Refrigerator Camera Auto-Cropping to Reduce Privacy Intrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator cameras struggle to consistently capture clear images of the interior without including external environments, necessitating additional sensors or wide-angle lenses that compromise privacy, and require complex image cropping methods to maintain focus on the refrigerator interior.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with cameras on the door and body that automatically adjust image cropping based on pixel edge detection, determining the door-body angle from captured images, and using artificial intelligence to select and frame the optimal view, ensuring only the refrigerator interior is shown.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wide-angle lens is used to capture the refrigerator interior, then the refrigerator body stays in the frame regardless of door angle, but the environment outside the refrigerator borders also enters the frame causing privacy issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the unwanted external environment from the captured image by detecting the refrigerator borders and cropping the image to retain only the interior region. This eliminates privacy concerns while preserving the reliable framing of the refrigerator interior achieved by the wide-angle lens.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an image processing intermediary system that detects refrigerator borders and performs automated cropping. This intermediary step separates the useful interior view from the harmful external environment, allowing the wide-angle lens to be used without privacy intrusion.
2Measurement precision
If additional sensors are used to detect door closing angle and trigger the camera, then clear images can be captured at suitable angles, but additional costs and complexity are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the camera system self-service by using the camera itself to detect the door angle through image analysis. Instead of requiring external sensors, the system processes the captured images to determine the door position, eliminating additional components while maintaining measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical sensor-based door angle detection system with an optical/image-processing-based system. The camera captures images and the control unit analyzes them to determine door angle, substituting mechanical measurement with optical measurement and eliminating the need for physical sensors.
3Adaptability or versatility
If images are captured at different door-body angles, then the camera can adapt to various door positions, but the refrigerator cannot be centered and may go out of the camera frame
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic image cropping system that adapts to different door angles by detecting the refrigerator borders in each captured image and adjusting the crop region accordingly. This maintains the refrigerator's centered position in the final image regardless of the door's angular position during capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the image parameters (cropping coordinates and region) based on the detected door angle and refrigerator border positions. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the system maintains precise centering of the refrigerator in the frame across various door positions.
4Loss of information
If manual image cropping is performed based on door angle, then relevant areas can be marked, but the process becomes complex and error-prone due to sensor error margins
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the image cropping process self-service by automatically detecting the refrigerator borders and determining the crop region without requiring manual intervention or complex sensor-based angle detection. The system processes the captured images themselves to identify the relevant areas, simplifying the overall process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated border detection intermediary that mediates between the captured image and the final cropped result. This intermediary automatically identifies the refrigerator borders and determines the optimal crop region, eliminating the complexity and errors associated with manual or sensor-based cropping methods.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a refrigerator comprising a body suitable for placing foodstuffs therein; a door which provides access into the body; at least one camera which is disposed on the body and/or door; and a control unit which triggers the camera to capture a plurality of successive images at certain intervals while the user opens or closes the door and which performs the cropping process such that the captured images contain only the interior of the refrigerator.