KR20010114007A - Refrigerater capable of watching - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a monitoring function. The refrigerator according to the present invention includes a sensing unit for detecting a predetermined change around the refrigerator, an alarm unit for informing an alarm, a selection unit for selecting a monitoring function, and a detection unit when the monitoring function is selected by the selection unit. According to a result, it characterized in that it comprises a control unit for controlling to display a predetermined alarm in the alarm unit. As a result, a refrigerator having a monitoring function capable of monitoring a disaster such as a fire, a gas leak or theft, informing a dangerous situation and requesting assistance is provided.

Description

Refrigerator with surveillance {REFRIGERATER CAPABLE OF WATCHING}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a monitoring function, and more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of detecting and alarming a risk such as theft, fire, or gas leakage.

Increasing incomes raise awareness of safety, and more families are now screening private security companies. These companies provide services to ensure the safety of family life, such as crime prevention, fire alarm notifications, and gas leak notifications. These private security companies install gas leak sensors and fire detection sensors in their homes or businesses, and always check the detection results of the sensors, and provide services by taking appropriate measures when abnormal signals are detected. It is desirable to be able to prevent disasters by these services, but it is economically expensive for an individual to receive them.

On the other hand, a refrigerator provided in each home as an indispensable necessity in modern life is often equipped with a variety of additional functions, unlike the previous refrigerator only performed a limited function of storing and preserving food. In particular, recently, a refrigerator capable of network connection has been developed, and the network connection function in such a refrigerator is generally limited and used only for the purpose of web surfing.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a monitoring function that detects a disaster such as a fire, a gas leak, theft, and the like, and informs a dangerous situation through a network and requests help.

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

2 is a control block diagram of a monitoring function of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

3 is an operation flowchart of a monitoring function according to the present invention;

4 is a plan view of a selection unit according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10: operation unit 12: display unit

14: selection unit 20: detection unit

22 infrared sensor 24 gas leak sensor

30: alarm unit 32: audio unit

34: speaker 36: communication unit

38: connection part 50: control part

52: memory

According to the present invention, in the refrigerator, a sensing unit for detecting a predetermined change around the refrigerator, an alarm unit for notifying an alarm, a selection unit for selecting a monitoring function, and a monitoring function by the selection unit When selected, it is achieved by the refrigerator characterized in that it comprises a control unit for controlling to display a predetermined alarm in the alarm unit according to the detection result of the detection unit.

Here, the detector is an infrared sensor for detecting infrared rays, ultrasonic detector for detecting a moving object, noise detector for detecting a noise of a predetermined size or more, vibration detector for detecting vibration, fire generation detector for detecting fire and gas leak detector It may consist of at least one.

The alarm unit warns of danger by generating an alarm sound and an alarm light.

The alarm unit may include a communication unit and a connection unit for connecting to an external communication network, and the control unit may include a memory unit for storing at least one alarm message, and transmit the alarm message through the communication unit and the connection unit. have. In this case, the communication network is preferably the Internet, and the connection unit may be used for the Internet connection such as a modem and a LAN card.

On the other hand, the selection unit includes a telephone number input unit for inputting a telephone number, the alarm unit includes a telephone line connection to which the telephone line is connected, and the control unit includes a memory unit for storing the telephone number and at least one alarm message If it is determined that the dangerous situation according to the detection result of the detection unit, it is also possible to transmit the alarm message to the telephone number through the telephone line connection unit.

The alarm unit may include a wireless transmitter for wireless transmission, the controller may include a memory unit for storing at least one alarm message, and may wirelessly transmit the alarm message through the wireless transmitter.

By performing the above functions, the refrigerator monitors an accident such as a fire and gas leakage theft in a normal home, and automatically reports to a police station, a fire station, and so on for help.

In addition, the control unit preferably includes a locking function for limiting the operation of the input unit, and prevents the operation by a person who is not authorized to select or release the monitoring function.

In this case, the locking function may be implemented by being released by a password set by the user input to the input unit. When selecting the monitoring function of the selection unit, the selection unit is also received with a password, the control unit is preferably compared to the password stored in the memory unit so that only a specific user can control the monitoring function.

And, in order to prevent the person operating the selection unit from being immediately detected when unnecessary operation is generated when the monitoring function is activated, the control unit delays the alarm display through the alarm unit for a predetermined time when selecting the monitoring function of the selection unit. desirable.

On the other hand, the detection unit further includes a front door opening and closing sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the front door, the control unit may release the monitoring function when the front door is opened according to the detection signal of the front door opening and closing sensor. When the user is absent, it operates in the monitoring mode. When the user returns and the door is normally opened, the door opening / closing sensor detects this and sends the result to the controller. The controller releases the monitoring function according to the detection result of the door opening sensor. Let's do it.

In addition, when the refrigerator is located at a corner of the house, the detector is detachable from the main body of the refrigerator, so that the detector is detached and installed in a place where monitoring is required to maximize the monitoring function of the refrigerator.

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

The refrigerator according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, the speaker 34 for transmitting the operation unit 10 and the alarm sound to operate the monitoring function on the surface of the refrigerator door (3) of the refrigerator main body (1) ) Is installed. Here, the operation unit 10 includes a selection unit 14 through which the user selects and inputs a monitoring function and a display unit 12 displaying the user's input. The selection unit 14 is a touch panel and an output unit 12. ) Is preferably an LCD display. In addition, the sensing unit 20 is provided at the upper end of the refrigerator door 3 to enable the monitoring function. The side part of the main body 1 is provided with the connection part 38 which enables an alarm part to connect with a communication network.

2 is a block diagram of the monitoring function of the refrigerator according to the present invention. Surveillance system according to the present invention is largely composed of the sensing unit 20, the alarm unit 30, the operation unit 10, the memory 52 and the control unit 50. When the user selects the monitoring function through the manipulation unit 10, the control unit 50 controls the sensing unit 20 to perform the monitoring function. When the sensing unit 20 detects the surrounding situation and sends the result to the control unit 50, the control unit 50 compares the detection result of the sensing unit 20 with the risk value stored in the memory 52. When it is determined that the dangerous situation is a result of the comparison of the control unit 50, the control unit transmits an alarm sound through the alarm unit 30, and transmits a dangerous message stored in the memory 52 to the communication unit 36 and the connection unit 38 of the alarm unit 30. Transmit to communication network through.

The operation part 10 is comprised from the selection part 14 and the display part 12 here. The selector 14 is an input device using a touch panel. When the user inputs a function such as setting or releasing the monitoring function of the refrigerator, the selector 14 may check the result of the display unit 12, which is an LCD display.

When the user sets the monitoring function through the selection unit 14, the control unit 50 controls the detection unit 20 to perform the monitoring function, where the detection unit 20 is an infrared sensor 22 and a gas leak sensor ( 24). The infrared sensor 22 detects the infrared rays and transmits the detection result to the controller 50 to determine whether the intruder is invaded. The gas leak sensor 24 detects propane gas or liquefied natural gas and transmits the result to the controller 50.

When the detection unit 20 transmits the detection result to the control unit 50, the risk value stored in the memory 52 is compared with the detection result of the detection unit, and when it is determined that the danger is detected, the alarm unit 30 responds to the risk situation in various ways. do. The alarm unit 30 includes an audio unit 32 and a speaker 34 for transmitting a dangerous situation as an alarm sound, a communication unit 36 and a connection unit 38 for transmitting the dangerous situation to a communication network. Here, the communication unit 36 functions to transmit an alarm message through the network under the control of the control unit 50, and the connection unit 38 serves to connect the communication unit 36 with the network. Therefore, the connection unit 38 is preferably any one of a modem and a LAN card for accessing the Internet.

In addition, the memory 52 stores an address for transmitting a dangerous message according to a dangerous situation, so that a corresponding disaster relief agency can be reported and requested for assistance in accordance with the cause of the dangerous situation.

The monitoring function of the refrigerator having such a configuration is performed in the order shown in FIG. 3. First, the controller 50 determines whether the monitoring function is selected (S10), and when the monitoring function is selected, activates the infrared sensor 22 and the gas detection sensor 24. When the infrared sensor 22 and the gas detection sensor 24 continuously send the detection result to the control unit 50, the control unit 50 compares the detection result with the danger value stored in the memory 52 to determine whether the detection result is greater than or equal to the danger value. Check (S20), if it is determined that the danger is confirmed whether the alarm is set to sound (S30). When the alarm sound is set to sound, the controller 50 transmits an alarm sound to the speaker 34 through the audio unit 32 (S40). After transmitting the alarm sound, the control unit 50 checks whether the automatic report setting is made (S50). In this case, when the alarm sound transmission setting is not made, the automatic report setting checking step (S50) is immediately performed. When the automatic report setting is made, the control unit 50 extracts the warning message and the communication address stored in the memory 52. The controller 50 connects to the address extracted from the memory 52 through the internet connection S60 through the communication unit 36 and the connection unit 38, and then transfers the warning message stored in the memory 52 (S70). . The communication address is an address of a disaster relief agency such as a nearby police station or fire station.

In addition, the memory 52 may further include a function of storing a contact of the user, so that the user may be notified of a dangerous situation by making an Internet phone connection to a mobile phone, a work phone, or the like when the user is absent.

In order to operate the monitoring function of the monitoring refrigerator, the user needs to set the monitoring function through the selection unit 14 as shown in FIG. 4. First, the monitoring function selection button 501 is pressed, and one of the infrared sensor button 502 and the gas leak sensor button 503 is selected, and then at least one of the alarm sound operation button 504 and the automatic report function button 505. When the button is pressed, a message indicating that the monitoring function is performed after one minute is displayed on the LCD window of the display unit 12 together with a message indicating that the monitoring function is selected.

In the case of canceling any one of the monitoring function and the alarm function in the selection unit 14, a message for inputting a password is displayed on the LCD window when the button to be released is pressed. When the user inputs the password using the numeric buttons 508, the controller 50 checks whether the password is correct, and if the passwords match, a message indicating that the corresponding function is released is displayed on the LCD window. In the case of resetting the monitoring function to stop the malfunction of the monitoring function, the monitoring function is initialized by pressing the monitoring function release button 501 of the selecting unit 14 and inputting a password using the number button 508.

If you want to change the password, if you press the password change button 506, a password input window is displayed with a message to enter the old password and the new password on the LCD window. The user can press the numeric button 508 to set a new password.

The telephone number input change button 507 is used to set the place where the user arbitrarily sends an alarm message. For example, if the user wants to be informed of the danger that occurred while at home, the user can input the mobile number of the user and the communication unit 36 can notify the user by using the Internet phone.

Therefore, the refrigerator of the present embodiment has a monitoring function that detects and warns of impure intruders and gas leaks and calls for help through an internet communication network.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator having a monitoring function capable of monitoring a disaster such as fire, gas leakage, theft, and the like to report a dangerous situation and request help.

Claims (9)

In the refrigerator, A detector for detecting a predetermined change around the refrigerator; An alarm unit for informing an alarm; A selection unit for selecting a monitoring function; And a controller configured to control to display a predetermined alarm on the alarm unit according to a result of sensing by the detection unit when the monitoring function is selected by the selection unit. The method of claim 1, The detector comprises a infrared sensor for detecting the infrared rays. The method of claim 1, The detecting unit comprises a gas leak sensor for detecting a gas leak. The method of claim 1, And the alarm unit generates at least one of an alarm sound and an alarm light. The method of claim 1, The alarm unit includes a communication unit and a connection unit for connection with an external communication network; The control unit includes a memory unit for storing at least one alarm message, and if it is determined that the dangerous situation according to the detection result of the detection unit, the refrigerator characterized in that the transmission through the communication unit and the connection unit. The method of claim 1, The selection unit includes a telephone number input unit for inputting a telephone number; The alarm unit includes a telephone line connection unit to which a telephone line is connected; The control unit includes a memory unit for storing the phone number and at least one alarm message, and if it is determined that the detection unit is a dangerous situation, the alarm message is transmitted to the phone number through the telephone line connection unit. Refrigerator. The method of claim 1, The alarm unit includes a radio transmitter for radio transmission; The control unit includes a memory unit for storing at least one alarm message, and if it is determined that the dangerous situation as a result of the detection of the detection unit, characterized in that the refrigerator transmits the alarm message through the wireless transmitter. The method of claim 1, The detection unit further comprises a door opening and closing sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the front door, the control unit is characterized in that the refrigerator releases the monitoring function when the front door is opened according to the detection signal of the sensor. The method of claim 1, And the detector is detachable from the refrigerator body.