METHOD AND REFRIGERATION APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING AN OBJECT WEIGHT OF AN OBJECT FOR REFRIGERATION

Abstract

A method is used to determine an object weight of at least one object for refrigeration positioned on a weighing area with weighing plates of a household refrigeration appliance. The respective weights are measured in a time-resolved manner by means of the weighing plates and a sum of changes in weight determined within a predetermined period of time on the weighing plates is assigned to an object for refrigeration as its object weight. A refrigeration apparatus has a household refrigeration appliance with a refrigerating zone, which has a weighing area with a number of weighing plates. The refrigeration apparatus is configured to carry out the method.

Claims

1. A method for determining an object weight of at least one object for refrigeration positioned on a weighing area with a plurality of weighing plates of a household refrigeration appliance, which comprises the steps of: measuring respective weights in a time-resolved manner by means of the weighing plates and a sum of changes in weight determined on the weighing plates within a predetermined period of time is assigned to the at least one object for refrigeration as the object weight.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises determining a position of the at least one object for refrigeration on the weighing plates from the changes in weight determined within the predetermined period of time.

3. The method according to claim 2, which further comprises determining a center of gravity of the at least one object for refrigeration on a basis of the changes in weight determined on the weighing plates.

4. The method according to claim 2, which further comprises: recording at least one image of the weighing area by means of at least one camera; determining a type and position of objects for refrigeration located on the weighing area from the at least one image; and checking for an agreement of positions determined by means of the weighing plates and by means of positions of objects for refrigeration determined from the at least one image, and with an agreement in the positions for a respective object for refrigeration the type is linked to the object weight.

5. The method according to claim 4, which further comprises storing the type determined for the at least one object for refrigeration in a database linked at least with the object weight.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein a grid of the weighing plates overlies the at least one image in order to determine a position of the at least one object for refrigeration.

7. The method according to claim 4, which further comprises determining a position of a support surface of the at least one object for refrigeration with respect to the weighing plates in order to determine the position of the at least one object for refrigeration.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein a liquid volume is determined from the object weight of the at least one object for refrigeration and its recognized type.

9. A refrigeration apparatus, comprising: a household refrigeration appliance containing a refrigerating zone having a weighing area with a plurality of weighing plates, wherein the refrigeration apparatus being configured to perform a method for determining an object weight of at least one object for refrigeration positioned on said weighing area, the refrigeration apparatus configured to: measure respective weights in a time-resolved manner by means of said weighing plates and a sum of changes in weight determined on said weighing plates within a predetermined period of time is assigned to the at least one object for refrigeration as the object weight.

10. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said household refrigeration appliance has a door with a door rack, said weighing area is disposed in said door rack.

11. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said door rack is formed from a transparent material.

12. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said household refrigeration appliance has a data processing apparatus for carrying out the method.

13. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said household refrigeration appliance has a communication apparatus for exchanging data with at least one external instance and is configured to send measured weights and at least one image to the external instance, and the external instance is configured to determine the object weight of the at least one object for refrigeration therefrom.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0040] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a refrigerator with an opened refrigerator door, which has a number of door racks internally;

[0041] FIG. 2 is a top, perspective view of a door rack with a weighing area;

[0042] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the door rack from FIG. 2 with objects for refrigeration positioned thereupon; and

[0043] FIG. 4 is a flow chart for carrying out the method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a refrigerator 1 with a refrigerating zone 2, which can be closed by means of a refrigerator door 3 shown open here. Objects for refrigeration K1, K2 can be stored on storage compartments 4 of the refrigerating zone 2 and in door racks 5. The door racks 5 are arranged on an interior of the refrigerator door 3. The refrigerator 1 also has a camera 6 integrated fixedly in a ceiling of the refrigerating zone 2, by means of which images of at least one of the door racks 5 can be recorded, for instance if the refrigerator door 3 is located in a predetermined angular position during a closing process. Here the images also comprise the objects for refrigeration K1, and K2 stored in the door racks 5.

[0045] The refrigerator 1 moreover has a central control facility 7, which is coupled to the camera 6, and is designed for image evaluation of images recorded by means of the camera 6.

[0046] The refrigerator 1 optionally has at least one communication module 8 (e.g. a Bluetooth module, a Wi-Fi module and/or an Ethernet module) for communication with at least one external instance, e.g. a network server N, a Cloud computer (not shown) and/or a mobile user terminal S.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows in a view obliquely from above the door rack 5 with a weighing area 9, which rests on a base of the door rack 5 or forms the base. The door rack 5 as such (without the weighing area 9) has optically transparent side walls 10 and advantageously consists entirely of an optically transparent material e.g. plastic.

[0048] The weighing area 9 has twelve rectangular weighing plates 9a to 9l arranged adjacent to one another practically without a gap in a matrix-shaped (6×2) grid. Furthermore, the weighing area 9 can have further weighing plates 9m to 9p for edge-side filling of the base of the door rack 5, in which case a matrix-shaped (8×2) grid is then present. The further weighing plates 9m to 9p have another shape and/or size than the weighing plates 9a to 9l. The weighing area 9 has a controller (not shown), which records the analog measuring data generated by the weighing plates 9a to 9p and converts the same into corresponding weight data.

[0049] Object weights of respective objects for refrigeration can be determined by means of the control facility 7 from changes in weight measured on the weighing plates 9a to 9p within a predetermined period of time and stored in a database internal or external to the device (e.g. integrated in the external instance S, N) together with the weighing plates 9a to 9p actuated in this way.

[0050] An object for refrigeration recognition with respect to the objects for refrigeration positioned and weighed on the weighing area 9 is also carried out in an image of the camera 6 by means of the control facility 7, and its type and also the weighing plates 9a to 9p, on which the objects for refrigeration are positioned in each case, is recognized.

[0051] FIG. 3 shows the door rack 5 in the top view. Objects for refrigeration K3 and K4 positioned thereupon are indicated with dashed lines. The object for refrigeration K3 rests on the weighing plates 9a to 9c while the object for refrigeration K4 rests on the weighing plates 9j to 9l.

[0052] FIG. 4 shows a possible flow chart for carrying out the method, which is explained in more detail by way of example on the basis of the refrigerator 1 and FIG. 3. It is assumed that the object for refrigeration K4 was already placed on the weighing area 9 at the start of the method.

[0053] In a step S1, a check is carried out to determine whether the refrigerator door 3 is opened or has been opened. If no (N), the method is ended in step S2. In one variant, the method can then only be started if the refrigerator 3 is opened.

[0054] If yes (“Y”), a check is carried out in step S3 to determine whether a noticeable change in weight ΔG occurs on at least one of the weighing plates 9a to 9p. If no (“N”), the method goes back to step S1.

[0055] If yes (“Y”), in step S4 weights G measured on the weighing plates 9a to 9p are acquired and therefrom the respective change in weight ΔG is determined in respect of a time instant immediately before the change in weight. Such a change in weight ΔG is currently determined by setting the object for refrigeration K3 in the door rack 5, namely only an increase in weight ΔG>0 on the weighing plates 9a, 9b and 9c, e.g. according to ΔG(9a)=+200 g, ΔG(9b)=+700 g and ΔG(9c)=+100 g, based on a previously missing weight support. In the present case, the increases in weight ΔG therefore correspond to the correspondingly measured weights G, in other words ΔG(9a)=G(9a), etc.

[0056] The object weight O (K3) of the object for refrigeration K3 can be concluded according to:

O(K3)=G(9a)+G(9b)+G(9c)=200 g+700 g+100 g=1000 g.

[0057] Moreover, its position on the weighing plates 9a, 9b and 9c is known.

[0058] In a step S5, a check is carried out to determine whether the predetermined period of time has been reached or exceeded since the occurrence of the noticeable change in weight in step S3. If no (“N”), the method goes back to step S4.

[0059] If yes (“Y”), a check is carried out in step S6 to determine whether the refrigerator door 3 is closed and in the process has reached a predetermined door opening angle. If no (“N”), the method goes back to step S4.

[0060] If yes (“Y”), in step S7, at least one image of the weighing area 9 is recorded by means of the at least one camera 6, in the present exemplary embodiment including the objects for refrigeration K3 and K4 located therein.

[0061] In a step S8, the support surfaces and thus the positions and, if possible, the type of objects for refrigeration K3 and K4 identified in the image are then identified in step S8 by image recognition. In particular, it is possible to identify upon which weighing plates 9a to 9p the objects for refrigeration K3, K4 rest.

[0062] In a step S9, a check is carried out to determine whether an object for refrigeration K3, K4 recognized by image recognition rests on the weighing plates 9a to 9c actuated in step S3 and/or step 4. This is currently the case for the object for refrigeration K3, so that the object weight determined by means of the weighing plates 9a to 9c is assigned to the object for refrigeration K3 identified in step S8 on the same weighing plates 9a to 9c.

[0063] In a step S10, the type of object for refrigeration K3, its object weight O (K3) and possibly its position (for instance the weighing plates 9a to 9c, on which the object for refrigeration K3 rests), are saved in a database for the purpose of storage.

[0064] A move back to step 1 is then made.

[0065] The present invention is naturally not restricted to the exemplary embodiment shown.

[0066] The position of the object for refrigeration K3 and also its center of gravity of the object for refrigeration can therefore be determined and compared with a center of gravity of the object for refrigeration determined by image evaluation.

[0067] In general, “a”, “an”, etc. can be understood as singular or plural, in particular in the sense of “at least one” or “one or more”, etc., provided this is not explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression “exactly one”, etc.

[0068] A numerical value can also include the given value as a typical tolerance range, provided this is not explicitly excluded.

[0069] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: [0070] 1 refrigerator [0071] 2 refrigerating zone [0072] 3 refrigerator door [0073] 4 storage compartments [0074] 5 door rack [0075] 6 camera [0076] 7 control facility [0077] 8 communication module [0078] 9 weighing area [0079] 9a-9p weighing plate [0080] 10 side wall of the door rack [0081] K1-K4 object for refrigeration [0082] N network server [0083] S mobile user terminal