Refrigerator with camera and control method for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10184715-B2
Application number	US-201715720989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2017
Priority date	Apr 23, 2013
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a storage compartment formed in a cabinet of the refrigerator by a fixed insulation wall, the storage compartment being provided with an access opening. The refrigerator also includes a door rotatably provided to the cabinet to open and close the access opening, a drawer provided in the storage compartment, a camera fixed to a ceiling of the storage compartment to photograph both a first region for storing of food arranged in an external space of the drawer and a second region for storing of food arranged in an internal space of the drawer, and a controller configured to separate, through a capturing time of a picture containing both the first region and the second region, a first region picture and a second region picture from the picture to individually divide and store the first region picture and the second region picture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet in which a storage compartment is defined by a fixed insulation wall, the storage compartment configured to store food and having an access opening, the storage compartment having a ceiling, a pair of side walls, a bottom wall, and a rear wall;
a door rotatably provided at the cabinet and configured to open and close the access opening of the storage compartment;
a plurality of shelves provided in the storage compartment and separated from each other in a vertical direction; and
a camera fixed to the ceiling of the storage compartment at a position that is between, along a front-to-rear direction, the access opening and a front edge of an uppermost shelf among the plurality of shelves, and that is at a horizontal center of the ceiling along a side-to-side horizontal direction, the camera configured to take a photo of an interior of the storage compartment.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of shelves extend toward the door with a same length.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the position of the camera is between, along the front-to-rear direction, the access opening and a location on the ceiling onto which the front edge of the uppermost shelf among the plurality of shelves is projected.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the camera is inclined at an angle toward the rear wall of the storage compartment.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the camera is further configured to take a picture that captures a pair of side edges of the at least one shelf within a side-to-side horizontal field of view of the camera.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a drawer provided in the storage compartment, the drawer configured to store food and to move in forward and backward directions.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the camera is provided outside of the drawer and in an interior of the storage compartment.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the camera is configured to take the photo of the interior of the storage compartment by:
taking a photo of an inside of the drawer.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the camera is configured to take the photo of the interior of the storage compartment by:
taking a photo that captures a front edge of the drawer within a vertical field of view of the camera in a state in which the drawer is withdrawn.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the camera is configured to take the photo of the interior of the storage compartment in a state in which the drawer is inserted or in a state in which the drawer is withdrawn.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the camera is configured to take the photo of the interior of the storage compartment in a state in which the drawer is inserted, withdrawn, or moving.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one shelf is positioned at an upper side of the drawer.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the camera is positioned between the pair of side walls of the storage compartment.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the camera is configured to take the photo of the interior of the storage compartment by:
taking a photo that captures at least part of the bottom wall of the storage compartment.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the camera is configured to take the photo of the interior of the storage compartment by:
taking a photo of an upper space of the at least one shelf.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the camera is configured to take the photo of the interior of the storage compartment by:
taking a photo that captures a rear edge of the at least one shelf within the vertical field of view of the camera.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein a front edge of the drawer is located forward of the front edge of the at least one shelf in a state in which the drawer is withdrawn.

18. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet in which a storage compartment is defined by a fixed insulation wall, the storage compartment configured to store food and having an access opening, the storage compartment having a ceiling, a pair of side walls, a bottom wall, and a rear wall;
a door rotatably provided at the cabinet and configured to open and close the access opening of the storage compartment;
a plurality of shelves provided in the storage compartment and separated from each other in a vertical direction; and
a camera fixed to the ceiling of the storage compartment at a position that is between, along a front-to-rear direction, the access opening and a front edge of a foremost shelf among the plurality of shelves, and that is at a horizontal center of the ceiling along a side-to-side horizontal direction, the camera configured to take a photo of an interior of the storage compartment.

19. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet in which a storage compartment is defined by a fixed insulation wall, the storage compartment configured to store food and having an access opening, the storage compartment having a ceiling, a pair of side walls, a bottom wall, and a rear wall;
a door rotatably provided at the cabinet and configured to open and close the access opening of the storage compartment;
a shelf provided in the storage compartment; and
a camera fixed to the ceiling of the storage compartment at a position that is between, along a front-to-rear direction, the access opening and a front edge of the shelf, and that is a horizontal center along a side-to-side horizontal direction, the camera configured to take a photo of an interior of the storage compartment.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 19 , wherein the camera is inclined at an angle toward the rear wall of the storage compartment.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Kwanhyung
• Hong Samnyol
• Kwon Sungdu
• Lee Ikkyu
• Lee Myoungju
• Kim Jeonghwan

Classifications

• F25D29/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F25D29/005 Primary

  Mounting of control devices · CPC title

• H04N23/52

  Elements optimising image sensor operation, e.g. for electromagnetic interference [EMI] protection or temperature control by heat transfer or cooling elements · CPC title

• H04N23/633

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title