Sensor for communication with refrigerator and control system for refrigerator including the sensor

1. A sensor package in a refrigerator configured to provide information related to refrigerated food to the refrigerator, the sensor package comprising:

a body having a mark indicating the type of food to which the sensor package is coupled, wherein the body is configured to be detachably attached to the food stored within the refrigerator;

a battery that provides electric power to the sensor package;

an operation switch that controls an operational state of the sensor package and supply of power from the battery;

a memory configured to store food information corresponding to the type of food corresponding to the mark;

a conductive member to transfer heat from food in the refrigerator to a temperature sensor;

the temperature sensor to be in contact with the conductive member and configured to sense a temperature at a portion of the temperature sensor in contact with the conductive member, and to detect information related to the sensed temperature;

a sensor communication module to transmit, to a communication unit of the refrigerator, information detected by the temperature sensor, and the sensor communication module to receive, from the communication unit of the refrigerator, a refrigerating chamber set temperature; and

a sensor controller disposed between the battery and the sensor communication module, and the sensor controller configured to:

set a reference temperature value using the refrigerating chamber set temperature received from the communication unit of the refrigerator, and

detect a time point at which the sensed temperature is reduced to below the reference temperature value as a storage start time point of food.

2. The sensor package of claim 1 , wherein the food information includes information related to at least one of a cooking process, a recommended use-by date, a recommended storage temperature, or a recommended storage humidity set for the food.

3. A refrigerator comprising:

a sensor that senses state information related to a state of food present within the refrigerator;

a memory device that stores information related to the food;

an output device that displays a graphic object related to at least one of the state information sensed by the sensor or the food information stored in the memory device; and

a refrigerator controller configured to determine information related to the graphic object by comparing the state information sensed by the sensor and the food information stored in the memory device related to the food,

wherein a mark is disposed on a body of the sensor, the mark indicating the type of food to which the sensor is coupled,

wherein the sensor is configured to be detachably attached to the food stored within the refrigerator,

wherein the sensor is configured to:

sense a temperature of the food to which the sensor is coupled;

control the sensor to initiate communication between the sensor and the output device of the refrigerator based on the sensed temperature, and

receive, from a communication unit of the refrigerator, a refrigerating chamber set temperature,

set a reference temperature value using the refrigerating chamber set temperature received from the communication unit of the refrigerator,

detect a time point at which the sensed temperature is reduced to below the reference temperature value as a storage start time point of food, and

sense the state information from the detected storage start time point.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein

the refrigerator controller controls the output device to output notification information related to the food that is added to the refrigerator at the storage start time point.