JP2003056962A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator contributing to energy saving by obtaining an estimated future information to utilize the same for the control of the refrigerator. SOLUTION: The refrigerator equipped with a cooling function (a compressor, for example) is provided with an obtaining means capable of obtaining the estimated future information (weather forecast, for example). The inside of the refrigerator 1 is cooled previously in accordance with the estimated future information. Thus, conventional coping with a raised inside temperature due to opening and closing of the door for the refrigerator upon stocking a food by the quick driving of the compressor and the long period driving of the same is reduced, and an electric power consumption for driving the compressor can be restrained, thereby permitting the provision of the refrigerator contributing for energy saving.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operation control device for a refrigerator that acquires information from outside the refrigerator and controls the temperature inside the refrigerator based on the acquired information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in controlling the temperature in a refrigerator, temperature setting and temperature monitoring are performed by a temperature adjusting device and a temperature sensor provided in the refrigerator. The temperature control device is provided with, for example, variable temperature setting dials of “strong”, “medium”, and “weak”, and when set to any one of the temperatures, it is a chamber for maintaining the set temperature. At the same time that the internal temperature control is performed, the temperature sensor starts monitoring the internal cold storage temperature. After that, for example, when the temperature sensor detects an increase in the internal temperature due to opening and closing of the door or food storage, the temperature control unit is notified of the temperature increase, and the refrigerant compression is performed according to the internal temperature difference that has occurred. The temperature is returned to the set temperature by driving the device (hereinafter referred to as the compressor).

[0003]

By the way, in recent years, household networks have been advancing, and automatic control devices including microcomputers for household electric appliances such as televisions, washing machines, and personal computers, and wireless communication for short distances. Device (eg Bluetooth
, Etc. are installed, electrical appliances exchange each other's operating conditions via wireless communication devices, or various information is acquired from the Internet network via a home gateway installed indoors. Electric products that perform operation control based on the information obtained are being developed for practical use.

From such a background, a product equipped with an automatic control device and a wireless communication device is being developed in a refrigerator, and if the installed wireless communication device is used, the product predicted from the Internet network will be used. Since it is possible to obtain information, if it is possible to perform temperature control to cool the inside of the refrigerator in advance, as compared with the conventional cooling that detects the temperature rise in the refrigerator and then sequentially drives the compressor, Furthermore, it is expected that temperature control that contributes to energy saving operation of the refrigerator can be realized.

The present invention has been made in view of the above,
An object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator that contributes to energy saving by acquiring predicted destination information using the Internet or the like and utilizing it for control.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention according to claim 1 is a refrigerator provided with an internal cooling means for cooling and controlling the internal temperature of a refrigerator to a set internal temperature. , Acquisition means for acquiring the information of the predicted destination,
The gist of the present invention is to have a control unit that drives and controls the inside cooling unit in accordance with the predicted information.

According to the present invention, a refrigerator having a cooling function for cooling the inside of a refrigerator to a set temperature is provided with a means for acquiring the information of the destination that is predicted in advance, and corresponds to the information of the obtained destination. Then cool the refrigerator by the time predicted.

The present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the acquisition means acquires, as the predicted destination information, a weather forecast or a scheduled date and time when food is stored.

According to the present invention, the weather forecast or the scheduled date and time when the food is stored in the refrigerator is acquired as the predicted information, so that the date and time predicted in advance or before the food is stored in advance. Cool the refrigerator.

Furthermore, the present invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the control means drives the in-compartment cooling means during a time period when the electricity rate is set to be low.

According to the present invention, the inside of the refrigerator is cooled during the nighttime hours when the electricity rate is set low by using the clock function provided in the refrigerator.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the refrigerator according to the first or second aspect, a detecting means for detecting an operating state of an electric product in a door provided with the refrigerator, and the detecting device operates the electric product. The gist of the present invention is to have a set temperature correction unit that raises the set internal temperature by a predetermined temperature when a state in which it is not performed is detected.

According to the present invention, the detection means for detecting whether or not each indoor electric product in which the refrigerator is installed is operating is provided, and it is detected that most of the indoor electric products are not operating. In such a case, the temperature inside the refrigerator is controlled by raising the temperature inside the refrigerator to a predetermined value by making a set temperature correction to raise the temperature by a few degrees.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a control configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, this control structure comprises a refrigerator 1 having a built-in Bluetooth interface 2 as a short-range wireless communication system, and a personal computer 3 having a built-in Bluetooth interface 2 as well. Receives various information from the Internet network through a telephone line or a wireless communication device.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart showing the temperature control operation of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG.

First, the temperature setting dial provided in the refrigerator 1 by the user is set to a temperature level (for example, "strong""medium""weak") suitable for holding food, and this temperature is set. The internal temperature control for maintaining the temperature is performed. Here, for example, when it is set to the “medium” level, the target inside temperature of the refrigerator 1 is controlled to 5 ° C. and the inside humidity is controlled to 60%, which is assumed to be the outside temperature of 25 ° C. The case is assumed. Note that the temperature control for maintaining the temperature set by the temperature setting dial here is hereinafter referred to as "normal operation" (S20).

The Bluetooth interface 2 built in the refrigerator 1 receives the weather forecast as the information predicted from the Internet network via the personal computer 3. When the latest weather forecast is received, the predicted temperature included in the weather forecast is compared with the expected outside temperature (here, outside temperature 25 ° C.) in the normal operation that is currently being performed, so that the outside temperature Depending on the difference, it is determined how much the internal cold storage temperature should be lowered or raised from the currently maintained internal cold storage temperature (S21).

As the criteria, for example, three criteria are provided in advance, and it is determined which of "hot", "cold", "rainy season or typhoon" is applied.

For example, when the latest predicted temperature received is compared with the assumed outside temperature in normal operation as a reference,
For example, if the temperature is 2 ° C higher than that, it is considered that it is "hot" in the above determination, and the opening and closing of the door of the refrigerator 1 becomes more frequent than usual during the time period predicted by the weather forecast. Since it is predicted that the temperature inside the refrigerator will rise,
The compressor is lowered by, for example, 2 ° C. in the refrigerator 1 by the expected time zone (S22 to S23).

On the other hand, when the latest predicted temperature received is compared with the assumed outside temperature in normal operation as a reference,
If the temperature is lower than that, for example, by 2 ° C., it is regarded as “cold” in the above determination, and even if the door of the refrigerator 1 is opened and closed during the time period predicted by the weather forecast, the degree of increase in the internal temperature Is predicted to be small, the compressor is driven to raise the internal temperature by, for example, 2 ° C. during the time period predicted by the weather forecast (S25 to S26).

Further, when the expected temperature and the expected humidity included in the latest forecasted weather received are compared with the assumed outside temperature in the normal operation and the target inside humidity (here, the humidity is 60%) as a reference, For example, the expected temperature is 1 ℃ higher,
If the expected humidity is, for example, 10% higher, it corresponds to the “rainy season or typhoon” in the above determination, and if the humidity is high, generally frost formation in the refrigerator is likely to occur, so the temperature in the freezing room is set to, for example,
By lowering the temperature by ℃, it becomes difficult to form frost, and conversely, by controlling the temperature by raising the temperature in the refrigerating chamber 1 by, for example, 1 ℃, the compressor is driven (S28 to S29).

In step S21, if the latest predicted temperature received is the same as the estimated outside temperature in normal operation and there is no need to adjust as described above (assuming that "good weather" applies), Returning to step S20, normal operation is continued.

When the received weather forecast is changed, the current temperature control is once released, and the new setting is performed according to the standard adapted to the latest predicted temperature received, and after the above step S21. The new temperature control is performed according to the processing of (S24, S27, S30).

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the weather forecast is acquired as the destination information predicted from the Internet network, and the predicted temperature included in the weather forecast and the expected outside of the normal operation currently being performed are stored. Since it is possible to compare the temperature and perform precooling in the refrigerator corresponding to the temperature difference by the expected time zone, for example, when the outside temperature is expected to rise, the expected time zone By performing the internal cooling up to this point, it is possible to suppress the rapid operation and long-time driving of the compressor in accordance with the temperature increase due to the opening and closing of the door, and reduce the power consumption of the compressor.

Further, for example, when the outside temperature is expected to be low, even if the inside temperature is increased by 2 to 3 ° C.,
Because there are few opening and closing of the refrigerator door during the expected time,
That is, since it is predicted that the effect on the internal cold storage temperature will be small, it is possible to suppress the drive of the compressor and consequently reduce the power consumption of the compressor.

Further, for example, when the forecast weather is expected to be a rainy season or a typhoon, the temperature in the freezing compartment is lowered to prevent frost formation, and the temperature in the refrigerating compartment is set a little higher for that. Moreover, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the compressor by suppressing the driving of the compressor more than during the normal operation.

In the above-described embodiment, when the weather forecast is received, the inside of the refrigerator is cooled in advance by a time period expected to be received. For example, the weather forecast received by 10 o'clock at night is used. It may be determined that the information is valid and the inside of the refrigerator may be cooled by early morning. As a result, it is possible to cool the inside of the refrigerator by using nighttime electric power, which has a low electricity rate, and to perform operation that further contributes to energy saving.

In the above embodiment, the personal computer 3 is used as a method for obtaining the weather forecast. However, by installing an internet receiving terminal in the body of the refrigerator 1, for example, a home gateway installed indoors May directly obtain the weather forecast distributed on the Internet network.

The weather forecast may be obtained not only from the Internet network but also from the weather forecast distributed by a television, a radio, a cable television or the like. For example, when receiving digitally broadcast information, By equipping the refrigerator with the data receiver, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

Furthermore, the communication system used to acquire information such as the weather forecast is not limited to Bluetooth, and any other wireless communication system may be used as long as it can acquire the information of the predicted destination. It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the above embodiment.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a temperature control operation of a refrigerator 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which is characterized by the configuration of the refrigerator shown in FIG. By setting the scheduled date and time when the food is stored in the time setting unit built in 1 in advance, the preliminary cooling of the inside of the refrigerator 1 is performed before the food is stored.

Next, the operation will be described.

First, when a food delivery system is generally used, since the delivery date and time is almost fixed, the user can set the delivery date and time in advance in the time setting unit or calendar function built in the refrigerator 1. Set in the section. The setting method is, for example, as shown in FIG.
The time can be set in the time setting unit by transmitting it to the refrigerator 1 via h. Here, the temperature inside the refrigerator 1 is the normal operation set by the temperature setting dial (target storage temperature 5 ° C., target storage humidity 60%) (S3
1).

When the temperature control unit built in the refrigerator 1 receives from the time setting unit that it is, for example, 12 hours before the delivery time, the temperature control unit in the refrigerator 1 efficiently cools the inside of the refrigerator in preparation for storing the food. Start defrosting work (S32 to S3
4).

Since it is generally expected that the doors of the refrigerator 1 will not be opened and closed or the food will not be stored before home delivery, so that the food may be stored at any time when the defrosting work is completed, a predetermined temperature higher than the target internal temperature. The food receiving system is prepared by cooling the inside by lowering it only (S35).

When the food is stored in the refrigerator 1, the heat of the food is quickly absorbed because the inside of the storage is pre-cooled. Although the inside of the refrigerator 1 has a weak crown due to the storage of food, the temperature inside the storage becomes unstable. Therefore, in order to stabilize the temperature inside the storage, cooling the interior of the storage by lowering the temperature by a predetermined temperature, for example, for 2 hours, is continued. Let After the lapse of time, step S3
Return to 1 and perform normal operation until the next delivery time (S36-
S37).

On the other hand, in step S36, if the food is not stored, it is judged whether or not 2 hours have passed from the scheduled delivery time, and if it is within 2 hours, the process returns to step S35 and at what time the food is stored. Continue to cool the inside of the warehouse so that it is good. On the other hand, when the food is not stored and two hours or more have passed, it is considered that the food is not stored any more, and the process returns to step S31, and the normal operation is performed until the next home delivery time (S38).

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the delivery date and time of the food is stored in the refrigerator 1 as the previously predicted information.
By setting the internal time setting function, defrosting the inside of the food and cooling the inside of the food by the time when the food is stored,
When the food is stored, it can quickly absorb the heat of the food and efficiently cool it, so that the freshness of the food can be preserved in a good state, and the temperature inside the storage has risen sharply until the food was stored. Although the compressor was rapidly cooled by the rapid drive or long-time drive of the compressor, the drive of the compressor can be suppressed, and as a result, the power consumption can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the method of setting the delivery date and time is set via the personal computer 3, but the setting method is not limited to this, and the operation panel 10 is provided on the door of the refrigerator 1 and the operation panel 10 is provided. Alternatively, the user may directly set the delivery date and time in the refrigerator 1 by operating.

Further, in step S36, when the inside of the refrigerator is continuously cooled after the food is stored, the temperature sensor detects that the food has been stored and, for example, starts the time measurement of 2 hours after the detection. However, for example, the user may input that the food item has been stored in the operation panel 10 that is fitted in the door of the refrigerator 1 to start the clocking. Alternatively, the door may be opened for a certain period of time when the food is stored, so that the timing may be started when the opening time exceeds a predetermined period.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this structure, the distribution board 4 for the house,
A plurality of circuit breakers 5 for wiring that further divides and manages the current through a main breaker provided in the distribution board 4 for housing.
(Also referred to as a sub breaker), a refrigerator 1, a lighting fixture 7, an air conditioner 8 and a television 9 which are connected to the plurality of wiring breakers 5 via AC cables 6.

In the present house, the refrigerator 1, the lighting equipment 7,
Since the air conditioner 8 is provided with a dedicated outlet and a dedicated circuit breaker 5 for wiring, if the current flowing through the circuit breaker 5 is measured, it is not necessary to incorporate the Bluetooth interface 2 in each electric product. Can also obtain the operating status of each electric product. Therefore, each circuit breaker 5
A current measuring device is installed in the device, and the Bluetooth interface 2 is installed in the distribution board 4 to transmit the measurement result. Further, since the TV 9 is not provided with a dedicated outlet, the TV 9 main body is provided with the Bluetooth interface 2 so that the operating state linked to the ON / OFF of the power source is transmitted to each electric product.

Next, the operation of the refrigerator 1 having the above structure will be described with reference to the flowchart showing the temperature control operation shown in FIG.

First, the user sets the temperature setting dial provided in the refrigerator 1 to a temperature level suitable for holding food, and the normal operation is performed according to the set temperature (here, the target). The internal cooling temperature is 5 ° C). On the other hand, the Bluetooth interface 2 built in the refrigerator 1 receives the operating state of each electric product transmitted from the residential distribution board 4 and the television 9 (S41).

Here, when it is received from the operating state of each received electric product that the lighting device 6 or the air conditioner 8 is not operating, for example, a person at home is away and the door of the refrigerator 1 is opened and closed. Since it is unlikely that the internal cold storage temperature will rise, it is possible to estimate that the internal cold storage temperature is unlikely to rise. Therefore, the refrigerator 1 is operated by adding +2 to 3 ° C. to the target internal cold storage temperature (S42 to S43).

After that, when the fact that the electric product has started to be received is received from the operating state of each electric product that has been continuously received, for example, a person who is out and about to go home to start using the electric product, Since the refrigerator 1 may also be used, the process returns to step S41 to return the increased in-compartment temperature to the target in-compartment cooling temperature and return the refrigerator operation to the normal operation (S44).

In step S42, when it is received that the lighting device 6 or the air conditioner 8 which is generally used when a person is indoors is in operation, the process returns to step S41 and the normal operation is continued. To do.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in the state where the inside of the refrigerator 1 is in the normal operation set by the temperature setting dial, for example, Bl provided on the distribution board 4 for a house is used.
When it is detected that the electric appliances are almost out of operation by receiving the operating status of each electric appliance in the home through the uetooth interface 2, the temperature inside the refrigerator 1 is raised to increase the temperature of the compressor. Power consumption can be reduced by suppressing driving and operating the refrigerator in the energy saving mode.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention, which is characterized in that in the configuration of FIG. While obtaining the operating status of each electrical product from 9,
The purpose is to use the clock function built into the refrigerator 1 to drive compressors for day and night.

Next, the operation will be described.

First, the user sets the temperature setting dial provided in the refrigerator 1 to a temperature level suitable for holding food, and the normal operation is performed in accordance with the set temperature (here, the target). The internal cooling temperature is set to 5 ° C.) (S51).

The Bluetooth interface 2 built in the refrigerator 1 receives the operating status of each electric product through the residential distribution board 4 and the Bluetooth interface 2 built in the television 9, and the indoor information is received from the received information. When it is detected that most of the electric appliances are not operating, the inside temperature is raised by a predetermined temperature with respect to the set inside temperature. At the same time refrigerator 1
When it is received that the other electric appliances have started to operate so that the refrigerator 1 may be used anytime if the time is daytime, the time is distinguished by using the clock function built in to the step S51. Then, the control of increasing the rotation of the compressor and promptly returning to the normal operation is started. In addition,
In step S55, while the electric appliances are almost not in operation, the process returns to step S53, and the in-compartment temperature increased by a predetermined temperature is maintained (S51 to S5).
5).

On the other hand, in step S54, if the time is in the middle of the night, it is presumed that the person in the house is generally asleep and the opening and closing of the refrigerator 1 door is small, so it is sufficient to return to normal operation slowly by morning. Therefore, for example, the temperature inside the refrigerator was lowered by 1 ° C 4 hours after the last door was opened and closed, and further lowered by 1 ° C 1 hour later, and so on. The temperature is returned to the set temperature by morning (S56).

In step S56, the temperature is set to 1
When one of the electric appliances starts to operate in the middle of the process of lowering the temperature by 0 ° C., for example, a sleeping person may get up and use the refrigerator 1, so that the step S5 is performed.
Returning to step 1, the drive of the compressor for suddenly returning the inside temperature to the set temperature is started (S57).

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when it is received that the electric appliance in the room is not operating, it is judged that the person in the house is not indoors, and the temperature in the refrigerator is set to the normal temperature during the normal operation. When the energy saving operation is performed by raising the temperature inside the refrigerator by a predetermined temperature, the clock function built in the refrigerator 1 is used when returning to the normal operation, and it is during the night time. Can drive the compressor with a low load by slowly driving the compressor to the temperature in the refrigerator during normal operation, so that power consumption for driving the compressor can be reduced. Further, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, it is possible to realize the refrigerator 1 that further contributes to energy saving by using the nighttime electric power with a low electricity rate.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, by acquiring the information of the predicted destination,
Preliminary cooling in the refrigerator can be performed appropriately according to the predicted information, thus suppressing the sudden drive of the compressor that has been associated with the rise in the refrigerator temperature, which contributes to the reduction of the power consumption of the refrigerator. A refrigerator can be provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the forecasted date and time or the food is stored by acquiring the weather forecast or the scheduled date and time when the food is stored as the previously predicted information. Since the inside of the refrigerator can be cooled in advance before the operation, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that contributes to reduction of power consumption of the refrigerator.

According to the present invention of claim 3, claim 1
Or, in the refrigerator described in 2, in the case of performing preliminary cooling in the refrigerator, using the clock function built in the refrigerator,
By driving the compressor during the time when the electricity charge is low, the power consumption of the refrigerator can be further reduced.

According to the present invention described in claim 4, claim 1
Or, in the refrigerator described in 2, when the operating state of the indoor electric product is acquired and it is detected from the acquired operation information that most of the indoor electric product is not operating, the refrigerator temperature is lower than the set internal temperature. It is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the drive of the compressor is suppressed by keeping the internal temperature higher by a predetermined temperature, and as a result, the power consumption of the refrigerator is reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a control configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a temperature control operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a temperature control operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a temperature control operation according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a temperature control operation according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 refrigerator 2 Bluetooth interface 3 PC 4 residential distribution board 5 Wiring circuit breaker 6 AC cable 7 lighting equipment 8 air conditioners 9 TV 10 Operation panel

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator comprising an internal cooling means for cooling the inside of the refrigerator to a set internal temperature, the acquiring means for acquiring predicted destination information, and the predicted destination information. And a control unit that drives and controls the inside cooling unit. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires, as the predicted destination information, a weather forecast or a scheduled date and time when food is stored. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the control unit drives the in-compartment cooling unit during a time period when a low electricity rate is set. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a detecting means for detecting an operating state of an indoor electric product equipped with the refrigerator, and a state in which the electric product is not operating is detected by the detecting means. A refrigerator comprising: a set temperature correction unit that raises the set internal temperature by a predetermined temperature.