Refrigerator and camera device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018259242-A1
Application number	US-201815974952-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 9, 2018
Priority date	Mar 12, 2013
Publication date	Sep 13, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator ( 1 ) is provided with an image capturing camera 18 (image capturing unit) configured to capture an image of an interior of a storage chamber (such as a refrigeration chamber 3 ); a communication portion ( 52 ) (communication unit) configured to transmit image of the interior of the storage chamber captured by the image capturing camera ( 18 ) to an exterior device; wherein the image capturing unit is stored in a recess provided in the interior of the storage chamber.

First claim

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of an interior of the refrigerator; wherein the image capturing unit is provided on a side surface in the interior of the refrigerator.

2 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing unit and a door pocket provided on a door are provided at different elevations.

3 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing unit is provided in a location capable of capturing an image of a door pocket provided on a door when the door is opened.

4 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing unit and a shelf provided in the interior of the refrigerator are located at different elevations.

5 . The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein a front portion of the shelf is glossed.

6 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a lighting unit and a shelf provided in the interior of the refrigerator are located at different elevations.

7 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a gloss is applied to a front portion of a shelf provided in the interior of the refrigerator and an irradiation direction of a lighting unit is not oriented towards the front portion of the shelf.

8 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a drawable container is provided in the interior of the refrigerator and the image capturing unit is provided in a location confronting a side surface of the container when the container is drawn out.

9 . The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the container is provided in plural and the image capturing unit is provided in a location capable of capturing images of the plural containers.

10 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing unit is oriented downward from an upward direction.

11 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing unit is located forward relative to a shelf provided in the interior of the refrigerator and is oriented towards the shelf.

12 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing unit is located between a door pocket provided on a door and a shelf provided in the interior of the refrigerator.

13 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the image capturing unit is located rearward relative to a shelf provided in the interior of the refrigerator.

14 . The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein plural shelves are provided in the interior of the refrigerator and the image capturing unit is located between the shelves.

15 . The refrigerator according to claim 14 , wherein the image capturing unit is provided in plural, each of the image capturing units being located between the shelves.

16 . The refrigerator according to claim 15 , wherein the image capturing unit includes a dedicated upper image capturing unit capable of capturing an image of an upper side of the shelves and a dedicated lower image capturing unit capable of capturing an image of an lower side of the shelves.

17 . The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the image capturing unit is located rearward relative to a door pocket provided on a door.

18 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the interior of the refrigerator contains a drawable container and a shelf provided above the container comprises a transparent shelf, and
wherein the image capturing unit is capable of capturing an image of an interior of the container through the transparent shelf.

19 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a movable shelf capable of moving in an up and down direction is provided in the interior of the refrigerator, and wherein the image capturing unit is provided in a location capable of capturing an image of an upper side of the movable shelf located at any elevation between an upper movable limit and a lower movable limit.

20 . The refrigerator according to claim 19 , wherein the image capturing unit is provided above the movable shelf.

21 . The refrigerator according to claim 19 , wherein the movable shelf is provided with a transfer mechanism configured to move the movable shelf, the movable shelf being provided with a nontransparent portion for hiding the transfer mechanism on a portion thereof.

Assignees

• Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corp

Inventors

• Sumihiro Katsushi
• Marutani Yuuki
• Furuta Kazuhiro
• Izawa Hirokazu
• Watanabe Kota
• Kawada Ryo

Classifications

• F25D27/00

  Lighting arrangements (in general F21) · CPC title

• F25D23/04 Primary

  with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners · CPC title

• F25D23/02

  Doors; Covers (F25D23/08 takes precedence {locks or fastenings E05B65/0042}) · CPC title

• F25D29/005

  Mounting of control devices · CPC title

• F25D2400/36

  Visual displays · CPC title