JP2003207258A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator preventing photographing failure due to dewing of cameras arranged in a refrigerator. <P>SOLUTION: The first camera 31 and the second camera 33 having a heater in the camera are arranged in a cold room. A dew-point temperature of air outside the cold room is determined by measuring a temperature and humidity outside the cold room by an off-cold room temperature sensor 21 and an off-cold room humidity sensor 23. The heater is controlled so that a lens part of the cameras reaches the dew-point temperature or more. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a camera installed in a refrigerator compartment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various refrigerators have been proposed in which a camera is installed in a refrigerator to photograph the inside of a refrigerating room.

By the way, when the camera is installed in the refrigerator compartment, the lens portion of the camera may be condensed. If there is condensation on the lens part of the camera, if you shoot as it is,
Naturally, it becomes a blurry photo.

Condensation on the lens portion of such a camera falls below the dew point temperature when air enters the refrigerating compartment from the outside when the door of the refrigerating compartment is opened and hits the camera whose temperature is lower than the outside air temperature. This causes dew condensation on the lens portion of the camera.

As a technique for preventing dew condensation in the lens portion of the camera installed in the refrigerator compartment of such a refrigerator, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-45041, a heater is mounted on the lens portion of the camera installed in the refrigerator compartment. Is disclosed.

[0006]

However, although the above publication discloses the structure of a camera equipped with a heater as a measure against dew condensation, it does not propose how to control the energization of the heater. Absent.

Regarding this point, for example, it is conceivable that the heater is always energized in order to prevent dew condensation on the lens part. However, dew condensation occurs only after the door is opened. It is a waste of electricity to energize, and it is not preferable from the viewpoint of energy saving.

The present invention has been made in view of the above,
An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of preventing photographing failure due to dew condensation at the time of photographing in a refrigerating room of a camera while suppressing unnecessary power consumption.

[0009]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In order to solve the above problems, a photographing means for photographing the inside of a refrigerating room, a heating means for warming a lens portion of the photographing means, a refrigerating room outside temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature outside the refrigerating room,
And a control unit that controls the heating unit so that the temperature of the lens unit is equal to or higher than the temperature outside the refrigerating room detected by the temperature detecting unit outside the refrigerating room.

According to the present invention, the lens portion of the photographing means is heated by the heating means to a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature outside the refrigerating room, thereby removing the fog on the lens portion of the photographing means and preventing defective photographing due to the fog. Is.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided photographing means for photographing the inside of the refrigerating room, heating means for warming a lens portion of the photographing means, outside-refrigerating room temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature outside the refrigerating room, and Dehumidifying temperature of the air outside the refrigerating room from the refrigerating room humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity outside the refrigerating room, the refrigerating room outside temperature detected by the refrigerating room outside temperature detecting means and the refrigerating room outside humidity detected by the refrigerating room outside humidity detecting means. And a control unit that controls the heating unit so that the temperature of the lens unit is equal to or higher than the determined dew point temperature.

According to the present invention, the dew point temperature of the air outside the refrigerating room is obtained from the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerating room, and the lens unit of the image taking means is heated by the heating means to a temperature not lower than the obtained dew point temperature. It is intended to remove the dew condensation on the lens part of (1) to prevent the defective photography due to the dew condensation.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the refrigerator described above, the refrigerator further has a refrigerating room temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the refrigerating room,
The control means may control the heating means according to a difference between the temperature inside the refrigerating room detected by the temperature sensor inside the refrigerating room and the temperature outside the refrigerating room or the dew point temperature.

The present invention also detects the temperature in the refrigerating compartment and enables efficient heating from the temperature in the refrigerating compartment and the temperature outside the refrigerating compartment or the dew point temperature.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the refrigerator according to any one of the first to third aspects, the refrigerator further includes door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the refrigerating compartment door,
The control means detects the opening of the refrigerating compartment door by the door opening / closing detecting means, and the temperature of the lens portion is a temperature equal to or higher than the refrigerating compartment outside temperature or the dew point temperature by a predetermined time determined in advance. The gist is to control the heating means so that

According to the present invention, the temperature of the lens unit is set to the temperature outside the refrigerating room or the dew point temperature within a predetermined time after the refrigerating room door is opened, so that the lens can be opened while the refrigerating room door is open. It is intended to remove the cloudiness or dew condensation on the part so that it is possible to shoot inside the refrigerating room.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the refrigerator according to the fourth aspect, the door opening / closing detecting means detects an opening angle of a refrigerating compartment door, and the photographing means is provided in the refrigerating compartment, and the refrigerating compartment is provided. The control means has a first camera for photographing the inside of the door and a second camera provided on the refrigerating compartment door for photographing the refrigerating compartment, and the control means closes the refrigerating compartment door by the door opening angle detecting means. The gist is to control the first camera and the second camera so as to take an image of the inside of the refrigerating chamber when it is detected that a predetermined angle is reached.

According to the present invention, the door opening / closing detecting means takes a picture when the opening angle of the refrigerating compartment door reaches a predetermined angle, so that the refrigeration can be carried out by the first camera and the second camera provided as the photographing means. It aims to be able to properly capture the inside of the room door and the inside of the refrigeration room.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is no dew condensation by the photographing means for photographing the inside of the refrigerating room, the dew condensation detecting means provided near the photographing means for detecting the dew condensation state, and the dew condensation detecting means. After the confirmation, the refrigerator is characterized in that it has a control means for controlling the photographing means so as to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room.

The present invention is intended to prevent photographing failure due to dew condensation by detecting a dew condensation-free state by means of the dew condensation detection means provided in the vicinity of the photographing means and photographing at that time.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the refrigerator according to the sixth aspect, the refrigerator further includes illumination means for illuminating the refrigerating compartment, and door opening / closing detecting means for detecting opening / closing of the refrigerating compartment door. , The control means, after detecting that the refrigerator compartment door is closed by the door opening and closing detection means, confirm that there is no dew condensation by the dew condensation detection means, if there is no dew condensation, turn on the illumination means, The gist is to control the photographing means so as to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room.

According to the present invention, after the door is closed by the door opening / closing means, the dew condensation detecting means detects a state without dew condensation, and then the illuminating means illuminates the inside of the refrigerating room to take a picture. It aims to prevent defects.

The invention according to claim 8 is a photographing means for photographing the inside of a refrigerating room, a heating means provided in the photographing means for heating a lens portion of the photographing means, an illuminating means for illuminating the refrigerating room, and the lighting. A power line that is connected in series with a power line that supplies power to the means, that supplies power to the heating unit, and an energizing unit that detects opening and closing of a refrigerating compartment door and energizes the power line when the door is opened. It is a refrigerator whose essential point is.

According to the present invention, the power line of the lighting means for illuminating the refrigerating compartment and the heating means for warming the lens portion are connected in series,
By opening the refrigerating compartment door and turning on the lighting means, the heating means is also energized, so that the dew condensation on the lens part is removed in accordance with the opening and closing of the refrigerating compartment door to prevent defective photography due to dew condensation. To do.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, a photographing means for photographing the inside of the refrigerating compartment, a refrigerating compartment temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature inside the refrigerating compartment, and a refrigerating outside temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature outside the refrigerating compartment. And a door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the refrigerating compartment door, and after detecting that the refrigerating compartment door is closed by the door opening / closing detecting means, the refrigerating compartment temperature detected by the refrigerating compartment temperature detecting means and the The temperature difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room is calculated from the outside temperature of the refrigerating room detected by the outside-refrigerating room temperature detecting means, and the photographing means is controlled to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room after a predetermined time period corresponding to the calculated temperature difference elapses. And a control means for controlling the refrigerator.

According to the present invention, the photographing is performed after a predetermined time obtained from the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room, so that the dew condensation caused by the opening of the refrigerating room disappears and the inside of the refrigerating room is immediately photographed. Is what you are trying to do.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, a photographing means for photographing the inside of the refrigerating room, a refrigerating room humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity inside the refrigerating room, and an outside refrigerating room humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity outside the refrigerating room. A door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the refrigerating compartment door; and after detecting that the refrigerating compartment door is closed by the door opening / closing detecting means, the refrigerating compartment humidity detected by the refrigerating compartment humidity detecting means and the aforesaid The humidity difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room is calculated from the outside humidity of the refrigerating room detected by the outside humidity detecting means of the refrigerating room, and the photographing means is controlled so as to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room after a lapse of a predetermined time according to the calculated humidity difference. And a control means for controlling the refrigerator.

According to the present invention, the photographing is performed after a predetermined time obtained from the humidity difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room, so that the dew condensation caused by the opening of the refrigerating room disappears, and the photographing inside the refrigerating room is quickly performed. Is what you are trying to do.

According to the present invention, a photographing means for photographing the inside of the refrigerating room, a humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity inside the refrigerating room, and a humidity detecting means outside the refrigerating room for detecting humidity outside the refrigerating room. A door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the refrigerating compartment door; and after detecting that the refrigerating compartment door is closed by the door opening / closing detecting means, the refrigerating compartment humidity detected by the refrigerating compartment humidity detecting means and the aforesaid The humidity difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room is calculated from the outside humidity of the refrigerating room detected by the outside humidity detecting means of the refrigerating room, and the photographing means is controlled so as to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room after a lapse of a predetermined time according to the calculated humidity difference. And a control means for controlling the refrigerator.

According to the present invention, the dew point temperature of the air outside the refrigerating room is obtained from the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerating room, and a photograph is taken after a predetermined time corresponding to the dew point temperature thus obtained, whereby the refrigerating room door is opened. After the generated dew condensation disappears, it is intended to take a picture in the refrigerating room as soon as possible.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention is a refrigerator characterized in that it has photographing means for photographing the inside of a refrigerating room and defogging means provided on a lens portion of the photographing means.

The present invention is intended to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation on the lens portion of the photographing means by preventing the defrosting of the lens portion of the photographing means, thereby preventing defective photographing due to dew condensation.

[0033]

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 top view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 shows a camera provided in the refrigerator. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit.

Here, the refrigerator 1 itself is an ordinary one, and a refrigerator cabinet 11 and a cabinet 11 are provided.
It comprises an internal refrigerating compartment 13 and a refrigerating compartment door 15 which is attached to the cabinet 11 by a hinge (not shown) so as to be openable and closable.

The refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerating room temperature sensor 17 for detecting the temperature in the refrigerating room 13,
Refrigerating room humidity sensor 19 for detecting the humidity inside the refrigerating room 13, refrigerating room outside temperature sensor 21 for detecting the temperature outside the refrigerating room 13, and refrigerating outside humidity for detecting the humidity outside the refrigerating room 13. The sensor 23, the 1st camera 31 provided in the refrigerating room 13, the 2nd camera 33 provided in the refrigerating room door side, and the door switch 35 which detects the opening angle of the refrigerating room door 15 are provided.

Here, the first camera 31 and the second camera 33 are both called CCD cameras,
As shown in FIG. 2, a camera body 301 including a CCD image sensor, a lens 303 attached to the camera body 301, a camera body 301, and a lens 303.
And a heater 309 mounted on the front surface of the lens 303. In the camera case 305, the front surface of the lens 303 is a transparent plate 307 such as an acrylic plate, and photography is performed through this transparent plate 307. In this embodiment, the transparent plate 307 is included in the lens portion.

The first camera 31 is provided inside the refrigerating compartment 13 facing outward, and when the refrigerating compartment door 15 has a predetermined opening angle, the door pocket 16 inside the refrigerating compartment door 15 is provided.
Take a picture of.

The second camera 33 is provided on the refrigerating compartment door 15 so as to face the refrigerating compartment 13 and takes an image inside the refrigerating compartment 13 when the refrigerating compartment door 15 has a predetermined opening angle. .

A heater 309 provided in each camera
Is a heater whose heating intensity can be adjusted in three levels of "strong", "medium", and "weak".

The door switch 35 is a door switch that detects the opening and closing of the door and also detects that the opening angle of the refrigerating compartment door 15 has reached a predetermined angle. For example, a micro door switch, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc. Can be used.

Here, the predetermined angle means that the first camera 31 photographs the door pocket 16 and the second camera 33 photographs the inside of the refrigerating room 13 as described above, and therefore the photographing area by each of these cameras is the best. Refrigerator door 1 for shooting
The opening angle is 5. This predetermined angle is determined by the camera body 3
Although it depends on the focal length (shooting range) of the lens 303 provided in 01, for example, about 55 to 60 degrees is easier to shoot, and the door pocket 16 and the refrigerator compartment 13 are
You can shoot every corner inside.

The energization control of the heater in the thus constructed refrigerator is performed by the control section shown in FIG.

The control unit is composed of one microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer) 25, and the microcomputer 25 has a refrigerator interior temperature sensor 17, a refrigerator interior humidity sensor 19, a refrigerator outside temperature sensor 21, and a refrigerator outside. Receives the signal from the humidity sensor 23,
The strong heater switch 27a, the middle heater switch 27b, and the weak heater switch 27c for causing the heater 309 to generate heat with strong, medium, and weak heating intensities are switched. In addition, this microcomputer 25 uses the door switch 3
Signal from the first and second cameras 31 and 3
The control of shooting by 3 is also performed. The microcomputer 25 may also be used as a microcomputer for controlling the refrigerating compartment temperature.

The operation of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment thus constructed will be described below.

First, the first and second cameras 31 and 3
Photographing inside the refrigerating room by No. 3 will be described.

Since the photographing inside the refrigerating room is intended to determine what kind of goods are in the refrigerating room 13 by photographing inside the refrigerating room, when the goods are replaced. By taking a picture, it is possible to effectively grasp the replacement of the goods. Therefore, since the refrigerating compartment door 15 is inevitably opened / closed when the goods are exchanged, in the first embodiment, the opening / closing of the refrigerating compartment door 15 is detected by the door switch 35. , I shoot at that timing.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the timing of this photographing.

First, when the user opens the refrigerator compartment door 15,
The door switch 35 opens the refrigerating compartment door 15 at a constant angle θ.
From the following state, it is detected that the angle is equal to or more than the certain angle θ. This detection signal is input to the microcomputer 25.

Then, with the refrigerator door 15 open,
Items are taken in and out by the user. And
When the user closes the refrigerator compartment door 15, the door switch 35
Detects that the opening angle of the refrigerating compartment door 15 has changed from the state of being equal to or greater than the constant angle θ to the state of being equal to or less than the constant angle θ, and a detection signal is input to the microcomputer 25.

The microcomputer 25 detects from the signal from the second door switch that the refrigerator compartment door has been closed, and the first camera 31 photographs the door pocket 16 and the second camera 33 captures the refrigerator compartment 13. Take a picture inside.

Condensation may occur on the first and second cameras 31 and 33 when the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened and closed.

Here, the mechanism of dew condensation will be described.

FIG. 5 is a drawing showing the relationship between temperature, humidity and water vapor pressure. The humidity here is all relative humidity.

In general, dew condensation occurs when the temperature of air is cooled below the dew point temperature. The temperature inside the refrigerating room is usually 0 to 5 ° C, and the humidity is 8 with food in it.
It is about 9 to 90%.

If the temperature in the refrigerating room is 3 ° C. and the humidity is 80,
%, The relationship between temperature and water vapor pressure is point A on the graph shown in FIG. If the temperature outside the refrigerating room at this time is 10 ° C. and the humidity is 60%, the relationship between temperature and water vapor pressure is point B on the graph shown in FIG. At this time, the dew point temperature is 1
Since the temperature is 00%, the temperature at the point C is approximately 2 ° C. from FIG.

In this state, the temperature in the refrigerating compartment is higher than the dew point temperature, and the temperature of the camera installed therein is naturally higher than the temperature at point C, so that no dew condensation occurs on the lens portion of the camera.

Further, for example, when the temperature inside the refrigerating room is the same as above and the temperature outside the refrigerating room is 18 ° C. and the humidity is 80%, the relationship between temperature and water vapor pressure is D on the graph shown in FIG. It becomes a point. Therefore, the dew point temperature at this time is about 15 ° C., which is about the point E in the figure, and when air contacts an object whose temperature is lower than the dew point temperature of about 15 ° C., dew condensation occurs there. In this case, the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment is lower than 15 ° C, and the temperature of the camera installed therein is naturally lower than 15 ° C. Therefore, if this condition is left, the lens of the camera will open when the refrigerator compartment door is opened. Condensation will occur on the parts.

Similarly, assuming that the temperature outside the refrigerator is 28 ° C. and the humidity is 80%, the relationship between temperature and water vapor pressure is shown in FIG.
It becomes the F point on the graph shown in Fig., And the dew point temperature at this time is about 24 ° C at the G point.
Condensation will occur at temperatures below 4 ° C. Further, assuming that the temperature outside the refrigerating room is 38 ° C. and the humidity is 80%, the relationship between the temperature and the water pressure is H point on the graph shown in FIG. 4, and the dew point temperature at this time is about I point of about 34 ° C. In this case, too, dew condensation occurs at a temperature lower than about 34 ° C.

As described above, the occurrence of dew condensation varies depending on the temperature and humidity inside the refrigerating compartment when the refrigerating compartment door 15 is opened and the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerating compartment.

In the first embodiment, the temperature and humidity inside the refrigerating room and the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerating room are detected by respective temperature sensors and humidity sensors,
Only when the temperature and humidity inside the refrigerating room and the temperature and humidity outside the refrigerating room cause dew condensation, the heater 309
Is energized to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation on the transparent plate 307 which is the lens portion of the camera.

FIG. 6 is a drawing showing the temperature rise of this heater.

Here, the heater 309 is "strong", "medium",
And it is possible to adjust in three steps, "weak".
"Strong" is full energization, "Medium" is 2/3 intermittent energization, and "Weak" is 1/3 intermittent energization.

With this energization, the heater 309, as shown in FIG. 6, when the temperature of the transparent plate 307 is 0 ° C. before the energization of the heater 309, when it is “strong”, it is 35 ° C. in 2 minutes. , “Medium” is set to 25 ° C. in 2 minutes, and “weak” is set to 15 ° C. in 2 minutes.

The operation control of this heater will be described.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the procedure of heater energization control processing.

First, the microcomputer 25 detects the temperature in the refrigerating room from the refrigerating room temperature sensor 17, the humidity in the refrigerating room from the refrigerating room humidity sensor 19, and the refrigerating room temperature sensor 21.
To obtain the temperature outside the refrigerating room and the humidity outside the refrigerating room from the humidity sensor 23 outside the refrigerating room (S1), and then calculate the dew point temperature from the acquired temperature and humidity outside the refrigerating room (S2).

Subsequently, the energization condition (details will be described later) of the heater necessary to raise the temperature of the transparent plate 307 of the lens unit from the acquired temperature in the refrigerating chamber to the calculated dew point temperature within a predetermined time is obtained (S3). . This is shown in Figure 6 in advance.
Prepare the data showing the temperature rise rate of the transparent plate with respect to the heating intensity of the heater as shown in FIG. It is advisable to find a heater energization condition that can raise the temperature.

Then, it is determined whether or not the heater 309 needs to be energized (S4). This is determined according to the difference between the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment and the dew point temperature, and the open / close state of the refrigerating compartment door 15.

When it is determined that the energization is necessary, the strong heater switch 27a and the middle heater switch 27 are set so that the energization conditions obtained in step S3 are satisfied.
b, and the weak heater switch 27c is turned on and off. Then, this process returns to step S1, and thereafter, each step is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that it is not necessary to energize, the process directly returns to step S1 and thereafter, each step is repeatedly executed.

As described above, the energization control of the heater for preventing the dew condensation is performed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of such energization control for the heater.

In this example, when dew condensation is likely to occur, when the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened, the predetermined time is 1
The objective is to reach the dew-point temperature of the lens portion including the lens 303 and the transparent plate 307 within a minute.

Here, as in the above-described example, when the temperature inside the refrigerating room is 0 to 5 ° C. and the humidity is 89 to 90%, when the temperature outside the refrigerating room is 8 ° C. and the humidity is about 60%, ,
Even if the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened, no condensation occurs, so the heater is OF
Leave as F.

Next, the temperature outside the refrigerator is 18 ° C. and the humidity is 80.
%, The dew point temperature is about 15 ° C,
When the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened, dew condensation will occur at 15 ° C or lower.

Therefore, in this case, the refrigerator compartment door 15
When is opened, the power is first started by "strong". As a result, the temperature of the transparent plate 307 reaches about 15 ° C. after 30 seconds (see FIG. 5), so that the temperature is switched to “weak” at that time. This switching from strong to weak is called energization condition.

By this control, the lens 303 and the transparent plate 307 reach the dew point temperature within 1 minute, so that dew condensation can be prevented.

Next, the temperature outside the refrigerator is 28 ° C. and the humidity is 8
Since the dew point temperature when it was 0% is about 24 ° C,
When the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened, dew condensation will occur at 24 ° C or lower.

In this case, when the refrigerating compartment door 15 is opened, the power is first turned on by "strong".

As a result, the temperature of the transparent plate 307 reaches about 25 ° C. in 1 minute, so that the temperature is switched to “medium” at that time.

By this control, the lens 303 and the transparent plate 307 reach the dew point temperature within 1 minute, so that dew condensation can be prevented.

Next, the temperature outside the refrigerating room is 38 ° C. and the humidity is 8
Since the dew point temperature at 0% is about 33 ° C,
When the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened, dew condensation occurs at 33 ° C or lower.

In such a case, even when the refrigerator compartment door 15 is closed, the heater 309 is kept "medium" and the lens 303 and the transparent plate 307 are maintained at about 25.degree.

Then, when the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened,
By switching to “strong”, the temperature of the transparent plate 307 reaches about 35 ° C. after 1 minute.

By this control, the lens 303 and the transparent plate 307 reach the dew point temperature within 1 minute, so that dew condensation can be prevented.

Here, the predetermined time until the temperature of the transparent plate 307 of the lens unit reaches the dew point temperature is set to 1 minute. Normally, it takes about 1 minute to put the article in and out of the refrigerator compartment. This time is set because it is required, and naturally, this time can be set to an arbitrary time.

According to the first embodiment configured as described above, in order to prevent the dew condensation on the lens portion, the heater is controlled in accordance with the conditions under which the dew condensation occurs, so that the heater is always energized, for example. In comparison with other cases, it is possible to prevent waste of power consumption and reliably prevent imaging defects due to dew condensation.

Further, as a result, the possibility that the heater will become a heat source in the refrigerating chamber can be minimized, so that the cooling effect is not hindered.

Further, in order to prevent the dew condensation on the lens portion, the energization of the heater is controlled in accordance with the condition that the dew condensation occurs, so that the heater having a small capacity can be effectively utilized to heat the lens portion in a short time, and the large heater can be used. No need to use a heater.

In the above embodiment, the heater is controlled in accordance with the dew condensation temperature. However, the heater is controlled in the same manner as in the above embodiment in accordance with the temperature outside the refrigerating room to cause fogging of the lens portion. May be prevented, and even in this case, defective photography can be prevented.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator according to the second embodiment.

This refrigerator 3 has a camera 4 inside the refrigerator compartment 13.
1 and a dew condensation sensor 43 is provided near the camera 41.

The camera 41 used here is shown in FIG.
As shown in 0, a camera body 3 including a CCD image pickup device
01, a lens 303 attached to the camera body 301, and a camera case 305 that houses the camera body 301 and the lens 303. The camera case 305 includes a transparent plate 307 such as an acrylic plate on the front surface of the lens 303, and photographing is performed through the transparent plate 307. Therefore, unlike the camera according to the first embodiment described above, the camera 41 according to the second embodiment does not have a heater.

The refrigerator 3 itself is the same as that described in the first embodiment, and the cabinet 1
1, a refrigerator compartment 13 and a refrigerator compartment door 15, and an inside lamp 45 is provided in the refrigerator compartment 13.

Further, although the door switch 35 is provided, it is not necessary to detect the opening angle of the refrigerating compartment door 15 here, as long as the opening / closing of the door is simply detected.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the structure of the control unit in the second embodiment.

The control section is composed of a microcomputer 47 which controls the photographing instruction of the camera 41 and the lighting of the inside lamp 45 by signals from the door switch 35 and the dew condensation sensor 43.

The operation of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment will be described below.

Condensation in the refrigerating compartment 13 is caused by opening the refrigerating compartment door 15 as already described. Then, the generated condensation gradually disappears and disappears after the refrigerator compartment door 15 is closed. Further, as described in the first embodiment, it may not occur depending on the temperature and humidity conditions inside and outside the refrigerating room.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, the dew condensation sensor 43 detects the state of dew condensation, and the inside of the refrigerator compartment 13 is photographed when there is no dew.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the photographing process in the second embodiment.

First, the microcomputer 47 determines whether or not the refrigerating compartment door 15 is opened / closed by a signal from the door switch 35 (S21). If the result of this determination is that the refrigerator compartment door 15 has not been opened or closed, this processing is repeated until the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened or closed.

If it is detected that the refrigerator compartment door 15 has been opened or closed, the dew condensation sensor 43 determines whether or not there is dew (S22). According to this determination, if there is no dew, the interior lamp 45 is turned on and the camera 41 takes an image (S23). On the other hand, if it is determined that there is dew, this determination is repeated until the dew disappears, and when the dew disappears, the camera 41 captures an image of the inside of the refrigerator compartment 13.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the heat source such as the heater is not necessary because the photographing is performed after confirming that the dew condensation sensor does not cause the dew condensation.
Therefore, it is possible to reliably photograph the inside of the refrigerator without the consumption of electric power by the heater and without causing defective photographing due to dew condensation.

In the second embodiment, since the photographing is performed when the refrigerating compartment door is closed, the interior light is turned on at the same time as the photographing. However, instead of this, The camera may be provided with a flash to illuminate the inside of the refrigerating room so that the camera emits light at the same time as photographing.

(Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment described above, a camera provided with a heater in the camera is installed in the refrigerating compartment, and the refrigerating compartment door is installed. The heater is energized only when it is opened.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the structure for controlling the energization of the heater in the third embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the power line 49 to the interior lamp 45 is wired in series with the heater 309 in the camera,
This is interlocked with the detection of opening / closing of the door switch 35. In FIG. 13, the inside light control circuit 50 is a control circuit for supplying electric power to the electric power line 49 in response to a signal that the opening of the refrigerating compartment door 15 of the door switch 35 is detected.

The function of the refrigerator according to the third embodiment will be described below.

According to the refrigerator of the third embodiment, when the refrigerating compartment door 15 is opened, the interior lamp control circuit 50 energizes the interior lamp 45. This is normal refrigerator operation.

Since the heater 309 and the power line to the interior light 45 are connected in series, the refrigerator door 15 is opened and the heater 309 is also powered at the same time to warm the lens portion. Prevent condensation.

According to the present third embodiment, the controller is not required, and the heater is energized only when the refrigerating compartment door having the possibility of dew condensation is opened with a simple structure. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the defective photographing due to the dew condensation without wasting the power consumption.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator according to the fourth embodiment.

This refrigerator 5 has a camera 4 inside the refrigerator compartment 13.
1, a refrigeration room temperature sensor 17 for detecting the temperature in the refrigeration room 13 or a refrigeration room humidity sensor 19 for detecting humidity in the refrigeration room 13, and a refrigeration room door 15 installed outside the refrigeration room. An outside-refrigerating temperature sensor 21 for detecting the temperature of the refrigerator or an outside-refrigerating humidity sensor 23 for detecting the humidity outside the refrigerator is provided.

The camera 41 used here does not have a heater, like the camera shown in FIG. 10 described above.

The refrigerator 5 itself is the same as that described in the first embodiment, and the cabinet 1
1, a refrigerator compartment 13 and a refrigerator compartment door 15. Also,
It has an inside light 45 and a door switch 35. Here, the door switch 35 does not need to detect the opening angle of the refrigerating compartment door 15 and may be one that simply detects the opening and closing of the refrigerating compartment door 15.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the structure of the control unit in the fourth embodiment.

The control section uses the signal from the refrigerating room temperature sensor 17 or the refrigerating room humidity sensor 19, the signal from the refrigerating room temperature sensor 21 or the refrigerating room humidity sensor 23, and the signal from the door switch 35 to photograph the camera 41. It is composed of a microcomputer 51 that controls instructions and lighting of the interior lamp 45.

The operation of the refrigerator according to the fourth embodiment will be described below.

The dew condensation in the refrigerating compartment 13 is caused by opening the refrigerating compartment door 15 as described above, and gradually disappears after the refrigerating compartment door 15 is closed.

Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the temperature or humidity inside and outside the refrigerating room is detected, and the time when the dew disappears is detected according to the temperature difference or the humidity difference inside and outside the refrigerating room.
The camera 41 captures an image of the inside of the refrigerating room.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing the photographing procedure of the camera according to the fourth embodiment.

First, the microcomputer 51 determines whether or not the refrigerating compartment door is opened / closed by a signal from the door switch 35 (S41). If the result of this determination is that the door has not been opened or closed, this processing is repeated until the door is opened or closed.

When it is detected that the refrigerator compartment door is opened or closed, the temperature from the temperature sensor 17 for detecting the temperature in the refrigerator compartment 13 or the humidity in the refrigerator compartment 13 is detected. The humidity from the humidity sensor 19 and the temperature from the temperature sensor 21 for detecting the temperature outside the refrigerating room or the humidity from the humidity sensor 13 for detecting the humidity outside the refrigerating room are acquired (S42).

Then, the temperature difference or humidity difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room is calculated from the acquired temperature or humidity inside or outside the refrigerating room (S43).

Subsequently, the photographing standby time is set according to the calculated temperature difference or humidity difference (S44).

Subsequently, it is judged whether or not the set photographing waiting time has elapsed (S45). When the photographing waiting time has elapsed, the interior light is turned on and the camera shoots (S46).

More specifically, such control is performed, for example, in the case of the example in FIG. 4 described above, when the temperature outside the refrigerating room is 8 ° C. and the humidity is about 60%, the refrigerating room door 15 is opened. Since there is no dew condensation, the shooting standby time from the closing of the refrigerator door 15 to the shooting is set to 1 minute, and the shooting is performed 1 minute later. In this case, the shooting standby time may be 0 minutes.

Next, the temperature outside the refrigerator is 18 ° C. and the humidity is 80.
% Dew point temperature is about 15 ℃,
When the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened, condensation will occur at 15 ° C or lower. In this case, the difference between the refrigerator compartment and this dew point temperature is
The dew point disappears in a relatively short time because it is not so large as compared with the example of the dew point temperature described later. Therefore, in this case, the photographing standby time from the closing of the refrigerator compartment door 15 to the photographing is set to 5 minutes.

Next, the temperature outside the refrigerator is 28 ° C. and the humidity is 80.
Since the dew point is about 24 ° C. when it is about%, dew condensation occurs at 24 ° C. or lower when the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened. In this case, since the temperature difference is medium compared to the other examples, the state of dew condensation is also medium. Therefore, the refrigerator compartment door 15
The waiting time for shooting from when the is closed until shooting is 10 minutes.

Next, the temperature outside the refrigerator is 38 ° C. and the humidity is 80.
Since the dew point is about 34% when it is about%, dew condensation occurs at 34 ° C or lower when the refrigerator compartment door 15 is opened. In this case, the temperature difference is large and dew condensation may be large compared to the other examples. Therefore, the photographing standby time from the closing of the refrigerator door 15 to the photographing is set to 15 minutes.

As for the standby time for shooting due to the difference in humidity, the standby time for shooting may be set longer as the difference in humidity increases, as in the case of such temperature difference.

As described above, the larger the temperature difference or humidity difference is, the longer the photographing standby time is. The larger the temperature difference or humidity difference between inside and outside the refrigerating room is, the larger the amount of dew generated by dew condensation is. This is because the time required to do so will inevitably increase.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment,
In the refrigerator that shoots with the refrigerator door closed, the time from when the refrigerator door is closed to when shooting
Since the temperature is changed depending on the temperature difference or the humidity difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room, the inside of the refrigerating room can be photographed quickly and surely without causing imaging failure due to dew condensation.

In the fourth embodiment, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature outside the refrigerating room and a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity outside the refrigerating room are provided instead of the temperature difference and the humidity difference. The dew point temperature may be obtained from the detection result of the temperature and the humidity, and the photographing standby time may be set longer as the dew point temperature is higher according to the dew point temperature. This is because the temperature inside the refrigerating room is usually almost constant, and the temperature of the camera and lens part where dew condensation occurs is almost the same as the temperature inside the refrigerating room. The difference from a certain refrigerating room temperature also increases according to the dew point temperature. Therefore, if the dew point temperature is high, it is possible to take an image in a state where the dew condensation disappears by prolonging the image capturing standby time accordingly.

When the photographing standby time is set in accordance with the dew point temperature as described above, it is possible to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room without causing defective photographing due to dew condensation without providing a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor in the refrigerating room. .

Further, by setting the photographing standby time from the closing of the refrigerating compartment door to the photographing as a constant time regardless of the temperature difference and the humidity difference, it is possible to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room without causing defective photographing due to dew condensation. You can In this case, it is necessary to determine the shooting standby time as the time when the dew disappears in various dew condensation states. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor at all.

Also in the fourth embodiment, instead of turning on the interior light at the same time as photographing, the camera may be provided with a flash for illuminating the inside of the refrigerating room so that light is emitted at the same time as photographing. .

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a camera installed in a refrigerating room according to a fifth embodiment.

Here, the structure of the refrigerator itself is the same as that of a normal refrigerator, and therefore the illustration thereof is omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the camera installed in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator is CC
The camera body 301 includes a D image pickup device, a lens 303 attached to the camera body 301, and a camera case 305 that houses the camera body 301 and the lens 303. The camera case 305 has a lens 30.
Transparent plate 3 with anti-fog coating on the front of 3
11 is provided. Photography is performed through the transparent plate 311.

As a result, regardless of whether the refrigerator compartment door is opened or closed,
Condensation does not occur on the transparent plate 311 forming the lens portion of the camera, so that it is possible to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room without causing defective photographing due to condensation.

In the above embodiments, the case where the CCD image pickup device is used for the camera has been described, but it goes without saying that another image pickup device such as a CMOS image pickup device may be used.

[0144]

According to the present invention described above, in a refrigerator having a heater in a camera, the heater can be effectively controlled, so that power consumption by the heater can be suppressed and the heater can be reliably operated. It is possible to take a picture in the refrigerating room without causing a bad picture taking due to cloudy weather or dew condensation.

Further, in a refrigerator in which the camera is not provided with a heater, even if dew condensation occurs, the inside of the refrigerating room is photographed when the dew condensation disappears, so that it is possible to reliably prevent defective photography due to dew condensation. It is possible to take pictures inside the refrigerating room.

Further, according to the present invention, since the lens portion of the photographing means is provided with anti-fog, photographing in the refrigerating room can be performed without causing defective photographing due to dew condensation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a camera provided in the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit for controlling a heater provided in the camera according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the timing of photographing in the refrigerating compartment in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a drawing showing the relationship between temperature, humidity, and water vapor pressure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a temperature rise of a heater according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a heater energization control process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of energization control for the heater in the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a camera provided in the refrigerator according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit in the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a shooting process according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration for controlling energization of a heater according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a shooting procedure of the camera of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a camera installed in a refrigerator compartment according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 3, 5 refrigerator 11 cabinets 13 Refrigerator 15 Refrigerator door 16 door pockets 17 Cold room temperature sensor 19 Refrigerator indoor humidity sensor 21 Refrigerator outdoor temperature sensor 23 Refrigerator outdoor humidity sensor 25, 47, 51 Microcomputer 27b Middle heater switch 27c Weak heater switch 27a Strong heater switch 31, 33, 41 cameras 35 door switch 43 Condensation sensor 45 Interior light 50 Internal light control circuit 301 camera body 303 lens 305 camera case 307, 311 transparent plate 309 heater

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) F25D 27/00 F25D 27/00 G02B 7/02 G02B 7/02 D G03B 15/00 G03B 15/00 U 17 / 55 17/55 H04N 5/225 H04N 5/225 F 5/335 5/335 V F term (reference) 2H044 AD00 2H104 BC45 CC00 3L045 AA04 BA01 CA02 LA01 MA02 MA05 MA07 MA10 MA12 MA15 NA10 NA16 NA24 PA01 PA02 PA03 PA04 5C022 AB15 AB61 AC42 AC54 AC63 AC77 AC78 5C024 AX02 CX01 EX15 EX42 GY01 HX46

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A photographing means for photographing the inside of a refrigerating room, a heating means for warming a lens part of the photographing means, a temperature outside the refrigerating room detecting means for detecting a temperature outside the refrigerating room, and a temperature of the lens part A refrigerator comprising: a control unit that controls the heating unit so that the temperature becomes equal to or higher than the temperature outside the refrigerating room detected by the temperature detecting unit outside the refrigerating room. 2. A photographing means for photographing the inside of a refrigerating compartment, a heating means for warming a lens portion of the photographing means, a temperature outside the refrigerating compartment for detecting a temperature outside the refrigerating compartment, and a humidity outside the refrigerating compartment. A refrigerating outdoor humidity detecting means for detecting, a refrigerating outdoor temperature detected by the refrigerating outdoor temperature detecting means and a refrigerating outdoor humidity detected by the refrigerating outdoor humidity detecting means to obtain a dew point temperature of air outside the refrigerating outdoor, and the lens part And a control unit that controls the heating unit so that the temperature of the heating unit is equal to or higher than the determined dew point temperature. 3. The refrigerator further includes a refrigerating compartment temperature sensor for detecting a temperature inside the refrigerating compartment, and the control means controls the refrigerating compartment temperature detected by the refrigerating compartment temperature sensor and the refrigerating compartment outside temperature or The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating means is controlled according to a difference from a dew point temperature. 4. The refrigerator further includes door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of a refrigerating compartment door, and the control means detects that the refrigerating compartment door is opened by the door opening / closing detection means. 4. The heating means is controlled so that the temperature of the lens unit becomes equal to or higher than the outside temperature of the refrigerating room or the dew point temperature by a predetermined time after the start. Refrigerator described in. 5. The door opening / closing detection means detects an opening angle of a refrigerating compartment door, and the photographing means is provided in the refrigerating compartment, and a first camera for photographing the inside of the refrigerating compartment door and a refrigerating compartment door. And a second camera for photographing the inside of the refrigerating compartment, wherein the control means detects the predetermined angle when the door of the refrigerating compartment is closed by the door opening angle detecting means. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the first camera and the second camera are controlled so as to take an image inside the refrigerating room. 6. A photographing means for photographing the inside of a refrigerating room, a dew condensation detecting means provided near the photographing means for detecting a dew condensation state, and after confirming that there is no dew condensation by the dew condensation detecting means,
A control means for controlling the photographing means so as to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room. 7. The refrigerator further includes a lighting unit for illuminating the refrigerating compartment, and a door opening / closing detecting unit for detecting opening / closing of a refrigerating compartment door, and the control unit uses the door opening / closing detecting unit for refrigerating compartment. After detecting that the door is closed, it is confirmed by the dew condensation detecting means that there is no dew condensation, and if there is no dew condensation, the lighting means is turned on and the photographing means is controlled so as to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the refrigerator is a refrigerator. 8. A photographing means for photographing the inside of a refrigerating room, a heating means provided in the photographing means for warming a lens portion of the photographing means, an illuminating means for illuminating the refrigerating room, and supplying power to the illuminating means. A power line connected in series with the power line for supplying power to the heating means; and an energizing means for detecting opening / closing of a refrigerating compartment door and energizing the power line when the door is opened. refrigerator. 9. A photographing means for photographing a refrigerating compartment, a refrigerating compartment temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature in the refrigerating compartment, a refrigerating outside temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature outside the refrigerating compartment, and a refrigerating compartment door A door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing, and a refrigerating room temperature detected by the refrigerating room temperature detecting means and a refrigerating room outside temperature detecting means after detecting that the refrigerating room door is closed by the door open / close detecting means. A control means for calculating the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room from the detected outside temperature of the refrigerating room, and for controlling the photographing means so as to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room after a predetermined time period according to the calculated temperature difference, A refrigerator characterized by having. 10. A photographing means for photographing a refrigerating compartment, a refrigerating compartment humidity detecting means for detecting a humidity inside the refrigerating compartment, an outside refrigerating humidity detecting means for detecting a humidity outside the refrigerating compartment, and a refrigerating compartment door A door opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing, and a refrigerating room humidity detected by the refrigerating room humidity detecting means and a refrigerating room outside humidity detecting means after detecting that the refrigerating room door is closed by the door open / close detecting means. A control means for calculating the humidity difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room from the detected outside humidity of the refrigerating room, and controlling the photographing means so as to photograph the inside of the refrigerating room after a lapse of a predetermined time according to the calculated humidity difference; A refrigerator characterized by having. 11. A photographing means for photographing the inside of a refrigerating compartment, an outside refrigerating temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature outside the refrigerating compartment, an outside refrigerating humidity detecting means for detecting humidity outside the refrigerating compartment, and a refrigerating compartment. Door open / close detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door, and after detecting that the refrigerating room door is closed by the door open / close detecting means, the outside temperature of the refrigerating room detected by the outside temperature detecting means of the refrigerating room and the outside humidity detecting means for the refrigerating room From the outdoor humidity of the refrigerating room detected by
A refrigerator that has a control unit that controls the image capturing unit to capture an image of the inside of the refrigerating chamber after a lapse of a predetermined time according to the determined dew point temperature. 12. A photographing means for photographing the inside of the refrigerator compartment, Anti-fog means provided on the lens portion of the photographing means, A refrigerator characterized by having.