JPH1130472A - Refrigerator with display for managing preservation period for object to be housed - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator that can easily manage the preservation period for an object to be housed. SOLUTION: A refrigerator has input means 13-24 for inputting information, for example, for identifying an object to be housed and for deciding a preservation period, a storage means 9 for grouping the information being inputted by the input means 13-24 for each object to be housed and relating one another for storing, a display 7 being mounted to the external part of the refrigerator body, and a control means 8 for distinguishing the information being stored in the storage means 9 for each object to be housed for displaying on the display 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with a display for managing the shelf life of stored items such as food.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, refrigerators have become capable of storing stored items for a long period of time due to the improvement of refrigeration capacity, and the stored items have been often stored in the refrigerator for a long period of time. In addition, in order to make effective use of the kitchen space, the capacity of refrigerators has been increasing, and the types and amounts of stored objects stored in refrigerators have increased.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Under the circumstances described above,
Users can easily forget what was stored in the refrigerator,
In many cases, the stored item has expired and the stored item cannot be used. In addition, stored items that have become unusable due to their expiration date are kept in the refrigerator without being noticed, which limits the storage space in the refrigerator and often prevents the storage space from being used efficiently. .

In order to avoid such a situation, it is necessary to check the expiration date, date of manufacture, and the like displayed on the stored items and manage the storage period of the stored items. It is very cumbersome to collect the items from the refrigerator or move them in the refrigerator.

[0005] In the case of stored items (ex. Vegetables, fruits, etc.) for which the expiration date and the date of manufacture are not indicated, the date of purchase of the stored items, that is, the date of storage in the refrigerator, is usually used. Although the storage period is set, if the storage period is long, it is easy to forget when the storage was made, and it is difficult to manage the storage period.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator which can easily manage a storage period of stored items.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises an input means for inputting identification information of stored items, information for determining a storage period, and the like, and the input means. Storage means for storing the information input by the associatively as a group for each stored object, a display attached to the outside of the refrigerator main body, and information stored in the storage means for distinguishing the stored information for each stored object. Control means for displaying on a display.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the identification information is image data.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part of the refrigerator of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a display example of a screen of a liquid crystal display.

A refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a cabinet 3 internally partitioned into an upper freezer compartment, a middle refrigeration compartment, and a lower vegetable compartment, and a heat-insulating door attached to the front of each compartment. And a liquid crystal display 7 on the front of a door 4 for opening and closing the freezer compartment.
Is attached.

As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display 7 is connected to a microcomputer 8, and a first memory 9 and a second memory 10 are connected to the microcomputer 8. The second memory 10 stores a name database 11 in which the names of main stored objects are classified based on initials. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal display 7 has a display unit 12, and operation keys 13 to 24 formed of a touch panel are provided below and to the right of the display unit 12.

The operation keys provided below the display unit 12 are, in order from the left, an alphabet key 13 for inputting the name and initials of the stored object, a numeric keypad 14 for inputting the date and quantity, and the like. An input key 15, a search key 16 for searching the name of the stored object from the name database 11, a registration key 17 for storing the input information in the first memory 9, and a deleting key for deleting the registered information. A delete key 18, a completion key 19 for inputting that registration is completed, and a cursor movement key 20 are provided.

The operation keys provided on the right side of the display unit 12 are for scrolling the display unit 12, and are arranged in order from the top, a previous line forward key 21, a next line forward key 22, a previous page forward key 23, and a next page forward key. A page feed key 24 is provided. Reference numeral 25 denotes an index indicating the current position of the scroll reference point. When the previous line feed key 21 or the next line feed key 22 is pressed, this index 2
5 moves upward or downward one line at a time, and if it is attempted to move it further upward or downward from the upper end position or the lower end position, the column on the screen where stored items are displayed scrolls line by line. When the previous page feed key 23 or the next page feed key 24 is depressed, the column in which the stored items are displayed scrolls page by page (that is, every five lines).

The display unit 12 displays information stored in the first memory 9 based on a command from the microcomputer 8. The display unit 12 has columns partitioned in a lattice shape, and is capable of displaying the name of the stored item, the storage date, the expiration date, the quantity, and the like separately for each stored item.

[0015] The lower end of the display unit 12 is a registration column,
The user enters information to be registered in this field.
That is, the name is entered in the name display frame of this field by the alphabet key 13, the cursor is moved to the expiration date display frame, and the expiration date is input by the ten keys 14 and the input key 15 (for example, in the case of July 15, Is operated with 7, input keys, 15, and input keys), the cursor is moved to the quantity display frame, and the quantity is input by the ten keys 14 and the alphabet keys 15. It should be noted that the date of the current day is displayed in advance in the storage date frame, and input is made in this frame only when a change is necessary. If the expiration date is not displayed, the user enters the expiration date determined by the user.

In this embodiment, when the cursor is in the name display frame, the first letter of the name is input and the search key 1 is entered.
When the user presses 6, the name having the initial is read from the name database 11 and is displayed in the name display frame. When the search key 16 is further pressed, the names having the same initial are sequentially displayed. And using this feature,
The trouble of inputting the name can be saved.

When the registration key 17 is pressed after the input is completed, the input information is stored in the memory 9 as a group in association with each other, and the information displayed in the registration column is deleted, and the next information is input. It is possible. And
The information that has just been registered is displayed in the central display area of the display unit 12, and information on other stored items sorted in ascending order of expiration date is displayed above and below the information. You can see what was done. When the input of all information is completed and the completion key 19 is pressed, the information stored in the memory 9 is displayed on the display unit 12 up to five items sorted in ascending order of the expiration date. You. It should be noted that the information on the six or more items is displayed by scrolling the screen.

To delete the registered information, the cursor is moved to the position of the number indicating the leftmost rank of the line to be deleted, and the delete key 18 is pressed. As a result, the information of the line is collectively deleted, and the information located below the line is sequentially moved up line by line.

The user looks at the liquid crystal display 7 and processes the stored items so as not to exceed the displayed expiration date. In order to make it easier to determine the expiration date or the past expiration date, the display color of the portion may be changed or a warning mark may be displayed.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, image data of a stored object captured from a digital camera can be displayed on the display section 12 of the liquid crystal display 7. It should be noted that a name can be displayed as in the first embodiment, and a name that is difficult to identify in an image is displayed. Switching between the input mode of the name and the image data is performed by a mode switching key 26 provided at the lower right.

As shown in FIG. 4, an image memory 27 is connected to the microcomputer 8, and the image memory 27
The liquid crystal display 7 is connected to a connection terminal 28 of the digital camera DC provided near the liquid crystal display 7. The output connector of the digital camera DC is detachably connected to the connection terminal 28. The digital camera DC is connected to the connection terminal 28 only when image data is taken in, and the output connector of the digital camera DC is connected otherwise. What is necessary is just to remove from the terminal 28. In addition, an infrared light receiving unit is provided in place of the connection terminal 28, and the digital camera D
Image data may be input from C through infrared rays.

To capture an image captured by the digital camera DC, the cursor is moved to the image / name display frame in the registration section of the display unit 12 and the mode switching key 2
6 is set to the image input mode. The microcomputer 8 writes the image data output from the digital camera DC into the image memory 27 under the control of the microcomputer 8. At this time, the writing is started based on the vertical synchronization signal sent from the digital camera DC to the microcomputer 8. The image data written in the image memory 27 is read from the image memory 27 and displayed on the liquid crystal display 7. Then, enter the expiration date, quantity, etc., and enter registration key 1
When the user presses 7, the information is stored in the first memory 9 in association with the image data stored in the image memory 27.

When the registration of the data of one storage object is completed, the registration of the data of another storage object is sequentially performed in the same procedure. When displaying a name instead of image data, the input mode is switched by the mode switching key 26 and the name is input by the alphabet key 14 or the search key 16. When the input of all the data is completed and the completion key 19 is pressed, the display unit 12 displays the information stored in the memory 9 up to five items sorted in ascending order of the expiration date. You.

It is assumed that the image memory 27 is backed up (held) by a power supply. Therefore, the data stored in the image memory 27 is held as it is, and the image of the stored object can be displayed on the display unit 12 at all times or when necessary.

In the present embodiment, since what is to be stored can be instantaneously identified by the image of the stored object displayed on the liquid crystal display 7, it is convenient especially when managing a large amount of stored objects. It is.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

For example, the information for determining the storage period is
It is not limited to the expiration date and storage date mentioned above,
It may be a quality retention period, a manufacturing date, a purchase date, or the like.

When information for determining the storage term such as the name of the stored item, the expiration date and the date of manufacture is displayed on the stored item in a bar code, a bar code reader is used as an input means. May be. When the name of the purchase, the date of purchase, and the like are recorded on a card for recording service points or other cards at a store, a card reader may be used as an input means. Further, an input unit for inputting information by voice may be used. Alternatively, the refrigerator may be connected to a store computer via a personal computer, information may be transmitted from the store computer to the personal computer, and the information may be processed by the personal computer and input to the refrigerator.

The stored material may be a beverage, a seasoning, or another thing.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the identification information of the stored items and the information for determining the storage expiration date are displayed separately for each stored item on the display attached outside the refrigerator body. By doing so, it is possible to easily manage the shelf life of the stored items, and prevent the food in the refrigerator from being spoiled.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the image data of the stored object is displayed, it is easy to identify the stored object, and particularly when managing the storage term of a large amount of stored object. Useful.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing a display example of a screen of the liquid crystal display of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a display example of a screen of a liquid crystal display according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigerator main body 7 Display 8 Microcomputer (control means) 9 1st memory (storage means) 13-24, 26 Operation keys (input means) 27 Image memory (storage means)

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Teruo Sakamaki 1-1-1 Ichigaya-Kagacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Inside Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Naoki Ono 1-1-1-1, Ichigaya-kamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masanori Ishibashi 1-1-1, Ichigaya Kagacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Dai-Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An input means for inputting identification information of a stored object, information for determining a storage expiration date, and the like, and a storage for storing information input by the input means in association with each stored object as a group. Means, a display attached to the outside of the refrigerator body, and control means for distinguishing information stored in the storage means for each stored object and displaying the information on the display. Refrigerator with display to manage deadlines. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is image data.