EP4124813A1 - Fridge and / or freezer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and/or freezer with a refrigerated interior and with a camera arranged in the refrigerated interior, which is arranged to capture an image of the refrigerated interior or of a section of the refrigerated interior, with a mounting part being present , by means of which the camera is fixed in the cooled interior, the mounting part and the camera being designed in such a way that the camera can be removed from the mounting part and remounted on the mounting part and that the camera can only be in one or more preferred positions relative to the mounting part can be mounted on this.

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and/or freezer with a refrigerated interior and with a camera arranged in the refrigerated interior, which is arranged to capture an image of the refrigerated interior or of a section of the refrigerated interior.

Cameras that are permanently installed in the cooled interior are known from the prior art. If these need to be replaced, a service technician must be called.

Known cameras are, for example, glued to a region of the cooled interior in a hanging position. Such a fixed positioning of the camera has the disadvantage that the camera cannot be flexibly positioned according to the user's wishes and that there may be collisions between the camera and refrigerated or frozen goods, since the user has overlooked that space for the camera is needed.

Finally, a disadvantage of known camera arrangements is that the field of view or detection of the camera can change unintentionally as a result of the frequent slamming of the device door, particularly if the camera is not sufficiently securely fastened.

The present invention is based on the object of further developing a refrigerator and/or freezer of the type mentioned at the outset such that the aforementioned disadvantages are avoided.

This object is achieved by a refrigerator and/or freezer with the features of claim 1.

According to this, it is provided that a mounting part is present, by means of which the camera is fixed in the cooled interior, the mounting part and the camera being designed in such a way that the camera can be removed from the mounting part and remounted on the mounting part and that the camera can only can be mounted on the mounting part in one or more preferred positions relative to the mounting part.

In the event of a defect or if the camera needs to be charged, it can be easily removed from the mounting part by a user and replaced, charged or repaired, etc.

The presence of a preferred position has the advantage that the alignment or orientation direction of the camera is retained when it is mounted again on the mounting part, so that the customer does not have to laboriously realign the camera after each loading process.

Rather, it is entirely sufficient if the user places the camera (as well as the stored goods) in the cooled interior, namely on the mounting part, with the interface, i.e. the connection area between the camera and the mounting part being designed in such a way that the camera assumes its correct position after being attached to the holding part.

This results in a stable position of the camera and thus a constant viewing angle of the camera.

Another benefit is the natural, intuitive placement of the camera in the same way food is often placed in the fridge.

A further advantage of a suitable positioning of the holding part in the refrigerated interior is that an accidental collision of stored goods with the camera is unlikely, because the placement of the camera is not unusual for things in the refrigerator.

The mounting part is preferably not permanently connected to the refrigerator and/or freezer, but can be freely positioned by a user at the required location.

The camera preferably has an autonomous power supply in the form of one or more batteries or rechargeable batteries. This has the advantage that a corresponding laying of cables can be omitted.

It is also particularly preferred if the camera has transmission means that are designed to wirelessly transmit the camera image to a receiver, such as a mobile end device (cell phone, tablet, etc.).

The mounting part and the camera can be designed in such a way that the camera can only be removed from the mounting part in one direction.

Preferably the direction is the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, mounting on the mounting part and demounting the camera from the mounting part is simple and in the vertical direction, in that no horizontal locking mechanism is implemented, but simply the camera is removed upwards from the mounting part.

This makes the design ideal for positioning the camera with the mounting part in the door compartment. There is no separate charge for assembly and disassembly Requires space in the door rack, which usually contains other groceries.

The camera is preferably disassembled in only one direction (only vertically, without separate locking) with a low holding force, in that the interface between the mounting part and the camera is free in the direction of disassembly.

Provision is preferably made for the mounting part and the camera to have indentations and projections which engage in the indentations and which are not designed to be rotationally symmetrical. Such an asymmetrical design of the interface means that the user simply has to place the camera on the holding part and then automatically assumes its correct position relative to the holding part due to the projections and depressions mentioned.

Instead of the projections and depressions mentioned, other means are also covered by the invention, by means of which a correct position of the camera relative to the mounting part can be achieved, such as, for example, an elliptical recess in the mounting part, into which the camera, which is also elliptical on the outer circumference, can only be inserted in one or more specific positions.

Preferably, the mounting part is not fixed in the refrigerated interior space, so that it can be placed by the user at different points in the refrigerated interior space.

In a preferred embodiment, the mounting part and the camera are arranged in a door compartment of the device. Due to the stable fixation of the camera by means of the mounting part, the camera position and thus the image section to be recorded is not changed even by the repeated opening and closing of the door.

It is also conceivable that the mounting part and the camera are arranged on a shelf of the device.

In principle, any other suitable position for the mounting part with the camera in the cooled interior can also be considered.

In a further embodiment it is provided that the length of the mounting part can be changed, so that different height positions of the camera can be obtained.

Alternatively or additionally, it is conceivable that several mounting parts of different heights (i.e. vertical length) can be used, so that a different height of the camera can be achieved depending on the mounting part used.

It is also conceivable that the mounting part or a part of it can be rotated and fixed in the direction of rotation, so that a specific direction of rotation and thus also a specific alignment of the camera position can be defined.

It is conceivable that the mounting part is designed in several parts. It can have a stationary housing part connected to the device and a fixing part arranged rotatably therein, to which the camera is connected. Preferably, the interface between the camera and the mounting part is formed by the top of the fixing part, which is designed with projections, etc., and the bottom of the camera, which has indentations, etc.

The present invention also relates to the use of a mounting part and/or a camera with one or more of the features described within the scope of this invention for or for installation in a refrigerator and/or freezer.

At this point it is pointed out that the terms "a" and "an" do not necessarily refer to exactly one of the elements, although this represents a possible embodiment, but can also refer to a plurality of elements. Likewise, the use of the plural also includes the presence of the element in question in the singular and conversely the singular also includes several of the elements in question.

Further details and advantages of the invention are explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing.

Figur 1:

eine perspektivische Ansicht der Kamera in einer Ansicht von schräg unten,

Figur 2:

perspektivische Ansichten von Halterungsteilen unterschiedlicher Höhe und

Figur 3:

eine perspektivische Ansicht auf ein Kühl- und/oder Gefriergerät gemäß der Erfindung mit einer in einem Türabsteller angeordneten Kamera.

Show it:

Figure 1:

a perspective view of the camera in an oblique view from below,

Figure 2:

perspective views of mounting parts of different heights and

Figure 3:

a perspective view of a refrigerator and / or freezer according to the invention with a arranged in a door compartment camera.

Marked 10 in figure 1 a camera with a cylindrical housing is shown.

The camera has the lens 11 and a bottom U, in which a recess 13 is located. Like this out figure 1 shows that the recess is not designed to be rotationally symmetrical, but asymmetrical in the direction of rotation along the longitudinal axis of the camera.

The recess 13 is subdivided into four partial recesses by two webs 15 running crosswise.

With the reference number 20 are in figure 2 three mounting parts are shown, which, as can be seen from the figure, have different heights, so that the camera position in the vertical direction can be adjusted by the choice of the mounting part.

The mounting part 20 also has a cylindrical basic shape. Its diameter preferably corresponds to that of camera 10.

Like this out figure 2 As can be seen, there are four projections V on the upper side of the mounting part 20, which are spaced apart from one another in such a way that the webs 15 can engage in the grooves between the V projections. The shape of the projections corresponds to the shape of the partial recesses on the underside of the camera 10. The projections V therefore also do not all have the same shape. The consequence of this is that the camera 10 cannot be attached to the mounting part 20 in any desired rotational position, but only in a single specific rotational position.

figure 3 finally shows an exemplary embodiment of a refrigerator and/or freezer with the door T open and door racks 50 arranged on it.

The mounting part 20 stands on the floor of the door rack 50 . The camera 10 stands on the mounting part 20 in a position set by the user and takes a picture of the cooled interior when the door T is closed.

1. 1. Durch die stehende Position der Kamera in Türabstellern und auf Glasplatten oder sonstigen Ablageböden im gekühlten Innenraum mit entsprechend ausreichender Grundfläche im Verhältnis zur Höhe der Kamera ergeben sich folgende Vorteile:
   • Stabile Position der Kamera, woraus sich ein gleichbleibender Blickwinkel ergibt
   • Natürliche, intuitive Platzierung der Kamera auf gleiche Weise, wie auch Lebensmittel im Kühlschrank häufig platziert werden.
   • Verhinderung von zufälliger Kollision mit der Kamera, weil Platzierung der Kamera nicht unüblich für Dinge im Kühlschrank ist.
2. 2. Vorzugsweise ist das System bestehend aus der Kamera und dem Halterungsteil so ausgebildet, dass die Kamera von der Halterung demontierbar und wieder montierbar ist. Und dies in einer Weise, dass die Ausrichtung bzw. Orientierungsrichtung der Kamera dabei erhalten bleibt. Dies ist durch eine asymmetrische Schnittstelle zwischen Kamera und Halterungsteil realisiert, wie sie z.B. durch die Ausnehmungen an der Unterseite der Kamera sowie durch die Vorsprünge auf der Oberseite des Halterungsteils gebildet wird.
3. 3. Grundsätzlich ist es auch denkbar, den oder die Vorsprünge auf der Unterseite der Kamera und die wenigstens eine Ausnehmung in dem Halterungsteil vorzusehen. Auch eine Kombination der beiden genannten Ausführungen ist denkbar.
4. 4. Ein Vorteil der beschriebenen Anordnung besteht darin, dass die Kamera z.B. zum Laden der Batterie entnommen werden und wieder am Einsatzort platziert werden kann, ohne dass eine Neujustage / Rekalibrierung des Blickfelds erfolgen muss. Daraus ergibt sich der Vorteil einer besseren User-Experience und es ist eine sicherere und einfachere Bildbearbeitung und Bilderkennungsalgorithmik möglich (technische Vorteile in der Umsetzung bzw. Ermöglichung von zusätzlichen Features über die Bilddarstellung hinaus).
5. 5. Die Schnittstelle zwischen Kamera und Halterungsteil ist so gestaltet, dass die Montage der Kamera an das Halterungsteil sehr benutzerfreundlich ist, weil sie sehr einfach zu treffen bzw. "selbstfindend" gestaltet ist. Daraus ergibt sich der weitere Vorteil einer besseren User-Experience, weil der häufige Vorgang mit dieser Lösung einfach durchzuführen ist und ohne, dass der User genau zielen muss und nur in seltenen Fällen Dinge im Kühlschrank verändert/verrückt werden müssen.
6. 6. Durch die Schnittstellenausbildung, d.h. die Verbindungselemente zwischen Halterungsteil und Kamera wird eine hohe Haltekraft erreicht, sodass die Kamera stabil auf der Halterung hält und die Kamera selbst bei höheren Kräften durch Zuschlagen oder ruckartigen Öffnen der Kühlschranktür (was speziell bei Kühlgeräten durch den Druckunterschied aufgrund der Temperaturdifferenz der Fall ist), in der sich die Kamera befindet, ihre Position beibehält.
7. 7. Daraus ergibt sich der Vorteil der Vermeidung der Rekalibrierung des Blickfelds bzw. der manuellen Repositionierung durch den Nutzer.
8. 8. Die Montage und Demontage der Kamera von der Halterung erfolgt einfach und in vertikaler Richtung, indem kein horizontaler Verriegelungsmechanismus implementiert wird, sondern einfach die Kamera nach oben aus der Halterung entfernt wird. Somit ergibt sich eine optimale Platzierung im Türabsteller. Für die Montage und Demontage der Kamera wird kein extra Platz im Türabsteller benötigt, in dem sich normalerweise andere Lebensmittel befinden.
9. 9. Die Demontage der Kamera erfolgt in nur eine Richtung (nur vertikal, ohne extra Verriegelung) mit geringer Haltekraft, indem die Schnittstelle in Demontage-Richtung frei ist.
10. 10.Das System aus Kamera und Halterungsteil ist so gestaltet, dass eine Höhenverstellbarkeit der Kamera- Optik ermöglicht wird. Dies kann dadurch erreicht werden, dass die Schnittstelle zwischen Kamera und mehreren Halterungsteilen gleichartig ist (vgl. Figur 2), sodass unterschiedlich hohe Halterungsteile genutzt werden können, um verschiedene Höhen erreichen zu können. Daraus ergibt sich der Vorteil, dass die Kamera so in unterschiedlichste Geräte mit gutem Blickfeld platziert werden, wenn eine Höhenverstellbarkeit gegeben ist.
11. 11. Das System aus Kamera und Halterungsteil ist so gestaltet, dass die Orientierung um die vertikale Achse durch Rotation um diese Achse möglich ist und der User so die Kamera entsprechend der Gegebenheiten in seinem Kühlgerät anpassen kann. Daraus ergibt sich der Vorteil von flexiblen, variablen Möglichkeiten, die Orientierung bzw. Ausrichtung der Blickrichtung der Kamera anzupassen und so die Kamera in unterschiedlichen Kühlgeräten verwenden zu können.
12. 12. Das System aus Kamera und Halterungsteil ist vorzugsweise so ausgeführt, dass es nicht auf einen Hersteller beschränkt ist, sondern sich für den Einsatz in Kühl- und/oder Gefriergeräten aller Hersteller eignet.

Advantageous refinements of preferred embodiments are described below. These configurations can each be implemented individually or in any combination:

1. 1. The standing position of the camera in door racks and on glass plates or other shelves in the refrigerated interior with a correspondingly sufficient floor space in relation to the height of the camera results in the following advantages:
   • Stable position of the camera, resulting in a constant viewing angle
   • Natural, intuitive placement of the camera in the same way food is often placed in the fridge.
   • Prevention of accidental collision with the camera because camera placement is not uncommon for things in the fridge.
2. 2. The system consisting of the camera and the mounting part is preferably designed in such a way that the camera can be removed from the mounting and remounted. And this in such a way that the alignment or orientation of the camera is retained. This is realized by an asymmetrical interface between the camera and the mounting part, as is formed, for example, by the recesses on the underside of the camera and by the projections on the top side of the mounting part.
3. 3. In principle, it is also conceivable to provide the projection or projections on the underside of the camera and the at least one recess in the mounting part. A combination of the two versions mentioned is also conceivable.
4. 4. An advantage of the arrangement described is that the camera can be removed, for example to charge the battery, and placed back at the place of use without having to readjust/recalibrate the field of view. This results in the advantage of a better user experience and safer and simpler image processing and image recognition algorithms are possible (technical advantages in the implementation or enabling of additional features beyond the image display).
5. 5. The interface between the camera and the bracket part is designed so that the mounting of the camera to the bracket part is very user-friendly because it is designed to be very easy to hit or "self-finding". This has the further advantage of a better user experience, because the common operation with this solution is easy to carry out and without the user having to aim exactly and only in rare cases do things in the fridge have to be changed/moved.
6. 6. The interface design, i.e. the connecting elements between the bracket part and the camera, achieves a high holding force so that the camera remains stable on the bracket and the camera can be damaged even with higher forces due to slamming or sudden opening of the refrigerator door (which is especially the case with refrigerators due to the pressure difference the temperature difference) in which the camera is located maintains its position.
7. 7. This results in the advantage of avoiding the recalibration of the field of view or manual repositioning by the user.
8. 8. The assembly and disassembly of the camera from the bracket is simple and vertical, by not implementing a horizontal locking mechanism, but simply removing the camera from the bracket upwards. This results in an optimal placement in the door rack. No extra space is required in the door rack for mounting and dismounting the camera, which normally contains other groceries.
9. 9. The camera is disassembled in only one direction (only vertically, without extra locking) with little holding force, as the interface in the disassembly direction is free.
10. 10. The system of camera and mounting part is designed in such a way that the height of the camera optics can be adjusted. This can be achieved by the interface between the camera and several mounting parts being of the same type (cf. figure 2 ), so that different height bracket parts can be used to achieve different heights. This results in the advantage that the camera can be placed in a wide variety of devices with a good field of view if the height can be adjusted.
11. 11. The system of camera and mounting part is designed in such a way that orientation around the vertical axis is possible by rotating around this axis and the user can thus adjust the camera according to the conditions in his cooling device. This results in the advantage of flexible, variable options for adapting the orientation or alignment of the viewing direction of the camera and thus being able to use the camera in different cooling devices.
12. 12. The system of camera and mounting part is preferably designed in such a way that it is not restricted to one manufacturer but is suitable for use in refrigerators and/or freezers from all manufacturers.

Claims (11)

Refrigerator and/or freezer with a refrigerated interior and with a camera arranged in the refrigerated interior, which is arranged to capture an image of the refrigerated interior or of a section of the refrigerated interior, characterized in that a mounting part is present by means which the camera is fixed in the cooled interior, the mounting part and the camera being designed in such a way that the camera can be removed from the mounting part and remounted on the mounting part and that the camera can only be in one or more preferred positions relative to the mounting part on the latter is mountable. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 1, characterized in that the mounting part is not fixed but is detachably connected to the refrigerator and/or freezer. Refrigerator and/or freezer according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the camera has an autonomous power supply in the form of one or more batteries or accumulators. Refrigerator and / or freezer according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mounting part and the camera such are designed such that the camera can only be removed from the mounting part in one direction. 5. The refrigerator and/or freezer according to claim 4, characterized in that the direction is the vertical direction. Cooling and/or freezing device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mounting part and the camera have indentations and projections which engage in the indentations and which are not designed to be rotationally symmetrical in relation to the longitudinal axis of the camera. Refrigerating and/or freezing appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding part and the camera are arranged in a door compartment of the appliance. Refrigerating and/or freezing appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding part and the camera are arranged on a shelf of the appliance. Refrigerator and/or freezer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the length of the mounting part can be changed and/or that there are mounting parts of different lengths, ie heights. Cooling and/or freezing device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mounting part or a part thereof can be rotated and fixed in the direction of rotation, so that a specific direction of rotation and thus also a specific alignment of the camera position can be set. Use of a mounting part and/or a camera for a refrigerator and/or freezer according to one of Claims 1 to 10.

Images