KR20120118376A - Controlling method of a refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for controlling a refrigerator is provided for users to conveniently use the refrigerator as the users confirm the information on food in the refrigerator without opening the refrigerator. CONSTITUTION: A method for controlling a refrigerator comprises following steps. Food information is added or deleted from a food management list(S1). The amount of the food deleted or added is saved in storage amount information(S2). The storage amount of specific food is compared with a standard amount(S3). If the storage amount of the specific food is less than the standard amount, the notice of purchasing food is informed(S4). The storage amount is the weight or number. [Reference numerals] (AA) Start; (BB, DD) No; (CC, EE) Yes; (FF) Finish; (S1) Adding or deleting food on the food management object; (S2) Reflecting the amount of added or deleted food to the storage amount saved in a memory unit; (S3) The storage amount of the food <= standard amount ?; (S4) The information on informing the purchase is displayed; (S5) Inputting the additional order into a shopping list; (S6) Adding the order to the shopping list

Description

Controlling method of a refrigerator

The present invention relates to a control method of a refrigerator.

In general, a refrigerator is a device for storing food at a low temperature. The refrigerator may include any one of a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment.

In the case of the conventional refrigerator, it could simply perform a function for storing food at a low temperature. However, in recent years, the need for additional functions in addition to the food storage function is increasing.

An object of the present invention relates to a control method of a refrigerator capable of carrying out the storage management of food in addition to the original cooling function.

In one embodiment, a control method of a refrigerator includes: adding food to a food management object of the refrigerator or deleting the food from the food management object; The amount of added or deleted food is reflected in the storage amount information stored in the memory; Comparing the storage amount with the reference amount of the specific food stored; And when the storage amount of the specific food is less than the reference amount, the purchase necessary notification information is included.

According to the proposed invention, since the information of the food stored in the outside of the refrigerator can be checked without opening the refrigerator door to check the food inside the refrigerator, there is an advantage that the user's convenience is improved.

In addition, when the storage amount is less than the reference amount, the purchase notification information is displayed, the user has an advantage that can easily identify the food that needs to be purchased.

1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the present invention.
4 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed when the food management selection unit is selected in FIG.
5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a category is selected on the screen of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a voice input selection unit is selected on the screen of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5; FIG.
7 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed when the recognition of the input voice fails.
8 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed when the recognition of the input voice is successful, but the search of the food fails.
9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a voice recognition and a search are successful.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a keyboard input selection unit is selected on the screen of FIG. 4 or 5.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when food information input is completed on the screen of FIG. 10. FIG.
12 is a view showing an example of a food detail information screen.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a period selection unit is selected on the screen of FIG. 12. FIG.
14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a storage amount selection unit is selected on the screen of FIG. 4.
15 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
16 is a diagram illustrating a screen on which purchase need notification information is displayed.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when purchase purchase notification information is selected in FIG. 16.
18 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

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

1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator will be described as an example of an electric product.

1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a main body (not shown) in which a storage space is formed, a refrigerating chamber door 2 which opens and closes a space inside the main body, and And a freezer compartment door 3. At least one of the refrigerating compartment door 2 and the freezing compartment door 3 may be provided with a display unit 11 on which information is displayed.

The refrigerator includes a top mount type refrigerator in which the refrigerating compartment is located below the freezing compartment, a side by side type refrigerator in which the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment are arranged to the left and right, and the freezer compartment below the refrigerating compartment. The refrigerator may be classified into a bottom freezer type refrigerator and the like, and the present invention is not limited to the type of refrigerator. In the present invention, the refrigerator may include at least one of a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment. Hereinafter, a side by side type refrigerator will be described as an example.

In detail, the refrigerator 1 includes a communication means 13 for directly or indirectly communicating with an external component, and a display unit 11 capable of displaying at least one of information of the refrigerator or information received from the outside from the outside. And a display unit controller 12 for controlling the display unit 11, an energy consumption unit 18 that consumes energy for the operation of the refrigerator, and a display unit controller 12 connected to the energy consumption unit 18. It includes a main control unit 10 for controlling. The external component may be, for example, a web server, a mobile phone, another electric product, a server of a power company, a server of a product distributor, or the like. The communication means 13 allows the refrigerator 1 to communicate in wire or wirelessly with an external component. In the present embodiment, there is no limitation on the communication method, and a known communication technology may be used.

In addition, the refrigerator 1 includes a voice recognition unit 14 for recognizing an external voice, a voice analyzer 15 for analyzing a voice input through the voice recognition unit 14, and a voice externally. It further comprises a speaker 16 for outputting to the memory, and a memory 17 can be stored information.

For example, the display unit 11 may include a touch screen for inputting or selecting information by a touch method. As another example, the display unit 11 may simply display information, and may input information through a separate input unit. Alternatively, some information may be input from the display unit 11 and the remaining information may be input through a separate input unit.

The voice recognition unit 14 may be, for example, a microphone, and a plurality of voice recognition units 14 may be provided. Since the voice analyzer 15 compares and analyzes voices input by the voice recognizers 14, analysis errors due to noise may be reduced. The voice analysis unit 15 analyzes the input voice and extracts information necessary for the operation (cooling function, food management function, memo function, etc.) of the refrigerator, and transmits the extracted information to the display unit controller 12. do.

The display unit controller 12 may recognize at least food information and information necessary for managing food. The food information includes a food classification (category, meat, fruit, aquatic products, dairy products, grains, etc.) or a food name. The information required for the management of the food may include at least one of an archive start date, an archive end date, a reference storage period, a storage location, a storage amount (number or weight), and a storage method. The food control object may be storage location management, storage period management, storage amount management, storage method management, and the like.

In addition, the storage period management target may include one or more of the storage elapsed period from the storage start date to the current date, the remaining storage period from the current date to the storage end date (the expiration date), the storage end date, whether the reference storage institution is reached. Can be. The display unit controller 12 performs food management based on the recognized food information and information necessary for management of the food. Here, whether the reference retention period is reached may be whether the reference retention period is within the reference retention period or whether the reference retention period has been exceeded from the reference date.

The food information and information necessary for managing the food may be selected or input on the display unit 11 or may be input by text or voice through a separate input unit.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the refrigerator is turned on, the main screen 100 may be displayed on the display unit 100. In the main screen 100, selectors 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, and 107, weather information 108, memo information 109 or a schedule for selecting various functions of the refrigerator. Information can be displayed. The selection unit, an environment setting selection unit 101 for setting the operating environment of the display unit 11, a food management selection unit 102 for selecting to manage the food stored in the refrigerator, and recipe generation or inquiry A recipe selector 103 for selecting a food, a shopping list selector 104 for managing food for shopping, a refrigerator management selector 105 for managing a cooling function of a refrigerator, It may include one or more of the schedule selection unit 106 to select to manage the schedule, and the memo selection unit 107 to select to write the memo. Hereinafter, a case where the food control selection unit 102 is selected will be described.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when the food management selection unit is selected in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the food management selection unit 102 is selected on the screen of FIG. 3, the food management screen 110 is displayed on the display unit 11. On the food management screen 110, a food location information screen 210 for displaying the location of the stored food, and a food list information screen 260 including the display information of the food to be added as food management target to be displayed Can be.

In addition, the food management screen 110 includes a recipe selection unit 221 for selecting to confirm recipe information, a shopping list selection unit 222 for selecting for checking shopping list information, and storage amount information for checking. Selecting the storage amount selection unit 223, the voice input selection unit 270 for adding the food to the food management object through the voice input, and the user directly inputs text (letters, symbols, numbers, etc.) to food food A keyboard input selection unit 290 (text input selection unit) for adding as a management object and a trash bin 224 used to remove food from the food to be managed may be further displayed.

The food location information screen 210 and the food list information screen 260 may be arranged in a left or right direction or in a vertical direction. The food location information screen 210 may be displayed in the form of a refrigerator.

That is, the food location information screen 210 may be divided into a refrigerator compartment 211, a refrigerator compartment door 213, a freezer compartment 212, a freezer compartment door 214 and a home bar 215. One or more storage spaces may be displayed in the refrigerating compartment 211, the freezing compartment 212, the refrigerating compartment door 213, the freezing compartment door 214, and the home bar 215. The refrigerator compartment 211, the freezer compartment 212, the refrigerator compartment door 213, the freezer compartment door 214, and the home bar 215 may display one or more stored food information 217 indicating the stored food.

The food list information screen 260 may display a category selection unit 261 and a food information display unit 262 displaying information corresponding to the food category 261. The food information display section 262 may display the food display information 265 or the food classification.

The information indicating the stored food in the present invention may be referred to as stored food information 217, and the information displayed on the food list information screen 260 may be referred to as food display information 265. The stored food information 217 and the food label information 265 may be icons having the shape of the food itself.

The category selector 261 may select one of the frequency-specific category 261a and the food classification category 261b. 4 shows a food information display unit 262 displayed when a category for each frequency is selected. The food information display unit 262 may display one or more food label information 265 in order of storage frequency.

In the present embodiment, the food belonging to the food classification is previously stored in the memory 17, and the food not stored in the memory 17 may be newly added by a user manually inputting.

In addition to the frequency-specific category 261a and the food classification category 261b, a user may add a new category. For example, by adding a user preference category, a user favorite food may be selected and checked.

When the user selects the specific food display information 265 in the food information display unit 262 and drags the selected food display information 265 to the specific storage space of the food location information screen 210, the user selects the specific food display information 265. Specific stored food information 217 may be added. At this time, the food display information 265 selected by the food information display unit 262 is not deleted from the food list information screen 260, but is merely added to the food location information screen 210 as the stored food information 217. do.

At this time, the color representing the stored food information 217 located on the food location information screen 210 may vary depending on the storage period information. For example, the color of the stored food information 217, which has reached the end of storage, is red, and the stored food information 217 has an remaining color of 3 days or less, and the color of the stored food information 217 is orange, and the remaining time of storage is 4 days or more. The color of the stored food information 217 may be blue.

After selecting the specific stored food information 217 located on the food location information screen 210 and dragging it to the trash 224, the specific stored food information 217 is displayed on the food location information screen 210. Removed. That is, the stored food information 217 moved to the trash can 224 is deleted from the food management object.

5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a category is selected on the screen of FIG. 4.

4 and 5, when the food classification category 261b is selected on the screen of FIG. 4, the food information display unit 262 displays a plurality of food classification information 263. If any one of the plurality of food classification information 263 is selected, the food label information 265 belonging to the food classification may be displayed. At this time, the frequency category 261a and the food classification category 261b may be referred to as an upper category, and a category (eg, food classification) displayed when selecting the upper category (such as a food classification category) is a lower category. It can be said.

In FIG. 4, an area in which an upper category is displayed and an area in which a lower category is displayed are divided, and two areas are displayed together on a single screen. In contrast, when an upper category is selected, the screen is displayed to display a lower category. A screen for displaying a sub category may pop up. That is, the upper category and the lower category may be sequentially displayed.

In addition, the category and the food information belonging to the category may be displayed simultaneously or sequentially.

In FIG. 4, as an example, a method for selecting food information is described. However, the method for selecting food information may be similarly applied to selecting information required for food management. For example, after selecting food information, the storage location, storage amount, etc. may be selected as an example of information required for food management. The storage location information is categorized and a specific storage location can be selected from a specific category. In this case, the category and the specific storage location may be displayed together by category or sequentially.

As another example, in the food list information screen 260, the food is not categorized, and the food information may be displayed based on a specific sorting criterion. The sorting criteria may be in order of name, frequency of use, or the like. In the food list information screen, it is difficult to display all the food information, and some information may be restricted. Information limited on the information screen 260 of the food list may be confirmed by converting the screen. That is, the scrolled food can be queried using the scroll, or the display can be switched to the next screen to check the restricted food.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a voice input selection unit is selected on the screen of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

4 to 6, when the voice input selector 270 is selected for voice input, the voice input screen 272 is displayed on the display unit 11. In addition, the speaker 16 outputs a guide voice requesting a voice input. When the guide voice is output, the user may input food information or information necessary for managing food by voice. The food information and the information necessary for the management of the food may be input together or input another after completion of one input.

The cancellation input unit 273 for canceling the voice input may be displayed on the voice input screen 272. When the cancel selector 273 is selected, the screen of FIG. 6 may be switched to any one of the screens of FIGS. 3 to 5.

Hereinafter, a case of inputting food information first will be described.

In this specification, the screen newly displayed on the display unit 11 may be a screen switched from the previous screen or a screen popped up from the previous screen. Alternatively, the area of the previous screen and the newly displayed screen may be divided and displayed together.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a recognition of an input voice fails. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a recognition of an input voice is successful but a search for food fails. Drawing.

Referring to FIG. 7, when a voice is input but the voice recognition fails, the display 11 may display a recognition failure guide screen 274. The recognition failure guide screen 274 includes a re-entry selection unit 275 for selecting a voice again with information for notifying recognition failure, and a keyboard input selection unit 276 for directly inputting a text or the like. Selector) and a cancel selector 277 for canceling the voice input.

When the input selector 275 is selected again, the screen of FIG. 6 is displayed again, when the keyboard input selector 276 is selected, a text input screen is displayed, and when the cancel selector 277 is selected, FIG. The screen may be switched to any one of 3 to 5.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the voice recognition succeeds, but the search for the food name or the food classification fails, the search unit 11 may display a search failure guide screen 278. The retrieval failure guide screen 278 includes a re-entry selection unit 275 for re-entering a voice together with information for notifying a retrieval failure, and a keyboard input selection unit 276 for directly inputting a text or the like. Selector) and a cancel selector 277 for canceling the voice input.

9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when voice recognition and search are successful.

Referring to FIG. 9, when voice recognition and food search are successful after inputting a voice on the screen of FIG. 6, the search result screen 280 is displayed on the display unit 11. The search result screen 280 may display information related to the input voice information. At this time, the memory 17 stores information related to the food classification or the food name in advance.

For example, when the user inputs "o", the search result screen 280 may display one or more food information 282 including "o". That is, when a food classification or a part of a food name is input for the convenience of the user, the entire information including the input contents may be displayed. As described above, the food information 282 may include a food classification category and a food name.

The food classification or food name not stored in the memory 17 may be added by the user to the memory 17. The food classification or food name added to the memory 17 by the user may be newly generated and displayed on the food list information screen 260, and the user may delete it.

Food information may be determined by selecting a food name from the displayed food information. When a food name is selected, information necessary for managing the selected food may be selected or input.

On the other hand, if a food classification is selected, the food classification can be determined. After determining the food classification, the food name belonging to the food classification is displayed, and the food name can be determined by selecting a specific food name. Thereafter, information necessary for the management of the food can be selected or inputted to determine information necessary for the management of the food.

Information necessary for the management of the food may be input by voice or by text on a text input screen to be described later. The process of inputting information necessary for managing food may be the same as the process of inputting food information.

The search result screen 280 includes a re-input selection unit 275 for re-input, a keyboard input selection unit 276 for directly inputting characters, and a text input selection unit 276 for canceling voice input. The cancel selector 277 may be displayed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a keyboard input selection unit is selected on the screen of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

4, 5, and 10, when the user selects the keyboard input selector 290 to input text, the display 11 displays a text input screen 300.

The text input screen 300 includes a text input unit 301 for inputting food information, an input content display unit 302 for displaying the input content, and a completion selection unit 303 for selecting when the input is completed. Can be displayed. The language of the input name may be Korean, English, etc., and the language of the input name is not limited.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when food information input is completed on the screen of FIG. 10.

10 and 11, when the completion selection unit 303 is selected after inputting text, the search result screen 310 is displayed on the display unit 11. The search result screen 310 may display information related to the input text.

The memory 17 stores information related to a food classification or a food name in advance. For example, when the user inputs "o", the search result screen 310 may display one or more food information 312 including "o". That is, when a food classification or a part of a food name is input for the convenience of the user, the entire information including the input contents may be displayed.

The food classification or food name not stored in the memory 17 may be added by the user to the memory 17. The food classification or food name added to the memory 17 by the user may be newly generated and displayed on the food list information screen 260, and the user may delete it.

When a food name is selected from the displayed food information 312, information necessary for managing the selected food may be selected or input.

On the other hand, when a food classification is selected, the food name belonging to the food classification is displayed, and after selecting a specific food name, information necessary for managing food can be selected or inputted. Information necessary for the management of the food may be input by text or voice. The process of inputting information necessary for managing food may be the same as the process of inputting food information.

In this embodiment, some or all of the food information or information necessary for the management of the food may be automatically recognized (or set). That is, the memory 17 stores some or all of the information necessary for the management of the food corresponding to the food name or the food classification, and when some of the food information and the information necessary for the management of the food are recognized, the unrecognized information is stored. Matched information can be matched.

Information necessary for management of the food may be set differently according to food classification or food. For example, the food to be stored in the freezer compartment may be set to 10 days from the storage start date to the storage end date, the food to be stored in the refrigerator compartment may be set to 3 days from the storage start date to the end of the storage.

In addition, the storage position of the vegetables, fruits, milk, etc. may be set to the refrigerating chamber, ice cream, fish, etc. may be set to the freezing chamber. In addition, the number of storage for each food may be set to one. In addition, the storage weight may be set for each food.

The user may change food information previously stored in the memory 17 or information necessary for managing food.

12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a food detail information screen.

Referring to FIG. 12, after the input of food information is completed or when the specific stored food information 217 is selected on the food location information screen 210, the detailed information screen 400 including detailed information of the stored food is displayed. Can be displayed.

When all of the information necessary for the management of the food is automatically set, by selecting the specific stored food information 217 on the food location information screen 210 to change the information required for food management on the detailed information screen 400 have.

When a part of information required for food management is automatically set, after the food information input is completed, the detailed information screen 400 may input or select information necessary for food management.

The detailed information screen 400 may display one or more of food classification or food name, storage period information 410, storage amount information, and storage location.

The detailed information screen 400 includes at least one of a period selecting unit 411 for changing or selecting storage period information, a storage amount selecting unit 412 for changing or selecting a storage amount, and a storage location selecting unit (not shown). Can be displayed.

The storage amount selector 412 may change or select the number of foods and / or the food weight and the storage amount unit (weight display unit and number display unit).

As another example, when the storage period information is selected, a storage period changing screen (to be described later) for changing or selecting the storage period information may be displayed.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a period selection unit is selected on the screen of FIG. 12.

Referring to FIG. 13, when the period selection unit 411 is selected on the detailed information screen 400, the storage period change screen 420 may be displayed on the display unit 11. In the storage period change screen 420, a storage start date selection unit 421 and a storage end date selection unit 422 may be displayed. The year, month, and day may be selected using the storage start date selector 421. The year, month, and day may be selected using the storage end date selector 422. Alternatively, the storage start date selection unit 421 may be omitted. That is, the storage start date is fixed, and it is also possible to change only the storage end date. The storage period change screen 420 may display selection units 423 and 424 for finally selecting the storage period or canceling the storage period selection. When the storage period information is automatically set, the storage period may be changed only for the stored food.

When the storage period management is performed, foods having an elapsed storage period reaching the reference period, foods having the storage remaining period within the reference period, or foods having reached the storage end date may be displayed on the display unit or output through the speaker. .

In FIG. 12, the storage period or storage amount is described as being selected on the screen. Alternatively, voice or text may be input.

That is, in the case of the present invention, the food information and information necessary for the management of the food may be selected on the screen or input by voice or text. In this case, the food information and the information necessary for the management of the food may be input by the same method or may be input by another method.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when a storage amount selector is selected on the screen of FIG. 4.

4 and 14, when the storage amount selector 224 is selected to query the storage amount on the screen of FIG. 4, the storage amount inquiry screen 500 may be displayed on the display unit 11.

The storage amount inquiry screen 500 may display a category selection unit 501 for selecting an inquiry criterion, a food selection unit 503 for selecting an inquiry target food, and a storage amount information 510.

The inquiry criteria category selectable by the category selector 501 may include a food name, a storage location, a food type, and the like. For example, when a food name category is selected, one or more food items currently stored on the food selection unit 503 may be displayed. When the storage location category is selected, storage spaces are divided and displayed. When a specific storage space is selected, one or more food items stored in the selected storage space may be displayed. When the food type category is selected, a plurality of food types are displayed, and when a specific food type is selected, one or more foods belonging to the selected food type may be displayed.

The storage amount information 510 may include the storage number or weight of the selected food. For example, if the orange juice is selected, the number of orange juice stored in the refrigerator 1 (for example, five) may be displayed. As another example, when the beef is selected, the weight of the beef stored in the refrigerator 1 may be displayed.

The storage amount inquiry screen 500 may further display a reference amount change selection unit 512 for changing a reference amount for comparison with the storage amount. The reference amount can be a number or weight. The reference amount is information necessary for storage amount management, and when the storage amount of a specific food becomes less than the reference amount, purchase necessary information of the specific food may be known.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a screen on which purchase purchase notification information is displayed.

15 and 16, the food is added to the food management object or the food is deleted from the food management object (S1). The memory 17 stores a storage amount for each food classification, a storage amount for each storage location, or a storage amount for each food.

When the food is added or the food is deleted, the amount (weight and / or number) of the added or deleted food is reflected in the storage amount stored in the memory (S2). That is, when food is added, the number and / or weight information of the added food is reflected in the storage amount of the same food as the added food. In addition, when the food is deleted, the number and / or weight of the deleted food is reflected in the storage amount of the same food stored in the memory.

Then, it is determined whether the storage amount of the stored specific food is less than the reference amount (S3). As described above, the reference amount may be set or changed by the user. Alternatively, the reference amount may be set automatically.

As a result of the determination in step S3, when the storage amount of the specific food is less than the reference amount, the display unit 11 may display the purchase necessary notification information of the food (S4). Alternatively, purchase need notification information may be output from the speaker 16. Alternatively, purchase necessity notification information may be transmitted to a communication component (not shown) capable of communicating with the refrigerator 1. The communication component may be a user's mobile phone, food vendor server, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 16, for example, purchase need notification information 109A may be displayed on the main screen 100.

Next, it is determined whether or not a shopping list addition command of the food requiring purchase is input (S5). If a shopping list add command is input, foods that need to be purchased are added to the shopping list. As another example, when the storage amount of a particular food item is less than the reference amount, the particular food item is automatically added to the shopping list, and information for informing that the specific food item is added to the shopping list may be displayed on the display unit.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when purchase necessity notification information is selected in FIG. 16.

Referring to FIG. 17, when the purchase necessity notification information is selected in FIG. 16, the purchase notification information screen 600 may be displayed on the display unit 11.

The purchase notification information screen 600 may display detailed storage amount information 601 and 602 of one or more food items that need to be purchased. The storage amount detailed information 601 and 602 may include current storage amount information and information indicating that purchase is necessary.

In the detailed storage amount information 601, 602, a shopping list selection unit 603 for adding to a shopping list and a confirmation selection unit 604 for switching to a previous screen may be displayed.

When the shopping list selector 603 is selected, the necessary food for purchase is added to the shopping list. When the necessary food for purchase is added to the shopping list, the required purchase notification information 109A displayed on the main screen is deleted.

When the confirmation selection unit 604 is selected, the screen returns to the screen of FIG. 16 and the purchase notification information 109A displayed on the main screen is deleted.

According to the present invention, since the food information stored in the refrigerator and the information necessary for the management of the food can be confirmed through the display unit, the convenience of the user is improved.

In addition, in the case of inputting a voice or text, even if a part of a word is input, related information including the input content is displayed together, thereby improving user convenience.

In addition, when the storage amount of a particular food is less than the reference amount, the purchase need notification information can be displayed, there is an advantage that the user can easily identify the food that needs to be purchased.

In the present embodiment, it has been described that the food information and / or information necessary for the management of the food is input from the refrigerator. Alternatively, the information may be input from a communication component described later. Information input from a communication component is transmitted to the refrigerator, which can be recognized by the refrigerator.

In addition, the food management information performed in the refrigerator may be received by the communication component and may be confirmed by the communication component. In addition, since the communication component and the refrigerator may communicate, the communication component may control the operation of the refrigerator or monitor a state.

18 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in other parts, except that the refrigerator further includes an information recognizer for recognizing the information. Therefore, hereinafter, only characteristic parts of the present embodiment will be described, and the same parts as the first embodiment will be referred to as the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 18, the refrigerator 5 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes an information recognizer 20 for recognizing food information and / or information necessary for managing food.

The information recognizer 20 may be a weight sensor. The weight sensor may be disposed on a shelf that divides the inside of the refrigerator, and may detect the weight of foods placed on the shelf. The weight information detected by the weight sensor may be stored in the memory 17.

For example, when the food is added to a specific storage space in the store, since the weight detected by the weight sensor is changed, the weight of the added food can be recognized by comparing the previous weight information with the current weight information. In addition, the storage position of the added food based on the weight change can be recognized. The weight of the food and the storage location may be used as information necessary for management of the food.

According to this embodiment, there is no need to directly enter the storage location or storage weight of the food, there is an advantage that the user's convenience is improved.

As another example, the information recognizer 20 may include a camera (image acquisition device) and an image information analyzer. Alternatively, the information recognizer 20 may be a camera, and the display controller 12 may analyze image information. Therefore, the display controller 12 may also be referred to as an image information analyzer. The camera may be arranged in the main body of the refrigerator 5 or in a door. For example, when storing or withdrawing food in the refrigerator 5, the camera may recognize food information and / or information necessary for managing food.

The camera may acquire image information of an object in which information related to food is described or image information of a purchase receipt (including text information, barcode or QR code information, etc.) of the food. The object in which the information related to the food is described may generally be a wrapping paper of the food.

The image information analyzer extracts valid information from image information acquired through a camera and compares the valid information with information stored in the memory 17 to recognize food information or information necessary for food management.

For example, the acquired image information may include character information, symbol information, color information, QR code (Quick response code), bar code, bar code information, trademark information, etc., and some or all of the information may be extracted as valid information. Can be. The memory 17 may store food information corresponding to character information, preference information, QR code, barcode, trademark information, and / or the like, and information necessary for managing food. Alternatively, the valid information itself may be recognized as food information and / or information necessary for food management. For example, when the food name, the end date of storage, and the food weight are included in the image information obtained through the camera, the food name, the end date of storage, and the food weight are effective information and information necessary for food information and food management.

When food weight is included in the information recognized using the camera, the user does not need to directly input the food weight. Of course, if the food weight is not included in the information recognized using the camera, the user may input the food weight.

As another example, the camera may acquire intra-vehicle image information by capturing the in-vehicle. When the door is opened or the user inputs a photographing command, the camera may acquire intra-interior image information. Alternatively, the camera may acquire intra-vehicle image information at a predetermined time period. The acquired intramural image information is stored in the memory 17.

The image information analyzer may recognize that the food is introduced or extracted in the refrigerator by comparing the recently obtained intra-vehicle image information with the previously acquired intra-vehicle image information. In detail, the image information analyzer may recognize a storage position of the food and image information of the food. The recognized storage location may be used as information necessary for the management of food, and the image information of the food may be used as information for identifying food. The image information of the food may be used as information distinguished from other foods by replacing the food name. Of course, when valid information can be extracted from the image information of the food, food information or information necessary for food management may be further obtained.

As another example, the information recognizer 20 may be a QR code reader, a barcode reader, or an RFID reader.

In this embodiment, the food information and / or information necessary for the management of the food may be recognized by different types of information recognizers. For example, the weight sensor can recognize the weight and storage position of the food, and the camera can recognize other information besides the weight and storage position.

1: refrigerator 11: display

Claims (10)

Adding food to the food management object of the refrigerator or deleting the food from the food management object;
The amount of added or deleted food is reflected in the storage amount information stored in the memory;
Comparing the storage amount with the reference amount of the specific food stored; And
When the storage amount of the specific food is less than the reference amount, the control method of the refrigerator comprising the step of being informed of the purchase necessary notification information. The method of claim 1,
The storage amount is a control method of the refrigerator of at least one of weight and number. The method of claim 1,
The storage amount is a control method of the refrigerator that can be manually input or automatically recognized. The method of claim 3, wherein
The storage amount is controlled by the information recognizer that can recognize the storage amount, the control method of the refrigerator reflected in the storage amount information stored in the memory. The method of claim 1,
The reference amount is automatically set for each food, or a control method of the refrigerator that can be set or changed manually by the user. The method of claim 1,
Determining whether a command for adding a food item to be purchased to a shopping list is input;
If the shopping list add command is input, the control method of the refrigerator is added to the food list that needs to be purchased. The method according to claim 6,
The purchase need notification information may be displayed on the display unit,
When the food that needs to be added to the shopping list, the purchase need notification information displayed on the display unit is removed from the display unit. The method of claim 1,
And controlling the refrigerator to automatically add the specific food to the shopping list when the storage amount of the specific food becomes less than the reference amount. The method of claim 8,
And when the specific food is automatically added to the shopping list, information indicating that the specific food has been added to the shopping list is displayed. The method of claim 1,
And when the storage amount of the specific food is less than the reference amount, the purchase need notification information is transmitted to a communication component capable of communicating with the refrigerator.

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