CN107401875B - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The refrigerator provided by the present invention includes: a main body having at least one room to be cooled; a plurality of electrical components; an imaging unit for imaging the room; and a control device having a power circuit for monitoring the plurality of electrical components and The action of the camera unit is controlled. The control device interrupts the operation of at least one of the electrical components when the total current value of the electrical components and the imaging unit exceeds the current capacity of the power supply circuit when the imaging unit captures images of the room.

Description

refrigerator

technical field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator equipped with a camera for monitoring the interior of the refrigerator.

Background technique

Conventionally, household refrigerators are equipped with a plurality of electrical components such as a fan for blowing cold air from a cooler into the refrigerator, and an electric damper for supplying or blocking cold air to each compartment in the refrigerator (for example, see Patent Document 1). In order to reduce the transformer capacity required for the control device, the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 defines the operation order of a plurality of electrical components and limits the number of electrical components that operate simultaneously.

In addition, some refrigerators in recent years are equipped with an imaging unit including a camera for imaging the inside of the refrigerator in order to facilitate food management in the refrigerator (for example, see Patent Document 2). The refrigerator of Patent Document 2 adopts a structure in which the amount of storage items stored in the storage room is determined by an irradiation unit that irradiates light, a photosensitive unit that receives light from the irradiated light, or a weight sensor that detects the weight of a shelf. To detect, when the storage volume changes, the camera takes pictures of the inside of the refrigerator.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application No. Sho 61-207065

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-65630

However, the refrigerator in Patent Document 2 does not limit the number of electrical components that operate at the same time. Therefore, there is a problem that the current capacity of the power supply circuit of the control device needs to be set at larger, which increases the cost. In addition, the refrigerator in Patent Document 1 preferentially operates the electric damper with a relatively short operating time, and when multiple electrical components operate at overlapping times, it is necessary to keep other electrical components on standby until the operation of the electric damper is completed.

Contents of the invention

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator in which the operation of an imaging unit is prioritized and the cost is reduced.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes: a main body having at least one chamber to be cooled; a plurality of electrical components including a solenoid valve for adjusting the flow rate of refrigerant for cooling the automatic ice maker and the chamber; and an imaging unit. , which photographs the room; and a control device, which has a power supply circuit, controls the actions of a plurality of the electrical components and the imaging unit, and when causing the imaging unit to photograph the room, When the total current value of the plurality of electrical components and the imaging unit exceeds the current capacity of the power supply circuit, the control device stops the operation of at least one of the plurality of electrical components, and the control device Having priority order information for interrupting the operation of the electrical components, and having a function of selecting at least one of the electrical components based on the priority order information and interrupting the operation of the selected electrical components, the priority order information The priority of stopping the operation of the automatic ice maker is set first, and the priority of stopping the operation of the solenoid valve is set lower than the priority of stopping the operation of the automatic ice maker.

Preferably, the plurality of electrical components further include an electric damper for adjusting the supply state of cold air to the chamber, and the priority order information sets a low priority for interrupting the operation of the electric damper. priority in interrupting the action of the solenoid valve.

Preferably, the plurality of electrical components further include a fan for blowing cool air to the chamber, and the priority information sets the priority of interrupting the action of the fan lower than that of interrupting the electric damper. Action priority.

Preferably, it is further provided with: at least one door provided corresponding to the chamber; and a door opening/closing sensor which detects the opening and closing of the door, changes the chamber from the open state to the closed state, and maintains the When the imaging standby time elapses in the closed state, the control device causes the imaging unit to image the room.

In the present invention, when the total current value of a plurality of electrical components and the imaging unit exceeds the current capacity of the power supply circuit, the control device stops the operation of at least one electrical component among the plurality of electrical components, and then makes the imaging unit respond to room for photography. In this way, when the imaging unit takes an image of the room, the total current value of the plurality of electrical components can be reduced, so that the imaging unit can be operated with priority. Furthermore, since the current capacity of the power supply circuit can be suppressed, cost can be reduced.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing an air passage structure of the refrigerator of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a refrigeration cycle included in the refrigerator of Fig. 1 .

4( a ) to 4 ( d ) are schematic diagrams illustrating the operating state of the two-way valve shown in FIG. 3 .

5( a ) to 5 ( d ) are schematic diagrams illustrating the operating state of the three-way valve in FIG. 3 .

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state in which a door of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 is opened.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the control device of FIG. 2 .

8 is a time chart showing the operating state of each electric component when the allowable current capacity of the control device of FIGS. 4( a ) to 4 ( d ) is set to 2.5 A.

9 is a time chart showing the operating state of each electric component when the allowable current capacity of the control device of FIGS. 4( a ) to 4 ( d ) is set to 2.0 A.

10 is a time chart showing the operating state of each electric component when the allowable current capacity of the control device of FIGS. 4( a ) to 4 ( d ) is set to 1.5 A.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram in which the opening and closing states of the refrigerator compartment in FIG. 3 are associated with a timing chart showing operating timing of an imaging unit.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing overall operations related to imaging processing by the control device in FIG. 7 .

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific operation example of imaging processing by the control device in FIG. 7 .

Explanation of Reference Signs: 1...main body; 2...refrigerating room; 2a...first door; 2b...second door; 3...ice making room; 3a-6a...drawer door; 4...switching room; ;6...vegetable room; 20...cooler room; 21...refrigerator fan; 22...electric damper; 23...automatic ice maker; 31...compressor; 32...radiator; 32a...cooling fan; 33...solenoid valve; 33a...two-way valve; 33b...three-way valve; 34...capillary tube; 35...cooler; 40...control device; 41...opening and closing state determination unit; 42...time measurement processing unit; 43...camera control unit; 44...storage 50a...first door opening and closing sensor; 50b...second door opening and closing sensor; 60...camera unit; 100...refrigerator;

Detailed ways

Implementation

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the overall structure of the refrigerator of this embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1 , the refrigerator 100 has: a main body 1 having a plurality of chambers to be cooled, a first door 2a, a second door 2b, a drawer door 3a, a drawer door 4a, a drawer door 5a, a drawer Door 6a and water supply tank (not shown). The main body 1 has a refrigerator compartment 2 , an ice maker compartment 3 , a switch compartment 4 , a freezer compartment 5 , and a vegetable compartment 6 .

The refrigerating room 2 is a room set in a refrigerating temperature zone, and is provided on the uppermost stage of the main body 1 . The first door 2a and the second door 2b are doors for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment 2, and their upper and lower parts are attached to the main body 1 via hinges (not shown). That is, in the refrigerator 100, the refrigerator compartment 2 can be opened and closed by the first door 2a and the second door 2b that rotate around the hinge. In addition, the water supply tank is installed inside the refrigerator compartment 2 in the refrigeration temperature zone so that the stored water does not freeze.

The ice making room 3 is a room set in a freezing temperature zone, and is provided with an automatic ice maker 23 for making ice using water stored in a water supply tank. That is, refrigerator 100 supplies water from the water supply tank to automatic ice maker 23 in ice making compartment 3 if water is previously added to the water supply tank provided in refrigerating compartment 2 . Furthermore, the automatic ice maker 23 automatically performs an ice making operation using water supplied from a water supply tank, and stores the prepared ice in an ice storage box (not shown) provided in the ice making chamber 3 . Drawer door 3 a is a drawer door for opening and closing ice compartment 3 .

The switching chamber 4 is a chamber capable of switching a set temperature within a wide range from a freezing temperature to a refrigerating temperature range. The drawer-type door 4 a is a drawer-type door for opening and closing the switch chamber 4 . The freezer compartment 5 is a compartment for long-term preservation of frozen foods, pre-made semi-finished dishes, and the like. Drawer-type door 5a is a drawer-type door for opening and closing freezer compartment 5 . The vegetable compartment 6 is set at a temperature slightly higher than the refrigeration temperature range, and is a compartment for storing vegetables and the like. The drawer-type door 6a is a drawer-type door for opening and closing the vegetable compartment 6 .

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating an air passage structure of the refrigerator 100 of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a refrigeration cycle included in refrigerator 100 of FIG. 1 . 4( a ) to 4 ( d ) are schematic diagrams illustrating the operating state of the two-way valve shown in FIG. 3 . 5( a ) to 5 ( d ) are schematic diagrams illustrating the operating state of the three-way valve in FIG. 3 . FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a state in which a door of the refrigerator 100 of FIG. 1 is opened. Referring to FIGS. 2 to 6 , the structure of the refrigerator 100 will be described in more detail.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the main body 1 has a cooler chamber 20 . Inside the cooler compartment 20 of the refrigerator 100 are provided a cooler 35 functioning as an evaporator, a fan 21 inside the refrigerator, and an electric damper 22 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 , the refrigerator 100 includes a compressor 31 that compresses the refrigerant, a radiator 32 that functions as a condenser, a cooling fan 32 a that blows air to the radiator 32 , and a solenoid valve 33 that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant. , and a capillary 34 for decompressing the refrigerant. That is, refrigerator 100 has a refrigeration cycle in which compressor 31 , radiator 32 , solenoid valve 33 , capillary tube 34 , and cooler 35 are connected with refrigerant piping to circulate refrigerant for cooling each chamber.

In addition, refrigerator 100 includes, for example, a temperature sensor (not shown) that is configured with a thermistor and detects the temperature of each chamber. In addition, the refrigerator 100 has a control device 40 provided on the top of the back of the main body 1 to control the operations of various actuators.

The fan 21 in the refrigerator blows the cold air cooled by the cooler 35 to each chamber in the refrigerator. The electric damper 22 is provided in the air passage leading to each room, and supplies cool air to each room or cuts off cool air. That is, the electric damper 22 adjusts the amount of cold air flowing into each compartment in the refrigerator.

Control device 40 controls operations of a plurality of electrical components included in refrigerator 100 . Refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment includes refrigerator inner fan 21 , electric damper 22 , automatic ice maker 23 , and solenoid valve 33 as electrical components. More specifically, the control device 40 blows the cold air cooled by the cooler 35 to each room by controlling the operation of the fan 21 in the refrigerator. In addition, the control device 40 controls the operation of the electric damper 22 based on the temperature of each chamber detected by the temperature sensor. That is, when the temperature of the room is higher than the target temperature, the control device 40 operates the electric damper 22 to open the air passage to supply cool air to the room. In addition, when the temperature of the room is cooled to the target temperature, the control device 40 operates the electric damper 22 to close the air passage, and cuts off the supply of cool air to the room.

In addition, the control device 40 controls the electromagnetic valve 33 to adjust the flow path of the refrigerant. Here, the control device 40 has a power supply circuit (not shown), and its allowable current capacity, that is, the current capacity of the power supply circuit, is set in advance. Hereinafter, the current capacity of the power supply circuit of the control device 40 is also referred to as "allowable current capacity".

Solenoid valve 33 adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through refrigerant piping laid on the front, side, and rear of refrigerator 100 . The solenoid valve 33 includes a two-way valve 33a and a three-way valve 33b. The two-way valve 33a has a plurality of caps provided with holes, and the diameters of the holes provided in the respective caps are different. The two-way valve 33a adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant by arranging a cover portion in the refrigerant flow path. The refrigerant outflow side of the three-way valve 33b is connected to two pipes having different diameters. The three-way valve 33b adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant by opening and closing the flow paths leading to the two pipes.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4( a ) to 4 ( d ), the two-way valve 33 a causes the refrigerant that has flowed in from the pipe A to flow out from the pipe B. As shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 4( a ) to FIG. 4( d ), the two-way valve 33 a has three caps 331 to 333 with different hole diameters, and the hole diameters decrease in the order of cap 331 , cap 332 , and cap 333 . State 1 shown in FIG. 4( a ) is a state in which the two-way valve 33 a is fully opened. State 2 shown in FIG. 4( b ) is a state in which the two-way valve 33 a has the cover portion 331 disposed on the refrigerant flow path. State 3 shown in FIG. 4( c ) is a state in which the two-way valve 33 a has the cover portion 332 disposed on the refrigerant flow path. State 4 shown in FIG. 4( d ) is a state in which the two-way valve 33 a has the cover portion 333 disposed on the refrigerant flow path. Therefore, the flow rate of the refrigerant decreases in the order of state 1, state 2, state 3, and state 4.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5( a ) to 5 ( d ), the three-way valve 33 b causes the refrigerant flowing in from the pipe C to flow out from at least one of the pipe D and the pipe E. As shown in FIG. In the example of FIG.5(a) - FIG.5(d), the diameter of piping D is larger than the diameter of piping E. As shown in FIG. State 1 shown in Fig. 5(a) is a state in which the three-way valve 33b is fully opened. State 2 shown in FIG. 5( b ) is a state in which the flow path to the pipe E is closed by the three-way valve 33 b. State 3 shown in FIG. 5( c ) is a state in which the flow path to the pipe D is closed by the three-way valve 33 b. State 4 shown in FIG. 5( d ) is a state in which the three-way valve 33 b has closed the flow paths leading to both the piping D and the piping E. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the flow rate of the refrigerant decreases in the order of state 1, state 2, state 3, and state 4.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the refrigerator 100 has: a first door open/close sensor 50a for detecting the open/close state of the first door 2a; a second door open/close sensor 50b for detecting the open/close state of the second door 2b; The camera unit 60 inside the door 2a. The first door opening and closing sensor 50a and the second door opening and closing sensor 50b are constituted by magnetic sensors, for example. The first door opening and closing sensor 50 a and the second door opening and closing sensor 50 b output detection information indicating detection results to the control device 40 . More specifically, the first door opening/closing sensor 50a outputs open state detection information indicating that the first door 2a is open to the control device 40 when the first door 2a is opened, and outputs open state detection information to the control device 40 when the first door 2a is closed. Closed state detection information indicating that the first door 2a is closed is output. The second door opening/closing sensor 50b, when the second door 2b is opened, outputs open state detection information indicating that the second door 2b is open to the control device 40, and outputs information indicating the second door 2b to the control device 40 when the second door 2b is closed. 2b Closing state detection information of closing.

The imaging unit 60 includes a camera (not shown) including an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor: Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and images the interior of the refrigerator. In the present embodiment, imaging unit 60 is arranged at the center of refrigerator compartment 2 in a state where first door 2a is closed, and images the entire region of refrigerator compartment 2 .

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the control device 40 of FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 7 , the control device 40 has an opening/closing state determination unit 41 , a time measurement processing unit 42 , an imaging control unit 43 , and a storage unit 44 . Open/close state determination unit 41 determines whether refrigerator compartment 2 is in an open state or in a closed state based on detection information output from first door open/close sensor 50a and second door open/close sensor 50b. Here, the state in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened means the state in which at least one of the 1st door 2a and the 2nd door 2b is opened. In addition, the closed state of the refrigerator compartment 2 means the state in which both the 1st door 2a and the 2nd door 2b are closed.

That is, if at least one of the first door 2a and the second door 2b is opened, the open/close state determination unit 41 determines that the refrigerator compartment 2 is in the open state. Moreover, if both the 1st door 2a and the 2nd door 2b are closed, the opening and closing state determination part 41 determines that the refrigerator compartment 2 is in the closed state. Hereinafter, the state in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is opened is also referred to as an open state, and the state in which the refrigerator compartment 2 is closed is also referred to as a closed state. Furthermore, the opening/closing state determination part 41 outputs a measurement command signal to the time measurement processing part 42 when the refrigerator compartment 2 changes from an open state to a closed state. In addition, after outputting the measurement command signal, the opening and closing state determination unit 41 outputs a clear command signal to the time measurement processing unit 42 when the refrigerator compartment 2 is in the open state.

The time measurement processing unit 42 measures the time during which the closed state continues as the closed state continuation time after the refrigerator compartment 2 changes from the open state to the closed state. That is, the time measurement processing unit 42 starts measuring the closed state continuation time based on the measurement command signal output from the open/close state determination unit 41 . In addition, the time measurement processing unit 42 outputs an imaging instruction signal to the imaging control unit 43 when the duration of the closed state reaches the preset imaging standby time. That is, when the refrigerating room 2 is in the open state before the closed state duration reaches the imaging standby time, the time measurement processing unit 42 resets the closed state duration to zero, and restarts the closed state duration after becoming the closed state again. measurement. That is, the time measurement processing unit 42 clears the closed state continuation time to zero in accordance with the clear command signal output from the open and closed state determination unit 41 . Then, the time measurement processing unit 42 restarts measurement of the closed state continuation time based on the measurement command signal newly output from the open/close state determination unit 41 .

The storage unit 44 stores priority order information for interrupting the operation of the electrical component, that is, priority order information indicating which operation of the electrical component should be interrupted first. Storage unit 44 stores current value information indicating the driving current value of each of the electrical components included in refrigerator 100 when the load is maximum and the driving current value of imaging unit 60 when the load is maximum. In addition, storage unit 44 stores imaging information showing the state of refrigerator compartment 2 captured by imaging control unit 43 .

The imaging control unit 43 causes the imaging unit 60 to image the refrigerator compartment 2 when an imaging command signal is output from the time measurement processing unit 42 . The imaging control unit 43 has a function of monitoring the operating states of a plurality of electrical components and referring to the current value information in the storage unit 44 to obtain a total current value that is a total current value of the plurality of electrical components and the imaging unit 60 . Imaging control unit 43 interrupts the operation of at least one of the plurality of electric components when the total current value exceeds the allowable current capacity when imaging unit 60 takes an image of refrigerator compartment 2 .

More specifically, when the imaging command signal is output from the time measurement processing unit 42, the imaging control unit 43 obtains a total current value assumed when the imaging unit 60 takes an image of the refrigerator compartment 2, and determines whether the obtained total current value is Exceeded the allowable current capacity. Here, the assumed total current value when the imaging unit 60 takes an image of the refrigerator compartment 2 is the total current value when the imaging unit 60 is operated while maintaining the operating state of a plurality of electrical components, and is hereinafter also referred to as "imaging total current." value". Further, when the imaging control unit 43 determines that the obtained total current value at the time of imaging exceeds the allowable current capacity, the operation of at least one of the plurality of electrical components is interrupted so as not to cause the imaging unit 60 to capture the refrigerating room 2. The total current value exceeds the allowable current capacity.

In addition, imaging control unit 43 selects at least one electrical component whose operation is interrupted when imaging unit 60 takes an image of refrigerator compartment 2 based on the priority order information in storage unit 44 . That is, the imaging control unit 43 selects at least one electrical component based on the priority order information so as to reduce the current equal to or greater than the difference obtained by subtracting the allowable current capacity from the total current value during imaging. Furthermore, the imaging control unit 43 interrupts the operation of at least one selected electrical component when operating the imaging unit 60 . Then, the imaging control unit 43 stores imaging information representing an image captured by the imaging unit 60 in the storage unit 44 .

Here, the control device 40 can be realized by hardware such as a circuit device that realizes the above-mentioned functions, for example, it can be implemented as a microcomputer such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor: digital signal processor) or a CPU (Central Processing Unit: central processing unit). A software implementation executed on a device. In addition, the storage unit 44 of the control device 40 can be constituted by a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory: Programmable Read Only Memory) such as a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive: Hard Disk Drive), or the like.

Table 1 is a table illustrating the driving current when the load of the electrical components included in the refrigerator 100 of FIG. 1 is the maximum. That is, Table 1 is a table that sorts out current values required for driving each of the fan 21 in the refrigerator, the electric damper 22 , the automatic ice maker 23 , and the solenoid valve 33 . In the case of Table 1, the refrigerator 100 requires a current of 0.68 A to drive the fan 21 inside the refrigerator, and a current of 0.53 A to drive the solenoid valve 33 . In addition, the driving of the automatic ice maker 23 of the refrigerator 100 requires a current of 0.64 A, and the driving of the electric damper 22 requires a current of 0.14 A.

Table 1

electrical components current value refrigerator fan 0.68A The electromagnetic valve 0.53A automatic ice machine 0.64A electric damper 0.14A total 1.99A

Table 2 is a diagram illustrating priority order information held by the control device 40 of FIG. 7 . As shown in Table 2, the priority order information is constituted by, for example, table information associating the interrupt priority order, which is the order in which the interrupt operation is prioritized, with each electric component. The priority order information is set in consideration of the influence of each electrical component on the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 100 in an actual use environment so as not to inconvenience the user.

Table 2

interrupt priority electrical components 1 automatic ice machine 2 The electromagnetic valve 3 electric damper 4 fan

More specifically, the priority information sets the priority of interrupting the automatic ice maker 23 as first. In addition, the priority order information sets the priority order of stopping the solenoid valve 33 lower than the priority order of stopping the automatic ice maker 23 . In addition, the priority order information sets the priority order of interrupting the electric damper 22 lower than the priority order of interrupting the solenoid valve 33 . In addition, the priority order information sets the priority order of stopping the fan 21 in the refrigerator lower than the priority order of stopping the electric damper 22 . In addition, in the example of Table 2, the interrupt priority order of the electromagnetic valve 33 is set to the second, the interrupt priority order of the electric damper 22 is set to the third, and the interrupt priority order of the fan 21 in the refrigerator is set to the second. Four.

The automatic ice maker 23 and the solenoid valve 33, which are set as the high order of interruption priority, have a greater impact on the cooling performance of the refrigerator 100 than the refrigerator internal fan 21 that blows cold air and the electric damper 22 that controls the supply state of cold air. has less impact. Therefore, refrigerator 100 sets the interruption priority as described above, and control device 40 performs interruption processing of electrical components based on the priority information, thereby avoiding inconvenience to the user in an actual use environment.

FIG. 8 is a time chart showing the operating state of each electric component when the allowable current capacity of the control device 40 of FIGS. 4( a ) to 4 ( d ) is set to 2.5. FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing the operating state of each electric component when the allowable current capacity of the control device 40 of FIGS. 4( a ) to 4 ( d ) is set to 2.0 A. FIG. 10 is a time chart showing the operating state of each electric component when the allowable current capacity of the control device 40 of FIGS. 4( a ) to 4 ( d ) is set to 1.5 A. The timing charts shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 will be described in association with Tables 1 and 2.

As shown in the example of FIG. 8 , when the allowable current capacity is 2.50 A, even if the fan 21 in the refrigerator, the electric damper 22 , the automatic ice maker 23 , and the electromagnetic valve 33 are all in operation, the imaging unit 60 still has a fault. Drive the margin of the required current capacity. In this way, when the maximum current value required to simultaneously operate all the electrical components and the imaging unit 60 is smaller than the allowable current capacity, the total current value does not exceed the allowable current capacity. Therefore, when the control device 40 operates the imaging unit 60 , it is not necessary to temporarily suspend the operation of the electrical components. However, in order to increase the allowable current capacity, it is necessary to use a large-capacity power supply circuit as a power supply component of the control device 40 , so that the product size of the control device 40 needs to be enlarged, resulting in an increase in cost.

Therefore, in refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, the allowable current capacity is set to be smaller than the maximum current value. For example, in the case of FIG. 9 , which is an example in which the allowable current capacity is 2.00 A, at time t ₄ when the imaging unit 60 performs imaging, if the operation of any electrical component is not interrupted, the total current of the imaging unit 60 when imaging is The value will exceed the allowable current capacity. Therefore, the control device ₄₀ temporarily suspends the operation of the automatic ice maker 23 with the highest interruption priority at time t4 when the imaging unit 60 is driven so that the total current value does not exceed the allowable current capacity. Then, at time t ₅ when the operation of the imaging unit 60 ends, the control device 40 restarts the operation of the automatic ice maker 23 .

In addition, for example, in the case of FIG. 10 in which the allowable current capacity is 1.50 A, the operation of the solenoid valve 33 stops at time t ₄ , and the operation of the solenoid valve 33 continues at time t ₆ when the imaging unit 60 takes an image. stop state. However, at time t6 when the imaging unit ₆₀ performs imaging, the total current value during imaging exceeds the allowable current value. Therefore, if the operation of any electrical component is not further interrupted, the total current value during imaging by the imaging unit 60 will exceed allowable current capacity. Therefore, at time t ₆ , the control device 40 temporarily suspends the operation of the automatic ice maker 23 based on the priority order information so that the total current value does not exceed the allowable current capacity. Then, at time t ₇ when the operation of the imaging unit 60 ends, the control device 40 restarts the operation of the automatic ice maker 23 .

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram in which the opening and closing state of the refrigerator compartment 2 in FIG. 3 is associated with a timing chart showing operation timing of the imaging unit 60 . In the refrigerator 100 as shown in FIG. 11 , when the door of the refrigerator compartment 2 is changed from an open state to a closed state, and the closed state has not lasted for the imaging standby time, the imaging unit 60 does not perform imaging, and the imaging standby time is reset to zero. Then, the measurement of the imaging standby time starts again after the state is turned off. Therefore, according to the refrigerator 100 , it is possible to reduce the chances of unnecessary operation of the imaging unit 60 in the use situation where the door is frequently opened and closed and food is taken in and out frequently. This can suppress the chance of interrupting the operation of electrical components other than the imaging unit 60 , so that the stability of the operation can be improved.

On the other hand, in refrigerator 100 , as shown in FIG. 11 , when the door of refrigerator compartment 2 is closed from the open state and the closed state continues for the imaging standby time, imaging unit 60 performs imaging. At this time, refrigerator 100 suspends the operation of at least one of the plurality of electrical components based on the current capacity of the power supply circuit of control device 40 and the priority order information. Therefore, according to the refrigerator 100 , the total current value when the imaging unit 60 operates can be suppressed, so the current capacity of the power supply circuit of the control device 40 can be suppressed, and the imaging unit 60 can be preferentially operated.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing overall operations related to imaging processing by the control device 40 of FIG. 7 . FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the operation of the imaging process by the control device 40 in FIG. 7 . First, the timing when the control device 40 causes the imaging unit 60 to image the inside of the refrigerator will be described with reference to FIG. 12 .

The control device 40 waits until the refrigerator compartment 2 is in the open state (FIG. 12: step S101/NO). If the refrigerator compartment 2 is in the open state (FIG. 12: step S101/Yes), the control device 40 waits until the refrigerator compartment 2 becomes the closed state (FIG. 12: step S102/NO).

If refrigerating chamber 2 is in closed state (Fig. 12: step S102/yes), then control device 40 starts to carry out the metering of closed state duration, as long as refrigerating chamber 2 is not in open state, then wait until the closed state duration reaches the camera standby time (FIG. 12: Step S103/No, Step S104/No). Then, the control device 40 executes imaging processing ( FIG. 12 : Step S105 ) when the duration of the closed state reaches the imaging standby time ( FIG. 12 : Step S103 /YES). On the other hand, the control device 40 returns to step S102 when the duration of the closed state has not reached the imaging standby time (FIG. 12: step S103/NO) and the refrigerator compartment 2 is open (FIG. 12: step S104/YES).

Next, imaging processing by the control device 40 will be described based on FIG. 13 . First, the control device 40 obtains the total current value during imaging, and determines whether the obtained total current value during imaging is larger than the allowable current capacity ( FIG. 13 : step S201 ). When the total current value during imaging is greater than the allowable current capacity (FIG. 13: step S201/YES), the control device 40 interrupts the operation of at least one electrical component based on the priority information (FIG. 13: step S202).

Next, the control device 40 causes the imaging unit 60 to image the inside of the refrigerator, and stores the imaging information acquired from the imaging unit 60 in the storage unit 44 ( FIG. 13 : step S203 ). Next, the control apparatus 40 restarts the operation|movement of the electric component which stopped (FIG. 13: step S204).

On the other hand, when the total current value during imaging is less than the allowable current capacity ( FIG. 13 : Step S201 /No), the control device 40 causes the imaging unit 60 to image the interior of the refrigerator without stopping the operating electrical components. Then, the control device 40 stores the imaging information acquired from the imaging unit 60 in the storage unit 44 ( FIG. 13 : step S205 ).

As described above, in the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment, when the total current value exceeds the allowable current capacity during imaging, the control device 40 stops the operation of at least one of the plurality of electrical components, and then operates the imaging unit 60 . Therefore, when the refrigerator 100 operates the imaging unit 60 , the total current value of each electric component can be reduced, and thus the imaging unit 60 can be operated with priority. Furthermore, refrigerator 100 can reduce the cost by suppressing the current capacity of the power supply circuit of control device 40 .

That is, refrigerator 100 determines whether or not the total current value at the time of imaging exceeds the allowable current capacity when the operation of imaging unit 60 overlaps with the operation of a plurality of electrical components. Furthermore, when the total current value exceeds the allowable current capacity during imaging, refrigerator 100 suspends the operation of at least one electric component that is in operation, thereby obtaining a captured image as early as possible. Then, when the imaging process ends, refrigerator 100 resumes the operation of the stopped electrical components, so that the temporary interruption time of the electrical components can be shortened.

In addition, when the operation of the electrical components is temporarily suspended while the imaging unit 60 is operating, the refrigerator 100 refers to the priority order information and selects the electrical components whose operation is suspended. In the example in Table 2, the order of the electrical components that interrupt the operation is: the first is the automatic ice maker 23 , the second is the solenoid valve 33 , the third is the electric damper 22 , and the fourth is the fan 21 inside the refrigerator. That is, since the automatic ice maker 23 requires a large current value for its operation and does not affect the cooling performance, it is located at the top of the electrical components that interrupt the operation. On the other hand, the fan 21 in the refrigerator blows cold air into the refrigerator, which has a great influence on the cooling performance. The electric damper 22 adjusts the supply state of supplying cold air to each chamber in the refrigerator, and its impact on the performance of the cold air is second to that of the fan 21 in the refrigerator, which is larger. In addition, the electromagnetic valve 33 does not directly control the cold air, so compared with the fan 21 and the electric damper 22 in the refrigerator, it has less influence on the cooling performance. That is, refrigerator 100 sets the priority order of interruption of electrical components that have a relatively small influence on cooling performance to the highest order, and sets the order of interruption priority of electrical components that have a relatively large influence on cooling performance to the lowest order, so that it is possible to suppress The cooling performance of the refrigerator decreases when the unit 60 operates.

Here, in the refrigerator 100 , when it is desired to take an image with the imaging unit 60 , food is taken in and out, that is, the door is opened and closed. In this regard, as in the refrigerator of Patent Document 2, if an illuminating unit, a light receiving unit, or a weight sensor are used to detect a change in the storage volume that is a trigger for camera imaging, the cost increases. On the other hand, the refrigerator 100 uses the door opening and closing as a trigger to activate the camera unit 60. Therefore, it is possible to construct a camera system for monitoring the inside of the refrigerator without using an irradiation unit, a photoreceptor unit, or a weight sensor for detecting the amount of food stored. , thereby reducing costs.

In addition, since the refrigerator 100 takes an image of the inside of the refrigerator when the door has been closed for a predetermined period of time after the door has been opened and closed, it is possible to suppress unnecessary noise in a usage situation where the door is frequently opened and closed, and food is frequently taken in and out. Camera, so as to reduce the chance of interruption of electrical components. That is, in the refrigerator 100, when at least one of the first door 2a and the second door 2b is opened before the imaging standby time elapses after the refrigerator compartment 2 is changed from the open state to the closed state, the imaging unit 60 does not perform imaging, but It is to reset the camera standby time to zero. Therefore, in the case of frequent opening and closing of the door, the refrigerator 100 can maintain the operating state of each electrical component without operating the imaging unit 60 under circumstances where there is a lot of food coming in and out, and it is not necessary to take an image of the refrigerator. Therefore, according to the refrigerator 100, the stability of operation|movement can be improved, and energy saving can be achieved.

In addition, the said embodiment is a preferable specific example of a refrigerator, and the technical scope of this invention is not limited to these aspects. For example, in FIG. 3 , the case where the camera unit 60 is installed on the first door 2a, which is one of the two doors, is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the camera unit 60 may be installed on the second door 2b. In addition, the imaging unit 60 may be installed in both the 1st door 2a and the 2nd door 2b. Further, refrigerator 100 may include imaging unit 60 for imaging the entire area of refrigerator compartment 2 , and imaging unit 60 for imaging a part of the interior of refrigerator compartment 2 . However, at least one camera unit 60 can be arranged inside the refrigerator compartment 2 .

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the imaging object of the imaging unit 60 is the refrigerating room 2 is illustrated, but it is not limited thereto, and the imaging object of the imaging unit 60 may be the ice making room 3, the switching room 4, and the freezing room 5. And at least one of the vegetable compartments 6. In addition, refrigerator 100 may include imaging unit 60 for imaging at least one of ice making compartment 3 , switch compartment 4 , freezer compartment 5 , and vegetable compartment 6 independently of imaging unit 60 for imaging refrigerating compartment 2 . In addition, the refrigerator 100 may have an ice-making door opening and closing sensor for detecting the opening and closing state of the drawer door 3a, a switching door opening and closing sensor for detecting the opening and closing state of the drawer door 4a, and a sensor for detecting the opening and closing state of the drawer door 5a. At least one of the freezer door open/close sensor and the vegetable door open/close sensor that detects the open/close state of the drawer door 6a. Furthermore, the control device 40 may take an image of at least one of the ice making compartment 3 , the switching compartment 4 , the freezing compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6 based on the detection information of each door opening/closing sensor.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the control device 40 operates the imaging unit 60 when the imaging standby time elapses has been exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the control device 40 may , so that the imaging unit 60 operates. In addition, refrigerator 100 may have an input unit for receiving a user's operation, and the input unit may have a function of receiving an operation for instructing imaging of the interior of the refrigerator. Furthermore, the control device 40 may operate the imaging unit 60 when the user instructs imaging of the interior of the refrigerator via the input unit.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the imaging control unit 43 stores imaging information in the storage unit 44 in the control device 40 was exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the refrigerator 100 may be configured to include a storage device outside the control device 40, and the imaging control unit 43 may store the imaging information acquired from the imaging unit 60 in the storage device.

In addition, refrigerator 100 may be configured to have a communication unit for communicating with an external communication device, and the communication unit may transmit the imaging information stored in storage unit 44 or the storage device to the outside. However, a mobile terminal or the like may be capable of acquiring imaging information stored in the storage unit 44 or a storage device via a communication unit.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the fan 21 in the refrigerator, the electric damper 22, the automatic ice maker 23, and the solenoid valve 33 are illustrated as a plurality of electrical components, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It includes other electrical components such as heaters for heat preservation in refrigerators. However, the plurality of electrical components may not include at least one of the refrigerator inner fan 21, the electric damper 22, the automatic ice maker 23, and the solenoid valve 33, and may include various electrical components other than the above. Furthermore, the priority order information may be set in consideration of the influence each of the electrical components has on the cooling performance of the refrigerator 100 .

In addition, in FIG. 2 , the case where the refrigerator 100 has one refrigerator fan 21 is illustrated, but it is not limited to this, and the refrigerator 100 may have a some refrigerator fan 21 in the cooler room 20. As shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 2 , the case where the refrigerator 100 has one electric damper 22 is shown as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the refrigerator 100 may have a plurality of electric dampers 22 corresponding to each chamber or area. And the priority information can be subdivided according to the number of refrigerator fans 21 and electric dampers 22 included in the refrigerator 100 .

In addition, in Fig. 4 (a) ~ Fig. 4 (d), the two-way valve 33a that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant in four stages is illustrated, but it is not limited thereto, and the two-way valve 33a may also be in two stages, three stages, etc. Adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant in stages or more than five stages. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the electromagnetic valve 33 includes the two-way valve 33a and the three-way valve 33b was illustrated, but it is not limited to this, and the electromagnetic valve 33 may be configured to have the two-way valve 33a and the three-way valve 33b. either side. However, when the solenoid valve 33 includes the two-way valve 33a and the three-way valve 33b, the priority order information may set the interrupt priority order for the two-way valve 33a and the three-way valve 33b respectively.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the imaging control unit 43 obtains the total current value based on the current value information stored in the storage unit 44 was exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, refrigerator 100 may be configured to have a current sensor that detects the driving current of each electric component. Furthermore, the imaging control unit 43 may obtain the total current value of the plurality of electric components based on the actual measurement value of each current sensor. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the refrigerator 100 having the chambers of five temperature zones was representatively illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the refrigerator 100 may be configured by arbitrarily changing the number and shape of the chambers. For example, refrigerator 100 may have four or less chambers, or may have six or more chambers as cooling objects.

Claims (4)

1. a kind of refrigerator, which is characterized in that have:

Main part has at least one room as cooling object；

Multiple electric components comprising the electricity that the flow for the cooling refrigerant of automatic ice maker and the room is adjusted Magnet valve；

Camera unit images the room；And

Control device controls the movement of multiple electric components and the camera unit with power circuit,

When imaging the camera unit to the room, in the conjunction of multiple electric components and the camera unit In the case where counting the current capacity that current value is more than the power circuit, the control device is interrupted in multiple electric components The movement of at least one electric component,

The control device has the precedence information for interrupting the movement of the electric component, and has based on described excellent First order information selectes at least one described electric component and interrupts the function of the movement of the selected electric component,

The priority for interrupting the movement of the automatic ice maker is set as first by the precedence information, will be described in interruption The priority of the movement of solenoid valve is set to the priority lower than the movement for interrupting the automatic ice maker.

2. refrigerator according to claim 1, which is characterized in that

It further include electric flap in multiple electric components, which adjusts the supply shape to the room cool-air feed State,

The priority for interrupting the movement of the electric flap is set to lower than the interruption electromagnetism by the precedence information The priority of the movement of valve.

3. refrigerator according to claim 2, which is characterized in that

It further include the fan that cold air is blown to the room in multiple electric components,

The priority for interrupting the movement of the fan is set to lower than the interruption electric flap by the precedence information Movement priority.

4. refrigerator described in any one of claim 1 to 3, which is characterized in that be also equipped with:

At least one door is correspondingly arranged with the room；With

Door opening and closing sensor, detects the opening and closing of the door,

Become closed state from opening state in the room, and have passed through camera shooting stand-by time in the case where keeping the closed state When, the control device images the camera unit to the room.