Refrigerator

• US 10,684,069 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2019
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryu, Inhwan, Cha, Minjoo, Yang, Hyein
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Eileen M
• Application Number:
  US16/453,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20190316838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/04 with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/062 defining a cabinet
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/06 Refrigerators with a vertical mullion
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/06 Stock management
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2600/00 Control issues
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/02 Sensors detecting door opening
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/06 Sensors detecting the presence of a product
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator may include a main body having a storage compartment, a first door rotatably installed at a first side of the main body to open and close a first portion of the storage compartment, and a second door rotatably installed at a second side of the main body to open and close a second portion of the storage compartment. A first camera may be installed at the first door to take a picture of an interior of the first storage compartment during rotation of the first door, and a second camera may be installed at the second door to take a picture of the interior of the first storage compartment during rotation of the second door. A controller may combine plural pictures taken by the first camera and the second camera into a single corrected image of a region of the first compartment spanning from the first door to the second door.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a main body having a storage compartment;

a door rotatably coupled to an end portion of the main body, the door having baskets to store food and to be arranged on an inner surface of the door;

a plurality of cameras provided at the baskets and configured to take at least one picture, the cameras arranged in only a row;

a light source provided on the storage compartment;

a door opening/closing sensor; and

a controller configured to actuate the light source and to control the cameras to take the pictures of the storage compartment when the door opening/closing sensor detects that the door closes the storage compartment,

wherein the cameras are located on a middle portion of the storage compartment in a width direction, and

wherein the cameras take photos simultaneously.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cameras have one of cameras arranged on a upper portion and the other of cameras arranged on a lower portion.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cameras takes photos when the light source is operated.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the controller combines a plurality of pictures taken by the cameras simultaneously.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a decorative portion provided on the door,

wherein the camera is arranged to the decorative portion.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the decorative portion is formed of an opaque material, and the decorative portion has a transparent window at the middle portion of the decorative portion.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device configured to store the pictures taken by the cameras; and

a communication device configured to transmit the pictures stored in the storage device to an external device.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the storage device stores the picture combined by the controller.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the communication device transmits the last pictures taken by the cameras to the external device.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the communication device transmits the pictures when the controller receives a user'"'"'s request signal.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the external device includes a terminal having a display that displays the picture.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the terminal is connected to the refrigerator through a network.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the storage compartment includes a refrigerating compartment, and wherein the door opens and closes the refrigerating compartment.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of racks is provided in the storage compartment.