JPWO2020188797A1 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator that can be easily assembled while simplifying the door manufacturing process. The refrigerator (1000) includes a refrigerator main body (101), two double doors (201, 202), and an image pickup module (2) having an image pickup device (21) and a housing (23). Here, the door (201) has a door body (211) and an inner panel (212) fixed to the door body (211). The inner panel (212) has a frame piece (212a) fixed to the door body (211), a tubular portion (212b) protruding from the entire inner peripheral edge of the frame piece (212a), and a tubular portion (212b). It has a main piece (212c) that closes the end of the door. Then, in the image pickup apparatus (21), the housing (23) is attached to the inner panel (212) so that the side wall of the housing (23) comes into contact with the tubular portion (212b) of the inner panel (212). In the state, it is arranged in the housing (23) so that the entire preset area in the refrigerating chamber (R1) is within the imaging range.

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

It is equipped with a door that opens and closes the refrigerator with an outer panel exposed on the front side of the refrigerator and an inner plate facing the inside of the refrigerator, and a photographing device that photographs the inside of the refrigerator. There has been proposed a refrigerator which is square-shaped when viewed and has a raised wall portion protruding toward the storage, and the photographing apparatus is arranged inside the raised wall portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-196834

However, in the refrigerator shown in Patent Document 1, when the imaging device is attached to the inner plate in the assembly process, it is necessary to adjust the orientation of the imaging device so that the entire area in the storage is within the angle of view. It takes time and effort to attach the device to the inner plate. Further, when a positioning structure for positioning the image pickup device is provided on the inner plate in order to facilitate the attachment work of the image pickup device to the inner plate, a manufacturing process dedicated to the inner plate having the positioning structure is required. For this reason, it becomes difficult to share the manufacturing process with the manufacturing process of the inner plate of the refrigerator door which is not equipped with the existing image pickup device, and the manufacturing process of the refrigerator door may be complicated accordingly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can be easily assembled while simplifying the door manufacturing process.

The refrigerator according to the present invention
The main body of the refrigerator with a storage room inside,
The first state of covering a part of the storage chamber and the second state of not covering the part of the storage chamber by swiveling around each of the two swivel axes arranged parallel to each other and separated from each other. Two double doors that can be opened and
An image pickup module including an image pickup device for imaging the storage chamber and a box-shaped housing for accommodating the image pickup device is provided.
The door has a flat box-shaped door body having one side open and filled with a heat insulating material inside, and an inner panel fixed to the one side of the door body.
The inner panel projects from a frame piece fixed to the door body so as to cover the entire peripheral portion of the door body on one side thereof and the entire inner peripheral edge of the frame piece toward the bottom wall side of the door body. It has a tubular portion and a main piece that closes the end of the tubular portion on the bottom wall side of the door body.
The image pickup apparatus is a preset area in the storage chamber in a state where the housing is attached to the inner panel so that the side wall of the housing is in contact with the inner wall of the tubular portion of the inner panel. It is arranged in the housing so that the whole is within the imaging range.

According to the refrigerator according to the present invention, the image pickup apparatus is in a storage chamber in a state where the housing is attached to the inner panel so that the side wall of the housing of the image pickup module contacts the inner wall of the tubular portion of the inner panel. It is arranged in the housing so that the entire preset area fits within the imaging range. This eliminates the need to adjust the orientation of the image pickup device when attaching the image pickup module to the inner panel of the refrigerator, so that the refrigerator can be easily assembled accordingly. Further, it is not necessary to provide the inner panel with a positioning structure for positioning the image pickup apparatus. Therefore, since it is possible to make it common with the manufacturing process of the inner panel of the door of the refrigerator which is not equipped with the existing image pickup device, it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process of the door.

Perspective view of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional arrow view of the refrigerator according to the embodiment taken along the line AA. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional arrow view of the refrigerator according to the embodiment taken along the line BB. Perspective view of the door according to the embodiment Side view of the door according to the embodiment A perspective view showing a state in which a door pocket according to an embodiment is attached. Side view showing a state in which the door pocket according to the embodiment is attached. Perspective view showing a pocket and a part of an image pickup module according to an embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the image of the storage room of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment, when the tilt angle of the image pickup apparatus is set to 0 degree. The figure which shows an example of the image of the storage room of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment, when the tilt angle of the image pickup apparatus is set to 5 degrees. Schematic diagram showing a part of the image pickup module according to the embodiment Schematic block diagram of a refrigerator system including a refrigerator according to an embodiment Cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to the comparative example The figure which shows an example of the image of the storage room of the refrigerator which concerns on the comparative example. The figure which shows an example of the image of the storage room of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment. A perspective view showing a state in which a pocket is attached to an inner panel together with an image pickup module for a door according to a modified example. A perspective view showing a state in which only a pocket is attached to the inner panel of the door according to the modified example. A perspective view showing a state in which the pocket according to the modified example is attached to the inner panel together with the image pickup module. A perspective view showing a state in which only the pocket is attached to the inner panel of the pocket according to the modified example. Side view showing a state in which a pocket is attached to the inner panel of the door according to the modified example together with the image pickup module. Side view showing a state in which only a pocket is attached to the inner panel of the door according to the modified example.

A mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The refrigerator according to the present embodiment has a refrigerator main body in which a storage chamber is formed, two double doors, and a box-shaped housing for taking an image of the storage chamber and accommodating the image pickup device. It is equipped with an image pickup module. The two doors are in a first state that covers part of the storage chamber and a second state that does not cover part of the storage chamber by swiveling around each of the two swivel axes that are parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other. And can be taken. Further, the door has a flat box-shaped door body having one side open and filled with a heat insulating material inside, and an inner panel fixed to one side of the door body. The inner panel consists of a frame piece fixed to the door body so as to cover the entire circumference on one side of the door body, a main piece arranged on the bottom wall side of the door body from the frame piece, and an inner peripheral edge of the frame piece. It has a side piece that extends from the door body in the thickness direction and is continuous with the peripheral edge of the main piece. Then, in the imaging module, the entire preset area in the storage chamber is within the imaging range in a state where the housing is attached to the inner panel so that the side wall of the housing is in contact with the side wall of the inner panel. It is located inside the housing.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1000 according to the present embodiment includes a refrigerator main body 101, double doors 201 and 202, and doors 203, 204 and 205. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1000 includes a control board 1001 on which a control circuit (not shown) for executing various controls of the operation of the refrigerator 1000 is mounted, and an image server 3. In this specification, the + Z direction in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described as forward, the −X direction as backward, the + Z direction as upward, and the −Z direction as downward.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator main body 101 includes a refrigerating chamber R1 and an ice making chamber R2 which are storage chambers for refrigerating food, a freezing chamber R3 which is a storage chamber for freezing and storing food, and vegetables. A vegetable compartment R4, which is a storage chamber for refrigerating the food, is formed. The doors 201 and 202 are arranged on the front side of the refrigerator compartment R1. Further, the ice making chamber R2, the freezing chamber R3 and the vegetable chamber R4 can be pulled out to the front of the refrigerator main body 101 together with the doors 203, 204 and 205 provided on the front surfaces thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of shelf boards 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D are arranged in the refrigerating chamber R1. The inside of the refrigerating chamber R1 is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by these plurality of shelf boards 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D. Food is placed on the shelves 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D. The plurality of shelf boards 102A, 102B, 102C, and 102D are each supported by the shelf board support portion 103 at a preset position in the refrigerating chamber R1. The shelf board support portion 103 is provided so as to project from the inner wall of the refrigerating chamber R1 to the inside of the refrigerating chamber R1. The shelf board support portion 103 may have a structure capable of changing the positions of the shelf boards 102A, 102B, 102C, and 102D in the Z-axis direction. The space below the shelf board 102D is the chilled chamber R11. A chilled case 111 is arranged in the chilled chamber R11. The chilled case 111 can be pulled forward along a guide member (not shown) such as a rail laid along the X-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the two doors 201 and 202 each have a flat rectangular box shape, and swivel around each of the two swivel shafts J1 and J2 which are parallel to each other and are arranged apart from each other. The first state that covers the front of the refrigerating chamber R1 and the second state that does not cover the front of the refrigerating chamber R1 can be taken. Further, the two doors 201 and 202 are arranged so that one side extending in the longitudinal direction when viewed from the thickness direction thereof is parallel to the swivel axes J1 and J2. As shown in FIG. 3, the door 201 has a flat rectangular box-shaped door body 211 with one side open, and an inner panel 212 fixed to one side of the door body 211. Further, the door 202 also has a door main body 221 and an inner panel 222 fixed to the door main body 211. The inside of each of the door bodies 211 and 221 is filled with a heat insulating material (not shown). The door bodies 211 and 221 are made of metal or resin.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the inner panel 212 has a rectangular frame-shaped frame piece 212a, a rectangular tubular portion 212b, and a rectangular plate-shaped main piece 212c. The inner panel 212 is made of, for example, a resin. The frame piece 212a is fixed to the door body 211 so as to cover the entire peripheral portion on one side of the door body 211. The frame piece 212a has a rectangular frame-shaped base portion 212d and a protruding portion 212e extending in a U-shape along three sides of the base portion 212d and projecting to a side opposite to the main piece 212c side.

The tubular portion 212b projects from the entire inner peripheral edge of the frame piece 212a toward the bottom wall 211a of the door body 211. The main piece 212c closes the end of the tubular portion 212b on the bottom wall 211a side of the door body 211. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the side piece 212f located on the door 202 side of the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212 of the door 201, that is, on the + Y direction side is on the main piece 212c side in the thickness direction of the door body 211. It is inclined so as to approach the frame piece 212a side, that is, the −X direction side, the door 202, that is, the + Y direction side. Further, the side piece 212h of the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212 located on the −Y direction side is also inclined so as to be closer to the door 202, that is, to be located on the + Y direction side toward the −X direction side. .. As a result, when the inner panel 212 is manufactured by injection molding, the mold can be easily pulled out in the −X direction side in FIG. 4B. The inclination angle θ2 of the side side 212f with respect to the X-axis direction is set, for example, based on the ease of punching of the mold in injection molding. The inclination angle θ1 of the side side 212f with respect to the X-axis direction is larger than the inclination angle θ2 of the side side 212h with respect to the X-axis direction. This tilt angle θ1 is set to be the same as the tilt of the optical axis of the image pickup apparatus 21 described later with respect to the X-axis direction, and is set to an angle in a range larger than 0 degrees and smaller than 5 degrees, for example. There is. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, pockets 104A, 104B, and 105 for storing food are attached to the inner panel 212. Here, each of the side piece 212f and the side piece 212h located on the −Y direction side in the cylindrical portion 212b of the inner panel 212 have protrusions (not shown) for supporting the pockets 104A, 104B, and 105. It is projected on the inner wall of the tubular portion 212b.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pocket 104A has a bottom wall 141 and a side wall 142 extending from the entire peripheral edge of the bottom wall 141 in the thickness direction of the bottom wall 141. As shown in FIG. 7, the side wall 142 has a recess 142a that engages with a protrusion (not shown) provided on the inner wall of the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212, and a housing 231 of the image pickup module 2 described later. A recess 142b that engages with the provided protrusion 231b is formed. The pocket 104B also has the same structure as the pocket 104A. The pockets 104A and 104B are taken into the inner panel 212 in a state where the recess 142a is engaged with the protrusion of the tubular portion 212b and the recess 142b is engaged with the protrusion 231b provided in the housing 231 of the image pickup module 2. Be worn. Returning to FIG. 5, the pocket 105 also has a bottom wall 151 and a side wall 152 extending from the entire periphery of the bottom wall 151 in the thickness direction of the bottom wall 151. The side wall 152 is formed with a recess (not shown) that engages with a protrusion (not shown) provided on the inner wall of the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the pocket 106 is also attached to the inner panel 222 of the door 202.

The image pickup module 2 captures and outputs an image in the refrigerating chamber R1 from the door 201 side. The image pickup module 2 supports the image pickup device 21 that images the inside of the refrigerating chamber R1, a long box-shaped housing 23 that houses the image pickup device 21, and the image pickup device 21 and moves the image pickup device 21 in the Z-axis direction. It has a moving device 22 and a moving device 22. As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 23 has a long box-shaped main body portion 231 having an open side along the longitudinal direction and an open side of the main body portion 231 formed of a translucent material. It has a window portion 232 fixed to the main body portion 231 so as to cover it. The housing 23 is arranged in a posture in which the longitudinal direction is parallel to the turning axis J1 of the door 201. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the housing 23 has a main body portion 231 of the housing 23 on the door 202 side of the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212 of the door 201, that is, the side piece 212f located on the + Y direction side. It is attached to the inner panel 212 so that the side wall 231a is in contact with the inner panel 212. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the side wall 231a is formed with a recess 231c that engages with a protrusion 212g projecting from the side piece 212f of the tubular portion 212b. The housing 23 is detachably attached to the inner panel 212 in a state where the recess 231c is engaged with the protrusion 212g projecting from the side piece 212f of the tubular portion 212b. Further, the side wall 231d facing the side wall 231a in the lateral direction of the main body portion 231 of the housing 23 engages with the protrusion 231b that engages with the recess 142b of the pocket 104A and the recess (not shown) of the pocket 104B. A protrusion (not shown) and a protrusion are provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image pickup apparatus 21 passes through the central portion of the refrigerating chamber R1 in the alignment direction of the swivel axes J1 and J2, that is, the center portion of the refrigerating chamber R1 in the Y-axis direction and is orthogonal to the Y-axis direction, and is aligned with the swivel axes J1 and J2. It is arranged at a position deviated by a distance W1 in the Y-axis direction with respect to the parallel virtual plane VPL1. The distance W1 is set so as to be larger than 0 mm and 150 mm or less, for example. The image pickup apparatus 21 is arranged in the housing 23 in a posture in which the optical axis PJ1 intersects the virtual plane VPL1. Then, in the image pickup apparatus 21, the housing 23 is attached to the inner panel 212 so that the side wall 231a of the main body 231 of the housing 23 is in contact with the side piece 212f of the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212. The entire preset area in the refrigerating chamber R1 is arranged in the housing 23 so as to be within the imaging range. Specifically, the image pickup apparatus 21 is arranged on the + X direction side of any of the shelves 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D of the refrigerating chamber R1, and the Y-axis direction of the shelves 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D. The entire region including both ends is arranged in the housing 23 in a posture within the imaging range.

The tilt angle θ10 of the optical axis PJ1 of the image pickup device 21 with respect to the virtual plane VPL1 is set based on, for example, an image taken by the image pickup device 21 when the tilt angle θ10 of the image pickup device 21 is changed. For example, with the image pickup device 21 arranged on the + X direction side of the shelf plate 102B, the image in the refrigerating chamber R1 is captured while changing the inclination angle θ10 of the optical axis PJ1 of the image pickup device 21 with respect to the X axis direction. When the tilt angle θ10 of the optical axis PJ1 of the image pickup apparatus 21 with respect to the X-axis direction is set to 0 degrees, the captured image GA1 as shown in FIG. 8A is obtained, and when the tilt angle θ10 is set to 5 degrees, as shown in FIG. 8B. It is assumed that a photographed image GA2 is obtained. In the case of the captured image GA1, as shown in the image GA (A11) near the right end of the image GA (102B) of the shelf board 102B, the image GA1 is placed near the end of the shelf board 102B on the + X direction side and near the + Y direction end. A part of the placed food is out of the angle of view (see, for example, image GA (F1) in FIG. 8A). That is, when the inclination angle θ10 of the optical axis PJ1 of the image pickup apparatus 21 with respect to the X-axis direction is set to 0 degrees, a blind spot is generated near the end on the + X-direction side of the shelf plate 102B on the + X-direction side. On the other hand, in the case of the captured image GA2, as shown in the image GA (A12) near the left end portion of the image GA (102B) of the shelf board 102B, the upper end portion of the shelf board 102B on the + X direction side is above the end portion on the + Y direction side. The part located in is out of the angle of view. That is, when the inclination angle θ10 of the optical axis PJ1 of the image pickup apparatus 21 with respect to the X-axis direction is set to 5 degrees, a blind spot is generated near the end on the + X-direction side of the shelf plate 102B on the −Y-direction side. .. In this case, the tilt angle θ10 of the optical axis PJ1 of the image pickup apparatus 21 with respect to the X-axis direction is set to an angle larger than 0 degrees and smaller than 5 degrees.

As described above, when the tilt angle θ1 of the side piece 121f is set to the optimum tilt angle θ10 of the optical axis PJ1 of the image pickup device 21, the optical axis PJ1 of the image pickup device 21 is the main body portion 231 of the housing 23. It is arranged in the housing 23 in a posture parallel to the surface of the side wall 231a in contact with the side piece 121f.

Further, the image pickup module 2 has a moving device 22 that supports the image pickup device 21 and moves the image pickup device 21 along the longitudinal direction of the housing 23, as shown in FIG. The moving device 22 moves the image pickup device 21 along the longitudinal direction of the housing 23 arranged in a posture in which the longitudinal direction is parallel to the swivel axis J1, so that the image pickup device 21 is moved in the direction along the swivel axis J1. Move to. The moving device 22 has a stepping motor 2201, a worm gear 2202, a pinion 2203, a rack 2204, and a support portion 2208 that collectively supports the stepping motor 2201, the worm gear 2202, the pinion 2203, and the rack 2204 together with the image pickup device 21. .. Further, the moving device 22 is long and has a guide portion (not shown) that guides the support portion 2208 along the longitudinal direction of the housing 23. The worm gear 2202 is fixed to the drive shaft of the stepping motor 2201. In the pinion 2203, the large gear 2203a and the small gear 2203b are integrally configured, and the large gear 2203a and the small gear 2203b are pivotally attached to the same shaft 2203c. The shaft 2203c is rotatably supported by the support portion 2208. Further, the large gear 2203a meshes with the worm gear 2202, and the small gear 2203b meshes with the rack 2204. Then, when the worm gear 2202 is rotated by the stepping motor 2201, the pinion 2203 is rotated, and the shaft 2203c of the pinion 2203 moves linearly along the rack 2204.

Returning to FIG. 2, the control board 1001 is arranged in the upper part on the rear surface side of the refrigerator main body 101. The control board 1001 has a processor and a memory. Then, the control board 1001 controls the operation of the refrigerator 1000 by executing the program stored in the memory by the processor.

The image server 3 has a processor and a memory, and stores image information indicating the captured image in the refrigerating chamber R1 captured by the image pickup apparatus 21 in the memory, and also stores the image information in the refrigerating chamber R1 stored in the memory. To the outside. The image server 3 is arranged above the refrigerating chamber R1 of the refrigerator main body 101. The image server 3 is electrically connected to, for example, the control board 1001 and operates by receiving power supplied from the control board 1001.

As shown in FIG. 10, for example, the image server 3 of the refrigerator 1000 constitutes a refrigerator system together with the router device 7, the cloud server 9, and the terminal device 10. Examples of the terminal device 10 include a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, and the like. The cloud server 9 has a storage (not shown), and when it receives the image information of the captured image in the refrigerating room R1 of the refrigerator 1000 from the image server 3, the received image information is stored in the storage. The router device 7 can communicate with the cloud server 9 via the network NT. Examples of the network NT include the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), and the like. The image server 3 transmits the image information of the captured image in the refrigerating room R1 stored in the memory to the cloud server 9 via the router device 7 and the network NT. When the cloud server 9 receives the image information from the image server 3, the cloud server 9 stores the received image information in the storage.

The terminal device 10 can communicate with the cloud server 9 via the network NT. For example, it is assumed that the user performs an operation for displaying the image in the refrigerating room R1 of the refrigerator 1000 on the terminal device 10. In this case, the terminal device 10 transmits the transmission request information requesting the cloud server 9 to transmit the image information to the cloud server 9. On the other hand, when the cloud server 9 receives the transmission request information from the terminal device 10, the cloud server 9 identifies the image information corresponding to the transmission request information from the image information stored in the storage, and transfers the specified image information to the terminal device 10. Send. Then, when the terminal device 10 receives the image information from the cloud server 9, the terminal device 10 displays the captured image in the refrigerator compartment R1 of the refrigerator 1000 indicated by the received image information.

Next, the features of the image taken by the image pickup apparatus 21 of the refrigerator 1000 according to the present embodiment will be described in comparison with the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 11, in the refrigerator 9000 according to the comparative example, the position of the image pickup module 9002 having the image pickup device 21 is different from the position of the image pickup module 2 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 11, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 3 are attached to the same configurations as those in the embodiment. The image pickup module 9002 has an image pickup device 21 and a housing 9023 for accommodating the image pickup device 21, and is arranged above the shelf plate 102A in the vicinity of the turning axis J2 of the door 202. In the refrigerator 9000 according to the comparative example, the distance between the region A91 near the end on the + Y direction side of the shelf board 102A and the image pickup device 21, and the region A92 near the end on the −Y direction side of the shelf board 102A and the image pickup. The distance difference between the distance from the device 21 and the distance is about the same as the length of the shelf plate 102A in the Y-axis direction. Then, as in the photographed image GA90 shown in FIG. 12A, the image GA (A91) near the end on the + Y direction side of the shelf board 102A and the image GA (A92) near the end on the + Y direction side are not well balanced. Become. In this case, the user may find it difficult to see the captured image in the refrigerator compartment R1.

On the other hand, in the refrigerator 1000 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the image pickup device 21 is arranged at a position deviated from the central portion in the Y-axis direction of the refrigerating chamber R1 by a distance W1. That is, the distance between the region near the end of the shelf board 102A on the −Y direction side and the image pickup device 21, and the distance between the region near the end of the shelf board 102A on the + Y direction side and the image pickup device 21. , The distance difference is shorter than that of the refrigerator 9000 according to the comparative example. As a result, as in the photographed image GA10 shown in FIG. 12B, the balance between the image GA (A21) near the end on the + Y direction side of the shelf board 102A and the image GA (A22) near the end on the −Y direction side is balanced. The image is good.

As described above, according to the refrigerator 1000 according to the present embodiment, the image pickup apparatus 21 has a shape in which the side wall 231a of the housing 23 of the image pickup module 2 is brought into contact with the side piece 212f of the cylindrical portion 212b of the inner panel 212. With the housing 23 attached to the inner panel 212, the housing 23 is arranged in the housing 23 so that the entire preset area in the refrigerator compartment R1 is within the imaging range. As a result, when the image pickup module 2 is attached to the inner panel 212 of the refrigerator 1000, the work of adjusting the orientation of the image pickup device 21 becomes unnecessary, and the refrigerator can be easily assembled by that amount. Further, it is not necessary to provide the inner panel 212 with a positioning structure for positioning the image pickup apparatus 21. Therefore, since it is possible to make it common with the manufacturing process of the inner panel of the door of the refrigerator which is not equipped with the existing image pickup device, it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process of the door.

Further, the housing 23 of the imaging module 2 according to the present embodiment has the main body of the housing 23 on the door 202 side of the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212 of the door 201, that is, the side piece 212f located on the + Y direction side. It is attached to the inner panel 212 so as to bring the side wall 231a of the portion 231 into contact with the inner panel 212. As a result, the image pickup module 2 can be brought closer to the central portion of the refrigerating chamber R1 in the Y-axis direction, so that the distortion of the captured image captured by the image pickup device 21 can be reduced accordingly.

Further, the image pickup apparatus 21 according to the present embodiment passes through the central portion of the refrigerating chamber R1 in the Y-axis direction and is orthogonal to the Y-axis direction, and is displaced by a distance W1 from the virtual plane VPL1 parallel to the swivel axes J1 and J2. It is placed in the correct position. The image pickup apparatus 21 is arranged in the housing 23 in a posture in which the optical axis PJ1 intersects the virtual plane VPL1. As a result, the entire preset region in the refrigerating chamber R1 can easily fit in the imaging range of the imaging device 21.

Further, the side piece 212f located on the door 202 side of the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212 of the door 201 according to the present embodiment, that is, on the + Y direction side, is from the main piece 212c side in the thickness direction of the door body 211. The closer to the frame piece 212a side, the more inclined it is to be located on the + Y direction side. As a result, the image pickup module 2 is simply attached to the inner panel 212 so that the housing 23 of the image pickup module 2 is brought into contact with the side wall 231a of the main body portion 231 of the housing 23 to the side piece 212f of the tubular portion 212b. The device 21 can be oriented so that its optical axis PJ1 intersects the virtual plane VPL1. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to adjust the orientation of the image pickup apparatus 21.

Further, the housing 23 of the image pickup module 2 according to the present embodiment is removable with respect to the inner panel 212. As a result, the image pickup module 2 can be attached to the inner panel 212 as needed, so that the method of using the refrigerator 1000 can be diversified.

Further, the image pickup module 2 according to the present embodiment has a moving device 22 for moving the image pickup device 21 in a direction along the swivel axes J1 and J2. As a result, the image pickup apparatus 21 can be arranged at an arbitrary position in the refrigerating chamber R1 in the Z-axis direction.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the refrigerator comprises pockets 2104A and 2104B having a first member 2141 and a second member 2142 slidable in the Y-axis direction with respect to the first member 2141 as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B. May be. In addition, in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 are attached to the same configurations as those in the embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the first member 2141 is provided in one direction along the first bottom wall 12411 from both ends of the first bottom wall 21411 and the first bottom wall 21411 in the X-axis direction. It has a pair of first side walls 21412 extending in the + Z direction. Here, the X-axis direction corresponds to the first direction, and the + Z direction corresponds to the second direction. Further, the first member 2141 has side walls 21413 and 21414 extending in the + Z direction from the end portion on the peripheral portion of the first bottom wall 21411 on the −Y direction side and the end portion continuous with the first side wall 21412. Have.

The second member 2142 is arranged so as to overlap each of the second bottom wall 21421 arranged so as to partially overlap the first bottom wall 21411 and the pair of first side walls 21412, respectively, in the X-axis direction of the second bottom wall 21421. It has a second side wall 21422 extending in the + Z direction from each of both ends thereof. Further, the second member 2142 has side walls 21423, 21424 extending in the + Z direction from the end portion on the + Y direction side and the end portion where the second side wall 21422 extends in the peripheral portion of the second bottom wall 21421. It has 21425.

The pocket 2104A slides the second member 2142 with respect to the first member 2141 in the Y-axis direction, so that the main piece 212c of the inner panel 212 of the pocket 2104A in the Y-axis direction is shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B. The width of the portion facing the first width W11 can be changed to either a first width W11 or a second width W12 longer than the first width W11. As shown in FIG. 15A, the first width W11 is inside the tubular portion 212b adjacent to the image pickup module 2 in the −Y direction in a state where the image pickup module 2 is arranged inside the tubular portion 212b of the inner panel 212. Corresponds to the width that can be placed in. Further, the second width W12 corresponds to a width that can be arranged inside the cylindrical portion 212b of the inner panel 212, as shown in FIG. 15B. The pocket 2104B also has the same configuration as the pocket 2104A.

According to this configuration, one pocket 2104A and 2104B can be applied to both the case where the image pickup module 2 is attached to the inner panel 212 and the case where the image pickup module 2 is not attached to the inner panel 212. Can be done. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately prepare pockets for the case where the image pickup module 2 is attached to the inner panel 212 and the case where the image pickup module 2 is not attached to the inner panel 212. Can be reduced.

In the embodiment, an example in which the image pickup module 2 has a moving device 22 for moving the image pickup device 21 along the longitudinal direction of the housing 23 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the image pickup module may have a plurality of image pickup devices arranged in parallel in the directions along the turning axes J1 and J2 of the doors 201 and 202. According to this configuration, since a mobile device is not required, the configuration of the image pickup module can be simplified accordingly.

Alternatively, a housing in which the image pickup module is long and arranged along the turning axes J1 and J2 of the doors 201 and 202 in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of image pickup devices arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the housing. It may have a moving device for moving a plurality of image pickup devices along the longitudinal direction of the housing.

In the embodiment, an example in which the frame piece 212a of the inner panel 212 has a rectangular frame shape, the main piece 212c has a rectangular plate shape, and the tubular portion 212b has a square cylindrical shape has been described. The shapes of the 212a, the main piece 212c, and the tubular portion 212b are not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, an example in which the moving device 22 has a stepping motor 2201, a worm gear 2202, a pinion 2203, and a rack 2204 has been described. However, the configuration of the moving device 22 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, one having a transport mechanism of the image pickup device 21 using a ball screw, or a transport mechanism of the image pickup device 21 using a linear motor. It may have.

Although embodiments and modifications of the present invention (including those described in the description; the same shall apply hereinafter) have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention includes a combination of embodiments and modifications as appropriate, and modifications thereof as appropriate.

The present invention is suitable for a refrigerator provided with an image pickup device for photographing a storage room.

2 Imaging module, 3 Image server, 7 Router device, 9 Cloud server, 10 Terminal device, 21 Imaging device, 22 Mobile device, 23 chassis, 101 Refrigerator body, 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D shelf board, 103 shelf board support Part, 104A, 104B, 105, 106, 2104A, 2104B Pocket, 111 chilled case, 141,151 bottom wall, 142,152,231a,231d, 21413,21414,21423,21424,21425 side wall, 142a, 142b, 231c recess , 201,202,203,204,205 doors, 211,221 door bodies, 212,222 inner panels, 212a frame pieces, 212b tubular parts, 212c main pieces, 212d bases, 212e protrusions, 212f, 212h side pieces, 212g, 231b protrusion, 30 food, 231 main body, 232 window, 1000 refrigerator, 1001 control board, 2141 first member, 2142 second member, 2201 stepping motor, 2202 worm gear, 2203 pinion, 2203a large gear, 2203b small gear , 2203c axis, 2204 rack, 2208 support, 21411 first bottom wall, 21412 first side wall, 21421 second bottom wall, 21422 second side wall, GA1, GA2, GA10 captured image, J1, J2 swivel axis, NT network, PJ1 optical axis, R1 refrigerator compartment, R2 ice making chamber, R3
Freezing room, R4 vegetable room, R11 chilled room, VPL1 virtual plane

The refrigerator according to the present invention
The main body of the refrigerator with a storage room inside,
The first state of covering a part of the storage chamber and the second state of not covering the part of the storage chamber by swiveling around each of the two swivel axes arranged parallel to each other and separated from each other. Two double doors that can be opened and
An image pickup module including an image pickup device for imaging the storage chamber and a box-shaped housing for accommodating the image pickup device is provided.
The door has a flat box-shaped door body having one side open and filled with a heat insulating material inside, and an inner panel fixed to the one side of the door body.
The inner panel projects from a frame piece fixed to the door body so as to cover the entire peripheral portion of the door body on one side thereof and the entire inner peripheral edge of the frame piece toward the bottom wall side of the door body. It has a tubular portion and a main piece that closes the end of the tubular portion on the bottom wall side of the door body.
Each of the two doors has a flat rectangular box shape, and is arranged so that one side when viewed from the thickness direction is parallel to the two swivel axes.
The side piece of the inner panel of one of the two doors located on the other door side in the tubular portion is closer to the storage chamber side from the main one side in the thickness direction. Tilt so that it is located on the center side of the storage chamber in a direction orthogonal to one swivel axis.
The housing is attached to the inner panel in such a form that the side wall of the housing is brought into contact with a side piece of the inner panel of one of the two doors located on the other door side in the tubular portion. Attached,
The imaging device, wherein in the form of a side wall of the housing is in contact with the inner wall of the side piece is located in the other door side definitive in the tubular portion of the inner panel body is attached to the inner panel In this state, it is arranged in the housing so that the entire preset area of the storage chamber fits within the imaging range, passes through the central portion of the storage chamber in the alignment direction of the two swivel axes, and is aligned. It is arranged at a position orthogonal to the direction and deviated from the virtual plane parallel to the two swivel axes in the alignment direction, and is arranged in the housing in a posture in which the optical axis intersects the virtual plane .

According to the refrigerator according to the present invention, the image pickup apparatus is in a storage chamber in a state where the housing is attached to the inner panel so that the side wall of the housing of the image pickup module contacts the inner wall of the tubular portion of the inner panel. It is arranged inside the housing so that the entire preset area fits within the imaging range, passes through the central part of the storage chamber in the alignment direction of the two swivel axes, is orthogonal to the alignment direction, and is parallel to the two swivel axes. It is arranged in a position deviated from the above-mentioned virtual plane in the above-mentioned arrangement direction, and is arranged in the housing in a posture in which the optical axis intersects the virtual plane . This eliminates the need to adjust the orientation of the image pickup device when attaching the image pickup module to the inner panel of the refrigerator, so that the refrigerator can be easily assembled accordingly. Further, it is not necessary to provide the inner panel with a positioning structure for positioning the image pickup apparatus. Therefore, since it is possible to make it common with the manufacturing process of the inner panel of the door of the refrigerator which is not equipped with the existing image pickup device, it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process of the door.

Claims (8)

The main body of the refrigerator with a storage room inside,
The first state of covering a part of the storage chamber and the second state of not covering the part of the storage chamber by swiveling around each of the two swivel axes arranged parallel to each other and separated from each other. Two double doors that can be opened and
An image pickup module including an image pickup device for imaging the storage chamber and a box-shaped housing for accommodating the image pickup device is provided.
The door has a flat box-shaped door body having one side open and filled with a heat insulating material inside, and an inner panel fixed to the one side of the door body.
The inner panel projects from a frame piece fixed to the door body so as to cover the entire peripheral portion of the door body on one side thereof and the entire inner peripheral edge of the frame piece toward the bottom wall side of the door body. It has a tubular portion and a main piece that closes the end of the tubular portion on the bottom wall side of the door body.
The image pickup apparatus is a preset area in the storage chamber in a state where the housing is attached to the inner panel so that the side wall of the housing is in contact with the inner wall of the tubular portion of the inner panel. It is arranged in the housing so that the whole is within the imaging range.
refrigerator. Each of the two doors has a flat rectangular box shape, and is arranged so that one side when viewed from the thickness direction is parallel to the two swivel axes.
The housing is attached to the inner panel in such a form that the side wall of the housing is brought into contact with a side piece of the inner panel of one of the two doors located on the other door side in the tubular portion. Attached,
The refrigerator according to claim 1. The side piece of the inner panel of one of the two doors located on the other door side of the tubular portion is closer to the frame piece side from the main piece side in the thickness direction of the other side. Inclined to approach the door side,
The refrigerator according to claim 2. The image pickup device passes through the central portion of the storage chamber in the alignment direction of the two swivel axes and is orthogonal to the alignment direction, and is positioned at a position deviated from the virtual plane parallel to the two swivel axes in the alignment direction. Arranged in the housing in a posture in which the optical axis intersects the virtual plane.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The housing is removable with respect to the inner panel.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A first having a first bottom wall and a pair of first side walls extending in a second direction along the thickness direction of the first bottom wall from each of both ends of the first bottom wall in the first direction. Members and
A second bottom wall arranged so as to overlap at least a part with the first bottom wall, and a second bottom wall arranged so as to overlap at least a part with each of the pair of first side walls in the first direction. A second side wall that extends from each of both ends in the second direction and is slidable in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction with respect to the first member. Further equipped with two members and a pocket having
The pocket has the width of the pocket in the first direction by sliding the second member with respect to the first member in the first direction, and the image pickup module is arranged inside the cylindrical portion. The width can be changed to either a first width that can be arranged inside the tubular portion adjacent to the image pickup module in the first direction and a second width that is longer than the first width.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The image pickup module further includes a moving device that moves the image pickup device in a direction along the two swivel axes.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The image pickup module has a plurality of image pickup devices arranged in parallel in a direction along the two swivel axes.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images