JP2011208902A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator capable of saving electric power by displaying information on storage articles stored in a storage compartment of a door specified by adjacence or contact.SOLUTION: This refrigerator includes storage compartments having a plurality of doors 101 to store the storage articles, a memory section 104 for memorizing the storage articles stored in each of the storage compartments, a sensor 201 detecting the adjacence to or contact with the door 101, a discriminating section 202 detecting a sensor signal from the sensor 201 and discriminating from which door 101 of the plurality of storage compartments, the sensor signal is output, a display section 105, and a control section 103 for controlling these motions. When the adjacence to or contact with any of the doors 101 is detected, the door is discriminated by the discriminating section 202, and the information of a list of the storage articles stored in the storage compartment of the specified door is extracted from the memory section 104, and displayed on the display section 105.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a plurality of storage chambers for storing stored items and including a display unit that displays information on stored items stored in each of the storage chambers.

  Conventionally, in a refrigerator, when checking stored items stored in a plurality of storage chambers for preparation or replenishment of cooking, the doors of the respective storage chambers are opened and closed, and the stored items are taken in and out. There is a problem that it is necessary to check the product, and at this time, the cool air in the storage chamber escapes while the door is opened, and wasteful power consumption occurs, thus preventing efficient storage. For this reason, the memory part which memorize | stores the stored goods stored in each said storage room, and the operation part and the display part are provided in a door, The content of the stored goods in each storage room is operated by operation of an operation part, without opening a door. A display method has been devised.

  FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a conventionally devised refrigerator. Hereinafter, a configuration of a refrigerator conventionally devised will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The storage room for storing stored items has a plurality of doors 101, which can be opened and closed to check the state of the stored items in and out and the storage chamber. Further, when storing the stored item, the stored item information is stored in the memory unit 104 via the control unit 103 by means such as inputting the stored item information from the operation unit 102, and stored in reverse. When the stored item is confirmed, the display unit 105 displays information on the stored item stored in the memory unit 104 from the operation unit 102 via the control unit 103.

  The procedure for displaying the contents of stored items in the refrigerator having the above configuration will be described in the control procedure example of the conventional example in FIG. In FIG. 9, since the storage room for storing stored goods has a plurality of the doors 101, first, the display of the display unit 105 is set to a mode in which the door 101 (= storage room) can be selected via the operation unit 102. The content needs to be changed. At this time, the control unit 103 creates storage room information that has information on stored items from the information in the memory unit 104 = non-empty. A storage room that is not empty is extracted from the created information and displayed on the display unit 105 so that the user can select it. Next, the user selects a storage room to view information from the displayed storage rooms and selects it from the operation unit 104. Information on the selected storage room is displayed on the display unit 105. The stored items can be confirmed without opening the door 101.

JP-A-60-11962

However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the stored product in the desired storage chamber cannot be confirmed unless the operation unit provided in the specific part is operated a plurality of times each time the stored product is confirmed. That is, the user has to perform a complicated and time-consuming operation of confirming the display contents while consciously operating the operation unit. For this reason, even though there is a mechanism for checking stored items without opening the door as described above, the door is unintentionally opened directly to check and the cold air is released, resulting in unnecessary power consumption. It was difficult to suppress. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention enables the selection / instruction of a storage room to be confirmed more simply and intuitively by simply approaching or contacting the door of the storage room whose contents are to be confirmed directly. An object is to provide a refrigerator that can save power without unintentionally opening the door directly.

  In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a storage room having a plurality of doors for storing stored items, a memory unit for storing stored items stored in each of the storage rooms, and a proximity of the door. A sensor that detects contact, a determination unit that detects a sensor signal from the sensor and determines which of the doors of the plurality of storage rooms is a sensor signal, a display unit, and a control that controls these operations And when the proximity or contact is detected with any of the doors, the determination unit determines which door, and the list information of the stored items stored in the storage room of the specified door By extracting from the memory unit and displaying on the display unit, it is possible for the user to easily check the stored items without opening and closing the door.

  According to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to select and instruct the storage room to be confirmed more easily and intuitively by simply approaching or touching the door of the storage room whose contents are to be confirmed directly, and unconsciously. Opening the door directly does not release cool air in the storage chamber, resulting in unnecessary power consumption, thereby saving power.

Block diagram of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Control procedure diagram of refrigerator in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Block diagram of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Control procedure diagram of refrigerator in embodiment 2 of the present invention Control procedure diagram of refrigerator in Embodiment 3 of the present invention The block diagram of the refrigerator in Embodiment 4 of this invention Control procedure diagram of refrigerator in embodiment 4 of the present invention Block diagram of a conventional refrigerator Conventional refrigerator control procedure diagram

  The refrigerator according to claim 1 of the present invention detects a storage room having a plurality of doors for storing storage items, a memory unit for storing the storage items stored in each storage room, and proximity or contact with the doors. A sensor, a determination unit that detects a sensor signal from the sensor and determines which of the doors of the plurality of storage rooms is the sensor signal, a display unit, and a control unit that controls these operations When the proximity to or contact with any one of the doors is detected, the determination unit determines which door is the door, and extracts the list information of the stored items stored in the storage room of the specified door from the memory unit And by displaying on the said display part, a user can confirm the stored goods easily, without opening and closing the said door.

  The refrigerator according to claim 2 of the present invention has a storage chamber having a plurality of doors for storing stored items, a memory unit for storing the stored items stored in each of the storage chambers, and proximity or contact to the doors. A sensor to detect, a determination unit for detecting a sensor signal from the sensor and determining which of the doors of the plurality of storage chambers is a sensor signal, a display unit, and storage items stored in each storage chamber. The camera unit that can capture an image, a camera control unit that controls the imaging method of the camera unit, and a control unit that controls these operations, and a position where the camera unit is difficult to see from the door side of each storage room When the proximity or contact with any one of the doors is detected, the determination unit determines which door is the door, and the captured image of the stored item stored in the storage room of the specified door is displayed. By displaying in the department , It is possible to check the easily stored goods without the opening and closing of the door to the user.

  In the refrigerator according to claim 3 of the present invention, in the refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, when the proximity or contact of the plurality of doors is detected within a certain period of time, they are stored in the storage chambers of the specified plurality of doors. By displaying the list information or images of stored items on the display unit, the user can easily check the stored items in a plurality of storage rooms without opening and closing the door.

  In the refrigerator according to claim 4 of the present invention, in the refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a signal from the sensor that detects the proximity or contact is detected, and from which door in the plurality of storage chambers A method of determining whether it is an operation signal, and a method of approaching or contacting the door, and / or a part of the door, and / or an operation pattern determining unit capable of determining the number of proximity or contact within a certain time, Convenience by displaying information on storage room temperature settings and modes (refrigerated, frozen, chilled, etc.) other than confirmation of stored items by selecting the content of information displayed on the display unit according to the operation pattern Can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, portions having the same functions as those of the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 1, a sensor 201 is provided in each of a plurality of doors 101 of the refrigerator, and has a structure that can detect the entire surface of each door 101 or a specific range of places that are easily touched by the user. The sensor 201 outputs a sensor signal e when the user approaches or touches the door 101 of the storage room where the user wants to check the stored item. The sensor signal e is connected to the determination unit 202 from each door 101 of the refrigerator. The determination unit 202 receives the sensor signal e to determine which door 101 is coming from, and transmits a determination signal f to the control unit 103. To do. On the other hand, the storage product information of the storage room of the corresponding door 101 is requested from the control unit 103 to the storage information memory unit 104 via the memory control signal b.

  The storage information memory unit 104 returns the requested stored product information to the control unit 103 with a storage information signal c, and the control unit 103 displays a display control signal d so that the information can be displayed on the display unit 105. To 105. In this way, the display unit 105 can easily know the stored item in the storage chamber of the door 101 only by approaching or contacting the door 101 of the storage chamber where the user wants to check the stored item. ing.

  Next, the control procedure in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 201 is always in a state where the proximity or contact of the user can be detected. Here, since the user may not have approached or touched the door 101 in order to check the stored item, the determination result is obtained when the user is approaching or touching for a very short time or conversely for a long time. Is not displayed as being indistinguishable, and waits for the next approach or contact.

  When the user approaches or touches the door 101 in order to check the stored item, the control unit 103 is requested to be informed of which door 101 information is determined by the determination signal f from the determination unit 202 as described above. The stored information of the storage room of the corresponding door 101 is requested to the storage information memory unit 104 via the memory control signal b. The storage information memory unit 104 sends the requested stored product information to the control unit 103 using a storage information signal c, and the control unit 103 uses the display control signal d so that the information can be displayed on the display unit 105. The user can know the stored item in the storage room for which the stored item is to be confirmed on the display unit 105.

  It should be noted that, for a certain period from the start of display, the stored items in the storage chamber of the selected door 101 are continuously displayed to make it easier for the user to check, and even if there is continuous proximity or contact with another door 101 It is also possible not to switch immediately. Furthermore, it is possible to promptly start the selection of information display of other doors 101 by allowing the display to be forcibly terminated by approaching or contacting the same door 101 again. is there.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the sensor 201 provided in each of the plurality of doors 101 of the refrigerator is always in a state where the proximity or contact of the user can be detected, and the proximity or contact is detected by any one of the doors 101. The control unit 103 obtains the stored product information of the storage room of the corresponding door 101 from the storage information memory unit 104 based on the determination signal f from the determination unit 202 and displays the stored product information from the storage information memory unit 104. By making it possible to display with, it is possible to display the stored items in the storage room that the user wants to confirm. Therefore, the power saving of the refrigerator can be improved without unconsciously opening the door directly for confirmation.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the refrigerator in the second embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, the control unit 103 obtains which door 101 is requested for information by the determination signal f from the determination unit 202, determines the storage room of the corresponding door 101, and then displays an image of the stored item. In order to obtain information, a camera control instruction signal g is sent to the camera control unit 302. The camera control unit 302 captures the camera image signal h captured by the camera unit 301. Upon receiving the camera image signal h, the camera control unit 302 sends a display image signal i to the control unit 103, and a display control signal d that can be displayed on the display unit 105 is sent from the control unit 103. In this way, the user can easily know the image of the stored item in the storage chamber of the door 101 on the display unit 105 simply by approaching or contacting the door 101 of the storage chamber where the user wants to check the stored item. It has become.

  It should be noted that the camera unit 301 is disposed at a position where a portion that is difficult to see from the door 101 side of each storage room can be imaged, for example, at the rear of the shelf, By taking a picture, the contents of the stored items in the door pocket can be displayed in more detail.

  Next, a control procedure in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Also in the refrigerator of FIG. 3, the sensor 201 is always in a state where the proximity or contact of the user can be detected, and when the proximity or contact is detected by any of the doors 101, the determination unit 202 determines. Here, since the user may not have approached or touched the door 101 in order to check the stored item, the determination result is obtained when the user is approaching or touching for a very short time or conversely for a long time. In the same manner as in the first embodiment, the display is not performed as being indistinguishable and the next approach or contact is awaited.

  When the user approaches or touches the door 101 in order to check the stored item, the control unit 103 is requested to be informed of which door 101 information is determined by the determination signal f from the determination unit 202 as described above. The stored information of the storage room of the corresponding door 101 is requested to the storage information memory unit 104 via the memory control signal b. The storage information memory unit 104 sends the requested stored product information to the control unit 103 using a storage information signal c, and the control unit 103 uses the display control signal d so that the information can be displayed on the display unit 105. The user can know the stored item in the storage room for which the stored item is to be confirmed on the display unit 105.

At the same time, an image of the stored item in the storage room for which the stored item is to be confirmed is acquired from the camera unit 301 via the camera control unit 302, and the camera control unit 302 grasps the requested storage room from the control unit 103 by the camera control instruction signal. By sending only the camera image signal from the camera unit 301 provided in the corresponding storage room to the control unit 103 so that the image information can be displayed,
The user can know the stored item in the storage room for which the stored item is to be confirmed by an image displayed on the display unit 105.

  The display may not be performed together with the display of the stored product information in the storage information memory unit 104 in the first embodiment. It is also possible to update the image from the camera unit 301 at regular intervals, or to display the image on the display unit 105 as a continuous moving image.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the sensor 201 provided in each of the plurality of doors 101 of the refrigerator is always in a state where the proximity or contact of the user can be detected, and the proximity or contact is detected by any one of the doors 101. The control unit 103 can obtain the image information of the stored item in the storage room of the corresponding door 101 from the camera unit 301 based on the determination signal f from the determination unit 202 and display it on the display unit 105. By doing so, it is possible to display the stored items in the storage chamber that the user wants to confirm.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 5 is a control procedure example of the refrigerator in the third embodiment of the present invention.
The control procedure in Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the refrigerator of FIG. 1, the sensor 201 is always in a state where the proximity or contact of the user can be detected, and when the proximity or contact is detected by any one of the doors 101, the determination unit 202 determines. Here, as a control procedure corresponding to the case where the user confirms the stored items in the plurality of storage rooms, the next proximity or contact that can be discriminated is waited within a predetermined time from the first proximity or contact.

  When the user checks the stored items in other storage rooms at the same time, the control unit 103 keeps approaching or contacting the next door 101 within the predetermined time, so that the control unit 103 stores the storage rooms of the corresponding doors 101. The stored information is requested to the storage information memory unit 104 via the memory control signal b. The storage information memory unit 104 sends the requested stored product information to the control unit 103 using the storage information signal c, and the control unit 103 displays the display control signal d so that the information can be displayed on the display unit 105. Then, the data is transmitted to the display unit 105. In this way, the user can know the stored items in the plurality of storage chambers to be confirmed on the display unit 105.

  Even in the case of the second embodiment in FIG. 3, images of the storage chambers of the plurality of doors 101 requested by the user are taken by the plurality of camera units 301 for each of the storage chambers, and these are simultaneously displayed on the display unit 105. It is also possible to display.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the sensor 201 provided in each of the plurality of doors 101 of the refrigerator can always detect the proximity or contact of the user, and the user checks the stored items in the plurality of storage rooms. When doing, wait for a discernable next proximity or contact within a predetermined time from the first proximity or contact. When the user checks the stored item in the next storage room, the display unit 105 displays the stored item information of the corresponding storage room of the plurality of doors 101 by continuously approaching or contacting the next door 101. By making it possible, it is possible to display the stored items in a plurality of storage chambers to be confirmed to the user at the same time.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the refrigerator in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is different from FIG. 1 of the first embodiment in that a pattern information unit 401 connected to the determination unit 202 is added. The pattern information unit 401 stores in advance combination information of several types of proximity or contact patterns and information types requested by the user indicated by them. Based on the information from the pattern information unit 401, the determination unit 202 determines and confirms information according to the proximity of the user or the contact pattern, and sends the result to the control unit 103 as a determination signal f.

  The control unit 103 sends information on each storage room requested by the user to the display unit 105 as a display control signal d according to the content determined by the determination unit 202, and is displayed. At this time, if the request information from the user is confirmation of the stored item, it operates in the same manner as in the first, second and third embodiments, and can be displayed.

  Next, the control procedure in the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the refrigerator of FIG. 6, the sensor 201 is always in a state where it can detect the proximity or contact of the user, and when the proximity or contact is detected by any of the doors 101, the determination unit 202 first selects which door 101 is selected. It is determined whether it is done. Next, the user may approach or touch the door 101 to check the temperature setting of the storage room and the mode (refrigeration, freezing, chilled, etc.) in addition to checking the stored items. Therefore, for such a case, a certain association is made between the proximity or contact method, the interval, the number of times, etc. and the information that requires confirmation such as the temperature setting and mode described above, and stored in the pattern information unit 401.

  Then, as described above, the determination unit 202 confirms the selected door 101, or after the determination, the pattern stored in the pattern information unit 401 with the approach, contact, and frequency of the user's proximity or contact. The comparison is performed, and information that requires confirmation corresponding to the matched pattern is extracted. The extracted information and the information on the selected door 101 are collected and sent to the control unit 103. The control unit 103 thereby determines the display content, and displays the display content that meets the user's request on the display unit 105. In this way, the user can also know the temperature setting and mode setting of the storage room, which is information to be confirmed other than the stored items, on the display unit 105.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the sensor 201 provided in each of the plurality of doors 101 of the refrigerator is always in a state where the proximity or contact of the user can be detected, and the proximity or contact is detected by any one of the doors 101. And the pattern information unit 401 that holds information in advance about the contents to be displayed in each storage room and the method or pattern of proximity to or contact with the sensor 201, the discrimination unit 202 determines which door 101 the sensor signal e has come from. And a method / pattern for approaching or contacting the sensor 201 so that information other than the storage room information of the door 101 requested by the user can be displayed on the display unit 105. It is possible to display information on the storage room that the user wants to confirm. Therefore, the power saving of the refrigerator can be improved without unconsciously opening the door directly for confirmation.

  According to the present invention, the stored item in the target storage chamber can be confirmed without opening and closing the door by a simple operation, so that the cold air in the storage chamber is not released and wasteful power consumption does not occur. This is useful in that a refrigerator that can save power can be provided.

101 Door 103 Control unit 104 Storage information memory unit (memory unit)
105 Display Unit 201 Sensor 202 Discriminating Unit 301 Camera Unit 302 Camera Control Unit 401 Pattern Information Unit

Claims (4)

A storage chamber having a plurality of doors for storing stored items, a memory unit for storing stored items stored in each storage chamber, a sensor for detecting proximity or contact with the door, and a sensor signal from the sensor It is provided with a determination unit that detects and determines from which of the doors of the plurality of storage chambers a sensor signal, a display unit, and a control unit that controls these operations, and approaches or contacts any of the doors Is detected by the determination unit, the list information of the stored items stored in the storage room of the specified door is extracted from the memory unit, and displayed on the display unit A refrigerator characterized by that. A storage chamber having a plurality of doors for storing stored items, a memory unit for storing stored items stored in each storage chamber, a sensor for detecting proximity or contact with the door, and a sensor signal from the sensor A determination unit that detects and determines which of the doors of the plurality of storage rooms is a sensor signal, a display unit, a camera unit that can image stored items stored in each storage room, and an imaging method of the camera unit A camera control unit that controls the operation and a control unit that controls these operations, and the camera unit is disposed at a position where a portion that is difficult to see from the door side of each storage room can be imaged, When the contact is detected, the refrigerator determines which door is the determination unit, and displays the captured image of the stored item stored in the storage room of the identified door on the display unit. In the refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, when proximity or contact is detected within a certain period of time for a plurality of the doors, list information or images of stored items stored in the storage chambers of the plurality of identified doors are displayed. The refrigerator characterized by displaying on the said display part. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a signal from the sensor that detects the proximity or contact is detected to determine from which door in a plurality of storage chambers the operation signal is from the door. An operation pattern discriminating unit capable of discriminating a method of approaching or touching, a part of a door, and / or the number of times of proximity or contact within a certain time, and displaying on the display unit by the operation pattern A refrigerator characterized by selecting the content of information to be performed.