JP2008241099A - Refrigerator and program therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect the expiration of an expiration date of a deodorant to inform a user of it. <P>SOLUTION: This refrigerator is provided with a reading means 2 for reading information of a radio IC tag 21a, a storage means 5, a timepiece means 3, a notifying means 6, and a control means 4 therefor, reads the information of the tag from the radio IC tag 21a attached to the deodorant 20a, by the reading means 21a, stores the information of the tag, and information about the expiration date calculated by adding a prescribed value to information of the timepiece means 3, into the storage means 5, when detecting that the information of the tag is not stored in the storage means 5, and notifies the purport that the information about the expiration date is conformed with the information of the timepiece means 3 from the notifying means 6, when those are conformed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator that efficiently manages a deodorant using a wireless IC tag, and a program thereof.

In recent years, wireless IC tags (non-contact IC tags) have been affixed to articles, and wireless IC tag reading / writing means are installed in the storage to perform inventory management. A method has been proposed in which environmental information is written in a wireless IC tag to store a saved state (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-316525 A

  However, the conventional configuration is used for article management, and it is assumed that information suitable for the application is stored in the wireless IC tag. Since the wireless IC tag is brought in as it is, the necessary information is not always stored.

  For example, if you leave the expiration date like a deodorant, you will often notice the expiration date of the deodorant only after the bad odor drifts. If you smell it as soon as you open it, it can give a very bad impression. Especially if it is an important customer, it can be a shame, so it is desirable to call attention to the user to prevent it, but this inconvenience in life It has not been proposed to solve this problem.

  And the wireless IC tag attached to the deodorant does not always contain information on the expiration date of the deodorant.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, in a refrigerator equipped with reading means for reading information of a wireless IC tag, storage means, clock means, notification means, and control means thereof, a deodorant is used. When reading the tag information from the attached wireless IC tag by the reading means and detecting that the tag information is not stored in the storage means, the tag information in the storage means, Information on the expiration date calculated by adding a predetermined value to the information on the clock means is stored, and when the information on the expiration date matches the information on the clock means, the notification means notifies that fact. .

  As a result, even if the wireless IC tag attached during the distribution process is brought in as it is and the necessary information is not stored, the expiration date from the start of use is automatically calculated, and notification is made when the expiration date approaches. Therefore, in the deodorant, the expiration date is not allowed to be left unattended, so that it is not possible to notice the expiration date of the deodorant until the bad odor drifts.

1st invention is the refrigerator provided with the reading means which reads the information of a wireless IC tag, the memory | storage means, the clock means, the alerting | reporting means, and those control means in the refrigerator of this invention,
When reading the tag information from the wireless IC tag attached to the deodorant by the reading means and detecting that the tag information is not stored in the storage means, the storage means stores the tag information. Information and information on the expiration date calculated by adding a predetermined value to the information on the clock means, and when the information on the expiration date matches the information on the clock means, the information means notifies the fact I tried to do it.

  As a result, even if the wireless IC tag attached during the distribution process is brought in as it is and the necessary information is not stored, the expiration date from the start of use is automatically calculated, and notification is made when the expiration date approaches. Therefore, in the deodorant, the expiration date is not allowed to be left unattended, so that it is not possible to notice the expiration date of the deodorant until the bad odor drifts.

  In the second invention, in particular, in the first invention, when information on a tag of a new deodorant which is not stored in the storage means is detected, there is already tag information stored in the storage means. When the stored deodorant in the tag information is in the expiration date, the notification means notifies that the stored deodorant and a new deodorant are used redundantly. I tried to do it.

  As a result, when a new deodorant is about to be replaced even though the expiration date remains, the fact is notified so that the deodorant can be used without waste.

  In a third aspect of the invention, particularly in any one of the first and second aspects of the invention, information relating to a predetermined value to be added to the information of the timepiece means is stored in the wireless IC tag.

  Thereby, even when the expiration date is different for each deodorant, it is possible to set an optimum expiration date according to the deodorant, and the convenience is improved.

  In a fourth aspect of the invention, particularly in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, an opening for taking in and out the deodorant, a door for closing the opening, and an open / closed state of the door are detected. An opening / closing switch is provided, and when the door is closed, information of the wireless IC tag is read by the reading means and notified from the notification means.

  As a result, after opening and closing the door to put in and out the deodorant, the information on the wireless IC tag attached to the deodorant present in the refrigerator is read. Information can be read from the wireless IC tag only when there is a possibility of a change.

  In a fifth aspect of the invention, particularly in the fourth aspect of the invention, the refrigerator and the door are made of or covered with an electromagnetic wave shielding material.

  As a result, there is no mistake of reading the information of the wireless IC tag attached to the deodorant present outside the refrigerator, and the information can always be read from the wireless IC tag existing in the refrigerator. I can do it.

  A sixth invention is a program for causing a computer to execute at least one operation, particularly in any of the first to fourth inventions, and includes an electric circuit including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a storage device, an I / O, and the like. Part or all of the present invention can be easily realized as a program by cooperating hardware resources such as information devices and computers. Further, by storing the program in a storage medium or distributing the program using a communication line, program distribution can be realized extremely easily compared to other means.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
Here, in the case where ID information that can distinguish each individual wireless IC tag 21a is stored in the wireless IC tag 21a as tag information, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are used. I will explain.

  First, the ID information here is, for example, a binary code having a length of 96 bits to 128 bits, which is meaningless by itself, but the codes differ from product to product and are the same type of product. However, the code is assumed to be different.

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

  In FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 includes a reading means 2 for reading information from a wireless IC tag 21a, a clock means 3 for generating date / time information, a control means 4 for controlling the whole, and a storage means 5 for storing information. And a notification means 6 for performing various notifications to the user, an open / close switch 7, an opening 8 for taking in and out a deodorant and food, and a door 9 for closing the opening. .

  A wireless IC tag 21a is attached to the deodorant 20a, and ID information that can distinguish at least the deodorant 20a is stored in the wireless IC tag 21a.

  This ID information is read by the reading means 2, the read ID information is processed by the control means 4, and the notification means 6 performs notification according to the contents. From now on, referring to FIG. The processing flow will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the refrigerator of the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, whether the door 9 is opened is detected by the open / close switch 7, and when the door 9 is opened and then closed (step 31), it is attached to the deodorant 20 a by the reading means 2. Information is read from the wireless IC tag 21a.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the deodorant 20 a and the wireless IC tag 21 a are first stored in the refrigerator 1, nothing is stored in the storage unit 5 yet.

  Next, the information of the wireless IC tag 21a is read by the reading means 2 (step 32), and the information of the wireless IC tag 21a is not yet stored in the storage means 5 as described above (step 33). The information is stored in the storage means 5 (step 34).

  Next, the date and time information at that time is obtained from the clock means 3 and stored in the storage means 5 in addition to the information of the wireless IC tag 21a (step 35).

  Further, a date / time obtained by adding a certain period (for example, three months) to the date / time information is calculated as an expiration date (step 36), and the expiration date information is also stored in the storage means 5 (step 36).

Here, the fixed period may be a period common to the deodorant (for example, three months), but if it is connected to the Internet on the basis of the information of the wireless IC tag 21a, the ID is obtained from a server prepared by the manufacturer. If the detailed information corresponding to the information is acquired and the detailed information includes information on the expiration date of the attached deodorant 20a (for example, it has only one month), the information and the clock means From the date and time information of 3, the optimum expiration date for the deodorant 20 a can be calculated and stored in the storage unit 5.

  Thereby, the more exact expiration date intrinsic | native to the deodorizer 20a is calculated | required.

  Next, it waits until the door 9 is opened (step 37), and when the door 9 is opened (step 37), information on the expiration date stored in the storage means 5 and the clock means 3 are obtained. The expiration date of the deodorant 20a is notified from the notification means 6 to the user if the expiration date has passed (step 38). The fact that it has been cut is notified (step 39).

  When the user brings in a new deodorant 20a and the wireless IC tag 21a attached thereto, it is determined that completely different ID information is obtained and replaced with a new deodorant. Then, the flow of registration, confirmation of the expiration date, and notification are performed in the same manner from step 31, but the description is omitted because it is the same as the description so far. The main point in this Embodiment 1 is that the deodorant has been exchanged by detecting the deodorant of different ID information by using unique and unique ID information. .

  The notification content regarding the expiration date may be a buzzer sound merely for notifying abnormality, but it is effective to alert the user by various methods.

  For example, it is preferable to notify not only by sound but also by sound, light, vibration, character information on a character display board, or a combination thereof.

  Based on the information of the wireless IC tag 21a, it connects to the Internet, acquires detailed information corresponding to the ID information from a server prepared by a manufacturer or the like, and includes various information (for example, deodorant 20a) in the detailed information. Maker name, product name), and information including them is also notified from the notification means 6 such as what manufacturer name and what product name deodorant has expired. It is also possible to improve the convenience.

  Of course, it is also possible to notify the information stored in the storage means 5 regarding the time when it is first stored in the refrigerator 1 (that is, the time when the deodorant 20a is started to be used).

  Alternatively, even if the expiration date has not expired, it is of course possible to give a notice that the expiration date is about to expire when the expiration date approaches (for example, one week before the expiration date).

  When a new deodorant (new ID information not registered) is detected even though the stored deodorant has not yet reached its expiration date, replace the deodorant before the expiration date. It is also conceivable that the user is alerted to call attention to the user, and the deodorant can be used without waste.

  Although not shown in FIG. 2, when there is no readable wireless IC tag 21a, it is possible to give a warning so that the deodorant 20a is put in urgently, and the bad odor has not occurred. This is an effective technique to prevent this.

Further, when the wireless IC tag 21a stores information on the maximum capacity of the refrigerator that can be accommodated by the deodorant 20a to which the wireless IC tag 21a is attached, It is also an effective technique to prevent bad odors in advance, for example, by making a notification that more deodorizers are added by comparing the two (for example).

  On the other hand, if the deodorant 20a is detected that significantly exceeds the capacity of the refrigerator 1 (for example, 10 times the capacity), the deodorant is excessively added, which is uneconomical. It is also conceivable to notify the effect and encourage the use of a necessary and sufficient deodorant (not shown).

(Embodiment 2)
Next, unlike the first embodiment, the wireless IC tag does not store ID information that can distinguish each wireless IC tag as tag information, but only product type information. Will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

  The product type information stored in the wireless IC tag here is the same as in the first embodiment, for example, a binary code having a length of 96 bits to 128 bits, which is the same as it is meaningless by itself. However, the point that the same code is used for the same type of article is a point that differs greatly from the first embodiment.

  That is, since the wireless IC tag stores not only individual ID information (one and only) but also simple product type information, information that can be read from the wireless IC tag even when the deodorant is replaced. It is detected that the deodorant 20b and the wireless IC tag 21b are replaced by the same method as that in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the refrigerator of the present invention.

  3 is almost the same as FIG. 1, but only the wireless IC tag 21b attached to the deodorant 20b is different, and ID information that can distinguish each wireless IC tag is not stored. The point is very different.

  The flow of processing will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the refrigerator of the present invention.

  First, when it is detected by the open / close switch 7 and the door 9 is closed (after being opened) and closed (step 51), the reading means 2 reads information from the wireless IC tag 21b attached to the deodorant 20b.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the deodorant 20b and the wireless IC tag 21b are stored in the refrigerator 1 for the first time, the information of the wireless IC tag 21 read by the reading means 2 is (step 52). ), Since it is not stored in the storage means 5 (step 53, step 55), the information of the wireless IC tag 21b is stored in the storage means 5 (step 56).

  Next, date / time information at that time is acquired from the clock means 3 and stored in the storage means 5 (step 57), and a date obtained by adding a certain period (for example, three months) to the date / time information. The time is calculated as an expiration date (step 58), and this expiration date information is stored in the storage means 5 (step 58).

  If the wireless IC tag 21b is connected to the Internet based on the information of the wireless IC tag 21b, detailed information corresponding to the tag information is obtained from a server prepared by a manufacturer or the like, and the deodorant 20b attached to the detailed information is acquired. If the information regarding the expiration date of the product is included, the optimal expiration date for the deodorant 20b is calculated from the information and the date and time information with the clock means 3, and stored in the storage means 5. (Step 58).

  Thus, an accurate expiration date unique to the deodorant 20b is required.

  Next, it waits until the door 9 is opened (step 59), and when the door 9 is opened (step 59), information on the expiration date stored in the storage means 5 and the clock means 3 are obtained. The expiration date of the deodorant 20b is notified from the notification means 6 to the user if the expiration date has passed (step 60). The fact that it has been cut is notified (step 61).

  When the deodorant 20b whose expiration date has expired and the wireless IC tag 21b attached thereto are exchanged, it is necessary to remove them from the refrigerator 1 and close the door 9 once. This is different from the case described in the first embodiment.

  The flow of processing at this time will be described. The door 9 is closed (step 51), and the reading means 2 tries to read the information of the wireless IC tag 21b (step 52), but the wireless IC tag 21b is taken out. Therefore, it cannot be read (step 52). As a result, it is determined that the wireless IC tag 21b is stored but is not readable (step 53). As a result, the information on the wireless IC tag 21b is deleted from the storage means 5 based on the determination that it has been taken out for replacement (step 54).

  Since the operation returns to the initial state by the above operation, the process after this is the same as the process flow when the wireless IC tag 21b is first stored in the refrigerator 1, and the operations after Step 55 are performed.

  In addition, since the notification contents and the like are as described in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

  Although it is not possible to detect that the deodorant has been replaced with a new deodorant unless the prescribed procedure is followed, the user will be aware of the incorrect operation as soon as the deodorant has just been replaced. The predetermined procedure (remove the deodorant and close the door) will be redone.

  If a new deodorant (new ID information that is not registered) is detected even though the stored deodorant has not yet reached its expiration date, replace the deodorant before the expiration date. It is also conceivable that the user is alerted to call attention to the user, and the deodorant can be used without waste.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, even if ID information that can distinguish each wireless IC tag is not stored in the wireless IC tag, once the expiration date has expired from the refrigerator. By taking out the odorant and storing the new deodorant again, it is possible to easily register the replacement status and the expiration date without troublesome work.

  As a result, the same effects and convenience as in the first embodiment can be enjoyed.

(Embodiment 3)
Finally, the configuration of the door 9 and the entire refrigerator 1 (side panel, back panel, bottom panel, ceiling panel) will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the refrigerator of the present invention, which is different from FIG. 1 in that an electromagnetic wave blocking material (for example, metal) is attached to the entire door 9 and the refrigerator 1.

  In FIG. 5, the wireless IC tag 21 c attached to the deodorant 20 c existing outside the refrigerator 1 has a structure that cannot communicate with the reading means existing inside the refrigerator 1.

  This is because the refrigerator 1 and the door 9 are made of an electromagnetic wave shielding material (for example, metal) or covered with such a material so that communication with the outside of the refrigerator 1 is impossible.

  When the wireless IC tag 21c exists outside the cabinet, its presence should be ignored. However, it is very effective to use such a structure for an active tag type wireless IC tag having a long communication distance. is there.

  For example, even if it is a passive tag type wireless IC tag that can only be used at a short distance, a wireless IC tag in the UHF band communicates even if it is about 10 m away depending on conditions. When used, it is important to configure or cover the refrigerator 1 and the door 9 with an electromagnetic wave shielding material as shown in FIG.

  If it is a generally used 13.56 MHz or 2.54 GHz band, it is several tens of centimeters to several meters or less, but in some cases, a wireless IC tag existing outside the refrigerator 1 is read. It is assumed that

  That is, even if communication is possible only at several tens of centimeters, there is a wireless IC tag that is not related at all, such as a wireless IC tag attached to a deodorant placed on the refrigerator 1, even if it can be communicated only by several tens of centimeters In this case, it is possible to expect a very favorable result by using an electromagnetic wave shielding material as described above.

  Needless to say, it is preferable to read the wireless IC tag when the door 9 is properly closed even when the electromagnetic wave shielding material is used as described above.

  In the description so far, the reading unit 2 has mainly assumed a passive type wireless IC tag that emits a radio wave, and the wireless IC tag receiving the radio wave excites and returns information. The same effect can be obtained even with an active tag incorporating a battery.

  The wireless IC tag has a built-in user-writable storage area (memory). The storage area (memory) contains various information (for example, manufacturer name, product name, product number, date of manufacture, country of origin, component, A usage method of writing and using (expiration date) is also conceivable (not shown).

  Since the reading means 2 may be connected to an antenna in addition to the main body, the antenna arrangement should be considered so as to be able to communicate with all the stored food and the wireless IC tag attached to the deodorant. It is also very useful to provide a plurality of antennas to expand the readable area (communication area) (not shown).

  Up to this point, the refrigerator has been described. However, the refrigerator is not necessarily limited to a refrigerator. For example, an article storage box or refrigerator that has a life span such as an insecticide or a cleaning filter and handles things that are regularly replaced. Even so, the effect can be exhibited similarly, and the refrigerator is not limited.

Note that the means described in this embodiment causes hardware resources such as a CPU (or microcomputer), a RAM, a ROM, a storage / storage device, an electrical / information device including an I / O, a computer, a server, and the like to cooperate. You may implement with the form of a program. If it is in the form of a program,
New functions can be distributed / updated and installed easily by storing them in a storage medium such as magnetic media or optical media, or distributing them via a communication line such as the Internet.

  As described above, the present invention automatically detects that a daily miscellaneous daily consumable is exchanged every time it is exchanged, and then replaces it at the next exchange time. In the refrigerator, the life of detecting the expiration date of the deodorant, notifying the user and alerting the user to replace the deodorant. We can expect to eliminate the above inconvenience.

The figure which shows the structure of the refrigerator of Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement series flow of the deodorant management of Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the refrigerator of Embodiment 2 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement series flow of the deodorant management of Embodiment 2 of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the refrigerator of Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Reading means 3 Clock means 4 Control means 5 Storage means 6 Notification means 7 Opening / closing switch 8 Opening 9 Door 20a, 20b, 20c Deodorant 21a Wireless IC tag (individual ID information is stored as tag information)
21b Wireless IC tag (simple product type information is stored as tag information, not individual ID information)
21c Wireless IC tag (placed outside)

Claims (6)

In a refrigerator comprising reading means for reading information of a wireless IC tag, storage means, clock means, notification means, and control means thereof,
From the wireless IC tag attached to the deodorant, when reading the tag information by the reading means and detecting that the tag information is not stored in the storage means,
Storing information on the tag in the storage unit and information on an expiration date calculated by adding a predetermined value to the information on the clock unit;
When the information on the expiration date coincides with the information on the timepiece means, the refrigerator notifies that fact from the notification means. When detecting information on a tag of a new deodorant that is not stored in the storage means,
If there is tag information already stored in the storage means, and the deodorant of the stored tag information is in the expiration date, the stored deodorant and a new deodorant The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the notification means notifies that it is used redundantly. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein information relating to the predetermined value to be added to the information of the clock means is stored in the wireless IC tag. Comprising an opening for taking in and out the deodorant, a door for closing the opening, and an open / close switch for detecting an open / closed state of the door;
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein information of the wireless IC tag is read by the reading means when the door is closed. The refrigerator of Claim 4 which comprised or covered the said refrigerator and the said door with the electromagnetic wave shielding material. The program for making a computer perform at least one part of the said refrigerator of any one of Claims 1-4.

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