JP2022138895A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which enables improvement of convenience.SOLUTION: A refrigerator according to one embodiment includes: a housing including a storage room; a cooling unit which cools the storage room; a first power source substrate which supplies electric power to the cooling unit; a speaker unit which enables near field communication with an external terminal device; and a second power source substrate which is provided separately from the first power source substrate and supplies electric power to the speaker unit. The first power source substrate, the second power source substrate, and the speaker unit are provided at the upper wall side of the housing. The speaker unit is disposed closer to the front surface side of the housing than the first power source substrate and the second power source substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators.

A refrigerator equipped with a speaker is known, and it is possible to notify a user of refrigerator information through the speaker.

By the way, in the refrigerator as described above, since the information such as the ajar door is notified by an electronic sound such as a buzzer, there is a limit to the amount of information that can be notified. Therefore, there is a demand for a more convenient refrigerator.

JP 2019-132550 A

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of improving convenience.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment includes a housing including a storage compartment, a cooling unit that cools the storage compartment, a first power supply board that supplies power to the cooling unit, and an external terminal device for short-range wireless communication. and a second power supply board provided separately from the first power supply board for supplying power to the speaker unit. The first power supply board, the second power supply board, and the speaker unit are provided on the upper wall side of the housing, and the speaker unit is located closer to the housing than the first power supply board and the second power supply board. located in front of the

1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 1 along line F2-F2. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the ceiling portion of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment; 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment;

Hereinafter, refrigerators according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same or similar functions. Duplicate descriptions of these configurations may be omitted. In this specification, left and right are defined with reference to the direction of viewing the refrigerator from a user standing in front of the refrigerator. In addition, the side closer to the user standing in front of the refrigerator as viewed from the refrigerator is defined as "front", and the side farther from the refrigerator is defined as "back". Also, the vertical direction of the refrigerator 1 is defined as the vertical direction with respect to the direction of gravity when the refrigerator 1 is installed on the floor in the posture shown in FIG. Moreover, let the left-right direction when the refrigerator 1 of FIG. 1 is seen from the front side be the left-right direction of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG.

As used herein, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX", and may include the case of being based on another element in addition to XX. Also, "based on XX" is not limited to the case of using XX directly, but may also include the case of being based on what has been calculated or processed with respect to XX.
As used herein, "XX or YY" is not limited to only "XX" or only "YY", but may include both "XX" and "YY". This is also the case when there are three or more selective elements. "XX" and "YY" are arbitrary elements (eg, arbitrary information).

(First embodiment)
[1. Overall configuration of the refrigerator]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the refrigerator of the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 1 along line F2-F2. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the ceiling of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.
A refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.
First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator 1. FIG.
The refrigerator 1 has a plurality of storage compartments 11 inside, for example, a vertically long rectangular box-shaped refrigerator main body MB with an open front surface.

Refrigerator main body MB is mainly composed of housing 10 with an open front surface and a plurality of doors 20 attached to the opening side of housing 10 so as to be able to be opened and closed.

The housing 10 includes a cooling unit 30 (see FIG. 2), a door opening device 41, an operation unit 42, a display device 51, a speaker unit 52, an in-fridge camera 53 (see FIG. 2), an external connection terminal 54, and a wired wireless communication module. 61, a first power board 70, a second power board 80, and a speaker unit control board 90.

The housing 10 has an upper wall 10a, a lower wall 10b, left and right side walls 10c and 10d, and a rear wall 10e. The upper wall 10a and the lower wall 10b are substantially horizontal surfaces facing each other. The left and right side walls 10c and 10d rise upward from the left and right ends of the lower wall 10b and are connected to the left and right ends of the upper wall 10a. The rear wall 10e rises upward from the rear end of the lower wall 10b and is connected to the rear end of the upper wall 10a.

The housing 10 includes an inner box 10i forming the inner surface of the housing 10, an outer box 10j positioned outside the inner box 10i and forming the outer surface of the housing 10, and between the inner box 10i and the outer box 10j. It includes a foamed heat insulating material 10k such as urethane foam provided in the body and has a heat insulating property (see FIG. 2).

The multiple storage compartments 11 include, for example, a refrigerator compartment 11A, a chilled compartment 11Aa (see FIG. 2), a vegetable compartment 11B, an ice making compartment 11C, a small freezer compartment 11D, and a main freezer compartment 11E. In this embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 11A is arranged at the top, the vegetable compartment 11B is arranged below the refrigerator compartment 11A, the ice making compartment 11C and the small freezer compartment 11D are arranged below the vegetable compartment 11B, and the ice making compartment 11C and the small freezer compartment 11D are arranged below the vegetable compartment 11B. A main freezer compartment 11E is arranged below the small freezer compartment 11D. However, the arrangement of the storage chamber 11 is not limited to the above example. The housing 10 has an opening on the front side of each storage chamber 11 that allows food to be taken in and out of each storage chamber 11 .

A plurality of doors 20 open and close the storage room 11 . The plurality of doors 20 include, for example, left and right refrigerator compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab that close the opening of the refrigerator compartment 11A, a vegetable compartment door 20B that closes the opening of the vegetable compartment 11B, an ice compartment door 20C that closes the opening of the ice compartment 11C, and a small freezer. It includes a small freezer compartment door 20D that closes the opening of compartment 11D and a main freezer compartment door 20E that closes the opening of main freezer compartment 11E.

The cooling unit 30 includes a compressor 31 , a refrigerating cooler 32 , a refrigerating fan 33 , a freezing cooler 34 and a freezing fan 35 .
The compressor 31 compresses the refrigerant and supplies the compressed refrigerant to the refrigerating cooler 32 and the freezing cooler 34 via a condenser, a capillary tube, and the like.

The refrigeration cooler 32 is arranged in the first duct space D1 provided behind the refrigerator compartment 11A, and uses the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 31 to cool the air flowing through the first duct space D1.

The refrigerating fan 33 circulates the air (cold air) cooled by the refrigerating cooler 32 between the refrigerating temperature zone chambers (refrigerating chamber 11A, chilled chamber 11Aa, and vegetable chamber 11B) and the first duct space D1. Thereby, refrigerating compartment 11A, chilled compartment 11Aa, and vegetable compartment 11B are cooled.

The freezing cooler 34 is arranged in the second duct space D2 provided behind the main freezing compartment 11E, and uses the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 31 to cool the air flowing through the second duct space D2.

The freezing fan 35 circulates the air (cold air) cooled by the freezing cooler 34 between the freezing temperature zone chambers (the ice making chamber 11C, the small freezing chamber 11D, and the main freezing chamber 11E) and the second duct space D2. Let Thereby, 11 C of ice making compartments, the small freezer compartment 11D, and the main freezer compartment 11E are cooled.

The term "cooling unit" used in this specification is not limited to the configuration described above, and may include a heating device such as a defrost heater or a dew condensation prevention heater.

Returning to FIG. 1, the rest of the configuration will be described.
The door opening device 41 is a device for automatically opening the refrigerator compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab.
For example, the door opening device 41 has a first door opening device 41A and a second door opening device 41B.

The first door opening device 41A is arranged behind the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa. The first door opening device 41A has a plunger 41P (see FIG. 2) that is pushed forward when an electromagnet is excited. The first door opening device 41A is controlled by a control section 73 (see FIG. 3) of the first power supply board 70, which will be described later, and pushes forward the plunger 41P to forcibly open the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa.

The second door opening device 41B is arranged behind the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The second door opening device 41B has a plunger 41P (see FIG. 2) that is pushed forward when an electromagnet is excited. The second door opening device 41B is controlled by the control unit 73 of the first power supply board 70, and pushes the plunger 41P forward to forcibly open the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab.
However, the method of the door opening device 41 is not limited to the above example.

The operation unit 42 receives a user's operation to operate the door opening device 41 .
For example, the operation unit 42 has a first operation unit 42A that receives a user's operation to operate the first door opening device 41A, and a second operation unit 42B that receives a user's operation to operate the second door opening device 41B. .

The first operation unit 42A is provided on the left refrigerating compartment door 20Aa and has a sensor capable of detecting a user's touch operation touching the surface of the left refrigerating compartment door 20Aa. When the first operation unit 42A receives the user's operation, the control unit 73 of the first power supply board 70 operates the first door opening device 41A.

The second operation unit 42B is provided on the right refrigerating compartment door 20Ab and has a sensor capable of detecting a user's touch operation touching the surface of the right refrigerating compartment door 20Ab. When the second operation unit 42B receives the user's operation, the control unit 73 of the first power supply board 70 operates the second door opening device 41B.

A sensor provided in the first operation portion 42A or the second operation portion 42B detects a touch operation of the user touching the surface of the door 20 by detecting a change in capacitance, for example. However, the sensor provided in the first operation portion 42A or the second operation portion 42B may be a sensor capable of detecting the user's operation of simply bringing the hand closer to the surface of the door 20. FIG.

The display device 51 is provided, for example, on the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab. The display device 51 has, for example, a display panel 51a, a touch sensor (touch panel) 51b, and a display control section 51c.
The display panel 51a is an organic EL (Organic Electro Luminescence) display, a micro LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, a liquid crystal display, or the like. The display panel 51a has a display screen 51aa on which images and videos are displayed.
The display screen 51aa displays, for example, images or videos related to recipes, cooking procedures, ingredients management (refrigerator inventory management), refrigerator 1 settings (e.g., set temperature), music (e.g., live video), or weather forecasts. be done.

The touch sensor 51b of the display device 51 is provided over the display screen 51aa. The touch sensor 51b is, for example, a capacitive sensor, and can receive a user's input operation on the display screen 51aa.
The display control unit 51c controls the display panel 51a. For example, the display control unit 51c switches the content to be displayed on the display screen 51aa of the display panel 51a based on the user's operation on the touch sensor 51b.

The in-chamber camera 53 is provided in one or more storage compartments 11 among the refrigerator compartment 11A, chilled compartment 11Aa, vegetable compartment 11B, small freezer compartment 11D, and main freezer compartment 11E (see FIG. 2). The in-fridge camera 53 has a camera body 53a and a camera control section 53b.
The camera main body 53 a captures an image of the stored items (ingredients) stored in the storage chamber 11 .
The camera control section 53b controls the camera body 53a. For example, the camera control unit 53b operates the camera body 53a at a predetermined cycle to photograph the state inside the storage chamber 11 . The camera control section 53b transmits image data captured by the camera body 53a to the sub-control section 73B.

The external connection terminal 54 is provided, for example, on the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab, as shown in FIG. The external connection terminal 54 is, for example, a female connector conforming to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard. A user of the refrigerator 1 can charge the terminal device TD or another device by connecting a charging cable to the external connection terminal 54 .

The wired wireless communication module 61 is provided, for example, on the ceiling of the housing 10 (upper wall 10a of the housing 10). The wired wireless communication module 61 can communicate wirelessly or by wire with a router R installed in the same residence as the refrigerator 1 . The wired wireless communication module 61 can communicate with an external server device SD (for example, a cloud server) via a router R, a modem (not shown), and an external network NW such as the Internet. Wired wireless communication module 61 transmits information indicating the state of refrigerator 1 to server device SD. The wired wireless communication module 61 also receives a control signal for remote operation of the refrigerator 1 from the server device SD.

The first power supply board 70 is provided, for example, on the upper wall 10a of the housing 10, as shown in FIG. The first power supply board 70 is supplied with power from an external commercial power supply PS ( FIG. 3 ) and supplies the power required for the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 . For example, the first power supply board 70 supplies power to the cooling unit 30 , the door opening device 41 , the operation section 42 , the wired wireless communication module 61 , the display device 51 , the in-fridge camera 53 , and the external connection terminal 54 . The first power supply board 70 will be described later in detail.

The second power supply board 80 is provided, for example, on the upper wall 10a of the housing 10, as shown in FIG. The second power substrate 80 is provided separately from the first power substrate 70 . For example, the second power substrate 80 is arranged independently of the first power substrate 70 . In this embodiment, the second power supply board 80 is arranged behind the first power supply board 70 .
The second power supply board 80 is a power supply board that functions as a main power supply for the speaker unit 52 . The second power supply board 80 is supplied with power from an external commercial power supply PS through the first power supply board 70 and supplies power to the speaker unit 52 . The second power supply board 80 will be described later in detail.

The speaker unit 52 is provided, for example, on the upper wall 10a of the housing 10, as shown in FIG. The speaker unit 52 is arranged in front of the first power board 70 and the second power board 80 . In this embodiment, for example, it is arranged at the front right corner of the upper wall 10a of the housing 10 on the right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab side.
The speaker unit 52 of this embodiment has a speaker unit control board 90, a speaker 52a, and a wireless communication module 52b.

The wireless communication module 52b can wirelessly communicate with an external terminal device TD. For example, the wireless communication module 52b can wirelessly and directly communicate with the terminal device TD located within a predetermined range from the refrigerator 1 (for example, at least part of the space in the same dwelling as the refrigerator 1). The wireless communication module 52b is a short-range wireless communication module conforming to standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), for example.

The terminal device TD is a terminal device owned by the user of the refrigerator 1, such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal.
The terminal device TD can communicate with the server device SD via an external network NW. A predetermined application program (for example, a program for remote control of the refrigerator 1) is pre-installed in the terminal device TD, and the program is executed by a processor mounted in the terminal device to perform a predetermined function. Realized. For example, when the terminal device TD receives the state history information I1 from the refrigerator 1, the terminal device TD transfers the received state history information I1 to the server device SD.

The speaker unit control board 90 controls music and/or voice output from the speaker 52a. The speaker unit control board 90 supplies power supplied from the second power supply board 80 to the speaker 52a and the wireless communication module 52b. The speaker unit control board 90 will be described later in detail.

[2. Functional configuration of first power supply board, second power supply board, speaker unit control board]
Next, functional configurations of the first power board 70, the second power board 80, and the speaker unit control board 90 will be described.

[2.1 First power supply board]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, a door open/close switch SW and a temperature sensor TS are connected to the first power supply board 70 in addition to the components described above.
The door open/close switch SW is a refrigerator compartment door switch for detecting opening/closing of the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa and right refrigerator compartment door 20Ab, a vegetable compartment door switch for detecting opening/closing of the vegetable compartment door 20B, and an ice making compartment door 20C. It includes an ice making compartment door open/close switch for detection, a small freezer compartment door open/close switch for detecting opening/closing of the small freezer compartment door 20D, and a main freezer compartment door open/close switch for detecting opening/closing of the main freezer compartment door 20E.

The temperature sensors TS include a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11A, a vegetable compartment temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the vegetable compartment 11B, a main freezer compartment temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the main freezer compartment 11E, and a refrigerator cooler. 32, a freezer cooler temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the freezer cooler 34, and an ambient temperature sensor that detects the temperature outside the refrigerator 1 (room temperature).

As shown in FIG. 2, the first power supply board 70 has a circuit board 70a and a plurality of electrical components 70b (integrated circuit components such as microcontrollers, switching elements, diodes, etc.) mounted on the circuit board 70a. In the first power supply board 70, a power supply circuit (power supply section) 71, a current detection section 72, a control section 73, and a storage section 74 are realized by the circuit board 70a and the plurality of electrical components 70b shown in FIG.

The power supply circuit 71 includes an AC-DC converter, a switching circuit, and the like, and supplies power to components related to the main functions of the refrigerator 1 (for example, components related to cooling the storage compartment 11). In this embodiment, the power supply circuit 71 is connected to an external commercial power supply PS (for example, AC 100V) via the power cord 7, and converts the power supplied from the commercial power supply PS to a desired power (for example, a desired voltage). DC power), and the converted power is supplied to each device to which power is supplied. Devices to which power is supplied include a cooling unit 30 (for example, a compressor 31, a refrigerator fan 33, and a freezer fan 35), a door opening device 41, an operation unit 42, a wired wireless communication module 61, and a plurality of An information functional unit FU may be mentioned. As a result, the cooling unit 30, the door opening device 41, the operation section 42, and the plurality of information function units FU (the display device 51, the in-fridge camera 53, and the external connection terminals 54) become operable.

As used herein, the term "information function unit" broadly means a device having information processing functions. The display device 51, the in-fridge camera 53, and the external connection terminal 54 of this embodiment are examples of the "information function unit." In the following description, when the display device 51, the in-fridge camera 53, and the external connection terminal 54 are not distinguished, they are referred to as an information function unit FU.

Current detection unit 72 includes a current detection circuit, and detects the current value of the current flowing through the electrical components of refrigerator 1 . The electric parts are, for example, the compressor 31, the refrigerating fan 33, the freezing fan 35, the ice tray motor, the water supply motor, or the heater.

The control portion 73 has a main control portion 73A and a sub-control portion 73B.
73 A of main control parts control the components relevant to the main function of the refrigerator 1. FIG. The main control unit 73A controls remote operation received via the detection result of the door open/close switch SW, the detection result of the temperature sensor TS, the detection result of the current detection unit 72, the detection result of the operation unit 42, and the wired/wireless communication module 61. Based on signals, preset control algorithms, etc., the cooling unit 30 (e.g., compressor 31, refrigerator fan 33, freezer fan 35), door opening device 41, wired and wireless communication module 61, and a plurality of information functions. It controls the unit FU.

In this embodiment, the main controller 73A controls the wired wireless communication module 61 so as to transmit information indicating the state of the refrigerator 1 to the server device SD (FIG. 1). For example, the main control unit 73A uses the state history information I1 stored in the storage unit 74 as an example of the information indicating the state of the refrigerator 1 (for example, the history of the detection result of the door opening/closing switch SW, the detection result of the temperature sensor TS). information indicating history, history of detection result of current detection unit 72, history of operation control mode of refrigerator 1, etc.) to server device SD.

The main control unit 73A determines the open/closed state of the plurality of doors 20 in the refrigerator 1 from the history of detection results of the door open/close switch SW. Further, the main control section 73A determines the setting state of each temperature control dial of the plurality of storage chambers 11 from the history of the detection result of the temperature sensor TS. Here, the operation control modes of the refrigerator 1 include automatic door ON/OFF, ice making ON/OFF, thawing mode, ice crystal chilling, automatic power saving, ECO, and the like. The main control unit 73A determines the process according to the current setting mode from the history of the operation control mode of the refrigerator 1 described above.

Accordingly, the server device SD that has received the information indicating the state of the refrigerator 1 can perform predetermined processing (display on the display screen 51aa, voice transmission, etc.) from the state of the refrigerator 1 based on the received information. As a result, user convenience can be further enhanced.

The main control unit 73A of the first power supply board 70 transmits a signal requesting an image or video to be displayed on the display device 51 via the wired/wireless communication module 61 to the external server device SD. Further, the control unit 73 acquires an image or video to be displayed on the display device 51 from the external server device SD via the wired/wireless communication module 61 . An image or video to be displayed on the display device 51 obtained by the main control section 73A is transmitted to the sub-control section 73B.

The sub-controller 73B controls a plurality of information functional units FU (the display device 51, the internal camera 53, and the external connection terminals 54) in the refrigerator 1. FIG. The sub-controller 73B displays on the display device 51, for example, based on an image or a video signal that the main controller 73A acquires from the external server device SD via the wired/wireless communication module 61. FIG.

The sub-control unit 73B controls the display device 51 based on the user's operation on the touch sensor 51b at any timing, and reads predetermined information stored in the storage unit 74 (status history information I1, failure information I2, etc.). , inventory information I3, etc.) can be displayed on the display screen 51 aa of the display device 51 . Thereby, the user can know necessary information in the refrigerator 1 through the display screen 51aa.

In addition, the sub-control unit 73B controls the in-fridge camera 53, and based on the image or video acquired from the in-fridge camera 53, the inventory information I3 (information indicating the inventory status of ingredients in the refrigerator 1) to be stored in the storage unit 74. ) can be updated at any time.

Further, the sub-controller 73B transmits signals of predetermined information (state history information I1, failure information I2, inventory information I3, etc.) stored in the storage unit 74 to an external device via the wired wireless communication module 61. It is transmitted to the terminal device TD. Thereby, the user can know necessary information about the refrigerator 1 even when he/she is away from home.

The storage unit 74 stores predetermined information (status history information I1, failure information I2, inventory information I3, etc.).
The state history information I1 includes, for example, the history of the detection result of the door open/close switch SW, the history of the detection result of the temperature sensor TS, the history of the detection result of the current detection unit 72, the history of the operation control mode of the refrigerator 1, and the like. information.

The failure information I2 includes, for example, a manual for responding to a failure of the refrigerator 1, contents to be confirmed when a failure is suspected, a method of identifying an abnormal location, or contact information for the manufacturer's support center (service center). information that includes

The inventory information I3 is, for example, information input through the touch sensor 51b of the display device 51 and/or information determined by the sub-controller 73B based on the image of the in-fridge camera 53. It includes information such as inventory amount, date of purchase, expiry date or expiration date of each food item. The inventory information I3 may include an image captured by the in-fridge camera 53 as inventory information indicating the inventory status of the ingredients in the refrigerator 1 .

[2.2 Second power supply board]
The second power supply board 80 has a circuit board 80a shown in FIG. 2 and a plurality of electrical components 80b (integrated circuit components such as microcontrollers, switching elements, transformers, diodes, etc.) mounted on the circuit board 80a. In the second power supply board 80, a power supply circuit 81, a current detection section 82, and a power control section 83 are realized by the circuit board 80a and the plurality of electrical components 80b shown in FIG.

The power supply circuit 81 includes an AC-DC converter, a switching circuit, etc., and supplies power to the speaker unit 52 provided in the refrigerator 1 . In this embodiment, the power supply circuit 81 is connected to the first power supply board 70 via the power cable 8, and receives power supplied from an external commercial power supply PS (for example, AC 100 V) through the first power supply board 70 as desired. The converted power is supplied to the speaker unit 52 via the power cable 9 . Thereby, the speaker unit 52 becomes operable.

The current detection section 82 includes a current detection circuit and detects the current value of the current flowing through the speaker unit 52 . A current detector 82 detects the state of the speaker unit 52 .

The power control unit 83 stops the power supply to the speaker unit 52 at least temporarily when an abnormality occurs in the speaker unit 52 . For example, when the power control unit 83 receives an error signal from the speaker unit 52, the power control unit 83 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the speaker unit 52, and temporarily stops power supply from the second power supply board 80 to the speaker unit 52. Let

The power control unit 83 monitors the current value (or voltage value, temperature value, etc.) detected by the current detection unit 82, and the current value (or voltage value, temperature value, etc.) of the current flowing through the speaker unit 52 is detected by the speaker. When the threshold value set in advance for the unit 52 is exceeded, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the speaker unit 52, and power supply to the speaker unit 52 is stopped at least temporarily.

[2.3 Functional Configuration of Speaker Unit Control Board]
The speaker unit control board 90 has a circuit board 90a shown in FIG. 2 and a plurality of electrical components 90b mounted on the circuit board 90a. A speaker unit control section 52c and a speaker unit storage section 52d are implemented by the circuit board 90a and the plurality of electrical components 90b shown in FIG.

The speaker unit storage unit 52d stores predetermined information (state history information I1, failure information I2, inventory information I3, etc.) in the refrigerator 1 acquired from the first power supply board 70, music data based on these information, and/or Voice data is stored.

The speaker unit control section 52c controls the speaker 52a and the wireless communication module 52b. The speaker unit control section 52c supplies power supplied through the second power supply board 80 to the speaker 52a and the wireless communication module 52b. This enables the speaker 52a and the wireless communication module 52b to operate.

Further, the speaker unit control section 52c reproduces music data and/or audio data based on a control signal received from the terminal device TD through the wireless communication module 52b, and transmits the reproduced music and/or audio to the refrigerator 1 through the speaker 52a. Output externally. This not only notifies the user of necessary information in the refrigerator 1, but also allows the user to listen to music and/or voice selected by the user at desired timing.

The speaker unit 52 in this embodiment can communicate with the first power supply board 70 via the transmission means 101 shown in FIGS. As a communication method between the speaker unit 52 and the first power supply board 70 by the transmission means 101, there is a method of using a communication interface such as UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transceiver: Transceiver circuit for asynchronous serial communication).

As a result, the sub-controller 73B of the first power supply board 70 transmits predetermined information (state history information I1, failure information I2, inventory information I3, etc.) stored in the storage unit 74 to the speaker through UART communication. It is transmitted to the speaker unit storage section 52 d of the unit control board 90 .

The speaker unit control section 52c communicates with the sub-control section 73B of the first power supply board 70 to obtain predetermined information (state history information I1, failure information I2, inventory information I2, stock information) of the refrigerator 1 stored in the storage section 74. information I3, etc.) is acquired and stored in the speaker unit storage section 52d. Music data and/or voice data based on predetermined information (status history information I1, failure information I2, stock information I3, etc.) in the refrigerator 1 is pre-stored in the speaker unit storage section 52d.

The speaker unit control section 52c, for example, reproduces music data and/or voice data based on predetermined information (state history information I1, failure information I2, inventory information I3, etc.) in the refrigerator 1 stored in the speaker unit storage section 52d. and outputs the reproduced music and/or voice to the outside of the refrigerator 1 from the speaker 52a.

From the speaker 52a, for example, "the door is open", "the refrigerator compartment has been changed to the strong mode", and "the ice making mode has been set" is voice-notified. Thereby, users around the refrigerator 1 can hear and know the necessary information in the refrigerator 1 without looking at the display screen 51aa of the refrigerator 1 .

In addition, the speaker unit control section 52c, for example, through the wireless communication module 52b, the predetermined information of the refrigerator 1 (state history information I1, failure information I2, inventory information I3, etc.) stored in the speaker unit storage section 52d. to the terminal device TD.
Thereby, the user can confirm necessary information in the refrigerator 1 on the terminal device TD at hand.

[3 Structures of Power Supply Board Housing and Speaker Unit Housing]
[3.1 Power supply board housing part]
In the present embodiment, the first power board 70 and the second power board 80 described above are housed in the power board housing portion 2 installed so as to be embedded in the ceiling portion of the housing 10 . The power supply board accommodating portion 2 is arranged on the upper wall 10a of the housing 10 near the rear surface of the refrigerator 1 (on the rear wall 10e side).

The power supply board accommodating portion 2 has a rectangular container shape with an open top, and is large enough to accommodate the first power supply board 70 and the second power supply board 80 in the same space. The power supply substrate housing portion 2 is closed on the opening side by the power supply substrate housing portion cover member 2A. The power supply board accommodation section cover member 2A is detachably provided on the opening side of the power supply board accommodation section 2 .

A power cord 7 connecting an external commercial power supply PS and a first power supply board 70, a power cable 8 connecting the first power supply board 70 and a second power supply board 80, a second power supply board 80 and a speaker unit 52. is routed to one side (right side) in the width direction of the refrigerator 1 inside and outside the power board accommodating portion 2 . It is preferable that the power cord 7, the power cable 8 and the power cable 9 are routed in the same area.

In this embodiment, the signal line as the transmission means 101 enabling communication between the first power supply board 70 and the speaker unit 52 is pulled out to the outside of the power supply board accommodating portion 2 and is located on the other widthwise side (left side) of the refrigerator 1 . ). Further, a signal line as transmission means 102 enabling communication between the second power supply board 80 and the speaker unit 52 is also pulled out to the outside of the power supply board accommodating portion 2, and together with the signal line as the transmission means 101, the refrigerator 1 is routed to the other side (left side) in the width direction.
In this manner, the signal line and the power line are routed in different areas, and the power cord 7, the power cable 8 and the power cable 9 are collectively routed in an area separate from the signal lines 101 and 102, thereby allowing the signal line to be routed. Noise generation at 101 and 102 can be suppressed.

[3.2 Speaker unit housing part]
Further, the speaker unit 52 described above is housed in the speaker unit housing section 3 installed on the upper wall 10 a of the housing 10 . The speaker unit accommodating portion 3 is arranged closer to the front of the refrigerator 1 (door 20 side) than the power board accommodating portion 2 in the upper wall 10 a of the housing 10 .

The speaker unit housing portion 3 has a length in the width direction along the front end of the upper wall 10a, and is formed with a width dimension approximately equal to the width of the refrigerator 1 (housing 10). The speaker unit housing portion 3 has a top wall 3d, a side wall 3c extending downward from the periphery of the top wall 3d, and a pair of first housing recess 3A and second housing recess 3B recessed downward from the top wall 3d. . The first accommodation recess 3A and the second accommodation recess 3B are different in size from each other and have a rectangular recess shape that opens toward the upper wall 3d. The opening side of the first accommodation recess 3A is closed by the cover member 3a, and the opening side of the second accommodation recess 3B is closed by the cover member 3b.

The first accommodating recess 3A can accommodate the speaker unit 52 described above. The first housing recess 3A is formed on one side of the refrigerator 1 in the width direction (the length direction of the speaker unit housing portion 3) near the right refrigerating compartment door 20Ab (FIG. 1), and is two housing spaces partitioned by a partition wall 3f. It has K1 and K2 inside. The housing space K1 is positioned on one side in the length direction of the speaker unit housing portion 3 (on the right side in the width direction of the refrigerator 1) from the housing space K2 and on the right side wall 10d side of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. The accommodation space K2 is formed at a position adjacent to the accommodation space K1 in the width direction of the refrigerator 1 .

The speaker unit control board 90 and the wireless communication module 52b of the speaker unit 52 are accommodated in the accommodation space K1 of the first accommodation recess 3A, and the speaker 52a is accommodated in the accommodation space K2. These two accommodation spaces K1 and K2 are closed by one cover member 3a arranged on the opening side of the first accommodation recess 3A.

The second accommodation recess 3B can accommodate the wired wireless communication module 61 described above. The second accommodation recess 3B is formed near the left refrigerator compartment door 20Aa (FIG. 1) on the other side in the width direction of the refrigerator 1 (the length direction of the speaker unit accommodation portion 3), and is capable of accommodating the wired wireless communication module 61. It has a space K3 inside. The internal space K3 is closed by a cover member 3b arranged on the opening side of the second housing recess 3B.

In this embodiment, the wireless communication module 52b and the wired wireless communication module 61 are arranged apart from each other in the width direction of the refrigerator 1 . As a result, it is possible to suppress the influence of noise and the like caused by mutual communication interference.

The speaker unit accommodating portion 3 of the present embodiment includes a group of sound emitting holes for emitting music and/or voice output from the speaker 52a accommodated in the first accommodating recess 3A (accommodating space K2) to the outside. 4. The sound emission hole group 4 consists of a plurality of sound emission holes 4a. The sound emitting hole group 4 is formed in the front wall 3c1 of the first accommodation recessed portion 3A at a position facing the accommodation space K2 in front of the accommodation space K2. Each sound emitting hole 4a opens to the front wall 3c1 and the inner wall of the first housing recess 3A, and communicates the housing space K2 with the external space. As a result, the music and/or voice output from the speaker 52a accommodated in the first accommodation recess 3A (accommodation space K2) is emitted to the outside (front side of the refrigerator 1) through the sound emission hole group 4. can be done. In this embodiment, since the speaker 52a is arranged on the front side of the upper wall 10a of the refrigerator 1, the sound can be emitted to the front side of the refrigerator 1 efficiently.

The speaker unit housing portion 3 of this embodiment has a left hinge 6A that rotatably supports the left refrigerating compartment door 20Aa and a right hinge 6B that rotatably supports the right refrigerating compartment door 20Ab. The left hinge 6A and the right hinge 6B are formed to protrude forward of the refrigerator 1 from both left and right sides of the front wall 3c1.

The left hinge 6A is located above the outer edge of the left refrigerating compartment door 20Aa, and together with another left hinge (not shown) provided below the outer edge of the left refrigerating compartment door 20Aa, the left refrigerating compartment door 20Aa is rotatably supported.
The right hinge 6B is located above the outer edge of the right refrigerating compartment door 20Ab, and together with another right hinge (not shown) provided below the outer edge of the right refrigerating compartment door 20Ab, the right refrigerating compartment door 20Ab is rotatably supported.

The speaker unit housing portion 3 of this embodiment further has a function of housing the door opening device 41 . The door opening device 41 is housed in the internal space K in the speaker unit housing portion 3 except for the first housing recess 3A and the second housing recess 3B. The internal space K is, for example, a space formed between the upper wall 3 d of the speaker unit accommodating portion 3 and the upper wall 10 a of the housing 10 . The front wall 3c1 of the speaker unit housing portion 3 is formed with a pair of insertion holes (not shown) for inserting the plungers 41P of the first door opening device 41A and the second door opening device 41B.

As described above, the speaker unit housing portion 3 of the present embodiment can simultaneously house the speaker unit 52, the wired wireless communication module 61, and the door opening device 41, and a plurality of housing portions that previously individually housed each of them can be accommodated. are integrated. In this embodiment, left and right hinges 6A and 6B for rotatably supporting the left and right refrigerating compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab are further provided, and by integrating these with the respective accommodating parts, the ceiling part of the refrigerator 1 ( Since it is possible to reduce the number of housing portions to be installed on the upper wall 10a), the mounting work is facilitated and the refrigerator 1 as a whole can be unified.

The height of the speaker unit accommodating portion 3 of the present embodiment is preferably a dimension not exceeding the height of the power supply board accommodating portion 2, as shown in FIG. In other words, it is preferable that the cover member 2A for the power supply board accommodating portion and the cover members 3a and 3b for the speaker unit accommodating portion are substantially flush with each other. Thus, the speaker unit 52 can be installed on the ceiling of the refrigerator 1 without significantly changing the height of the refrigerator 1. - 特許庁Although the speaker 52a is thin, it has sufficient performance to notify users around the refrigerator 1 installed indoors.

The above-described power supply board housing section 2, power supply board housing section cover member 2A, speaker unit housing section 3, and cover members 3a and 3b are made of, for example, a metal plate or a flame-retardant resin that is waterproof and flame-retardant. It is made of a material that has properties. Therefore, the internal space of the power supply board accommodating portion 2 is a region where water leakage and fire spread are prevented. Therefore, even if water flows into the power supply board accommodating portion 2 , the water is prevented from leaking into the housing 10 . Moreover, even if a fire or the like occurs in the power supply board accommodating portion 2 , the spread of the fire to the housing 10 is suppressed.

The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment includes a speaker unit control board 90 that supplies power only to the speaker unit 52 separately from the first power supply board 70 that supplies power to the cooling unit 30 and the information function unit FU. With such a configuration, even if the speaker unit control board 90 fails, the function of the first power supply board 70 can be maintained. Therefore, for example, even if the speaker unit control board 90 fails, the cooling function of the refrigerator 1 can be maintained, and the information function unit FU (for example, the display device 51, wired wireless communication, etc.) connected to the first power supply board 70 can be maintained. Through the module 61), the user can know the malfunction information I2 and the inventory information I3 of the refrigerator 1 on the display screen 51aa, the screen of the external terminal device TD, or the like. Alternatively, the user can confirm predetermined information stored in the storage unit 74 of the first power supply substrate 70 by operating the terminal device TD.
In addition, since it is sufficient to replace the defective speaker unit control board 90, labor and cost can be reduced. As a result, user convenience can be improved.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment differs from the above embodiment in that the speaker unit 52 includes a vibrator 52e.
The vibrator 52e is connected to the speaker unit control board 90 and outputs vibration based on an acoustic signal (music signal, audio signal) corresponding to refrigerator information supplied from the speaker unit control board 90. FIG.

In this embodiment, the vibration exciter 52e is attached to the upper surface side of the upper wall 10a of the housing 10 of the refrigerator 1, for example. As for the installation position of the vibrator 52e, for example, the vibration exciter 52e may be accommodated in one of the accommodation recesses 3A and 3B of the speaker unit accommodation section 3 together with the speaker 52a and the wireless communication module 52b. It may be housed in the speaker unit housing portion 3 together with the door opening device 41 at a position covered by the speaker unit housing portion 3 on the upper surface of the upper wall 10a.
Alternatively, the vibration exciter 52e may be installed in a region other than the power board accommodating portion 2 and the speaker unit accommodating portion 3 in the upper wall 10a.

The speaker unit control board 90 vibrates the upper wall 10a of the housing 10 by means of the vibrator 52e, thereby emitting predetermined music and/or voice using the upper wall 10a as a sound emitting surface. spread more easily.
As a result, the synergistic effect with the speaker 52a makes it easier for the user to recognize the refrigerator information.

According to at least one embodiment described above, a housing including a storage chamber, a cooling unit for cooling the storage chamber, a speaker unit capable of short-range wireless communication with an external terminal device, and the It has a first power board that supplies power to the cooling unit, and a second power board that is provided separately from the first power board and supplies power to the speaker unit. Thereby, improvement of the convenience as the refrigerator 1 can be aimed at.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

For example, the speaker unit 52 may be a smart speaker equipped with a microphone and functioning as a voice interaction device. When the speaker unit 52 has a voice interaction function, the speaker unit control unit 52c controls the speaker unit 52 based on the user's speech (voice operation) to the speaker unit 52 at arbitrary timing, and the speaker unit control board 90 Predetermined information stored in the storage unit 52d (such as information I2 for failure and/or inventory information I3) may be output from the speaker unit 52 by voice.

Reference Signs List 1 refrigerator, 10 housing, 10a upper wall of housing 10, 11 storage room, 30 cooling unit, 52 speaker unit, 52a speaker, 52b wireless communication module, 52c speaker unit control unit, 61 Wired wireless communication module 70 First power supply board 73 Control section 74 Storage section 80 Second power supply board 90 Speaker unit control board 101 Transmission means 52e Vibrator FU ... information function unit, TD ... terminal device

Claims (6)

a housing containing a reservoir;
a cooling unit for cooling the storage compartment;
a first power supply board that supplies power to the cooling unit;
a speaker unit capable of short-range wireless communication with an external terminal device;
a second power supply board that is provided separately from the first power supply board and that supplies power to the speaker unit;
the first power supply board, the second power supply board, and the speaker unit are provided on the upper wall side of the housing,
The speaker unit is arranged closer to the front side of the housing than the first power supply board and the second power supply board,
refrigerator. The speaker unit is
a speaker unit control board capable of acquiring refrigerator information from the first power supply board;
a storage unit connected to the speaker unit control board and storing the obtained refrigerator information;
a speaker connected to the speaker unit control board and capable of acoustically outputting the refrigerator information stored in the storage unit;
a wireless communication module capable of short-range wireless communication with the external terminal device,
Refrigerator according to claim 1. The speaker unit includes a vibrator connected to the speaker unit control board,
The vibrator outputs vibration based on an acoustic signal corresponding to the refrigerator information supplied from the speaker unit control board.
The refrigerator according to claim 2. Equipped with a wired wireless communication module capable of long-distance wireless communication with the terminal device with the outside,
The wired wireless communication module is arranged on one side in the width direction of the housing, and the wireless communication module is arranged on the other side in the width direction of the housing, spaced apart from each other.
The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3. Equipped with an information function unit having an information processing function,
The information function unit is supplied with power from the first power supply board.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The speaker unit is capable of UART communication with the first power supply board,
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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