REFRIGERATOR

• US 20140293060A1
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,285,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/159
• 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 compartment;

a first door rotatably coupled to a first end portion of the main body;

a second door rotatably coupled to a second end portion of the main body opposite the first end portion thereof, wherein the first and second doors open and close an open front face of the storage compartment;

a first camera provided at the first door and configured to take at least one picture as the first door rotates relative to the main body;

a second camera provided at the second door and configured to take at least one picture as the second door rotates relative to the main body; and

a controller configured to combine a plurality of pictures taken by the first camera and the second camera, and to correct the pictures into a single image of a region extending from and interior of the first door, along the storage compartment and to the second door.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door rotation position second configured to sense a rotation position of the first door and the second door.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to control the first camera and the second camera to take a picture when the first door and the second door reach respective predetermined rotation positions.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the first camera and the second camera are each configured to take a picture one or more times when the first door and the second door are rotated relative to the main body by an angle less than 90 degrees.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first camera is installed on an interior side of the first door and the second camera is installed on an interior side of the second door.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the first camera is positioned on the first door so as to take a picture of a region of the first compartment which is opened and closed by the second door, and the second camera is positioned on the second door so as to take a picture of a region of the storage compartment which is opened and closed by the first door.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the single image generated by the controller is a sequential display of an interior of the first door, an interior of the storage compartment, and an interior of the second door.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door rotation driver configured to rotate the first door and the second door.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the first camera is configured to take at least one picture when the first door begins to rotate from an open position in a direction toward the main body to close the storage compartment, and the second camera is configured to take at least one picture when the second door begins to rotate from an open position in a direction toward the main body to close the storage compartment.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door opening/closing sense configured to sense an open state and a closed state of the first door and the second door.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the first camera and the second camera are each configured to take at least one picture based on an elapsed time as the first door and the second door rotate in a direction away from the main body to open the storage compartment.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door rotation direction sensor configured to sense a rotation direction of the first door and the second door.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the first camera and the second camera are each configured to take at least one picture when the door rotation direction sensor senses that the first door and the second door are rotated in a set direction.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein the set direction is a direction toward the main body to close the storage compartment.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a communication device configured to transmit the single image generated by the controller to an external device.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a display separably coupled to the refrigerator, wherein the display is configured to receive the single image generated by the controller, and to display the received single image.

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

a storage device configured to store a last image corrected by the controller; and

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

18. A refrigerator, comprising:

a main body having a storage compartment;

a door coupled to the main body and configured to open and close the storage compartment;

a first camera installed in the storage compartment;

a second camera installed on the door; and

a controller configured to combine a plurality of pictures taken by the first camera and the second camera and to correct the plurality of pictures into a single image of an interior of the door and an interior of the storage compartment.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 18, further comprising a door opening/closing sensor configured to sense an open state and a closed state of the door.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 19, when the first camera and the second camera are configured to take a picture when the door opening/closing sensor senses that the door closes the storage compartment.