The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method for time shifting when a cold storage facility is cooled that includes determining a thermal model of a cold storage facility, obtaining an energy cost model that describes a schedule of variable energy costs over a predetermined period of time in the future, determining an operational schedule for at least a portion of a refrigeration system based on the thermal model, the energy cost model, and a maximum allowed temperature, and powering on the portion the refrigeration system based on the operational schedule, cooling, by the powered portion of the refrigeration system to a temperature below the maximum allowed temperature, reducing power usage of the powered portion of the refrigeration system based on the operational schedule, and permitting the facility to be warmed by ambient temperatures toward the maximum allowed temperature.

A refrigerator includes a compressor configured to circulate a refrigerant, a condenser configured to condense the refrigerant circulated by the compressor, a cooling component configured to cool a storage compartment using the refrigerant condensed by the condenser, and a processor configured to control driving of the cooling component, obtain a load variation of the storage compartment of the refrigerator, the load variation comprising a refrigeration cycle, identify a drive value for driving a component forming the refrigeration cycle based on the load variation, drive the cooling component based on the drive value, and obtain the load variation with a lapse of time during at least one cooling period in which the refrigeration cycle cools the storage cornpartment.

ADAPTIVE CONTROL PROCEDURE FOR REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS which comprises the detection of the frost level in the evaporator by means of a calculation method of NTU rate, allowing to define: the most suitable defrosting time, the energization of the drainage resistors and the adaptive management of the evaporator fan combining different operating modes. An ice-free mode which uses only the cooling capacity of the refrigerant, and different modes with ice which benefits from the latent heat stored in the ice to produce energy savings, depending on the level of frost in the evaporator. For calculating the NTU rate, it uses the evaporator as a reference when it is dry at the beginning, and when the cooling system is in operation, it calculates the NTU rate with a variable frequency operating mode depending on the evaporator performance or level of ice and its comparison with the cited reference.

An AI agent includes an information receiver configured to receive a purchase history of an article and determine whether or not a new article for storage in refrigerator requiring refrigeration or freezing storage exists in the purchase history, an information collector configured to collect capacity information on the new article for storage in refrigerator and movement path information on the new article for storage in refrigerator when the new article for storage in refrigerator exists in the purchase history, and an agent controller configured to determine an expected arrival time at which the new article for storage in refrigerator is to be received in a refrigerator based on the movement path information, and transmit the movement path information and the capacity information and the expected arrival time information on the new article for storage in refrigerator to the refrigerator. An AI agent and a refrigerator associated with the AI agent of the present disclosure are associated with an artificial intelligence module, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) robot, an augmented reality (AR) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, and a device related to a 5G service.

A digital smart real showcase warning system (100) comprises a showcase (110), a freezing machine (20), a showcase control unit (18), and a portable device (70), wherein a control unit (81) of the showcase control unit (18) inputs a temperature of the showcase (110) over time, and determines that a freezing function for the showcase (110) is failing based on the inputted temperature, the control unit (81) calculates an expected date and time of an increase to a warning temperature (an increase in temperature of a product in the showcase (110) to a predetermined temperature so high as to be unsuitable for refrigerating and freezing), and the control unit (81) causes a notifying means (87) to warning-display the expected date and time and to transmit warning information to the portable device (70), whereby the occurrence of a product loss can be prevented.

An apparatus is for diagnosing a valve failure of a refrigerator by detecting whether or not a first valve configured to control flow of a refrigerant circulating in a first refrigeration compartment and a second valve configured to control flow of a refrigerant circulating in a second refrigeration compartment are abnormal. The apparatus includes a first temperature sensor measuring a temperature in the first refrigeration compartment, a second temperature sensor measuring a temperature in the second refrigeration compartment, and a controller configured to determine whether or not the first valve and the second valve are abnormal by comparing changes in temperatures measured by the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor in a state where the first valve or the second valve is opened. The apparatus further includes a display configured to display the determination result indicating whether or not the first valve and the second valve are abnormal.

A refrigerator includes a storage compartment, a door, an air outlet, an imaging unit, and a determination unit. The storage compartment has a storage region that stores a stored object. The door opens and closes the storage compartment. The air outlet is provided in a rear wall of the storage region and blows cold air into the storage region. The imaging unit is provided at an inner side of the door at a position higher than or equal to a height of the air outlet and acquires an image of the storage region from the door. The determination unit determines an arrangement state of the stored object stored in the storage region based on the image acquired by the imaging unit.

A control method for a refrigerator includes sensing a temperature of a storage room; operating a cool air supply at a cooling power when the sensed temperature of the storage room is equal to or above a first reference temperature; operating the cool air supply at a delay power, which is less than the cooling power, when the sensed temperature of the storage room is equal to or below a second reference temperature, which is less than the first reference temperature while the cool air supply is operating at the cooling power; and adjusting the cooling power or the delay power of the cool air supply according to the temperature of the storage room while the cool air supply is operating at the delay power, and operating the cool air supply at the determined adjusted cooling power or delay power.

Provided is an intelligent refrigerator. The intelligent refrigerator includes a rail provided at a lower end portion of a tray in which a fruit are stored in a refrigerating compartment to control movement of the fruit between a first zone and a second zone of the tray, and a controller may control movement of the rail such that a fruit selected on the basis of the fruit consumption pattern information is moved from the first zone to the second zone on the basis of the fruit consumption pattern information at a specific time point predicted on the basis of meal pattern information of the user. The second zone is a space in which a temperature is controlled so that the fruit has the highest sugar content value on the basis of the highest sugar content temperature information.

The washing machine may be associated with an artificial intelligence (AI) module, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (or drone), a robot, an augmented reality (AR) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, and a device related to a 5G service.

In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided that limit the change in temperature and/or control a temperature of a product during delivery. Some embodiments provide systems to limit temperature changes, comprising: an evaporative product cooling system comprising: a product cavity that supports a product while the product is transported to a delivery location, wherein the product cooling system comprises an interior wall defining the product cavity, an exterior wall, an evaporative cavity between the interior and exterior walls, a coolant dispensing system, at least one evaporative opening, and a temperature sensor; and a temperature control circuit configured to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor while the product is in transit, determine that a temperature of the product is greater than a transport temperature threshold, and autonomously activate the coolant dispensing system to release evaporative coolant into the evaporative cavity while the product is transported.