JP6500251B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator used in a refrigerator system for photographing food in a storage and checking storage conditions with a display terminal or the like.

  In general, many refrigerator and refrigeration systems of this type have been proposed. For example, in the refrigerator and refrigeration system described in Patent Document 1, a small camera is provided in the storage, and the food storage condition in the storage photographed by the small camera is displayed via a display line such as a mobile phone via the Internet line. It is configured to be able to confirm.

  Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a refrigerator and a refrigeration system similar to Patent Document 1, and the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 captures the state of food in the storage with a small camera when the door of the refrigerator is closed. Configured to

  Furthermore, in addition to the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the refrigerator and the refrigeration system described in Patent Document 3 further provide a display terminal on the surface of the refrigerator, and this display terminal is a fixed terminal and refrigerator incorporated in the refrigerator surface. It consists of a display terminal such as a mobile phone that can be removed from the surface and carried around, and both terminals can display the food storage status in the storage taken with a small camera via an internet line on the display unit, Of course, it is configured to be able to know the food storage situation in the storage without opening the door of the refrigerator even at home.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-236798 JP 2007-46833 A JP 2002-81818 A

  As described above, many refrigerators and refrigerator systems have been proposed in which food in this type of storage can be photographed and the storage status can be confirmed with a display terminal etc. Absent.

  Therefore, the inventors have made studies for practical use of the above-described refrigerator and its refrigerator system and conducted practical verification. As a result, it has been found that this type of refrigerator and its refrigerator system have many problems to be solved in putting them into practical use.

  One of the problems is that the appearance of food in the storage by a small camera is bad and it is difficult to determine the type of food.

  Patent Document 2 described above discloses that, when shooting with a small camera, shooting is performed by putting in the storage lamp inside the storage, but the food illuminated by the storage lamp located at the back wall of the storage If you take a picture with a small camera on the inside of the door, the picture is dark and it is difficult to distinguish the food type as it is, or it is necessary to make advanced correction processing to make it easy to determine the food type. Leading to a major impediment to commercialization.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and provides an inexpensive refrigerator and a refrigeration system in which food in the storage can be photographed well and food can be easily discriminated.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a refrigerator having at least one storage, a door for opening and closing the storage, and a wireless communication device, and an imaging device for capturing the inside of the storage of the storage provided on the door A first control means for lighting a lighting device provided in the storage of the storage based on the fact that the door is opened, and the lighting based on the fact that the door is closed A second control unit that causes the photographing device to execute photographing after lowering the illuminance of the device, and the lighting device based on the completion of the photographing of the photographing device performed by the second control unit. The wireless communication apparatus may further include: a third control unit configured to turn off the light; and the wireless communication apparatus may transmit an image captured by the imaging apparatus to the outside after the lighting unit is turned off by the third control unit .

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the refrigerator and refrigeration system which can image | photograph the foodstuffs in a storage favorably can be provided.

The perspective view of the refrigerator in the embodiment of the present invention Schematic cross section of the same refrigerator The perspective view which shows the inside when the storage door of the same refrigerator is opened (A) A perspective view in which the display terminal is integrally mounted on the same refrigerator, (b) a perspective view in which the display terminal is detachably mounted on the same refrigerator The mounting structural example of the display terminal used for the same refrigerator is shown, (a) is a sectional view at the time of attaching a display terminal integrally, (b) is a sectional view at the time of mounting a display terminal detachably. The example of display visual recognition structure of the display terminal used for the refrigerator is shown, (a) and (b) are schematic sectional drawings when the outer cover panel of a door is glass, (c) comprises the outer cover panel of a door with a magic mirror Outline cross section in the case of Longitudinal sectional view showing an example of camera attachment of the same refrigerator The example of camera attachment of the refrigerator is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door part in the state which closed the door, (b) is a front view of the door inner surface side when the door is opened (A) (b) (c) Longitudinal sectional view showing another example of camera attachment example of the same refrigerator Longitudinal sectional view showing an example of camera attachment in the case of one door of the same refrigerator The example of camera attachment of the refrigerator is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door part in the state which closed the door, (b) is a front view of the door inner surface side when the door is opened Longitudinal sectional view showing another example of camera attachment in the case of one door of the same refrigerator Explanatory drawing which shows the imaging | photography state in the camera attachment example of FIG. An explanatory view showing an example of a camera attached to the same refrigerator System configuration diagram of the refrigerator system in the same embodiment Block diagram showing the refrigerator configuration of the same refrigerator system Block diagram showing server configuration of same refrigerator system Flowchart showing shooting to data storage operation when the door of the same refrigerator system is closed Flow chart showing photographing-data storage operation at the time of cooling room cooling operation of the same refrigerator system Flowchart showing shooting to data storage operation when the door of the same refrigerator system is opened A flowchart showing another operation example of the photographing operation in FIGS. Flow chart showing the case where the server apparatus performs data storage and combining operation in the same refrigerator system Flow chart showing a case where data storage and combining operation in the same refrigerator system are performed on the refrigerator side A flowchart showing a case where data storage and combining operation in the same refrigerator system are performed on the display terminal side Flow chart showing normal image data transmission and reception in the same refrigerator system Flow chart showing transmission and reception of image data when image data is stored in the display terminal in the same refrigerator system Flow chart showing the case where the individual image and the composite image are switched and transmitted / received in the same refrigerator system Flow chart showing image data transmission and reception at the time of prior transmission request in the same refrigerator system Front view of display terminal for explaining switching of transmission / reception route in the same refrigerator system Diagram for explaining the image composition processing in the same refrigerator system

  Hereinafter, specific and detailed embodiments of the present invention will be described. First, the main points of the embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  In the embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention, a refrigerator main body, a storage formed in the refrigerator main body, a door for opening and closing the storage, a lighting device for illuminating the inside of the storage, and a partition for partitioning the storage space of the storage A rack, a photographing device for photographing the inside of the storage, and a control unit for controlling the photographing device, the lighting device being provided on the back side of the storage with respect to the photographing device, the photographing device being the lighting device It is arrange | positioned so that the direct light from this may not inject, and the said imaging device is set as the structure which image | photographs the inside of the said storage in the state which the said illuminating device lights.

  As a result, the lighting device illuminates the food in the storage from above so that the entire circumference is illuminated with appropriate brightness, and the food located in front does not become a shade of food located in the back. The image of the food in the storage with the light turned on becomes clear with appropriate brightness. Therefore, it becomes easy to identify the food in the storage, and furthermore, it is not necessary to perform image processing for facilitating the food determination, and it can be put to practical use at low cost. Furthermore, the light of the illumination device can be prevented from entering the imaging device and the reflection of the imaging device becoming worse, so that a good image can always be obtained.

  In addition, the imaging device is disposed on the inner surface of the door, and the image in the storage taken by the camera is substantially the same as the state in which the user opens the door of the refrigerator and actually looks, and is displayed on the display terminal It is possible to confirm the food condition in the storage without feeling any discomfort when trying.

  Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described using the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

First Embodiment
<1. Configuration>
1-1. Configuration of refrigerator 1-1-1. Configuration of French Door Type Refrigerator A configuration example of the French door type refrigerator will be described first with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

  In FIGS. 1 to 3, the refrigerator main body 1 includes an outer case 2 made of metal (for example, iron plate) opened forward, an inner case 3 made of hard resin (for example, ABS), the outer case 2 and the inner case 3 And a heat insulating material 4 such as hard urethane foam filled with foam. The refrigerator body 1 has a plurality of storages partitioned therein. This storage is located from the upper part of the refrigerator main body 1 to the refrigerating chamber 5, the switching chamber 6 located below the refrigerating chamber 5, the ice chamber 7, the switching chamber 6 and the lower portion of the ice chamber 7 juxtaposed to the switching chamber 6. A freezer compartment 8 and a vegetable compartment 9 located below the freezer compartment 8 are provided. Further, the front of the refrigerator compartment 5 is closed freely by the double door 10, and the switching compartment 6, the ice making room 7, the freezer compartment 8 and the front part of the vegetable compartment 9 are drawn out doors 11, 12, 13 , 14 (hereinafter referred to as a drawer type door) closed freely open and close.

  There is a cooling chamber 16 on the back of the refrigerator main body 1, and a cooler 17 for generating cold air, a blower fan 18 for supplying cold air to each chamber, and a damper (air volume adjusting means) 22 for adjusting the air volume to the refrigerator compartment And are provided. Further, a compressor 19 is provided at the back of the top surface of the main body 1 of the refrigerator, and a condenser (not shown), a heat radiation pipe 20 for heat radiation, a capillary tube 21 and the cooler 17 described above are sequentially Refrigerant is sealed in the annularly connected refrigeration cycle so as to perform a cooling operation.

  Here, each of the doors 10 to 14 is filled with hard urethane foam as in the refrigerator main body 1 to provide heat insulation, and in this refrigerator, of the doors 10 to 14, the door of the storage 5 serving as a refrigerator compartment. A display terminal 15 is equipped on one of the front faces of the ten. The display terminal 15 comprises a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel and a control unit for controlling the display unit as shown in FIG. 4 (a), and is integrally attached to the door 10 or as shown in FIG. 4 (b) The smartphone 10 is formed of a smartphone and a tablet PC, and the door 10 is detachable, and may be equipped with any method.

  5 (a) and 5 (b) show an example of the mounting configuration of the display terminal 15 to the door 10. FIG. 5 (a) shows the display terminal 15 when the display terminal 15 is integrally attached. It shows the case where it is detachably attached.

  5 (a) and 5 (b), the door 10 mainly includes a cover panel 10a facing the front side of the refrigerator, an inner plate 10b facing the inner side of the refrigerator, a cover panel 10a and an inner plate 10b and the heat insulating material 4 filled in between. The outer cover panel 10a is formed of a metallic member such as a color steel plate or a transparent member such as a glass plate, and the inner plate 10b is a synthetic resin member formed by vacuum molding. A raised wall portion 10b-1 is provided on the periphery of the inner side plate 10b so as to be protruded in the shape of a U when viewed from the inside of the storage. Further, as described above, for example, hard urethane foam is used for the heat insulating material 4.

  Moreover, in the door 10 of FIG. 5 (a) which integrated the display terminal 15, the resin-made storage frame 23 which covers the heat insulating material 4 continuously with the covering panel 10a is provided in the front side of the door 10. (If the cover panel 10a is a glass plate, it is integrally attached to the glass plate). The display terminal 15 is fixed to the storage frame 23 via the terminal holder 24. Further, a touch panel 25 is provided on the front side of the display terminal 15. A gap 26 is provided between the display terminal 15 and the touch panel 25 so that noise from the display terminal 15 does not cause the touch panel 25 to malfunction. The display terminal 15 and the touch panel 25 are fixed by attaching a frame 27 covering the outer peripheral edge thereof to the surface of the door 10. Moreover, since the heat insulating material 4 does not directly touch the display terminal 15 by providing the storage frame body 23, the display terminal 15 is exposed to high temperature or deformed when the heat insulating material 4 is foamed. And other problems can be prevented. On the other hand, in the door 10 of FIG. 5 (b) in which the display terminal 15 is detachable, a recess 28 is formed by providing the storage frame 23 on the front surface of the door 10, and the display terminal 15 is detached in this recess 28 Configured to

  6 (a), (b) and (c) show an example of the display see-through configuration of the door 10 and the display terminal 15, and FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) show that the cover panel 10a of the door 10 is a glass plate In the case of 10a-1, FIG.3 (c) shows the case where the outer cover panel 10a of the door 10 is comprised by the magic mirror 10a-2.

  In FIG. 6A, a smoke sheet 29 is provided between the display terminal 15 embedded in the door 10 and the glass plate 10a-1 so that only the portion facing the display terminal 15 is transparent, and the display terminal 15 is Even when the display terminal 15 looks blackish, the glass sheet 10a-1 other than the display terminal 15 does not look blackish with the smoke sheet 29, and the boundary with the display terminal 15 does not stand out, so that the appearance can be maintained well. Further, in FIG. 6B, a transparent liquid crystal display unit is used as the display unit of the display terminal 15, and a smoke sheet 29a of a black whole is laid along the back surface of the transparent liquid crystal display unit. Can be made good. Furthermore, in FIG. 6C, the glass plate 10a-1 in FIGS. 6A and 6B is used as the magic mirror 10a-2 and the smoked sheet 29 is unnecessary, and in this case also, the appearance is maintained favorably. be able to. All show an example at the time of attaching display terminal 15 to door 10 in one. In addition, you may perform coating so that it may look dark on the back side of glass plate 10a-1 instead of the smoked sheet 29. FIG.

  7, 8 (a) and 8 (b) show an example of attachment of the camera and the interior lamp, which is the main part of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator with the door closed. 8 (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the door in the refrigerator with the door closed, and FIG. 8 (b) is a front view of the inside of the door when the door is opened.

  In FIG. 7, FIG. 8 (a), (b), the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4 are provided in the storage 5 of a refrigerator in upper and lower multiple steps. The shelf plates 30-1 to 30-4 are formed of a transparent material such as transparent synthetic resin or glass, except for the surrounding frame.

  A storage container 31 is provided below the lowermost shelf plate 30-4 so as to be freely drawn out. Although the shelf board 30-4 of the lowermost stage is fixed because it constitutes the upper surface of the storage container 31, the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-3 have side wall convex parts provided on both side wall parts of the storage 5, respectively. They are mounted on 32-1 to 32-4 and are detachable. In particular, the shelf plate 30-2 at the center among the shelf plates 30-1 to 30-3 excluding the lowermost shelf plate 30-4 is provided with a plurality of corresponding side wall convex portions 32-2 at different heights. The height of the shelf can be adjusted.

  Reference numerals 33-1 to 33-3 denote door pockets provided on the inner surface of the door 10 for opening and closing the opening of the storage 5, and are provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages. The door pockets 33-1 to 33-3 are also formed of a permeable material.

  Reference numeral 34-1 denotes a lighting device as a storage light (hereinafter referred to as a storage light), which is provided on the front opening top wall portion of the storage 5 in front of the front ends of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4. It is provided. The interior illumination light 34-1 is provided on the front side of the central portion of the top surface in the depth direction, and is set to illuminate the food in the storage from the front upper side.

  Further, in this example, an intra-subcompartment illuminating light 34-2 is provided on the opening edge both side wall part of the storage 5 as a sub-illumination device (hereinafter referred to as the sub-interior sub-compartment illuminating light). 2 is also provided at a position forward of the front end of each of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4 so as to illuminate the food in the storage from the front side. In addition, the board | substrate which arrange | positioned several LED from the relationship of energy saving also arrange | positions the board | substrate which arrange | positioned several LED, and any said indoor lamp 34-1 and 34-2 is covered by the translucent cover.

  35-1 and 35-2 are photographing devices (hereinafter referred to as "cameras") such as cameras provided so as to be positioned on the front side of the storage 5 as well as the respective indoor lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2. Although the type is not particularly limited, it is preferable to be resistant to condensation and the like.

  In this embodiment, two cameras are provided, and one camera 35-1 is attached near the lower surface of the upper door pocket 33-1 substantially at the center in the front-rear direction, and another camera 35-2 is provided. Is attached near the top of the door pocket 33-3. Here, the front-rear direction of the door pocket 33 is the vertical direction with respect to the surface formed by the inner side plate 10b of the door 10, and is the same direction as the front-rear direction of the storage 5 when the door 10 is closed. .

  Further, the upper camera 35-1 is provided substantially forward of the uppermost shelf plate 30-1, and the lower camera 35-2 is provided forward of the third shelf 30-3 in the figure. In other words, any camera is not the shelf board 30-2 that can be placed on the plurality of side wall convex portions 32-2 provided on the premise of height adjustment, but a shelf that is detachable but is not premised on height adjustment It is provided in the approximate front position of board 30-1 and shelf board 30-3.

  Further, as is clear from FIG. 7, any one of the above cameras 35-1 and 35-2 is located forward of the front end of each shelf plate 30-1 to 30-4 and is shown in FIG. 8 (b). Are provided near the open end side Y opposite to the pivotal support portion X of the door 10, that is, approximately at the center in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 51, and these two cameras 35-1 and 35-2 It is possible to shoot almost the whole area of the storehouse.

  In the case of the example of this French door, camera 35 -1,35-2 is provided in the door 10 side of a large area, and it is set so that it may be located in the approximate center part of the refrigerator 51. As shown in FIG. Further, in this example, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided on the side of the door 10 where the center pillar 36 (see FIG. 3) is not provided, and are set to be positioned substantially at the center of the refrigerator 51. . As well known, in the case of a French door, the center pillar 36 is provided on one of the side surfaces of the two doors 10, and the cold air in the storage 5 leaks from the gap formed between the two doors 10 It is a member provided to prevent the

  The cameras 35-1 and 35-2 may be additionally provided with a dedicated camera 35-3 in the storage container as shown in FIG. 9 (a), or as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the lower camera 35. If it is set according to the form of the refrigerator to be installed, such as -2 movably provided up and down, or the lower camera 35-2 provided pivotably in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Good.

  The interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided at positions deeper than the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 as is apparent from FIG. It is provided so that the light of 2 may not directly enter the photographing part of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2.

  More specifically, as shown to Fig.8 (a), the imaging | photography part of camera 35-1 and 35-2 is the irradiation amount (maximum irradiation amount) of the irradiation direction of interior lighting 34-1 and 34-2. ), And in this example, it is provided outside the range of the irradiation angle of 60 degrees.

  In addition, although this does not show in figure, a light-shielding part is provided in the camera side of interior lighting 34-1, 34-2, or light sources, such as LED which comprises interior lighting 34-1 and 34-2, By making the configuration such as slanting back toward the rear, the lights of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 may not directly enter the photographing unit of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2. And may be appropriately selected in accordance with the installation conditions of the camera. This is the same as in the case of the single door type refrigerator described below.

1-1-2. Configuration of Single-door Type Refrigerator FIG. 10 to FIG. 13 show an example of attachment of the camera and the interior lamp in the case where the door 10 is a single door. In this single type door refrigerator, the same parts as those of the French door type refrigerator described above are indicated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  First, an example will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11 (a) and 11 (b).

  In FIG. 10 and FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b), in the case of this single-door refrigerator, the upper camera 35-1 is a typical arrangement example of the single-door door. The lower camera 35-2 is provided on the inner surface of the door between the door pockets 33-7 and 33-8 while being provided on the raised wall 10b-2 existing between 4, 33-5 and 33-6. . Each of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 is provided substantially at the front of the shelf plate 30-1 and shelf plate 30-3 which are detachable but not premised on height adjustment, as in the case of the French door type. And as shown in FIG. 10, it is a front position from the front end of each shelf 30-1 to 30-4, and, as can be understood in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b), near the central portion of the door 10, ie, The two cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided so as to be located substantially in the center in the left-right direction of the refrigerator 51 so that almost the entire inside of the refrigerator can be photographed.

  Further, the interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2 are provided in the same manner as the French door type. That is, the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided on the front opening both side walls and the front opening top wall of the storage box in front of the front ends of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4. There is a position where the light does not directly enter the imaging units of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, that is, the imaging units of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 irradiate the interior illumination lights 34-1 and 34-2 It is provided outside the range where the irradiation amount is 1/2 or more with respect to the irradiation amount (maximum irradiation amount) of the direction, in this example, the irradiation angle of 60 degrees.

  12 (a) and 12 (b) and FIG. 13 show another example of the single door type.

  In this example, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided in the vicinity of the open end Y of the door 10 opposite to the support X of the door. The height positions of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are the same as in the case of the single door described above. When the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided in the vicinity of the door open end Y, shooting is performed when the door 10 is opened at a predetermined angle, for example, 30 degrees. By this, the photographing can photograph a wide range up to the vicinity of the opening of the storage 5 as shown by a broken line in FIG. 13, and the image is a state where the user sometimes slightly opens the door. When the image is viewed on the display terminal 15, the image can be viewed in a natural manner without discomfort.

1-1-3. Camera Configuration FIG. 14 shows an example of a camera used for in-chamber imaging. It is most preferable that the cameras be provided at vertically separated positions as described in each of the above-mentioned examples for photographing inside the storage, but as shown in FIG. It was confirmed as a result of verification that the whole area of the inside can be photographed.

  Therefore, in such a case, it is considered that the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are integrated to form the camera module 41. By modularizing in this manner, the installation can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Also, it can be modularized by using a wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens.

1-2. Overall Configuration of Refrigerator System Next, an overall refrigerator system using a refrigerator as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 15 shows the overall configuration of a refrigerator system 50 using the above-described refrigerator. As shown in FIG. 15, this refrigerator system 50 is a system for confirming the food condition in the refrigerator 51 by the display terminal 15 and the like.

  The refrigerator system 50 includes a refrigerator 51 and a display terminal 15, and further includes a wireless adapter (communication device) 53, a gateway device (relay device) 54, a router device 55, the Internet 56, and a server device 57.

  The refrigerator 51 is disposed in the residence A of the user, and is disposed, for example, in a kitchen room in the residence A.

  The wireless adapter (communication device) 53 is electrically connected to a control unit, which will be described later, of the refrigerator 51, and is configured to communicate with the router device 55 via the gateway device (relay device) 54. The wireless adapter 53 receives the signal transmitted from the router device 55, and outputs the received signal to the control unit of the refrigerator 51. Based on this signal, the refrigerator 51 is configured to perform a corresponding operation.

  The wireless adapter 53 also acquires identification information (for example, serial number, model number, etc.) of the refrigerator 51, internal image data to be described later, etc. from the storage unit of the refrigerator 51, and the router via the gateway device (relay device) 54. It is configured to transmit to the device 55. The wireless adapter 53 may be integrally provided in the refrigerator 51 or may be configured to be removable.

  The wireless adapter 53 includes a "connect" button 53a. The “connect” button 53 a is for newly connecting with the gateway device (relay device) 54. When the “connect” button 53 a is operated by the user, the wireless adapter 53 is configured to acquire identification information (for example, a serial number or a model number) of the refrigerator 51 from the storage unit of the refrigerator 51.

  As described above, the display terminal 15 is, for example, a general-purpose portable terminal such as a smartphone and a tablet PC (personal computer), and can be detachably attached to the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 described above in the case of the present embodiment. , And has a function (means) for connecting to the Internet 56 and a function (means) for communicating with a gateway device 54 described later.

  The display terminal 15 (for example, a smart phone) is configured to connect to the Internet 56 via a telephone line network (for example, a 3G line network). Additionally or alternatively, for example, the display terminal 15 is configured to connect to the Internet 56 via a public wireless LAN by a Wi-Fi communication function.

  By connecting to the Internet 56, for example, the display terminal 15 is a program for acquiring image data of food in the refrigerator which is an object of the present invention and data for performing energy saving operation (for example, data such as the number of times of opening and closing of a door) Can be obtained from the homepage of the manufacturer of the refrigerator 51 via the Internet 56. By installing the acquired program on the display terminal 15 and activating the installed program, the display terminal 15 can acquire image data and the like of the food in the refrigerator. That is, the display terminal 15 can generate and transmit an operation signal for acquiring the image data of the refrigerator 51 by operating the operation screen of the display 15a. Details will be described later.

  The display terminal 15 is also connected to the router device 55 by general-purpose communication not via the Internet 56 such as Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, infrared communication, etc., and the gateway device 54 via the router device 55. It is configured to communicate with. A device (for example, a Wi-Fi antenna or the like) for that purpose is incorporated in the display terminal 15.

  The gateway device (relay device) 54 is a device that relays communication between the wireless adapter 53 and the display terminal 15, and, for example, the wireless adapter 53 and the specified low power wireless special small frequency band (924.0 to 928.0 MHz To communicate using the signal of. The frequency band of communication between the gateway device 54 and the wireless adapter 53 is preferably a low frequency band which can reach a long distance, and is installed in the user's residence A where the refrigerator 51 is installed together with the router device 55.

  The gateway device 54 is also configured to establish communication connection with the display terminal 15 via the router device 55. That is, the gateway device 54 is configured such that communication (first communication) can be performed only via the router device 55 without passing through the display terminal 15 and the Internet 56.

  The gateway device 54 is further configured to be connectable to the Internet 56 via the router device 55. Thus, the gateway device 54 can communicate (second communication) with the display terminal 15 via the Internet 56 and the router device 55 and can also communicate with the server device 57.

  Therefore, the gateway device 54 communicates with the display terminal 15 not via the Internet 56 (ie, the first communication via only the router device 55) and via the Internet 56 (ie, via the Internet 56 and the router device 55). And the second communication) can be performed. The reason for this configuration will be described later.

  The server device 57 is prepared, for example, by the manufacturer of the refrigerator 51. The server device 57 manages information and the like necessary for access and authentication for the display terminal 15, the refrigerator 51, and the wireless adapter 53. For example, the server device 57 determines whether the identification information of the display terminal 15 included in the communication request signal matches the identification information of the display terminal 15 stored (registered) in association with the wireless adapter 53. Authenticate (determine). Then, the server device 57 authenticates the display terminal 15 to be accessed as a regular display terminal, and permits communication with the refrigerator 51 in the residence A, when the two match.

  Further, the server device 57 stores the image data of the food in the refrigerator transmitted from the refrigerator 51, the data for performing the energy saving operation, and the like. These data are transmitted to the display terminal 15 based on the data call signal from the display terminal 15. That is, the user can operate the display terminal 15 to display and check the food image data in the refrigerator on the display.

1-3. System Unit Configuration of Refrigerator FIG. 16 shows a system unit configuration of a refrigerator used for the above-described refrigeration system.

In FIG. 16, the refrigerator 51 has an interface (I / F) 58, a controller (control unit) 59, a storage unit 60, a door open / close detection unit 61, interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2, a camera 35-. 1, 35-2, a fan drive circuit 62, a compressor drive circuit 63, a blower fan 18, and a compressor 19, for example, receive power supply from an AC power supply 64 such as a commercial power supply in the residence A.

  The interface (I / F) 58 exchanges data etc. between the wireless adapter 53 and the controller 59 of the refrigerator 51.

  The controller (control unit) 59 controls the operation of the refrigerator. In addition, the controller 59 controls the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 and the in-compartment illumination lights 34-1 and 34-2 to photograph the food in the refrigerator, and temporarily stores the image data in the storage unit 60. And sends it to the server device 57 of the Internet 56. Furthermore, if there is a request signal for prior transmission of image data from the display terminal 15 via the server device 57, it instructs the display terminal 15 to execute transmission via the server device 57 immediately after food imaging. The details will be described later.

  The storage unit 60 rewrites and stores, in addition to the identification code and the control program, the image data of the in-house food taken by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 and the data for performing the energy saving operation.

  The indoor lightings 34-1 and 34-2 are controlled to be turned on / off by the controller 59 based on the signal from the door open / close detection unit 61, turned on when the door 10 is opened, and several seconds when the door 10 is closed. Turn off after a delay time.

  The cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are controlled by the controller 59 based on a signal from the door open / close detection unit 61, and when the door 10 is closed, the camera 35 shoots the food in the refrigerator. The details will be described later.

  The fan drive circuit 62 receives a control signal from the controller 59 and controls driving of the rotation of the blower fan 18.

  The compressor drive circuit 63 receives a control signal from the controller 59 and controls the driving of the compressor 19 such as the number of revolutions.

  The blower fan 18 operates according to the control of the fan drive circuit 62 to generate an air flow for circulating cold air.

  The compressor 19 compresses a refrigerant (not shown) circulating in the refrigerator 51 according to the control of the compressor drive circuit 63.

1-4. Configuration of Server Device Next, a configuration example of the server device of the refrigerator system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the configuration of the server device 57 in FIG. 15 is described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the server device 57 includes a server interface 65, a server control unit 66, and a data storage unit 67.

  The server interface 65 is a communication unit that exchanges data etc. between the display terminal 15 and the router device 55 and the server device 57 via the Internet 56 under the control of the server control unit 66.

The server control unit 66 controls the overall operation of the server device 57. The server control unit 66 also combines the image data of the food transmitted from the refrigerator 51 and stores it in the data storage unit 67, and when there is a signal of the advance transmission request of the image data from the display terminal 15, the data storage unit Every time the image data is transmitted from the refrigerator 51, the latest image data of the image data stored in 67 is transmitted to the display terminal 15, and the display terminal 15 is rewritten and updated. Of course, when the data call signal is transmitted from the display terminal 15 in a state where there is no signal of the advance transmission request of the image data, the latest image data stored in the data storage unit 67 is transmitted to the display terminal 15.

  The data storage unit 67 stores necessary data such as a management program and an application program for executing the refrigerator system. Furthermore, the data storage unit 67 rewrites and stores the latest data of the food image data transmitted from the refrigerator 51 under the control of the server control unit 66. The data storage unit 67 is configured of, for example, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like.

  The server device 57 can be constructed as either a server constituted by a single large computer or a cloud type server constituted by a large number of computer groups.

<2. Operation>
Next, the operation of the refrigerator and the refrigeration system configured as described above will be described. In the following description, the same operations will be described with the same step numbers.

2-1. Food Shooting Operation 2-1-1. Photographing when the door is closed FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation when photographing the food in the storage when the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 is closed.

  When the door 10 is opened to put food in and out (Y in step 1), the interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on (step 2), and when the door 10 is closed (Y in step 3), Reduce the illuminance of the storage light 34-1, 34-2 (step 4), for a while, for example, after a few seconds have elapsed, activate the cameras 35-1, 35-2 to photograph the food in the storage (step 5) . Thereafter, the photographed image data is stored in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 (step 6), and the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned off (step 7).

  Here, when photographing is performed with the illuminance of the in-chamber illumination lights 34-1 and 34-2 lowered at the time of photographing, it is preferable because the food can be clearly photographed. That is, when the food is photographed by lighting the interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2, the inner surface of the storage may be white, and the reflected light is strongly reflected to the food from the entire peripheral surface excluding the storage opening portion. (High intensity without splashing back into food), and the food becomes whitish, making it difficult to take clear pictures. However, if the illuminance of the interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2 is lowered as in the example described above, the influence of the reflected light from the inner surface of the storage can be significantly reduced, and a clear image can be taken. It will be.

  Further, since the in-compartment illumination light 34-1 among the in-compartment illumination lights is provided on the top surface of the storage 5, the in-compartment illumination light 34-1 irradiates the food in the storage 5 from above, so The entire circumference will be illuminated with appropriate brightness, and the food located in the front will not be behind the food located behind, and the inside of the storage 5 with the interior lighting 34-1 turned on Taking photos of food will have a moderate brightness and be sharp. Therefore, the discrimination of the food in the storage 5 becomes easy, and furthermore, it is not necessary to carry out the image processing for facilitating the discrimination of the food, and it can be put to practical use at low cost.

2-1-2. Photographing at the Cold Room Cooling Operation FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing an operation at the time of photographing the food in the storage room at the cold room cooling time after the food in the refrigerator is put in and out.

  When the door 10 is opened to put food in and out (Y in step 1), the interior lights 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on (step 2), the door 10 is closed (Y in step 3), and the refrigerator compartment It is determined whether or not the cooling operation state of (step 8). If the blower fan 18 is ON, the damper 22 is open, and the refrigerator compartment is in the cooling operation, the illuminance of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is lowered as in the case of the door closing (step 4) And the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are activated to photograph the food in the storage (step 5). Thereafter, the photographed image data is stored in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 (step 6), and the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are turned off (step 7).

Thus, even if condensation occurs due to the temperature difference between inside and outside the storage, for example, on the surface of the food newly put into the storage, this condensation is eliminated by the cooling operation by photographing during the cold storage cooling operation, It disappears. Therefore, imaging | photography by camera 35 -1, 35-2 is performed so clearly that the character currently described on the food packaging container can be read, and it is suitable.
In the above operation, when the door 10 is closed (Y in step 1), the indoor lightings 34-1 and 34-2 are once turned off, and the indoor lightings 34-1 and 34 again before photographing. If the illumination is reduced by turning on the light by -2, it is possible to suppress wasteful consumption of power due to the in-chamber illumination lights 34-1 and 34-2 continuing to be turned on.

2-1-3. Photographing when the Door is Opened FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation when photographing the food in the storage is performed when the door 10 is opened by a predetermined angle, in the case of a single-sheet door.

  When the door 10 is opened to put food in and out (Y in step 1), the interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2 are turned on (step 2), and the opening angle of the door is a predetermined angle, for example, FIG. When the opening angle shown is 30 degrees (Y in step 10), the illuminance of the interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2 is lowered (step 4), and the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are activated to store the storage area. Shoot the food inside (Step 5). Thereafter, the photographed image data is stored in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 (step 6), and when the door is closed (Y in step 11), the interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2 are turned off (step 7) .

  If, as in this example, the door 10 is opened at a predetermined angle, as described above, the inside of the storage 5 can be photographed extensively, and the image becomes natural without discomfort. It is.

  In addition, when imaging | photography at the time of predetermined angle opening, imaging | photography will be performed at least 2 times or more at the time of door opening operation and door closing operation. At this time, by storing the image data (at the time of door closing operation) taken at the end in the operation time from one opening and closing of the door to the storage unit 60, the latest storage of food that has finished loading and unloading Food status can be taken.

  As a matter of course, in step 10 of detecting whether the opening angle of the door 10 reaches a predetermined angle, if the door 10 is closed before reaching the predetermined angle, the in-compartment lamp 34-1 , 34-2 will turn off and wait for the door 10 to be opened again.

  As described above, representative examples of the photographing operation have been described by way of example. However, in addition to the photographing operation, for example, photographing is performed when a predetermined time elapses after timed or last photographing, or when photographing is instructed from the display terminal 15 A shooting operation such as

2-1-4. Illumination at the time of photography As the food illumination at the time of photography, as already explained in the above-mentioned FIG. 18, FIG. 19, FIG. Irradiate and shoot. Depending on the case, it may be considered that the illumination is lowered and photographed as lighting of only the indoor lighting 34-1 on both sides of the storage or the indoor lighting 34-2 on the top of the storage. The reason for reducing the illuminance and shooting will be described later.

  Further, as another example of food irradiation at the time of photographing, the following may be considered. That is, FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing the state of lighting / extinguishing of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 at the time of photographing by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, which is the above-mentioned FIG. 18, FIG. 19 and FIG. This corresponds to the operation of the broken line portion.

  The above-mentioned photographing in FIG. 18, FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 is an example in which the illumination is reduced after lighting the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2, and in this example, both sides of the storage are The food is irradiated and photographed in a state where only one side of the storage lighting 34-1 on both sides of the storage is turned on while the lighting of the storage lighting 34-1 on the surface is turned off. In this case, the in-chamber illumination light 34-2 on the top surface of the storage may be turned on or off, but any one may be selected as appropriate so that the illuminance in the chamber becomes optimal for photographing.

  In FIG. 21, before starting photographing by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, any one of the indoor lightings 34-1 on both sides of the storage, which are already on, for example, the right internal lighting is turned off ( Step 12) Photographs (step 13) and stores the food irradiated with the left in-box illumination light (step 14). Thereafter, the right in-box lamp is turned on (step 15), and then the left in-box lamp is turned off (step 16), and the food in the state of being illuminated with the right in-box lamp is photographed (step 17) ). The image data is stored (step 18), and the right internal lamp is turned off (step 19). As described above, the image data stored by irradiating the food from one side and storing it is combined into one image and stored.

  As described above, the reason why the interior lightings 34-1 and 34-2 are lit one by one to photograph the food and combine them into one is as follows. That is, as described above, shooting is performed by reducing the illuminance of the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 at the time of shooting, but if the illuminance reduction is too large, the image becomes dark and lacks clarity There is also a limit to the decrease in illuminance. Therefore, although the illuminance is maintained to some extent, the influence of the reflected light may remain even if the illuminance is small if the volume inside the storage is small. However, as described in this example, if the left and right ones of the in-chamber illumination light 34-1 are turned on to photograph the food, the influence of the reflected light can be reduced, and the in-chamber illumination light 34-1 turns on. You can shoot with the appropriate brightness on the side you are using. Therefore, if a combination process is performed to combine the left and right images of food taken at this appropriate brightness, the entire image becomes clear, which is preferable.

2-2. Storage and Combining of Images Next, storage and combining of image data captured by the above-described operations will be described.

FIG. 22 shows a case where image data is stored and combined by the server device 57. When the inside of the storage is photographed by the operation shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 including FIG. The refrigerator 51 is connected to the Internet 56 from the wireless adapter 53 through the gateway device 54 and the router device 55 (step 20), and the individual image data captured and stored by each camera is connected to the server device 57 connected to the Internet 56. Send (step 21). The image data transmitted via the Internet 56 is subjected to a combining process (step 22) for combining the individual image data by the server control unit 66 of the server device 57. The image data subjected to the combining process is stored in the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57 (step 23).

As in this example, by combining the image by the server device 57 and storing it, the load on the controller 59 and the storage unit 60 on the refrigerator side can be reduced, and the Internet compatible refrigerator can be provided inexpensively. can do.

Fig. 23 shows the case where image data is stored and combined on the refrigerator side, and the inside of the storage is photographed by the operation shown in Figs. 18 to 20 including Fig. 21. The controller (control unit) 59 of the refrigerator 51 takes out the individual image data from each camera stored in the storage unit 60, combines them, and combines them (step 24). The combined image data is stored (step 25), the refrigerator 51 is connected to the Internet 56 from the wireless adapter 53 via the gateway device 54 and the router device 55 (step 20), and the stored image data is connected to the Internet 56 It transmits to the server device 57 (step 21). The composite image data transmitted via the Internet 56 is stored in the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57 (step 23).

  In this example, the load on the controller 59 and the storage unit 60 on the refrigerator side increases, but image data can be transmitted to and received from the display terminal 15 without the intervention of the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57. can do.

2-2-3. FIG. 24 shows a case where image data is stored and combined on the display terminal 15 side, and when the inside of the storage is photographed by the operation shown in FIG. 18 to FIG. 20 including FIG. Connects to the Internet 56 from the wireless adapter 53 via the gateway device 54 and the router device 55 (step 20), and transmits the image data to the display terminal 15 instead of the server (step 26). The image data transmitted via the Internet 56 is subjected to combining processing (step 27) for combining the image data by the display terminal 15. The composited image data is stored in the data storage unit of the display terminal 15 (step 28).
The load can be reduced, and an internet-compatible refrigerator can be provided inexpensively.

  As mentioned above, although a typical thing was illustrated and explained about transmission of image data, and composition operation, the preservation and composition part must not necessarily be performed in the same part, for example, server apparatus 57, for example, refrigerator 51 The image data may be synthesized in accordance with the above, and the image data may be stored in the server device 57, etc. according to the system.

2-3. Normal Transmission and Reception of Image Data 2-3-1. Transmitting / Receiving Image Data Stored in Server or Refrigerator FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing transmission / reception between the server device 57 or the refrigerator 51 and the display terminal 15, showing transmission / reception of image data stored in the server device 57 or the refrigerator 51. is there.

  First, the user presses a server connection button (not shown) displayed on the display of the display terminal 15 at, for example, a shopping destination, and makes a read request for image data stored in the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57 ( Step 31). It is detected whether the image data has been fetched from the server device 57 (step 32), and if the image data is not transferred, the display terminal 15 is connected to the Internet 56 (step 33). The image data stored in the data storage unit 67 of the server device 57 or the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator is taken out (step 34), and the image data is sent via the Internet 56 to the display terminal 15 such as a smartphone which is the data caller (Step 35). It is detected whether the image data has been taken in from the server device 57 (step 32), and when the image data is taken in, the image data is outputted to the display of the display terminal 15 (step 36).

  Thereafter, it is detected whether or not the enlargement button (not shown) displayed on the display of the display terminal 15 is pressed (step 37), and when it is detected that the enlargement button is pressed, Image data is enlarged by 1.1 times or more by digital conversion to create image data. The enlarged image data is output to the display of the display terminal 15 (step 36).

  Thereafter, it is detected whether the ten key button (not shown) displayed on the display is pressed (step 38), and when it is detected that the ten key button is pressed, the enlarged image data in the storage output to the display is displayed. Image data of a portion designated by the ten key button is output to the display (step 36). Further, it is detected whether the ten key button has been pressed (step 38). Exit if not detected.

  The enlargement button and the ten-key button for displaying image data of a predetermined location may be a method of sliding the surface of the display with a finger, and with such a configuration, usability is improved.

  As described above, according to this refrigerator system, the contents of the refrigerator 51 can be confirmed at a glance at the shopper, and it is possible to prevent forgetting to buy, and it is possible to eliminate the waste of purchasing extra food. . In addition, in the case of a dual-working family, it is possible to check the inside of the storage 5 of the refrigerator 51 just before leaving home and purchase food and the like on the way home, thereby shortening the time for the user.

  Also, by displaying an image on an enlarged display terminal 15 such as the display terminal 15 by making the enlarged display and the predetermined location display possible, foodstuffs which are difficult to be confirmed by the small display terminal 15 can be assuredly displayed. I can see it.

2-3-2. Transmission and Reception of Image Data Stored on Display Terminal FIG. 26 shows the case where image data has already been stored and stored on the display terminal 15. In this case, as described in FIG. 24, the image data is transmitted to the display terminal 15 and stored, and a request for reading the image data is made (step 31), and the image data is fetched from the storage unit of the display terminal 15. The image data is output to the display of the display terminal 15 (step 36). The subsequent enlargement display operation and local display are as described in FIG.

2-3-3. Switched Reception of Image Data The images captured by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are captured images of the individual cameras 35-1 and 35-2 (upper half or lower half in the storage) and the respective captured images. An example is shown in which a combined image combined (combined image from the top to the bottom in the storage) is stored and stored, and these images can be switched, transmitted and received, and displayed on the display terminal 15.

  FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the operation in such a case.

  First, the user presses an individual image / synthetic image call-in button (not shown) displayed on the display of the display terminal 15 (step 41), and calls an image of either the individual image or the synthetic image (step 42). ). Thereafter, either the image data of the individual image or the composite image is fetched according to the flow shown in FIG. 25 or 26, and displayed on the display of the display terminal 15.

Although the load on the display terminal 15 is also increased in this example, the image displayed on the display terminal 15 as in this example of the controller 59 on the refrigerator side and the storage unit 60 may be switched to either an individual image or a composite image. If it is possible, usually the condition of food in the storage can be confirmed at a glance by displaying a composite image, and if it is difficult to distinguish food due to being in a corner of the storage etc., switching to an individual image is displayed If this is the case, the determination can be made reliably, and the usability is improved.

2-4. Transmission / reception at the time of prior transmission request of image data etc. FIG. 28 shows a flowchart when there is a prior transmission request of an image from the display terminal 15.

  First, the user operates the display terminal 15 to request the advance request signal (step 51). The server device 57 or the refrigerator 51 receives the request signal (step 52), reads and transmits the image data (individual image data or composite image data, the same applies hereinafter) stored in the data storage unit 67 or the storage unit 60 (step 53). The display terminal 15 detects whether the image data has been fetched from the server device 57 or the refrigerator 51 (step 54), and if the image data is not transmitted, the display terminal 15 is connected to the Internet 56 (step 55). The server device 57 takes out the image data stored in the refrigerator 51 (step 56), and transmits the image data to the display terminal 15 via the Internet 56 (step 57). It is detected whether the image data has been fetched from the server device 57 (step 54), and when the image data is detected, the process waits until the image data is called (N at step 58). If the image data is called (Y at step 58), the image data is output to the display of the display terminal 15 (step 59).

  As a result, when image data is requested by the display terminal 15, even when access to the server device 57 is concentrated and transmission of the image data from the server device 57 is delayed, the image data is requested in real time simultaneously with the image data request. Can be displayed on the display to confirm the image. Therefore, it is possible to avoid waiting for display of image data at the shopper, and to shorten the shopping time.

  In addition, if there is a request for prior transmission of an image from the display terminal 15, the server device 57 is set to transmit image data transmitted each time the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 is closed to the display terminal 15. If the user who holds the image data is set to be left when the image data is transmitted, it can be known each time the door is opened or closed. Therefore, for example, when the number of times of door opening and closing is increased and the power consumption is likely to be increased, the user can call home and talk to children, etc. to refrain from using the refrigerator 51. Convenience also improves.

2-5. Switching of Transmission and Reception Routes of Image Data and the Like FIG. 29 shows a display display when a communication channel of the display terminal 15 is selected. Although the flow of transmission and reception of image data is as described above, the route of communication is changed to speed up the acquisition of image data.

  Specifically, it is possible to select whether the user directly performs the display terminal 15 with the gateway device 54 via the router device 55 or with the server device 57 via the Internet 56.

  In FIG. 29, 70 and 71 are communication path selection buttons displayed on the display of the display terminal 15, and 70 is a "direct" selection for directly connecting the display terminal 15 to the refrigerator 51 via the router 55 and the gateway 54. A button 71 is a "server" selection button connected to the server device 57 or the refrigerator 51 via the Internet 56. 72 and 73 are data selection buttons of data to be called, 72 is image data of food, 73 is a button of energy saving related data such as the number of times the door is opened and closed. 74 is a transmission button.

  When the “direct” selection button 70 selects this, the display terminal 15 is set to “direct” communication. When the user touches the send button 74 in a state in which “direct” communication is set, the image data request signal of the display terminal 15 is directly transmitted from the display terminal 15 to the gateway device (relay device) 54 via the router device 55. Will be sent. The gateway device 54 transmits the received data request signal to the wireless adapter 53 of the refrigerator 51. When the wireless adapter 53 receives the image data request signal, the wireless adapter 53 transmits the signal to the controller 59 of the refrigerator 51. When receiving the image data request signal, the controller 59 of the refrigerator 51 reads the image data stored in the storage unit 60, and transmits the image data to the display terminal 15 via the wireless adapter 53 and the router device 55.

  Therefore, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 15, when the user is located in the residence A, in a broad sense, when the display terminal 15 exists at a position where it can directly communicate with the router 55, the display terminal 15 The image data can be directly obtained from the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 through communication with the gateway device 54 via the

  Thus, when a delay occurs in the transmission response of the image data in response to the user's operation to the display terminal 15 due to congestion of the line due to the concentration of access to the Internet 56, the user By switching to the “direct” communication, image data can be acquired without receiving congestion on the Internet 56 line. Therefore, the user can display the image on the display of the display terminal 15 in real time without waiting time, and can confirm the food condition in the storage 5.

  On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 15, when the user is located outside the residence A, in a broad sense, when the display terminal 15 exists at a position where direct communication with the router device 55 is not possible, the user selects the "server" selection button By touching 71, the display terminal 15 communicates with the server device 57 via the Internet 56, and reads the image data of the refrigerator 51. That is, when the user is outside the residence A, if the "server" selection button 71 is touched to set the "server" communication, the image data of the refrigerator is acquired by the display terminal 15 even if it is at a remote place. You can know the storage situation of the.

  Thus, in the refrigerator system in this embodiment, the user can select either "direct" communication or "server" communication, and if the user is in residence A, the user may select "direct". By selecting the communication, the user can view the image in a comfortable state without being affected by the congestion of the internet connection.

  As mentioned above, although the specific structure was illustrated and the refrigerator and refrigerator system of this invention were demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the said structure.

  For example, although the gateway device 54 is illustrated in the communication path between the display terminal 15 and the wireless adapter 53 of the refrigerator 51 and the Internet 56 in the above embodiment, the gateway device 54 is not necessarily required. It may be configured to communicate directly with the display terminal 15 and the wireless adapter 53 of the refrigerator 51, and the Internet 56, thereby simplifying the system configuration.

In the above embodiment, when the user is outside the residence A, the image data is acquired from the server device 57. However, without the server device 57, the display terminal 15 can use the Internet 56, the router device 55, and the gateway device. The image data stored in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 may be directly taken in from the refrigerator 51 by communicating with the communication unit 54. In this case and when performing "direct" communication, it is preferable to perform image combining processing in the storage unit 60 of the refrigerator 51 and to transmit the image data after this combining processing.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the “direct” selection button 70 and the “server” selection button 71 are displayed on the display of the display terminal 15 and the user selects “direct” communication and “server” communication. However, this may have the function of automatically switching to “direct” communication when the display terminal 15 catches the radio wave of the router device 55 so that “direct” communication may be automatically selected, which is convenient. It can be improved.

<3. Action effect>
As described above, the refrigerator and the refrigerator system in the embodiment of the present invention perform various functions and effects as described with the specific configuration, but according to the installation configuration of the interior lamp which is the gist of the present invention Therefore, it is possible to provide an inexpensive refrigerator and a refrigeration system which can photograph the food in the storage well and can easily discriminate the food.

  That is, in the refrigerator according to this embodiment, as described above, since the indoor lamp 34-1 among the indoor lamps is provided on the top surface of the storage 5, the indoor lamp 34-1 is Since the food in the storage 5 is irradiated from above, the entire circumference is illuminated with appropriate brightness, and the food located in the front will not be behind the food located in the back, and the in-house lighting will be Photographing of the food in the storage 5 in the state where the light 34-1 is turned on has appropriate brightness and is sharp. Therefore, the discrimination of the food in the storage 5 becomes easy, and furthermore, it is not necessary to carry out the image processing for facilitating the discrimination of the food, and it can be put to practical use at low cost.

  In particular, in the example shown in this embodiment, since the in-compartment illumination light 34-2 is also provided on the both side walls of the opening of the storage 5, the light is attenuated only by the in-compartment illumination light 34-1 on the top surface. The lower part which is hard to reach can be illuminated with the same brightness as the upper part, and the entire inside of the storage can be photographed in a substantially uniform, clear and easily visible manner.

  Further, in this embodiment, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided on the front side of the storage 5 in the same manner as the interior lighting lamps 13-0 and 34-2, and the interior lighting lamps 13-0 and 34 are provided. The food in the storage 5 is photographed from the same front side as the direction irradiated with -2. Therefore, in the photographed image, the darkness and difficulty of viewing as in the case where the indoor lightings 34-1 and 34-2 are provided on the back wall of the storage 5 are further eliminated, and a clear image is obtained. In addition, it is not necessary to require the server device 57 to perform image processing to make the photographed image appropriate brightness and to make it clear.

  Further, since the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 and the indoor lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided on the front side of the front end of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4, The images in the storage 5 taken by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are the same as when the user opens the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 and actually looks at it. Therefore, when the user tries to display the image data on the display terminal 15, it is possible to confirm the food condition in the storage 5 without having any sense of incongruity. Moreover, since the indoor lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 illuminate the food on the shelf board from above and at the front of the front end of the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4, the shelf boards 30-1 to 30-4 Foods placed at the front end of can also be photographed clearly with appropriate brightness.

Further, since the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided on the inner surface of the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 and substantially at the center of the left and right fragrances of the storage 5, the cameras 35-1 and 35- The user can open the door 10 of the refrigerator 51 and make the image captured in 2 closer to a state in which the user actually looks. In addition, the distance between the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 and the food on the shelf can be increased to capture a wide range in the storage 5, and the display status of a wider range of food can be displayed. It becomes possible to confirm at 15. Furthermore, the cameras 35-1 and 35- are provided on the inside of the door.
Since the topmost part of the storage 5 which is relatively difficult to be seen when the 2 is provided is provided with the compressor 19 in this example and the topmost part is projected forward in this example, it is also possible to reliably photograph this part The compressor 19 can be provided in the upper portion of the main body to improve the storage volume of the lower portion of the main body, and the photographing by the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 can be made favorable.

  In addition, since the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided so as to be located substantially at the center of the door pockets 33-1 and 33-2 on the inner surface of the door in the front-rear direction, not only the food in the storage 5 but also the door pockets A part of food stored in 33-1, 33-2 such as a milk pack can also be photographed. Since the user stores it by himself, even if only a part of it is shown, he can recognize what it is. Therefore, it is possible to photograph almost all the food in the storage.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, if the camera 14-3 dedicated to the storage container is provided, the food in the storage container 31 can be clearly photographed. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the camera 35-2 can be moved up and down, or as shown in FIG. 9 (c), the food in the storage container 31 is also two cameras. It is possible to shoot efficiently with a small number of cameras.

  On the other hand, the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are provided at positions behind the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 as is apparent from FIGS. Since the light 34-2 is provided so as not to directly enter the photographing part of the cameras 35-1 and 35-2, the light of the interior lighting lights 34-1 and 34-2 can be the cameras 35-1 and 35-2. It is possible to prevent the deterioration of the camera 35-1, 35-2 from entering the camera 35, and always obtain a good image. This means that a light shielding portion is provided on the camera side of the interior lighting lamps 35-1 and 35-2, or the light sources such as LEDs constituting the interior lighting lamps 34-1 and 34-2 are inclined obliquely backward. Similar effects can be obtained by adopting a configuration such as arranging.

  Further, the illumination in the storage 34-1 and 34-2 has an illumination in the storage of 150 lux to 200 lux, and when photographing with the illuminance as it is, the food becomes whitish as described in the photographing operation of FIG. It will be difficult to identify the subject. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is configured to lower the illuminance and shoot. Thereby, even a CCD camera or a CMOS camera enables clear photography with appropriate brightness. The illuminance of the interior lamps 34-1 and 34-2 is controlled by the server control unit 66 so that the illuminance is lower than normal only when the door 10 is closed or the door 10 is opened and photographed. By such control, it is possible to make clear photographing possible while keeping the illumination as usual so as to make the inside of the storage easy to view in the normal state where the photographing is not performed. The fall of the said illumination intensity is considered variously, for example, making the illumination light 34-2 in an auxiliary storage light-extinguish, and reducing the illumination intensity of the illumination light 34-1 and 34-2 in both storages, and should just be selected suitably.

  Moreover, the image in the storage 5 image | photographed with said camera 35-1, 35-2 transmits the image of each camera 35-1, 35-2 to the server apparatus 57, and the server apparatus 57, or the refrigerator 51, or Although combining processing and combining are performed in the display terminal 15, in this embodiment, the above-described combining processing of images is facilitated.

  That is, the cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are the inner surface of the door corresponding to the front ends of the shelf plates 30-1 to 30-4, and in this example, the upper shelf plate 30-1 and the third shelf plate 30-. Since the camera 35-1 and 35-2 are provided on the inner surface portion of the door corresponding to the front end of 3, the center of the shelf plates 30-1 and 30-3 whose line Z in FIG. Will be taken as.

Therefore, the image data in the storage 5 photographed by the two cameras 35-1 and 35-2 can be combined and processed by the shelf plate 30-2 serving as the boundary line. That is, as shown in the “photographed raw image” of FIG. 30, the shelf board 30-2 is common to the upper and lower images, and
After correcting the curvature of this "captured raw image" to make it a "curved correction processed image", if the common shelf board 30-2 transferred to the upper and lower images is matched, it becomes a captured image of the entire storage . As a result, it is not necessary to perform extremely difficult correction processing in which each food placed on the shelf during image combining processing is aligned and combined for each food, and image combining processing is easy. Become. Therefore, the processing program for image combination can be simplified, and the server device 57 for image combination processing, the refrigerator 51, or the control portion of the display terminal 15 also needs a large capacity. Can contribute to speeding up of processing speed.

  Further, since the two cameras 35-1 and 35-2 are provided at substantially the front positions of the shelf board 30-1 and the shelf board 30-3 which can not be adjusted in height, the height adjustable shelf board 30- Even when the height 2 is changed, the image combining process can be easily performed by adjusting the range of the combining process according to the height of the shelf plate 30-2 at the time of the image combining process.

  The present invention can provide an inexpensive refrigerator capable of easily photographing the food in the storage and easily discriminating the food, and of course, it can be used by connecting to a household refrigerator, for example, the Internet, for example. If applied to a refrigerator of a chain store such as a convenience store (in the present invention, it also includes a freezer), for example, the convenience store headquarters checks the food condition in the refrigerator of each convenience store to automatically deliver food. Also, it can be applied for business use in which food or goods in a refrigerator installed in each facility such as a laboratory or the like are confirmed by a material department and automatically delivered.

1 refrigerator main body 2 outer box 3 inner box 4 heat insulating material 5 storage (cold storage room)
6 Switching room 7 Ice making room 8 Freezing room 9 Vegetable room 10 Door 10a Cover panel 10a-1 Glass plate 10a-2 Magic mirror 10b Inside plate 10b-1, 10b-2 Raised wall part 11-14 Pull-out door 15 Display terminal DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15a Display 16 Cooling chamber 17 Cooler 18 Blowing fan 19 Compressor 20 Heat dissipation pipe 21 Capillary tube 22 Damper 23 Storage frame body 24 Terminal support body 25 Touch panel 26 Clearance 27 Frame body 28 Recession 29, 29a Smoke sheet 30-1 to 30-4 Shelf 31 Storage container 32-1 to 32-4 Side wall convex portion 33-1 to 32-8 Door pocket 34-1, 34-2 Interior lighting lamp 35-1, 35-2, 35-3 Camera 36 Center pillar 41 camera module 50 refrigerator system 51 refrigerator 53 wireless adapter Equipment)
53a "Connect" button 54 Gateway device (relay device)
55 router device 56 Internet 57 server device 58 interface (I / F)
59 Controller (control unit)
60 storage unit 61 door open / close detection unit 62 fan drive circuit 63 compressor drive circuit 64 AC power supply 65 server interface 66 server control unit 67 data storage unit 70 "direct" selection button 71 "server" selection button 72 image data selection button 73 energy saving Related data selection button 74 Send button A

Claims (4)

A refrigerator comprising at least one storage, a door for opening and closing the storage, and a wireless communication device, wherein the door is provided with an imaging device for imaging the inside of the storage, the door being opened Based on the first control means for lighting the lighting device provided in the storage of the storage and the light intensity of the lighting device being lowered based on the fact that the door is closed. A second control unit that causes the imaging device to execute imaging; and a third control unit that turns off the illumination device based on the completion of the imaging performed by the second control unit. And the wireless communication device transmits an image captured by the imaging device to the outside after the lighting device is turned off by the third control unit . The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is provided on a top surface of the storage. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is provided on a side wall of the storage. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is provided on a top surface of the storage and a side wall of the storage .

Images