JPWO2017179188A1 - Refrigerator and network system including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

  The control part 100 of the refrigerator which has the storage room which accommodates food, and the communication part which communicates with the terminal device used by the administrator is the user operation of the refrigerator, the temperature of the air in the storage room, and the food in the storage room A state detection unit 101 that detects first information about at least one of the states of the state, a state acquisition unit 102 that acquires second information indicating the use state of the refrigerator from the first information in a certain period, When it is determined from the second information that the life status of the user of the refrigerator should be notified to the administrator, the life management unit 103 notifies the terminal device of the life status.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a communication function and a network system including the refrigerator.

  In recent years, the proportion of elderly people (65 years old and over) in the total population is increasing in Japan. In addition, the number of people constituting one household is decreasing, and there is a tendency for one household (living alone) to increase. For this reason, confirmation of the safety of elderly people living alone and confirmation of necessity of care are necessary. By the way, the living situation of a person can be estimated from the use situation of the refrigerator of the person (user). The reason is that the usage of the refrigerator is closely related to the eating habits that are a part of the life of the refrigerator user.

  Patent document 1 calculates the empty capacity and empty space of the storage room from the image data obtained by photographing the inside of the storage room (storage room), and calculates the calculation result and the storage room image data (inside image data). The refrigerator to be transmitted to the display terminal is described.

  Patent Document 2 transmits image data obtained by imaging inside and outside the warehouse to a mobile phone (mobile terminal) via a server, and monitors inside and outside the warehouse from a remote location. Describes a refrigerator as a storage for goods.

JP, 2014-209048, A (for example, paragraphs 0041-0049, 0062-0078, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 15) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-46833 (for example, paragraphs 0021-0025, FIG. 1)

  However, although the refrigerator of patent document 1 can display the image inside a storage room etc. on the display part of a display terminal, it has a function which estimates the use condition (for example, usage history) of a refrigerator. In addition, there is a problem that it is not possible to make a determination based on the usage status of the refrigerator (for example, a determination regarding a user's life status).

  Moreover, although the refrigerator of patent document 2 can transmit the image data inside and outside of a refrigerator to a user's portable terminal, and can display the image inside and outside of a refrigerator on the display part of a user's portable terminal, There has been a problem that it is not possible to make a determination based on the usage status (for example, a determination regarding a user's life status).

  Furthermore, neither of Patent Documents 1 and 2 describes a technique for notifying notification information to an administrator who is a third party other than the user.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and the second information indicating the usage status of the refrigerator obtained from the result of the detection of the first information such as the user operation in a certain period. Based on the refrigerator, it is possible to determine whether or not the user's living situation is a notification required situation, and to notify the terminal apparatus of the user's living situation when the living situation is determined to be a notification required situation. And a network system including the same.

  The refrigerator according to the present invention is a refrigerator having a storage room for storing food, and a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device used by an administrator, the user operation of the refrigerator, the air in the storage room A status detection unit that detects first information regarding at least one of temperature and a state of food in the storage chamber, and second information that indicates the usage status of the refrigerator from the first information in a certain period of time The life of notifying the terminal device of the life situation when it is determined from the situation acquisition unit that obtains the life status of the user of the refrigerator from the second information. And a management unit.

  The network system according to the present invention includes the refrigerator and a terminal device that is communicably connected to the refrigerator.

  According to the present invention, the usage state of the refrigerator obtained from the result of detection of the first information on at least one of the user operation of the refrigerator, the temperature of the air in the storage chamber, and the state of the food in the storage chamber. If it is determined whether the life status of the user of the refrigerator is a notification required status to be notified to the administrator, and if the living status is determined to be the notification required status, The device can be notified. For this reason, the administrator who received the user's living situation can take an appropriate measure for the user.

It is a front view which shows schematic structure of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure (cross-sectional structure which cuts FIG. 1 by line segment II-II) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control system of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control unit in FIG. 3. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the example of the opening / closing log | history of the door in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure (cross-sectional structure which cuts FIG. 1 by line segment II-II) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part of FIG. 7 roughly. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the example of the temperature history in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure (cross-sectional structure which cuts FIG. 1 by line segment II-II) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control unit in FIG. 11. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator according to the third embodiment. (A)-(d) is a figure which shows the example of the supplementary information of the picked-up image (storage room image) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1, the food image extracted from the picked-up image, and a food image. . (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the example of the display screen in a portable terminal of the food image extracted from the picked-up image (storage room image) in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen in a portable terminal of the food image extracted from the picked-up image (storage room image) in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure (cross-sectional structure which cuts FIG. 1 by line segment II-II) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows schematically the structure of the control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the content of the food image database which the food identification part of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 4 refers to in table format. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator according to the fourth embodiment. It is a figure which shows roughly the structure of the network system which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention.

<< 1 >> Embodiment 1
<< 1-1 >> Configuration FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1 includes a plurality of storage rooms for storing food. The plurality of storage rooms include, for example, a refrigerator room 11, an ice making room 12, a switching room 13, a freezing room 14, and a vegetable room 15. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator compartment 11, the ice making room 12, the switching room 13, the freezer compartment 14, and the vegetable compartment 15 are arranged in this order from the top. Further, the ice making chamber 12 and the switching chamber 13 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The refrigerator 1 includes a cooling device that cools the storage chamber. The cooling device includes, for example, a refrigeration cycle circuit having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The plurality of storage rooms are cooled by a refrigeration cycle circuit. FIG. 1 is also referred to in the second embodiment (FIG. 6), the third embodiment (FIG. 10), and the fourth embodiment (FIG. 17). Refrigerator 1 is denoted as refrigerators 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Embodiments 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively.

  An operation panel 21 having a display unit (display screen) as a display device may be provided on the front surface (front surface) of the door (refrigeration chamber door) 20 of the refrigerator compartment 11. On the display screen of the operation panel 21, it is possible to display storage room information (internal information) that is information related to the refrigerator 1, such as the set temperature and the current temperature of each storage room. The operation panel 21 has, for example, a touch panel that receives user input. The installation position of the operation panel 21 is not limited to the door 20 of the refrigerator compartment 11, and may be installed at other positions such as the outer surface of the door of another storage room or the side surface of the refrigerator 1. In addition, the ice making room 12, the switching room 13, the freezing room 14, and the vegetable room 15 are configured so as to be able to slide out to the front side of the refrigerator 1 together with the doors provided on the front surfaces thereof, for example. Yes. FIG. 1 shows an example of a refrigerator to which the present invention is applicable, but the refrigerator to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to that shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the refrigerator compartment 11 of the refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1 (cross-sectional structure taken along line II-II in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1 has a door 20 that opens and closes an opening on the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the refrigerator compartment 11. The refrigerator compartment 11 is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by a plurality of shelf boards (shelves) 16 arranged inside. The space below the lowermost shelf 16 is a chilled chamber 17. A chilled case 18 that can be drawn forward (leftward in FIG. 2) along a guide member (not shown) such as a rail is installed inside the chilled chamber 17. A cooling air passage 19 is provided on the back side of the refrigerator compartment 11 (on the right side in FIG. 2) as a passage for guiding the air cooled by the refrigeration cycle circuit to the storage compartment.

  The main body of the refrigerator 1 in contact with the door 20 is provided with an opening / closing detection unit 22 as an opening / closing detection device that detects opening / closing of the door 20. The open / close detection unit 22 is, for example, a magnet-type device that detects the proximity of a magnet (permanent magnet) embedded in the door 20 by a pair of reed switches installed in the main body of the refrigerator 1. However, the open / close detection unit 22 may be a detection device that employs another detection method such as a mechanical switch or an optical switch.

  The refrigerator 1 includes a control board 110 having a control circuit for operating the refrigerator 1. The control board 110 is attached to the back surface of the refrigerator 1, for example.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control system of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the control system of the refrigerator 1 includes, for example, an operation panel 21, an open / close detection unit 22 that detects an open state and a closed state of the door 20, and a terminal device as an external device in a wired or wireless manner. A communication unit 23 as a communication device capable of communicating, a storage unit 24 such as a semiconductor memory for storing information, a time providing unit 25 for providing time information, and a control for controlling the overall operation of the refrigerator 1 Part 100. Moreover, the control system of the refrigerator 1 includes, for example, a compressor drive circuit 31 that drives a compressor (compressor) 32 that constitutes a part of the refrigeration cycle circuit, and a fan (motor) 34 that flows air into the storage chamber of the refrigerator 1. And a fan driving circuit 33 to be driven. The circuit that is the main part of the control system of the refrigerator 1 can be provided on the control board 110. However, a part of the circuit of FIG. 3 may be provided on another control board.

  The communication unit 23 includes a communication module such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The refrigerator 1 uses the communication unit 23, for example, via at least one of a router (a broadband router 506 shown in FIG. 22 described later) and the Internet (the Internet 601 shown in FIG. 22 described later), Communicates with a terminal device (for example, a terminal device 70 used by an administrator who is a third party other than the user of the refrigerator 1) such as a smartphone, a mobile tablet, a mobile phone, a personal computer, or the like existing inside or outside the house. be able to. Therefore, the refrigerator 1 can display various information regarding the refrigerator 1 on the display unit 71 of the terminal device 70.

  The time information provided by the time providing unit 25 can include not only hours, minutes, and seconds but also dates (month / date or year / month / day). The time providing unit 25 may be, for example, a clock or a time receiving device that receives a time signal transmitted by a time signal provider.

  The control unit 100 may include a processor as an information processing apparatus that executes a program as software stored in the storage unit 24. In this case, the function of the control unit 100 is realized by executing this program.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control unit 100 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 100 includes a status detection unit 101 that detects first information (a condition of the storage room) of the refrigerator 1 and second information that indicates a usage status of the refrigerator 1 by the user. A status acquisition unit (use estimation unit) 102 to be acquired, and a life management unit 103 that determines whether or not the user's life status should be notified to the administrator from the acquired second information. ing. Further, the communication unit 23, the storage unit 24, and the time providing unit 25 may be part of the control unit 100. The situation detection unit 101 is connected to the open / close detection unit 22 and the situation acquisition unit 102 installed in the main body of the refrigerator 1.

  The situation detection unit 101 includes, for example, at least one of a user operation of the refrigerator 1, an air temperature (or humidity) that is an example of an air state in the storage room, and a food situation in the storage room. Detecting the information. In the first embodiment, the situation detection unit 101 detects opening / closing of the door 20 that is a user operation by a user (managed person) of the refrigerator 1 as the first information. The temperature of the air in the storage chamber will be described in Embodiment 2, and the state of food in the storage chamber will be described in Embodiments 3 and 4. In the first embodiment, the situation detection unit 101 receives the opening / closing information of the door 20 detected by the opening / closing detection unit 22 and stores the opening / closing information together with time information indicating the time when the opening / closing of the door 20 is performed. The information is transmitted to the status acquisition unit 102 as information. Further, the situation detection unit 101 may store the opening / closing information of the door 20 and the time information in the storage unit 24 or the like in association with each other.

  The status acquisition unit 102 acquires the usage status of the refrigerator 1 from the detection result of the first information in a certain period. For example, the situation acquisition unit 102 receives storage room information of the refrigerator compartment 11 including opening / closing information and time information of the door 20 from the situation detection unit 101. The situation acquisition unit 102 calculates the number N of opening / closing of the door 20 for each predetermined period (each time period). The situation acquisition unit 102 can acquire a short-term use situation from one hour to several hours. In addition, the status acquisition unit 102 uses a long-term usage status such as a day unit, a month unit, a season (three months) unit, and a year unit based on time information such as a month or day. Can also get. As described above, the status acquisition unit 102 according to the first embodiment acquires the usage status of the refrigerator 1 by the user based on the opening / closing information (opening / closing history) of the door 20, and transmits the acquisition result to the life management unit 103. To do.

  Based on the usage status acquired by the status acquisition unit 102, the life management unit 103 determines whether or not the life status of the user (managed person) of the refrigerator 1 is a notification required status, and the living status is required to be notified. In the case of a situation, an apparatus (for example, an apparatus for which the administrator has authority to use) notification information indicating the living condition of the user of the refrigerator 1 via the communication unit 23 (terminal device 70 in FIG. 3). ). For example, the life management unit 103 receives the usage status of the refrigerator by the user based on the opening / closing information (opening / closing history) of the door 20 from the status acquisition unit 102, and for example, the user's home or absence tendency, the user's food The user's life situation such as the ratio of self-catering and eating out in life is acquired. In addition, when the user's life situation is a notification required situation, the life management unit 103 should notify the administrator of notification information (for example, information related to the safety of the user or information related to crime prevention at the user's house) ) Is sent to the communication unit 23.

  The communication unit 23 is connected to the life management unit 103 of the control unit 100, and is a communication device that can communicate with the terminal device 70 in a wired or wireless manner. The communication unit 23 receives notification information to be notified to the administrator in the life situation acquired based on the opening / closing history of the door 20 from the life management unit 103, and transmits the notification information to the terminal device 70.

  The terminal device 70 is connected to the communication unit 23 in a communicable manner directly or via the Internet by wire or wireless. The terminal device 70 receives the notification information transmitted from the communication unit 23 and causes the display unit 71 of the terminal device 70 to display an image based on the notification information.

<< 1-2 >> Operation Next, an example of the operation of the refrigerator 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  When the user uses the refrigerator 1, such as when food is stored in the refrigerator 1, when food is taken out from the refrigerator 1, or when the stock status of food in the refrigerator 1 is checked, the user uses the refrigerator 1 1 door (for example, door 20) is opened and closed. Therefore, the opening / closing operation of the door of the refrigerator 1 provides evidence (evidence) indicating that the user is using the refrigerator 1.

  In the example of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, every time the door 20 of the refrigerator compartment 11 is opened and closed, the open / close detection unit 22 detects the opening operation and the closing operation, and the opening signal and the closing indicating the opening operation. A closed signal indicating the operation is transmitted to the situation detection unit 101. The situation detection unit 101 detects the opening time, the closing time, and the opening time (the time in the open state) by comparing the received opening signal or closing signal with time information. Since these detections are performed each time the door 20 is opened and closed, the opening signal associated with the opening time and the closing signal associated with the closing time are displayed as time-series data indicating the opening / closing history of the door 20. It is transmitted to the acquisition unit 102.

  The status acquisition unit 102 acquires the opening / closing status of the door 20 as second information indicating the usage status of the refrigerator compartment 11 from the time-series data indicating the opening / closing history of the door 20 transmitted from the status detection unit 101. Specifically, the status acquisition unit 102 calculates, for example, the number N of times of opening / closing the door 20 for each time period from the time series data indicating the opening / closing history of the door 20, for example, the short-term usage status and the long-term usage status. Acquire at least one of the usage conditions. The short-term usage status is, for example, a situation in which the door 20 is opened and closed continuously (with a short time interval) throughout the day, and the door 20 is limited only in the morning and evening of the day. Such as when the is open and closed. The long-term usage situation includes a situation where the number of times of opening and closing this month is less than the number of times of opening and closing last month, and a situation where the number of times of opening and closing in summer is higher than the number of times of opening and closing in other seasons.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of opening / closing history of the door 20 in the refrigerator compartment 11 of the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment. In the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B, the calculation results of the number N of opening / closing of the door 20 per predetermined time (here, 6 hours) are obtained for three days from September 23 to September 25, respectively. It is shown. In the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B, the histories of the opening / closing frequency N of the door 20 on September 25 (Friday) are different from each other.

  The situation acquisition unit 102 acquires, for example, second information indicating the usage status of the refrigerator by the user from the opening / closing information (opening / closing history) of the door 20 as illustrated in FIGS. In both examples of FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), on September 23 (holiday), “midnight” (from 0:00 to 6:00) and “night” (from 18:00 to 24:00) The number of opening / closing N is 3 (slightly opening and closing), and the number of opening / closing N in the “morning in the day” (6 to 12 o'clock) is 4 (slightly opening and closing). The number of times of opening and closing N in “afternoon” (from 12:00 to 18:00) is 0 (no opening and closing). From the usage situation on September 23 (holiday), the refrigerator 1 is used for “morning in the day” and “night (night and midnight)”, but the refrigerator 1 is used in the “daytime afternoon”. Second information indicating the usage status of not being used is acquired.

  5A and 5B, on September 24 (Thursday), compared to September 23 (holiday), “morning in the daytime” (from 6:00 to 12:00) And “N” (opening from 18:00 to 24:00) increases the number of opening and closing N, and “opening and closing in the afternoon” (from 12:00 to 18:00) is 3, and the user continues throughout the day. The 2nd information which shows the use condition that the refrigerator 1 was used is acquired.

  On September 25 (Friday), in the example of FIG. 5 (a), the refrigerator 1 is continuously used throughout the day, and “morning during the day” (from 6:00 to 12:00). And the number N of times of opening and closing at “night” (from 18:00 to 24:00) is larger than the number of times of opening and closing on the other days. However, in the example of FIG. 5B, the opening / closing frequency N in “midnight” (from 0 o'clock to 6 o'clock) is one, and thereafter, the refrigerator 1 is not used at all.

  Next, the life management unit 103 receives the usage status of the refrigerator by the user acquired by the status acquisition unit 102, and acquires the living status based on the usage status. In the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B, on September 23 (holiday), the user uses the refrigerator 1 only for “midnight”, “morning during the day”, and “night”. Ate breakfast at home, but lunch and dinner are eating out, and the living situation is acquired that the door of the refrigerator 1 is opened and closed to take out beverages and the like at "night". Further, on September 24 (Thursday), a life situation that the user stayed at home almost all day is acquired from the usage situation that the refrigerator 1 was continuously used throughout the day.

  In the example of FIG. 5A, from the usage situation where the number of times of opening and closing at “night” on Friday, September 25 has increased, more ingredients than usual are used for dinner, and it is long like a party until late at night. A living situation (such as a living situation that is not a notification-needed situation) such as having continued eating for a period of time can be considered. However, in the example of FIG. 5B, September 25 (Friday) is a living situation where the refrigerator 1 is not used at all after 6 am, and the user may have gone out from early morning or There is a possibility that some problem (notification required) occurred.

  In addition, the life management unit 103 determines whether or not the acquired (estimated) user life situation is a notification-needed situation to be notified to the administrator. In the example of FIG. 5 (a), the living situation on September 23 (holiday), September 24 (Thursday) and September 25 (Friday) is the presence or absence of eating out and home information, the quality of dinner, From the information about time, it can be determined that the user's life situation does not require urgent (not a notification-needed situation). However, in the example of FIG. 5 (b), the living situation on September 25 (Friday) shows the usage situation in which the door 20 is not opened or closed at all for almost one day (for example, a health problem for the user). It is possible to determine that a situation has occurred or a situation related to a crime has occurred. In this case, the refrigerator 1 notifies the terminal device 70 of notification information as safety related information via the communication unit 23.

  The life management unit 103 holds in advance a criterion for determining the notification required status (or stores it in the storage unit 24) in order to determine whether or not the acquired user's living status is a notification required status. It is necessary) In the example of September 25 (Friday) shown in FIG. 5B, the life management unit 103 indicates that the refrigerator 1 is not used at all in a predetermined reference time (for example, 18 hours or 24 hours). For example, the terminal device 70 can be set to notify the notification information when the information is continued for more than the threshold time. However, if the user is away from home for a period longer than the reference time, such as when traveling, the threshold value can be canceled by the user's operation. Transmission can be avoided and notification information can be notified to the terminal device 70 at a necessary timing.

  In addition, when the life management unit 103 determines that a notification-necessary situation has occurred, the notification information notified to the terminal device 70 is the safety-related information as shown in the examples of FIGS. It is not limited to. For example, the life management unit 103 obtains the user's permission when the user is traveling and when the opening / closing operation of the door 20 occurs during the daytime of the weekday when the user is at work or school. Since it is possible to use the refrigerator 1 by a person who is not, it is possible to notify the terminal device 70 of crime prevention related information as notification information. In this case, since the administrator who has seen the notification information on the terminal device 70 can promptly report to the police or security company, it can be expected to prevent crimes.

  In addition, when the frequency of opening and closing the door 20 (for example, a situation where the frequency of opening and closing the door 20 is high at “midnight”) occurs, it is possible to notify the terminal device 70 of the user's non-suppression as notification information. . Further, when opening and closing of the door of the chilled chamber 17 in the refrigerated chamber 11 frequently occurs (when the door of the chilled chamber 17 is also provided with an opening / closing detection unit), the terminal device 70 is configured to serve unbalanced food on fresh food. Can be notified. According to these notification information, it becomes possible for the mother or wife, who is an administrator, to manage the health status of a child living alone or a husband who lives alone from a remote location.

  Moreover, it is desirable that the administrator who uses the terminal device 70 is set only for the administrator who has been authenticated in advance. The life-related information in the notification information transmitted to the terminal device 70 is personal information, but even if it is disclosed to an unspecified administrator, it is considered that it does not pose a significant problem in terms of security. However, since safety related information or crime prevention related information in the notification information includes user health information or user home and absence information, it is limited to managers such as family members, close relatives, or helpers entrusted by the user. It is desirable. Note that an authentication method for an administrator who uses the terminal device 70 will be described in a fifth embodiment.

<< 1-3 >> Effect As described above, according to the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment, the refrigerator 1 acquired from the result of detecting the number of times of opening / closing the door 20 that is the first information of the refrigerator 1. Based on the use status (second information) of the refrigerator, it is determined whether or not the life status of the user of the refrigerator 1 is a notification required status, and when it is determined that the life status is a notification required status, Notification information (information regarding safety, information regarding crime prevention, information regarding inappropriate eating habits, etc.) indicating the situation can be notified to the terminal device 70. For this reason, an administrator (for example, a family of a user living alone, a specialized care organization, a specialized security company, a public institution, or the like) that has received the notification information can take appropriate measures for the user.

<< 1-4 >> Modifications In the above description, the case where the open / close detector 22 is provided in the refrigerator compartment 11 has been described. However, an open / close detector may be provided in a storage room other than the refrigerator compartment 11, or a plurality of storages may be provided. A door open / close detector may be installed in the room. For example, if an open / close detection unit is installed in the vegetable compartment 15 in which vegetables that are purchased relatively frequently (the purchase interval is short) are stored, the life of the user can be obtained from the open / close information (open / close history) of the door of the vegetable compartment 15. The frequency of shopping in the situation can be grasped, and if the opening / closing history of the door of the vegetable compartment 15 is used, the accuracy of confirmation of the safety situation of the user can be improved. Further, for example, if an open / close detection unit is installed in the freezer compartment 14, it is possible to obtain the degree of unbalanced eating by the user (degree of dependence on frozen food) from the usage status of the freezer compartment 14.

<< 2 >> Embodiment 2
<< 2-1 >> Configuration FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure (a cross-sectional structure taken along line II-II in FIG. 1) of the refrigerator compartment 11 of the refrigerator 2 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. 2 are given to the same or corresponding elements as those shown in FIG. The refrigerator 2 shown in FIG. 6 has a temperature detection unit 26 that is a temperature detection device that detects the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 11 and the contents of control by the control unit (200 in FIG. 7). Different from the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control system of the refrigerator 2 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. 3 are given to the same or corresponding elements as those shown in FIG. The control system of the refrigerator 2 shown in FIG. 7 is different from the control system of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 3 in that it has the temperature detection unit 26 and the content of control by the control unit 200. About the other point, the refrigerator 2 which concerns on Embodiment 2 is the same as the refrigerator 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control unit 200 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 200 detects the first information of the refrigerator 2, and the status acquisition unit 202 acquires second information indicating the usage status of the refrigerator 2 by the user. And a life management unit 203 that determines whether or not the user's living status acquired from the acquired usage status is a notification required status. Further, the communication unit 23, the storage unit 24, and the time providing unit 25 may be part of the control unit 200. The situation detection unit 201 is connected to the open / close detection unit 22, the temperature detection unit 26, and the situation acquisition unit 202 installed in the main body of the refrigerator 2.

  In the second embodiment, the state detection unit 201 receives the opening / closing information (opening / closing history) of the door 20 detected by the opening / closing detection unit 22 and the temperature history in the refrigerator compartment 11 detected by the temperature detection unit 26. Then, the time when the door 20 is opened and closed and the time information when the temperature fluctuation occurs are transmitted to the status acquisition unit 202. That is, in the second embodiment, the situation detection unit 201 directly detects the temperature information detected by the temperature detection unit 26 as the first information related to the refrigerator compartment 11 in which the food is stored. The data is transmitted to the acquisition unit 202.

  In the second embodiment, the situation acquisition unit 202 connected to the situation detection unit 201 receives the opening / closing information (opening / closing history) and time information of the door 20 and the temperature information (temperature) in the refrigerator compartment 11 from the situation detection unit 201. The temperature of the air in the refrigerating room 11 (state in the storage room), which is constituted by the history) and time information, is received as the first information, and the refrigerator by the user based on the opening / closing history of the door 20 In addition to the usage status of the storage chamber, factors that affect the temperature of the air in the storage chamber, such as usage status such as a change in the set temperature by the user, temperature rise due to the opening and closing of the door 20 and load fluctuations when the door 20 is opened and closed, are also acquired. be able to. As described above, the status acquisition unit 202 according to the second embodiment acquires the usage status of the refrigerator 2 by the user based on the opening / closing history of the door 20 and the temperature history of the air in the storage (storage chamber), and the acquisition. The result is transmitted to the life management unit 203.

  In the second embodiment, the life management unit 203 receives from the situation acquisition unit 202 the acquisition result of the usage status of the refrigerator by the user based on the opening / closing history of the door 20 and the temperature history in the storage room. The user's life situation such as the set temperature situation and shopping tendency based on load fluctuations is acquired. In the subsequent processing, as in the case of the first embodiment, the life management unit 203 classifies information to be notified to the administrator in the acquired user's life situation, and sends the notification information to the communication unit 23. The information is transmitted to the terminal device 70 used by a person other than the user who uses the refrigerator 2 (a manager who is a third party), and the notification information is displayed on the display unit 71.

  The control unit 200 may include a processor as an information processing apparatus that executes a program as software stored in the storage unit 24. In this case, the function of the control unit 200 is realized by executing this program.

<< 2-2 >> Operation Next, an example of the operation of the refrigerator 2 according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the following description is performed focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  When the user uses the refrigerator 2, an operation for opening and closing the door 20 occurs. Also, as the door 20 is opened and closed, a part of the air in the storage chamber is replaced with the air outside the warehouse. The room temperature changes (generally increases). At this time, the temperature fluctuation range varies depending on the user's operation when the door 20 is opened and closed. For example, the longer the opening time of the door 20 and the greater the heat load of the stored food, the higher the temperature in the storage chamber. Therefore, the operation content when the refrigerator 2 is being used can be acquired more accurately by detecting the temperature in the storage chamber as the door 20 is opened and closed.

  In the example of the refrigerating room 11 shown in FIG. 6, when the door 20 is opened and closed, an open signal or a close signal of the door 20 detected by the open / close detection unit 22 is transmitted to the situation detection unit 201. The opening / closing history of the door 20 is generated as time series data. At this time, regardless of whether the door 20 is opened or closed, the temperature of the air in the refrigerator compartment 11 detected by the temperature detection unit 26 is transmitted to the situation detection unit 201 and is matched with time information in the situation detection unit 201. Thus, a temperature history is generated as time series data. Therefore, when the door 20 is opened and closed, both the signal indicating the opening and closing of the door 20 and the signal indicating the storage chamber temperature are transmitted to the status acquisition unit 202.

  The status acquisition unit 202 acquires second information indicating the usage status of the refrigerator compartment 11 from the time series data of the opening / closing history of the door 20 and the temperature history in the refrigerator compartment 11 transmitted from the situation detector 201. Specifically, the status acquisition unit 202 acquires the degree of temperature rise in the temperature history during the opening / closing operation of the door 20 detected from the opening / closing history, that is, the usage status regarding the cooling load given by the user. In addition, a usage status related to the user's temperature setting is acquired, such as determining whether the temperature rise detected from the temperature history is due to the opening / closing operation of the door 20 or due to a change in the user's preset temperature. .

  FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams illustrating an example of a temperature history (temperature change) in the refrigerator compartment 11 (storage compartment) of the refrigerator 2 according to the second embodiment. 9 (a) to 9 (c) show three consecutive days from September 23 to September 25 when the opening / closing operation occurs as shown in the opening / closing history of the door 20 shown in FIG. 5 (b). The temperature history 35 measured in this way is shown. 9 (a) shows the temperature change of the storage room on September 23, FIG. 9 (b) shows the temperature change of the storage room on September 24, and FIG. It shows the temperature change of the storage room of the day.

  The situation acquisition unit 202 according to the second embodiment uses the history of the door opening / closing frequency N shown in FIG. 5B and the temperature history 35 shown in FIGS. Get usage status. For example, in FIG. 5B, “midnight” (from 0:00 to 6:00), “morning in the day” (from 6:00 to 12:00), and “daytime in the afternoon” ( The temperature rise corresponding to the opening and closing of the door 20 detected from 12:00 to 18:00, respectively, in the temperature history 35 of FIG. 9A, respectively, from 0 o'clock to 1 o'clock, 6 o'clock to 8 o'clock, and It is detected from 18:00 to around 21:00. Similarly, for the opening and closing of the door 20 detected throughout the day on September 24 (Thursday), there is a clear temperature rise around 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock to 8 o'clock, and 19 o'clock to 22 o'clock. Has been detected. However, the door 20 detected on Thursday 24th September “daytime afternoon” (12: 00-18: 00) and on September 25th (Friday) “midnight” (0-06: 00) Regarding the opening and closing, the temperature history 35 of FIGS. 9B and 9C did not show a particularly large temperature rise, and it was considered that the door 20 was opened and closed for a short time (instant). In addition, after 6 o'clock on Friday, September 25, when the opening / closing of the door 20 is not detected, no temperature increase is observed even in the temperature history 35 of FIG. It is shown that the temperature has reached 0 ° C. or less after that time.

  Thus, by comparing the history of the opening / closing frequency N of the door 20 with the temperature history 35, the situation acquisition unit 202 in the second embodiment can acquire the use situation of the refrigerator by the user. That is, it is possible to acquire the exact execution time or door opening time of the opening / closing operation of the door 20 from the temperature history 35, and it is possible to extract information necessary for acquiring the contents of the opening / closing operation of the door 20. Moreover, the use condition also including the storage temperature in the refrigerator compartment 11 is acquirable like the temperature fall shown by the temperature history 35 of FIG.9 (c).

  Next, the life management unit 203 in the second embodiment receives the usage status of the refrigerator 1 by the user acquired in the status acquisition unit 202 based on the opening / closing history and the temperature history of the door 20, and uses the usage status. The life situation is acquired (estimated) based on this. In the example in which the opening / closing history of the door 20 of FIGS. 5A and 5B and the temperature history of FIGS. 9A to 9C are combined, from September 23 (holiday), the opening / closing history of the door 20 A living situation is acquired in which lunch and dinner were eating out. However, since the temperature history of FIG. 9 (a) shows that the door 20 is frequently opened and closed at "night", from FIG. 9 (a), the situation that dinner was taken at home was acquired. Is done.

  Also, on September 24 (Thursday), which is estimated to have been almost all-day due to the opening / closing history of the door 20, the opening / closing of the door 20 near 12:00 in the daytime is instantaneous from the temperature history of FIG. 9 (b). It is presumed that there is a possibility of not cooking lunch or eating out. According to the opening / closing history of the door 20, on September 25 (Friday) when the refrigerator 1 is not used at all after 6 o'clock, the user has lowered the set temperature from the situation that the temperature is gradually decreasing, or There is also a possibility that a new situation has occurred in which the internal load is too small with respect to the set temperature.

  As in the first embodiment, the life management unit 203 refers to the temperature history of the storage room in the user's life situation acquired from the opening / closing history, and reports that the life situation should be notified to the administrator. It is determined (classified) whether or not. In the example of only the opening / closing history of the door 20 in FIG. 5B, the use situation in which the door 20 is not opened / closed at all for one day on Friday, September 25 is a health problem or crime of the user. When it is determined that the situation is related, the terminal device 70 used by an administrator other than the user who uses the refrigerator 2 is notified as safety related information via the communication unit 23. However, in the second embodiment, the life management unit 203 determines that the user has changed the set temperature even when the door 20 is not opened or closed by combining with the temperature history shown in FIG. 9C. The broadcast information such as can be not transmitted. In addition, when the life management unit 203 determines that the set temperature is too low for the cooling load, the life management unit 203 may notify the freezing risk that notifies that the food may be frozen as the dietary related information. it can.

<< 2-3 >> Effect As described above, according to the refrigerator 2 according to the second embodiment, the temperature detection unit 26 detects the door opening / closing count as the first information of the refrigerator 2. Based on the usage status of the refrigerator 2 acquired from the temperature history of the refrigerator compartment 11, it is determined whether the life status of the user of the refrigerator 2 should be notified to the administrator, and the living status Can be notified to the terminal device 70 of notification information (information related to safety, information related to crime prevention, information related to inappropriate eating habits, etc.) indicating the life status of the user. For this reason, an administrator (for example, a family of a user living alone, a specialized care organization, a specialized security company, a public institution, or the like) that has received the notification information can take appropriate measures for the user.

  In addition, by reflecting the temperature history in the first information detected by the situation detection unit 201, the operation content when the door 20 is opened and closed, compared with the case where the living situation is acquired only by the opening and closing history of the door 20, Based on more information including the set temperature changing operation and the load situation of the storage room, the living situation of the user of the refrigerator 2 can be acquired. As a result, the accuracy of estimation of living conditions such as user safety information, crime prevention related information, dietary related information, etc., which are notified to the administrator is improved, and it is not necessary to notify the administrator Regardless, it is possible to avoid a situation in which broadcast information is transmitted.

<< 2-4 >> Modifications In the above description, in the situation detection unit 201, the storage chamber in the refrigerator room 11 is based on both the opening / closing history of the door 20 by the opening / closing detection unit 22 and the temperature history by the temperature detection unit 26. Although the example which detects the temperature of this air was demonstrated, the condition detection part 201 may detect the 1st information in the refrigerator compartment 11 only by the information of the temperature history by the temperature detection part 26. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the temperature history 35 also includes information on the temperature rise due to the opening and closing of the door 20, so that the temperature detection unit 26 substitutes the opening / closing detection unit 22, Compared with the case where the open / close detection unit 22 is added, it is possible to acquire more life situations of the user only by adding the temperature detection unit 26 as an apparatus.

  Moreover, in the said description, although the case where the temperature detection part 26 was provided in the refrigerator compartment 11 was illustrated, the temperature detection part was provided in the other storage room, and control of the refrigerator 2 was controlled based on the detection result of this temperature detection part. You may go.

<< 3 >> Embodiment 3
<< 3-1 >> Configuration FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure (a cross-sectional structure taken along line II-II in FIG. 1) of refrigerator compartment 11 of refrigerator 3 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. 10, components that are the same as or correspond to the components shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 are given the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. The refrigerator 3 shown in FIG. 10 is different from the refrigerator 2 shown in FIG. 6 in that it has a photographing device 27 that is a camera for photographing the inside of the refrigerator compartment 11.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control system of the refrigerator 3 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 11, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 are given to the same or corresponding elements as those shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. The control system of the refrigerator 3 shown in FIG. 11 is different from the control system of the refrigerator 2 shown in FIG. 7 in that it has the photographing device 27 and the contents of the control of the control unit 300. About the other point, the refrigerator 3 which concerns on Embodiment 3 is the same as the refrigerator 2 which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control unit 300 of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the control unit 300 includes a food management unit 304 that manages image data generated by the imaging device 27, a situation detection unit 301 that detects first information of the refrigerator 3, and a user's operation. A status acquisition unit 302 that acquires the usage status of the refrigerator 3 and a life management unit 303 that determines whether or not the user's life status is a notification required status from the acquired usage status are provided. Further, the communication unit 23, the storage unit 24, and the time providing unit 25 may be part of the control unit 300. The situation detection unit 301 is connected to the open / close detection unit 22, the temperature detection unit 26, and the situation acquisition unit 302 installed in the main body of the refrigerator 3. The situation acquisition unit 302 is connected to the situation detection unit 301 and the life management unit 303. The life management unit 303 is connected to the situation acquisition unit 302 and the communication unit 23.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the refrigerator 3 according to the third embodiment is provided with a photographing device 27 for photographing an image on the inner surface of the door 20. The imaging device 27 uses the entire area inside the refrigerator compartment 11 from the ceiling surface of the refrigerator compartment 11 to the chilled compartment 17 as the visual field range, and from the door 20 side (the position of the opening of the entire refrigerator compartment 11 as with the user's viewpoint). From) It is desirable that the inside of the refrigerator compartment 11 can be photographed. Therefore, it is desirable that the image data output from the photographing device 27 is entire image data including the entire interior of the refrigerator compartment 11.

  The installation position of the photographing device 27 is not limited to the inner surface of the door 20. The imaging device 27 may be installed at other positions as long as it can capture a wide range of storage items such as food placed on the shelf 16 of the refrigerator compartment 11. In consideration of the fact that the shelf 16 of the refrigerator compartment 11 blocks the field of view, a plurality of imaging devices 27 for imaging the interior of the refrigerator compartment 11 are installed so that more items can be photographed. May be.

  A control unit 300 is mounted on the control board 310 installed on the back surface of the refrigerator 3, and the food management unit 304 is connected to the imaging device 27 and the situation detection unit 301. The food management unit 304 extracts a food image from the image (storage room image) in the refrigerator compartment 11 photographed by the photographing device 27, and determines the food entering or leaving the food from the extracted food image, and then the food The information (including food images) of warehousing and delivery is stored in time series. Since the stored food image is transmitted to the situation detection unit 301, the control unit 300 displays the food image information including the image of the food stored in the refrigerator compartment 11 and its loading / unloading history, and the situation detection unit 301. Can be reflected in the first information detected. The food image data stored in the food management unit 304 may be stored in another storage unit (for example, the storage unit 24).

  Therefore, the situation detection unit 301 in the third embodiment is photographed by the opening / closing history of the door 20 detected by the opening / closing detection unit 22, the temperature history in the refrigerator compartment 11 detected by the temperature detection unit 26, and the photographing device 27. The food image information including the entry / exit history extracted from the stored storage room image and stored is received, and the image acquisition information 302 regarding the food stored in the refrigerator compartment 11 together with the opening / closing history and temperature history of the door 20 is received. Send to. As described above, the state detection unit 301 in the third embodiment detects and transmits not only the temperature of the air in the refrigerator compartment 11 in which the food is stored, but also information on the stored food itself.

  The situation acquisition unit 302 according to the third embodiment includes the temperature of the air in the refrigerating room 11, which is configured from the opening / closing history and time information of the door 20 and the temperature history and time information in the refrigerating room 11 from the situation detection unit 301. The information of the stored food itself is received as the first information, and the usage status of the refrigerator 3 by the user is acquired from the status of the stored food as well as the temperature of the air in the refrigerator compartment 11. can do. As described above, the situation acquisition unit 302 in the third embodiment acquires the use situation of the refrigerator 3 by the user based on the situation of the stored food as well as the opening / closing history of the door 20 and the storage room temperature history, The acquisition result is transmitted to the life management unit 303.

  The life management unit 303 in the third embodiment obtains the acquisition result of the usage status of the refrigerator 3 by the user from the status acquisition unit 302 based on the opening / closing history of the door 20 and the storage room temperature history, and the state of the stored food. For example, the user's life situation such as the tendency of food in and out depending on the time of day, the shopping tendency that causes the storage amount (load) fluctuation when the door 20 is opened and closed, the correlation between the temperature fluctuation and the storage state, etc. get. Thereafter, as in the case of the first and second embodiments, the life management unit 303 determines whether or not the acquired user's life situation includes a notification situation that should be notified to the administrator. If included, the notification information is transmitted to the terminal device 70 that is authorized to be used by an administrator other than the user who uses the refrigerator 3 via the communication unit 23, and the notification information is displayed on the display unit 71. .

  The control unit 300 may include a processor as an information processing apparatus that executes a program as software stored in the storage unit 24. In this case, the function of the control unit 300 is realized by executing this program.

<3-2> Operation Next, an example of the operation of the refrigerator 3 according to Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation performed each time the door 20 of the refrigerator 3 is opened and closed.

  As described in the first embodiment, when the user uses the refrigerator 3, an operation of opening and closing the door occurs, and the first information changes as the door 20 opens and closes, that is, the storage room. The temperature of the food and the state of the food stored in the storage room change. Therefore, it is possible to detect the first information using the opening / closing of the door 20 as a trigger (trigger), acquire the usage status of the refrigerator by the user based on the detection result, and acquire the living status from this usage status.

  The operation shown in FIG. 13 is started by opening and closing the door 20. When opening / closing of the door 20 is detected (YES in step S11), the photographing device 27 photographs the storage room of the refrigerator compartment 11 (step S12).

  The imaging device 27 transmits the captured image of the storage room 11 of the refrigerator compartment 11 (preferably, the image of the entire storage room) to the food management unit 304 (step S13). Therefore, the food management unit 304 receives the storage room image from the imaging device 27 every time the door 20 is opened and closed (that is, every time the storage state in the refrigerator compartment 11 may change). In the following description, the time when the door 20 is opened / closed this time (latest) is referred to as “the time when the door 20 is opened / closed this time”, and the time when the door 20 is opened / closed the previous time (the previous time) is “when the door 20 is opened / closed last time”. Called.

  The food management unit 304 stores the storage room image received from the imaging device 27 when the door 20 was opened and closed the last time, and newly stores the storage room image received from the imaging device 27 when the door 20 was opened and closed this time. And the image of the change part of the image in a store | warehouse | chamber is extracted by calculating the difference of the storage room image at the time of opening and closing of the door 20 this time and this time (step S14). The image of the changed part of the in-chamber image is an image of food that has been received or delivered.

  For example, in the previous storage room image when the door 20 was opened and closed, beer is placed on the shelf 16 of the refrigerator compartment 11, and in the current storage room image when the door 20 is opened and closed, beer is placed in the same place. In the case where only the shelf board 16 is not, a food image of beer is extracted based on the difference between the two storage room images. The food management unit 304 rearranges the food images extracted in this way in time series based on the time information that is the current time at the time of extraction, and saves the time information as accompanying information together with the food image. (Step S15).

  At this time, the food management unit 304 determines whether the food is in or out. Specifically, the food management unit 304 analyzes the portion that has changed due to the difference when extracting the food image, and, for example, the edge change amount obtained by the edge processing, and the pre-stored empty state (refrigerated state). Whether the food is in or out is determined by comparison with the storage room image in a state where no food is contained in the chamber 11. Then, the food management unit 304 adds and stores the determination result (entry / exit identification information) of warehousing or warehousing to the supplementary information of the food image (step S16).

  Further, the food management unit 304 transmits the food image and accompanying information (time information and entry / exit identification information) to the situation detection unit 301 (step S17). Here, a series of operations from taking a storage room image of the refrigerator compartment 11 from step S12 to step S17 until transmitting a food image and incidental information to the situation detection unit 301 is performed in step S11. It is executed every time opening / closing is detected.

  FIGS. 14A to 14D are diagrams showing an example of a captured image of the refrigerator compartment 11 of the refrigerator 3 according to Embodiment 3, a food image extracted from the captured image, and supplementary information of the food image. FIGS. 14A to 14D show shooting data (images in the storage room) that are shot by the shooting device 27 and transmitted to the food management unit 304 when the door 20 is opened and closed, and food extracted from the images in the storage room. An image and its accompanying information (time information and entry / exit identification information) are shown.

  FIG. 14A shows a storage room image captured by the imaging device 27 and transmitted to the food management unit 304 at time A. FIG. At time A, the door 20 has been opened and closed, but no food is received or delivered. Since there is no change in the storage room image at time A and before, the food management unit 304 does not generate a difference image (food image).

  FIG. 14B shows a storage room image captured by the imaging device 27 and transmitted to the food management unit 304 at time B, a food image extracted from the storage room image, and accompanying information thereof. At time B, beer is being delivered from the uppermost refrigerator compartment shelf in the refrigerator compartment 11. The food management unit 304 extracts the food image (beer) 82b based on the difference between the storage room images at the times A and B, and based on the determination result of entering or leaving, together with the food image, time information (time B) 83b and The entry / exit identification information 84b of “departure” is stored. For convenience of illustration, the food image (difference image) shown in FIG. 14B also shows a refrigerator compartment shelf, but the actual food image has only a beer and no refrigerator shelf.

  FIG. 14C shows a storage room image captured by the imaging device 27 and transmitted to the food management unit 304 at time C, a food image extracted from the storage room image, and accompanying information thereof. At time C, the salad is being delivered from the bottom refrigerator compartment shelf of the refrigerator compartment 11. The food management unit 304 extracts the food image (salad) 82c based on the difference between the storage room images at the times B and C, and based on the determination result of entering or leaving, together with the food image, time information (time C) 83c and The entry / exit identification information 84c “departure” is stored.

  FIG. 14D shows a storage room image captured by the imaging device 27 and transmitted to the food management unit 304 at time D, a food image extracted from the storage room image, and accompanying information thereof. At time D, the milk is stored on the uppermost refrigerator compartment shelf in the refrigerator compartment 11, and the cake is received on the lowermost refrigerator compartment shelf. The food management unit 304 extracts the food images (milk and cake) 82d1 and 82d2 based on the difference between the storage room images at the times C and D, and based on the determination result of entering or leaving, the food information and time information (time D) 83d1 and 83d2 and entry / exit identification information 84d1 and 84d2 of “entry” are stored.

  In this way, since the food management unit 304 stores the food image together with the time information and the entry / exit identification information, the food storage status in the refrigerator compartment 11 and the refrigerator compartment each time the door 20 is opened and closed. 11 can be grasped, and the information is transmitted to the situation detection unit 301 as image information.

  In the third embodiment, the situation detection unit 301 transmits the food image information received from the food management unit 304 to the situation acquisition unit 302 together with the opening / closing history and temperature history of the door 20. In the status acquisition unit 302, in the third embodiment, in addition to information about the opening / closing history and temperature history of the door 20, image information of the stored food itself can be obtained. For example, at least the opening / closing and temperature history of the door 20 can be obtained. When there is a change in one of the images, an image of the food that has been received or delivered at the same time can also be confirmed as the usage status.

  The life management unit 303 confirms, for example, food used for cooking as image information based on the use status of the refrigerator by the user who combines the food image information with the opening / closing history and temperature history of the door 20 acquired by the status acquisition unit 302. And you can get a living situation. Further, the life management unit 303 determines whether the situation in which the temperature gradually decreases from the opening / closing history and the temperature history of the door 20 is a situation caused by the user lowering the set temperature. On the other hand, it cannot be determined whether the situation is caused by the storage chamber load being too small. However, since the life management unit 303 can acquire the storage room load from the food image, the terminal device 70 is notified of the possibility that the food may be frozen (freezing risk) as food-related information. The need to do can be determined.

  In the third embodiment, the food management unit 304 stores the food image data stored together with the accompanying information (time information and entry / exit identification information) in time series for the food stored in the refrigerator compartment 11. Or, it is divided and stored in warehousing or delivery. For this reason, since not only the user's own terminal but also the terminal device 70 can transmit the same information, not only the user but also the administrator visually recognizes the display screen, so that the food stored in the refrigerator compartment 11 Can understand the situation.

  FIGS. 15A and 15B are diagrams illustrating examples of display screens of food images extracted from captured images in the portable terminal of the refrigerator 3 according to the third embodiment. In the display screen (timeline display screen) shown in FIG. 15A, the food image 42 extracted from the storage room image every time the door 20 is opened and closed, the time information 43 attached to the food image, and the entry / exit The identification information 44 is displayed side by side in time series. In this example, food images 42 are arranged in order from the newest time information (photographing time information) 43 in the center of the screen, with time information 43 on the left side of each food image and entry / exit identification information on the right side. 44 is displayed. Further, on the upper side of the screen, a target storage room (in this example, a refrigeration room), its set temperature, and the current time are also displayed.

  In the timeline display screen shown in FIG. 15 (a), for example, it is possible to search for a target food item by going back in time and acquire the expiration date or the expiration date. By notifying the expiration date or the expiration date and urging consumption, it is possible to prevent wasteful disposal of food.

  The display screen (incoming / outgoing list display screen) shown in FIG. 15B is divided into left and right fields for warehousing and delivery, and food images and time information are displayed in chronological order in each field (list display). doing. That is, in the left column, the food image 52 and the time information 53 (that is, the warehousing time) 53 in which the warehousing / department identification information 54 is “warehousing” are displayed in order from the top of the warehousing time 53 from the newest one. ing. In the right column, the food images 52 whose entry / exit identification information 54 is “exit” and the time information (that is, the exit time) 53 are displayed side by side in order from the latest exit time 53.

  In the entry / exit list display screen shown in FIG. 15 (b), the current remaining amount of the food can be acquired from the history of receipt and delivery of the target food. By notifying the remaining amount of food to 70, the family or helper confirms the display unit 71 at a remote place, for example, at a shopping destination, thereby purchasing wasteful food, buying too much food, and forgetting to buy food. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating another example of the display screen of the food image extracted from the photographed image in the portable terminal of the refrigerator 3 according to the third embodiment. The food management unit 304 refrigerates at a certain point in time from the food image stored by itself (that is, the food image extracted every time the door 20 is opened / closed) 62, and the time information and entry / exit identification information that are incidental information. A food image stored in the room 11 (the entry / exit identification information is not “exit”) is specified, and a list of stock food images is displayed as a stock food list display screen as shown in FIG. In this example, unlike FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b), food images are arranged from the top in order of the warehousing time based on the time information.

  In the inventory food list display screen shown in FIG. 16, a list of inventory food images at a certain point in time is displayed. Therefore, more clearly than the list display shown in FIG. By notifying the remaining amount list, the food stored in the refrigerator compartment 11 can be grasped, so that it is possible to prevent wasteful purchase of ingredients, excessive purchase of ingredients, and forgetting to purchase ingredients. I can expect even more. In addition, since food images are arranged from the top in order of the warehousing time, it is easy to find old food, that is, food that needs to be consumed at an early stage, and can suppress food disposal It becomes.

  15A, 15B, and 16, the target storage room (in this example, the refrigeration room), its set temperature, and the current time are displayed on the upper side of the screen of the display unit 71. However, in addition to the set temperature, the number of times of opening / closing the door 20 of the door 20 detected by the opening / closing detection unit 22 or the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 11 detected by the temperature detection unit 26 is detected. It may be displayed.

<< 3-3 >> Effect As described above, according to the refrigerator 3 according to the third embodiment, the food image extracted from the storage room image photographed by the photographing device 27 and the food image including the entry / exit history. By reflecting the information on the first information detected by the status detection unit 301, not only the living status based on the temperature of the air in the storage chamber, which is acquired by the opening / closing history and the temperature history of the door 20, but also food The effect that the living situation based on the storage state of the food itself acquired from the image information can be acquired is obtained. As a result, it is possible to obtain an effect that information that can be notified to the administrator is increased, particularly about the living situation related to eating habits related information such as the expiration date or remaining amount of food.

  The situation detection unit 301 adds food image information extracted from the storage room image captured by the imaging device 27 to the opening / closing history of the door 20 by the opening / closing detection unit 22 and the temperature history by the temperature detection unit 26, The example which detects the 1st information of the refrigerator compartment 11 was demonstrated. However, the situation detection unit 301 may detect the first information only by the food image information based on the imaging device 27. Since only the food image information can acquire the living situation based on the storage state of the food itself, it is possible to notify the eating habits related information such as the expiration date or the remaining amount of the food. If it is possible to detect the entry / exit history as shown in 15 (a) and (b), it is possible to notify the user's usage history, that is, the safety-related information. In addition, the situation detection unit 301 may detect the first information based only on the food image information and the opening / closing history based on the imaging device 27, or based only on the food image information and the temperature history based on the imaging device 27, The first information may be detected.

<< 4 >> Embodiment 4
<< 4-1 >> Configuration FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure (a cross-sectional structure taken along line II-II in FIG. 1) of refrigerator compartment 11 of refrigerator 4 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In FIG. 17, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 10 are given to the same or corresponding elements as those shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 10. The refrigerator 4 shown in FIG. 17 is different from the refrigerator 3 shown in FIG. 10 in terms of the control unit 400 of the control board 410.

  FIG. 18 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control system of refrigerator 4 according to the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 18, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 3, 7, and 11 are given to the same or corresponding components as those shown in FIGS. 3, 7, and 11. The control system of the refrigerator 4 shown in FIG. 18 is different from the control system of the refrigerator 3 shown in FIG. About the other point, the refrigerator 4 which concerns on Embodiment 4 is the same as the refrigerator 3 which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control unit 400 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 19, the control unit 400 detects the situation of detecting the first information indicating the status of the food in the refrigerator 4 and the food management unit 404 that manages the image data generated by the imaging device 27. Whether the life status of the user is a notification required status from the unit 401, the status acquisition unit 402 that acquires the second information indicating the usage status of the refrigerator 4 by the user, and the usage status indicated by the acquired second information A life management unit 403 for judging whether or not. The control unit 400 further includes a food identification unit 405 and an information storage unit 406.

  The food identification unit 405 is connected to the situation detection unit 401, the food management unit 404, and the information storage unit 406. The food identification unit 405 receives the food image extracted by the food management unit 404 and the accompanying information (time information and entry / exit identification information), and stores the food stored in the storage room (here, the refrigerator room 11). Identify type and quantity. At this time, the food identification unit 405 refers to the information stored in the information storage unit 406 in order to identify the type of food. The food identification unit 405 adds the identification result (food type and quantity information) as incidental information to the time information and entry / exit identification information for each food image received from the food management unit 404, and the situation detection unit 401 Send to.

  The information storage unit 406 is connected to the food identification unit 405. For each type of food, the information storage unit 406 has characteristic attributes for distinguishing the type of food from other types of food, such as the shape, size, color, and exterior label of the food. At least one is stored as reference information associated with each type of food.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of specific information (food image database) stored in the information storage unit 406. Here, the food itself belonging to the food type or the characteristic amount of the container containing the food is stored in association with the type of the food. Specifically, for each food type, the shape (contour) is stored. ), Information on the major axis size, representative colors (red, green, blue (RGB) values), labels (characters), and the like.

  The shape of each type of food stored in the information storage unit 406 is, for example, a geometric shape (for example, a cylinder, a trapezoid, etc.) closest to the outline of the food, in addition to the contour exemplified here. Also good. In this case, in the identification by the food identification unit 405, for example, matching with the shape stored in the information storage unit 406 is performed by a method such as pattern matching. As for colors, in addition to the RGB values of the representative colors, other index values such as brightness and saturation may be used.

  The control unit 400 may include a processor as an information processing apparatus that executes a program as software stored in the storage unit 24. In this case, the function of the control unit 400 is realized by executing this program.

<< 4-2 >> Operation Next, an example of the operation of the refrigerator 4 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 21. FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining an operation performed each time the door 20 of the refrigerator 4 is opened and closed. 21, steps that are the same as or correspond to the steps shown in FIG. 13 are assigned the same step numbers as the step numbers shown in FIG.

  In the operation shown in FIG. 21, the food management unit 404 starts from opening and closing the door 20, and the food management unit 404 calculates the difference between the storage room images when the door 20 is opened and closed last time. The image is extracted as a food image, and it is judged whether the food is stored or delivered, and the time information and the storage identification information are stored as supplementary information together with the food image (step S16). The operation is the same as that of the third mode. In the third embodiment, the food management unit 404 transmits the food image and the incidental information to the situation detection unit 401. In the fourth embodiment, first, the food management unit 404 transmits the food image and the accompanying information to the food identification unit 405 (step S21).

  The food identification unit 405 refers to the information stored in the information storage unit 406 as shown in the example of FIG. 20, and based on the food image received from the food management unit 404, the storage room (here, refrigerated) The type and amount of food stored in the chamber 11) are identified (step S22). In this identification, the food identification unit 405 matches the feature value of which food type among the types of food stored in the information storage unit 406 for each food image extracted by the food management unit 404. Check if you want to.

  If there is a feature quantity stored in the information storage unit 406 that matches an image of each food, the type of food in the image is associated with the matched feature quantity in the information storage unit 406. The food identification part 405 judges that it is a kind. If there is no data whose feature quantity matches in the information storage unit 406, the food type of the image is replaced with the most similar food type, or the food of the image is large as an unknown type of stored item. You may make it identify only.

  The food identification unit 405 adds the type and quantity information of the identified food as supplementary information to the food image received from the food management unit 404 and the time information and entry / exit identification information for each food image. (Step S23), similar to the third embodiment, is transmitted to the situation detection unit 401 (Step S17).

  In the food image information received by the situation detection unit 401, in the fourth embodiment, compared to the third embodiment, food type and quantity information is added as supplementary information. Therefore, since the situation acquisition unit 402 can obtain not only the image of the stored food itself but also the information on the type and amount thereof in the fourth embodiment, for example, at least one of opening and closing of the door 20 and temperature history. When there is a change, the type or amount of food that has been received or delivered at the same time can also be confirmed as the usage status.

  In the life management unit 403, for example, the food used for cooking according to the use status of the refrigerator by the user acquired by adding the food type and quantity information to the food image information in the status acquisition unit 402 in the fourth embodiment. You can check the type or amount of life and get the living situation. Therefore, an administrator other than the user who owns the refrigerator 4 can confirm the user's consumption tendency, and can receive information such as the user's tendency to unbalanced food as dietary related information by setting in advance. It becomes possible to do.

  Further, since the food stored in the refrigerator compartment 11 stores not only the food image but also the type and quantity information of the food, it is displayed on the display unit of the user's own terminal device as in the third embodiment. Of course, it can also be output to the display unit 71 of the terminal device 70 of a person other than the user (administrator who is a third party), and is stored in the refrigerator compartment 11 by viewing the display screen. It is possible to grasp the stock status including the type and amount of food.

<< 4-3 >> Effect As described above, according to the refrigerator 4 according to the fourth embodiment, the food image extracted from the storage room image photographed by the photographing device 27 is further added to the type and amount of the food. By adding the information and reflecting the situation (first information) of the food detected by the situation detection unit 401 and acquiring the usage status (second information) of the refrigerator by the user, the type of the food itself and Based on at least one of the amounts, it is possible to confirm and manage the user's consumption tendency as dietary related information. In addition, it is possible to notify the administrator of the living situation relating to eating habits-related information such as the stock status and the remaining amount of food in more detail than the image information in the third embodiment.

<< 5 >> Embodiment 5
In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, a network system including any one of the refrigerators according to the first to fourth embodiments will be described. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a network system according to the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 22, the same components as those described in the first to fourth embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in the first to fourth embodiments. As shown in FIG. 22, the network system according to the fifth embodiment includes an in-home system 500 and an out-of-home system 600 that can communicate with the in-home system 500 via the Internet. Home system 500 includes refrigerator 5. The refrigerator 5 is any one of the refrigerators 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the in-home system 500 includes home appliances such as a refrigerator 5, a room air conditioner, a hot water heater, an IH (Induction Heating) cooking heater, and a microwave oven. These home appliances and power measuring device 503 are connected to the system power source 501 by the electric lamp line 502, and power is supplied from the system power source 501. The in-home system 500 includes a power measurement device 503 and a power measurement terminal 504 for measuring the power supplied from the system power source 501 to each home appliance through the power line 502, a home controller 505, a broadband router 506, and a communication device. Device communication unit 515.

  The power measuring device 503 measures the power supplied to each home appliance (that is, the power consumption of each home appliance) and the total power supplied from the system power source 501 to the entire home appliance and the power measuring device 503. Measurement results (history) can be saved. The power measuring device 503 measures the supplied power using a power measuring terminal 504 such as a CT (Current Transformer).

  Each of the home appliance and the power measuring device 503 is provided with a device communication unit 515 for communicating with the home controller 505 via a communication network. The communication network is, for example, a wired or wireless LAN (local area network). The home appliances such as the refrigerator 5 and the power measuring device 503 can bidirectionally communicate with the home controller 505 via the respective device communication units 515 in a wired or wireless manner. In addition, the apparatus communication part 515 connected to the refrigerator 5 plays the same role as the communication part 23 as a communication apparatus demonstrated by Embodiment 1-4. Therefore, when the communication unit 23 of the refrigerator 5 can directly communicate with the home controller 505 by wire or wireless, it is not necessary to include the device communication unit 515 for the refrigerator 5.

  When the device communication unit 515 has a function of performing wired communication, the device communication unit 515 includes a wired communication module such as a serial interface or a driver, for example. When the device communication unit 515 has a function of performing wireless communication, the device communication unit 515 includes a wireless communication module such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). Note that the device communication unit 515 may be included in each of the home appliance and the power measurement device 503 or may be provided outside the home appliance and the power measurement device 503.

  The home controller 505 can acquire information on the power consumption of the home appliances and the power supplied to the system power supply 501 measured by the power measuring device 503 from the power measuring device 503 via the communication network. Further, the home controller 505 can acquire information on the operating state of the home appliance via the communication network. Then, the home controller 505 manages the acquired power consumption, supply power, and operating state information, and if necessary, controls change instructions (for example, operating state change instructions) to the home appliance via the communication network. ) Can be transmitted.

  The home controller 505 is connected to the Internet 601 of the outside system 600 via the broadband router 506.

  The Internet 601 is connected to a cloud server 602 that stores various power information and environmental information such as weather forecasts. The Internet 601 is also connected to the terminal device 70. The terminal device 70 is a terminal, such as a smartphone, a mobile tablet, a mobile phone, a personal computer, etc., for which the use authority is given to an administrator different from the user of the refrigerator 5 as described in the first embodiment. Device.

  The cloud server 602 is an external server that is communicably connected to the refrigerator 5 and the terminal device 70 via the Internet 601. The cloud server 602 preferably includes a personal authentication unit 603 that authenticates the terminal device 70 with the authority to connect to the refrigerator 5.

  For example, the cloud server 602 stores in advance the portable terminal ID of the terminal device 70 having the authority to connect to the refrigerator 5 with respect to the ID (identifier) of the refrigerator 5. Here, the ID of the refrigerator 5 is information that can uniquely identify each of the plurality of refrigerators that can be connected to the Internet 601. The mobile terminal ID is information that can uniquely identify each of a plurality of mobile terminals connected to the Internet 601.

  Then, the personal authentication unit 603 confirms whether the portable terminal ID of the terminal device 70 is stored as having authority to connect to the refrigerator 5 with respect to the refrigerator 5, so that the Authenticates whether or not the connection authority to 5 is present.

  The cloud server 602, which is an external server, permits the terminal device 70 that has been authenticated by the personal authentication unit 603 to have authority to connect to the refrigerator 5 to connect to the refrigerator 5 via the Internet 601. That is, the cloud server 602 prohibits a mobile terminal that is not authenticated to have authority to connect to the refrigerator 5 by the personal authentication unit 603 from connecting to the refrigerator 5 via the Internet 601.

  The in-home controller 505 obtains the power consumption of the home appliance or the supply power of the system power source 501 from the power measuring device 503 in the in-home system 500, and obtains information on the driving state or the surrounding environment from the home appliance. Further, the home controller 505 is connected to the Internet 601 via the broadband router 506, and can acquire various types of power information or environmental information from the cloud server 602.

  For example, the in-home controller 505 of the in-home system 500 can obtain the power supply / demand situation regarding the area where the in-home system 500 is placed as power information from the cloud server 602 of the outside system 600. When the local power consumption is approaching the upper limit value of the supplied power, the in-home controller 505 can transmit a power saving instruction to a home electric appliance with particularly high power consumption. In such a case, for the refrigerator 5, when it is determined that the refrigerator 5 is overcooled from the set temperature of the storage room and the actual temperature history, an increase in the set temperature can be instructed from the home controller 505.

  For example, the in-home controller 505 of the in-home system 500 can obtain the power supply / demand situation regarding the area where the in-home system 500 is placed as power information from the cloud server 602 of the outside system 600. When the local power consumption is approaching the upper limit value of the supplied power, the in-home controller 505 can transmit a power saving instruction to a home electric appliance with particularly high power consumption. In such a case, the refrigerator 5 can be instructed to increase the set temperature from the home controller 505 when it is determined that the refrigerator 5 is overcooled from the set temperature of the storage room and the actual temperature history.

  Further, the terminal device 70 can be connected directly or indirectly to the refrigerator 5 via the Internet 601 and the home controller 505. At this time, only the terminal device 70 that is authenticated by the personal authentication unit 603 of the cloud server 602 to be authorized to connect to the refrigerator 5 is permitted to connect to the refrigerator 5.

  Therefore, for example, when a family member or a helper is an administrator, if the portable terminal ID of the terminal device 70 is registered, information on the living situation of the user of the refrigerator 5 can be shared while maintaining security. Is possible. In addition, for example, at a shopping destination such as a supermarket, it is possible to check the stock status of food in the storage room of the refrigerator 5, so the family can buy the same ingredients or buy necessary ingredients. It can prevent forgetting.

  In Embodiment 5, you may make it provide all or one part of the information storage part which a food identification part refers to the cloud server 602 which is an external server. By storing the information storage unit 406 in the cloud server 602, it is possible to share enormous data regarding the type of food with other users, for example.

  The personal authentication means 603 described above authenticates the connection authority using the ID. The authentication method is not limited to this. In addition to the ID, for example, the connection authority may be authenticated by biometric authentication such as a fingerprint, a vein, and an iris of the eye, authentication by a password, or a combination of these authentication methods.

  1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Refrigerator, 11 Cold room (storage room), 12 Ice making room (storage room), 13 Switching room (storage room), 14 Freezing room (storage room), 15 Vegetable room (storage room) , 16 shelves, 17 chilled room (storage room), 18 chilled case, 19 cooling air passage, 20 door, 21 operation panel, 22 open / close detection unit, 23 communication unit, 24 storage unit, 25 time providing unit, 26 temperature detection 27, photographing device, 70 administrator device (terminal device), 71 display unit, 100, 200, 300, 400 control unit, 101, 201, 301, 401 situation detection unit, 102, 202, 302, 402 situation acquisition unit , 103, 203, 303, 403 Life Management Department, 110, 210, 310, 410 Control Board, 304, 404 Food Management Department, 405 Food Identification Unit, 406 information storage unit, 500 in-home system, 501 system power supply, 502 power line, 503 power measurement device, 504 power measurement terminal, 505 in-home controller, 506 broadband router, 600 outside system, 601 Internet, 602 cloud server, 603 Personal authentication means.

The refrigerator which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention is a refrigerator which has a storage room which accommodates food, and a communication part which communicates with the terminal device used by the administrator, Comprising: User operation of the said refrigerator, The said storage room A status detector for detecting first information on at least one of the temperature of the air and the state of the food in the storage room, and a first status indicating the usage status of the refrigerator from the first information in a certain period. From the status acquisition unit that acquires the information of 2, the determination criteria that differ according to at least one of time zone and day of the week, and the second information , the life status of the user of the refrigerator should be notified to the administrator A life management unit for notifying the terminal device of the life situation when it is determined that

It is a front view which shows schematic structure of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure (cross-sectional structure which cuts FIG. 1 by line segment II-II) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control system of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control unit in FIG. 3. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the example of the opening / closing log | history of the door in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure (cross-sectional structure which cuts FIG. 1 by line segment II-II) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part of FIG. 7 roughly. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the example of the temperature history in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure (cross-sectional structure which cuts FIG. 1 by line segment II-II) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control unit in FIG. 11. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator according to the third embodiment. (A)-(d) is a figure which shows the example of the supplementary information of the picked-up image (storage room image) of the refrigerator room which concerns on Embodiment 3 , the food image extracted from the picked-up image, and a food image. . (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the example of the display screen in a portable terminal of the food image extracted from the picked-up image (storage room image) in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen in a portable terminal of the food image extracted from the picked-up image (storage room image) in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure (cross-sectional structure which cuts FIG. 1 by line segment II-II) of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows schematically the structure of the control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the content of the food image database which the food identification part of the refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 4 refers to in table format. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the refrigerator according to the fourth embodiment. It is a figure which shows roughly the structure of the network system which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention.

FIG. 14B shows a storage room image captured by the imaging device 27 and transmitted to the food management unit 304 at time B, a food image extracted from the storage room image, and accompanying information thereof. At time B, beer is being delivered from the uppermost refrigerator compartment shelf in the refrigerator compartment 11. The food management unit 304 extracts the food image (beer) 82b based on the difference between the storage room images at the times A and B, and based on the determination result of entering or leaving, together with the food image, time information (time B) 83b and to save the input and warehouse identification information 84b of "unloading". For convenience of illustration, the food image (difference image) shown in FIG. 14B also shows a refrigerator compartment shelf, but the actual food image has only a beer and no refrigerator shelf.

FIG. 14C shows a storage room image captured by the imaging device 27 and transmitted to the food management unit 304 at time C, a food image extracted from the storage room image, and accompanying information thereof. At time C, the salad is being delivered from the bottom refrigerator compartment shelf of the refrigerator compartment 11. The food management unit 304 extracts the food image (salad) 82c based on the difference between the storage room images at the times B and C, and based on the determination result of entering or leaving, together with the food image, time information (time C) 83c and to save the input and warehouse identification information 84c of "unloading".

15A, 15B, and 16, the target storage room (in this example, the refrigeration room), its set temperature, and the current time are displayed on the upper side of the screen of the display unit 71. However, in addition to the set temperature, the number of times of opening / closing the door 20 detected by the open / close detection unit 22 or the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 11 detected by the temperature detection unit 26 is displayed. May be.

Claims (14)

A refrigerator having a storage room for storing food and a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device used by an administrator,
A condition detector for detecting first information on at least one of a user operation of the refrigerator, a temperature of air in the storage chamber, and a state of food in the storage chamber;
A status acquisition unit that acquires second information indicating the usage status of the refrigerator from the first information in a certain period;
When it is determined from the second information that the life status of the user of the refrigerator should be notified to the manager, a life management unit that notifies the terminal device of the life status;
Refrigerator. A storage unit for storing information;
A time providing unit that provides time information;
Further comprising
The situation detection unit acquires the detection time of the first information from the time providing unit, stores the first information and the detection time in the storage unit,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the situation acquisition unit acquires the second information including the first information stored in the storage unit and the detection time. A door for opening and closing the opening of the storage room;
An opening / closing detection unit for detecting opening / closing of the door as the user operation;
Further comprising
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first information detected by the situation detection unit includes information indicating opening / closing of the door detected by the opening / closing detection unit. A temperature detecting device for detecting the temperature of the air in the storage chamber;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first information detected by the situation detection unit includes the temperature detected by the temperature detection device. A photographing device for obtaining an image in the storage room by photographing the storage room;
Food management for extracting a food image of food stored in the storage room from the image acquired by the photographing device and storing the loading / unloading information relating to the loading and unloading of the food in the storage room as the first information And
Further comprising
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first information detected by the situation detection unit includes the warehousing information stored by the food management unit. A food identification unit for identifying the type and amount of food corresponding to the food image extracted by the food management unit;
The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the first information detected by the situation detection unit includes the type and amount of the food identified by the food identification unit. The food identification unit has an information storage unit that stores, as reference information, information that associates at least one of the shape, size, color, and exterior label of the food with the type of food,
The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the food identification unit identifies the type and amount of food corresponding to the food image with reference to the reference information. The life management unit notifies the notification information to the terminal device via the communication unit when a situation in which the usage status indicated by the second information does not change continues for a predetermined period or longer. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7. In the period from when the information indicating that the user is absent until the information indicating that the user is at home is received, the life management unit changes the usage status indicated by the second information. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein when it is determined that there is a change, the notification information is notified to the terminal device via the communication unit. The life management unit includes an information storage unit that stores in advance reference information related to the usage status indicated by the second information,
The said life management part alert | reports the said alerting | reporting information to the said terminal device via the said communication part, when it judges that the said usage condition has a predetermined characteristic with reference to the said reference | standard information. The refrigerator according to any one of 8 to 8. A refrigerator having a storage room for storing food, a communication unit for communicating with a terminal device, and a time providing unit for providing time information,
A status detector for detecting first information indicating opening and closing of the refrigerator door;
A status acquisition unit that acquires second information including the first information detected by the status detection unit in a certain period and time information indicating a time when the door is opened and closed;
A life management unit that informs the terminal device of the living situation when it is determined from the second information that a duration time during which the door is not opened and closed is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time;
Refrigerator. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A terminal device communicably connected to the refrigerator;
Network system equipped with. A server that is communicably connected to the refrigerator and the terminal device via the Internet;
The network system according to claim 12, wherein the server includes personal authentication means for authenticating that the terminal device is a terminal permitted to communicate with the refrigerator. The server has an information storage unit,
The network system according to claim 13, wherein the refrigerator refers to information stored in the information storage unit and identifies the type and amount of food corresponding to a food image of the food stored in the storage chamber. .

Images