Refrigerator

Abstract

The utility model relates to a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a cabinet and a cover plate assembly installed on the top of the cabinet, a plurality of compartments are divided in the internal space of the cabinet, the cover plate assembly comprises: a cover plate protruding from the front surface of the cabinet and having a back surface on the cabinet side and a surface on the side opposite to the back surface; a camera installed in the part protruding from the front surface in the cover plate and shooting the food materials taken out from each of the plurality of compartments or stored into each of the plurality of compartments; and a controller controlling the action of the camera. According to the utility model, the refrigerator capable of shooting the food materials taken out from all the compartments or stored into all the compartments with simple operation to reduce the trouble of user operation can be provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, refrigerators capable of identifying and managing stored food are receiving increasing attention. To address this, a refrigerator with a single camera installed in the refrigerator compartment has been proposed. When a user takes food out of or puts food into the refrigerator compartment, the camera captures an image of the food. The controller can then identify and manage this image to obtain information such as the type of food being stored or retrieved.

[0003] However, in existing refrigerators, the camera is located inside the refrigerator compartment. When identifying food to be stored in a compartment other than the refrigerator compartment, such as the freezer, the refrigerator door needs to be opened and the food placed in front of the camera for identification, which is cumbersome. Utility Model Content

[0004] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a refrigerator that can easily photograph food items taken out of or stored in all compartments to reduce the hassle of user operation.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the refrigerator of this utility model includes a cabinet and a cover assembly mounted on the top of the cabinet. The interior space of the cabinet is divided into multiple compartments. The cover assembly includes: a cover plate protruding from the front surface of the cabinet and having a back side on the side of the cabinet and a surface opposite to the back side; a camera mounted in the portion of the cover plate protruding from the front surface, for capturing images of food being taken out of or stored in each of the multiple compartments; and a controller for controlling the operation of the camera. Thus, by having the cover plate protrude from the refrigerator cabinet and the camera mounted in the portion of the cover plate protruding from the front surface of the cabinet, it is ensured that the camera can capture images of food entering and leaving all compartments of the refrigerator from top to bottom. This allows for easy operation and capture of food being taken out of or stored in all compartments, reducing the inconvenience for the user. Furthermore, since the cover assembly is mounted on the top of the cabinet, it does not disrupt the overall appearance of the refrigerator.

[0006] In the refrigerator described above, the camera may be located at the center of the refrigerator's width direction on the rear side, where it protrudes from the front surface. This is suitable, for example, for photographing food in a single-door refrigerator or a refrigerator with multiple compartments distributed on either side of the central axis in the width direction.

[0007] In the refrigerator described above, the camera may be located at a position offset from the center of the refrigerator's width direction from the portion protruding from the front surface on the rear side. In this case, for example, it is suitable for photographing food in refrigerators where 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).

[0008] In the refrigerator described above, the controller may also be mounted on the surface side.

[0009] In the refrigerator described above, the controller may be a circuit board embedded in the cover plate, and the camera may be connected to the circuit board via a cable.

[0010] In the refrigerator described above, the camera can also be a high-resolution wide-angle camera. In this case, it is preferable that the camera's shooting range covers the entire width of the refrigerator. This allows for more reliable coverage of all compartments of the refrigerator.

[0011] In the refrigerator described above, the cover assembly can also be integrally formed with the cabinet body.

[0012] In the refrigerator described above, the cover assembly and the cabinet can also be separately configured. This provides high installation flexibility, allowing it to be installed on any refrigerator for food identification and management.

[0013] In the refrigerator described above, the cover assembly may also be fixed to the top of the cabinet by adhesive, screws or snap-fit ​​structure.

[0014] According to this invention, a refrigerator can be provided that allows for easy operation of taking pictures of food items taken out of or stored in all compartments, thereby reducing the hassle of user operation. 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 3This is a bottom view showing the general structure of the refrigerator cover assembly according to this embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the shooting range of the camera in the refrigerator cover assembly according to this embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] In addition, for ease of explanation, this specification uses a rectangular coordinate system where the width of the refrigerator 1 is the X-direction, the depth of the refrigerator 1 is the Y-direction, and the height of the refrigerator 1 is the Z-direction.

[0024] 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 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerator 1 involved in this embodiment includes a cabinet 10 and a cover assembly 20 installed on the top of the cabinet 10.

[0025] The interior space of the cabinet 10 is divided into multiple compartments, which may include, for example, a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, a variable temperature compartment, and an intermediate compartment.

[0026] The cover assembly 20 can be integrally installed with the cabinet 10 or installed separately from the cabinet 10 as a standalone unit. When the cover assembly 20 is installed separately from the cabinet 10, installation flexibility is high, allowing it to be installed on any refrigerator for food identification and management. Alternatively, when the cover assembly 20 is installed separately from the cabinet 10, it is fixed to the top of the cabinet 10 using adhesive, screws, or snap-fit ​​structures. However, it is not limited to these methods; any known fixing method can be used as long as the cover assembly 20 can be reliably fixed to the top of the cabinet 10.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a bottom view showing the general structure of the refrigerator cover assembly according to this embodiment. (As shown) Figure 3 As shown, the cover plate assembly 20 includes a cover plate 201, a camera 202, and a controller 203.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the cover plate 201 protrudes from the front surface 10S of the housing 10 and has a back surface 201S1 on the side of the housing 10 and a surface 201S2 on the opposite side of the back surface 201S1.

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, the camera 202 is installed in the portion of the cover plate 201 that protrudes from the front surface 10S, and captures images of food ingredients being taken out from or stored in each of the multiple compartments.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the shooting range of the camera in the refrigerator lid assembly according to this embodiment. For example... Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the camera 202 is preferably a high-resolution wide-angle camera. In this case, as... Figure 4 As shown, the camera 202 covers the entire width (X) of the refrigerator 1. This allows for more reliable camera coverage of all compartments of the refrigerator.

[0031] Next, the position of the camera 202 will be explained. The camera 202 can be located at the center of the width direction X of the portion of the refrigerator 1 protruding from the front surface 10S of the rear surface 201S1, or it can be located at a position offset from the center of the width direction X of the portion of the refrigerator 1 protruding from the front surface 10S of the rear surface 201S1. In the former case, it is suitable for photographing food in the case of a single-door refrigerator or a refrigerator in which multiple compartments are respectively distributed on both sides of the central axis of the width direction of the refrigerator. In the latter case, it is suitable for photographing food in the case of a refrigerator in which multiple compartments are not respectively distributed on both sides of the central axis of the width direction of the refrigerator (for example, the boundary lines of the left and right compartments are offset relative to the central axis of the width direction of the refrigerator).

[0032] The controller 203 is mounted on the surface 201S2 and controls the operation of the camera. Specifically, the controller 203 is a circuit board embedded in the cover plate 201, and the camera 202 is connected to the circuit board via a cable. In addition, the controller 203 may have a built-in processing unit. The controller 203 can acquire image data of the food captured by the camera 202 via the cable, and the processing unit can identify the type of food, etc.

[0033] In this embodiment, by having a cover plate protrude from the refrigerator body and a camera mounted in the portion of the cover plate that protrudes from the front surface of the body, it is possible to ensure that the camera can capture images of food entering and leaving all compartments of the refrigerator from top to bottom. This allows for easy operation and imaging of food being taken out of or stored in all compartments, reducing the inconvenience for the user. Furthermore, since the cover plate assembly is mounted on the top of the refrigerator body, it does not disrupt the overall aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator.

[0034] According to this invention, a refrigerator can be provided that allows for easy operation of taking pictures of food items taken out of or stored in all compartments, thereby reducing the hassle of user operation.

[0035] 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.

[0036] For example, the cover assembly described above may also include a supplementary light for providing illumination to the camera in low-light conditions, and a human body sensor for detecting people and activating the camera to take pictures. Additionally, the circuit board described above may also include a built-in Wi-Fi module or Bluetooth module for communicating with the refrigerator's main controller.

[0037] Furthermore, while the above embodiments exemplify a high-resolution wide-angle camera, the camera 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.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator includes a cabinet and a cover assembly mounted on the top of the cabinet. The interior space of the box is divided into multiple compartments. The cover plate assembly includes: A cover plate that protrudes from the front surface of the housing and has a back side on the side of the housing and a surface opposite to the back side; A camera, mounted in a portion of the cover plate protruding from the front surface, and for capturing images of food ingredients being removed from or stored in each of the plurality of compartments; and A controller that controls the movement of the camera.

2. The refrigerator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The camera is located at the center of the width direction of the refrigerator on the rear side, on the portion that protrudes from the front surface.

3. The refrigerator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The camera is located offset from the center of the refrigerator in the width direction from the portion protruding from the front surface on the rear side.

4. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The controller is mounted on the surface side.

5. The refrigerator as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The controller is a circuit board embedded in the cover plate. The camera is connected to the circuit board via a cable.

6. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The camera is a high-resolution wide-angle camera.

7. The refrigerator as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The camera's field of view covers the entire width of the refrigerator.

8. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The cover plate assembly is integrally formed with the housing.

9. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The cover plate assembly is separately disposed from the housing.

10. The refrigerator as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The cover assembly is secured to the top of the housing by adhesive, screws, or snap-fit ​​structures.

Images