Refrigerator and camera device

• US 10,018,402 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Sumihiro, Katsushi, Marutani, Yuuki, Furuta, Kazuhiro, Izawa, Hirokazu, Watanabe, Kota, Kawada, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US14/776,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20160033194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 396155, 396429
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/00 Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/04 with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/12 Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/00 Lighting arrangements in general F21

Abstract

A refrigerator (1) is provided with an image capturing camera 18 (image capturing unit) configured to capture an image of an interior of a storage chamber (such as a refrigeration chamber 3); a communication portion (52) (communication unit) configured to transmit image of the interior of the storage chamber captured by the image capturing camera (18) to an exterior device; wherein the image capturing unit is stored in a recess provided in the interior of the storage chamber.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a light intensity detecting unit configured to detect a light intensity of an interior of the refrigerator;

an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of the interior of the refrigerator based on a result of detection by the light intensity detecting unit, the image capturing unit being stored in a recess provided in an inner side surface of the interior of the refrigerator;

a communication unit configured to transmit image information of the interior of the refrigerator captured by the image capturing unit to an exterior device;

a substrate directly mounted to the recess, the light intensity detecting unit and the image capturing unit being mounted on the substrate; and

a protective cover disposed over the recess.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door, wherein the recess is provided in a location in the interior of the refrigerator not interfering with the door.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a lighting unit implemented thereon, and the image capturing unit is oriented in an irradiation direction of the lighting unit.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the lighting unit is provided independent of an interior light for lighting the interior of the refrigerator.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein a view angle of the image capturing unit and a radiation angle of the lighting unit differ.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a lighting unit provided on a surface of the interior of the refrigerator confronting the image capturing unit, wherein the lighting unit is turned off when capturing an image of the interior of the refrigerator by the image capturing unit.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein an orientation of the image capturing unit and irradiation direction of the irradiation unit do not confront one another.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a lighting unit provided on a surface of the interior of the refrigerator where the image capturing unit is provided, wherein the lighting unit is turned on when capturing an image of the interior of the refrigerator by the image capturing unit.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit is provided in a location where a sidewall of the recess is outside a view of the image capturing unit.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit is not oriented toward a sidewall of the recess.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the recess spreads toward the interior of the refrigerator.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door and a door pocket provided on the door, wherein the image capturing unit is provided at a location capable of capturing an image of the door pocket.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door and a door pocket provided on the door, wherein the image capturing unit and the door pocket are provided at different elevations.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door and a door pocket provided on the door, wherein the image capturing unit is provided in a location capable of capturing an image the of a door pocket when the door is opened.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a shelf provided in the interior of the refrigerator, wherein the image capturing unit and the shelf are located at different elevations.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a shelf and a lighting unit provided in the interior of the refrigerator, wherein the shelf has a gloss applied to a front portion thereof and an irradiation direction of the lighting unit is not oriented towards the front portion of the shelf.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a drawable container provided in the interior of the refrigerator, wherein the image capturing unit is provided in a location confronting a side surface of the container when the container is drawn out.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a shelf provided in the interior of the refrigerator, wherein the image capturing unit is located forward relative to the shelf and is oriented towards the shelf.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a shelf, a door, and a door pocket provided on the door, wherein the image capturing unit is located within the door pocket.