refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that can expand a range to be imaged by an imaging part arranged on an upper part of a refrigerator body.SOLUTION: A refrigerator according to the present invention comprises: a refrigerator body 11 comprising an opening part, and forming a storage chamber; doors 21 and 22 provided on the opening part of the refrigerator body 11, and to be rotated around shafts extending in a vertical direction; and an imaging part 72 arranged on an upper surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11 so as to image the inside of the storage chamber 2 from the outside of the refrigerator body 11. The imaging part 72 comprises a lens 721 arranged at a lower position than upper edge parts 21b and 22b of the doors 21 and 22 in a standby state in which the doors 21 and 22 close the opening part of the refrigerator body 11. The lens 721 is arranged outside rotation ranges of the doors 21 and 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a refrigerator in which a camera unit is installed on the upper part of the cabinet of the refrigerator body. The base block of this camera unit is provided at substantially the center in the left-right direction (width direction) at the front part of the upper surface of the cabinet, and an arm is fixedly provided on this base block. The arm protrudes forward of the cabinet, and one camera is installed at the front end of the arm. This camera is rotated in the front-rear direction by a first motor and rotated in the left-right direction by a second motor. The camera has a downward lens at the lower part and is covered with a transparent camera cover (see paragraph 0016 and FIGS. 1 to 2 above). Here, the camera is configured such that the shooting direction can be changed and controlled by the first motor and the second motor, and it can take a picture of the inside of the refrigerator compartment with the door open in a first shooting position obliquely downward to the rear, a second shooting position downward for shooting the inside of the drawer pulled out from above, a third shooting position obliquely downward to the front for shooting the user side in front of the refrigerator body, and a fourth shooting position obliquely downward to the right for shooting the door pocket of the door with the door of the refrigerator compartment opened by approximately 90 degrees (see paragraph 0017 and FIGS. 4 to 7).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, a camera is mounted on an arm fixed to the top of the refrigerator cabinet, and the camera can rotate in the forward / backward and left / right directions. However, in the refrigerator of Patent Document 1, the camera body and lens are located higher than the upper end of the rotating door located at the very top of the refrigerator body. For example, when the camera is positioned in a first shooting position, a large blind spot is likely to occur when photographing the back of the refrigerator compartment. In other words, the camera arrangement in the refrigerator of Patent Document 1 tends to limit the imaging range of the camera. Hereafter, the camera that images the inside of the storage compartment of the refrigerator will be referred to as the "imaging unit" and described accordingly.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can widen the imaging range of the imaging unit located at the top of the refrigerator body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] the above In light of the circumstances, the refrigerator of the present invention A refrigerator body having an opening and forming a storage compartment, A door is provided in the opening of the refrigerator body and rotates around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit is positioned on the top surface of the refrigerator body and captures images of the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the refrigerator body, Equipped with, The imaging unit has a lens positioned lower than the upper edge of the door when the door is closed to the opening of the refrigerator body in a standby state. The aforementioned lens is, In the aforementioned standby state, it is positioned in front of the front of the door, It is positioned outside the rotation range of the aforementioned door. In view of the above circumstances, the refrigerator of the present invention is A refrigerator body having an opening and forming a storage compartment, A door is provided in the opening of the refrigerator body and rotates around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit is positioned on the top surface of the refrigerator body and captures images of the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the refrigerator body, A vertical displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit vertically around an axis aligned horizontally, A horizontal displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit horizontally around an axis aligned with the vertical direction, Equipped with, The imaging unit has a lens positioned lower than the upper edge of the door when the door is closed to the opening of the refrigerator body in a standby state. The lens is positioned in the standby state to be in front of the front surface of the door and outside the rotational range of the door. The imaging unit is configured such that when the lens is brought close to the closed door using the horizontal displacement mechanism, the lens can be displaced to a position higher than the upper edge of the door using the vertical displacement mechanism. In view of the above circumstances, the refrigerator of the present invention is A refrigerator body having an opening and forming a storage compartment, A door is provided in the opening of the refrigerator body and rotates around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit is positioned on the top surface of the refrigerator body and captures images of the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the refrigerator body, A vertical displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit vertically around an axis aligned horizontally, A horizontal displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit horizontally around an axis aligned with the vertical direction, Equipped with, The imaging unit has a lens positioned lower than the upper edge of the door when the door is closed to the opening of the refrigerator body in a standby state. The lens is positioned in the standby state to be in front of the front surface of the door and outside the rotational range of the door. By rotating the imaging unit using the horizontal displacement mechanism, a notch is provided at the upper edge of the door where the lens crosses. In view of the above circumstances, the refrigerator of the present invention is A refrigerator body having an opening and forming a storage compartment, A door is provided in the opening of the refrigerator body and rotates around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit is positioned on the top surface of the refrigerator body and captures images of the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the refrigerator body, A vertical displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit vertically around an axis aligned horizontally, A linear drive unit that drives the imaging unit in the front-rear direction, Equipped with, The imaging unit has a lens positioned lower than the upper edge of the door when the door is closed to the opening of the refrigerator body in a standby state. The lens is positioned in the standby state so as to be behind the door and outside the rotation range of the door. The imaging unit is configured such that when the lens is advanced using the linear drive unit and brought close to the closed door, the lens can be displaced to a position higher than the upper edge of the door using the vertical displacement mechanism, and imaging is performed with the lens displaced to a position higher than the upper edge of the door using the vertical displacement mechanism. The refrigerator determines the degree to which the door is open from the captured image.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the imaging range by the imaging unit disposed on the upper part of the refrigerator body can be widened.

[0008] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] [Figure 1] It is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a side view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1. [Figure 3]Figure 1 is a front view showing the refrigerator with the refrigerator door open. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing a magnified view of the top of the refrigerator in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the positional relationship between the imaging unit 7 and the refrigerator door in the height direction. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a top view of the refrigerator. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the imaging unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the imaging unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of an image captured by the imaging unit according to the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the imaging unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of an image captured by the imaging unit according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment and each drawing, common components and similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0011] Figure 1 is a front view of a refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a side view of the refrigerator 1 of Figure 1. Figure 2 is a side view (right side view) of the refrigerator 1 of Figure 1 as seen from the right side.

[0012] The vertical, front-to-back, and left-to-right directions are defined as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The vertical direction coincides with the vertical direction when the refrigerator 1 is installed on a horizontal surface. The front-to-back direction is parallel to the horizontal plane, and is the direction connecting the front side and the rear side (perpendicular to the front and rear sides), with the side with the refrigerator doors 21, 22, etc., being the front side and the opposite side being the rear side (back side). The left-to-right direction is parallel to the horizontal plane, and is the direction connecting the left side and the right side (perpendicular to the left and right sides), with the left side being the left side and the right side being the right side, looking from the front side towards the rear side. The front-to-back direction is sometimes called the "depth direction," and the vertical direction is sometimes called the "height direction." The left-to-right direction also coincides with the width direction of the refrigerator 1.

[0013] The refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment has storage compartments in the following order from top to bottom: a refrigerator compartment 2, ice-making compartments 3 and an upper freezer compartment 4, a lower freezer compartment 5, and a vegetable compartment 6. The refrigerator 1 is equipped with doors to open and close the openings of each storage compartment. These doors consist of a rotating refrigerator compartment door 21, 22 that is divided into left and right sections to open and close the opening of the refrigerator compartment 2, and a pull-out type ice-making compartment door 31, an upper freezer compartment door 41, a lower freezer compartment door 51, and a vegetable compartment door 61 that open and close the openings of the ice-making compartment 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5, and the vegetable compartment 6, respectively.

[0014] Refrigerator 1 has an insulated box (casing) 11. The insulated box 11 has an insulating material such as rigid polyurethane foam or vacuum insulating material filled inside, and constitutes the main body of refrigerator 1. The refrigerator body 11 has an opening 13, forming storage compartments 2 to 6. Doors 21, 22, 31, 41, 51, and 61 are provided in the opening 13 of the refrigerator body 11. Doors 21 and 22 are doors that rotate around an axis extending in the vertical direction, In this embodiment, the refrigerator compartment 2 is a storage compartment located at the top of the refrigerator body 11, and the refrigerator compartment doors 21 and 22 that open and close the opening at its front are also located at the top of the refrigerator body 11. The left refrigerator compartment door 21 is configured to rotate around the axis of the hinge 21a at the left end. The right refrigerator compartment door 22 is configured to rotate around the axis of the hinge 22a at the right end. The doors 31, 41, 51, and 61 of the storage compartments 3 to 6 located below the refrigerator compartment 2 are pull-out type doors.

[0015] Refrigerator 1 has an imaging unit 7 on the top surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11 for taking pictures of the inside of the refrigerator. The imaging unit 7 is installed on the outside of the refrigerator body 11 and takes pictures of at least the inside of the refrigerator compartment (storage compartment) 21 from the outside of the refrigerator body 11. The imaging range of the imaging unit 7 may include the inside of the ice maker compartment 22 with a pull-out door, the upper freezer compartment 23, the vegetable compartment 24, and the lower freezer compartment 25.

[0016] The imaging unit 7 comprises a support section 71 and a main body section 72. The main body section 72 is an imaging unit that images the refrigerator compartment 2 and the refrigerator compartment doors 21 and 22. The support section 71 is a base that supports the imaging unit 72 and is installed on the upper surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11. One end of the imaging unit 72 is supported by the support section 71, and a lens 721 is provided at the other end. In other words, the imaging unit 72 is positioned on the upper surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11 and images the inside of the storage compartment 2 from the outside of the refrigerator body 11.

[0017] To allow manual imaging of the refrigerator compartment 2, etc., using the imaging unit 7, a shooting button 8, which can be pressed by the user, is provided on the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 21 and 22. Imaging of the refrigerator compartment 2, etc., by the imaging unit 7 may be performed automatically by a control device (not shown) provided in the refrigerator 1.

[0018] Figure 3 is a front view showing the refrigerator 1 in Figure 1 with the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 open. The refrigerator compartment 2 is equipped with multiple shelves 23 that divide the interior. The left refrigerator compartment door 21 is equipped with multiple door pockets 211 for storing food and other items, and the right refrigerator compartment door 22 is also equipped with multiple door pockets 221.

[0019] The lens 721 of the imaging unit 7 is positioned so that, with the left and right refrigerator doors 21 and 22 open as shown in Figure 3, the food items in the refrigerator compartment 21 and door pockets 211 and 221 are in its field of view in an overhead manner.

[0020] Figures 1 to 3 illustrate the general configuration of the imaging unit 7; details of the configuration will be described later.

[0021] The following describes an embodiment of the imaging unit 7.

[0022] [Example 1] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a magnified view of the top of refrigerator 1 in Figure 1. The imaging unit (main body) 72 of the imaging unit 7 is formed in a rod shape and is arranged so as to have a longitudinal direction A in the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator 1. The imaging unit (main body) 72 has a lens 721 located at one end in the longitudinal direction.

[0023] The lens 721 of the imaging unit 72 is positioned in front of the front surfaces 21a and 22a of the doors 21 and 22 of the storage room 2 when the doors 21 and 22 of the storage room 2 are closed. This arrangement of the lens 721 allows the imaging unit 7, which is installed on the outside of the storage rooms 2 to 6, to capture an overview of the inside of the storage room, including the door pockets 211 and 221.

[0024] Figure 5 shows the positional relationship between the imaging unit 7 and the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 in the height direction. The lens 721 of the imaging unit 72 is positioned δ721 lower in the vertical direction (up and down direction) than the upper edges (upper ends) 21b, 22b of the storage compartment doors (refrigerator doors) 21, 22. This arrangement of the lens 721 is the same regardless of whether the refrigerator doors 21, 22 are open or closed, when the imaging unit 72 is positioned as shown in Figure 4. Of the imaging unit 72, the portion (overlapping portion) 72a that overlaps vertically with the closed refrigerator doors 21, 22 is positioned higher than the upper edges (upper ends) 21b, 22b of the refrigerator doors 21, 22.

[0025] This arrangement of the lens 721 allows the imaging range to be extended to the back of the refrigerator. Furthermore, by positioning the lens 721 low, the height of the imaging unit 72 can be lowered, making the imaging unit 72 less conspicuous and improving the design of the refrigerator 1. In particular, in refrigerators 1 with large height dimensions, the imaging unit 7 is positioned in a position that the user looks up at, so the support part 71 of the imaging unit 7 can be hidden in the shadow of the upper edges 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22.

[0026] Figure 6 is a top view of refrigerator 1 shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the lens 721 of the imaging unit 72 is located in front of the front surfaces 21a and 22a of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 when the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are closed, and is located lower than the upper edges (upper ends) 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22. In this case, there is a possibility that the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 and the lens 721 may interfere with each other when opening and closing the refrigerator doors 21 and 22.

[0027] To avoid this interference, the lens 721 is positioned outside the rotation range (rotation trajectory or turning radius) R21, R22 of the refrigerator doors 21, 22. In this case, there is no need to change the height position of the lens 721 when opening and closing the refrigerator doors 21, 22.

[0028] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the imaging unit 7 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7(a) shows the state of the imaging unit 7 when the refrigerator 1 is delivered to the user and is in operation (actual working state), and Figure 7(b) shows the state of the imaging unit 7 when the refrigerator 1 is shipped.

[0029] When the refrigerator 1 is shipped (b), the imaging unit 72 of the imaging unit 7 is positioned such that the lens 721 is located on the upper surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11. In this case, the imaging unit 72 is positioned 90 degrees rotated in the horizontal plane compared to its operating state. This state is called the "storage state".

[0030] When the refrigerator 1 is in operation, the imaging unit 72 is rotated 90 degrees in the horizontal plane from the stowed state (b) so that the lens 721 is positioned in front of the front surfaces 21a and 22a of the closed refrigerator doors 21 and 22. When the imaging unit 72 takes an image, it is positioned in the operational state (a). For this purpose, the imaging unit 7 has a horizontal displacement mechanism 711 that rotates the imaging unit 72 horizontally around an axis 71x that is aligned with the vertical direction.

[0031] Even when the refrigerator 1 is in operation, if no imaging is being performed, the imaging unit 72 can be retracted (b). This can be done manually by the user, or a rotation drive mechanism for the imaging unit 72 may be provided in the imaging unit 7, and this rotation drive mechanism can be used to perform the action.

[0032] When the imaging unit 72 transitions from the stowed state (b) to the operational state (a), the lens 721, which is located lower than the upper edges 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22, will collide with the upper edges 21b and 22b of the closed refrigerator doors 21 and 22.

[0033] To avoid collision between the lens 721 and the refrigerator doors 21 and 22, it is preferable to rotate the imaging unit 72 using the horizontal displacement mechanism 711, thereby providing a notch 212 in the upper edge portions 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 where the lens 721 crosses. This prevents the lens 721 from colliding with the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 by allowing it to pass through the notch 212.

[0034] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the imaging unit 72 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] To avoid collision between the imaging unit 72 and the refrigerator doors 21 and 22, as described above, the lens 721 is tilted upward as shown in (a) by tilting the overlapping portion (tip portion) 72a so that the front side is higher than the rear side while the lens 721 crosses the upper edges 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22. This operation is made possible by a displacement mechanism (first displacement mechanism) 73 provided in the imaging unit 72. The displacement mechanism 73 is a displacement mechanism that rotates vertically around an axis along the horizontal direction, and is called a "vertical displacement mechanism (first vertical displacement mechanism)".

[0036] In other words, the imaging unit 72 is configured such that when the lens 721 is brought close to the closed refrigerator doors 21 and 22 using the horizontal displacement mechanism 711, the lens 721 can be displaced to a position higher than the upper edges 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 using the vertical displacement mechanism 73.

[0037] This operation may be performed manually by the installer or user of the refrigerator 1, but the displacement mechanism 73 has a drive unit (rotary drive unit), which allows this operation to be performed automatically.

[0038] Once the lens 721 has finished crossing the upper edges 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22, the overlap portion 72a returns to its original position as shown in (b). The position of the overlap portion 72a in state (b) is the standby position (standby state) when the imaging unit 72 is not taking images. That is, the imaging unit 72 has a lens 721 positioned lower than the upper edges 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 when the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are closed, blocking the opening 13 (see Figure 2) of the refrigerator body 11. In this case, the lens 721 is positioned outside the rotation range of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22.

[0039] This standby position also serves as the first position (first posture) when the imaging unit 72 photographs the inside of the refrigerator (refrigerator compartment) 2. (b) illustrates the case where the upper edges 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are higher than the top surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11. Even in this case, in the first position, the lens 721 is positioned in front of the front surfaces 21a and 22a of the closed refrigerator doors 21 and 22, and lower than the upper edges (upper ends) 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22. This allows the imaging range to be widened toward the back of the refrigerator in the first position, and the imaging unit 72 can be hidden behind the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 to make it less conspicuous.

[0040] The imaging unit 72 assumes the first posture with the overlap portion 72a in state (b), and photographs the interior 2 with the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 open. The limit of the imaging range at the back of the interior in this case is shown by a dashed line. As described above, the interior 2 may be photographed manually by the user by pressing the shooting button 8, or it may be performed in conjunction with a door switch (not shown) provided on the refrigerator doors 21 and 22.

[0041] Furthermore, the imaging unit 72 adopts a second posture (second position) by setting the overlap portion 72a to state (c) in order to photograph the area further inside the refrigerator compartment 2. In the second posture, the lens 721 moves to a position lower than the upper surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11. That is, the imaging unit 72 is configured to use the vertical displacement mechanism 73 to move the lens 721 to a position lower than the upper surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11, so that it can image the inside of the storage compartment 2. At this time, the overlap portion 72a, which in state (b) had its longitudinal direction A (see Figure 4) parallel to the horizontal plane, becomes inclined in state (c) so that the front side is lower than the rear side.

[0042] This operation is performed by a vertical displacement mechanism 73 provided in the imaging unit 72, and by having a drive unit (rotation drive unit) in the vertical displacement mechanism 73, this operation can be performed automatically. This operation may also be performed manually by the user. In this case, the vertical displacement mechanism may be configured as a second vertical displacement mechanism separate from the first vertical displacement mechanism 73 described above, but in this embodiment, the structure of the imaging unit 72 is simplified by using the first vertical displacement mechanism 73.

[0043] The dashed line indicates the limit of the imaging range towards the back of the storage compartment in state (c). In state (c), the imaging range widens towards the back of the storage compartment compared to state (b), and the contents O, which could not be photographed in (b), can now be photographed in state (c).

[0044] Figure 9 shows an example of an image captured by the imaging unit 72 according to the present invention. The image captured in state (c) is as shown in Figure 9, and it is possible to capture images of the contents stored in the door pockets 211 and 221, as well as the inside of the refrigerator compartment 2. As mentioned above, the imaging range may also include the inside of the ice maker compartment 22 with the pull-out door, the upper freezer compartment 23, the vegetable compartment 24, and the lower freezer compartment 25.

[0045] The imaging unit 72 may perform imaging by stopping the overlap portion 72a at any position between the two states shown in (b) and (c).

[0046] [Example 2] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the imaging unit 72 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. (a) corresponds to the standby state described above (Figure 8(b)). In the standby state (a), the lens 721 is located behind the closed refrigerator doors 21 and 22, and lower than the upper edges (upper ends) 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22. In this embodiment, the posture (position) in the standby state (a) is referred to as the first posture (first position).

[0047] This standby state may be adopted as the storage state, i.e., the state at the time of shipment, as explained in Figure 7. When the imaging unit 72 takes the standby posture (first posture, first position) of (a) in the standby state, the imaging unit 72 is hidden behind the refrigerator doors 21 and 22, making the imaging unit 7 less conspicuous. In this embodiment, however, the interior 2 is not photographed in the first posture.

[0048] When the imaging unit 72 takes a picture of the inside of the refrigerator 2, the overlapping portion 72a is tilted so that the front side is higher than the rear side, and the lens 721 is raised upward. This state is state (b). State (b) is the state (posture) of waiting for the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 to be opened. By tilting the overlapping portion 72a so that the lens 721 is higher, the imaging unit 72 can be advanced before the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are opened, or while the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are being opened, without interfering with the upper edges (upper ends) 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22.

[0049] This allows the imaging unit 72 to be used to check the degree to which the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are open, eliminating the need to add any new sensors. Furthermore, this operation becomes even more convenient when the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are equipped with an automatic opening mechanism.

[0050] In this embodiment, the overlapping portion 72a does not overlap vertically with the closed refrigerator doors 21 and 22 until it moves forward to the position where the interior 2 is photographed. Furthermore, since the overlapping portion 72a moves forward to the position where the interior 2 is photographed after the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are opened, the overlapping portion 72a and the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 do not actually overlap. The term "overlapping portion" is used to mean that the overlap occurs when the imaging unit 72 moves forward to the position where the interior 2 is photographed while the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are closed.

[0051] The imaging unit 72 moves forward to a predetermined position and takes an image. A drive unit (linear drive unit) for moving the imaging unit 72 forward or backward is provided on the support unit 71. That is, the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment may have a vertical displacement mechanism 73 that rotates the imaging unit 72 vertically around an axis along the horizontal direction, and a linear drive unit 71 that drives the imaging unit 72 in the front-back direction. The imaging unit 72 is configured such that when the lens 721 is moved forward using the linear drive unit 71 and brought close to the closed refrigerator doors 21, 22, the lens 721 can be displaced using the vertical displacement mechanism 73 to a position higher than the upper edges 21b, 22b of the refrigerator doors 21, 22.

[0052] Figure 11 shows an example of an image captured by the imaging unit 72 according to the present invention.

[0053] When the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 begin to open with the imaging unit 72 having advanced to a predetermined position, an image like that shown in Figure 11 can be obtained. At this time, the lower front edge 24 of the refrigerator compartment 2 is captured in the image. The degree to which the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are opened is checked from the image information of the lower front edge 24, and if it is determined that there is no interference between the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 and the overlap portion 72a, the imaging unit 72 is advanced further. That is, the imaging unit 72 uses the vertical displacement mechanism 73 to displace the lens 721 to a position higher than the upper edges 21b and 22b of the refrigerator doors 21 and 22, and performs imaging, and the refrigerator 1 determines the degree to which the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 are opened from the captured image.

[0054] Subsequently, the overlap portion 72a is tilted so that the front side is lower than the rear side, lowering the lens 721 to a position lower than the top surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11. In other words, the imaging unit 72 is configured to use the vertical displacement mechanism 73 to move the lens 721 to a position lower than the top surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11, so that it can image the inside of the storage compartment 2. This state is state (c), and the posture of the imaging unit 72 at this time is referred to as the second posture (second position).

[0055] The limit of the imaging range at the back of the chamber in state (c) is shown by a dashed line. In state (c), the imaging range widens towards the back of the chamber, similar to the state shown in Figure 8(c). In this embodiment as well, an image like that in Figure 9 can be obtained.

[0056] If it is determined that there is no interference between the refrigerator doors 21 and 22 and the overlap portion 72a, the forward movement of the imaging unit 72 and the lowering of the lens 721 may be performed in parallel. Such control and image processing may be performed by a control device provided in the refrigerator 1, or a dedicated processing device including a CPU may be provided.

[0057] The refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention described above has the following features. (1) A refrigerator body 11 having an opening 13 and forming a storage compartment 2, Doors 21 and 22 are provided in the opening 13 of the refrigerator body 11 and rotate around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit 72 is positioned on the top surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11 and images the inside of the storage compartment 2 from the outside of the refrigerator body 11, Equipped with, The imaging unit 72 has a lens 721 positioned lower than the upper edges 21b and 22b of the doors 21 and 22 when the doors 21 and 22 are closed to the opening 13 of the refrigerator body 11, in a standby state. The lens 721 is positioned outside the rotational range of the doors 21 and 22.

[0058] (2) The lens 721 is positioned in the standby state to be in front of the front surfaces 21a and 22a of the doors 21 and 22.

[0059] (3) It has a vertical displacement mechanism 73 that rotates the imaging unit 72 in the vertical direction about an axis along the horizontal direction.

[0060] (4) It has a horizontal displacement mechanism 711 that rotates the imaging unit horizontally around an axis 71x along the vertical direction, The imaging unit 72 is configured such that when the lens 721 is brought close to the closed doors 21 and 22 using the horizontal displacement mechanism 711, the lens 721 can be displaced to a position higher than the upper edges 21b and 22b of the doors 21 and 22 using the vertical displacement mechanism 73.

[0061] (5) The imaging unit 72 is configured to use a vertical displacement mechanism 73 to move the lens 721 to a position lower than the upper surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11, so that it can image the inside of the storage chamber 2.

[0062] (6) It has a horizontal displacement mechanism 711 that rotates the imaging unit 72 horizontally around an axis 71x along the vertical direction, By rotating the imaging unit 72 using the horizontal displacement mechanism 711, a notch 212 is provided in the portion of the upper edge 21b, 22b of the doors 21, 22 where the lens 721 crosses.

[0063] (7) The lens 721 is positioned behind the doors 21 and 22 when in standby mode.

[0064] (8) It has a vertical displacement mechanism 73 that rotates the imaging unit 72 vertically around an axis along the horizontal direction, and a linear drive unit 71 that drives the imaging unit 72 in the front-rear direction, The imaging unit 721 is configured such that when the lens 721 is advanced using the linear drive unit 71 and brought close to the closed doors 21 and 22, the lens 721 can be displaced to a position higher than the upper edges 21b and 22b of the doors 21 and 22 using the vertical displacement mechanism 73.

[0065] (9) The imaging unit 72 uses the vertical displacement mechanism 73 to displace the lens 721 to a position higher than the upper edges 21b and 22b of the doors 21 and 22, and performs imaging. Refrigerator 1 determines the degree to which doors 21 and 22 are open from the captured images.

[0066] (10) The imaging unit 72 is configured to use a vertical displacement mechanism 73 to move the lens 721 to a position lower than the upper surface 11a of the refrigerator body 11, so that it can image the inside of the storage chamber 2.

[0067] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the above configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace parts of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add configurations from other embodiments to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 2...Storage compartment (refrigerator compartment), 11...Refrigerator body, 11a...Top surface of refrigerator body 11, 13...Opening, 21,22...Doors (refrigerator compartment doors), 21a,22a...Front surfaces of doors 21,22, 21b,22b...Upper edges of doors 21,22, 71...Linear drive unit, 71x...Axis along the vertical direction, 72...Imaging unit, 73...Vertical displacement mechanism, 212...Notch, 711...Horizontal displacement mechanism, 721...Lens.

Claims

1. A refrigerator body having an opening and forming a storage compartment, A door is provided in the opening of the refrigerator body and rotates around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit is positioned on the top surface of the refrigerator body and captures images of the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the refrigerator body, Equipped with, The imaging unit has a lens positioned lower than the upper edge of the door when the door is closed to the opening of the refrigerator body in a standby state. The lens is positioned in the standby state to be in front of the front of the door and outside the rotational range of the door.

2. In the refrigerator according to claim 1, A refrigerator having a vertical displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit vertically around an axis along the horizontal direction.

3. In the refrigerator according to claim 2, The imaging unit is configured to use the vertical displacement mechanism to move the lens to a position lower than the top surface of the refrigerator body, thereby enabling imaging of the inside of the storage compartment.

4. A refrigerator body having an opening and forming a storage compartment, A door is provided in the opening of the refrigerator body and rotates around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit is positioned on the top surface of the refrigerator body and captures images of the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the refrigerator body, A vertical displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit vertically around an axis aligned horizontally, A horizontal displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit horizontally around an axis aligned with the vertical direction, Equipped with, The imaging unit has a lens positioned lower than the upper edge of the door when the door is closed to the opening of the refrigerator body in a standby state. The lens is positioned in the standby state to be in front of the front surface of the door and outside the rotational range of the door. The imaging unit is configured such that when the lens is brought close to the closed door using the horizontal displacement mechanism, the lens can be displaced to a position higher than the upper edge of the door using the vertical displacement mechanism.

5. A refrigerator body having an opening and forming a storage compartment, A door is provided in the opening of the refrigerator body and rotates around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit is positioned on the top surface of the refrigerator body and captures images of the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the refrigerator body, A vertical displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit vertically around an axis aligned horizontally, A horizontal displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit horizontally around an axis aligned with the vertical direction, Equipped with, The imaging unit has a lens positioned lower than the upper edge of the door when the door is closed to the opening of the refrigerator body in a standby state. The lens is positioned in the standby state to be in front of the front surface of the door and outside the rotational range of the door. The door is a refrigerator in which a notch is provided at the upper edge of the door where the lens crosses, by rotating the imaging unit using the horizontal displacement mechanism.

6. A refrigerator body having an opening and forming a storage compartment, A door is provided in the opening of the refrigerator body and rotates around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, An imaging unit is positioned on the top surface of the refrigerator body and captures images of the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the refrigerator body, A vertical displacement mechanism that rotates the imaging unit vertically around an axis aligned horizontally, A linear drive unit that drives the imaging unit in the front-rear direction, Equipped with, The imaging unit has a lens positioned lower than the upper edge of the door when the door is closed to the opening of the refrigerator body in a standby state. The lens is positioned in the standby state so as to be behind the door and outside the rotation range of the door. The imaging unit is configured such that when the lens is advanced using the linear drive unit and brought close to the closed door, the lens can be displaced to a position higher than the upper edge of the door using the vertical displacement mechanism, and imaging is performed with the lens displaced to a position higher than the upper edge of the door using the vertical displacement mechanism. The refrigerator in question is a refrigerator that determines the degree to which the door is open from the captured image.

7. In the refrigerator according to claim 6, The imaging unit is configured to use the vertical displacement mechanism to move the lens to a position lower than the top surface of the refrigerator body, thereby enabling imaging of the inside of the storage compartment.

Images