REFRIGERATOR

• US 20140300265A1
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Daesung Lee, Jihyun Lee, Woonkyu Seo
• Inventors: LEE, Jihyun, SEO, Woonkyu, LEE, Daesung
• Granted Patent: US 9,255,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/405.1
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/062 defining a cabinet
• 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 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/025 Drawers
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/06 Stock management
• 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: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/32 involving image mosaicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/38 Registration of image sequences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• 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 first storage compartment and a second storage compartment, a first door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the first storage compartment, a second door slidably coupled to the main body to open and close the second storage compartment, a receptacle received in the second storage compartment and coupled to the second door to move together with the second door, and a camera installed at the main body to take a picture of an interior of the receptacle. A controller may combine a plurality of pictures taken by the camera as the second door is moved, and may correct the images into an image showing the interior of the receptacle.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a main body having a storage compartment;

a door coupled to the main body and configured to move forward of the storage compartment to open the storage compartment and to move toward the storage compartment to close the storage compartment;

a receptacle received in the storage compartment and coupled to the door so as to move together with the door;

a camera installed at the main body to capture images of an interior of the receptacle;

a controller configured to combine an image captured by the camera in a closed state of the door and an image captured by the camera in an open state of the door, and to correct the images into a single corrected image of the interior of the receptacle; and

a display configured to externally display the corrected image.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the open state of the door comprises a state in which the door is open with respect to the storage compartment and is stationary.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the open state of the door comprises a state in which the door is open with respect to the storage compartment and is moving.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the camera is located at a position corresponding to a front region of the storage compartment.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the camera is oriented so as to capture an image of the interior of the receptacle within a maximum withdrawal region of the receptacle.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the corrected image provides a view of the interior of the receptacle looking down into the receptacle from above the receptacle.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a receptacle position sensor configured to sense a position of the receptacle relative to the main body, wherein the camera is configured to take a picture of the interior of the receptacle when a specific portion of the receptacle passes a predetermined position in response to a sensing signal generated by the receptacle position sensor.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a receptacle movement direction sensor configured to sense a movement direction of the receptacle, wherein the camera is configured to take a picture of the interior of the receptacle when the receptacle is moved in a direction to be introduced into the storage compartment in response to a sensing signal generated by the receptacle movement direction sensor.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising a door opening/closing sensor configured to sense an open position of the door and a closed position of the door.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the storage compartment comprises a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment partitioned by a barrier within the main body.

11. A refrigerator, comprising:

a main body having a storage compartment;

a drawer slidably coupled to the main body so as to be introduced into and withdrawn from the storage compartment, the drawer having a receptacle configured to receive items for storage therein;

a camera configured to capture images of an interior of the receptacle;

a controller configured to combine an image captured by the camera in a closed state of the drawer and an image captured by the camera in an open state of the drawer, and to correct the images into a single corrected image of the interior of the receptacle; and

a display configured to externally display the corrected image.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the open state of the drawer comprises a state in which the drawer is open with respect to the main body and is stationary.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the open state of the drawer comprises a state in which the drawer is open with respect to the main body and is moving.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 11, wherein the camera is located at a position corresponding to a front region of the receptacle.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the camera is oriented to capture an image of the interior of the receptacle within a maximum withdrawal region of the receptacle.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 11, further comprising an image storage device configured to store a last corrected image generated by the controller.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 16, further comprising a communication device configured to transmit the last corrected image stored in the image storage device to an external device.

18. A storage apparatus, comprising:

a main body having a storage chamber;

a drawer slidably coupled to the main body;

a camera provided at a front region of the storage chamber to capture an image of an interior of the drawer in a fully open position of the drawer in which the drawer is withdrawn from the storage chamber to a maximum extent;

a controller configured to combine a first image captured by the camera in a closed state of the drawer and a second image captured by the camera in an open state of the drawer, and to combine the first and second images into a corrected image of the interior of the drawer; and

a display configured to externally display the corrected image.

19. The storage apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the open state of the drawer comprises a state in which the drawer is stationary, and in which the drawer is in the fully open position, or in which the drawer is in a partially open position.

20. The storage apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the open state of the drawer comprises a state in which the drawer is in a partially open positon and is moving.