by the user can be appropriately cooled.

Furthermore, the cooling mode that emphasizes energy saving may be switched to the cooling mode that emphasizes cooling capacity, and at that time, it is displayed or notified that cooling is being performed for storing frozen foods later. You may. That is, it is possible to reduce unnecessary and unurgent opening of the refrigerator door and suppress the temperature rise inside the refrigerator. Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described first and second embodiments.

[Appendix 2]
Although the above-described embodiment has been described by taking a refrigerator as an example, the present invention is not limited to the refrigerator, and by combining the disclosed technical means, a rice cooker that can cook rice before and after the time of arrival at the house, etc. Cooking utensils, bath water heaters that are filled with hot water around the time of arrival at home, air conditioners that reach a comfortable temperature around the time of arrival at home, automatic vacuum cleaners that finish cleaning around the time of arrival at home, when arriving at home It can be applied to air purifiers that have finished cleaning the air.

[Example of realization by software]
Control blocks of the refrigerator 1 and the communication device 2 (particularly, control unit 200 (position information acquisition unit 201, precooling determination unit 202, defrosting determination unit 203, control command generation unit 204, determination table generation unit 205), and control unit 100 (precooling). The processing unit 101, the quenching processing unit 102, and the defrosting processing unit 103)) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is used. It may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the refrigerator 1 and the communication device 2 are a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function, and a ROM (Read Only) in which the program and various data are readablely recorded by a computer (or CPU). It is equipped with a Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as "recording media"), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for developing the above program, and the like. Then, the object of the present invention is achieved by the computer (or CPU) reading the program from the recording medium and executing the program. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium", for example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. It should be noted that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the above program is embodied by electronic transmission.

〔summary〕
The control device (communication device 2) according to the first aspect of the present invention is a control device that controls the refrigerator (1), and is a position where the user stays before the increase when the number of articles in the refrigerator has increased in the past. And, using at least one of the times from when the user leaves the stay position until the number of articles in the refrigerator increases and the current position of the user, the user puts the product into the refrigerator at the stay position. An acquisition determination unit (pre-cooling determination unit 202) that determines whether or not an article has been acquired, and a charging time derivation unit (pre-cooling determination unit 202) that derives the charging time from the acquisition of the article to the storage of the article in the refrigerator. 202), and a pre-cooling instruction transmitting unit (pre-cooling determination unit 202, control command generation unit 204) that transmits a pre-cooling instruction to cause the refrigerator to execute the pre-cooling process when the charging time is within the first predetermined time. It is a configuration equipped with.

According to the above configuration, when the charging time, which is the time until the article is charged into the refrigerator, is within the first predetermined time, the precooling instruction of the refrigerator is transmitted. Therefore, since the pre-cooling can be started in consideration of the time until the article is put into the refrigerator, the pre-cooling time can be appropriately secured and the pre-cooling can be prevented from being wasted.

In the control device according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the first predetermined time may be longer than the time for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator during the normal operation of the refrigerator.

According to the above configuration, since the first predetermined time is longer than the time for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator during the normal operation of the refrigerator, it is possible to prevent the precooling time from becoming insufficient. For example, if the time required to move from the place where the goods are obtained to the refrigerator is shorter than the time required to lower the temperature inside the refrigerator during normal operation of the refrigerator, precooling is performed from the time when the user is staying at the place where the goods are obtained. Since the above is started, it is possible to prevent the precooling time from becoming insufficient.

In the control device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the above aspect 1 or 2, the refrigerator executes the defrosting treatment at a predetermined timing, and the second predetermined time is equal to or longer than the first predetermined time. If it is within the time, the configuration may include a defrosting postponement instruction transmitting unit (control command generation unit 204) for transmitting the defrosting postponement instruction for delaying the timing of the defrosting process to the refrigerator.

According to the above configuration, when the charging time is within the second predetermined time, an instruction to postpone the defrosting process is transmitted. This makes it possible to prevent the defrosting process from being executed when the article is put into the refrigerator.

In any of the above aspects 1 to 3, the control device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention registers the position of the user before the increase when the inventory in the refrigerator increases as the stay position. The configuration may include a unit (determination table generation unit 205).

According to the above configuration, it is possible to automatically register the stay position, which is the position where the user has acquired the article that needs to be put into the refrigerator.

The refrigerator according to the fifth aspect of the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives the pre-cooling instruction from the control device, an inquiry unit that inquires the user whether or not the pre-cooling process may be started based on the pre-cooling instruction, and the inquiry. Based on the answer to the above, the configuration is provided with a pre-cooling processing unit that executes the pre-cooling processing.

According to the above configuration, the pre-cooling is requested from the user before the start of pre-cooling, and the pre-cooling is started when the permission is given. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pre-cooling from being started without the user's knowledge. can.

The refrigerating system according to aspect 6 of the present invention includes the control device and the refrigerator. Thereby, the above-mentioned effect can be obtained.

The control method of the control device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is a control method of the control device for controlling the refrigerator, and the stay position of the user before the increase and the stay position of the user when the number of articles in the refrigerator has increased in the past. Using at least one of the times from when the user leaves the stay position until the number of articles in the refrigerator increases and the current position of the user, the article to be put into the refrigerator by the user at the stay position is put into the refrigerator. After the user has acquired the article, the acquisition determination step (S1101) for determining whether or not the refrigerator has been acquired and the time from when the user leaves the stay position until the number of the articles in the refrigerator increases. The charging time derivation step (S1102) for deriving the charging time until the refrigerator is charged, and the precooling instruction for causing the refrigerator to execute the precooling process when the charging time is within the first predetermined time are transmitted to the refrigerator. The instruction transmission step (S1104) is included.

According to the above method, the same effect as that of the above aspect 1 is obtained.

The control device according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the control device is realized by the computer by operating the computer as each part (software element) included in the control device. The control program of the control device and the computer-readable recording medium on which it is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

In the control device according to one aspect of the present invention, when the first predetermined time is longer than the time from when the user leaves the stay position until the number of articles in the refrigerator increases, the user moves to the stay position. The precooling treatment may be started before leaving the refrigerator.

The control device according to one aspect of the present invention is configured to include a position designation reception unit (determination table generation unit 205) that receives the designation of the stay position from the user in any one of the above aspects 1 to 4. May be good.

In any of the above aspects 1 to 4, the control device according to one aspect of the present invention starts the precooling process, and when it is determined from the position information of the user that the time when the articles in the refrigerator increase is delayed, The configuration may include a pre-cooling interruption unit (control command generation unit 204) that temporarily suspends the pre-cooling process.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1 Refrigerator 2 Communication device (control device)
5 Mobile communication terminal 10 Refrigerator system 100, 200 Control unit 101 Pre-cooling processing unit 102 Quenching processing unit 103 Defrosting processing unit 104 Inquiry unit 120 Transmission / reception unit (reception unit)
202 Pre-cooling judgment unit (acquisition judgment unit, input time derivation unit, pre-cooling instruction transmission unit)
203 Defrosting judgment unit (defrosting postponement instruction transmission unit)
204 Control command generator (pre-cooling instruction transmitter, defrost postponement instruction transmitter)
205 Judgment table generation unit (location registration unit, location designation reception unit)
211 Judgment table

Claims (8)

A control device that controls the refrigerator
When the number of articles in the refrigerator has increased in the past, the user can use the stay position information indicating the stay position of the user before the increase and the position information indicating the current position of the user at the stay position. An acquisition determination unit that determines whether or not the goods to be put into the refrigerator have been acquired,
A charging time derivation unit for deriving the charging time from the acquisition of the article to the refrigerator by the user at the staying position, and a charging time deriving unit.
From the charging time and the elapsed time from the time when the user determines that the article was acquired at the staying position to the present time, the predicted charging time until the article is charged into the refrigerator at the present time is derived. A control device including a pre-cooling instruction transmitting unit that transmits a pre-cooling instruction for causing the refrigerator to execute a pre-cooling process when the predicted charging time is within the first predetermined time. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time is longer than a time for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator during normal operation of the refrigerator. The above refrigerator executes defrosting treatment at a predetermined timing.
When the predicted charging time is within the second predetermined time, which is equal to or longer than the first predetermined time, the defrosting postponement instruction transmitting unit for transmitting the defrosting postponement instruction for delaying the timing of the defrosting process to the refrigerator is provided. The control device according to claim 1 or 2. A claim comprising a location registration unit that acquires the position information of the user before the increase a plurality of times when the number of articles in the refrigerator increases and registers the frequently-used position as the stay position. Item 3. The control device according to any one of Items 1 to 3. A receiving unit that receives the precooling instruction from the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
An inquiry unit that asks the user whether or not to start the pre-cooling process based on the above pre-cooling instruction.
A refrigerator provided with a pre-cooling treatment unit that executes pre-cooling treatment based on the answers to the above inquiries. A refrigerating system including the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and the refrigerator according to claim 5. It is a control method of the control device that controls the refrigerator.
When the number of articles in the refrigerator has increased in the past, the user can use the stay position information indicating the stay position of the user before the increase and the position information indicating the current position of the user at the stay position. The acquisition determination step for determining whether or not the article to be put into the refrigerator has been acquired, and
A charging time derivation step for deriving the charging time from the acquisition of the article to the refrigerator by the user at the staying position, and a charging time derivation step.
From the charging time and the elapsed time from the time when the user determines that the article was acquired at the staying position to the present time, the predicted charging time until the article is charged into the refrigerator at the present time is derived. A control method for a control device, comprising: a pre-cooling instruction transmission step of transmitting a pre-cooling instruction for causing the refrigerator to execute a pre-cooling process when the predicted charging time is within the first predetermined time. A control program for operating a computer as the control device according to claim 1, wherein the computer functions as the acquisition determination unit, the input time derivation unit, and the precooling instruction transmission unit.

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