KR100568242B1 - Refrigerator having a display apparatus and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a cabinet for forming at least one cooling chamber, a door provided in the cabinet, and a control method thereof. The refrigerator includes a display unit installed at the front of the door; A selection unit for operating the display unit; A memory in which information about food is stored; And a display control unit which displays a list of food items stored in the memory on the display unit, and extracts detailed information about the food selected according to the selection of the selection unit from the memory and displays the information on the display unit. As a result, general information on food and information on food stored in the refrigerator and freezers can be obtained. Therefore, a display device capable of freshly preserving food and extending the preservation period can be provided. There is provided a refrigerator and a control method thereof.

Description

REFRIGERATOR HAVING A DISPLAY APPARATUS AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF}

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

2 is a plan view of a display device initial screen according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a plan view of a food information function screen of the display unit of FIG. 2;

4 is a plan view of the display unit when selecting a food dictionary of FIG.

5 is a plan view of the display unit when selecting the user information of FIG.

6 is a control block diagram of a display apparatus according to the present invention.

          <Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

10 display device 11 display unit

12: display control unit 13: selection button

14: memory 20: food dictionary

40: User Information

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a display device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having a display device for displaying food information and a control method thereof.

The refrigerator is provided with a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment partitioned by partition walls in a rectangular cylindrical cabinet, and an evaporator for exchanging heat with the high air is provided in the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, and the high temperature air is circulated in the area adjacent to the evaporator to exchange heat. A blower fan is installed to help.

In the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, a plurality of shelves and storage spaces are partitioned. In the refrigerating compartment, a special selection chamber is formed in the upper region and a vegetable compartment is formed in the lower region. Specialty rooms are for storing meat and fish, and are relatively colder than other areas in the fridge. Vegetable rooms are for storing fruits and vegetables, and are relatively hotter than other areas in the fridge. And, on the same shelf, the rear region of the cabinet adjacent to the evaporator is relatively low temperature, and the front region adjacent to the door is relatively high temperature.

Particularly, in the case of the SIDE BY SIDE type extra large refrigerator, the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment are formed on the left and right sides of the cabinet, and thus the temperature difference is more severe along the longitudinal direction of the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment.

The temperature in the refrigerating compartment is different for each region in order to store the food at the optimal temperature because different storage temperatures and storage periods differ depending on the type of food to be stored in the refrigerating compartment.

To help users understand this information, the instructions for use included in the purchase of the refrigerator describe the structure of the refrigerating compartment and the refrigerating compartment, as well as an appropriate location according to the food storage temperature. In addition, the correct storage method of the food together with the storage location is also described.

However, it is cumbersome to browse the user manual every time the user keeps food. Even if the user reads the user's manual when storing food, the user's manual does not show all kinds of foods. I will keep food. In this case, the food is stored in an area that does not match the storage temperature occurs, and there is a problem that the storage period of the food is shortened or the freshness of the food is reduced.

On the other hand, in addition to the storage location or storage method described in the user manual, if the user can obtain a variety of information on the food while storing the food will be able to satisfy the user.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a display device and a method of controlling the same so that the user can easily grasp the storage location or the storage method of the food to improve the freshness of the food and to extend the storage period. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a display device capable of obtaining general information about food and a control method thereof.

According to the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator having a cabinet for forming at least one cooling chamber and a door installed in the cabinet, the refrigerator comprising: a display unit installed at a front surface of the door; A selection unit for operating the display unit; A memory in which information about food is stored; And a display control unit which displays a list of food items stored in the memory on the display unit, and extracts detailed information about the food selected according to the selection of the selection unit from the memory and displays the information on the display unit.

Here, the information about the food preferably includes at least one of a proper storage temperature of the food, a storage period, a nutrient, and a storage position in the cooling chamber.

The apparatus may further include an input unit for inputting information of a user regarding food, and the input unit may be formed by a barcode reader installed in one area of the door to easily input food information.

The display unit may be an LCD, and the selection unit may be formed as a touch screen stacked on the surface of the display unit.

On the other hand, the object is, according to another field of the invention, in the control method of the refrigerator having a cabinet to form at least one cooling chamber, and the door is installed in the cabinet, the step of providing a display unit on the front of the door Wow; Storing information relating to food in advance in a predetermined memory; Displaying a list of food items stored in the memory on the display unit; When selecting one of the list, it may also be achieved by the control method of the refrigerator comprising the step of displaying specific information on the selected food on the display unit.

Here, it is preferable to further include the step of inputting the user's information about the food.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the SIDE BY SIDE type extra large refrigerator, a pair of refrigerating compartments and a freezing compartment divided left and right are formed in a rectangular cylindrical cabinet 1 having a front opening. The refrigerator compartment door 5 and the freezer compartment door 3 are attached to the front of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, respectively.

One region of the freezer compartment 3 is provided with a display device 10 for displaying the frozen and refrigerated state of the refrigerator. As shown in FIG. 2, the display apparatus 10 includes a display unit 11 formed of an LCD and a lower portion of the display unit 11 to select or set information displayed on the display unit 11 as desired. It includes a plurality of selection buttons 13 which is a selection unit for. Here, the selection unit may be formed by stacking the touch screen on the surface of the display unit instead of the selection button.

When power is applied to the display apparatus 10, an initial screen is first displayed on the display unit 11. On the initial screen, as shown in FIG. 2, a refrigerator function for identifying and adjusting the refrigeration and freezing conditions of the refrigerator, a calendar function for inputting and displaying a date, and a specific day may be displayed on the calendar. The company's logo is displayed along with a menu showing a schedule function, a time function for displaying a clock, and a food information function for displaying food information.

On the other hand, the lower part of the display unit is provided with a bar code reader 7 which is an input unit for reading the bar code attached to the food. Typically, the barcode reader 7 scans the laser light into the bar code and detects the reflected light to read the barcode. Accordingly, when the barcode of food stored and taken out in the refrigerator and freezer is read by the barcode reader, the type and quantity of food stored in the refrigerator and freezer can be determined. Will be displayed.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the function information is selected from the selection button 13, the display device 10 is displayed on the display unit 11 in the display controller 12 in which the function information is pre-programmed. Change the information. In addition, the food information input and read into the barcode reader 7 is stored in the memory 14, and the memory 14 provides the information to the display controller 12 for display on the display 11.

By such a configuration, when the food information function is selected using the selection button 13 or the touch screen on the initial screen of the display apparatus 10, as shown in FIG. 3, the display controller 12 displays the display unit 11. ) Is changed to the display screen for the food information function. On the food information function display screen, icons representing the food dictionary 20 and the user information 40 are formed. In the food dictionary 20, icons such as 'meat', 'fish and shellfish', 'seaweed', 'vegetables' and 'fruits' representing the types of food are sequentially formed. In addition, foods corresponding to each food are listed on the side of each icon, and each food may be selected alone. On the other hand, the user information 40 has the icon 'stored food in the refrigerator' and 'stored food in the freezer' to display the information of the food stored in the freezer and the refrigerator compartment.

When the beef of the meat is selected from the food dictionary 20 on the food information function display screen, as shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 11 displays information about the beef stored in the memory. The information on the beef includes the nutrients contained in the beef, the storage period, the storage temperature, and the storage position, and the display of the storage position is indicated by the area corresponding to the storage position of the beef in a graphic showing the shape of the refrigerator. The lower part of the graphic includes a key for setting the direction for selecting the icon, a selection key, a key for returning to the initial screen, and the like.

On the other hand, when the user selects the 'preserved food in the refrigerator' icon in the user information 40, as shown in Figure 5, the list of foods stored in the refrigerator, the capacity of each food, and the storage period is displayed. Here, the stored food information may add other information, such as an expiration date and an amount required to make a particular food, in addition to the dose and the storage period.

As described above, in the present invention, food function information for setting food function information can be set on the display unit, and food function information 20 stored in the food compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment and the freezer compartment for displaying general information about food in the food function information. It is intended to include the user information 40 for providing the content of.

Accordingly, the user can store the food in place according to the temperature of the information center, thereby improving the storage period or freshness of the food. In addition, since the remaining amount of food in the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment can be easily grasped even without opening the door, energy loss due to the opening of the door can be prevented, and the user can easily plan the shopping.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, only the food dictionary and the user information are set in the food information function. However, a method of cooking food or displaying a food that is insufficient depending on the amount of food remaining may be added.

In addition, it is of course possible to add or change the type of food input in the food dictionary as needed.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain general information about food and information about food stored in the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, so that food can be kept fresh and the preservation period can be extended, and the user's convenience Provided are a refrigerator having a display device capable of achieving the same, and a control method thereof.

Claims (8)

A refrigerator having a cabinet forming at least one cooling chamber and a door provided in the cabinet, A display unit installed at the front of the door; A selection unit for operating the display unit; A memory storing information on food and a storage position in the cooling chamber; And a display control unit for displaying a list of food items stored in the memory on the display unit, and extracting information and storage positions of the foods selected according to selection of the selection unit from the memory and displaying them on the display unit. Refrigerator. The method of claim 1, The food information, the refrigerator comprising at least one of the proper storage temperature, storage period and nutrients of the food. The method of claim 2, A refrigerator further comprising an input unit for inputting user information about food. The method of claim 3, wherein And the input unit is a barcode reader installed at one region of the door. The method of claim 1, The display unit is a refrigerator, characterized in that the LCD. The method of claim 1, The selection unit is a refrigerator, characterized in that the touch screen laminated on the surface of the display unit. In the control method of the refrigerator having a cabinet forming at least one cooling chamber, and a door installed in the cabinet, Providing a display unit in front of the door; Storing information relating to food and a storage position in the cooling chamber in a predetermined memory in advance; Displaying a list of food items stored in the memory on the display unit; When selecting one of the list, the control method of the refrigerator comprising the step of displaying information on the selected food and the storage location on the display unit. The method of claim 7, wherein The control method of the refrigerator further comprising the step of inputting the user's information about the food.

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