JP6748601B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator having a storage room for storing food materials.

There is known a refrigerator having a function of adjusting intake calories for the purpose of health management (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2). By the way, for health management, it is effective not only to adjust the calorie intake, but also to manage biological information such as weight, blood pressure, and complexion that can estimate the health condition of the person.
However, the consciousness of using a measuring instrument such as a weight scale or a blood pressure monitor to manage biometric information is difficult to continue and hard to last for a long time.

JP, 2005-164054, A JP, 2009-127382, A

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can measure biometric information without being conscious of a person and can continuously manage the biometric information.

The refrigerator according to the embodiment is provided with a biometric information acquisition unit that is provided corresponding to a position touched by a person when the refrigerator is used and that acquires the biometric information of the person who uses the refrigerator by automatically measuring the biometric information.

The figure which shows typically the external appearance of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment typically. The figure which shows typically the electric constitution of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the flow of the measurement process by the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the alerting|reporting aspect of biometric information of 1st Embodiment 1 The figure 2 which shows the alerting|reporting aspect of biometric information of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the flow of the advice process by the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an advice notification mode of the first embodiment. The figure 2 which shows the alerting aspect of the advice of 1st Embodiment The figure which shows the flow of the measurement process by the refrigerator of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the flow of the advice process by the refrigerator of 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, refrigerators according to a plurality of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that configurations common to the respective embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
(First embodiment)
The refrigerator according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, inside the main body 2 of the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment, in order from the top, a refrigerating room 3, a vegetable room 4, and an ice making room 5, which are storage rooms for storing foodstuffs. An upper freezing compartment 6 and a lower freezing compartment 7 are provided. The refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4 are separated from the ice making compartment 5 and the upper freezing compartment 6 by a heat insulating partition wall. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerating compartment 3 is opened and closed by a so-called double door 3a on each side, and the vegetable compartment 4, the ice making compartment 5, the upper freezing compartment 6 and the lower freezing compartment 7 are drawer-type doors 4a, The door 5a, the door 6a, and the door 7a are each opened and closed. The refrigerator 1 is installed, for example, in a so-called live activity line, which is a place (passing place) that is always used when a person lives, such as a kitchen.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the rear of the refrigerating compartment 3, a refrigerating cooler 8 for cooling the refrigerating compartment 3 and the vegetable compartment 4, and a refrigerating compartment for circulating the air cooled by the refrigerating cooler 8. A fan 9 is provided. In the rear of the ice making chamber 5, a freezing cooler 10 for cooling the ice making chamber 5, the upper freezing chamber 6, the lower freezing chamber 7 and the like, and air cooled by the freezing cooler 10 are circulated. A freezing fan 11 is provided. The refrigerating cooler 8 and the freezing cooler 10 are driven by a compressor 13 arranged in a machine room 12 behind the lower freezing room 7. The compressor 13 constitutes a known refrigeration cycle together with the refrigerating cooler 8 and the freezing cooler 10. The configuration of the refrigerator 1 is an example, and for example, the upper freezing room 6 is a switching room that can switch between refrigeration and freezing, the vegetable room 4 is not provided, and the order of arrangement of the storage rooms is different. It may be different.

As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 14 is provided on the left door 3 a of the refrigerating compartment 3. The operation panel 14 has a display unit 15 and operation switches 16. The display unit 15 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, or the like, and displays various kinds of information regarding the refrigerator 1 using characters or graphs. The operation switch 16 is composed of a plurality of switches such as a mechanical switch and a touch panel type switch, and various types of people from the person (in this embodiment, a resident of the house where the refrigerator 1 is installed) to the refrigerator 1. The setting operation of is input. As will be described later, the display unit 15 of the operation panel 14 also functions as an informing unit for informing biological information such as weight, blood pressure, and complexion that can estimate a health condition.

At the door 3a on the right side of the refrigerator compartment 3, there are a human sensor 17 (which constitutes a human detection means), an imaging camera 18 (which constitutes a biometric information acquisition means, an identification means, a human detection means), a non-contact body temperature sensor 19 (Constituting biometric information acquisition means) is provided. The human sensor 17 has a detector (or a combination of those detectors) that detects infrared rays, visible light, ultrasonic waves, and the like, and detects a person located in front of the refrigerator 1. The human sensor 17 may be configured to detect a person, for example, when the person is continuously detected for a certain period of time (that is, when the person is detected a plurality of times), or is capable of measuring a distance and is close to the refrigerator 1. A person may be detected when it is determined that.

The image pickup camera 18 has an image pickup element such as CCD or CMOS, and picks up a face image of a person. Face images can be used to infer blood flow from facial color, stress from facial expressions, physical condition changes, obesity, etc. based on changes in shape (changes in facial contour or swelling). , Biometric information that allows acquisition of various types of information related to health conditions. The imaging camera 18 is also used to identify an individual by performing image processing on the captured image and to measure the height of the person. The height of a person is measured by, for example, comparing a predetermined position of the imaging camera 18 with a position of the human head obtained by image processing for the position when capturing a face image. Therefore, the imaging camera 18 is configured to be capable of changing its visual field direction up and down in order to cope with a difference in height of a person to some extent.

The non-contact body temperature sensor 19 detects the body temperature of a person in a non-contact manner. In the present embodiment, the non-contact body temperature sensor 19 has an infrared detector and detects the body temperature with the forehead of the person who is the imaging target of the imaging camera 18 as the measurement point. Further, the non-contact body temperature sensor 19 is configured so that its measurement point can be changed according to the image pickup camera 18. Although the human sensor 17, the imaging camera 18 and the non-contact body temperature sensor 19 are individually provided in the present embodiment, for example, a configuration in which the human sensor 17 and the non-contact body temperature sensor 19 are combined, or the imaging camera 18 and the human For example, a configuration may be used in which the sensor 17 is also used to detect a person from an image picked up, or a so-called infrared camera is also used to serve as the non-contact body temperature sensor 19. Furthermore, it may be configured to determine that a person is detected when the operation panel 14 is operated.

An opening/closing sensor for detecting whether or not an opening/closing operation has been performed at a portion on the lower end side of the door 3a of the refrigerating compartment 3, that is, a portion that serves as a handle that a person touches when opening/closing the door 3a. 20 (see FIG. 3, which constitutes the opening/closing operation detecting means and the person detecting means) are provided. Here, in the case of the present embodiment, the “opening/closing operation on the door” is assumed to be a state in which the handle of the door 3a is touched to open the door 3a. That is, the opening/closing sensor 20 can detect that a person touches the door 3a, that is, the presence of a person in front of the refrigerator 1. That is, the opening/closing sensor 20 also functions as a person detecting unit. The opening/closing sensor 20 is composed of, for example, an electrostatic sensor provided on the handle.

The door 3a on the right side of the refrigerating room 3 is provided with the composite sensor master device 21, and the door 3a on the left side is provided with the composite sensor slave device 22. Both of the composite sensor master device 21 and the composite sensor slave device 22 are provided at a portion which is a handle of the door 3a. It should be noted that the positions of the composite sensor master device 21 and the composite sensor slave device 22 are not limited to this, and may be provided at other positions such as the door 4a of the vegetable compartment 4 as long as the position is open when a person operates the door. May be. As shown in FIG. 3, the composite sensor master device 21 includes a blood pressure sensor 23, a blood flow sensor 24, a heart rate sensor 25, a contact-type body temperature sensor 26, and a first electrode of a body fat percentage sensor 27 (all of which are biometric information acquisition means). It comprises)). Although not shown, the composite sensor master device 21 is formed in a shape that conforms to the shape of a person's hand and a shape that has, for example, a hole into which a middle finger can be inserted when opening/closing the door 3a. There is.

When a fingertip is inserted into the hole, the blood pressure sensor 23 compresses the blood vessel with a belt (so-called cuff) provided in the hole and then releases the blood pressure, and pressure (cuff pressure) is applied by the sensor provided in the belt. Blood pressure is indirectly measured by measuring. The blood flow sensor 24 is a well-known laser type, ultrasonic type or infrared type blood flow meter, and measures the blood flow at the fingertip. The heart rate sensor 25 measures the heart rate by measuring a so-called electrocardiogram when a fingertip touches an electrode provided on the handle. It should be noted that the infrared blood flow sensor 24 may also be used to measure the blood flow and the heart rate at the same time, or the palm touching the handle instead of the fingertip may be measured. Good.

The contact-type body temperature sensor 26 has, for example, a thermistor, and measures the body temperature of a person by measuring the temperature of the fingertip in contact with the handle. The contact-type body temperature sensor 26 may be an infrared detector and the body temperature may be measured in a state of being in contact with the fingertip. The body fat percentage sensor 27 has a first electrode on the side of the composite sensor master device 21 and a second electrode of the composite sensor slave device 22, and when a person touches both the first electrode and the second electrode. The body fat percentage is measured by passing a weak current between the electrodes and measuring the bioelectrical impedance. A weight sensor 28 (a so-called weight scale, which constitutes a biometric information acquisition unit) is provided corresponding to a floor surface on the front side of the refrigerator 1, that is, a position where a person who uses the refrigerator 1 stands.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a first in-compartment camera 29 and a second in-compartment camera 30 (both of which constitute food material information acquisition means) for imaging the inside of the refrigerator. There is. In the present embodiment, the first in-compartment camera 29 images the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3, and the second in-compartment camera 30 images the inside of the vegetable compartment 4. The images captured by the first in-camera camera 29 and the second in-camera camera 30 are analyzed by the food material determination unit 52 (see FIG. 3), and food material information such as the type and quantity of food stored is stored. Used to get. It should be noted that the number and arrangement of cameras and the storage room of the imaging target are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. For example, when the vegetable compartment 4 is not provided, a plurality of cameras may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 3 instead of the second in-camera camera 30, or a camera for imaging the freezing compartment may be provided, depending on the configuration of the refrigerator 1. It may be selected appropriately.

The refrigerator 1 having such a configuration is controlled by the control unit 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 40 includes a computer having a CPU 41, a ROM 42, and a RAM 43, and controls the entire refrigerator 1 according to a computer program stored in the ROM 42, for example. The control unit 40 has a real-time clock (hereinafter referred to as an RTC 44) as a timekeeping means, and can acquire time information. The time information that can be acquired includes time, date, day of the week, and the like.

The control unit 40 is connected to the storage unit 45 and the communication unit 46. The storage unit 45 is composed of, for example, a memory card or an HDD, and stores the biometric information acquired (measured) by the biometric information acquisition unit described above. The storage unit 45 also functions as a storage unit that stores the biometric information and the time information when the biometric information is measured in association with each other. The communication unit 46 is for connecting to an external network, and in the present embodiment, a so-called wireless LAN wireless communication system is adopted. The communication unit 46 connects to a so-called Internet 47 corresponding to a network via a wireless access point (not shown). The communication unit 46 may be a wired communication system. A server 48 corresponding to an external device is connected to the Internet 47, and the refrigerator 1 communicates various kinds of information with the server 48 via the communication unit 46. The server 48 continuously maintains biometric information such as a hospital or a doctor or a welfare service company who has knowledge to improve biometric information, or a gym or SNS (Social Networking Service). It is operated by a person or organization that supports or supports continuous measurement.

The control unit 40 also includes a personal identification unit 50 (which constitutes personal identification means), a biometric information analysis unit 51 (which constitutes biometric information analysis means), a foodstuff discrimination unit 52 (which constitutes foodstuff information acquisition means), and advice. It has a generation unit 53 (which constitutes an advice generation unit), and a measurement setting unit 54. In the present embodiment, each of these units is realized as software by a computer program executed by the CPU 41. Note that the configuration may be realized by hardware. In addition, a configuration in which a control unit that controls the refrigerator 1 and a control unit that controls measurement of biometric information and communication with the outside are separately provided (for example, a function of measuring biometric information is an optional function of the refrigerator 1). Configuration).

The personal identification unit 50 identifies the individual by performing image processing on the face image captured by the imaging camera 18 and performing so-called face authentication. It should be noted that well-known or publicly-known techniques may be adopted for face authentication. For example, the position and size of the eyes, nose, mouth, etc., and the data of each part such as the contour of the face are extracted from the captured face image, It is possible to identify the individual by collating the extracted data with a database registered in advance. This database contains information for analyzing and evaluating biological information such as the names and ages of individuals such as "mother" and "dad", and daily exercise intensity and sports history (hereinafter referred to as "identification"). (Referred to as information) is registered. This identification information is registered by, for example, input from the operation panel 14.

The biometric information analysis unit 51 analyzes the biometric information based on the acquired biometric information and the registered identification information. Specifically, the biometric information analysis unit 51 determines whether the biometric information shows an appropriate value or tendency for the person based on, for example, the ratio between the height and the weight (BMI index, etc.), the rate of change in weight, blood pressure, and the like. To analyze. The analysis of the biometric information may be performed on the server 48 side by a doctor or an instructor who has referred to the biometric information.

The foodstuff determination unit 52 acquires foodstuff information based on the images of the inside of the warehouse taken by the first inside camera 29 and the second inside camera 30. Specifically, the food material determination unit 52 extracts the name described in the food material from the acquired image or measures the content amount of the container in which the food material is stored, thereby determining the type and storage of the food material. Acquire food information such as quantity. Instead of a camera, a sensor that measures the weight of food, a sensor that detects whether food is stored at a predetermined position, or the like is provided, and food information is acquired based on the detection results of those sensors. You may do it.

The advice generation unit 53 generates the advice for improving the biometric information, that is, the advice for health management based on the analysis result of the biometric information and referring to the food material information. For example, when the analysis result that blood pressure is high is obtained, the advice generation unit 53, for example, refrains from salt in order to reduce the increase in blood pressure, and ingests protein, potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc. in a well-balanced manner. Since it is said that it is desirable to determine the extent to which blood pressure is affected for proteins, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and salt by the coefficients Pt, Kt, Mgt, Cat, St, and the following equation (1). The blood pressure increase suppression effect value is calculated based on this calculation formula. Since salt content increases blood pressure, salt content is subtracted in equation (1).

-Blood pressure suppression effect value = (protein content-standard value of protein content) x Pt + (potassium content-standard value of potassium content) x Kt+ (magnesium content-standard value of magnesium content) x Mgt+ (calcium content) -Standard value of calcium amount) x Cat-(amount of salt content-standard value of salt amount) x St (1)

Further, when the analysis result that the complexion is poor and anemia is obtained, the advice generation unit 53 generates advice for preventing anemia. While it is effective to take iron to prevent anemia, the preventive effect may be reduced depending on the food material because there are components that help absorption of iron into the human body and components that interfere with it. For example, it is said that vitamin C and protein help absorption of iron, while tannin has an action of blocking absorption of iron. Therefore, the advice generation unit 53 determines the coefficients Feh, Vch, Ph, and Th that show the effect on the anemia prevention for iron, vitamin C, protein, and tannin, and based on the calculation formula such as the following formula (2). , Seeking anemia prevention effect value.

-Anemia prevention effect value = iron content x Feh + iron content x x (standard content of vitamin C content-vitamin C content) x Vch + content of iron content x (standard content of protein content-standard content of protein) x Ph-content iron content Amount x (amount of tannin contained-standard value of tannin amount) x Th (2)

Then, the advice generation unit 53 generates, as advice regarding dietary habits, the type and amount of the food material that can achieve the blood pressure suppression effect value and the anemia prevention effect value that have been obtained, or a recipe for cooking using the food item. Note that the advice generation unit 53 does not directly include food ingredients, for example, "Let's refrain from salt", "Let's take iron", "Let's exercise because the weight tends to increase". Or the presentation of the ingredients themselves such as "Iron is contained in the liver a lot", "Tea may interfere with the intake of iron", or "Because there is no liver, let's buy" as will be described later. Of course, such suggestions as to purchase ingredients that are not stored at this time but are useful for improving the biological information are included in the advice assumed in the present embodiment. The generated advice is displayed on the display unit 15 of the display panel to notify the person.

The measurement setting unit 54 sets measurement conditions for measuring biological information. For example, in the present embodiment, the blood pressure sensor 23, the blood flow sensor 24, the heart rate sensor 25, the contact-type body temperature sensor 26, and the body fat percentage sensor 27 constitute a composite sensor, but when the blood pressure sensor 23 always operates, Every time the door is operated, it is tightened by the belt every time, and it may be annoying. Therefore, the measurement setting unit 54 sets the measurement condition of the biological information to be measured.
As the measurement conditions, for example,
・Set the biometric information to be measured by yourself.

Measurement is performed every time for a face image, a non-contact body temperature sensor 19 or the like that does not interfere with the movement of a person for measurement, or a contact type body temperature sensor 26 or the like that can immediately obtain a measurement result.

-Measurement is performed on the basis of a person's instruction, such as a blood pressure sensor 23 and a body fat percentage sensor 27 that require a certain amount of time for measurement, which may affect human motion. In this case, for example, a measurement switch or the like may be provided on the operation panel 14 and the measurement may be started when a person operates the measurement switch.
・Set the measurement time to a specific range or specific day of the week that matches your lifestyle pattern.

-Assuming that the refrigerator 1 is used multiple times, such as during preparation of meals, if the time elapsed from the previous measurement is short, the measurement is not performed or the first measurement result is adopted.
And so on. The measurement conditions described above are examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.
Next, the operation of the refrigerator 1 will be described.

Since the refrigerator 1 has the storage room for storing foods as described above, it is used every day when cooking, and almost always stops by in everyday life. Further, since the life cycle of a person is repeated in a substantially fixed pattern, it is considered that the person uses the refrigerator 1 at almost the same time every day. Further, for example, when the door of the refrigerator 1 is opened and closed, it is considered that the person is generally in the same posture depending on the floor plan of the room in which the refrigerator 1 is installed and the opening/closing direction of the door. That is, it is considered that a person exists in the vicinity of the refrigerator 1 almost every day at a certain time and in a substantially similar posture. Therefore, enabling the biological information to be measured by the refrigerator 1 installed in the activity line itself is an motivation for continuously measuring the biological information.

The flow of measurement of biological information will be described below. It should be noted that the following processing is performed by each of the above-mentioned units, but for simplicity of description, the refrigerator 1 will be mainly described. In addition, it is assumed that the above-described identification information and the like have already been registered, and that the measurement setting unit 54 is set to measure all the biological information exemplified above.

The refrigerator 1 executes the measurement process shown in FIG. 4 and determines whether or not the opening/closing operation of the door of the refrigerating compartment 3 has been performed (A1). In the present embodiment, the door of the refrigerating compartment 3 is to be detected, if the person opening or closing the door of the refrigerating compartment 3 is in a state in which a person is substantially facing the front, that is, the face is facing the imaging camera 18 side. This is because it is considered that the face image can be captured from the front, and the standing position and the posture of the person are substantially the same. That is, the opening/closing sensor 20 also functions as a person detecting unit. Since the opening/closing sensor 20 detects that the handle is touched as described above, a person stands on the front side of the refrigerator 1 when the opening/closing operation is performed.

Then, the refrigerator 1 acquires a face image of a person (A2). In this step A2, the face image is acquired in order to acquire biometric information such as a complexion and swelling, and to identify an individual by face authentication. Therefore, when the face image is acquired, it is determined whether or not the individual can be identified by the face authentication (A3). At this time, if the individual can be identified (A3: YES), the measurement condition is read from the storage unit 45 or the like (A4), and then the time information is acquired (A5). On the other hand, if the individual cannot be identified (A3: NO), the process directly goes to step A5. This is because biometric information can be measured even without registration. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the individual can be identified.

When the time information is acquired, the refrigerator 1 measures biological information (A6). In step A6, the body temperature, blood pressure, blood flow, heart rate, and body fat percentage are measured as described above. The face image may be acquired again in step A6. At this time, if a measurement that requires contact with multiple points (first electrode and second electrode) such as the body fat percentage cannot be performed, that item may be unmeasured, and the display or voice The contact may be prompted by.

When the measurement of the biological information is completed, the refrigerator 1 notifies the measurement result (A7). Specifically, the refrigerator 1 displays the measurement result on the display unit 15 to notify it as shown in FIG. 5, for example. In the case of FIG. 5, the display unit 15 has a result display area M1 indicating the identification information such as name (“mother”) and age, and measurement results of biological information such as height, weight, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and body temperature, the previous day. A comparison display area M2 is provided which shows an analysis result such as a comparison with the measurement result. In the comparison display area M2, as a comparison with the previous day, an upward arrow (↑) indicates that it is rising compared to the previous day, and a rightward arrow (→) indicates that there is no change compared to the previous day. , The downward arrow (↓) indicates that it is falling compared to the previous day. In addition, the display unit 15 is also provided with a comment area M3 that displays a comment (“good” in the case of FIG. 5) for the general health condition based on the result of analysis of biological information.

Further, when the individual can be identified like this time, when the graph display button M4 is operated, as shown in FIG. 6, the result display area M1 displays a history for displaying a history of biometric information for a week, for example. It is switched to the display area M7. The biometric information displayed in the history display area M7 is not limited to the weight and the body fat percentage, and other items such as a change graph of the basal body temperature and comparison with the face image one month ago can be displayed. At this time, the items to be displayed may be set by a person. When the return button M6 is operated while the history display area M7 is displayed, the display mode shown in FIG. 5 is selected. In this way, the refrigerator 1 reports the measured biological information in real time.

Subsequently, if the refrigerator 1 has already identified the individual in step A3 (A8: YES), the refrigerator 1 stores the measurement result in the storage unit 45 in association with the time information acquired in step A5 (A9). If the individual has not been identified (A8: NO), the measurement process ends.

Now, the refrigerator 1 originally stores foodstuffs. In addition, there are many foods that affect the biometric information as described above. Therefore, the refrigerator 1 generates and notifies the following advice for improving biometric information based on the stored food materials.

For example, when the advice button M5 shown in FIG. 5 is operated, the refrigerator 1 executes the advice process shown in FIG. 7, and first analyzes the biometric information (B1). In step B1, not only the biometric information of the day, but also the past history is analyzed. Subsequently, based on the images of the inside of the warehouse taken by the first inside camera 29 and the second inside camera 30, the food material information is acquired (B2), and it is determined whether or not there is any food material that can improve the biological information. Yes (B3). Then, when there is a food material that can improve the biometric information (B3: YES), advice such as the food material and a recipe using the food material is generated (B4), and the advice is notified (B5). For example, the refrigerator 1 grasps the vegetables stored in the vegetable compartment 4 by the second in-camera camera 30, and generates a recipe or the like that uses abundant vegetables as advice. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, in the advice display area M8, the analysis result of the biometric information indicates that the patient has anemia, a message prompting the acquisition of iron to improve it, a recipe using the stored ingredients, etc. Is displayed to notify the advice.

On the other hand, when there is no food material capable of improving the biometric information (B3: NO), advice for purchasing the foodstuff such as foodstuff information that contributes to the improvement of the biometric information is generated (B6) and the advice is notified (B5). .. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the refrigerator 1 notifies the advice by displaying levers, hijiki, clams, etc. as foods containing a large amount of iron in the advice display area M8.

In this way, the refrigerator 1 enables continuous measurement of biometric information by measuring and notifying biometric information, and also contributes to improvement of biometric information by notifying advice.
According to the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.

By installing sensors for measuring biological information in the refrigerator 1 that is installed in the live activity line and used daily, people will be able to stop at the place where biological information is measured without being aware of it, and be sure to see it. You will never forget to take measurements. Therefore, it is possible to encourage continuous measurement of biometric information without the person being aware of it, and it is possible to continuously manage the biometric information.

At this time, a person's life pattern is often almost constant, and biometric information can be measured at the same time, and the person's posture becomes substantially constant when using the refrigerator 1, so under the same conditions. The biological information can be measured with, and the variation in measurement can be reduced.

Since the notification means is provided in the refrigerator 1, it is possible to immediately check the measurement result by measuring biological information. Further, since the history of measuring the biological information can be displayed, it is possible to effectively grasp the improvement status of one's eating habits.

One of the reasons why continuous management of biometric information does not last long is that even if measurement is performed, it is bothersome to manage the measurement result by itself, but the refrigerator 1 uses biometric information as time information. It is associated and stored in time series. In other words, since the refrigerator 1 side performs the measurement and the management of the measurement result, it is possible to encourage continuous measurement of the biological information without causing the person to bother. Then, not only the biometric information of the day can be measured but also the history of the past biometric information is set as a management target, so that not only the temporary value of the biometric information but also the long-term change of the biometric information (for example, FIG. It is also possible to grasp (such as the graph shown in) and use it for health management. In addition, by providing a so-called schedule management function or by linking with an external scheduler, notable events (for example, participation in athletic meet, training, eating out, etc.) are displayed together with a graph, If changes in biological information before and after can be compared, it is possible to grasp the influence and effect of each event.

Since the biometric information is automatically measured when the open/close sensor 20 detects the opening/closing operation of the door 3a, the biometric information can be measured even if a person does not care. At this time, the operation performed by the person to measure the biological information is basically an operation for using the refrigerator 1 (standing in front of the refrigerator 1, touching the door 3a, etc.). The biometric information is automatically measured each time it is used, and there is no forgetting to measure the biometric information.
Since the measurement result of the biological information is notified, it can be useful for physical condition management.

Since individuals are identified and biometric information is managed for each individual and in chronological order, it is possible to cope with cases where a plurality of people use the refrigerator 1. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, it is possible to perform measurement other than the registered person, but it is also possible to perform protection control that limits the measurement target, such as not measuring the person who could not be identified (non-registered person). it can.

Since the body temperature, which is the basis of health management, is measured and stored in the storage unit 45 in time series, the body temperature can be managed. Further, although the basal body temperature differs depending on the person, by identifying the individual and storing the body temperature, the physical condition of the day can be grasped from the past change.

Since the face image is captured, it is possible to infer various kinds of information regarding the health condition. Further, since the face image is also stored, it becomes easy to recognize the difference from the present time (that is, whether it is fat or thin) by comparing with the face image in the past, for example, and it becomes a barometer of the current health level. It also helps to improve health awareness, such as trying to lose weight when feeling fat.
Since the body fat percentage is measured, it is possible to judge that if the body fat percentage increases even if the body weight decreases, it is not very healthy.

Weight is a basic item of health management, and by making it possible to measure the weight every day, not only physical condition management on the day of the day, but when the weight tends to increase Can be used for good health management. Further, since the measurement can be performed simply and easily because it is just standing in front of the refrigerator 1, it is possible to quantify and grasp changes in a short period of time, for example, before and after a meal and quantify the influence of the meal. In addition, by measuring the weight and the body fat percentage in the refrigerator 1 and notifying them, for example, when the ingredients used for cooking and the amount of intake are changed, or when thinking of "just a little beer" after taking a bath, it will be refrained It also helps improve health consciousness in the long run.

Measuring blood pressure can be useful for health management. Further, since the blood pressure sensor 23 is provided in the handle, the position of the fingertip (detection site) with respect to the position of the heart is always fixed, so stable measurement, that is, highly accurate measurement as a long-term comparison target is performed. It can be carried out.

By measuring the blood flow and storing the measurement results in a time series, it is possible to catch a sign that the blood flow has become weak due to daily changes, and it is possible to estimate a vascular disease. This can be realized by continuously measuring for a long term and storing the measurement result in time series. Moreover, since the handle is provided with the blood flow sensor 24, stable measurement can be performed like blood pressure.

By measuring the heart rate and measuring the measurement results in time series, the health condition can be estimated. By the way, although the heart rate may vary depending on the situation at the time of measurement and the state of exercise, by continuing measurement in the same environment for a long period of time, the overall heart rate may rise or fall. Can be understood. This can be realized by continuously measuring for a long term and storing the measurement result in time series.
By measuring the height, for example, the growth state of the child can be grasped numerically, and continuous measurement can be used as a substitute for the daily growth record.

Since the biometric information is analyzed, and advice for improving the biometric information is generated and notified based on the analysis result, the motivation is to measure the biometric information. Further, for example, if a target value for the weight is set and advice for reaching the target value is given, it will be even more encouraging. At this time, since the ingredient information regarding the ingredients stored in the refrigerator 1 is acquired and the advice is generated based on the ingredient information, it is possible to manage the health while effectively using the ingredients. Furthermore, when foods useful for improving biological information are not stored, advice is provided to present useful foods, which can contribute to health maintenance.
(Second embodiment)
The refrigerator of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. Note that the configuration of the refrigerator is the same as that of the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

The refrigerator 1 determines whether or not a person is detected in the measurement process shown in FIG. 10 (C1). At this time, the refrigerator 1 determines whether or not a person exists near the refrigerator 1. That is, in the first embodiment, it is detected that a person touches the refrigerator 1, but in the second embodiment, it is detected whether a person is present near the refrigerator 1. This is because the non-contact body temperature sensor 19 and the imaging camera 18 described above can measure biometric information even when a person is not in contact therewith, so that the biometric information can be measured even when the refrigerator 1 is not used. is there. The detection of a person can be performed by the human sensor 17 or the weight sensor 28.

When the refrigerator 1 detects a person (C1: YES), the time information is acquired (C2), the biological information is measured (C3), and the measurement result is notified (C5), as in the first embodiment. Then, if the individual can be identified from the face image or the like, the measurement result is stored in association with the time information (C6). On the other hand, if the individual cannot be identified (C5: NO), the process ends.

Subsequently, the refrigerator 1 executes the advice process shown in FIG. 11 to acquire the food material information (D1), and then transmits the biometric information and the food material information to the server 48 (D2). Then, the advice generated on the server 48 side is notified as shown in FIG. 8 (D3). At this time, on the server 48 side, for example, a third party such as a doctor or an advisor or the server 48 itself generates advice for improving biometric information. The advice process may be performed even if the individual cannot be identified. That is, in this embodiment, the advice generating means is configured on the external server 48 side.
In this way, the refrigerator 1 can transmit the measured biometric information to the server 48 side and can notify the advice generated on the server 48 side.

This refrigerator 1 naturally exhibits the effects described in the first embodiment, and in addition to the case where there is a limit to the storable information, such as when there is a limit to the situations that can be handled, the biological information is sent to the server 48 side. By transmitting, it becomes possible to make a more appropriate judgment. Also, by having a third party with specialized knowledge, such as a doctor, analyze and judge biometric information and receive advice from a third party, we can respond to various situations and provide more appropriate advice. You will be able to inform.

In this case, considering that the refrigerator is used at home for a long period of time, by connecting to the server, it is possible to sequentially adopt the latest biometric analysis methods, etc. We can provide health management support by effectively utilizing external information, such as prevention of illness and specific measures for health management (exercise prescription, diet therapy, etc.) and proposals for new recipes for health management. .. In addition, by enabling the sharing of information with other people, for example, it is possible to grasp the health condition of a family living apart, and to watch the health condition of a so-called elderly alone from a remote location.

Since the measurement is started by detecting a person in the second embodiment, it is possible to measure biological information only by passing through the vicinity of the refrigerator 1 installed on the activity line without using the refrigerator 1. You can Therefore, the number of times of measurement increases, that is, the number of samples to be compared increases, and it is possible to obtain a finer and more appropriate measurement result, and to give more appropriate advice.

(Other embodiments)
In each embodiment, an example in which various sensors (biological information acquisition means) are provided in the main body 2 of the refrigerator 1 has been shown, but an external sensor may be provided near the refrigerator 1. This is because, as described above, it is possible to encourage continuous acquisition of biometric information even if there is a sensor near the refrigerator 1 that is used every day.
The types of biometric information are not limited to those exemplified in each embodiment. That is, other biometric information not illustrated may be acquired.

An external storage unit may be provided on the server 48 side and the measured biometric information may be stored on the server 48 side. In that case, it is possible to cope with a situation where the capacity of the storage unit 45 is insufficient, and since the storage unit 45 on the refrigerator 1 side can be omitted, it is possible to realize low power consumption and cost reduction. You can

Although the notification means is provided in the refrigerator 1, the notification means may be provided in an external device and the external device side may provide the notification. Specifically, the refrigerator 1 and an external device may be connected by communication, the biological information may be measured in the refrigerator 1, and a biological information acquisition system may be constructed in which the measurement result is reported on the external device side. .. In this case, the external device is not limited to the one shown in the embodiment, and a so-called personal computer or mobile communication terminal that is communicably connected to the refrigerator 1 in the house by a wireless method or a wired method may be adopted. You can In other words, for a person, the biometric information that has been measured in the refrigerator 1 is automatically stored in an external device, a personal computer, or the like, further improving convenience. In addition, for example, the measurement results are compared by combining with biometric information measured by other biometric information acquisition means not provided in the refrigerator 1, or more specialized analysis is performed using spreadsheet software or dedicated software of a personal computer. In addition, biometric information can be easily shared on so-called diet blogs, etc., so that biometric information can be acquired with a purpose, which is an incentive to continue acquisition of biometric information. Therefore, it is possible to further contribute to the purpose of maintaining health.

In addition, it is possible to take an early action by making it possible to notify by an external device side. That is, in the case of “reference” of biometric information by the external device shown in the embodiment, the biometric information can be seen when some action is taken on the external device side, but the action is taken on the external device side. If not, the biometric information will not be referred to. On the other hand, if the external device side is “notified”, it is possible to notify the external device side of the biometric information without taking action on the external device side. In this case, it is preferable that the notification is made in combination with the biometric information. For example, when the blood pressure of a person with high blood pressure shows an abnormal value, even if the measured person is not aware of the abnormality, it is passively "referenced" when it is expected that urgent measures are required. Prompt action can be taken by actively "notifying" rather than waiting for. Also, for example, if the mobile phone of a family member is notified, the biometric information is regularly notified, so that the health condition of the target person can be monitored from a remote location such as "I am fine today". You will also be able to do that.
The food material determination unit 52 is not limited to the configuration shown in each embodiment, and may have another configuration, for example, by attaching a wireless tag to food and detecting the type and storage amount of the food.

In each embodiment, an example is shown in which the blood pressure sensor 23, the blood flow sensor 24, the heart rate sensor 25, the contact-type body temperature sensor 26, and the body fat percentage sensor 27 constitute a composite sensor and the operation thereof is controlled by setting. There is a difference between the contact type body temperature sensor 26 such that the measurement result is immediately obtained when the hand is touched, and the blood pressure sensor 23 or the body fat percentage sensor 27 which requires a certain amount of time to obtain the measurement result. The body may be configured to start the operation when the intention of a person, that is, the intention to use the blood pressure sensor 23 or the body fat percentage sensor 27 is indicated. For example, when a person inputs an operation for measuring biological information on the operation panel 14, the body fat percentage may be measured.

Although the display unit 15 of the operation panel 14 is adopted as the notification unit, a dedicated display unit may be provided.
In each embodiment, the example in which the opening/closing sensor 20 is independently provided is shown. However, the opening/closing sensor 20 is also used as the biological information acquisition unit so that the opening/closing operation is detected when the contact-type biological information acquisition unit is touched. May be.

In each of the embodiments, the example in which the opening/closing sensor 20 detects that a person touches the handle is shown. However, the configuration is such that the opening/closing state of the door is detected, and, for example, that the door has been opened or has been closed. May be configured to be detected. For example, when the refrigerating compartment 3 is opened and closed by the double-opening door 3a and the right side door 3a is provided with the imaging camera 18 as in each embodiment, when it is detected that the left side door 3a is opened, When the face image is captured as it is and it is detected that the right side door 3a is opened, the face image is captured when the right side door 3a is closed and the closing is detected. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the face image from being disturbed by being imaged while the door 3a is open.

In each of the embodiments, an example in which the visual field direction of the imaging camera 18 can be changed up and down is shown, but a wide-angle lens is provided to expand the visual field, or a plurality of cameras are provided to cope with height differences between adults and children, for example. You may do it. Further, the visual field direction of the image pickup camera 18 may be changeable between right and left. This is because when the door 3a of the refrigerating compartment 3 is opened, a person may stand on the side where the door 3a is opened, not in front of the door 3a. Note that the field of view of the image pickup camera 18 may be set in advance toward the side where the door 3a opens. The same applies to the measurement points of the non-contact body temperature sensor.

A half mirror may be provided on the front surface of the imaging camera 18 so that a person can take a face image at an appropriate position while looking at the face image of the person. Further, the image capturing camera 18 may be configured to detect a person, that is, the image capturing camera 18 may be used as a person detecting unit.

An image pickup camera 18 may be provided in the refrigerator to pick up a face image of a person when the door is opened. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to capture a face image in a state where the face image is illuminated by a light source such as an internal lighting, that is, a face of a person is illuminated with the same brightness. It is possible to reduce variation when estimating the physical condition from the.
In each embodiment, the body fat percentage of the upper body is basically measured, but a body fat sensor may be provided on the weight sensor 28 side to measure the body fat percentage of the entire body.

Although the individual is identified by the face image in each embodiment, the individual may be identified by any other method such as fingerprint authentication, voiceprint authentication, voice authentication by keyword, pupil authentication, selection of registered information and authentication by inputting a password. May be identified.

In the first embodiment, the measurement of the biometric information is started based on the touch of the person, and in the second embodiment, the measurement of the biometric information is started when the person is present near the refrigerator 1. , When a person is present in the vicinity, the biometric information is measured by the non-contact type sensor, and then when the person touches to use the refrigerator 1, the biometric information is measured by the contact type sensor. You can

In the second embodiment, measurement of biometric information is started when a person is detected, but a message or the like that prompts measurement of biometric information when a person is detected may be displayed or output by voice. As a result, it can be expected that the biological information will be actively measured.
Although the display unit 15 is shown as the notifying means, a configuration may be provided in which a voice output means for notifying the measurement result of the biological information and the advice by voice is provided to notify by voice.

According to the refrigerator of the embodiment, the biological information acquisition unit that acquires biological information is provided. Refrigerators are used daily because they store foodstuffs, and are generally installed in live activity lines. By providing the biometric information acquisition means in the refrigerator, a person can measure biometric information at a place where he/she drops in every day without having to move to a place where a scale is placed to measure the biometric information. become able to. Therefore, it is possible to promote continuous measurement of biometric information without the person being aware of it, and it is possible to continuously manage the biometric information.

While some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and the gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto.

In the drawings, 1 is a refrigerator, 3 is a refrigerating room (storage room), 4 is a vegetable room (storage room), 5 is an ice making room (storage room), 6 is an upper freezing room (storage room), 7 is a lower freezing room ( Storage room, 15 is a display unit (notifying means), 17 is a human sensor (human detecting means), 18 is an imaging camera (human detecting means, biometric information acquiring means, identifying means), 19 is a non-contact body temperature sensor (living body). Information acquisition means), 20 is an open/close sensor (human detection means, opening/closing operation detection means), 21 is a composite sensor master device 21 (biological information acquisition means), 22 is a composite sensor slave device (biological information acquisition means), and 23 is blood pressure. Sensor (biological information acquisition means), 24 is a blood flow sensor (biological information acquisition means), 25 is a heart rate sensor (biological information acquisition means), 26 is a contact-type body temperature sensor (biological information acquisition means), and 27 is a body fat percentage. Sensor (biological information acquisition means), 28 is a weight sensor (biological information acquisition means), 29 is a first in-camera (food information acquisition means), 30 is a second in-camera (food information acquisition means), and 45 is a memory. Section (storage means), 46 is a communication section (communication means), 47 is the Internet (network), 48 is a server (external device, external storage means, notification means, advice generation means), and 50 is a personal identification section (identification means). ), 51 is a biometric information analysis unit (biological information analysis unit), 52 is a food material determination unit (food material information acquisition unit), and 53 is an advice generation unit (advice generation unit).

Claims (1)

A refrigerator having a storage room for storing foodstuffs,
A biometric information acquisition unit that is provided corresponding to a position touched by a person when using the refrigerator, and acquires by automatically measuring biometric information of the person who uses the refrigerator,
Biometric information analysis means for analyzing the biometric information,
Based on the analysis result by the biometric information analysis unit, an advice generation unit that generates advice for improving the biometric information,
And ingredient information acquiring means for acquiring ingredient information which is information on food that has been stored prior Symbol storage chamber,
An informing means for informing the advice generated by the advice generating means,
The advice generation unit determines whether or not foodstuffs for improving the biometric information are stored in the storage room when an operation for requesting advice is performed, and the biometric information is stored in the storage room. When there is a foodstuff for improving the food, the foodstuff for improving the biometric information is generated by generating advice on dietary habits for improving the bioinformation based on the food information acquired by the food information acquiring means. A refrigerator that generates advice regarding the purchase of the food when there is no such item.

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