Refrigerator for managing product stock and method therefor

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing refrigerator systems fail to accurately determine product reception and release due to the inability to distinguish image data, leading to inaccurate inventory management.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a camera-equipped refrigerator that extracts high-reliability image data by removing low-quality, low-confidence, and product covering data, generating refined product reception/release data, and creating a user database for customized consumption services.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If image data is captured to determine product inventory, then product storage management capability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to distinguish temporary vs permanent product changes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct storage management capabilityVSAvoidproduct reception and release determination accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by capturing multiple images at different time points before making a final determination. Image data is collected continuously or at intervals, and product reception/release is determined only after comparing temporal changes across multiple captured images, ensuring accurate distinction between temporary and permanent product changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback mechanisms by comparing current image data with previously stored image data and product inventory information. The determination of product reception and release is based on feedback from temporal comparisons, where changes in image data are cross-validated against inventory records to accurately identify permanent product changes versus temporary ones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Quantity of substance

If all image data is used for inventory determination, then data completeness is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to inclusion of low-quality and product covering data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage data volumeVSAvoidproduct recognition accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the necessary and high-quality image data from the complete set of captured images. Low-quality data such as blurry images, images with poor lighting, and images where products are partially covered are identified and excluded from the analysis. Only clear, complete product images are used for inventory determination, improving reliability while maintaining sufficient data volume.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20240328709A1Refrigerator for managing product stock and method therefor

Publication Date: 2024.10.03 LG ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

Discussed herein is a method of managing product reception/release data of a refrigerator including obtaining internal image data of the refrigerator using a camera provided in the refrigerator, extracting high-reliability data from the internal image data of the refrigerator, updating product reception/release data based on the high-reliability data, and creating a user database based on the updated product reception/release data.