Refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator capable of appropriately recording a captured image inside a storage compartment in accordance with an open / close state of a door.SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises a storage compartment 20 for storing an item, a door 30 that opens and closes the storage compartment 20, and a power supply section 14. The storage compartment 20 is provided with a door sensor 24 that detects whether the door 30 opens the storage section 20. The door 30 has an imaging section 34 capable of capturing an image inside the storage compartment 20, and a door control section 32 that controls the imaging section 34. When the door sensor 24 detects that the door 30 opens the storage section 20, the power supply section 14 supplies power to the imaging section 34. The door control section 32 includes a posture detection section 36 that determines the posture of the door 30 relative to the storage compartment 20. When the posture detection section 36 determines that the posture of the door 30 corresponds to a predetermined imaging posture, the door control section 32 stores the image captured by the imaging section 34 as the internal image of the storage compartment 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] In the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the door of the refrigerating compartment is opened, the inside of the refrigerating compartment is photographed by a photographing unit, and the in-compartment photographing data generated by the photographing unit is transmitted to an external device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the refrigerator of Patent Document 1, when the open state of the door of the refrigerating compartment is maintained for a time exceeding a predetermined time, the photographing unit starts photographing with the door of the refrigerating compartment open. Therefore, the in-compartment photographing data transmitted to the external device may include data obtained by photographing outside the refrigerating compartment (accommodating section).

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of appropriately recording a photographed image inside the accommodating section according to the open / closed state of the door.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator has a storage compartment, a door, and a power supply unit. The storage compartment stores items. The door opens and closes the storage compartment. The storage compartment has a door sensor. The door sensor detects whether the door is open or closed with respect to the storage compartment. The door has an imaging unit and a door control unit. The imaging unit can image the interior of the storage compartment. The door control unit controls the imaging unit. The power supply unit supplies power to the imaging unit when the door sensor detects that the door is open with respect to the storage compartment. The door control unit has an attitude determination unit. The attitude determination unit determines the attitude of the door with respect to the storage compartment. When the attitude of the door determined by the attitude determination unit becomes a predetermined imaging attitude, the door control unit stores an image captured by the imaging unit as an in-compartment image of the interior of the storage compartment.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the refrigerator of one aspect of the present invention, a captured image when the door is in an appropriate imaging attitude is recorded as an in-compartment image.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description will not be repeated.

[0010] First, referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of the refrigerator 10 according to an example of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the refrigerator 10 according to an example of the embodiment. The refrigerator 10 is, for example, a refrigerator with a freezer compartment. The refrigerator 10 in FIG. 1 has a main body 12, a power supply unit 14, a main body control unit 16, and a cooling unit 18. The refrigerator 10 also has a first storage unit 20A, a second storage unit 20B, a third storage unit 20C, a first door 30A, a second door 30B, and a third door 30C.

[0011] The power supply unit 14, the main body control unit 16, and the cooling unit 18 are provided, for example, inside the main body 12 of the refrigerator 10. The power supply unit 14 supplies power to each part of the refrigerator 10. The power supply unit 14 is, for example, a switching power supply that converts AC power supplied from an external AC power source such as a commercial power supply into DC power used in the refrigerator 10.

[0012] The main body control unit 16 controls the overall operation of the refrigerator 10 including the cooling unit 18. The main body control unit 16 is, for example, a device having a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a processor (for example, a CPU: Central Processing Unit) that executes a program stored in the storage device.

[0013] The cooling unit 18 is a device that performs heat exchange between the outside of the refrigerator 10 and each storage unit (the first storage unit 20A, the second storage unit 20B, the third storage unit 20C) by, for example, a vapor compression refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant. In FIG. 1, an evaporator, which is a part of the refrigeration cycle, is shown as the cooling unit 18.

[0014] The first storage unit 20A, the second storage unit 20B, and the third storage unit 20C are each spaces for storing items to be stored at a low temperature, such as food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. In the refrigerator 10 of FIG. 1, a refrigerator compartment is provided, for example, as the topmost first storage unit 20A. A freezer compartment is provided, for example, as the second storage unit 20B from the top. A vegetable compartment is provided, for example, as the lowermost third storage unit 20C.

[0015] The first storage section 20A, the second storage section 20B, and the third storage section 20C each have a first opening 22A, a second opening 22B, and a third opening 22C as entrances and exits for taking in and out the stored items. The first door 30A, the second door 30B, and the third door 30C open and close the first storage section 20A, the second storage section 20B, and the third storage section 20C by moving (approaching or separating) with respect to the first opening 22A, the second opening 22B, and the third opening 22C, respectively.

[0016] As an example, in the refrigerator 10 of FIG. 1, the first door 30A and the second door 30B are of the side-opening type. The side-opening type means that the first door 30A and the second door 30B can pivot both in the left direction and in the right direction with respect to the first opening 22A and the second opening 22B. Specifically, hinges having the vertical direction as the rotation axis are provided at both horizontal ends (the left end and the right end) of the first storage section 20A and the second storage section 20B. The first door 30A and the second door 30B are each plate members, and both horizontal ends (the left end and the right end) are connectable to the hinges.

[0017] Note that the first door 30A has a first door pocket 33A. The first door pocket 33A is a pocket provided on the back surface of the first door 30A (the surface facing the inside of the first storage section 20A when the first door 30A is closed). The first door pocket 33A can accommodate small stored items. The second door 30B also has a second door pocket 33B. The configuration of the second door pocket 33B is the same as that of the first door pocket 33A in the first storage section 20A.

[0018] In FIG. 1, the first door 30A pivots (opens toward the right direction) via a hinge provided at the right end of the first storage portion 20A, and thus moves between an open position and a closed position with respect to the first opening 22A. The open position is a position where the first door 30A opens the first opening 22A. For example, it is a position where the first door 30A pivots to an angle of 30 degrees or more with respect to the first storage portion 20A. The closed position is a position where the first door 30A closes the first opening 22A (the first door 30A covers the first opening 22A). For example, it is a position where the angle of the first door 30A with respect to the first storage portion 20A is 0 degrees. When the first door 30A opens to the right, the connection between the hinge at the left end of the first storage portion 20A and the first door 30A is released.

[0019] Also, the second door 30B pivots (opens toward the left direction) via a hinge provided at the left end of the second storage portion 20B, and thus moves between an open position and a closed position with respect to the second opening 22B. When the second door 30B opens to the left, the connection between the hinge at the right end of the second storage portion 20B and the second door 30B is released.

[0020] And the third door 30C in FIG. 1 is a drawer type. Specifically, a third door container 33C is provided in the third storage portion 20C, and the third door container 33C can move back and forth (be pulled out) with respect to the third storage portion 20C. And the third door 30C is a plate member attached to the front surface of the third door container 33C. When the third door container 33C moves back and forth with respect to the third opening 22C, the third door 30C moves between an open position and a closed position with respect to the third opening 22C. The open position of the third door 30C is a position when the third door container 33C is pulled out from the third storage portion 20C to the maximum extent. The closed position of the third door 30C is a position when the third door container 33C is completely housed in the third storage portion 20C and the third door 30C covers the third opening 22C.

[0021] The structures for the first door 30A, the second door 30B, and the third door 30C to open and close the first opening 22A, the second opening 22B, and the third opening 22C respectively are not limited to the above-described left-right opening type and drawer type. For example, the first door 30A, the second door 30B, and the third door 30C may be configured with an arbitrary combination from a right-opening type that can only swing in the right direction, a left-opening type that can only swing in the left direction, a double-opening type (French door), or a drawer type, etc.

[0022] The first storage section 20A in FIG. 1 has a first door sensor 24A and a first lighting section 26A. The first door sensor 24A detects whether the first door 30A has opened the first storage section 20A. The first door sensor 24A is, for example, a mechanical contact switch. As shown in FIG. 1, when the first door 30A has opened the first storage section 20A, the first door 30A is separated from the first door sensor 24A. When the first door 30A is separated from the first door sensor 24A (for example, when the contact switch is not pressed), the first door sensor 24A detects that the first door 30A has opened the first storage section 20A. Note that the first door sensor 24A may be a magnetic contact sensor, a pressure-sensitive contact sensor, or the like. Also, the first door sensor 24A in FIG. 1 is provided on both the frame at the right end of the first storage section 20A and the frame at the left end of the first storage section 20A. By providing the first door sensor 24A at both the left and right ends, the first door sensor 24A can detect that the first door 30A has opened the first storage section 20A whether the first door 30A swings to the right or to the left.

[0023] The first lighting section 26A illuminates the inside of the first storage section 20A. The first lighting section 26A is a lighting device (interior light of the storage) including a light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), for example. The first lighting section 26A illuminates the inside of the first storage section 20A while the first door 30A has opened the first storage section 20A. That is, when the first door 30A is separated from the first door sensor 24A, the first lighting section 26A lights up.

[0024] Similar to the first accommodation part 20A, the second accommodation part 20B has a second door sensor 24B and a second lighting part 26B. Further, the third accommodation part 20C has a third door sensor 24C and a third lighting part 26C. Since the configurations and functions of the second door sensor 24B, the second lighting part 26B, the third door sensor 24C, and the third lighting part 26C are the same as those of the first door sensor 24A and the first lighting part 26A, the description thereof is omitted.

[0025] The first door 30A in FIG. 1 has a first door control part 32A, a first imaging part 34A, and a first acceleration sensor 35A. The first door control part 32A controls the first imaging part 34A. The first door control part 32A is, for example, a device having a storage device such as a RAM and a processor (e.g., a CPU) that executes a program stored in the storage device.

[0026] The first imaging part 34A is a device that performs imaging upon receiving power supply and can image the inside of the first accommodation part 20A. The first imaging part 34A is, for example, a device including a camera. The first imaging part 34A is disposed on the back surface of the first door 30A. The first imaging part 34A is disposed such that the entire first accommodation part 20A or a region set as an imaging target within the first accommodation part 20A fits within the angle of view. Further, the first imaging part 34A may be a device including a camera using a lens capable of imaging a wide range of regions wider than the naked eye, such as a wide-angle lens or a fish-eye lens. Also, if a mirror or the like is disposed in the first accommodation part 20A, the first imaging part 34A can image including the inside of the first door pocket 33A. The first imaging part 34A can image at least one of a still image and a moving image, and preferably can image both a still image and a moving image.

[0027] The first acceleration sensor 35A detects the acceleration of the first door 30A. That is, the acceleration of the movement of the first door 30A being opened or closed is detected by the first acceleration sensor 35A. The first acceleration sensor 35A is, for example, a linear acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or a combination of a linear acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. Note that a gyro sensor is a sensor that detects the angular velocity of rotational motion. However, in rotational motion, a force acts to change the direction of the object's motion, that is, it can be said that acceleration is generated. Therefore, hereinafter, the gyro sensor and the linear acceleration sensor are collectively referred to as an acceleration sensor. Also, the combination of the linear acceleration detected by the linear acceleration sensor and the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor, that is, the detection amount representing the movement of the first door 30A, is hereinafter collectively referred to as acceleration.

[0028] Similar to the first door 30A, the second door 30B has a second door control unit 32B, a second imaging unit 34B, and a second acceleration sensor 35B. Also, the third door 30C has a third door control unit 32C, a third imaging unit 34C, and a third acceleration sensor 35C. The configurations and functions of the second door control unit 32B, the second imaging unit 34B, the second acceleration sensor 35B, the third door control unit 32C, the third imaging unit 34C, and the third acceleration sensor 35C are the same as those of the first door control unit 32A, the first imaging unit 34A, and the first acceleration sensor 35A, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0029] Using FIGS. 1 and 2, an explanation will be given regarding collectively referring to the first storage section 20A, the second storage section 20B, and the third storage section 20C as the storage section 20. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the relationship between the storage section 20 and the door 30. As shown in FIG. 2, corresponding first doors 30A, second doors 30B, and third doors 30C exist for the first storage section 20A, the second storage section 20B, and the third storage section 20C, respectively. Then, by the first door 30A, the second door 30B, and the third door 30C moving with respect to the first opening 22A, the second opening 22B, and the third opening 22C, respectively, the first storage section 20A, the second storage section 20B, and the third storage section 20C are opened and closed. The first storage section 20A, the second storage section 20B, and the third storage section 20C have somewhat different shapes, but they share the structure of being opened and closed by the corresponding doors 30. That is, since the structures of the first storage section 20A, the second storage section 20B, and the third storage section 20C are substantially the same, hereinafter, unless otherwise particularly distinguished, explanations will be given using the name of the storage section 20. Similarly, regarding a plurality of existing elements, unless otherwise particularly distinguished, explanations will be given using the names of the door sensor 24, the lighting unit 26, the door 30, the door control unit 32, the imaging unit 34, and the acceleration sensor 35.

[0030] Next, using FIG. 3, the configuration of the refrigerator 10 will be further explained. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the refrigerator 10. The power supply unit 14 is connected to the main body control unit 16, the cooling unit 18, and the storage section 20. The power supply unit 14 supplies power to the main body control unit 16, the cooling unit 18, and the storage section 20. Further, the power supply unit 14 supplies power to the door sensor 24 and the lighting unit 26 through the storage section 20.

[0031] The power supply unit 14 is also connected to the door power switch 31. The door power switch 31 is provided on a power transmission line (such as a cable) connecting the power supply unit 14 and the door 30, and is a switch for switching the supply (ON) and cutoff (OFF) of power. Preferably, the door power switch 31 can switch the supply and cutoff of power according to the state of the door 30. The door power switch 31 may be, for example, a unit including a FET (Field Effect Transistor), a relay, or the like. By switching the supply and cutoff of power between the power supply unit 14 and the door 30, the door power switch 31 switches the supply and cutoff of power to the electrical devices (such as the door control unit 32, the photographing unit 34, and the acceleration sensor 35) provided on the door 30. Note that it may be used as a substitute for the door power switch 31 by branching the power supplied to the lighting unit 26 and supplying it to the door 30. Also, the door power switch 31 may switch the supply and cutoff only for specific electrical devices. For example, the supply and cutoff of power may be performed only for the photographing unit 34.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the door control unit 32 includes an attitude determination unit 36, a timer 37, a storage unit 38, and a communication unit 39. The storage unit 38 is a storage device such as a RAM that stores various data including a program that defines the operation of the door control unit 32. The storage unit 38 can also store the image data photographed by the photographing unit 34.

[0033] The attitude determination unit 36 determines the attitude of the door 30 with respect to the housing unit 20. The attitude determination unit 36 is, for example, a microcomputer that can communicate with the door control unit 32. Alternatively, a part of the program stored in the storage unit 38 may function as the attitude determination unit 36.

[0034] The timer 37 measures the elapsed time from the timing specified by the door control unit 32. The timer 37 is, for example, a unit including a crystal oscillator and a counter that counts the number of oscillations of the crystal oscillator.

[0035] The communication unit 39 is a unit capable of communicating with an external device separate from the refrigerator 10. The communication unit 39 is, for example, a wireless communication unit capable of transmitting data to a network (such as the Internet) via a wireless access point or the like. In particular, it is preferable that the communication unit 39 can transmit the internal image of the storage unit 20 created by photographing the inside of the storage unit 20 by the photographing unit 34 to an external device.

[0036] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, an example of the flow of operations performed in the refrigerator 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations of the refrigerator 10. First, while the refrigerator 10 is operating (START), in step S11, a detection signal from the door sensor 24 is periodically confirmed. Alternatively, when there is a change in the detection signal from the door sensor 24, an interrupt process is requested to the main control unit 16.

[0037] In step S11, it is confirmed whether the door sensor 24 has detected that the door 30 has opened the storage unit 20 (the door 30 is open). If the door 30 is not open (NO in step S11), the refrigerator 10 remains in a standby state (END) until the detection signal from the door sensor 24 is confirmed again. In the standby state, the refrigerator 10 cools the storage unit 20 by the cooling unit 18 and maintains it at an appropriate temperature.

[0038] When the door sensor 24 detects that the door 30 has opened the storage unit 20 (YES in step S11), in step S12, the power supply unit 14 supplies power to the door 30 via the door power switch 31. When power is supplied to the door 30, power is also supplied to the photographing unit 34. For example, the door sensor 24 and the door power switch 31 may be interlocked so that the door power switch 31 is in a supply state (ON) when the door sensor 24 detects that the door 30 has opened the storage unit 20 (for example, when a contact switch is not pressed). Alternatively, when a detection signal from the door sensor 24 is transmitted to the main control unit 16 and the detection signal indicates the open state of the door 30, the main control unit 16 may transmit a command to switch the door power switch 31 to the supply state.

[0039] Subsequently, in step S13, the imaging unit 34 starts imaging. The image (captured image) captured by the imaging unit 34 is stored in the storage unit 38. The captured image may be still image data or moving image data. The moving image data is a collection of a plurality of still image data along the time series.

[0040] Then, in step S14, the posture determination unit 36 determines whether the posture of the door 30 with respect to the housing unit 20 is a predetermined imaging posture. At the time of imaging in step S13, since the door 30 is not necessarily in the closed posture, the captured image by the imaging unit 34 may not be an in - storage image of the inside of the housing unit 20. By determining whether the posture of the door 30 is the imaging posture in step S14, it is also determined whether the captured image is an in - storage image.

[0041] The imaging posture is the posture of the door 30 defined as an appropriate posture for capturing an in - storage image. The imaging posture may be, for example, the closed posture in which the door 30 closes the housing unit 20. Alternatively, the imaging posture may be set as a posture between the open posture in which the door 30 opens the housing unit 20 and the closed posture. In particular, the posture immediately before the door 30 reaches the closed posture (about to close), that is, a posture closer to the closed posture than the open posture, is preferably set as the imaging posture. As an example, in the case of a structure in which the door 30 rotates with respect to the housing unit 20 (such as the structure of the first door 30A and the second door 30B), a posture in which the angle of the door 30 with respect to the housing unit 20 is 10 degrees or less is preferably set as the imaging posture. As another example, in the case of a structure in which the door 30 moves back and forth with respect to the housing unit 20 (such as the structure of the third door 30C), a posture in which the distance between the door 30 and the housing unit 20 is 5 cm or less is preferably set as the imaging posture.

[0042] In step S14 of FIG. 4, the posture determination unit 36 determines whether the door 30 is in the imaging posture based on the captured image. Specifically, the posture determination unit 36 determines that the door 30 is in the imaging posture when the lighting unit 26 that illuminates the inside of the storage unit 20 appears at a predetermined predicted position in the captured image.

[0043] The predetermined predicted position is a position where it is predicted that the lighting unit 26 will appear in the captured image when the storage unit 20 is imaged by the imaging unit 34 of the door 30 in the imaging posture. The predicted position is determined by the relative positions of the imaging unit 34 and the lighting unit 26 when the door 30 is in the imaging posture. For example, the predicted position may be calculated based on conditions such as the dimensions of the storage unit 20 and the door 30, the positions where the lighting unit 26 and the imaging unit 34 are arranged, and the distance between the door 30 and the storage unit 20 in the imaging posture. Alternatively, the predicted position may be determined based on the captured image obtained by the trial of imaging by the imaging unit 34 with the door 30 actually positioned in the imaging posture.

[0044] The predicted position may be set as a numerical range with a certain width according to the dimensions and arrangement of the lighting unit 26 and the magnitude of the assumed error. For example, assuming that the entire captured image has a size of 500 pixels in width and 1000 pixels in height, the lighting unit 26 has a size of 10 pixels in width and 5 pixels in height, and it is predicted that the lighting unit 26 will appear at the center of the upper end portion in the captured image. Considering the error, the predicted position may be set in a numerical range such as from 240 to 260 pixels from the left end of the captured image and from 0 to 10 pixels from the upper end, for example. The predicted position may be set for each model of the refrigerator 10. Also, for a plurality of storage units 20 (the first storage unit 20A, the second storage unit 20B, the third storage unit 20C), appropriate predicted positions may be set separately.

[0045] The posture determination unit 36 determines whether or not the illumination unit 26 appears within the range of the predicted position in the captured image. The determination as to whether or not the illumination unit 26 appears is executed, for example, by image recognition processing on the data of the captured image. In the image recognition processing, for example, it is determined whether or not data indicating the characteristics of the illumination unit 26, such as a specific color or shape, is included within the range of the predicted position.

[0046] As data indicating the characteristics of the illumination unit 26, for example, the value of luminance is used. The illumination unit 26 illuminates the interior of the storage unit 20 while the door 30 is opening the storage unit 20. Therefore, if the posture immediately before the door 30 assumes the closed posture is set as the imaging posture, the illumination unit 26 appearing in the captured image is emitting light. The posture determination unit 36 can determine that the illumination unit 26 appears within the range of the predicted position, for example, if the value of the luminance of the pixels included within the range of the predicted position is equal to or greater than the threshold value determined as the light emitter. Generally, in the refrigerator 10, since the object that emits light within the storage unit 20 is only the illumination unit 26, the posture determination unit 36 can easily distinguish between the illumination unit 26 and the portions other than the illumination unit 26 in the captured image.

[0047] Note that even when the illumination unit 26 is not emitting light, the posture determination unit 36 can detect the position of the illumination unit 26. For example, the posture determination unit 36 can also detect the position of the illumination unit 26 by calculating the contour of the object in the captured image based on the magnitude of the color change in the captured image and comparing the calculated contour with the contour data of the illumination unit 26 stored in advance.

[0048] When it is not confirmed by the posture determination unit 36 that the illumination unit 26 appears at the predicted position (NO in step S14), the door control unit 32 causes the imaging unit 34 to continue imaging (returns to step S13).

[0049] When it is determined that the lighting unit 26 appears at the predicted position (YES in step S14), the posture determination unit 36 determines that the door 30 has taken the shooting posture. The door control unit 32 causes the storage unit 38 to store the captured image when the door 30 is in the shooting posture as an in-warehouse image obtained by shooting the inside of the storage unit 20. The in-warehouse image is, for example, still image data captured by the imaging unit 34 at the time when the door 30 is in the shooting posture. For example, when it is determined that the door 30 is in the shooting posture, the door control unit 32 may cause the imaging unit 34 to perform shooting, and the captured image is stored as the in-warehouse image.

[0050] In addition, when the shooting posture is set as the closed posture of the door 30 (the state where the door 30 closes the storage unit 20), the imaging unit 34 may perform shooting by illuminating the inside of the storage unit 20 with auxiliary lighting (for example, a flashlight) attached to the door 30. Further, the posture determination unit 36 may determine whether the maximum brightness or average brightness of the captured image is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and cause the storage unit 38 to store, as an in-warehouse image obtained by shooting the inside of the storage unit 20, the image captured immediately before the image whose brightness has become equal to or less than the predetermined value, that is, the image immediately before the lighting unit 26 is turned off. Alternatively, the lighting unit 26 may not be turned off immediately when the storage unit 20 is closed (the door 30 is in the closed posture), and the lighting state of the lighting unit 26 may continue for a while (for example, 5 seconds) after the storage unit 20 is closed. If the lighting state of the lighting unit 26 continues for a while after the door 30 reaches the closed position, the imaging unit 34 can shoot the inside of the closed storage unit 20 without auxiliary lighting.

[0051] In addition, when the shooting posture is set as the closed posture of the door 30 (the state where the door 30 closes the storage unit 20), the door power switch 31 may supply power to the door 30 for a predetermined time (for example, 1 second) after the closing of the door 30 is detected. Alternatively, an electric device provided on the door 30 may be provided with a power storage function. Thereby, even after the door 30 is closed, the electric device provided on the door 30 can be temporarily operated.

[0052] Alternatively, information (flag) indicating the attribute of the in-warehouse image may be added to the data corresponding to the in-warehouse image among the captured images already stored in the storage unit 38. Also, among the video data captured by the imaging unit 34, still image data obtained by cutting out an image at the time when the door 30 is in the imaging posture may be stored as the in-warehouse image.

[0053] Then, in step S15, the door control unit 32 transmits the captured data of the in-warehouse image to an external device via the communication unit 39. The external device may be, for example, a server on a network. It is preferable that the in-warehouse image transmitted to the server can be browsed by the user of the refrigerator 10 through the network. After the captured data is transmitted to the external device, the refrigerator 10 enters a standby state until a detection signal from the door sensor 24 is confirmed (END).

[0054] According to the operation of FIG. 4, an image captured when the door 30 is actually in the imaging posture is stored and transmitted as an in-warehouse image that captures the inside of the storage unit 20. Since the imaging posture is defined as an appropriate posture for capturing an in-warehouse image, such as when the door 30 is closed or about to close, data that correctly captures the inside of the storage unit 20 is stored as the in-warehouse image. That is, the refrigerator 10 can appropriately record the in-warehouse image according to the open / closed state of the door 30. Also, when the in-warehouse image is transmitted to an external device, the user of the refrigerator 10 can know the state inside the storage unit 20 by checking the in-warehouse image transmitted to the external device even when being at a remote location away from the refrigerator 10. In particular, when the in-warehouse image is transmitted to the server, the user can know the state inside the storage unit 20 from anywhere as long as they can access the network, which is highly convenient.

[0055] Also, since the door control unit 32 determines the posture of the door 30 and records the in-warehouse image without communicating with the main body control unit 16, it does not affect the control of the cooling unit 18 and the like by the main body control unit 16. Therefore, no problem occurs in the control of cooling the storage unit 20 by the cooling unit 18 or the like due to the processing related to the in-warehouse image.

[0056] Also, since the door control unit 32 does not communicate with the main body control unit 16, designers of the refrigerator 10 can easily add a function of recording an in-compartment image to an existing refrigerator 10. That is, designers can add a function of recording an in-compartment image to the refrigerator 10 simply by replacing the door 30 of the refrigerator 10 without the function of recording an in-compartment image with a door 30 having a door control unit 32 that performs the operation of FIG. 4. Further, a plurality of components for executing a function of recording an in-compartment image, such as the door control unit 32 and the photographing unit 34, may be modularized as a single unit. Designers can add a function of recording an in-compartment image to the refrigerator 10 simply by attaching a module including the door control unit 32 and the photographing unit 34 to the door 30 of the refrigerator 10 without the function of recording an in-compartment image. And when designers replace the door 30 or attach a module, etc., when adding a function, there is no need to perform communication settings between the main body control unit 16 and the door control unit 32.

[0057] Also, when it is detected by the door sensor 24 that the door 30 has opened the storage unit 20 (when the door 30 is open), the power supply unit 14 supplies power to the photographing unit 34, so power is not supplied to the photographing unit 34 while the door 30 is closed. Therefore, the photographing unit 34 does not consume power while the door 30 is closed, and power consumption is reduced.

[0058] Also, if the shooting posture is set to a posture closer to the closed posture than the open posture, especially the posture just before the door 30 reaches the closed posture (about to close), the in-warehouse image is captured immediately before the storage unit 20 is completely closed. Generally, in the refrigerator 10, while the storage unit 20 is being closed (while the door sensor 24 detects the open state), the lighting unit 26 illuminates the inside of the storage unit 20. Therefore, even if no auxiliary lighting for illuminating the inside of the storage unit 20 is separately provided on the door 30, the imaging unit 34 can capture a clear in-warehouse image, reducing the manufacturing cost of the refrigerator 10. Further, if no auxiliary lighting is provided on the door 30, only the lighting unit 26 emits light in the refrigerator 10 while the storage unit 20 is open, and the user of the refrigerator 10 does not have to visually recognize light from various directions, providing high comfort. Also, when the door 30 is in the closed posture, since the distance between the stored items in the storage unit 20 and the imaging unit 34 becomes closer, if the in-warehouse image is captured in the closed posture, the stored items close to the imaging unit 34 will be shown large, which may result in an inconvenient in-warehouse image for the user. Therefore, it is more likely that a highly convenient in-warehouse image for the user can be obtained by capturing the in-warehouse image in the shooting posture between the open posture and the closed posture than by capturing the in-warehouse image in the closed posture.

[0059] In addition, as a reference for the posture determination unit 36 to determine the shooting posture, an indicator body (marker) other than the illumination unit 26 may be arranged in the storage unit 20. The posture determination unit 36 may be able to determine the posture of the door 30 using the indicator body instead of the illumination unit 26. Specifically, when the indicator body appears at a predetermined predicted position in the captured image, the posture determination unit 36 may determine that the door 30 is in the shooting posture. The predicted position of the indicator body is set separately from the predicted position of the illumination unit 26. When a plurality of indicator bodies are arranged, predicted positions are set corresponding to each of the indicator bodies. Even when it is not confirmed that the illumination unit 26 appears at the predicted position, if any of the indicator bodies appears at the predicted position, it may be determined that the door 30 is in the shooting posture. The indicator body preferably has a predetermined shape or color so that image recognition processing is facilitated. For example, the indicator body may be arranged on the ceiling surface of the storage unit 20, the front surface of the shelf provided in the storage unit 20, etc., which are not easily hidden by the stored items (such as food ingredients) stored in the storage unit 20. When the indicator body is provided in the storage unit 20, even when there are many stored items (such as food ingredients) stored in the storage unit 20, it becomes easy to determine the shooting posture. For example, when there are many stored items, the illumination unit 26 may be hidden by the stored items and may not appear in the captured image. As long as the posture determination unit 36 can determine the posture of the door 30 using the indicator body instead of the illumination unit 26, the posture of the door 30 can be determined even when the illumination unit 26 does not appear in the captured image.

[0060] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the control for recording the in - chamber image when the elapsed time since the door 30 was opened exceeds the limit time will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation flow of the refrigerator 10. First, while the refrigerator 10 is operating (START), in step S21, the detection signal from the door sensor 24 is periodically confirmed. Alternatively, when there is a change in the detection signal from the door sensor 24, an interrupt process is requested to the main body control unit 16.

[0061] In step S11, it is confirmed whether the door sensor 24 has detected that the door 30 has opened the storage section 20 (the door 30 is open). If the door 30 is not open (NO in step S21), the refrigerator 10 remains in a standby state until the detection signal from the door sensor 24 is confirmed.

[0062] When the door sensor 24 detects that the door 30 has opened the storage section 20 (YES in step S21), in step S22, the power supply unit 14 supplies power to the door 30 via the door power switch 31. When power is supplied to the door 30, power is also supplied to the imaging unit 34.

[0063] When the supply of power to the imaging unit 34 is started, in step S23, the door control unit 32 starts measuring the elapsed time from the start of power supply using the timer 37 (start timing). Subsequently, in step S24, the imaging unit 34 starts imaging.

[0064] Then, in step S25, the posture determination unit 36 determines whether the lighting unit 26 appears at the predicted position in the captured image. When the posture determination unit 36 determines that the lighting unit 26 appears at the predicted position (YES in step S25), the door control unit 32 determines that the door 30 is in the imaging posture, and stores the captured image in the storage unit 38 as an in - storage image obtained by imaging the interior of the storage section 20.

[0065] On the other hand, when it is confirmed that the lighting unit 26 does not appear at the predicted position (NO in step S25), in step S26, the door control unit 32 determines whether the elapsed time measured by the timer 37 exceeds a predetermined limit time. The limit time is set to the maximum time (for example, 10 minutes) assumed as the time during which the opening of the storage section 20 continues in the normal usage environment of the refrigerator 10.

[0066] When the elapsed time has not exceeded the limit time (NO in step S26), the door control unit 32 causes the imaging unit 34 to continue imaging (returns to step S24). When the elapsed time has exceeded the limit time (YES in step S26), the door control unit 32 causes the imaging unit 34 to perform imaging in step S27, and stores the captured image in the storage unit 38 as an in-warehouse image.

[0067] When it is determined that the lighting unit 26 is shown at the predicted position in the captured image, or when the elapsed time has exceeded the limit time, after the in-warehouse image is stored in the storage unit 38, the door control unit 32 proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the door control unit 32 transmits the captured data of the in-warehouse image to an external device by the communication unit 39. After the captured data is transmitted to the external device, the refrigerator 10 enters a standby state until the detection signal by the door sensor 24 is confirmed (END).

[0068] According to the operation of FIG. 5, even if it is not confirmed that the lighting unit 26 is shown at the predicted position in the captured image, when the elapsed time since the door 30 was opened has exceeded the limit time, the image captured by the imaging unit 34 is recorded and transmitted as an in-warehouse image. For example, even when there are many items stored in the storage unit 20 and the lighting unit 26 is hidden, or when the camera lens of the imaging unit 34 is fogged and the lighting unit 26 cannot be captured correctly, the recording and transmission of the in-warehouse image are performed.

[0069] When it is determined that the lighting unit 26 appears at the predicted position or when the elapsed time exceeds the limit time, the attributes of the captured data may be changed. By checking the in-warehouse image and its attributes transmitted to the external device, the user can know that the captured image is due to the elapsed time exceeding the limit. For example, the user can know that there are many items in the storage unit 20 hiding the lighting unit 26, or that the camera lens of the imaging unit 34 is fogged, indicating that the normal imaging conditions were not met. The user who has checked the in-warehouse image may tidy up the inside of the storage unit 20 or strengthen the countermeasures against condensation on the camera lens to eliminate the situation where the in-warehouse image cannot be captured correctly. That is, when the elapsed time since the door 30 was opened exceeds the limit time, the in-warehouse image is recorded and transmitted, enabling the user to grasp that a situation where the in-warehouse image cannot be captured correctly has occurred in the storage unit 20 and the door 30. And the user can take measures against the situations occurring in the storage unit 20 and the door 30.

[0070] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, the control for the attitude determination unit 36 to determine the attitude of the door 30 based on the acceleration of the door 30 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a further alternative example of the operation flow of the refrigerator 10.

[0071] First, while the refrigerator 10 is operating (START), in step S31, the detection signal from the door sensor 24 is periodically checked. Alternatively, when there is a change in the detection signal from the door sensor 24, an interrupt process is requested to the main control unit 16.

[0072] In step S31, it is checked whether the door sensor 24 has detected that the door 30 has opened the storage unit 20 (the door 30 has opened). If the door 30 is not open (NO in step S31), the refrigerator 10 remains in a standby state until the detection signal from the door sensor 24 is checked again (END).

[0073] When the door sensor 24 detects that the door 30 has opened the storage section 20 (YES in step S31), in step S32, the power supply unit 14 supplies power to the door 30 via the door power switch 31. When power is supplied to the door 30, power is also supplied to the imaging unit 34.

[0074] When the supply of power to the imaging unit 34 is started, in step S33, the attitude determination unit 36 stores, in the storage unit 38, as the first acceleration, the acceleration (magnitude and vector direction) of the door 30 detected by the acceleration sensor 35. Since the first acceleration is detected when the supply of power to the imaging unit 34 is started, that is, when the door 30 is opened, it has a vector in the direction away from the storage section 20.

[0075] Then, in step S34, the attitude determination unit 36 determines, using the acceleration sensor 35, whether the stop of the door 30 moving in the direction of the first acceleration (moving away from the storage section 20) has been detected. The detection of the stop of the door 30 may be, in addition to detecting that the speed of the door 30 has become 0, when the acceleration vector of the door 30 is detected in the direction opposite to the first acceleration and then the value of the acceleration falls below a predetermined value. If the stop of the door 30 is not detected (NO in step S34), the attitude determination unit 36 continues to detect the acceleration by the acceleration sensor 35 (returns to step S33).

[0076] When the stop of the door 30 is detected (YES in step S34), the attitude determination unit 36 proceeds to step S35 and detects the acceleration of the door 30 again. Then, in step S36, the attitude determination unit 36 determines whether the acceleration detected after the door 30 has stopped has a vector in the direction opposite to the first acceleration.

[0077] If the acceleration detected after the door 30 stops is not a vector in the direction opposite to the first acceleration (NO in step S36), the attitude determination unit 36 continues to detect the acceleration by the acceleration sensor 35 (returns to step S35). Note that the case where the acceleration detected after the door 30 stops is not a vector in the direction opposite to the first acceleration is, for example, when the user opens the door 30 partway and then opens it wider.

[0078] If it is detected that the acceleration detected after the door 30 stops is a vector in the direction opposite to the first acceleration (YES in step S36), the attitude determination unit 36 stores, in the storage unit 38, the acceleration of the door 30 when it starts to move in the direction opposite to the first acceleration as the second acceleration. The second acceleration is a vector in the direction opposite to the first acceleration in the direction away from the housing unit 20, that is, a vector in the direction approaching the housing unit 20.

[0079] Then, in step S37, the attitude determination unit 36 determines, using the acceleration sensor 35, whether the stop of the door 30 moving in the direction of the second acceleration (moving in the direction approaching the housing unit 20) is detected. If the stop of the door 30 is not detected (NO in step S37), the attitude determination unit 36 continues to detect the acceleration until the stop is detected (repeats step S37).

[0080] When the door 30 moving in the direction of the second acceleration stops (YES in step S37), the attitude determination unit 36 determines that the door 30 is in the shooting attitude. That is, the attitude determination unit 36 determines that the time when the door 30 moving in the direction of the second acceleration is considered to have stopped is the shooting attitude.

[0081] Note that the detection of the stop of the door 30 may be, in addition to detecting that the speed of the door 30 becomes 0, when the direction of the acceleration vector of the door 30 is the same as the first acceleration and an acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is detected.

[0082] As the door 30 approaches the closed position, the speed in the direction approaching the storage section 20 rapidly decreases. Therefore, the vector of the acceleration of the door 30 is in the direction away from the storage section 20. When a posture close to the closed position (the posture just before closing) is set as the shooting posture, it is considered that a predetermined value or more is generated in the direction of the first acceleration for the acceleration of the door 30 in the shooting posture. Therefore, when the door 30 once detects the second acceleration and then the second acceleration decreases, and then detects the first acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it is considered that the door 30 is in the shooting posture. The acceleration threshold value may be calculated in advance according to the dimensions, mass, etc. of the door 30. Alternatively, the threshold value may be determined by the designer of the refrigerator 10 or the like actually opening and closing the door 30 and measuring the acceleration in the shooting posture (just before closing).

[0083] Note that in a general refrigerator, many doors are equipped with a magnet-packed gasket to improve the sealing performance of the door, and the door may be slightly accelerated in the direction approaching the storage section 20 just before the door is closed. When the direction of this acceleration changes, that is, when the second acceleration once decreases after detecting the second acceleration, and then the first acceleration is detected immediately after the subsequent increase behavior of the second acceleration, the door 30 can be stopped.

[0084] When it is detected in step S37 that the door 30 has stopped, that is, when the door 30 is in the shooting posture, the door control unit 32 causes the imaging unit 34 to perform imaging in step S38. Then, the door control unit 32 stores the captured image in the storage unit 38 as an in-compartment image obtained by imaging the inside of the storage section 20.

[0085] Then, in step S39, the door control unit 32 transmits the imaging data of the in-compartment image to an external device through the communication unit 39. After the imaging data is transmitted to the external device, the refrigerator 10 enters a standby state until the detection signal from the door sensor 24 is confirmed. (END)

[0086] According to the operation of FIG. 6, the attitude determination unit 36 can determine the attitude of the door 30 regardless of the state inside the housing unit 20. Therefore, even when the lighting unit 26 is not provided in the housing unit 20, or when the stored item hides the lighting unit 26, etc., the door control unit 32 can correctly record and transmit the image inside the storage when the door 30 approaches the housing unit 20 (shooting attitude).

[0087] Also, since the determination is made using the second acceleration in the direction opposite to the first acceleration when the door 30 is opened (when the power supply to the imaging unit 34 of the door 30 is started), the attitude determination unit 36 does not need to change the processing content depending on the direction of movement of the door 30. For example, in the case of the double-opening first door 30A and second door 30B, even when the first door 30A and the second door 30B turn left or right, the attitude determination unit 36 can determine the attitude of the door 30 with common processing.

[0088] In addition, even when the attitude determination unit 36 determines the attitude of the door 30 using the acceleration sensor 35, when the elapsed time since the door 30 was opened exceeds the limit time, the image captured by the imaging unit 34 may be recorded and transmitted as an image inside the storage.

[0089] Also, instead of causing the imaging unit 34 to perform imaging when it is determined that the door 30 has reached the shooting attitude, the door control unit 32 may predict the time point when the door 30 reaches the shooting attitude and cause the imaging unit 34 to perform imaging. For example, the door control unit 32 can continuously detect and integrate the direction and value of the acceleration after detecting that the door 30 has been opened by the acceleration sensor 35, and calculate the current position and moving speed of the door from this information. The position and time point at which the door 30 reaches the shooting attitude can be predicted from this information.

[0090] Incidentally, when the photographing unit 34 is capable of shooting a moving image, the door control unit 32 can also predict the timing at which shooting should be performed (the point in time when the door 30 assumes the shooting posture) from the moving image data. For example, for a specific indicator (e.g., the lighting unit 26) in the storage unit 20, if the closing movement of the door 30 is fast, the indicator in the moving image data also moves fast. Therefore, the door control unit 32 can calculate the speed of the closing movement of the door 30 based on the movement of the indicator in the moving image data. And if the closing movement of the door 30 is fast, the door control unit 32 may set a shorter time until the photographing unit 34 is made to shoot an image inside the cabinet (advance the shooting timing). On the other hand, if the closing movement of the door 30 is slow, the door control unit 32 may set a longer time until the photographing unit 34 is made to shoot an image inside the cabinet (delay the shooting timing).

[0091] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been explained with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. The drawings schematically show each component mainly for easy understanding, and the thickness, length, number, interval, etc. of each illustrated component are different from the actual ones for convenience in drawing creation. Also, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are examples and are not particularly limited, and various changes can be made without substantially departing from the configuration of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0092] The present invention provides a refrigerator, and the present invention has industrial applicability.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0093] 10 Refrigerator 12 Main Body Unit 14 Power Supply Unit 16 Main Body Control Unit 18 Cooling Unit 20 Storage Unit 20A First Storage Unit 20B Second Storage Unit 20C Third Storage Unit 22A First Opening 22B Second Opening 22C Third Opening 24 Door Sensor 24A First Door Sensor 24B Second Door Sensor 24C Third Door Sensor 26 Lighting Unit 26A First Lighting Unit 26B Second Lighting Unit 26C Third Lighting Unit 30 Door 30A First Door 30B Second Door 30C Third Door 31 Door Power Switch 32 Door Control Unit 32A First Door Control Unit 32B Second Door Control Unit 32C Third Door Control Unit 33A First Door Pocket 33B Second Door Pocket 33C Third Door Container 34 Imaging Unit 34A First Imaging Unit 34B Second Imaging Unit 34C Third Imaging Unit 35 Acceleration Sensor 35A First Acceleration Sensor 35B Second Acceleration Sensor 35C Third Acceleration Sensor 36 Posture Determination Unit 37 Timer 38 Memory Unit 39 Communication Unit

Claims

1. It has a storage part for storing contents, a door for opening and closing the storage part, and a power supply part. The storage part has a door sensor for detecting whether the door has opened the storage part. The door has an imaging part capable of imaging the inside of the storage part and a door control part for controlling the imaging part. When the door sensor detects that the door has opened the storage part, the power supply part supplies power to the imaging part. The door control part has a posture determination part for determining the posture of the door with respect to the storage part. When the posture of the door determined by the posture determination part becomes a predetermined imaging posture, the image captured by the imaging part is stored as an in - storage image obtained by imaging the inside of the storage part. A refrigerator.

2. The storage part further has an illumination part for illuminating the inside of the storage part. When the illumination part appears at a predetermined predicted position in the image captured by the imaging part, the posture determination part determines that the door is in the imaging posture. The refrigerator according to Claim 1.

3. The door further has an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the door. The posture determination part determines the posture of the door based on the acceleration of the door detected by the acceleration sensor. The refrigerator according to Claim 1.

4. The posture determination part Takes the acceleration of the door detected by the acceleration sensor when the power supply from the power supply part to the imaging part starts as the first acceleration. After the door moving in the direction of the first acceleration stops and then starts to move in the direction opposite to the direction of the first acceleration, the acceleration of the door at this time is taken as the second acceleration. When the door moving in the direction of the second acceleration is considered to have stopped, it is determined that it is in the imaging posture. The refrigerator according to Claim 3.

5. The door control unit further includes a timer that measures the time since the power supply from the power supply unit to the imaging unit was started. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein when the time measured by the timer exceeds a predetermined limit time, an image captured by the imaging unit is stored as the in-warehouse image.

6. The door moves between an open position for opening the storage unit and a closed position for closing the storage unit. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the imaging position is set to be closer to the closed position than the open position.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door control unit further includes a communication unit capable of transmitting the in-warehouse image to an external device.

Images