WO2020110430A1

WO2020110430A1 - Refrigerator, storage method for stored object, and sensor system

Info

Publication number: WO2020110430A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/036220
Authority: WO
Inventors: 小谷　正直; 健太郎佐野; 浩平京谷; 大平　昭義
Original assignee: 株式会社日立製作所
Priority date: 2018-11-29
Filing date: 2019-09-13
Publication date: 2020-06-04
Also published as: JP2020085393A; JP7228373B2

Abstract

A refrigerator according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a sensor array (23) having a plurality of sensors (22) each of which detect the presence or absence of a stored item; a timer (33) which specifies a time when the presence or absence of the stored item is detected; and a calculation unit (32) which determines the shape of the stored item on the basis of the information obtained from each sensor constituting the sensor array, calculates a storage period of a stored item on the basis of the time specified by the timer, and stores the determined shape and the calculated storage period in association with the stored items.

Description

Refrigerator, storage method and sensor system

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, a stored item storage method, and a sensor system.

　The refrigerator user opens and closes the door of the refrigerator and visually checks the inside to confirm what kind of food is stored at what position and for how long. There is no particular problem when making such confirmation while taking food in and out. However, opening and closing the door exclusively for such confirmation raises the temperature in the refrigerator, which leads to increase in power consumption and deterioration of food. Therefore, recently, a technique for acquiring information in the refrigerator without opening the door has become widespread.

The refrigerator of Patent Document 1 detects the presence or absence of food with a non-contact electric field sensor. In the refrigerator of Patent Document 2, a camera provided with a wide-angle lens and a lighting unit are arranged inside a door. The storage of patent document 3 performs wireless communication of data between a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a pressure sensor arranged on a shelf in the refrigerating compartment and an antenna arranged on a wall surface in the refrigerating compartment.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-42173 JP, 2015-111025, A JP, 2006-214644, A

The patent document 1 refrigerator includes a wire for supplying power to the electric field sensor. Then, the position where the electric field sensor can be arranged is limited, and the food to be detected is also limited to eggs and the like. Further, since the refrigerator of Patent Document 1 has a one-to-one correspondence between the food to be detected and the electric field sensor, the shape of each food cannot be detected.

The refrigerator of Patent Document 2 can detect the shape of each food item as an image, but cannot detect the shape of the food item hidden in the blind spot when the food item has a front-rear positional relationship with the camera. Furthermore, the refrigerator of patent document 2 does not manage the storage period of each food. The storage of Patent Document 3 enables various sensors to be arranged at arbitrary positions. However, when a plurality of sensors are arranged on the same plane, the installation area of the antenna becomes large and the refrigerating room becomes dark. The storage of Patent Document 3 also does not manage the storage period of individual food products.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reliably detect the shape and storage period of stored items at arbitrary positions while ensuring the illuminance in the refrigerator.

The refrigerator of the present invention is based on a sensor array having a plurality of sensors for detecting the presence/absence of a stored item, a timer for specifying the time when the presence/absence of a stored item is detected, and information obtained from individual sensors constituting the sensor array. A storage unit that determines the shape of the stored item, calculates the storage period of the stored item based on the time specified by the timer, and stores the determined shape and the calculated storage period in association with the stored item. To do.
Other means will be described in the modes for carrying out the invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably detect the shape and storage period of stored items at arbitrary positions while ensuring the illuminance in the refrigerator.

(A) is sectional drawing which looked at the refrigerator from the right side facing the front. (B) is sectional drawing which looked at the refrigerator from the front. (A) is sectional drawing which looked at the refrigerator from the right side facing the front. (B) is sectional drawing which looked at the refrigerator from the front. (C) is a plan view looking down on the shelf. It is a figure which shows the structure of a housing side arithmetic unit and a detection side arithmetic unit. (A) is a figure which shows the stored thing stored on the sensor array. (B) is a figure explaining the signal which a sensor outputs. (C) is a figure which shows the movement of the stored item at a certain time. It is a figure showing an example of detection information. (A) is a figure which shows an example of storage information. (B) And (c) is a figure explaining the transition of the record of storage information. (A), (b) and (c) is a figure explaining the identity etc. of a stored item. It is a flowchart of a processing procedure.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (referred to as “this embodiment”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and the like. The present embodiment is an example of storing stored items such as fresh foods in a refrigerator. However, the present invention is also applicable, for example, to the case where stored items such as biological experiment samples are stored in a heat-retaining room in a laboratory. The stored item of the present embodiment is a concept including not only food itself but also food packaged in bottles, cans, boxes, plates, vinyl packages, paper packages and the like.

(refrigerator)
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment as seen from the right side when facing the front. FIG.1(b) is sectional drawing which looked at the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment from the front. The cross section of FIG. 1B is taken along the line AA of FIG. The refrigerator 1 has a refrigerating compartment 2, an ice making compartment 3, a freezing compartment 4 and a vegetable compartment 5 in order from the top. The refrigerator compartment 2 stores the stored items at a temperature of 0° C. or higher. The refrigerating room 2 has a door 6 that opens from both sides, a plurality of shelves 7, a plurality of door pockets 8 and an egg storage room 9. Cold air is sent to the refrigerating compartment 2 from a refrigerating unit (not shown).

The vegetable compartment 5 also stores the contents at a temperature of 0°C or higher. The stored items stored here are mainly unpackaged vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, etc.). The vegetable compartment 5 is a single storage box (drawer) as a whole. Cold air is also sent from the refrigeration unit to the vegetable compartment 5.

The ice making room 3 stores the stored items at a temperature below 0°C. The storage item stored here is ice. The ice making chamber 3 has two left and right drawers. Cold air is sent to the ice making chamber 3 from a refrigerating unit (not shown). The freezer compartment 4 also stores the contents at a temperature below 0°C. The items stored here are mainly fish and shellfish, meats, frozen foods and the like. Cold air is also sent from the freezing unit to the freezing compartment 4.

The refrigerator 1 has a housing-side arithmetic unit 11 on the upper part of the back of itself. The refrigerator 1 has the detection side arithmetic unit 12 on the upper surface of any shelf 7 or the bottom surface of the drawer. These details will be described later. A broken line connecting the housing side computing device 11 and the detection side computing device 12 indicates wireless communication between the antennas (details will be described later).

2(a) and 2(b) are the same as the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), respectively. However, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B show how the stored items are actually stored. For example, a storage item 13 and a storage item 14 are stored on the third shelf 7 from the top of the refrigerator compartment 2. The storage item 13 is a food item in a bowl-shaped container. The stored item 14 is a food item in a two-stage container with a lid. In FIG. 2B, a part of the stored item 14 is hidden in the blind spot of the stored item 13.

FIG. 2C is a plan view of the third shelf 7 from the top of the refrigerating room 2 as viewed from directly below the second shelf 7 from the top (position of line BB). The detection side arithmetic unit 12 is arranged (laid) so as to cover almost the entire upper surface of the third shelf 7 from the top. The detection-side arithmetic unit 12 has a detection-side arithmetic unit 21 and a large number of sensors 22.

The sensors 22 are arranged on the upper surface of the shelf 7 in a grid pattern. In FIG. 2C, the vertical position and the horizontal position of this lattice are represented by English letters a, b, c, d,..., H, i. For example, the two-dimensional coordinate value “[a,b]” indicates the sensor located at “first row, second column” in FIG. The sensors 22 and the detection side calculation unit 21 are connected by, for example, a metal wire connection. An induced current (energy source) and a signal current (data) described later pass through this connection. In addition, in FIG. 2C, although it is described that a plurality of wirings pass under one sensor 22, the sensors are electrically insulated from each other.

(Enclosure side arithmetic unit and detection side arithmetic unit)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configurations of the housing side arithmetic unit 11 and the detection side arithmetic unit 12. The housing side computing device 11 includes a housing side antenna 31, a housing side computing unit 32, a timer 33, a storage unit 34, and an external communication unit 35. These are interconnected by a bus. The housing side calculation unit 32 is a main body that reads a predetermined program into a memory (not shown) or the like and performs various kinds of calculations described in advance in the program. The timer 33 manages time. The storage unit 34 stores detection information 51 (FIG. 5), storage information 52 (FIG. 6), and the above-mentioned program, which will be described later. The external communication unit 35 communicates with any device other than the refrigerator 1.

The housing-side arithmetic unit 11 is connected to the external power supply unit 41, the display unit 42, and the refrigerator control sensor 43 by wire. The external power supply unit 41 supplies power to the housing side arithmetic unit 11. The display unit 42 is a display arranged outside the door of the refrigerator 1, for example. The refrigerator control sensor 43 is generally a sensor that detects any operation of the refrigerator 1, but is a sensor that detects opening/closing of the door 6 or the drawer in the present embodiment. The refrigerator control sensor 43 is arranged in each of the door 6 and the drawer, and the housing-side arithmetic unit 11 can recognize the open/closed state of each door or the like. The housing side arithmetic unit 11 is wirelessly connected to the detection side arithmetic unit 12. For this reason, the connection as in Patent Document 1 is not necessary between the housing side arithmetic unit 11 and the detection side arithmetic unit 12.

The detection-side arithmetic unit 12 has a detection-side arithmetic unit 21, a detection-side antenna 24, and a large number of sensors 22. These are connected by wire. A large number of sensors 22 are arranged in a plane (two-dimensional) and constitute one sensor array 23 as a whole. Further, since the detection side calculation unit 21 and each sensor 22 are patterned conductors, the connection as in Patent Document 1 is not necessary. Although the number of sensors is nine in FIG. 3 due to space limitations, the actual number is much larger than this. Note that “9” here is a number for explanation only, and does not match the number of sensors 22 in FIG. 4A, which is also a diagram for explanation. There are a plurality of detection-side arithmetic devices 12 for each of the shelves 7 of the refrigerator 1 or the bottom surface of the drawer. A broken line between the detection-side antenna 24 and the housing-side antenna 31 in FIG. 3 indicates that wireless communication is performed there. Further, the housing side arithmetic unit 11 causes the detection side arithmetic unit 12 to generate an induced voltage via the broken line. Solid lines between the other configurations in FIG. 3 indicate that wired communication and power supply are performed therein.

Only one housing-side antenna 31 for wireless communication is arranged on the upper rear part of the refrigerator 1. The other detection-side antenna 24 is small in size and is distributed and arranged on the bottom surfaces of a plurality of shelves or drawers (see FIGS. 1A and 1B). Therefore, neither antenna positionally interferes with the illumination means in the refrigerator and the inside of the refrigerator is always bright. Note that the “sensor system for managing the contents of the refrigerator” including the sensor array 23, the timer 33, and the housing side calculation unit 32 of FIG. 3 may be configured to be independent from the main body of the refrigerator 1. The sensor system can be externally attached to the existing refrigerator 1.

FIG. 4( a) is a diagram showing the stored items stored on the sensor array 23. The stored

items

13 and 14 are stored on the same shelf (sensor array). As is apparent from the overlapping state, the stored items 14 are first stored (stored) at the time point t1, and the stored items 13 are stored at the subsequent time point t2. The lower side of FIG. 4A is in front of the user. Each sensor 22 outputs a binary value as to whether or not there is a stored item on itself. Then, the housing side arithmetic unit 11 recognizes at which position the stored item is currently stored. The sensor 22 is, for example, a pressure sensor, a weight sensor, a capacitance (electric field) sensor, or the like.

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a signal output by the sensor 22. For example, the sensor “[b,e]” or the like is represented by a black square. This indicates that the contents are stored on the sensor. On the other hand, the sensor “[b, d]” and the like are represented by white squares. This indicates that there is no storage on the sensor. FIG. 4C will be described later. It should be noted that “black” and “white” are words for explanation only, and have nothing to do with the actual color presented by the sensor.
As is clear from the above, the detection side arithmetic unit 12 does not have a power supply unit and is not connected to the housing side arithmetic unit 11. Therefore, the shelves 7 and the drawer can be freely taken in and out.

(Detection information)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the detection information 51. In the detection information 51, the sensor information column 102 stores time-series sensor information in association with the sensor ID stored in the sensor ID column 101.
The sensor ID in the sensor ID column 101 is an identifier that uniquely identifies the sensor 22, and is a combination of two English characters here. The English letters a, b, c,... Specify the vertical position and the horizontal position. Note that, although a two-dimensional sensor ID example is described here for simplification of description, the sensor ID may include a number or a symbol that distinguishes the bottom surfaces of a plurality of shelves or drawers. There are as many records (rows) of the detection information 51 as there are sensors 22.

The left and right positions of the sensor information column 102 indicate time points. The more to the right, the later in time. The sensor information column 102 stores one or a plurality of □ or ■. 4 corresponds to the black sensor in FIG. 4B, and □ corresponds to the white sensor in FIG. 4B. In the sensor information column 102, a plurality of broken lines are drawn in the vertical direction. One broken line corresponds to one time point. Then, in each record, either □ or ■ is on each broken line. The time points t1, t2, t3,... Corresponding to the broken lines are the time points at which the “detection opportunity” has been reached.

In order to save power consumption and information processing resources, the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment acquires sensor information (□ or ■) only at limited detection opportunities. An example of the detection opportunity is when a predetermined period of time has passed from the time when the door 6 or the drawer of the refrigerator 1 was opened (or closed). Therefore, the intervals between the time points t1, t2, t3,... Are not uniform. More precisely, the point in time such as t1 may be a period having a certain time range (for example, 5 seconds) instead of an instantaneous point in time (details described later). Then, in this case, t1 may be a representative value (for example, a median value) of the period.

The following can be understood from a time series of FIG.
<Time t1>
Nine sensors are black. That is, [b,e], [b,f], [b,g], [c,e], [c,f], [c,g], [d,e], [d,f] and The stored item is stored at the position [d, g].
<Time t2>
Nine sensors are newly black. That is, [e, d], [e, e], [e, f], [f, d], [f, e], [f, f], [g, d], [g, e] and A new storage item was stored at the position [g, f]. Note that the nine sensors that were black at time t1 remain black at time t2.

<Time t3>
The sensor information is the same as at time t2. At time t3, the user opens the door and visually checks the inside, and then closes the door without taking in and out the stored items.
<Time t4>
A group of sensors (newly blackened at time t2 [e, d], [e, e], [e, f], [f, d], [f, e], [f, f], [g , D], [g, e] and [g, f] have once returned to white. At the same time, another group of sensors ([f,e], [f,f], [f,g], [g,e], [g,f], [g,g] including a sensor that has once returned to white). ], [h,e], [h,f] and [h,g]) are black. On the other hand, the nine sensors that were black at time t1 remain black at time t4. This indicates that at time t4, the user maintained the position of the stored item 14 and moved the position of the stored item 13 slightly. FIG. 4C shows the movement of the stored item 13 from time t3 to time t4. Compared to the time point t3, at the time point t4, the stored item 13 moves to the right side of the figure by one sensor (Δx) and moves to the lower side of the figure by one sensor (Δy).

<Time t5>
At the time t4, the blackened sensor ([f,e], [f,f], [f,g], [g,e], [g,f], [g,g], [h,e], [h,f] and [h,g]) have returned to white. On the other hand, the nine sensors that were black at time t1 remain black at time t5. This indicates that at time t5, the user kept the position of the storage item 14 as it was and took out the storage item 13.

(Storage information)
FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of the storage information 52. In the storage information 52, in association with the stored item ID stored in the stored item ID column 111, the first recognition time point column 112 indicates the first recognition time point, the final recognition time point column 113 indicates the final recognition time point, and the storage period column 114. The storage period, the latest position in the latest position column 115, and the outline shape in the outline shape column 116 are stored.

The stored item ID in the stored item ID column 111 is an identifier that uniquely identifies the stored item. The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 of the refrigerator 1 gives a new identifier to the newly stored items. In the present embodiment, in reality, when the same stored item is repeatedly stored, a new stored item ID is added in principle each time (exception will be described later).
The first recognition time in the first recognition time column 112 is the time when the housing side computing unit 32 first recognizes that the stored item is stored (initial recognition time). Note that “#” is abbreviated to indicate a different value (the same applies to subsequent columns).
The final recognition time in the final recognition time column 113 is the time when the housing side computing unit 32 finally recognizes that the stored item is stored.

The storage period in the storage period column 114 is a period from the first recognition time to the final recognition time.
The latest position in the latest position column 115 is the position where the stored item was stored at the time of the final recognition, and here is a set of two-dimensional coordinate values indicating the position of the sensor that was black.
The general shape of the general shape column 116 is an approximate planar shape of the stored item. The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 recognizes the shapes collectively represented by the blackened sensors as a general shape. The general shape here is a character string such as “3×3 square”, but a graphic itself indicating the shape may be stored as the general shape.

FIG. 6B is a diagram for explaining the transition of the record 117a of the stored item A001 in the storage information 52. Now, it is assumed that the stored item ID that identifies the stored item 14 in FIG. 4A is “A001”. Hereinafter, a process in which the housing-side computing unit 32 updates (transitions) the record of the storage item 14 will be described in time series. The times t1, t2,..., T5 in FIG. 6B correspond to t1, t2,..., T5 in FIG. 5, respectively.

<Time point t1: record 117b>
The housing side calculation unit 32 first recognizes that the stored item A001 is stored. Therefore, the housing side computing unit 32 stores “A001” and “t1” in the stored item ID column 111 and the first recognition time column 112, respectively. Further, the housing side computing unit 32 stores “be,..., Dg” and “3×3 square” in the latest position column 115 and the schematic shape column 116, respectively. Here, for example, “be” is an abbreviated representation of the two-dimensional coordinate value “[b,e]” of the sensor. The housing side arithmetic unit 32 stores “−” indicating that there is no corresponding data in the final recognition time point column 113 and the storage period column 114.

<Time 2: Record 117c>
The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 recognizes that the stored item A001 is stored at the same position as the most recent past (time t1). Therefore, the housing side computing unit 32 stores “t2” in the final recognition time column 113 and “t2-t1” in the storage period column 114. Here, “t2” and “t2-t1” are described for the sake of clarity, but in reality, they are the time point (○ hour ○ minute ○ second) and the time (○ hour ○ minute ○ second), respectively. .. The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 kept the data in the other columns as they were.

<Time points t3 to t5: Records 117d to 117f>
The housing side arithmetic unit 32 performed the same processing as that performed at the time point t2. As a result, the final recognition time points were updated to "t3", "t4", and "t5" at the time points t3, t4, and t5, respectively. Similarly, at each time point, the storage period was updated to "t3-t1", "t4-t1", and "t5-t1". The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 kept the data in the other columns as they were.

FIG. 6C is a diagram for explaining the transition of the record 118a of the stored item A002 in the storage information 52. Now, it is assumed that the stored item ID for identifying the stored item 13 in FIG. 4A is “A002”. Hereinafter, a process in which the housing side computing unit 32 updates the record of the stored item 13 will be described in time series.

<Time t1>
There is no record for time point t1 in FIG. 6(c). That is, the housing side arithmetic unit 32 does not perform any particular process. This is because at the time point t1, the housing side computing unit 32 does not recognize that the stored item A002 is stored.
<Time t2: Record 118b>
The housing side computing unit 32 first recognizes that the stored item A002 is stored. Therefore, the housing side computing unit 32 stores “A002” and “t2” in the stored item ID column 111 and the first recognition time column 112, respectively. Further, the housing side computing unit 32 stores “ed,..., Gf” and “3×3 square” in the latest position column 115 and the schematic shape column 116, respectively. The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 stores “−” in the final recognition time column 113 and the storage period column 114.

<Time t3: Record 118c>
The housing side computing unit 32 recognizes that the stored item A002 is stored at the same position as the most recent past (time t2). Therefore, the housing side computing unit 32 stores “t3” in the final recognition time column 113 and “t3-t2” in the storage period column 114. The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 kept the data in the other columns as they were.

<Time t4: Record 118d>
The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 recognizes that the stored item A002 is stored at a position slightly displaced from the latest past (time t3). Therefore, the housing side computing unit 32 stores "t4" in the final recognition time column 113, "t4-t2" in the storage period column 114, and "fe,..., Hg" in the latest position column 115. Remembered. The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 kept the data in the other columns as they were.

<Time t5: Record 118e>
The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 recognizes that the stored item “A002” is not stored (taken out). Therefore, the housing side computing unit 32 stores “none” in the latest position column 115. This “none” is also called a “deletion flag”. The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 kept the data in the other columns as they were.

As is clear from the description of FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C described above, unless the position of the stored item in the refrigerator changes significantly, the housing side computing unit 32 regards it as the same stored item. The storage period and schematic shape are managed. However, for example, when the user takes out a can containing seasonings and stores the can again after a short time (for example, 30 seconds), the same can be stored in the same storage container regardless of the change in the storage position. As a result, there is a need to manage the storage period in an integrated manner. In this case, the housing side calculation unit 32 accepts that the user performs a certain operation on the display unit 42. A certain operation is, for example, pressing of the ““Immediately return” button.” Then, the housing-side computing unit 32 identifies the stored item that was taken out immediately before with respect to the stored item that was first stored. The object ID is continuously given.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the identity of stored items. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the storage position of the stored items at the latest past time point. The latest past time is the last time when the sensor 22 detects the presence or absence of a stored item. If the door or drawer is not opened/closed for about half a day, the latest past time is, for example, 12 hours ago. One square in FIG. 7A corresponds to one sensor. The area surrounded by a thick broken line is the position where the stored item is stored (the same applies to FIG. 7B). Here, a stored item A011, a stored item A012, a stored item A013, and a stored item A014 are stored.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the storage position of the stored items at the present time. The present time is the present time when the sensor detects the presence or absence of the stored item. Here, the stored item A011, the stored item A012, the stored item A013, and the stored item A015 are stored. FIG.7(c) is the figure which overlapped FIG.7(a) and FIG.7(b). In FIG. 7C, the shaded area in the area surrounded by the thick broken line is the area surrounded by the thick broken line in FIG. 7A and the area surrounded by the thick broken line in FIG. 7B. It is the overlapping part with.

The stored item A011 has not moved at all between the latest past time and the present time. In this case, the housing side calculation unit 32 regards the stored item A011 of FIG. 7A and the stored item A011 of FIG. 7B as the same stored item without any problem.
The stored item A012 is currently moving slightly to the right as compared with the latest past time point. Also in this case, the housing side computing unit 32 regards the stored item A012 of FIG. 7A and the stored item A012 of FIG. 7B as the same stored item. If the positions of the two are significantly different from each other, or if the areas of the regions surrounded by the broken lines are significantly different from each other, the housing side computing unit 32 causes the storage item A012 of FIG. The stored item A012 of b) is regarded as a different stored item. That is, the housing-side arithmetic unit 32 attaches different stored item IDs to these.

Currently, the storage item A013 has moved slightly to the lower right as compared to the latest past time point. Also in this case, the housing side computing unit 32 regards the stored item A013 of FIG. 7A and the stored item A013 of FIG. 7B as the same stored item. If the positions of the two are significantly different from each other, or if the areas of the regions surrounded by the broken lines are significantly different from each other, the housing side computing unit 32 causes the storage item A013 of FIG. The stored item A013 of b) is regarded as a different stored item.

The stored item A014 has disappeared at this point. That is, the stored item is not stored at the position where the stored item was stored at the latest past time. In this case, the housing side computing unit 32 regards the stored item A014 of FIG. 7A as the stored item taken out from the refrigerator at the present time.
The stored item A015 has appeared for the first time at this point. That is, the stored items were not stored at that position in the latest past time. In this case, the housing side computing unit 32 regards the stored item A015 of FIG. 7B as a newly stored stored item at the present time.

That is, the case side computing unit 32 considers that the stored items are the same between the two front and rear times when the following

conditions

1 and 2 are satisfied.
<Condition 1> The distance between the position of the stored item at the previous time point and the position of the stored item at the subsequent time point is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. The position here is, for example, the position of the center of gravity of the stored items. The distance here is, for example, the square root of the sum of the square of the vertical position difference (Δy in FIG. 4C) and the square of the horizontal position difference (Δx in FIG. 4C). Is.
<Condition 2> The absolute value of the difference between the projected area of the stored object on the sensor array at the previous time point and the projected area of the stored object on the sensor array at the subsequent time point is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. The projected area can be replaced by the number of blackened sensors.

Depending on the user's operation on the stored items, the time point t1 and the like in FIG. 5 is not an instantaneous one time point but a period having a certain time range. For example, when a user holds a pot containing food with both hands and places it on a shelf, the sensor on either the left or right side often changes from □ to ■ prior to the sensor on the other side. Then, the housing-side arithmetic unit 32 needs to make a determination to determine the number of stored items stored in adjacent positions (a plurality of connected squares) independently of the determination to use the condition 1 and the condition 2. is there. For example, when there are a plurality of sensors whose outputs similarly change (from □ to ■ or vice versa) at two times before and after, the case side computing unit 32 determines that the plurality of times when the output changes are within a predetermined time range. A group is created with sensors inside (for example, 2 to 3 seconds), and each group is considered to correspond to one storage item.

(Processing procedure)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the processing procedure. As a premise of starting the processing procedure, it is assumed that the records of the detection information 51 and the storage information 52 in the past detection opportunity are sufficiently accumulated and then stored in the storage unit 34.
In step S201, the housing side computing unit 32 supplies power to the refrigerator 1. Specifically, the housing side calculation unit 32 accepts the user turning on the power of the refrigerator 1 via the display unit 42.

In step S202, the housing side computing unit 32 determines whether or not the door is opened. The housing side arithmetic unit 32 constantly monitors the refrigerator control sensor 43. Then, when the housing side calculation unit 32 receives a signal indicating that at least one door or drawer is opened from the refrigerator control sensor 43 (step S202 “YES”), the process proceeds to step S203. When the housing side calculation unit 32 does not accept the signal (step S202 “NO”), it waits until the signal is accepted. In addition, the signal here shall contain the information (henceforth "door information") which specifies the opened door or drawer.

In step S203, the housing side computing unit 32 supplies power to the sensor 22. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 sends to the housing side antenna 31 an instruction to transmit a radio wave to the sensing side antenna 24 of the sensing side computing device 12 corresponding to the door or drawer specified by the door information. To do. In response to the instruction, the housing side antenna 31 actually transmits a radio wave to the detection side antenna 24. Then, an induced voltage due to a change in the magnetic field is generated in the detection-side antenna 24 that has received the radio wave. This induced voltage serves as an energy source for the operation of the detection side arithmetic unit 12.

In step S204, the housing side computing unit 32 requests sensor information. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 provides the sensing side computing unit 21 of the sensing side computing device 12 corresponding to the door or drawer specified by the door information, with the sensor information indicating the presence or absence of the stored item at the position of the sensor 22. Request. Then, the detection side calculation unit 21 acquires sensor information from all the sensors 22 and transmits the acquired sensor information to the housing side calculation unit 32 via the detection side antenna 24 and the housing side antenna 31. The sensor information here is a plurality of squares or squares on the broken lines in the vertical direction of FIG. That is, the sensor information is binary information indicating the presence/absence of a stored item for each sensor position.

In step S205, the housing side computing unit 32 determines whether or not all sensor information has been acquired. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 receives from the sensing side computing unit 21 the sensor information of all the sensors belonging to the sensing side computing device 12 corresponding to the door or drawer specified by the door information (step S205 " YES"), the process proceeds to step S206. In other cases (step S205 “NO”), the housing side computing unit 32 waits until it receives the sensor information of all the sensors.

In step S206, the housing side computing unit 32 creates the current storage information. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 creates a diagram (current map) showing the storage position of the stored items at the present moment as shown in FIG. 7B.
In step S207, the housing side computing unit 32 creates the storage information of the latest past time point. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 creates a diagram (previous map) showing the storage position of the stored items at the latest past time as shown in FIG. 7A.

In step S208, the housing side computing unit 32 identifies one stored item at the present time. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 specifies any one of the stored items appearing on the map this time as the “processing target stored item”.
In step S209, the housing side computing unit 32 determines whether or not there is a stored item whose difference is equal to or larger than the threshold value. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 superimposes the current map and the previous map, and the stored items that satisfy the above-mentioned

conditions

1 and 2 when the stored items to be processed are set as the previous map. Check if it exists. Then, the housing side computing unit 32 proceeds to step S210 when such a stored item exists (step S209 “YES”), and proceeds to step S211 otherwise (step S209 “NO”).

In step S210, the housing side computing unit 32 updates the storage period of the existing record of the storage information 52. Here, the processing performed by the housing side computing unit 32 is, for example, the processing of updating the record 117c in FIG. 6B with the record 117d, or the processing of updating the record 118c in FIG. 6C with the record 118d. The housing-side arithmetic unit 32 may store the record 117c before update as a history in another area.

In step S211, the housing side computing unit 32 creates a new record of the storage information 52. Here, the process performed by the housing side computing unit 32 is a process of newly creating the record 117b in FIG. 6B, for example.
In step S212, the housing side computing unit 32 determines whether or not there is an unprocessed stored item. Specifically, the housing-side computing unit 32 returns to step S208 if the processing target stored items remain (step S212 “YES”), and otherwise proceeds to step S213. ..

In step S213, the housing side computing unit 32 identifies the stored contents that have been taken out. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 deletes the stored item determined to be the same as the processing target stored item from the previous map. Then, only the stored item (for example, the stored item A014) taken out at the present time is not erased and remains on the map last time. The housing side calculation unit 32 identifies one or a plurality of stored items left in this way.

In step S214, the housing side computing unit 32 sets a deletion flag on the existing record of the storage information 52. Here, the process performed by the housing side computing unit 32 is a process of updating, for example, the record 118d in FIG. 6C with the record 118e. In addition, “none” is stored as the deletion flag in the latest position column 115 of the record 118e. The housing side computing unit 32 may store the record 118d before update and the record 118e after update as a history in another area.

In step S215, the housing side computing unit 32 stops power supply to the sensor. Specifically, the housing side computing unit 32 sends to the housing side antenna 31 an instruction to stop the transmission of radio waves to the detection side antenna 24.
In step S216, the housing side arithmetic unit 32 determines whether or not the power supply to the refrigerator is stopped. Specifically, when the user accepts that the power of the refrigerator 1 is “OFF” via the display unit 42 (step S216 “YES”), the housing side computing unit 32 ends the processing procedure. .. In other cases (step S216 “NO”), the housing side computing unit 32 returns to step S202.

Although not shown in FIG. 8, the housing-side arithmetic unit 32 transmits the storage information 52 at that time to an arbitrary device (for example, a terminal device carried by the user) via the network or the like at an arbitrary timing. Can be output. An example of arbitrary timing is as follows.
-Periodic timing specified by the user, such as 00:00:00 every hour-Timing when the user instructs the refrigerator 1 each time via the network-Timing when the storage period of a certain stored item exceeds a predetermined threshold value

(Effect of this embodiment)
The effects of the refrigerator of this embodiment are as follows.
(1) The refrigerator can recognize the shape of the stored item without a blind spot by the sensor array, and can accurately know the storage period of the stored item by the timer.
(2) Since the refrigerator can omit the internal wiring, the sensor position can be freely determined while maintaining the internal illuminance.
(3) The refrigerator can operate the sensor only at the time when stored items may be taken in and out.
(4) The refrigerator can accurately determine the identity of the stored items.
(5) The refrigerator can output information about the stored items to a device at a remote place.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of a certain embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of a certain embodiment. Further, with respect to a part of the configuration of each embodiment, other configurations can be added/deleted/replaced.

Further, each of the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. Further, the above-described respective configurations, functions and the like may be realized by software by the processor interpreting and executing a program for realizing the respective functions. Information such as a program, a table, and a file that realizes each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk and an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, and a DVD.
Further, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines on the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it may be considered that almost all configurations are connected to each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigerator 3 Ice making room 4 Freezer 5 Vegetable room 6 Door 7 Shelf 8 Door pocket 9 Egg chamber 11 Case side arithmetic unit 12 Detection side arithmetic unit 21 Detection side arithmetic unit 22 Sensor 23 Sensor array 24 Detection side antenna 31 Enclosure Side antenna 32 Case side calculation unit (calculation unit)
33 timer 34 storage unit 35 external communication unit 41 external power supply unit 42 display unit 43 refrigerator control sensor 51 detection information 52 storage information

Claims

A sensor array having a plurality of sensors for detecting the presence or absence of stored items,
A timer that identifies the time when the presence or absence of the stored item is detected,
The shape of the stored item is determined based on the information obtained from the individual sensors forming the sensor array,
Calculate the storage period of the stored items based on the time specified by the timer,
A computing unit that stores the determined shape and the calculated storage period in association with the stored item;
A refrigerator comprising:
The arithmetic unit is
Receiving a result of the sensor detecting the presence or absence of the stored item from the sensor via wireless technology,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is a refrigerator.
The sensor is
The induced voltage generated by the radio wave transmitted by the arithmetic unit via wireless technology is used as a power source for detecting the presence or absence of the stored item,
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein:
The sensor is
Detecting the presence or absence of the stored item triggered by the detection by the arithmetic unit that the time point at which the stored item may be taken in and out has arrived,
The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein:
The arithmetic unit is
When a plurality of adjacent sensors output the same value in a predetermined time range, it is considered that the sensors have detected the same stored item,
The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein:
The arithmetic unit is
Determining the identity of the stored items between the two time points based on the distance between the stored items between the two time points and the difference in the area where the sensor detects the presence or absence of the stored item;
The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein:
The arithmetic unit is
Outputting the determined shape and the calculated storage period in association with the stored item to an external arbitrary device,
The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the refrigerator is a refrigerator.
The sensor array of the refrigerator is
It has multiple sensors to detect the presence or absence of stored items,
The refrigerator timer is
Specify the time when the presence or absence of the stored items is detected,
The operation unit of the refrigerator is
The shape of the stored item is determined based on the information obtained from the individual sensors forming the sensor array,
Calculate the storage period of the stored items based on the time specified by the timer,
Storing the determined shape and the calculated storage period in association with the stored item;
A method of storing stored items in a refrigerator, characterized by:
A sensor array having a plurality of sensors for detecting the presence or absence of stored items,
A timer that identifies the time when the presence or absence of the stored item is detected,
The shape of the stored item is determined based on the information obtained from the individual sensors forming the sensor array,
Calculate the storage period of the stored items based on the time specified by the timer,
A computing unit that stores the determined shape and the calculated storage period in association with the stored item;
A sensor system for managing the contents of a refrigerator, comprising: