Refrigerator Interior Imaging with One Camera and Region Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators require opening the door to check the interior, leading to inefficiencies in food storage management, redundant purchases, and increased power consumption due to limited camera range and poor dew condensation handling.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator with a single camera fixed to the ceiling, capturing images of multiple storage regions, including a shelf, drawer, and overlapping areas, and a controller to process and display these images independently, optimizing photography timing and reducing power usage.
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 employs a rotatable camera module that can dynamically change its photographing angle to capture images of different storage regions including the refrigerating compartment, freezing compartment, and drawer. This dynamic positioning capability allows a single camera to perform the function of multiple fixed cameras, resolving the contradiction between coverage area and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The single camera system is designed to serve multiple storage regions through rotation and angle adjustment, making it a universal solution that replaces multiple specialized cameras. The camera can photograph various compartments by changing its orientation, achieving multi-functionality with a single device
2Loss of information
If the door is opened to check the interior of the refrigerator, then the user can identify food items, but the power consumption increases and cooling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates visual copies (photographs) of the refrigerator's interior storage regions and transmits these images to a terminal device. Users can view the copied images to identify food items without physically opening the door, thereby obtaining information about stored food while avoiding the energy loss associated with door opening
Solution Approach 2:
The camera and terminal device act as intermediaries between the user and the refrigerator contents. Instead of directly opening the door to see food items, users interact with the intermediary system that provides visual information about the interior, eliminating the need to open the door for inspection
3Loss of information
If the camera operates continuously to capture food storage information, then the information freshness is improved, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera operates periodically based on door opening/closing events rather than continuously. The control unit triggers the camera to photograph when the door state changes, creating a periodic operation pattern that maintains information freshness at key moments while significantly reducing overall power consumption compared to continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses door state sensors to provide feedback that triggers camera operation. When the door opening/closing is detected, this feedback signal activates the camera to capture images, creating an event-driven operation mode that balances information freshness with energy efficiency
Data Source
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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.