Refrigerator Door Camera Rotation Bar for Protected Interior Viewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in monitoring the contents of a refrigerator without opening the door, leading to inefficient shopping and storage management due to the lack of a reliable and protected camera system within the appliance.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a camera unit integrated into a rotation bar that photographs the storage chamber, interworking with the door's opening and closing mechanism to minimize exposure and prevent malfunction, allowing users to view the contents without opening the door and protecting the camera from external damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a camera unit is integrated into the refrigerator to photograph the storage chamber, then users can view contents without opening the door, but the camera unit is exposed to external damage and malfunction risk
Solution Approach 1:
The camera unit is nested within the rotation bar structure, which is itself integrated into the door assembly. The rotation bar contains the camera unit, and the entire assembly is housed within the door's structural framework, providing nested protection layers that shield the camera from direct external damage while enabling the monitoring function.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera unit is mounted on a rotatable bar that dynamically adjusts its position and exposure based on door opening/closing states. The rotation mechanism allows the camera to be protected within the door structure when closed and positioned for optimal viewing when open, dynamically adapting to operational conditions to balance protection and functionality.
2Loss of information
If the camera unit operates continuously to monitor storage chamber, then contents are always visible, but energy is wasted and camera lifespan is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The camera unit operates periodically based on door opening/closing events rather than continuously. The control system activates the camera when the door state changes, capturing images at these periodic intervals when monitoring is actually needed, thereby eliminating continuous operation and reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from door sensors to control camera operation. When the door opening/closing is detected, this feedback signal triggers the camera to activate or deactivate, creating an event-driven operational pattern that ensures the camera works only when necessary for monitoring, optimizing both information capture and energy efficiency.
3Measurement precision
If the camera unit is exposed to photograph the storage chamber, then monitoring is effective, but the camera is vulnerable to failure and malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The camera unit's exposure is dynamically controlled through the rotation mechanism. The camera rotates into position for optimal photographing when the door is open, then rotates back to a protected position when the door closes. This dynamic positioning allows effective monitoring during operation while minimizing exposure to harmful factors during non-operational periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation bar acts as an intermediary mechanism between the camera unit and the storage chamber. It mediates the camera's exposure by controlling its position and orientation, allowing the camera to achieve optimal photographing angles when needed while maintaining protection during door closure, thus reducing direct exposure to harmful environmental factors.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein is a refrigerator which includes: a main body having an opening, and including a storage chamber therein; a door configured to open or close the opening; a camera unit disposed in the door, and configured to photograph the storage chamber, wherein the camera unit faces the storage chamber selectively by interworking with opening or closing of the door. With this configuration, it may look in the storage chamber of the refrigerator without opening any door and minimize exposure of the camera unit to the outside.