CN-116034244-B - Refrigeration appliance with movable camera

Abstract

A refrigeration appliance (100) includes a housing (120), a door (128) and a camera module (160), the camera module (160) being movably mounted to the housing (120) and movable on the housing (120) along a predetermined direction between a retracted position proximate a first end of the housing (120) and an extended position proximate a second end of the housing (120). The camera module (160) is directed toward the refrigerated compartment in the extended position to capture an image thereof.

Inventors

• Michael. Goodman Schroeder
• Sarah Virginia Morris

Assignees

• 海尔智家股份有限公司
• 青岛海尔电冰箱有限公司
• 海尔美国电器解决方案有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20210901

Priority Date

20200903

Claims (17)

1. 1. A refrigerating electric appliance is characterized in that, the refrigeration appliance includes: a tank defining a refrigeration compartment; A door rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the refrigerated compartment; A rack installed in the cooling compartment, the rack extending in a lateral direction between a front edge near the door body and a rear edge far from the door body, and A camera module movably mounted to the housing above the rack, the camera module being movable on the housing along a predetermined direction between a retracted position proximate a first end of the housing and an extended position proximate a second end of the housing, the camera module being directed toward the refrigerated compartment to capture an image thereof when in the extended position, Wherein the camera module is disposed between the door body and the front edge of the rack in the lateral direction in the extended position, the camera module being directed forward in the retracted position and directed rearward in the extended position.
2. 2. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 further comprising: A camera bracket movably mounted to the case, the camera bracket supporting the camera module in the retracted position and the extended position, and A light source supported on the camera carriage for movement with the camera carriage between the retracted position and the extended position, the light source being directed toward the refrigerated compartment in the extended position to illuminate the refrigerated compartment.
3. 3. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 further comprising: a spring in biasing engagement with the camera module, the spring biasing the camera module to the extended position.
4. 4. A refrigeration appliance according to claim 3 wherein the door selectively engages the camera module to retain the camera module in the retracted position.
5. 5. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 further comprising: An electronic module motor in mechanical communication with the camera module, the electronic module motor configured to urge the camera module between the retracted position and the extended position based on the received input signal.
6. 6. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 wherein said predetermined direction includes said transverse direction, wherein said first end of said housing is a rear end and said second end of said housing is a front end spaced from said rear end along said transverse direction.
7. 7. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 wherein said predetermined direction includes a lateral direction perpendicular to said transverse direction, wherein said first end of said housing is a first side and said second end of said housing is a second side.
8. 8. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 7 wherein said door includes a pair of independently movable door segments, said pair of independently movable door segments pivoting at opposite sides of said cabinet, and Wherein, the refrigeration electrical apparatus still includes: An electronic module motor in mechanical communication with the camera module, the electronic module motor configured to urge the camera module between the retracted position and the extended position based on an input signal corresponding to a pivotal position of the pair of independently movable door segments.
9. 9. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 wherein the camera module is disposed with the refrigeration compartment in the retracted position.
10. 10. A refrigerating electric appliance is characterized in that, the refrigeration appliance includes: a tank defining a refrigeration compartment; A door rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the refrigerated compartment; A camera bracket movably mounted to the housing, the camera bracket being movable on the housing along a predetermined direction between a retracted position proximate a first end of the housing and an extended position proximate a second end of the housing; A camera module supported on the camera carriage for movement therewith between the retracted position and the extended position, the camera module being directed toward the refrigerated compartment in the extended position to capture an image of the refrigerated compartment, the camera module being directed forward in the retracted position and rearward in the extended position, and A light source supported on the camera carriage for movement with the camera carriage between the retracted position and the extended position, the light source being directed toward the refrigerated compartment in the extended position to illuminate the refrigerated compartment.
11. 11. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 further comprising: a spring in biasing engagement with the camera bracket, the spring biasing the camera module to the extended position.
12. 12. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 11 wherein said door selectively engages said camera carriage to retain said camera carriage in said retracted position.
13. 13. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 further comprising: An electronic module motor in mechanical communication with the camera module, the electronic module motor configured to urge the camera module between the retracted position and the extended position based on the received input signal.
14. 14. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10 wherein said predetermined direction includes a transverse direction, wherein said first end of said housing is a front end and said second end of said housing is a rear end spaced from said front end along said transverse direction.
15. 15. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10 wherein said predetermined direction includes a lateral direction perpendicular to a transverse direction, wherein said first end of said housing is one side and said second end of said housing is the other side.
16. 16. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 15 wherein said door includes a pair of independently movable door segments, said pair of independently movable door segments pivoting at opposite sides of said housing, and Wherein, the refrigeration electrical apparatus still includes: An electronics module motor in mechanical communication with the camera carriage, the electronics module motor configured to urge the camera carriage between the retracted position and the extended position based on an input signal corresponding to a pivot position of the pair of independently movable door segments.
17. 17. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10 wherein said camera module is disposed with said refrigeration compartment in said retracted position.

Description

Refrigeration appliance with movable camera Technical Field The present invention relates generally to refrigeration appliances, and more particularly to a refrigeration appliance having one or more cameras for capturing images or videos of a portion of the refrigeration appliance. Background Storage compartments such as refrigeration appliances and cabinets typically provide closed chambers for receiving a plurality of articles or objects. For example, refrigeration appliances typically include a cabinet defining a refrigeration compartment. A user may place a food product or object within the refrigerated compartment to prevent decay of such food product. Thus, the usable life of the perishable object or item may be increased. Over time, a large number of stored items (e.g., food products) may accumulate within the refrigerated compartment of the refrigerator. As stored items accumulate, it may be difficult for a user of the refrigeration appliance to see or identify items located within the refrigeration appliance. In addition, it may be difficult for a user to determine the number of certain items within the refrigeration appliance. This is especially true when multiple users add/remove items from a common refrigeration appliance without communicating with other users. Thus, the user may accidentally purchase too many or unwanted items. For example, certain foods are not perishable in the refrigerated compartment and such foods may be consumed infrequently. Thus, the food can be kept in the refrigerating compartment for a long time. The user may forget about these foods, and may purchase alternatives despite having acceptable items, and thus the user may feel inconvenient or unnecessarily spend money. Additionally or alternatively, some users may not know that certain items have been removed or consumed. Thus, the user may not be able to replace or replenish such items. Some existing appliances have attempted to address some of these problems by installing a camera within the refrigerated compartment to capture an image of the refrigerated compartment. However, such appliances may still be difficult to capture useful images, especially for items placed on a lower rack, items placed under other items, or where there are other items between the camera and the stored items. Accordingly, a refrigeration appliance having features for assisting a user in capturing, viewing, or tracking the contents of the refrigeration compartment of the refrigeration appliance would be useful. In particular, it would be advantageous to provide a refrigeration appliance having improved features for capturing images of items placed within or removed from a refrigeration compartment. Disclosure of Invention Various aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. In one exemplary aspect of the present invention, a refrigeration appliance is provided. The refrigeration appliance may include a case, a door, a rack, and a camera module. The cabinet may define a refrigeration compartment. The door may be rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the refrigerated compartment. The rack may be installed in the cooling compartment. The rack may extend in a lateral direction between a front edge proximate the door body and a rear edge distal from the door body. The camera module may be movably mounted to the case above the rack. The camera module is movable on the housing in a predetermined direction between a retracted position proximate the first end of the housing and an extended position proximate the second end of the housing. The camera module may be directed toward the refrigerated compartment in the extended position to capture an image thereof. The camera module may be disposed between the door body and the front edge of the rack in the extended position in a lateral direction. In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a refrigeration appliance is provided. The refrigeration appliance may include a case, a door, a camera bracket, a camera module, and a light source. The cabinet may define a refrigeration compartment. The door may be rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the refrigerated compartment. The camera bracket may be movably mounted to the case. The camera bracket is movable on the housing in a predetermined direction between a retracted position proximate the first end of the housing and an extended position proximate the second end of the housing. The camera module may be supported on the camera carriage for movement with the camera carriage between a retracted position and an extended position, the camera module pointing toward the refrigerated compartment in the extended position to capture an image of the refrigerated compartment. The light source may be supported on the camera carriage for movement with the camera carri