Refrigerator Camera System for Door-Triggered Internal Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of refrigerators must manually open the door to determine the contents, which is inconvenient and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator equipped with a detection unit, photographing unit, storage unit, display unit, communication unit, and control unit that captures and displays the internal image of the storage compartments when the door is closed, allowing users and business operators to access the contents remotely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the door is opened to view contents, then the user can see what is stored, but the refrigeration environment is disrupted and energy is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture images of the refrigerator contents and transmits these images to a user terminal device. This creates a visual copy of the interior contents, allowing users to view what is stored without physically opening the door, thereby preventing energy loss while maintaining information access.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary communication system that includes a camera, controller, and transmission device. This intermediary chain mediates between the user's need to see contents and the requirement to maintain refrigeration, by providing remote visual access without physical door opening.
2Ease of operation
If a camera system is added to capture and display internal images, then users can view contents remotely, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller in the system serves multiple functions: it controls the camera operation, processes the captured images, manages the transmission to external devices, and handles receiving display requests. By making the controller multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate dedicated components for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator may include a detection device that detects at least one of a position or movement of a door of the refrigerator, a camera to capture an image of an area inside the refrigerator, and a controller to control the camera to capture the image based on the detected position or movement of the door. A start of a door opening operation and a door closing operation may be detected based on the detected position or movement of the door. When the door opening operation is detected, the camera is controlled to operate in a standby mode, and when the door closing operation is detected, an angle of the door is compared with a reference angle. When the angle of the door is less than the reference angle, the camera is controlled to operate in a photographing mode to capture the image of the area inside refrigerator.