Refrigerator with camera and control method for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9890994-B2
Application number	US-201514930444-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2015
Priority date	Apr 23, 2013
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

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 storage compartment formed in a cabinet of the refrigerator by a fixed insulation wall, the storage compartment being provided with an access opening;
a door rotatably provided to the cabinet and arranged to open and close the access opening;
at least one drawer provided in the storage compartment;
at least one shelf provided in the storage compartment, the at least one shelf being positioned at an upper side of the drawer; and
a camera fixed to a ceiling of the storage compartment between a front edge of the shelf and the access opening, wherein the camera is arranged to photograph both a region for storing of food provided in an external space of the drawer in the storage compartment and a region provided in an internal space of the drawer for storing of food.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed insulation wall comprises the ceiling, a lower wall, two side walls and a rear wall.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the access opening is provided in a front surface of the storage compartment.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one shelf comprises a plurality of shelves vertically arranged, and the camera is positioned farther forward than the front edge of the shelf located at a foremost position.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the camera is positioned
at a lateral center of the storage compartment.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the region for storing of food provided in an external space of the drawer in the storage compartment includes a region arranged under the drawer to vertically overlap the drawer when the drawer is in a withdrawn state.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the camera is positioned perpendicularly over the center of a dimension from the front to the back of the region arranged under the drawer to vertically overlap the drawer when the drawer is in a withdrawn state.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the region arranged under the drawer to vertically overlap the drawer when the drawer is in a withdrawn state is a recessed space formed on a bottom of the storage compartment for storing food, and is provided with a transparent cover provided to an upper portion of the space to open and close the space.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one drawer comprises a plurality of drawers at least partially and vertically overlapping each other.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein one of the plurality of drawers located at a lower position protrudes farther forward than another one of the plurality of drawers located at a higher position.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one drawer comprises two drawers arranged to be laterally symmetrical to each other in the storage compartment.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein, when the drawer is in the fully withdrawn state, a front edge of the drawer protrudes farther forward toward the access opening than the front edge of the at least one shelf.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein a horizontal angle of view of the camera is determined such that the horizontal angle of view includes at least one portion of both ends of the at least one shelf, and the vertical angle of view of the camera includes at least one portion of a rear edge of the at least one shelf and the front edge of the drawer in the fully withdrawn state.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the camera is inclined at an angle such that a camera lens and a transparent window of the camera face rearward and downward into 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

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · 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

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title