Refrigerator with camera and control method for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9920980-B2
Application number	US-201514930012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2015
Priority date	Apr 23, 2013
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 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;
a drawer movably provided in the storage compartment and comprising a marker;
a single camera fixed to a ceiling of the storage compartment and arranged to take, from an outside of the drawer, a photograph that has both information about the marker of the drawer and information about food stored in an inside of the drawer; and
a controller arranged to recognise the marker in the photograph taken by the camera,
wherein the controller is further arranged to recognise a coordinate value of the marker in the photograph and compare the coordinate value with a previous coordinate value of the marker.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the camera is fixed to the ceiling of the storage compartment at a position that is within a range onto which the drawer in the closed position and the drawer in the opened position are projected.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the camera is angled toward a rear wall of the storage compartment to face the interior of the storage compartment, wherein the camera is angled such that the focus of the camera is directed to one point on the rear wall surface of the storage compartment.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the camera is positioned at a lateral central portion of the ceiling of the storage compartment.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the marker is disposed on an upper surface of a front portion of the drawer.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the camera and marker are approximately vertically aligned.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the marker has a repeated pattern.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the marker comprises figures having a shape and contrasting colors which are alternated.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein the shape is a quadrangle, triangle, circle, and/or wave.

10. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein a pattern in which figures having a certain shape and contrasting colors are repeated two to four times.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the marker comprises a pattern of white and black colours, and wherein the white and black colours are alternately arranged.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the marker comprises a plurality of bands having white squares and black squares which are alternately arranged such that the bands are misaligned.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the marker comprises colors contrasting that of the drawer, and wherein the drawer is bright-colored, transparent, or semi-transparent.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a length of the marker in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the drawer is greater than a length of the marker in the direction of movement of the drawer.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the marker adjoining the drawer has a dark color contrasting a color of the drawer, and the central portion of the marker has a bright color contrasting the dark color.

16. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the marker comprises a first color portion and a second color portion having a color contrasting the color of the first color portion or identical to a color of the drawer, wherein the first color portion and second color portion are sequentially disposed.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the second color portion has a width approximately equal to that of the first color portion.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein both ends of the first color portion arranged at a front edge of the marker are connected to both ends of the first color portion arranged at a rear edge of the marker such that the second color portion is surrounded by the first color portion.

19. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the marker is provided with a letter, a sign, or a pattern arranged to allow the user to intuitively understand the use of the marker.

20. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is arranged to trace the marker and determine whether the drawer is moving or stopped, the degree of opening of the drawer, and whether the drawer begins to be opened or closed.

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

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · 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