Systems and methods for camera settings adjustments in refrigerator appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator appliances with camera systems for monitoring food items struggle to accurately identify objects and distinguish between similar products within the chilled chamber, often requiring user interaction and lacking efficient image adjustment capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator appliance equipped with camera assemblies mounted at the front of the fresh food chamber and a controller that performs pixel statistical analysis on video clips to adjust brightness and exposure settings, improving image quality and object recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional camera systems are used in refrigerator appliances, then the system can monitor food items, but the camera system has difficulty identifying particular objects or distinguishing between similar products
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts camera parameters including exposure time, gain, and white balance based on ambient light conditions detected by a light sensor. This allows the camera to maintain optimal image quality across varying lighting environments within the refrigerator chamber, thereby improving object identification accuracy and distinction capability
2Productivity
If the camera system continuously monitors food items, then inventory tracking is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera operates in periodic intervals rather than continuously, triggered by door opening/closing events or motion detection. The system captures images at these periodic intervals to monitor food item inventory, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective inventory tracking capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses passive triggers such as door sensors and motion detection to initiate camera operation automatically, eliminating the need for continuous active monitoring. This self-service approach allows the camera to activate only when necessary, reducing energy consumption while maintaining monitoring productivity
3Ease of operation
If user interaction is required for camera settings, then manual control is possible, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system automatically adjusts its settings including exposure, gain, and white balance based on environmental conditions detected by sensors, eliminating the need for manual user intervention. This self-adjusting capability significantly improves ease of operation while maintaining high automation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses light sensors and image analysis to continuously monitor ambient conditions and automatically adjusts camera parameters in response. This feedback mechanism enables automatic adaptation to changing lighting conditions without requiring user input, improving ease of operation while maintaining automation
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a fresh food chamber and a freezer chamber and a plurality of camera assemblies mounted to the cabinet at a front portion of the fresh food chamber. The refrigerator appliance also includes a controller that is configured to perform a pixel statistical analysis of one or more video clips from the plurality of camera assemblies. The controller is configured to adjust one or both a brightness setting in the fresh food chamber of the refrigerator appliance and an exposure setting of the plurality of camera assemblies in response to the pixel statistical analysis of one or more video clips from the plurality of camera assemblies. The pixel statistical analysis of one or more video clips from the plurality of camera assemblies is triggered by an interaction with the refrigerator appliance.