REFRIGERATOR AND CAMERA DEVICE

• US 20160033194A1
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Home Appliances Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: MARUTANI, Yuuki, FURUTA, Kazuhiro, SUMIHIRO, Katsushi, IZAWA, Hirokazu, WATANABE, Kota, KAWADA, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 10,018,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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:

an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of an interior of the refrigerator; and

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

wherein the image capturing unit is stored in a recess provided in the interior of the refrigerator.

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

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the recess has a substrate provided therein and the image capturing unit is mounted on the substrate.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the substrate has a lighting unit implemented thereon, and the image capturing unit is oriented in an irradiation direction of the lighting unit.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the lighting unit is provided independent of an interior light for lighting the interior of the refrigerator.

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

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

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein an orientation of the image capturing unit and irradiation direction of the irradiation unit do not confront one another.

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

15. 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.

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

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

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

20. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit and the door pocket are provided at different elevations.

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

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

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

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

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

30. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit is located between a door pocket provided on a door and the shelf.

2. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

23-24. -24. (canceled)

27-28. -28. (canceled)

31-70. -70. (canceled)