A refrigerator for providing an item guide service using artificial intelligence includes an output unit, a sensing unit configured to acquire user identification information for identifying a user, a memory configured to store a collaborative filtering model for determining an item to be used by the user, and a processor configured to recognize the user based on the acquired user identification information, predict an item to be used by the recognized user using the collaborative filtering model and output item identification information for identifying the predicted item through the output unit.

A refrigerator appliance is provided including a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a door rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber, and an audiovisual input assembly for monitoring the chilled chamber. A controller obtains a video stream and an audio stream using the audiovisual input assembly and analyzes these streams using a standard object weighting to generate a video-based inventory change and an audio-based inventory change. An inventory list is updated if the video-based inventory change and the audio-based inventory change match. Otherwise, the controller can reanalyze the streams using an updated object weighting to see if the audio and video streams generate matching proposed inventory changes.

A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator may include a main body having a storage compartment, a first door rotatably installed at a first side of the main body to open and close a first portion of the storage compartment, and a second door rotatably installed at a second side of the main body to open and close a second portion of the storage compartment. A first camera may be installed at the first door to take a picture of an interior of the first storage compartment during rotation of the first door, and a second camera may be installed at the second door to take a picture of the interior of the first storage compartment during rotation of the second door. A controller may combine plural pictures taken by the first camera and the second camera into a single corrected image of a region of the first compartment spanning from the first door to the second door.

A meat-aging apparatus is disclosed. The meat-aging apparatus comprises: a photographing unit for photographing meat stored in the meat-aging apparatus; an illumination unit for irradiating light to the meat; a storage unit for storing recipe information for aging the meat according to the type or state of the meat; and a processor for determining the type or state of the meat on the basis of a photographed image, and controlling the illumination unit to irradiate light to the meat according to the recipe information corresponding to the determined type or state of the meat in order to age the meat.

A method for managing products in a refrigerator comprises the steps of: registering user information including a face image, in association with at least one vendor; after a refrigerator door is opened, photographing an external area around the refrigerator and then recognizing a user's face; while the door is closed after the opening of the refrigerator door, photographing the inside of a storage chamber of the refrigerator and processing the captured image to acquire product information of a product taken; storing the acquired product information of the taken product as a product use history, in association with the recognized user's face; and when receiving a user input, displaying a purchase recommendation product list per user with information of an associated vendor on the basis of the product use history. In an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator to which an IOT is applied may be provided.

A system for capturing and preferably processing images of a compartment of a refrigerator, where the system has a camera module having one or more cameras that are fully or partially located outside the compartment of the refrigerator, and one or more optical waveguides optically connected to the cameras and the compartment of the refrigerator and configured to transfer light such that the cameras are capable of capturing pictures of the compartment's interior is disclosed.

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet with a fresh food chamber, a freezer chamber, and an aging chamber each defined in the cabinet. The refrigerator appliance also includes an aging chamber door mounted to the cabinet and movable between a closed position and an open position. A method of operating the refrigerator appliance includes receiving a meat aging input from a user interface of the refrigerator appliance and moving a lock configured to retain the aging chamber door in the closed position to a locked position whereby the aging chamber door is retained in the closed position in response to the meat aging input. The method also includes activating a dedicated humidity control system in fluid communication with the aging chamber and fluidly isolated from the fresh food chamber and the freezer chamber for an aging time after moving the lock to the locked position.

A refrigerator is an example of a storage cabinet, and includes a door sensor, a weight sensor, a wireless tag reader, a memory, and a microcomputer. The microcomputer identifies an ID that is not readable by the wireless tag reader after a timing at which a weight increase is detected by the weight sensor in a first period, as an ID of a newly loaded food item, the first period being a period from when a door is opened to when the door is closed that is determined based on a result of detection performed by the door sensor, and adds the identified ID to registration information that is stored in the memory.

A refrigerator appliance is provided including a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a door rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber, and a plurality of cameras mounted to the cabinet for monitoring the chilled chamber. A controller is configured to detect motion at one or more locations within the chilled chamber using image differentiation or motion sensors, identify a subset of cameras of the plurality of cameras based at least in part on the one or more locations where motion was detected, obtain one or more images using the subset of cameras, and analyze or transmit the one or more images for analysis.

A cargo (22) detection system for a refrigerated cargo container (10) includes a cargo sensor (50) body configured to detect presence of cargo (22) in a refrigerated cargo container (10) and a sensor bracket (56) configured for securing the cargo sensor (50) body at a refrigeration unit (24) of the refrigerated cargo container (10). A temperature sensor (72) is located at the cargo sensor (50) body and is configured to detect a temperature of the cargo sensor (50) body. A temperature controller (74) is operably connected to the temperature sensor (72) and is configured to activate the cargo sensor (50) body for collection of data when the temperature of the cargo sensor (50) body is above a threshold.