JP2022140721A - Refrigerator, refrigerator control method, and refrigerator control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce power consumption of a refrigerator by controlling each part of the refrigerator on the basis of a change in operation of an external device other than the refrigerator.

SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises environmental information acquisition means for acquiring environmental information indicating an environmental state outside the refrigerator, change information acquisition means for acquiring change information indicating a change in a state of an external device other than the refrigerator from the external device, and operation control means for controlling an operation state of each part of the refrigerator. The operation control means controls the operation state of each part of the refrigerator on the basis of the environmental information and the change information.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, a refrigerator control method, and a refrigerator control program.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for collaborative decision making among IoT devices in an IoT device group. Specifically, for example, the first device transmits to the second device a message representing a state transition planned for the IoT device, the first device receives a response to the message, and based on the response A method for determining whether to initiate a state transition is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-517060

However, Patent Literature 1 does not disclose a specific control method or the like for refrigerators included in the IoT device group. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator or the like that can further reduce the power consumption of the refrigerator by, for example, controlling each part of the refrigerator based on a change in the operation of an external device other than the refrigerator.

The refrigerator of the present invention comprises an environment information acquiring means for acquiring environment information representing the state of the environment outside the refrigerator, and a change information acquisition means for acquiring change information representing a change in the state of the external device from an external device other than the refrigerator. and operation control means for controlling the operation state of each part of the refrigerator, wherein the operation control means controls the operation state of each part of the refrigerator based on the change information and the environment information. Characterized by

The refrigerator control method of the present invention acquires environment information representing the state of the environment outside the refrigerator, acquires change information representing a change in the state of the external device from an external device other than the refrigerator, and the operation control means and controlling the operation state of each part of the refrigerator based on the change information and the environment information.

The refrigerator control program of the present invention includes environment information acquisition means for acquiring environment information representing the state of the environment outside the refrigerator, and change information for acquiring change information representing a change in the state of the external device from an external device other than the refrigerator. A computer is caused to function as an acquisition means and an operation control means for controlling the operation state of each part of the refrigerator, and the operation control means controls the operation state of each part of the refrigerator based on the change information and the environment information. Characterized by

Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes state information acquisition means for acquiring state information representing changes in the operating state of each part of the refrigerator, and state change of at least one external device other than the refrigerator based on the state information. The apparatus is characterized by comprising state change information acquisition means for acquiring state change information and state change information transmission means for transmitting the state change information to the at least one external device.

A refrigerator control method of the present invention acquires state information representing changes in the operating state of each part of a refrigerator, and acquires state change information representing a state change of at least one external device other than the refrigerator based on the state information. and transmitting the state change information to the at least one external device.

A refrigerator control program according to the present invention includes state information acquisition means for acquiring state information representing changes in the operating state of each part of a refrigerator; The computer functions as status change information acquisition means for acquiring change information and status change information transmission means for transmitting the status change information to the at least one external device.

It is a figure showing an example of a refrigerator system in a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of sectional drawing of the side surface of the refrigerator concerning 1st Embodiment. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control section of the external device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a functional structure of the control part of the refrigerator in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of environmental change relevant information. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation control information of a dew condensation prevention heater. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation control information of a compressor. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation control information of a temperature compensation heater. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a monitoring unit shown in FIG. 4; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the flow of a process of the refrigerator in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a functional structure of the control part of the refrigerator in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of request information. It is a figure which shows an example of state change relevant information. It is a figure which shows an example of the flow of a process of the refrigerator in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control unit according to the third embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of request related information. It is a figure which shows an example of state change relevant information. It is a figure which shows an example of the flow of a process of the refrigerator in 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of environmental change relevant information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of state change related information; It is a figure which shows another example of request information. It is a figure which shows another example of request information.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

(First embodiment)

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a refrigerator system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 , refrigerator system 100 in the present embodiment includes refrigerator 101 and one or more external devices 103 connected to refrigerator 101 via network 102 . The external device 103 corresponds to electric devices such as air conditioners, ventilating fans, fan heaters, cooking appliances, and electric stoves, for example. The network 102 corresponds to, for example, the Internet, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like.

Next, an example of a part of the configuration of the external device 103 related to this embodiment will be described. The external device 103 includes, for example, a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, a communication unit 113, an operation unit 114, and a display unit 115. The control unit 111 is, for example, a CPU, an MPU, etc., and executes various information processing according to programs stored in the storage unit 112 . The storage unit 112 is, for example, a flash memory, a RAM, or the like, and holds programs executed by the control unit 111 and various data. Storage unit 112 also operates as a work memory for control unit 111 . A communication unit 113 is an interface or the like, and communicates with an external device via the network 102 . The operation unit 114 is, for example, a button, a touch panel, or the like, receives a user's instruction operation, and outputs the content of the instruction operation to the control unit 111 . The display unit 115 is, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL display panel, or the like, and displays information according to instructions from the control unit 111 .

The configuration of the external device 103 is only an example, and the configuration of the external device 103 is not limited to the above. etc.).

Next, part of the main configuration centering on the control unit 121 of the refrigerator 101 in this embodiment will be described. The refrigerator 101 includes, for example, a control unit 121, a storage unit 122, a communication unit 123, an operation unit 124, and a display unit 125, similar to the external device 103 described above. Note that the main configurations of the control unit 121, the storage unit 122, the communication unit 123, and the operation unit 124 are the same as those of the external device 103 described above, so description thereof will be omitted. Refrigerator 101 also includes compressor 126 , fan 127 , damper 128 , defrosting section 129 , timer section 130 , etc., which are each connected to control section 121 . Details of the compressor 126 and the like will be described later.

The configuration of the refrigerator system 100 is an example, and the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the number of fans 127 and dampers 128 in refrigerator 101 may be plural. For example, the fan 127 corresponds to a freezer compartment fan 207 and a refrigerator compartment fan 208, which will be described later.

Next, an example of a specific configuration of the refrigerator 101 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a side sectional view of the refrigerator 101 according to the first embodiment.

Refrigerator 101 has, for example, heat insulating box body 201 filled with foam heat insulating material. A refrigerator compartment 202 is provided in the upper part of the heat insulation box 201 . A freezer compartment 203 is provided below the refrigerator compartment 202 via a partition wall filled with, for example, a heat insulating material. A vegetable compartment 204 is provided below the freezer compartment 203 via a partition wall filled with, for example, a heat insulating material. Note that the positional relationship, size, number, etc. of the refrigerator compartment 202, the freezer compartment 203, and the vegetable compartment 204 are merely examples, and are not limited to the above. Further, in addition to the refrigerator compartment 202, the freezer compartment 203, and the vegetable compartment 204, other storage compartments for storing products at a predetermined temperature may be provided.

The freezer compartment 203 is a space for freezing and preserving stored items at a preset temperature. The refrigerating compartment 202 is a space for refrigerating stored items at a higher temperature than the freezing compartment 203, and the vegetable compartment 204 is a space for refrigerating stored items such as vegetables by maintaining a higher temperature than the refrigerating compartment 202. - 特許庁

The refrigerator compartment 202 is opened and closed by, for example, a pair of doors 211 rotatably supported at the left and right ends of the refrigerator compartment 202 . The freezer compartment 203 and the vegetable compartment 204 are opened and closed by, for example, drawer doors 212 and 213 formed integrally with the storage case.

Cold air passages 205 and cold air flow paths 206 connected via dampers 128 are provided on the rear surfaces of the freezer compartment 203 and the refrigerator compartment 202 . A freezer compartment fan 207 and a refrigerator compartment fan 208 for circulating cool air are arranged in the cool air passage 205 and the cool air flow path 206, respectively. An evaporator 209 that generates cool air is arranged below the freezer compartment fan 207 . A defrosting section 129 for removing (defrosting) frost adhering to the evaporator 209 is provided below the evaporator 209 . The defrosting section 129 is, for example, a heater, and the upper surface of the defrosting section 129 is covered with a heater cover 210 . The heater cover 210 prevents the defrosting section 129 from malfunctioning or breaking due to dripping of the defrosting water onto the defrosting section 129 .

Cold air passage 205 is provided on the back surface of freezer compartment 203 . A portion of the lower portion of the cold air passage 205 is provided on the rear surface of the vegetable compartment 204 . The cold air passage 205 includes a discharge port 214 that is an opening for discharging cold air to the freezer compartment 203 and a return port 215 that is an opening for returning cool air from the freezer compartment 203 to the cold air passage 205 . The cool air flow path 206 is provided on the back surface of the refrigerator compartment 202 and has a discharge port 216 that is an opening for discharging cool air. The heat insulating box 201 is provided with a passage (not shown) connecting the refrigerator compartment 202 and the vegetable compartment 204 . Also, the cold air passage 205 opens into the vegetable compartment 204 and has a return port 218 through which cold air returns from the vegetable compartment 204 to the cold air passage 205 .

A machine room 217 is provided below the cold air passage 205 behind the vegetable compartment 204 . A compressor 126 is installed inside the machine room 217 . When the compressor 126 is driven, the refrigerant flows through refrigerant pipes (not shown) connected to the compressor 126 . The evaporator 209 connected to the compressor 126 via the refrigerant pipe is cooled. The evaporator 209 has flat fins (not shown), and refrigerant pipes pass through each fin. Then, the air is cooled by flowing the air between the plurality of fins.

When the freezer compartment fan 207 is driven, the cooled air flows through the cold air passage 205 . Cold air flowing through cold air passage 205 is discharged into freezer compartment 203 from outlet 214 . The cold air discharged from the discharge port 214 circulates inside the freezer compartment 203 to cool the stored items inside the freezer compartment 203 and returns to the cold air passage 205 from the return port 215 . That is, the cold air in the cold air passage 205 circulates inside the freezer compartment 203 , cools the internal storage (receives heat from the storage and raises the temperature), and returns to the cold air passage 205 .

When damper 128 is open, cold air flowing through cold air passage 205 flows into cold air flow path 206 . By driving the freezer compartment fan 207 and the refrigerator compartment fan 208 while the damper 128 is open, the cool air circulates in the freezer compartment 203 as described above, and the cool air flowing through the cool air flow path 206 is refrigerated from the outlet 216. It is discharged into chamber 202 . The cold air discharged from the discharge port 216 flows in the refrigerator compartment 202 to cool the stored items in the refrigerator compartment 202 . The cool air that has flowed through the refrigerator compartment 202 flows into the vegetable compartment 204, flows inside the vegetable compartment 204, cools the food stored in the vegetable compartment 204, and then returns to the cold air passage 205 through the return port 218. .

The temperature of the cool air is raised because it draws heat from the stored items when flowing through the refrigerating compartment 202 . Then, since the cold air whose temperature has been raised flows into the vegetable compartment 204 , the temperature of the vegetable compartment 204 becomes higher than that of the refrigerator compartment 202 .

Temperature sensor 219 is installed outside refrigerator 101 and acquires temperature information representing the temperature outside refrigerator 101 . Humidity sensor 220 is installed outside refrigerator 101 and acquires humidity information representing the humidity outside refrigerator 101 . The positions of the temperature sensor 219 and the humidity sensor 220 shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples, and needless to say, they may be arranged at positions different from those shown in FIG.

Temperature compensating heater 221 is turned on when the temperature outside refrigerator 101 drops below a preset temperature based on a signal from control unit 121 to prevent the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment from dropping below the set temperature. The position of the temperature compensation heater 221 shown in FIG. 2 is also an example, and may be arranged at a different position.

The dew condensation prevention heater 222 is arranged, for example, in the front part of the partition wall separating the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment. The dew condensation prevention heater 222 is energized based on a signal from the control unit 121 to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation.

The configuration of refrigerator 101 is merely an example, and refrigerator 101 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above. For example, in the above description, the refrigerator 101 has three storage compartments, ie, the refrigerator compartment 202, the freezer compartment 203, and the vegetable compartment 204. However, it may be configured to have a different number of storage compartments. The number of dampers 128 and fans 127 may be different from those described above.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control unit of the external device illustrated in FIG. 1; FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 , the control unit 111 of the external device 103 according to the present embodiment functionally includes an external device side state information acquisition unit 301 and an external device side device identification information acquisition unit 302 .

The external device side state information acquisition unit 301 acquires change information indicating a change in the state of the external device 103 . Here, for example, if the external device 103 is a cooking appliance, the change information is information indicating that the cooking appliance is turned on; This corresponds to information indicating that the air conditioner has been turned off in , or information indicating that the temperature setting has been raised. These pieces of information are identified by, for example, ST1, ST2, etc., which will be described later.

The external device side device identification information acquisition unit 302 acquires device identification information for identifying the external device 103 . Specifically, for example, the device identification information is represented by A1, A2, and the like. For example, an air conditioner is identified by A1 and a cooking appliance is identified by A2. Then, the acquired status information and device identification information are transmitted to refrigerator 101 via communication unit 113 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit of the refrigerator according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 121 of the refrigerator 101 functionally includes, for example, a change information acquisition unit 401, a device identification information acquisition unit 402, an operation control information acquisition unit 403, an operation control unit 404, a monitoring unit 405, an environment An information acquisition unit 406 is included.

The environment information acquisition unit 406 acquires environment information outside the refrigerator 101 . Specifically, for example, environment information indicating temperature and humidity is acquired from the temperature sensor 219 and the humidity sensor 220 . Note that the environment information may be configured to be acquired from the Internet, a smartphone, or the like via the communication unit 123, for example.

The change information acquisition unit 401 acquires change information from the external device 103 via the network 102 . Specifically, for example, when the external device 103 is an air conditioner and the heating operation is turned on, change information: ST1 is acquired.

A device identification information acquisition unit 402 acquires device identification information from the external device 103 . For example, in the case of the above example, the device identification information acquisition unit 402 acquires the device identification information: A1.

The operation control information acquisition unit 403 acquires environmental change information and type information representing changes in the environmental state outside the refrigerator 101 based on the acquired change information. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation control information acquisition unit 403 acquires environmental change-related information in which change information, device identification information, type information, and environmental change information are associated. Then, the operation control information acquisition unit 403 acquires environmental change information and type information based on the acquired change information and device identification information. More specifically, for example, in the case of the above example, the acquired change information: ST1 and identification information: A1, environment change information: +2 and type information: K1, environment change information: -10 and type information: K2 are associated, environmental change information: +2 and type information: K1, environmental change information: -10 and type information: K2 are acquired. Here, for example, when the type information indicates temperature information, the environmental change information corresponds to information indicating how many times the temperature rises or falls within a predetermined period of time (for example, within two hours). Also, in FIG. 5, for example, the type information: K1 indicates that the associated environmental change information is temperature, and the type information: K2 indicates that the associated environmental change information is humidity. .

The operation control unit 404 controls the operation state of each unit of the refrigerator 101 based on the acquired environmental change information and type information. It is assumed that the operation control information representing the operating state of each part of refrigerator 101 is set in advance according to the environment information. For example, regarding the operation of the dew condensation prevention heater 222, as shown in FIG. 6, the electric power for operation is set based on preset temperature information and humidity information. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, similarly for the compressor 126 and the temperature compensation heater 221, the strength of the compressor 126 and the ON/OFF of the temperature compensation heater 221 are changed based on the environment information and the type information. shall be set to 7 shows the case where the strength of the compressor 126 is controlled based on the temperature, and FIG. 8 shows the case where the ON/OFF of the temperature compensation heater 221 is controlled based on the temperature. The operation control information shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 is an example, and the operation control information may be set based on environmental information other than temperature and humidity.

Then, based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 406 and the environmental change information and type information acquired above, the operation control unit 404 determines the environmental state predicted within a predetermined period (for example, two hours). Get predictive environment information that represents the change. Specifically, for example, when the environment information indicates 24° C. and humidity of 80%, and the environmental change information and type information are acquired (in the example of FIG. 5, the change information from the external device 103: ST1, Identification information: When A1 is acquired, temperature: +2 ° C., humidity: -10% environmental change information and type information are acquired), 26 ° C. and humidity 70 as predicted environmental information (environmental information after a predetermined period) Get %. Then, the operation control unit 404 controls the corresponding units of the refrigerator 101 based on the predicted environment information and the operation control information. Specifically, for example, in the case of the above example, 26° C. and humidity of 70% are obtained as the predicted environment information, so the operation control unit 404 adjusts the temperature to 25° C. or higher and the humidity to less than 75% based on FIG. It controls to operate the anti-condensation heater 222 at the associated 2W. Note that the predetermined period is measured by the timer section 130 according to an instruction from the control section 121, and this also applies to the timing of the predetermined period, etc., which will be described later. Further, the operation control unit 404 may be configured to correct the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 406 based on the environment change information, and control each unit of the refrigerator 101 based on the correction value.

The monitoring unit 405 controls the operation control unit 404 based on changes in the environmental state based on the environmental change information and actual changes in the environmental state. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9 , the monitoring unit 405 includes a period elapse determination unit 411 , a direction determination unit 412 and a value determination unit 413 .

The period elapse determination unit 411, for example, measures whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed since the predicted environment information was acquired. Then, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the operation control unit 404 is instructed to perform control using preset operation control information. The predetermined period corresponds to the predetermined period of the predicted environmental information representing the change in the environmental state predicted within the predetermined period (for example, two hours).

If the predetermined period of time has not elapsed, the direction determination unit 412 determines whether the directionality of the actual change in the environmental state is the same as the directionality of the predicted change in the environmental state. Here, for the directionality, for example, the environment information at the time when the operation control unit 404 acquires the predicted environment information as described above is used as a reference value. More specifically, when the environment information at the time the operation control unit 404 acquires the predicted environment information is 25° C. (reference value), the environment information representing the predicted environment information is 26° C., and the current actual environmental state is (referred to as “current environment information”) is 27° C., the difference from the reference value is positive, so the directions are determined to be the same.

When the value determination unit 413 determines that the directions are not the same (reverse), it determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the current environment information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Then, when it is determined that it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the operation control unit 404 is instructed to perform control using preset operation control information. As a result, for example, when it is determined that the predicted change in the environmental state is different from the actual change in the environmental state, the operation control unit 404 can be controlled by the preset operation control information.

Further, when it is determined that the directions are the same, the value determination unit 413 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the current environment information is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the current environment information. Determine whether or not there is Then, when it is determined that the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the current environment information is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the predicted environment information, the operation control information preset in the operation control unit 404 Instruct to control with As a result, the operation control unit 404 controls the operating state of each unit of the refrigerator 101 based on the acquired environmental change information and type information, and then follows the predicted change in the actual environmental state. When it is determined that the refrigerator 101 is the one, each part of the refrigerator 101 can be controlled by preset operation control information.

Next, an example of the processing flow of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the environment information acquisition unit 406 acquires environment information outside the refrigerator 101 (S101). The change information acquisition unit 401 acquires change information from the external device 103 via the network 102 (S102). The device identification information acquisition unit 402 acquires device identification information from the external device 103 (S103).

The operation control information acquisition unit 403 acquires environmental change information and type information representing changes in the environmental state outside the refrigerator 101 based on the acquired change information (S104).

Based on the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 406 and the environment change information and type information acquired above, the operation control unit 404 predicts changes in the environmental state predicted within a predetermined period (for example, two hours). Get the predicted environment information to represent. Then, the operation control unit 404 starts controlling the corresponding units of the refrigerator 101 based on the predicted environment information and the operation control information (S105).

The period elapse determination unit 411 measures whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed since the predicted environment information was acquired (S106). If it is determined that the predetermined period has passed, the process proceeds to S110. Then the process ends.

When the period elapse determination unit 411 determines in S106 that the predetermined period has not elapsed, the direction determination unit 412 determines whether the directionality of the actual environmental state change and the predicted environmental state change are the same. It is determined whether or not (S107).

When the direction determination unit 412 determines in S107 that the directions are not the same (they are opposite), the value determination unit 413 determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the current environment information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. It is determined whether or not (S108). Then, when it is determined that it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the operation control unit 404 is instructed to perform control (set operation) according to preset operation control information (S110). Then the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not equal to or greater than the threshold, the process returns to S106.

On the other hand, if the direction determination unit 412 determines in S107 that the directions are the same, the value determination unit 413 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the current environment information is the same as the reference value and the current environment information. (absolute value determination) (S109). If the value determination unit 413 determines in S109 that the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the current environment information is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the predicted environment information, the operation control unit 404 (S110). Then the process ends. On the other hand, when the value determination unit 413 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the current environment information is not equal to or greater than the absolute value of the difference between the reference value and the predicted environment information, the process returns to S106. The present embodiment is not limited to the flow described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, the order of S101 and S102 may be reversed.

According to the present embodiment, for example, refrigerator 101 acquires environment information representing the state of the environment outside refrigerator 101, and operation control information representing the operation state of each part of refrigerator 101 is set according to the environment information. Also, based on the change in the operation of the external device 103 other than the refrigerator 101, predicted environment information representing a change in the environmental state predicted within a predetermined period is obtained. By controlling each part of the refrigerator 101 based on the acquired predicted environment information, it is possible to provide the refrigerator 101 or the like that can further suppress the power consumption of the refrigerator 101 .

In the above example, when the heating operation of the air conditioner is turned on, the change information: ST1 and the device identification information: A1 are acquired, and the environment information representing the current external environment of the refrigerator 101 is set to temperature: +2° C., humidity: -10% environmental change information is acquired. That is, it is predicted that the temperature of the external environment of the refrigerator 101 will rise by about 2° C. and the humidity will drop by about 10% within a predetermined period (for example, two hours). In this case, for example, by controlling the dew condensation prevention heater 222 based on the predicted environmental information, after the dew condensation prevention heater 222 has been set to high output, the external humidity has decreased. It is possible to reduce waste such as there was no need to do it. In addition, since it is possible to increase the strength of the compressor 126 in advance in anticipation of a rise in the outside temperature in the future, it is possible to prevent changes in the internal temperature compared to control that increases the strength of the compressor 126 after the room temperature has risen. can be moderated, and the power consumption of the refrigerator 101 can be further suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but has substantially the same configuration, the same effect, or the same purpose as the configuration shown in the above-described embodiment. can be replaced with

For example, in the above, as shown in FIG. 5, one combination of change information and device identification information is associated with one combination of environmental change information and type information, but the present embodiment is limited to this. For example, by associating one combination of environmental change information and type information with a combination of a plurality of change information and device identification information, prediction environment information is acquired based on a combination of states of a plurality of devices. You may For example, when the ventilation fan is turned on, the indoor temperature is checked, the outdoor temperature is obtained from the IoT server, the indoor temperature is compared with the outdoor temperature, and if the outdoor temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, the temperature may decrease by the absolute value of the difference. In the above description, the predetermined period is fixed at two hours. However, period information representing the predetermined period is stored in association with environmental change information, and control is performed based on the period information. You may Furthermore, in the above description, information indicating temperature and humidity is used as environmental information, but the environmental information is not limited to temperature and humidity, and may be, for example, the air volume around the refrigerator 101 .

(Second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described. In the following description, description of the same points as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of the control unit of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, control unit 121 of refrigerator 101 in the present embodiment functionally includes, for example, state information acquisition unit 501, request information acquisition unit 502, state change information acquisition unit 503, and changeable functions. It has an information acquisition unit 504 and a state change information transmission unit 505 .

State information acquisition unit 501 acquires state information indicating that the operating state of each unit of refrigerator 101 is to be changed. Here, the state information corresponds to information representing a change in which the power consumption of the refrigerator 101 increases, such as a state change in which the compressor 126 is turned on, a state change in which the rotation speed of the compressor 126 increases, and the like. etc. The state change is based on, for example, preset information as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 of the first embodiment.

The request information acquisition unit 502 acquires request information based on the acquired state information. Here, the request information corresponds to information (for example, identified by R1 or the like) representing a request to the external device 103, such as increasing the air volume. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. Get the desired information associated with the state information. For example, when status information: S1 is acquired, request information: R1 is acquired. As described above, the state information S1 represents a state change such as turning on the compressor 126, and the request information: R1 represents a request such as increasing the air volume. Note that the request information may be information representing, for example, raising the temperature (specifically, for example, changing the temperature by +2° C. within a predetermined period (for example, within two hours)). Further, for example, the request information may be status information indicating that the temperature compensation heater 221 is turned on (it may be status information indicating that the temperature outside the temperature compensation heater 221 is turned on), and a request to raise the temperature. It may be information representing

The state change information acquisition unit 503 acquires device identification information and state change information based on the acquired request information. Specifically, the state change information acquisition unit 503 acquires state change related information in which request information, device identification information, and state change information are associated, for example, as shown in FIG. 13 . Here, the device identification information corresponds to information for identifying the external device 103 as in the first embodiment. Also, the state change information represents a change in the state of each external device 103 according to the request information. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, in the state change-related information, for request information: R1, device identification information: A1 representing an air conditioner, indicating a state change that adjusts the wind direction to be directed to a refrigerator. State change information: C1 and the like are associated. Note that, as shown in FIG. 13, priority information, which will be described later, may be associated with the state change related information. Further, the adjustment of the wind direction may be, for example, the wind direction set in advance by the user, and in this case, the configuration may be such that the user is prompted to make the setting. Alternatively, the setting may be automatically performed by grasping the positional relationship between the refrigerator and the air conditioner in the room by means of WiFi, infrared rays of a remote controller, or the like.

For example, the changeable information acquisition unit 504 sends the state represented by the state change information acquired by the state change information acquisition unit 503 to the external device 103 identified by the device identification information acquired by the state change information acquisition unit 503. Inquiry information for inquiring whether or not the change is possible is transmitted, and reply information returned from the external device 103 in response to the inquiry information is acquired. Specifically, the reply information includes, for example, possible information (modifiable information) indicating that the state can be changed represented by the device identification information and the state change information. The possible information includes, for example, the state change information. More specifically, for example, when the modifiable information acquisition unit 504 transmits C1 as inquiry information to the external device 103 identified by A1, the external device 103 transmits the state change information: C1 to the state For example, it is returned as possible information indicating that the change is possible. Note that the above configuration is an example, and the external device 103 may transmit possible information indicating that the state can be changed together with the state change information.

The state change information transmission unit 505 determines whether or not there is possibility information indicating that the state can be changed represented by the device identification information and the state change information acquired by the change possibility information acquisition unit 504, for example. If there is availability information, the status change information is transmitted to the external device 103 identified by the device identification information via the communication unit 123 based on the availability information. As described above, if the status change related information includes priority order information indicating the order of priority, among the plurality of external devices 103 that have returned possible information, the priority order is determined based on the priority order. The state change information is transmitted to the external device 103 with a higher V through the communication unit 123 . Specifically, for example, when the changeable information acquisition unit 504 acquires C1 and C3 as changeable information from the external device 103 identified by A1 and A2 represented by the first and third lines in FIG. , the state change information transmitting unit 505, since the associated priority information is 1 and 3, externally identified by A1 associated with the priority information with the higher priority (represented by 1). For example, state change information: C1 is transmitted to the device 103 . Refrigerator system 100 has a power consumption measurement mode, and the priority is set based on the result of pre-measurement in the measurement mode so that the power consumption of refrigerator system 100 as a whole becomes smaller. or preset by selecting from standard patterns based on experiments or the like.

If there is no availability information, the status change information is not sent to the external device 103 or a message indicating that the status change information is unnecessary is sent to the external device 103 .

Next, an example of the processing flow of refrigerator 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of refrigerator 101 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14, the state information acquisition unit 501 acquires state information indicating changes in the operating state of each unit of the refrigerator 101 (S201). At this time, the refrigerator 101 may suspend the state change (turning on the compressor 126, increasing the number of revolutions, etc.) according to the state information. The request information acquisition unit 502 acquires request information based on the acquired state information (S202). The state change information acquisition unit 503 acquires device identification information and state change information based on the acquired request information (S203). For example, the changeable information acquisition unit 504 sends the state represented by the state change information acquired by the state change information acquisition unit 503 to the external device 103 identified by the device identification information acquired by the state change information acquisition unit 503. Inquiry information for inquiring whether or not the change is possible is transmitted, and reply information returned from the external device 103 in response to the inquiry information is acquired (S204).

The state change information transmission unit 505 determines whether or not there is possibility information indicating that the state can be changed represented by the device identification information and the state change information acquired by the change possibility information acquisition unit 504 (S205). If there is availability information in S205, the state change information is transmitted to the external device 103 identified by the device identification information through the communication unit 123 based on the availability information (S206). Based on the state change information, the external device 103 changes state. Specifically, for example, when the device identification information indicates an air conditioner as in the above example and the state change information indicates that the refrigerator 101 changes the air direction, the air conditioner causes the refrigerator 101 to change the air direction. As a result, for example, while the compressor 126 of the refrigerator 101 is in operation, the temperature of the heat radiation pipe rises. can be reduced. In addition, if the state change of the refrigerator 101 based on the state information is suspended in S201, as in the first embodiment, the refrigerator 101 is stored using the predicted environmental information representing the change in the environmental state predicted within a predetermined period of time. 101 may be controlled. In the above example, by directing the wind direction of the air conditioner toward the refrigerator 101, it is predicted that the environmental information outside the refrigerator 101 will change (temperature, humidity, etc.), and the refrigerator 101 is controlled using the predicted environmental information. . As a result, even if a change that increases the power consumption of the refrigerator 101 is acquired in S201, it is possible not to implement it or to change to a state change that consumes less power, thereby reducing the power consumption of the refrigerator 101. can be done. In this case, the power consumption of refrigerator system 100 as a whole can also be reduced.

If there is no available information in S205, the status change information is not sent to the external device 103, or a message indicating that the status change information is unnecessary is sent to the external device 103 (S207). Also, if the state change based on the state information of the refrigerator 101 is pending in S201, the state change is executed.

The present embodiment is not limited to the flow described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, when a plurality of pieces of device identification information and state change information are acquired in S203, as described above, a device identification with a higher priority represented by the priority order information associated with the device identification information and state change information. The corresponding state change information may be transmitted to the external device 103 identified by the information.

According to the present embodiment, the power consumption of refrigerator 101 can be further reduced by changing the state of external device 103 according to the change in the operating state of each unit of refrigerator 101 . Also, the power consumption of the refrigerator system 100 as a whole can be further suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but has substantially the same configuration, the same effect, or the same purpose as the configuration shown in the above-described embodiment. can be replaced with

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the invention will be described. In the following description, description of the same points as those of the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be omitted.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 121 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 121 further has an energy saving determination unit 601 in addition to the control unit 121 in the second embodiment, for example. In addition, in this embodiment, for example, the request information acquisition unit 502 in the second embodiment further acquires post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X), and the state change information acquisition unit 503 further acquires the change amount information (X). This is the configuration for acquiring the post-external power change amount information (W).

The request information acquisition unit 502 in this embodiment acquires the request information and post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) based on the state information acquired by the state information acquisition unit 501 . The post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) represents, for example, the refrigerator power change amount that increases after the operation of each unit in the refrigerator is changed based on the state information. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, the request information acquiring unit 502 acquires the request related information in which the state information is associated with the request information and the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X). More specifically, for example, request information R1 and post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X): +2 are associated with state information S1. Then, for example, when the state information acquisition unit 501 acquires the state information: S1, the request information acquisition unit 502 acquires the request information: R1 and the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X): +2. Here, as shown in FIG. 16, the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) is a preset value. can be calculated. For example, when the humidity is 80% RH and the temperature is 24° C., only the temperature rises to 25° C., the dew condensation prevention heater 222 operates under the conditions shown in FIG. will come to From this, the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) is calculated as +4.

The state change information acquisition unit 503 in this embodiment acquires device identification information, state change information, and post-change external power change amount information (W) based on the request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 502 . The post-change external power change amount information (W) is, for example, an amount of power change that increases due to a change in the state of an external device based on a request, an amount of change in power that is expected to increase after a change in the state of an external device based on a request, and an external power source other than a refrigerator in a refrigerator system that is expected to increase after the state change of an external device based on a request. Represents the amount of change in electric power, etc. of the device. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, for example, the state change information acquisition unit 503 obtains the request information, the device identification information, the state change information, and the post-change external power change amount information (W) associated with each other. Get state change related information. The state change related information is, for example, associated with request information, device identification information, state change information, and post-change external power change amount information (W). More specifically, for example, device identification information A1, state change information C1, and post-change external power change amount information (W): +3 are associated with request information R1. Then, for example, when the request information acquisition unit 502 acquires the request information R1, the state change information acquisition unit 503 acquires the device identification information A1, the state change information C1, and the post-change external power change amount information (W): +3. get. Here, as shown in FIG. 17, the post-change external power change amount information (W) uses, for example, an initial preset value or a preset value set by the user, but is limited to this. Instead, for example, it acquires information from an external device that changes state based on state change information, or acquires information uploaded to a server that monitors the external device, or the external device itself detects changes in power consumption and the environment of the refrigerator. may be acquired from a database that accumulates the correlation with the .

The energy-saving determination unit 601 determines whether or not there is an energy-saving effect with respect to the state change of the refrigerator when the external device is operated based on the request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 502 . Specifically, the energy saving determination unit 601 obtains the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) acquired by the request information acquisition unit 502 and the post-change external power change amount information (W ), and if the post-change external power change amount information (W) is small, it is determined that there is an energy saving effect, and if the post-change external power change amount information (W) is large, it is determined that there is no energy saving effect. For example, in the above example, the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X): +2 and the post-change external power change amount information (W): +3 are compared, and the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) is Since it is small, it is determined that there is no energy saving effect. Further, for example, according to the example of the dew condensation prevention heater 222, the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) is calculated as +4, so compared with the post-change external power change amount information (W): +3, Since the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) is larger, it is determined that there is an energy saving effect.

Next, an example of the processing flow of the refrigerator 101 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the refrigerator 101 in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18, similarly to the second embodiment, the state information acquisition unit 501 acquires state information representing changes in the operating state of each unit of the refrigerator 101 (S301). The request information acquiring unit 502 acquires the request information and post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) based on the acquired state information (S302). The state change information acquisition unit 503 acquires the device identification information, the state change information, and the post-change external power change amount information (W) based on the acquired request information (S303). The energy saving determination unit 601 compares the post-change refrigerator power change amount information (X) acquired by the request information acquisition unit 502 with the post-change external power change amount information (W) acquired by the state change information acquisition unit 503 . , it is determined whether or not there is an energy saving effect with respect to the state change of the refrigerator (S304).

If it is determined in S304 that there is an energy saving effect, the modifiable information acquiring unit 504, for example, is identified by the device identification information acquired by the state change information acquiring unit 503, and the energy saving determining unit 601 determines that there is an energy saving effect. Inquiry information for inquiring whether or not the state change represented by the state change information acquired by the state change information acquisition unit 503 is possible is transmitted to the determined external device 103, and the external device 103 concerned responds to the inquiry information. obtains the reply information sent from (S305). Further, when it is determined in S304 that there is an energy saving effect in a plurality of external devices 103, in S305, for example, in order from the corresponding external device 103 with the smaller value of the post-change external power change amount information (W), The modifiable information acquisition unit 504 may be configured to transmit the state change information.

The state change information transmission unit 505 determines whether or not there is possibility information indicating that the state can be changed represented by the device identification information and the state change information acquired by the change possibility information acquisition unit 504 (S306).

If there is possible information in S306, the state change information transmitting unit 505 transmits state change information to the corresponding external device 103 via the communication unit 123 based on the acquired possible information (S307). Based on the state change information, the external device 103 changes state. As a result, for example, when changing the state of the relevant external device has an energy saving effect, the state of the external device is changed, so that the power consumption of the refrigerator system 100 as a whole can be reduced.

If it is determined in S304 that there is no energy saving effect or if there is no available information in S306, the state change information is not transmitted to the external device 103, or the state change information is not required to the external device 103. status change unnecessary information is transmitted (S308). As a result, for example, when changing the state of the relevant external device has no energy saving effect, the state of the external device is not changed.

In S301, the state information indicating that the operation state of each part of the refrigerator is to be changed is acquired. It may be configured as Then, in the case of suspension, for example, in S307 or S308, the operating state of the refrigerator may be changed based on the suspended state information.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, it can be replaced with a configuration that is substantially the same as the configuration shown in the above embodiment, a configuration that produces the same effects, or a configuration that can achieve the same purpose. For example, the present embodiment may be used in combination with the first, second, and third embodiments as long as they do not contradict each other. An example of environmental change-related information is shown in FIG. 5 in the first embodiment, but the environmental change-related information in the first embodiment is not limited to this. may In addition, although an example of state change related information is shown in FIG. 13 in the second embodiment, the state change related information in the second embodiment is not limited to this. may Similarly, request information may be set based on FIGS. 21 and 22. FIG. A refrigerator in the scope of claims includes the refrigerator system 100 .

100 refrigerator system, 101 refrigerator, 102 network, 103 external device, 111 control unit, 112 storage unit, 113 communication unit, 114 operation unit, 115 display unit, 121 control unit, 122 storage unit, 123 communication unit, 124 operation unit, 125 display unit, 126 compressor, 127 fan, 128 damper, 129 defrosting unit, 130 timing unit, 201 heat insulating box body, 202 refrigerator compartment, 203 freezer compartment, 204 vegetable compartment, 205 cold air passage, 206 cold air flow path, 207 freezer Room fan 208 Refrigerator compartment fan 209 Evaporator 210 Heater cover 211 Door 212 Door 213 Door 214 Discharge port 215 Return port 216 Discharge port 217 Machine room 218 Return port 219 Temperature sensor 220 humidity sensor 221 temperature compensating heater 222 dew condensation prevention heater 301 external device side status information acquisition unit 302 external device side device identification information acquisition unit 401 change information acquisition unit 402 device identification information acquisition unit 403 operation control information acquisition Unit 404 Operation control unit 405 Monitoring unit 406 Environmental information acquisition unit 411 Elapsed period determination unit 412 Direction determination unit 413 Value determination unit 501 State information acquisition unit 502 Request information acquisition unit 503 State change information acquisition section 504 modifiable information acquisition section 505 state change information transmission section 601 energy saving determination section

A refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a state information acquiring means for acquiring state information representing a change in operating state of each part of the refrigerator, and a state change representing a state change of at least one external device other than the refrigerator based on the state information. It is characterized by comprising state change information acquisition means for acquiring information and state change information transmission means for transmitting the state change information to the at least one external device.

Claims (8)

environment information acquisition means for acquiring environment information representing the state of the environment outside the refrigerator;
change information acquisition means for acquiring change information representing a change in the state of the external device from an external device other than the refrigerator;
and an operation control means for controlling the operation state of each part of the refrigerator,
The operation control means controls the operation state of each part of the refrigerator based on the change information and the environment information.
A refrigerator characterized by: 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein said operation control means controls the operation state of each part of said refrigerator based on an environmental state predicted based on said change information and an actual environmental state. Acquire environmental information representing the state of the environment outside the refrigerator,
Acquiring change information representing a change in the state of the external device from an external device other than the refrigerator;
The refrigerator control method, wherein the operation control means controls an operation state of each part of the refrigerator based on the change information and the environment information. environment information acquisition means for acquiring environment information representing the state of the environment outside the refrigerator;
change information acquisition means for acquiring change information representing a change in the state of the external device from an external device other than the refrigerator;
causing the computer to function as operation control means for controlling the operation state of each part of the refrigerator;
The refrigerator control program, wherein the operation control means controls an operation state of each part of the refrigerator based on the change information and the environment information. a state information acquisition means for acquiring state information representing changes in the operating state of each part of the refrigerator;
state change information acquisition means for acquiring state change information representing a state change of at least one external device other than the refrigerator based on the state information;
state change information transmitting means for transmitting the state change information to the at least one external device;
A refrigerator characterized by comprising: The refrigerator further comprises changeability information acquisition means for acquiring, from the at least one external device, changeability information indicating that a change based on the state change information is possible,
The state change information transmitting means transmits the state change information to the corresponding at least one external device based on priority information indicating a priority associated with the modifiable information and the state change information. 6. A refrigerator according to claim 5. Acquire status information representing changes in the operating status of each part of the refrigerator,
Acquiring state change information representing a state change of at least one external device other than the refrigerator based on the state information;
A refrigerator control method, characterized in that the state change information is transmitted to the at least one external device. state information acquisition means for acquiring state information representing changes in the operating state of each part of the refrigerator;
state change information acquisition means for acquiring state change information representing a state change of at least one external device other than the refrigerator, based on the state information;
A refrigerator control program that causes a computer to function as state change information transmission means for transmitting the state change information to the at least one external device.

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