KR20070091390A - Refrigerator system using radio frequency identification - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator system using RFID is provided to control a plurality of antennas by using a single RFID reader for simplifying arrangement of the RFID reader and tags thereof in the refrigerator system and simplifying the structure of the refrigerator system. A refrigerator system using RFID(Radio Frequency IDentification) includes refrigerating and freezing compartments(195) connected to a cooling unit(190), at least one or more RFID tags(110) attached to foodstuff and having information on the foodstuff, and receiving/transmitting processing terminals. An RFID reader(120) has a plurality of antennas(121a-121d) mounted in each storing area defined in the compartments, a first switching part for switching the antennas to receive or transmit signals individually or by groups, and a second switching part for switching the antennas, which are switched in sequence, to the receiving or transmitting processing terminals in order to separate received or transmitted signals. A controller(130) analyzes the tag information received from the RFID reader and composes display data on the analyzed food information.

Description

Refrigerator system using RFIDD {Refrigerator system using Radio Frequency IDentification}

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the components of a refrigerator system using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are views exemplarily illustrating a form in which a component of a refrigerator system using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a refrigerator housing.

3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the components of an RFID tag provided in a refrigerator system using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the components of the RFID reader provided in the refrigerator system using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing the structure of the first switching unit and the second switching unit of the RFID reader provided in the refrigerator system using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the components of a control unit provided in a refrigerator system using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing>

100: refrigerator system using RFID

110: RFID Tag 120: RFID Reader

121a to 121d: reader antenna 130: control unit

140: memory 150: display unit

160: interface unit 170: electric motor

180: compressor 185: temperature sensor

190: cooler 195: reservoir

The present invention relates to a refrigerator system using RFID.

Currently, ubiquitous network technology has attracted the attention of many people, ubiquitous network technology means a technology that allows to naturally connect to various networks regardless of time and place.

As the next generation technology of the ubiquitous network technology, RFID technology may be cited. Among them, RFID technology introduced in commerce is representative.

In general, a commercial RFID system includes an electronic tag attached to a product and embedded with detailed information, and an RFID reader that reads the information of the electronic tag using RF communication, and the electronic tag attached to the product includes the RFID reader. As it passes through the area where it is located and transmits the information using RF communication, it provides a foundation for efficient logistics / distribution management such as distribution, assembly, price change, and sale of goods.

In particular, such an RFID system is also widely used in home appliances, for example, a refrigerator system that provides information on food by installing a reader on a refrigerator and tagging food.

However, in the conventional refrigerator system using RFID, since the insides of the refrigerators are isolated from each other by storage spaces of various sizes, there is a problem in that a plurality of RFID readers are disposed in the refrigerators.

In addition, the conventional RFID reader is generally implemented through envelope detection using an amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation scheme. According to the conventional design scheme, since a bit error rate is lowered, a data recognition rate is lowered. RFID readers must be provided in plurality.

On the other hand, the RFID reader is used to divide the antenna into a transmission band and a reception band, which is different from other mobile communication systems in the RFID method, the RFID tag and the RFID signal transmission and reception of the RFID reader uses the same frequency band, usually not RF stage This is because the baseband has a structure for processing transmission and reception signals separately.

Therefore, according to the conventional RFID system, since the structure of separating and processing the transmitted and received signals becomes complicated, there is a high probability of causing a malfunction, and a large number of readers and a large number of antennas per reader must be provided again, thereby increasing the size of the RFID reader. In addition, there are problems such as complicated system implementation, difficulty in disposing an antenna, and increased installation cost.

According to the present invention, a plurality of antennas for transmitting / receiving signals control a switching operation so that the antennas sequentially transmit and receive signals, thereby easily arranging the antennas inside the refrigerator, and at least one RFID reader for the entire food. It provides a refrigerator system using an RFID that can recognize.

Refrigerator system using the RFID according to the present invention is connected to the cooler and the refrigerator for storing food and frozen food; At least one RFID tag attached to the food and drink and sending tag identification information including food and beverage information; Receiving processing stage; A transmission processing stage; A plurality of antennas installed for each storage area partitioned in the storage; A first switching unit configured to switch the antennas to transmit and receive signals sequentially or in groups; And a second switching unit configured to separate transmission and reception signals by switching the sequentially switched antennas to the reception processing stage or the transmission processing stage. And a controller configured to receive and interpret the tag identification information from the RFID reader, and to configure the analyzed food and beverage information as display information.

In addition, the control unit provided in the refrigerator system using the RFID according to the present invention constitutes the display information including at least one of the expiration date, freshness, purchase date, origin, varieties according to the food and beverage information, the food and beverage The type of food and drink is determined based on the information, and related recipes are retrieved from the memory and configured as display information.

In addition, the controller provided in the refrigerator system using the RFID according to the present invention controls the temperature of the storage by comparing the analyzed food and beverage information with predetermined reference information.

In addition, the control unit provided in the refrigerator system using the RFID according to the present invention transmits a control signal of the switching operation to the first switching unit, the control signal includes one or more information of the cycle information and the order information of the switching operation. .

Hereinafter, a refrigerator system using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the components of a refrigerator system 100 using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a refrigerator system using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the refrigerator system according to the present invention") 100 is provided with four antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, 121d. An RFID reader 120, an RFID tag 110, a temperature sensor 185, a controller 130, a memory 140, a display unit 150, an interface unit 160, an electric motor 170, and a compressor 180. , A reservoir 195 and a cooler 190.

Before describing the operation and configuration of each component constituting the refrigerator system 100 according to the present invention, first, the installation form of each component will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

2A and 2B are views exemplarily illustrating a form in which components of a refrigerator system 100 using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention are installed in a refrigerator housing.

First, referring to FIG. 2A, the storage 195 is a place where the food and beverages are refrigerated and frozen and connected to the cooler 190. The storage 195 includes a plurality of storage spaces which are separated from each other by the size and type of the food and beverage. In the embodiment of the present invention, four storage spaces are provided, and each space includes one antenna 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d of the RFID reader 120.

The RFID tag 110 is attached to the food and drink stored in the storage 195, and transmits the tag identification information including the food and drink information to the RFID reader 120.

The RFID reader 120 switches four antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d to sequentially transmit and receive signals, and separates signals transmitted and received through the antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d. .

The controller 130 receives tag identification information from the RFID reader 120 and interprets the tag identification information. The controller 130 configures the analyzed food and beverage information as display information and transmits the information to the display unit 150.

The display unit 150 receiving the display information outputs the display information in a predetermined format, and the interface unit 160 receives a user's operation command and transmits it to the control unit 130 so that the control unit 130 can display any display information. Decide if you want to configure

Referring to FIG. 2B, the display unit 150 and the interface unit 160 are installed in the refrigerator door H1.

Therefore, the user can check the information on the food and drink displayed on the display window by operating the interface unit 160 without having to check the inside of the storage 195.

3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating components of an RFID tag 110 provided in a refrigerator system 100 using RFID according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to FIG. 3, the RFID tag 110 attached to the food and drink includes a tag antenna 111, a reception demodulation unit 112, a power supply unit 113, a transmission modulator 114, a tag control unit 115, and a tag memory. The tag antenna 111 receives the information request signal from the RFID reader 120 or transmits the signal identification information processed by the transmission modulator 114 through a wireless channel. Used.

The power supply unit 113 is a device for supplying power to the reception demodulation unit 112, the tag control unit 115 and the transmission modulator 114.

The RFID tag 110 is classified into an active method and a passive method according to the driving method of the tag antenna 111 and the power supply 113. In the active method, the tag antenna 111 forms an oscillation circuit. And transmit the tag identification information, and the power supply unit 113 includes a battery to provide power to the oscillation circuit. In the embodiment of the present invention, the RFID tag 110 is assumed to be driven by a manual method.

The passive method is a method in which the power supply unit 113 regenerates power by using radio wave energy of an RF signal transmitted from the reader 120, and a detection diode rectifies the DC voltage using the RF signal and rectifies the DC voltage. Is used as a power source for supplying a modulation waveform to the transmission modulator 114 by generating a response code.

When the RFID tag 110 operates in a passive manner, a UHF (800 MHz to 900 MHz, country-assigned frequency) signal is used.

The reception demodulation unit 112 demodulates the information request signal into digital data and transmits the information to the tag control unit 115. The tag control unit 115 generates tag identification information by analyzing a code of the demodulated information request signal. The tag identification information includes food and beverage information.

Here, the food and drink information may include, for example, the date of manufacture, the manufacturer, the country of production, the expiration date, the variety (type), and the purchase date of the food or drink.

The tag controller 115 has a communication protocol to control wireless communication with the RFID reader 120.

The tag memory 116 stores an information code system, and the tag control unit 115 generates the tag identification information using the information code system. The information code system includes header information, ID information, error correction information, tag identification information, and the like. It is composed.

The header information includes information such as a code format, a version of a code system, and a code length. The error correction information (CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Checking) is information for correcting an error that may occur in data communication. In addition, the tag identification information is device identification (eg, MAC address) information that enables the RFID reader 120 to identify the RFID tag 110.

The transmission modulator 114 modulates the digital signal generated by the tag controller 115 into an RF signal, and the modulated signal is transmitted through the tag antenna 111.

4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the components of the RFID reader 120 provided in the refrigerator system 100 using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the RFID reader 120 includes four antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d, an RF processing stage, a baseband processing stage 123, a Q-RSSI circuit 124, and an I-RSSI circuit 125. The RF processing stage includes a first switching unit 122a, a second switching unit 122b, an RF transmission processing unit 122c, and an RF reception processing unit 122d.

As described above, the antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d are arranged one by one for storage spaces. In this case, the antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d may be arranged with different propagation angles.

The first switching unit 122a of the RF processing stage performs a switching operation so that the four antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d may be sequentially connected to the second switching unit 122b. , 121b, 121c, and 121d may be combined in various ways.

In this case, since the first switching unit 122a performs a switching operation several times or more than ten times per second, the antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d may store the RFID tag (food) 110 in which the first storage unit 195 is located. You can see the effect of monitoring the entire station at the same time.

In addition, when the second switching unit 122b is connected to any one of four antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d connected to the first switching unit 122a, the second switching unit 122b transmits a transmission signal to the RF transmission processing unit 122c. The transmission / reception signal is separated and transmitted by performing a switching operation according to the case of transmitting the signal to the antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, 121d and the case of transmitting the received signal from the antenna side to the RF receiving processor 122d.

As such, when the first switching unit 122a and the second switching unit 122b are interlocked, the antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d may monitor the entire area of the storage 195 while processing the transmission / reception signals, respectively. have.

The first switching unit 122a and the second switching unit 122b may be implemented in various forms, for example, SP4T (Single-Pole Quadruple-Throw, 4: 1 MUX / DEMUX), SPDT (Single-Pole) Double throw) may be implemented as a switching element, but may be implemented in the form of a phase shifter, a switching circuit, a coupler, or the like implemented by a combination of a passive element and a diplexer or a duplexer.

The RF receiving processor 122d includes a low noise amplifier, a band pass filter, a matching circuit, and the like to suppress and amplify noise components of the received signal transmitted from the first switching unit 122a and the second switching unit 122b. The amplified signal is transferred to the baseband processor 123.

The RF transmission processor 122c adjusts and amplifies the power gain of the transmission signal transmitted from the baseband processor 123, filters the mixed signal in the process of processing the received signal, and transmits the mixed signal to the second switching unit 122b. do.

The baseband processing stage 123 is connected to the RF transmission processing unit 122c and the RF reception processing unit 122d, respectively, and is composed of two parts for processing a transmission signal and a reception signal (components of the baseband processing unit 123). (Not shown), the part that processes the received signal includes an I / Q demodulator, a low pass filter (LPF), an amplifier, a modulator, an A / D converter, and the like. It handles the generation, filtering, amplification / modulation and A / D conversion of separation / low frequency signals.

The baseband processing stage 123 may include a D / A converter, a low pass filter, a demodulator, an amplifier, a filter, and the like to convert the digital signal into an RF signal, thereby improving power gain. The adjustment is transmitted to the RF transmission processing unit 122c.

The digital signal transmitted from the baseband processor 123 is transferred to the controller 130, the I-RSSI circuit 125, and the Q-RSSI circuit 124.

The I-RSSI circuit 125 is a circuit for measuring the reception strength of an in-phase (I) signal. The I-RSSI circuit 125 detects and corrects that the signal strength increases and becomes irregular due to interference or noise component mixing. Means a circuit used for the purpose.

The Q-RSSI circuit 124 measures a reception strength of a quadrature-phase (Q) signal and performs a function similar to that of the I-RSSI circuit 125.

5 is a view showing the structure of the first switching unit 122a and the second switching unit 122b of the RFID reader 120 provided in the refrigerator system 100 using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the components of the controller 130 provided in the refrigerator system 100 using RFID according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to FIG. 5, the first switching unit 122a has four signal paths connecting the four antennas 121a, 121b, 121c, 121d and the second switching unit 122b, and selectively selects these signal paths. The control voltage terminals Vctl1 and Vctl2 to which the control signal (voltage) is applied, and the power supply terminal Vcc for supplying power to the switch are provided.

In addition, the first switching unit 122a includes a high frequency switching circuit that can be implemented in various forms as described above, and includes a decoder that interprets the control voltage and logically controls the switching operation.

The switching control module 135 of the controller 130 has a program in which cycle information, order information, etc. of the switching operation is reflected, and executes the program to send a control signal to the control voltage terminal of the first switching unit 122a. do.

The second switching unit 122b has two signal paths connecting the first switching unit 122a, the RF transmitting unit 122c, and the RF receiving unit 122d, and is the same as the first switching unit 122a. A control voltage terminal Vctl3, a power supply terminal Vcc, a high frequency switching circuit, a decoder, and the like are provided.

The switching control module 135 of the controller 130 detects input paths of the transmission signal and the reception signal, generates a control signal, and transfers the generated control signal to the second switching unit 122b.

Referring to FIG. 6, the controller 130 includes a communication control module 131, a data analysis module 132, a display control module 133, a drive control module 134, and a switching control module 135. .

The communication control module 131 analyzes the code of the tag identification information demodulated by the baseband processing unit 123 of the RFID reader 120. At this time, the data format is converted and filtering is performed to extract necessary information. .

In addition, the communication control module 131 includes a communication protocol to control wireless communication with the RFID tag 110, and periodically transmits an information request signal to determine the position of the RFID tag 110.

The data analysis module 132 analyzes the tag identification information filtered as a digital signal to extract food and drink information, and based on the food and drink information, the expiration date, manufacturing date, manufacturer (origin), production country, expiration date, Display information such as variety (type), purchase date, and freshness is configured and periodically stored in the memory 140.

In addition, a recipe is recorded in the memory 140, and the data analysis module 132 searches for the recipe according to the type of food and drink and configures it as display information.

Therefore, the user can select / confirm desired information by manipulating the interface unit 160.

The display control module 133 receives and synchronizes the display information selected by the data analysis module 132, converts it into an analog signal, and transmits the converted information to the display unit 150. The display unit 150 outputs the synchronized video signal to the screen.

The drive control module 134 receives the temperature information from the temperature sensor 185 installed in the storage 195, the data analysis module 132 information related to the quality of the food and drink (for example, information such as "expiration date") ) Is compared with a predetermined reference value and the temperature information.

As a result of the comparison, when it is determined that the refrigeration temperature needs to be lowered, the drive control module 134 supplies operating power to the electric motor 170 to lower the temperature of the storage 195 to a desired temperature.

Herein, the controller 130 may be implemented as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit or a digital signal processing (DSP) circuit.

The FPGA circuit is a gate array circuit (logical integrated circuit) that can be added to the programming as needed out of the chip production process, and the characteristics of the gate array and PLD (Programmable Logic Devices) is implemented.

In addition, the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) circuit processes algebraic operations on digital data obtained by analog / digital (A / D) conversion of analog signals to perform signal processing such as filtering and spectrum analysis. There is an advantage to upgrade the system 100 by replacing only the software.

Next, referring to FIG. 1, when the control power is applied, the electric motor 170 rotates the compressor 180 through the drive belt, and the compressor 180 circulates the compressed refrigerant gas to the cooler 190.

The cooler 190 is composed of a condenser, a filter, a capillary tube, an evaporator, etc., the compressed refrigerant gas is converted into a high temperature and high pressure state from the gas state through the condenser, and is changed to a high pressure liquid through the filter.

The liquid refrigerant under high pressure passes through a capillary tube and an evaporator to lower the temperature of the reservoir 195 as it is sublimed into a gas of low temperature and low pressure.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, these are only examples and are not intended to limit the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may have an abnormality within the scope not departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. It will be appreciated that various modifications and applications are not illustrated. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiment of the present invention can be modified. And differences relating to such modifications and applications will have to be construed as being included in the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.

According to the refrigerator system using RFID according to the present invention, since a plurality of antennas can be controlled through one RFID reader, the arrangement of the RFID reader and the tag on the refrigerator can be facilitated, and the system structure can be simplified more. .

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the error rate, stability, recognition distance, etc. of the transmission and reception data according to the change in the radio wave environment, so that the RFID tag (food) scattered in the isolated space inside the refrigerator It can be managed by one RFID reader, and it can reduce the installation cost.

Claims (10)

A cellar connected to the cooler to cool and freeze food and drink; At least one RFID tag attached to the food and drink and sending tag identification information including food and beverage information; Receiving processing stage; A transmission processing stage; A plurality of antennas installed for each storage area partitioned in the storage; A first switching unit configured to switch the antennas to transmit and receive signals sequentially or in groups; And a second switching unit configured to separate transmission and reception signals by switching the sequentially switched antennas to the reception processing stage or the transmission processing stage. And And a control unit configured to receive and interpret the tag identification information from the RFID reader, and to configure the analyzed food and beverage information as display information. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit And a display information including at least one of an expiration date, freshness, purchase date, origin, and variety by the food and beverage information. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit And a type of food and drink according to the food and beverage information, and searching for a related recipe from a memory to configure display information. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit The refrigerator system using RFID, wherein the analyzed food and drink information is compared with predetermined reference information to control the temperature of the storage. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit And a control signal of a switching operation to the first switching unit. The method of claim 5, wherein the control signal Refrigerator system using RFID, characterized in that it comprises at least one of the cycle information, the sequence information of the switching operation. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna Refrigerator system using an RFID, characterized in that arranged in each of the storage area by different transmission and reception angles. The method of claim 1, wherein the first switching unit or the second switching unit Refrigerator system using RFID, characterized in that provided as a switch element. The method of claim 1, When the display information is transmitted from the control unit, the display unit configured to form the image information of a predetermined format, and outputs the configured image information, the refrigerator system using RFID. The method of claim 1, And an interface unit configured to receive an operation command for selecting which display information is to be displayed from a user and to transmit the control command to the controller.

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