Method of operating a camera assembly in a refrigerator appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerator appliances often experience items being placed in an unstable manner, leading to a high risk of spillage or breakage due to tilted items, which can be exacerbated by door opening and closing.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator appliance equipped with a camera assembly and a controller that uses machine learning image recognition processes to identify tilted items and provides user notifications for corrective action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If items are placed in the chilled chamber without monitoring, then the ease of operation is improved (users can freely place items), but the reliability deteriorates (high risk of spillage or breakage due to tilted items)
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously captures images with the camera assembly, analyzes them using machine learning to detect tilted items, and provides notifications to users. This closed-loop feedback mechanism monitors the chilled chamber state and alerts users when corrective action is needed, resolving the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation while improving reliability through automated detection and notification.
2Reliability
If a camera assembly with machine learning analysis is added, then the reliability is improved (detection of tilted items), but the device complexity increases (additional components and processing)
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses machine learning image recognition to automatically detect and identify tilted items without requiring manual inspection or complex mechanical sensors. The controller autonomously analyzes images and determines item orientation, reducing the need for complex hardware while maintaining high detection reliability.
3Reliability
If continuous monitoring is performed, then the reliability is improved (timely detection of tilted items), but the use of energy increases (camera and processing operations)
Solution Approach 1:
The camera assembly and controller operate periodically to capture and analyze images of the chilled chamber, rather than continuously. This periodic monitoring approach maintains reliable detection of tilted items while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous operation, as the system activates only at intervals to perform image capture and analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a door being rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber, a camera assembly mounted to the cabinet for monitoring the chilled chamber, and a controller operably coupled to the camera assembly. The controller is configured to obtain one or more images using the camera assembly, analyze the one or more images using one or more machine learning image recognition processes to identify a tilted item, and providing a user notification in response to identifying the tilted item.