Object recognition system for an appliance and method for managing household inventory of consumables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10474987-B2
Application number	US-201615198258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2016
Priority date	Aug 5, 2015
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A refrigerating appliance includes a cabinet having an inner liner that defines at least one aperture for accessing a refrigerating compartment. A door is operably coupled to the cabinet and is operable between open and closed positions. A plurality of storage surfaces is positioned within the refrigerating compartment. Each storage surface is adapted to receive at least one temporarily stored item. A scanning apparatus is adapted to record data related to the storage surfaces and the at least one temporarily stored item. The scanning apparatus conducts first and second data capturing phases. The secondary data recorded during the second data capturing phase is compared against previous data recorded during the first data capturing phase to create a current inventory manifest. The current inventory manifest is compared with a set of predetermined parameters related to the at least one temporarily stored item to selectively provide an output.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerating appliance comprising:
a cabinet having an inner liner that defines at least one aperture for accessing a corresponding refrigerating compartment;
at least one door operably coupled to the cabinet and operable between open and closed positions, the open position defined by the refrigerating compartment being accessible through the at least one aperture, the closed position being defined by the at least one door engaging at least a portion of the at least one aperture;
a plurality of storage surfaces and a plurality of shelves positioned within the refrigerating compartment, each of the plurality of storage surfaces and each of the plurality of shelves adapted to receive at least one temporarily stored item, wherein each shelf of the plurality of shelves are defined by a unitary U-shaped shelf; and
a scanning apparatus positioned within a top portion of the refrigerating compartment, adjacent the at least one door and over a center of each shelf of the plurality of shelves, and adapted to record data related to the plurality of storage surfaces and the at least one temporarily stored item, wherein the scanning apparatus conducts separate first and second data capturing phases, and wherein secondary data recorded during the second data capturing phase is compared, by a processor, against previous data recorded during the first data capturing phase to create, by the processor, a current inventory manifest, and wherein the current inventory manifest is compared, by the processor, with a set of predetermined parameters related to the at least one temporarily stored tern to selectively provide an output, by the processor, wherein the output includes a culinary recipe related to the at least one temporarily stored item when the temporarily stored item meets a predetermined visual spoilage criteria of the predetermined set of parameters.

2. The refrigerating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the output identifies a recommendation with respect to a changed temporarily stored item of the at least one temporarily stored item, wherein the recommendation is related to disposal of the temporarily stored item when the scanning apparatus records a visual indication of the temporarily stored item that is indicative of spoliation of the temporarily stored item.

3. The refrigerating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the scanning apparatus conducts a data capturing phase within the refrigerating compartment each time the at least one door is moved to the closed position and conducts another data capturing phase with respect to the at least one door when the at least one door is in the open position.

4. The refrigerating appliance of claim 1 , wherein each time one of the first and second data capturing phases of the refrigerating compartment are conducted, recorded data is compared against previous data recorded during a previously conducted data capturing phase of the refrigerating compartment.

5. The refrigerating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the at least one door includes a drawer that is slidably operable relative to the cabinet, and wherein the closed position is defined by the drawer being positioned within the refrigerating compartment, and wherein the open position is defined by the drawer being extended from the refrigerating compartment.

6. The refrigerating appliance of claim 3 , wherein the scanning apparatus performs a series of successive scans of the refrigerating compartment during each of the first and second data capturing phases, and wherein each successive scan is performed at a predetermined rotational position of the at least one door with respect to the refrigerating compartment.

7. The refrigerating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the scanning apparatus includes at least one camera disposed at the top portion of the cabinet and on at least one of the at least one door and the inner liner.

8. The refrigerating appliance of claim 1 , wherein the scanning apparatus includes a motion sensor adapted to detect movement of a user through the at least one aperture.

9. An appliance comprising:
a cabinet having an interior compartment, wherein the cabinet defines at least one corresponding aperture for accessing the interior compartment;
at least one door panel coupled to the cabinet and operable between open and closed positions;
a storage area defined within the interior compartment, the storage area adapted to receive at least one temporarily stored item, wherein the storage area includes a plurality of shelves, each shelf of the plurality of shelves being a unitary U-shaped shelf and the plurality of shelves defining an open center area extending vertically through the interior compartment; and
a scanning apparatus positioned within the interior compartment adjacent the at least one door panel and above the open center area and adapted to record data related to the storage area and the at least one temporarily stored item, wherein the scanning apparatus conducts separate first and second data capturing phases, and wherein secondary data recorded during the second data capturing phase is compared, by a processor, against previous data recorded during the first data capturing phase to create, by the processor, a current inventory manifest, and wherein the current inventory manifest is compared, by the processor, with a set of predetermined parameters related to the at least one temporarily stored item to selectively provide an output, by the processor, wherein the predetermined parameters include visual spoilage criteria, and wherein the output is related to at least one of usage and disposal of the temporarily stored item that substantially meets the visual spoilage criteria, and wherein when the output is related to use of the temporarily stored tern that substantially meets the visual spoilage criteria, the output includes a culinary recipe related to the temporarily stored item.

10. The appliance of claim 9 , wherein a portion of the scanning apparatus is disposed on the at least one door panel, wherein the first data capturing phase is conducted during movement of the at least one door panel from the closed position to the open position, and wherein the separate second data capturing phase is conducted during a subsequent movement of the at least one door panel from the open position to the closed position.

11. The appliance of claim 10 , wherein the at least one door panel is at least one rotationally operable door hingedly connected to the cabinet for engaging the at least one corresponding aperture.

12. The appliance of claim 11 , wherein the scanning apparatus performs multiple individual scans of the interior compartment during each of the first and second data capturing phases.

13. The appliance of claim 12 , wherein each individual scan is performed at a distinct and predetermined rotational position of the at least one rotationally operable door.

14. The appliance of claim 9 , wherein the output is defined by a recommendation related to at least one of use and maintenance of the at least one temporarily stored item.

15. The appliance of claim 9 , wherein the scanning apparatus includes a motion sensor adapted to detect when a user accesses the storage area, wherein when the at least one door panel is moved to the open position and the motion sensor is free of detecting access to the storage area, the scanning apparatus is tree of activation.

16. An object recognition system for an appliance, the object recognition system comprising:
a plurality of unitary U-shaped storage surfaces positioned within a storage area, each of the plurality of unitary U-shaped storage surf

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Corona Enrique
• Edwards David
• Moore Michael T
• Post Ryan M

Classifications

• G06F18/24

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• F25D2500/06

  Stock management · CPC title

• F25D2700/08

  Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] · CPC title

• F25D2700/04

  Sensors detecting the presence of a person · CPC title

• F25D29/00

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title