Refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators require opening the door to check the contents of storage spaces, leading to cold air leakage and inconvenience, and prior solutions compromise aesthetics or accuracy with external markers.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator system with a camera that photographs storage spaces, a controller to analyze images, and a display to show the contents without markers, determining drawer positions accurately and optimizing image display without increasing memory size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the refrigerator door is opened to check food contents, then the user can see what is stored, but cold air leaks to the outside
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to photograph the storage space and displays the image on a display unit, creating a visual copy of the interior contents. This allows users to view food items without opening the door, thereby preventing cold air leakage while maintaining visibility of stored items.
2Loss of information
If a transparent material is used for the door front surface, then the inside of the refrigerator can be seen, but insulation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the door transparent, the patent photographs the storage space with a camera and displays the image on a display unit. This provides visibility of contents while maintaining the door's opaque structure and insulation performance.
3Measurement precision
If a marker is provided on the drawer to determine position, then the drawer position can be accurately determined, but aesthetics deteriorate when drawer is withdrawn
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical marker system with an image processing system. The camera photographs the drawer area, and the controller analyzes the image to determine drawer position based on detected edges and lines, eliminating the need for visible markers on the drawer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary image processing step between the physical drawer and the position determination. The camera captures an image of the drawer area, and the controller processes this intermediate visual information to accurately determine drawer position without requiring physical markers on the drawer itself.
4Loss of information
If multiple images are stored to show optimal drawer position, then the best view can be displayed, but memory size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of image selection from storing multiple complete images to storing a single reference image and using image processing techniques (translation, rotation, scaling) to generate different views. This reduces memory requirements while maintaining the ability to display optimal drawer positions.
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator according to the present embodiment comprises: a cabinet comprising a storage chamber; a drawer that is provided in the storage chamber and can slide in and out; a drawer sensing unit that is provided in the cabinet and can sense whether the drawer is in or out; a refrigerator door for opening and closing the storage chamber; a camera that is installed in the cabinet and captures an image of the storage chamber including the drawer during the opening and closing of the drawer; and a controller that controls so that one image is selected from among a plurality of images sequentially captured by the camera, and a result image including at least a portion of the selected image is displayed in a display unit, wherein the controller extracts a region of interest (ROI) image corresponding to the drawer from each of the plurality of images, determines a movement direction and movement amount of the drawer on the basis of the plurality of extracted ROI images, selects one ROI image from among the plurality of ROI images on the basis of the determined movement direction and movement amount of the drawer, and determines the selected one ROI image as an image to be displayed.