Food material recognition system and refrigerator provided with the same

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of food material identification system and the refrigerator with it.The food material identification system is the system of identifying food material stored in refrigerator, including the main part of plate, camera part installed in main part, and control part installed in main part and control the action of camera part, control part includes the communication module capable of communicating with refrigerator and the control module of the opening and closing of the camera of control camera part, control module is based on the opening and closing information of the door of refrigerator received via communication module, the opening and closing of the camera of control camera part.In addition, the refrigerator includes cabinet and the food material identification system described above detachably installed on the top of cabinet, main part has protruding part from the front surface of cabinet, camera part is installed in protruding part.According to the utility model, a kind of food material identification system and the refrigerator with it can be installed in any refrigerator with wireless communication function with high flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a food identification system and a refrigerator equipped with the same. Background Technology

[0002] Traditionally, refrigerators without cameras have been unable to accommodate camera modules. Furthermore, camera modules that are fixedly integrated with the refrigerator have poor compatibility and flexibility, making them unsuitable for installation in ordinary smart refrigerators. Utility Model Content

[0003] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a food identification system and a refrigerator equipped with it that can be installed with high flexibility in any refrigerator with wireless communication function.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the food identification system of this utility model is a system for identifying food stored in a refrigerator. It includes a plate-shaped main body, a camera unit mounted on the main body, and a control unit mounted on the main body and controlling the operation of the camera unit. The control unit includes a communication module capable of communicating with the refrigerator and a control module controlling the opening and closing of the camera. The control module controls the opening and closing of the camera based on the door opening and closing information of the refrigerator received via the communication module. Thus, by designing the food identification system as a standalone unit, it offers high flexibility and can be installed in any ordinary smart refrigerator.

[0005] Alternatively, in the food identification system described above, the communication module may include a network status judgment module, a Wi-Fi module, and a Bluetooth module. When the network status judgment module determines that there is a network connection, the switch information is sent to the control module via the cloud server and the Wi-Fi module through the HTTP protocol. When the network status judgment module determines that there is a network interruption, the switch information is sent to the control module via the Bluetooth module through the Bluetooth communication protocol.

[0006] Furthermore, in the food identification system described above, the control unit may also include an identification module for identifying the food and a storage module for temporarily storing the identification results obtained by the identification module. If the network status judgment module determines that the network is connected, the identification result is reported to the cloud server. If the network status judgment module determines that the network is interrupted, the identification result is temporarily stored in the storage module and reported to the cloud server after the network is restored. In this way, food identification can be performed even when the network is down.

[0007] Alternatively, in the food identification system described above, the control unit may be a circuit board embedded in the main body, the camera unit may be connected to the circuit board via a cable, and the Wi-Fi module and the Bluetooth module may be installed in the circuit board.

[0008] Alternatively, in the food identification system described above, the camera unit can also be a high-pixel wide-angle camera.

[0009] The refrigerator of this utility model includes: a cabinet; and the above-mentioned food identification system, which is detachably installed on the top of the cabinet, the main body having a protrusion protruding from the front surface of the cabinet, and the camera unit being installed in the protrusion.

[0010] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the camera unit may be located at the center of the refrigerator in the width direction of the protruding part.

[0011] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the camera unit may be located at a position offset from the center of the refrigerator in the width direction from the protrusion.

[0012] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the camera's shooting range may cover the entire width of the refrigerator.

[0013] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the main body can be detachably mounted to the top of the cabinet using adhesive, screws, or snap-fit ​​structures.

[0014] According to this utility model, a food identification system that can be installed with high flexibility in any refrigerator with wireless communication function, and a refrigerator equipped with the system, can be provided. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this utility model will become clearer from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0016] Figure 1 This is a front view showing the general structure of the refrigerator according to this embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a side view showing the general structure of the refrigerator according to this embodiment.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the general structure of the food identification system involved in this embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the food ingredient recognition system according to this embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the food identification system involved in this embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, identical or equivalent elements are marked with the same symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, positional relationships such as up, down, left, and right are not specifically described, but are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. Moreover, the scale of the drawings is not limited to the scale shown in the illustrations, except as used in the actual drawings.

[0022] Furthermore, it should be understood that the embodiments listed in this specification are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. Rather, as those skilled in the art will understand, the present invention includes various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.

[0023] In this specification, it should be understood that terms such as “comprising,” “including,” and “having” mean the presence of features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0024] In addition, for ease of explanation, in this specification, Figures 1-3 The system is configured with a rectangular coordinate system in which the width direction of the refrigerator 1 is taken as the X direction, the depth direction of the refrigerator 1 is taken as the Y direction, and the height direction of the refrigerator 1 is taken as the Z direction.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a front view showing the general structure of the refrigerator according to this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a side view showing the general structure of the refrigerator according to this embodiment. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the general structure of the food identification system involved in this embodiment. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the food identification system involved in this embodiment. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the food identification system involved in this embodiment.

[0026] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerator 10 involved in this embodiment includes a cabinet 11 and a food identification system 12 detachably installed on the top of the cabinet 11.

[0027] In this embodiment, the main body 121 of the food identification system 12 is detachably mounted to the top of the housing 11 by means of adhesive, screws, or snap-fit ​​structures. However, it is not limited to this, and any known mounting method can be used as long as the food identification system 12 can be reliably detachably mounted to the top of the housing 11.

[0028] Furthermore, the food ingredient recognition system 12 involved in this embodiment is as follows: Figures 1-3 As shown, this is a system for identifying food stored in the refrigerator 10, including a plate-shaped main body 121, a camera unit 122 mounted on the main body 121, and a control unit 123 mounted on the main body 121 and controlling the operation of the camera unit 122.

[0029] Furthermore, the main body 121 has a protrusion 1211 that protrudes from the front surface S of the cabinet 11. The camera unit 122 is mounted in the protrusion 1211. This ensures that the camera unit can capture images of the entry and exit of food in all compartments of the refrigerator from top to bottom.

[0030] Specifically, the camera unit 122 can be located at the center of the refrigerator 10 in the width direction X of the protrusion 1211, or it can be located at a position offset from the center of the refrigerator 10 in the width direction X of the protrusion 1211. In the former case, it is suitable for photographing food in a single-door refrigerator or a refrigerator in which multiple compartments (e.g., refrigerator compartment, freezer compartment, middle compartment, variable temperature compartment, etc.) are respectively distributed on both sides of the central axis in the width direction of the refrigerator. In the latter case, it is suitable for photographing food in a refrigerator in which multiple compartments are not respectively distributed on both sides of the central axis in the width direction of the refrigerator (e.g., the boundary lines of the left and right compartments are offset relative to the central axis in the width direction of the refrigerator).

[0031] In addition, such as Figure 3 As shown, the control unit 123 includes a communication module 124 that can communicate with the refrigerator 10, a control module 125 that controls the opening and closing of the camera of the camera unit 122, an identification module 126 that identifies food ingredients, and a storage module 127 that temporarily stores the identification results obtained by the identification module 126.

[0032] The control module 125 controls the opening and closing of the camera in the camera unit 122 based on the door opening and closing information of the refrigerator 10 received via the communication module 124.

[0033] In this way, by setting the food identification system as a standalone unit, it offers high flexibility and can be installed in any ordinary smart refrigerator.

[0034] In addition, communication module 124, such as Figure 3 As shown, it includes a network status judgment module (not shown), a Wi-Fi module 1241, and a Bluetooth module 1242.

[0035] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, when the network status determination module determines that there is a network connection, the door opening / closing information of the refrigerator 10 is sent to the control module 125 via the cloud server and Wi-Fi module 1241 through the HTTP protocol (i.e., data communication is performed). On the other hand, when the network status determination module determines that there is a network interruption, the door opening / closing information of the refrigerator 10 is sent to the control module 125 via the Bluetooth module 1242 through the Bluetooth communication protocol after Bluetooth pairing, and the control module 125 receives the opening / closing information. After the network is restored, Bluetooth is disconnected.

[0036] Furthermore, if the network status determination module determines that the network is connected, the identification result obtained by the identification module 126 is reported to the cloud server. On the other hand, if the network status determination module determines that the network is interrupted, the identification result obtained by the identification module 126 is temporarily stored in the storage module 127 and reported to the cloud server after the network is restored. In this way, food identification can be performed even when the network is down.

[0037] Additionally, the control unit 123 is a circuit board embedded in the main body 121. Furthermore, the camera unit 122 is connected to this circuit board via a cable. Additionally, a Wi-Fi module 1241 and a Bluetooth module 1242 are mounted (e.g., modules) to this circuit board.

[0038] In this embodiment, the camera unit 122 is preferably a high-resolution wide-angle camera. Furthermore, the shooting range of the camera unit 122 is preferably to cover the entire width direction X of the refrigerator 10. This allows for more reliable coverage of all compartments of the refrigerator by the camera unit.

[0039] According to this utility model, a food identification system that can be installed with high flexibility in any refrigerator with wireless communication function, and a refrigerator equipped with the system, can be provided.

[0040] The embodiments of this utility model have been described above; however, this utility model is not limited to the embodiments described above. Those skilled in the art can make modifications and variations to this utility model as needed without departing from its essential spirit and scope. All such modifications and variations fall within the scope of this utility model.

[0041] For example, the food identification system described above may also be equipped with supplementary lighting for the camera unit in poor lighting conditions, and human body sensors for sensing people and activating the camera unit to take pictures in a timely manner.

[0042] Furthermore, while the above embodiments exemplify a high-resolution wide-angle camera as the imaging unit, the imaging unit can also be at least one of a depth camera and a color camera. The color camera can be a standard color camera or a wide-angle color camera, and the depth camera can be a stereo camera, a structured light camera, or a time-of-flight camera, etc.

Claims

1. A food ingredient recognition system, characterized in that, The food identification system is a system for identifying food stored in a refrigerator. It includes a plate-shaped main body, a camera unit installed on the main body, and a control unit installed on the main body that controls the movement of the camera unit. The control unit includes a communication module capable of communicating with the refrigerator and a control module for controlling the on / off switching of the camera unit. The control module controls the opening and closing of the camera unit based on the door opening and closing information of the refrigerator received via the communication module.

2. The food ingredient recognition system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The communication module includes a network status judgment module, a Wi-Fi module, and a Bluetooth module. When the network status determination module determines that there is a network connection, the switch information is sent to the control module via the cloud server and the Wi-Fi module through the HTTP protocol. When the network status determination module determines that there is a network interruption, the switch information is sent to the control module via the Bluetooth module through the Bluetooth communication protocol.

3. The food ingredient recognition system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The control unit also includes an identification module for identifying the food ingredients and a storage module for temporarily storing the identification results obtained by the identification module. If the network status determination module determines that the network is connected, the identification result is reported to the cloud server. If the network status determination module determines that the network is interrupted, the identification result is temporarily stored in the storage module and reported to the cloud server after the network is restored.

4. The food ingredient recognition system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The control unit is a circuit board embedded in the main body. The camera unit is connected to the circuit board via a cable. The Wi-Fi module and the Bluetooth module are installed in the circuit board.

5. The food ingredient recognition system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The camera unit is a high-resolution wide-angle camera.

6. A refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator includes: Box; and The food identification system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is detachably mounted on the top of the housing. The main body has a protrusion that extends from the front surface of the housing. The camera unit is installed in the protrusion.

7. The refrigerator as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The camera unit is located at the center of the refrigerator in the width direction of the protrusion.

8. The refrigerator as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The camera unit is located at a position offset from the center of the refrigerator in the width direction from the protrusion.

9. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The camera's field of view covers the entire width of the refrigerator.

10. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The main body is detachably mounted to the top of the housing by means of adhesive, screws or snap-fit ​​structures.

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