Refrigerator Camera Bracket with Inclined Portion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators lack a solution to install a camera for recording food insertion and removal without deforming the door, while also preventing water and dust from entering the camera lens and ensuring the camera remains stationary during door operation.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design that includes a camera mounted on a bracket with a protruding portion and an inclined portion, allowing the camera to capture both outside and inside of the storage compartment without deforming the door. The bracket is configured to prevent collision with the door and includes anti-movement ribs to keep the camera stationary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a camera is installed on the door to record food insertion and removal, then the recording function is achieved, but the door is deformed
Solution Approach 1:
The camera is extracted from the door structure and relocated to the cabinet body. The bracket is mounted on the cabinet body at a position that allows the camera to face the storage compartment interior without being attached to the door, thereby eliminating the door deformation problem while maintaining the recording function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the camera protrudes outside the upper table to capture outside area, then the field of view is improved, but water and dust may enter the lens
Solution Approach 1:
The camera is nested within the bracket structure, which provides a protective enclosure. The bracket is mounted on the cabinet body and positioned to allow the camera to capture both the interior storage compartment and the exterior area around it, while the bracket structure itself shields the lens from direct exposure to water and dust.
3Ease of manufacture
If the bracket protrudes through the mounting hole to accommodate the camera, then the camera mounting is achieved, but the bracket may move during door operation
Solution Approach 1:
Anti-movement ribs are pre-formed on the bracket structure before installation. These ribs engage with corresponding features on the cabinet body to prevent the bracket from moving during door operation. The anti-movement ribs are positioned to restrict movement in multiple directions, ensuring the camera remains stable while allowing for straightforward mounting through the mounting hole.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator including a cabinet; a storage compartment in the cabinet; a door coupled to the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; an upper table on an upper surface of the cabinet and having a mounting hole on a front surface of the upper table; a bracket mounted on the upper table and including a protruding portion, and an inclined portion at a lower portion of the protruding portion and including an opening; and a camera mounted on the bracket. The bracket and the camera are configured so that the protruding portion accommodates the camera and protrudes through the mounting hole and outside the upper table, the lens of the camera is exposed through the opening of the inclined portion, and the inclined portion is inclined so that an image captured by the camera includes an area outside the storage compartment and an area inside the storage compartment.