JP2002081818A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerator which is improved in facility. SOLUTION: The refrigerator comprises a storage chamber formed in a chamber; an image-picking-up means situated in the storage chamber and picking up an image of the interior of the storage chamber; a communicating means capable of communicating an image from the photographing means; and a control means to communicate the image through the communication means according to a command by a user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and, more particularly, to a refrigerator having a communication function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, so-called bulk purchasing, in which a large amount of articles are purchased at once by using a store such as a large supermarket, has increased. In such a state, it is difficult to determine which of the many purchased articles in the past is consumed and should be purchased. Therefore,
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, refrigerators having an inventory management function have been considered in order to accurately grasp the number and types of stock of stored food and daily necessities in order to make efficient and efficient shopping.

One example of such a conventional refrigerator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-48091.

[0004] In this conventional technique, inventory information is transmitted and received between a home and a destination via communication means, and both home and a destination are used by referring to data files of articles held in the home. The person can grasp what kind of goods are kept in the refrigerator regardless of the place.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above prior arts include:
There were the following problems.

[0006] If the stock information is not updated, the current information will not be accurate. Therefore, the user must constantly update the information in order to obtain correct information. In this conventional technique, information on articles is read in a barcode. However, information such as the quantity must be performed for each article at the time of purchase, and detailed data cannot be input.

[0007] For this reason, it was not possible to know the quantity of stored foods, seasonings and the like used halfway. They didn't take into account the problem of running out of food while cooking, or having to change the menu because they couldn't make the number of people who wanted to cook.

[0008] In addition, since these stock information only presents information on the mere quantity of articles,
The use of the menu to decide was not considered. In addition, refrigerator inventory information is used for the health and information of the family members to use to maintain and improve their health, and to help manage household appliances to improve safety and reduce power consumption. Was not considered at all.

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator that facilitates housekeeping and improves usability.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage room formed in a storage, a photographing means arranged in the storage room for photographing the storage room, and a communication capable of communicating an image from the photographing means. The present invention is achieved by a refrigerator comprising: means; and control means for communicating the image via the communication means in response to a command from a user.

[0011] Further, the object is to provide a refrigerator which is installed indoors and has a storage room formed in a refrigerator and a cooling means for cooling the storage room, comprising a control means for adjusting the operation of the cooling means of the refrigerator. This is achieved by providing the control means with a function of adjusting other equipment placed indoors. Further, this is achieved by the control means adjusting the device according to a command from outside.

[0012] Further, a storage room formed indoors, an input means capable of inputting information of a storage object stored in the storage room, a storage means for storing the input information, and a storage means for storing the input information Communication means for communicating the received information in response to an external command.

A storage room formed indoors; photographing means arranged in the storage room for photographing the inside of the storage room;
This is achieved by a refrigerator including storage means for storing an image captured by the imaging means, and communication means for communicating the image stored in the storage means in response to an external command.

Further, the present invention is achieved by providing control means for operating the photographing means in response to an external command. It is further achieved by providing a power supply unit for supplying power to any of the input unit, the storage unit, the communication unit, and the control unit.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, an outline of the overall configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the entire configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention and a house provided with the refrigerator. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a configuration of the refrigerator and the house shown in FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, in the house 1, in addition to the refrigerator 2, home electric appliances such as a microwave oven 3, a washing machine 4, a rice cooker 5, an air conditioner 6, and indoor lighting 7 are provided.
These home appliances have a control device 9 for adjusting these operations.
Is connected to The control device 9 is also connectable to a device 14 such as a personal computer (hereinafter, a PC) or a portable information terminal located indoors.

The control device 9 is also connected to an outdoor network 10 via a line 8. A power company 11, a home appliance sales company 12, and a local government 13 can also be connected to the network 10, and a user using the device 14 can update with the organizations via the control device 9 and the network 10 to update information. Acquisition becomes possible. At the same time, it is possible to control indoor home appliances from the power company 11 via the network 10 and the control device 9.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a part of the present embodiment centering on the control device 9. In FIG. 2, the control device 9 includes a storage means 15 such as a hard disk and a memory, a communication means 16 for communicating with the network 10,
The apparatus includes an operation unit 17 for performing an operation, and an interface unit 18 for transmitting and receiving data to and from the terminal unit 23 provided on the surface of the refrigerator 2. These sections store data from the network 10 and the terminal 23, perform calculations and searches using the stored data in response to a user's request, and pass the result to the terminal 23 and the network 10. The server unit 19 that provides these functions to the user is provided. Further, the communication unit 16 may communicate with the network 10 via the interface unit 18.

In the control unit 9, a control unit 20 which gives control commands to the refrigerator 2 and other home appliances, the microwave oven 3, the washing machine 4, the air conditioner 6, the lighting 7, and receives a response from these devices. It has. That is, in the refrigerator of the present embodiment, the control unit 20 has indoor electric appliances also serving as the control unit. The control unit 20 is connected to the server unit 20 and adjusts the operation of the home electric appliance in response to a command from the server unit 20.

At the same time, the server unit 20 includes not only the terminal 23 on the refrigerator 2 but also a plurality of terminals 1 in the house.
The user can use not only the refrigerator 2 but also the functions provided by the storage unit 15, the communication unit 16, and the arithmetic unit 17 of the home appliance and the server unit 20 from the terminal 14. be able to.

At the same time, the portable terminal 14 connected to the network 10 from outside is also provided with a storage unit 24, a communication unit 25, a calculation unit 26, and an interface unit 27. Also, this interface unit is connected to the display panel unit 28 on the terminal device 14, and receives an input command from the display panel unit.
The information is passed to the storage unit 24, the communication unit 25, and the calculation unit 26.

The configuration of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the structure of the refrigerator shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a configuration of a terminal mounted on the refrigerator shown in FIG.

A terminal 23 having a panel for displaying and inputting information is provided at a position just in front of the refrigerator on the outer surface of the door of the upper storage room of the refrigerator of the present embodiment. In this embodiment, this terminal 23 is composed of two terminals 23a, 2a.
3b. In the refrigerator 2, a refrigerator compartment 201, a vegetable compartment 202, a switching compartment 203, an ice making compartment 20
4. A freezer compartment 205 is formed, each of which is partitioned by a partition wall. The refrigerator compartment has a vertically long interior light cover 206 in the center of the rear wall surface and a plurality of interior shelves 207 in front of the cover 206.

The refrigerator of the present embodiment has a refrigerator 20
1. a cooler 208 for cooling the vegetable compartment 202 and a switching compartment 2
03, a cooler 205 for cooling the ice making room 204 and the freezing room 205, and independent cooling air circulation passages are provided in the refrigerator.

In the refrigerator compartment 201, the vegetable compartment 202, and the freezer compartment 205, cameras 210a,
The refrigerator 210 has 210b, 210c, 210d, and 210e. In addition, the terminal 23 is provided with a camera 210f capable of photographing the outside of the refrigerator, and is arranged so that a user who uses the terminal can be photographed. The camera 210 according to the present embodiment is a small camera using a CCD, and is connected to the server unit 19 and the terminal device 23 by communication means, and can transfer a captured image.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the details of the terminal 23. The first terminal 23a is disposed above the second terminal 23b. The main body includes a display panel 301 for displaying an image on the upper side, a plurality of buttons 302 and 303 arranged below the display panel 301, a speaker and a microphone 304.
Are arranged. An interface unit 305 for data transfer by infrared communication and a connector unit 306 that can be connected to a device such as an external memory are provided at the bottom. The display panel 301 is a touch panel using a contact sensor, and can be operated by pressing buttons, switches, and the like displayed in an image.

Further, buttons 301a arranged in a row are provided below the display unit 301, and functions frequently used among the functions displayed on the display can be assigned. For example, a function of returning to an initial menu from an arbitrary screen described later may be assigned.

Below the first terminal 23a, a second terminal
The terminal 23b is arranged. This second terminal 23b
Is detachably provided, and can be used as a remote controller that can communicate with the first terminal 23a and send commands after removal. First,
An interface 405 is provided above the second terminal 23b at a position facing the infrared communication interface 305 of the first terminal 23a so that data can be transferred between the second terminals. . Further, a connector section 406 is provided on the bottom, and can be connected to an external device.

The terminal 23 of the present embodiment also has a telephone function. In particular, the second terminal 23b has an antenna 40
4 and can be connected to the network 10 via an Internet provider using wireless communication or a telephone line when used outdoors when detached from the refrigerator 2 and used outdoors. In addition, data can be transferred from the server unit 19 via the first terminal 23a and stored in the internal storage device 24 using the interface unit and the connector unit before being detached. By doing so, it is possible to browse necessary data without being connected to a network even when the device is removed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the control device 9 and the server unit 19 shown in FIG. The storage unit 15 provided inside the server unit 19 stores food management data 501, family information data 502, device management data 503, and information acquisition data 504. Further, the food management data 501 is divided into data of in-fridge information, menu / recipe, health management, and order (505). The family information data 502 is divided into personal information, schedule, and message / memo (506) data. The device management data 503 is divided into home network and maintenance (507) data. The information acquisition data 505 is the Internet,
Contact and TV (508) data. These pieces of information are provided as a function of displaying the information on the terminal and giving a command from the user.

Therefore, the display panel 301 (4
01), as shown in FIG.
A menu screen having buttons for selecting data 504 is displayed. The buttons on this menu screen are linked to four data.

Next, the menu screen displayed and the flow of function / data selection will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
5 is an example of a screen first displayed on a panel displayed on the terminal device 23 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of function / data selection using the menu screen shown in FIG.

When the menu button shown in FIG. 6 is selected, a screen for providing more detailed information / function is displayed. In FIG. 6, buttons related to food management that are frequently used are arranged on the upper side.

FIG. 7 illustrates the flow of menu selection. In STEP 1 of this figure, food management, family information,
One of device management and information acquisition is selected. ST
In EP2, more detailed information / function is selected from the selected information / function. This corresponds to FIG. However, in FIG. 6, the screen shown in FIG. 5B is not displayed, and the menu screen displays buttons for selecting more detailed functions / information. If nothing is selected,
Return to the initial screen by returning to the menu (STEP 3) The flow of food management menu selection will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an initial menu when the food management button is selected. In this menu, a button 801 for putting food, a button 802 for feeding food, a button 803 for viewing the inside of the refrigerator, and a button 804 for ordering are displayed and selectable.

In this figure, the button for viewing the inside of the refrigerator is a function for confirming the presence or absence of food in the refrigerator before shopping for food. Since the terminal 23 displays the data from the server 19, the terminal 14 connected to the server 19 via the network 10 can also confirm the presence of food in the refrigerator. As a result, the necessity of purchase can be determined by checking whether there is a shortage before buying food, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of waste such as omission of shopping or over-purchase, and to improve the usability of the user. Also, immediately after checking the inventory in the warehouse,
Since a missing item can be ordered from the same terminal using the ordering function, quick response can be made and user convenience is improved.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the food management menu shown in FIG. In STEP901,
Choose between putting food, serving food, looking inside the cabinet, or ordering. If you choose to put food, ST
In EP902, a storage room for storing food is selected (FIG. 10A). In FIG. 10A, buttons 102, 103, 104, and 105 corresponding to each storage room are arranged.

After selecting the storage room, the next step is STEP903.
In, the type of food to be stored is selected (FIG. 10).
(B)). In the present embodiment, one of meat, fish, vegetables, and other four types is selected, and the corresponding button 106,
Press 107, 108, 109.

Next, in step 904, a more detailed type is selected (FIG. 10 (c)). In the present embodiment, the user inputs all of a wide variety of foods,
Considering that a great burden is imposed on the user, the user can select a food from a squeezed menu to improve the user's convenience. In STEP 905, the weight is selected (FIG. 1).
1 (a)). Here, the size is selected in increments of 50 g, but may be selected in different increments.

Next, in STEP 906, the number of days of the expiration date is input. The input is selected by pressing the button 112 in each of the up and down directions to increase or decrease the numerical value. The selected numerical value is displayed on the button 111. In the present embodiment, the expiration date is input in days, but may be input in months and days, and further, the expiration date written on the food may be input. Finally, based on the data input so far, a list of foods to be stored is displayed together with the newly input foods (FIG. 12).

In this figure, the type of food, quantity (can be changed to weight display by pressing the weight button 122), expiration date (expiration date, expiration date) storage location (storage room)
Is displayed. Furthermore, each data is displayed by the button 121, and the data that needs to be changed can be changed by returning to the above-described input screen by pressing the button 121 or the like. Finally, in STEP 908, it is possible to select whether or not to input other ingredients, and to return to the initial menu if unnecessary.

STEPs 904 to 914 are for explaining the flow of taking out the food from the refrigerator. In STEP 908,
Select whether to search for food to be served. When performing a search, a menu screen for viewing the inside of the refrigerator is displayed, and the search can be performed. In STEP 910, a storage room to be taken out of the storage is selected. This screen can conform to FIG.

Next, the food list in the storage room selected in STEP 911 is displayed. The display of this list is shown in FIG.
2 can be displayed. However, STEP
At 912, the food is taken out, and the data that needs to be changed as a result of taking out the food is selected by pressing the data button and changed. In step 913, the changed list is displayed and made checkable, and in step 914, whether or not another food material is to be taken out is selected. If not, the user can return to the initial menu.

With reference to FIGS. 13 to 15, a flow of selecting a function of viewing the inside of the refrigerator will be described. In STEP 915, it is determined whether or not to view the inside of the refrigerator as an image. (FIG. 13) Image button 1
If the user selects this by pressing 32, STEP923
Go to and display the screen that displays the image. STEP9
At step 16, if no image is selected (N), whether to display a food-specific list is selected. List button 1 by food
If 31 is selected by pressing, the process moves to STEP921. In STEP 917, the user selects the storage room for displaying the in-compartment information by pressing the corresponding button 133. STE
At P918, a direct item list for each selected storage room is displayed. This display is based on FIG. After the list is displayed, it is determined in STEP 919 whether or not to return to the menu for viewing the inside of the warehouse.

STEP 920 is an operation in the case where a food-specific list is selected, and displays a food-specific button 141 to select a food type (FIG. 14A). STEP9
At 21, a list 142 of food items in the selected storage room is displayed. This display can be a screen display according to FIG. Next, in STEP 922, when viewing the in-compartment information of another storage room, it is selected whether or not to return to the in-compartment viewing menu.

The flow of the menu when "view image" is selected on the view menu screen in the refrigerator will be described. STEP9
At 24, the camera position of the image to be displayed is selected. That is, the front (center) right or left position. These correspond to the positions of the installed cameras 210a to 210e. In addition, it is also possible to select a zoom and display it in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 15 shows a flow of the operation of the camera of this embodiment. In STEP 151, "view image in refrigerator" is selected, and when a command to capture an image is issued, first, it is checked whether the refrigerator door is opened or closed. If it is open or being opened and closed, wait and return to the first menu. Next, in STEP 152, a storage room to be photographed when it is not opened or closed is selected. This is ST
This corresponds to receiving a storage room selection command in EP923. In step 153, select a camera.
At 154, the interior is photographed. Next, in STEP 155, the camera is moved to the initial position. The image data photographed in STEP 156 is transferred to the terminal device 23 or to the server 19 via the network.

The menu / recipe and order menu flow will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 18 shows the menu /
It is a figure explaining the flow of selection of a recipe. STEP18
In step 1, the user selects whether to cook with food in the refrigerator or menu, to show a list of dishes including food other than the food in the refrigerator, or to indicate consumption of food in the refrigerator. (FIG. 16) These are selected by pressing the corresponding buttons 161, 162, 163. S
TEP 182 is a step of displaying a recipe using ingredients in the refrigerator. List these menus. At this time, the items in the refrigerator are displayed in descending order of the use ratio. In addition, a menu including a specific food type may be displayed. In this step, the menu is displayed in a list.

Step 183 is a step for selecting a menu for displaying detailed information including a recipe for a specific menu from the menu list displayed in the previous step. In STEP 184, the detailed information of the selected menu is displayed. The contents to be displayed include the name, all and missing materials, recipes (for the number of persons) and the number of persons, cooking time, and the like. In step 185, when another menu is selected, whether or not to return to the list of dishes is selected.

Next, in STEP 186, when not displaying other dishes, it is selected whether or not to display a list of dishes. If the user selects to display the dish list, STEP 1
At 87, a list according to STEP 182 is displayed.

In STEP 188, when the button 163 for displaying the consumption amount of the food in the refrigerator is pressed down and selected,
Weekly food consumption is displayed for each category (Fig. 1
7). In this embodiment, meat, fish, green and yellow vegetables, light-colored vegetables,
For milk and egg products, the consumption is displayed. Here, when it is desired to display the consumption data for one month, it is possible to display by pressing and selecting the button 171 indicating January.

In STEP 190, it is possible to select to display the data of the ideal consumption amount together with the consumption data. When the button of the ideal consumption is pressed, the data of the ideal consumption is displayed in parallel from the data recorded in the server unit 19 in advance, and the actual consumption and the excess or deficiency can be displayed. These data are
It may be obtained separately via a network. STEP19
In step 1, the user selects whether to return to the menu / recipe menu.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a menu screen for ordering. By providing this menu, it is possible to immediately order from the terminal device a food item which is determined to be insufficient or determined to be purchased as a result of a menu or a search and search of foods in the refrigerator. Each food item is arranged on a button 191 displayed on the screen on the panel, and by selecting the button 191, more detailed order content, for example, type,
Quantity, brand, etc. can be entered.

These order data are ordered from a specific store,
Requested delivery. The request may be made by connecting to the homepage of the store and inputting the data or using an e-mail. Further, the terminal of the present embodiment is provided with a telephone function, and it is possible to make an order directly by using the telephone function.

In this embodiment, the food management data, the order data, the menu / recipe data, and the consumption data of the food in the refrigerator can be used in a linked manner as described above. It is configured so that the purchase of necessary food can be determined easily and without waste. In addition, since these data can be browsed from a place where the user is going out or a menu can be displayed in a list, the necessity of shopping can be determined even from a place where the user goes out and shop. Since the image data in the refrigerator can be browsed from the outside, the presence or absence of a seasoning or the like that cannot be sufficiently determined based on the stock data of the food can be confirmed by looking at the image, so that there is no waste and the decision is easy.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the relationship between health management data and personal information data. In the health management menu, data on health management can be displayed for each family member. In this figure, when the button 201 for each person is pressed, data for each person is displayed. Data can also be input on the screen. In addition, by linking the information to the personal information and storing the information in the server unit 19, the health management information having many portions overlapping with the personal information is managed without waste.

When browsing or inputting data, it is often necessary to refer to the contents of personal information. In this case, by pressing the personal information button 202 on the menu screen, FIG. The menu screen of the personal information shown in (1) can be displayed. In FIG. 20A, a menu / recipe button 203 is arranged below the personal information button. By pressing this button, a menu / recipe menu is displayed, the menu can be examined, and the necessity of shopping can be determined.
In other words, about menu of meal which is important in health management,
You can make decisions based on health management data, and you can easily find the food that you need to purchase from the actual food consumption data in the warehouse, and easily determine menus to maintain and improve your health. it can. Also, a button 204 for displaying a health management screen is arranged on the personal information screen (FIG. 20B).

A menu for displaying a schedule as family information and message / memo information will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 21 is a screen displayed when the schedule of the initial menu family information is selected in FIGS. A daily schedule of each of the family members 211 is displayed. In this embodiment, the unit is one day,
A schedule for a plurality of days or a week may be displayed.

Each schedule on the schedule is indicated by button 2
When the button 212 is pressed and selected, more detailed information is displayed. Further, a home net button 213 is arranged below and is linked to a screen for controlling home electric appliances such as a refrigerator. This makes it possible to control the home electric appliances according to the schedule of each person. For example, the thawing function of the refrigerator 2 and the drive time of the microwave oven 3 and the air conditioner 6 can be set in accordance with the return time.

Further, the equipment can be externally controlled according to the family members who are indoors. For example,
By adjusting the air conditioner 6 and the lighting 7, safety can be improved and power consumption can be reduced.

FIG. 22 shows a screen displayed when a message / memo is selected. With this function, it is possible to communicate with the family and the housewife who lives mainly in the daily kitchen, which is the most common refrigerator user. In FIG. 22 (a), the message / memo menu includes a listen button 221 and a tell button 222.

FIG. 22B shows a screen displayed when the listen button 221 in FIG. 22A is pressed and selected. Here, a button 223 indicates that there is a message from the family member XX to other family members. The content of the message is displayed by pressing the button 223, and is displayed by voice, image, and characters. These sounds are collected by a microphone 304 provided in the terminal 23, and the image is captured by a camera 21 provided outside the refrigerator 2.
Data captured by 0f is used.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show menu screens displayed when the device management button shown in FIG. 5 is selected. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a screen displayed when the home net button shown in FIG. 6 is pressed. On this screen, buttons are displayed for the current state and future plans for each home appliance. For example, in the column 231 of the washing machine, the button 232 displays that dehydration is currently being performed and that dehydration will be completed after 10 minutes in the future.

With the button indicating the current state, when a failure occurs in the device, the color is changed to a color different from the normal color or blinks to indicate the failure, thereby calling attention. Further, by pressing these buttons, detailed data of each is displayed. For example, if you press the button displaying the failure,
The status of the failure, the estimated cause, etc. are displayed.

Further, when a button for a future schedule is pressed, the schedule data is displayed, and a menu for changing and setting these may be displayed. In addition, for equipment that requires repair or inspection, pressing the maintenance button 233 causes the maintenance menu shown in FIG. 24 to be displayed and prompt response is possible.

FIG. 24 shows a screen displayed when the maintenance button in FIG. 6 is pressed and selected. This menu screen is linked to the menu on the home net screen shown in FIG. 23, so that a quick response can be made when a failure or an inspection is required. In this figure, a button 241 is a button for giving an instruction to connect to the homepage of the company that manufactures and sells the refrigerator 2 of the present embodiment via the network 10 to the server unit 19, and by pressing this button, Can be displayed on the terminal 23.

The buttons 242 and 243 are data for displaying an instruction manual and an explanation of a maintenance method of the home electric appliance recorded as data on the server unit 19 or the home electric appliance sales company. This is because if data is transferred from the homepage of the home appliance sales company to the storage means 15 in the server unit 19 and stored in advance, the data can be displayed without being connected to the network 10 and network connection fees can be saved. can do. Also, a button 244 for contacting the store / electronics store
Is a button that allows the user to contact a store or an electronics store by e-mail or telephone by pressing this button.

FIGS. 25 to 27 are diagrams showing the functions of the Internet, contact and information presented when the information acquisition button shown in FIG. 5 is pressed. In this embodiment, the information acquisition function is presented by the Internet and the contact / information function. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a screen displayed when the Internet button shown in FIG. 6 is pressed and selected.

In this figure, the Internet allows the user to select a service provider of the network and a specific homepage with a particularly high frequency by using buttons 251 and 252. FIG. 26 is a menu screen displayed when the contact / information button shown in FIG. 6 is pressed and selected. On this screen, a button 261 for instructing the server unit 19 to connect to a homepage or a bulletin board of each family member's school, each local government, a bank or the like is arranged. When these buttons are selected, the server 19 can connect to the above-mentioned homepage or bulletin board via the network 10.

Further, a telephone function provided in the terminal 23 may be assigned to these buttons. FIG.
5 shows a screen displayed when the school button 261 shown in FIG. Here, the button 27 is displayed so that information on menu of lunch can be displayed as contact information from the school.
1 is arranged.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing the server unit 19 arranged in the control device of the refrigerator shown in FIG.
It is a figure showing what was arranged in 81. That is, FIG.
In this example, the server unit 19 is installed outside a private house in an apartment house or the like, and is connected to a private house via a network 281. The home appliances such as the refrigerator 2 and the washing machine 4 in each house can be controlled via the network 281, and the home appliances can be adjusted in the unit of apartment house.

Therefore, the power consumption can be adjusted more flexibly in response to a power adjustment request from the power company 11 or the like. Further, by storing and sharing the above-mentioned communication / information and information for maintenance in the storage means 15 of the server 19, the capacity of the storage means can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible for the user to select a menu while referring to the health management information. In particular, the actual consumption amount and the ideal consumption amount of the food in the refrigerator are compared and displayed on the terminal device 23 so that the user can grasp the food necessary for maintaining and improving the health.

For this reason, it is easy to determine the articles that need to be purchased.

In addition, since the data on the stock of food in the refrigerator can be displayed on the terminal 23, the user can easily determine whether the use of food and the necessity of purchase are necessary. In addition, the menu search is searched and displayed by using the food in the refrigerator, and the menu recipe shows the material missing in the food in the refrigerator, so that the article to be purchased becomes clear. For this reason, the user can easily determine whether or not shopping is necessary.

Further, since the server unit 19 and the network 10 are connected, and the same function as the case of using the terminal 23 indoors is provided from the outdoor terminal 14, it is possible to purchase goods at the place where shopping is performed. Can be determined. further,
Since the images in the warehouse can be displayed on the terminal, it is possible to actually see and check the information, including information that is not displayed in the inventory information, so that it is easy to decide whether or not to purchase when shopping, and waste such as extra purchase or shortage And the usability of the user is improved.

The information displayed on the terminal can be selected and input in a menu using a touch panel, buttons, dials, etc., input selection can be made easily, and the burden on the user can be reduced. Also, buttons are placed below the display panel,
Frequently used functions can be assigned, functions can be selected more easily than using the display panel, and usability is improved. In addition, the terminal can be carried by making it detachable, and can be operated away from the refrigerator body.

Also, the detached terminal has a network connection function, a telephone function, and a data storage function.
The terminal can be used outdoors. In addition, the terminal is provided with a function of receiving and storing information from the server, so that the information can be used outdoors without connecting to a network.

Further, the home appliance can be adjusted by the device management function using the personal data of the server unit 19, so that the convenience for the user is improved and the usability is improved. In particular,
By controlling home appliances according to the individual's action schedule,
Waste of time and power consumption is eliminated, and safety is improved.

In the present embodiment, power is supplied from the control device of the refrigerator to the server unit 19, so that power can always be supplied from the constantly driven refrigerator. Therefore, information and functions from the server unit can be always provided. In particular, the control device of the refrigerator also serves as the control device of the indoor home electric appliance, and the control means of the control device of the refrigerator sends a control command to not only the refrigerator but also other home electric appliances. These home appliance adjustment functions can also be provided at all times.

The server unit is connected to an external network, and can control indoor home appliances from the outside via the network. In addition, by installing the server unit in a network such as a collective home and sharing it with a plurality of houses, home appliances are controlled in units of a plurality of houses, and in response to demands for lower power consumption Therefore, it is possible to respond more flexibly and to reduce power consumption.

[0082]

As described above, according to the present invention, a refrigerator with improved usability can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the entire configuration of a refrigerator and a house provided with the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a configuration of a refrigerator and a house shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the structure of the refrigerator shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a terminal mounted on the refrigerator illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between a control device 9 and a server unit 19 shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an example of a screen first displayed on a panel displayed on the terminal device 23 shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of function / data selection using the menu screen shown in FIG. 6;

8 is a diagram showing an initial menu when the food management button shown in FIG. 5 is selected.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the food management menu shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a menu screen for putting food.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a menu screen for putting food.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a screen showing a list of foods.

13 is a diagram showing a screen when “view inside the warehouse” shown in FIG. 6 is selected.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a screen when “view inside the warehouse” shown in FIG. 6 is selected.

15 is a diagram showing a flow of the operation of the camera of the refrigerator shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a view showing a menu / recipe menu screen shown in FIG. 6;

17 is a diagram showing a screen when the consumption amount in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 16 is selected.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a flow of menu / recipe selection shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a screen when ordering shown in FIG. 6 is selected.

20 is a diagram showing the relationship between the health management button screen shown in FIG. 6 and the personal information button screen.

FIG. 21 is a screen displayed when the schedule of the initial menu family information is selected in FIGS.

FIG. 22 shows a screen displayed when the message / memo shown in FIG. 6 is selected.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a screen displayed when the home net button shown in FIG. 6 is pressed.

24 shows a screen displayed when the maintenance button is pressed and selected in FIG.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a screen displayed when the Internet button shown in FIG. 6 is pressed and selected.

FIG. 26 is a menu screen displayed when the contact / information button shown in FIG. 6 is pressed and selected.

27 shows a screen displayed when the school button 261 shown in FIG. 26 is selected.

28 is a diagram showing a server unit 19 arranged in the control device of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 2 arranged in a smaller network 281. FIG.

[Brief description of reference numerals]

1 ... house 2 ... refrigerator 3 ... microwave oven 4 ... washing machine 5 ... rice cooker 6 ... air conditioner 7 ... indoor lighting 8 ... communication line 9 ... control device
10 Network 11 Power company 1
2 Home appliance sales company 13 Local government 14
... Terminal 15 ... Storage means 16 ... Communication means 17 ...
… Calculation means 18… Interface part 1
9 server 20 control unit 23 terminal 24 storage unit 25 communication unit 26 calculation unit 27 interface unit 28 display panel unit.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kanako Yamada 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Digital Media Development Division, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshiko Tanaka 709 Tomita, Ohira-cho, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture (2) Hitachi Tokugi Electronics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshihisa Aoki 709 Tomita, Ohira-cho, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture F-term (reference) 3L045 AA02 BA01 CA02 DA02 LA16 PA02 PA03 PA04 5B049 BB13 CC05 CC27 CC48 EE07 FF04 GG00 GG04

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A storage room formed in a storage, a photographing means arranged in the storage room for photographing the storage room, a communication means capable of communicating an image from the photographing means, and a user And a control means for performing communication via the communication means in response to the instruction. 2. A refrigerator provided indoors and provided with a storage room formed in a refrigerator and cooling means for cooling the storage room.
A refrigerator comprising a control means for adjusting the operation of the cooling means of the refrigerator, and the control means having a function of adjusting other equipment disposed indoors. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein said control means adjusts said equipment in response to a command from outside. 4. A storage room formed indoors, an input means capable of inputting information of a storage object stored in the storage room, a storage means for storing the input information, and a storage means for storing the input information. And a communication means for communicating the received information in response to an external command. 5. A storage room formed indoors, photographing means arranged in the storage room for photographing the inside of the storage room, storage means for storing an image photographed by the photographing means, and storage in the storage means. And a communication means for communicating the selected image in response to an external command. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, further comprising control means for operating said photographing means in response to an external command. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 5, further comprising a power supply unit for supplying power to any one of the input unit, the storage unit, the communication unit, and the control unit.