Refrigerator Camera Positioning to Reduce Door Opening and Energy Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators require the door to be opened to view the interior, leading to inefficiencies in food storage management, such as redundant purchases and inadequate information about stored food, and suffer from limitations in camera range and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a single camera installed at a fixed position to capture images of multiple storage regions, including a drawer, without opening the door, using a controller to manage and correct the images, and a heater to prevent dew condensation, allowing for remote monitoring and efficient energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple cameras are installed to photograph various storage regions, then the photographing coverage is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the photographing function into a single camera located in the machine room that can capture images of multiple storage regions (refrigerating chamber, freezing chamber, and drawers) through strategic positioning and timing, eliminating the need for multiple separate cameras in each storage region
Solution Approach 2:
A single camera in the machine room serves multiple functions by photographing different storage regions at different times (when doors are opened), making one camera universal for monitoring the entire refrigerator interior rather than requiring dedicated cameras for each region
2Loss of information
If the door is opened to check food stored in the refrigerator, then the user can identify food items, but energy loss and cooling efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a visual copy (photograph) of the refrigerator interior contents and transmits it to the user's terminal device, allowing the user to view food items remotely without physically opening the door, thus preventing energy loss while maintaining information accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
The camera and communication system act as an intermediary between the user and the refrigerator contents, enabling the user to obtain information about stored food through transmitted images rather than direct visual inspection requiring door opening
3Measurement precision
If a camera is installed in the drawer to photograph the drawer interior, then the photographing accuracy is improved, but the device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The camera operates periodically only when the drawer is pulled out (door opening detected), rather than continuously or being mounted on the moving drawer, reducing power consumption while capturing necessary images at appropriate moments
Solution Approach 2:
The camera is extracted from the moving drawer component and relocated to the stationary machine room, eliminating the complexity of providing power to moving parts while maintaining the ability to photograph drawer contents when needed
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables users to access information about stored food without opening the door, reducing energy loss and costs, improving the reliability and efficiency of food management while minimizing camera shake and power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
concern about dew condensation occurring on the camera
Data Source
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Figure 3~4(b)
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A refrigerator and a control method for the same are disclosed. The refrigerator includes a storage compartment formed in a cabinet of the refrigerator by a fixed insulation wall, the storage compartment being provided with an access opening, a door rotatably provided to the cabinet to open and close the access opening, a drawer (50) provided in the storage compartment, a camera (70) fixed to a ceiling of the storage compartment to photograph both a region (a first region) for storing of food arranged in an external space of the drawer (50) in the storage compartment and a region (a second region) for storing of food arranged in an internal space of the drawer (50) in the storage compartment, and a controller to separate, through a capturing time of a picture containing both the first region and the second region, a portion for the first region (a first region picture) and a portion for the second region (a second region picture) from the picture to individually divide and store the first region picture and the second region picture.