DOMESTIC APPLIANCE HAVING A CAMERA ARRANGED IN A DOOR

Abstract

A domestic appliance includes: a treatment chamber that can be closed by a pivotable door; at least one camera arranged in the door for recording images from the treatment chamber when the door is open; and a door movement sensor for detecting values of at least one parameter of a door movement. The door movement sensor has at least one inertial sensor. At least one camera and the at least one inertial sensor are integrated in a camera/sensor module which is arranged in the door. The camera/sensor module has a communication device, at least for outputting image data from the camera of the camera/sensor module. The domestic appliance is configured to trigger at least one device function upon the detection of at least one trigger value. The invention is particularly suited for cooling devices, particularly refrigerators.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A household appliance, comprising: a treatment chamber and a pivotable door for selectively closing said treatment chamber; at least one camera for recording images from the treatment chamber when the door is open; a door movement sensor for detecting values of at least one door movement parameter of a door movement of said door; said door movement sensor having at least one inertial sensor; at least one camera and said at least one inertial sensor being integrated in a camera/sensor module; said camera/sensor module being arranged in said door and having a data communication facility for emitting image data of said camera of said camera/sensor module; and the household appliance being configured to trigger at least one appliance function upon detecting a trigger value.

16. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein the at least one door movement parameter comprises one or more of a door opening angle, a door movement direction, or a door speed.

17. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein said camera/sensor module is configured to trigger at least one appliance function assigned to said camera of said camera/sensor module by detecting at least one trigger value by with said at least one inertial sensor of said camera/sensor module.

18. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein said data communication facility of said camera/sensor module has a bidirectional data interface.

19. The household appliance according to claim 18, wherein said camera/sensor module, or at least one component thereof, is configured to be controlled externally.

20. The household appliance according to claim 15, further comprising at least one camera outside said camera/sensor module, and wherein the household appliance is configured to trigger at least one appliance function assigned to said camera outside said camera/sensor module by detecting at least one trigger value with said at least one inertial sensor of said camera/sensor module.

21. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein the household appliance is configured to trigger at least one further appliance function by detecting a further trigger value with the at least one inertial sensor of said camera/sensor module.

22. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein the camera/sensor module has an evaluation facility, which is designed to evaluate measuring signals of the at least one inertial sensor for determining the at least one parameter value, and to trigger at least one action by detecting at least one trigger value.

23. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein said camera/sensor module has a housing and said at least one camera and said at least one inertial sensor are arranged in said housing.

24. The household appliance according to claim 23, wherein said housing has a transparent, heatable window which is arranged in a field of view of said at least one camera, and wherein said heatable window is configured to be heated when at least one door movement parameter reaches a given trigger value.

25. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein said data communication facility is formed on a communications printed circuit board, and said at least one inertial sensor is arranged on said communications printed circuit board.

26. The household appliance according to claim 25, wherein said camera/sensor module has a housing and said at least one camera and said at least one inertial sensor are arranged in said housing, and wherein said housing is formed with an insertion opening for inserting said camera, and said insertion opening is closed by said communications printed circuit board.

27. The household appliance according to claim 26, wherein said housing has a transparent, heatable window which is arranged in a field of view of said at least one camera, and wherein said heatable window is configured to be heated when at least one door movement parameter reaches a given trigger value.

28. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein each said camera of said household appliance has a hardware-side code which is unique to the household appliance.

29. The household appliance according to claim 15, wherein the household appliance is a refrigeration appliance and said treatment chamber is a refrigeration chamber.

30. The household appliance according to claim 29, wherein the household appliance is a refrigerator.

Description

[0086] The afore-described properties, features and advantages of this invention and the manner in which they are achieved will become clearer and more intelligible in conjunction with the following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment, which is explained in more detail below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0087] FIG. 1 shows as a sectional representation in a top view a drawing of a refrigerator with a camera/sensor module;

[0088] FIG. 2 shows as a sectional representation in the side view a drawing of a camera/sensor module; and

[0089] FIG. 3 shows in an oblique view a communications printed circuit board of the camera/sensor module from FIG. 2.

[0090] FIG. 1 shows as a sectional representation in the top view a drawing of a household appliance in the form of a refrigerator 1. The refrigerator 1 has a treatment chamber in the form of a refrigeration chamber 2, the front loading opening 3 of which can be closed by means of a door 5 which can be pivoted about an axis of rotation 4 aligned vertically, as also indicated by the double arrow. A camera/sensor module 6 is arranged in the door 5.

[0091] The camera/sensor module 5 has an (integral) camera 7 which is embodied here as a camera module, which is arranged so that it can record images from the refrigeration chamber 2 at least when a door is only slightly opened. The camera/sensor module 6 further has at least one door movement sensor in the form of an inertial sensor 8, an e.g. wired data communication facility 9 and an evaluation facility 10. These components 7 to 10 are accommodated or attached in a housing 11 of the camera/sensor module 6. The housing 11 can have a heatable see-through window (top fig.) for the camera 7.

[0092] The at least one inertial sensor 8 is designed (i.e. arranged and configured) to detect at least one door movement parameter of the door 5. These currently detected door movement parameters are compared with predetermined target or trigger values by means of the evaluation facility 10. If the currently detected door movement parameters reach at least one trigger value such as a specific door opening angle (possibly also a combination also of a number of trigger values such as a specific door opening angle in conjunction with establishing a door opening), the evaluation facility 10 can trigger a corresponding action, e.g. a corresponding trigger signal or item of trigger information, namely to an internal component 7 to 9 of the camera/sensor module 6 and/or by way of the data communication facility 9 to a component outside the module.

[0093] The camera/sensor module 6 is communicatively coupled to a control facility 12 of the refrigerator 1, for instance by way of a point-to-point data line or a bus system. The control facility 12 is in particular a central control facility for controlling the refrigerator 1.

[0094] The refrigerator 1 further optionally has at least one further camera 13, in other words a camera (outside the module) which does not form part of the camera/sensor module 6, which is arranged here by way of example in a carcass 14 of the refrigerator 1 (e.g. as shown on a side wall, on the cover side etc.), but can also be arranged in the door 5. The camera 13 outside the module can be communicatively coupled directly with the camera/sensor module 6, e.g. by way of a point-to-point data line or a bus system, and/or coupled with the control facility 12.

[0095] Each camera 7, 13 or the associated camera modules can have a number of contacts or pins in each case, e.g. for data transmission, power supply etc. It is particularly advantageous if a number of these pins are used as coding pins, which are assigned fixedly predetermined (possibly reconfigurable) signal states. As a result, a camera identification which is unique to the appliance can be linked with the dispatched data from the signal assignment of this coding pin.

[0096] Image data can also be dispatched by way of the data communication facility, e.g. to the control facility 12 and/or to a monitor 15, arranged on the outside, on which the images can be displayed.

[0097] The data communication facility 9 is in particular a bidirectional data communication facility 9 for emitting and receiving data, e.g. for receiving data such as control commands, calibration or configuration data from the control facility 12. To this end it has a bidirectional data interface.

[0098] In particular, when the door 5 is moved (opened and closed), the reaching of a number of trigger values can be monitored or determined by means of the evaluation facility 10, wherein one or more actions can be assigned to a trigger value.

[0099] For instance, the following actions can be triggered when the door 5 is opened, for instance in the sequence cited with an increasing door opening angle: [0100] bringing or “waking” the camera 7 inside the module out from a switched-off state e.g. into an operationally ready standby state; [0101] emitting a signal for waking the camera 13 outside the module directly to the camera 13 outside the module or the control facility 12; [0102] activating the heating of the see-through window; [0103] emitting a signal (e.g. comprising an item of information so that a specific trigger angle has been reached) to the control facility 12 for activating at least one light function; [0104] triggering the camera 7 inside the module to record an image; [0105] emitting a signal for triggering the camera 13 outside the module to record an image; [0106] deactivating the heating of the see-through window [0107] triggering the camera 7 inside the module to receive a further image; [0108] emitting a signal for triggering the camera 13 outside the module to record a further image; [0109] etc.

[0110] At least two actions can be assigned to the same trigger value or different trigger values.

[0111] When the door is closed, corresponding actions can be triggered, including triggering the cameras 7, 13, switching off the camera 7 when a closed state of the door 5 is reached etc.

[0112] It is generally also possible to control the camera/sensor module 6 independently of the at least one inertial sensor 8 externally, e.g. by means of the control facility 12, e.g. in order to move the camera 7 inside the module into the standby state and/or to trigger the evaluation facility to be calibrated or reconfigured (e.g. to change, add or delete trigger values etc.).

[0113] FIG. 2 shows as a sectional representation in the side view a drawing of a possible implementation of the camera/sensor module 6. The camera sensor module 6 has a particularly tube-shaped housing 16, which has a housing opening 17 on the front side, which is covered by means of a particularly heatable transparent glass panel 18.

[0114] The camera 7 embodied as a camera module is accommodated in the housing 16, and has as components e.g. an image recording sensor 22 such as a CCD chip, camera electronics 23 for operating the image recording sensor 22, optics 25 arranged upstream of the image recording sensor 22 e.g. by way of a frame 24 etc.

[0115] The camera 7 can be inserted into the housing 16 through a rear-side insertion opening 19. The insertion opening 19 is closed by means of a printed circuit board (communications printed circuit board 20), which can then also be used as a cover. Here the communications printed circuit board 20 is located in the housing 16.

[0116] The communications printed circuit board 20, which is shown in an oblique view in FIG. 3, has an integrated sensor 8, 10, into which the inertial sensor 8 and the evaluation unit 10 are integrated, as well as the data communication facility 9 on a side pointing into the housing 16. On the other side facing away from the housing, the communications printed circuit board 20 can be equipped with further components such as a data interface 26 for connection with components outside the module.

[0117] On the side pointing into the housing 16, the communications printed circuit board 20 is further equipped with a plug connection element 21, which is connected to a suitable plug connection counter element 25 of the camera 7 by inserting the communications printed circuit board 20 into the housing 16. The plug connection counter element 25 of the camera 7 can have a number of contacts or pins, which are assigned fixedly predetermined signal levels in order to encode the camera 7. The camera 7 therefore has a hardware side code or encoding which is unique to the appliance.

[0118] In one possible variant, the plug connection element 21 and the plug connection counter element 25 are connected with one another by means of a simple insertion movement in relation to a plug connection 21, 25 when the communications printed circuit board 20 is inserted into the housing 16. In one variant, the plug connection 21, 25 is also used as a spacer between the communications printed circuit board 20 and the camera, in particular a base carrier 27 of the camera 7. In one variant, the camera 7 can be held in the housing 16 by means of the communications printed circuit board 20. In general, the camera 7, in particular its base carrier 27, and/or the communications printed circuit board 20 can be held in the housing 16 by means of a positive fit, form fit (e.g. locking) and/or material bonding (e.g. adhesive bonding). Alternatively or in addition, dedicated fastening means (top fig.), such as screws, clamps, pins etc. can be used to hold the camera 7, in particular its base carrier 27, and/or the communications printed circuit board 20 in or on the housing 16. The camera 7, in particular its base carrier 27, and/or the communications printed circuit board 20, can also be placed in a respective projection of the housing 16 which is molded around the inside thereof.

[0119] The present invention is naturally not restricted to the exemplary embodiment shown.

[0120] The communications printed circuit board 20 can therefore also be placed on a rear edge of the housing 16 and as a result likewise forms a cover for the housing 16.

[0121] In general, “one” etc. can be understood to mean a single or multiple, in particular in the context of “at least one” or “one or more” etc. provided this is not explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression “precisely one” etc.

[0122] A figure can also comprise precisely the specific number and also a typical tolerance range, provided this is not explicitly excluded.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0123] 1 Refrigerator [0124] 2 Refrigeration chamber [0125] 3 Loading opening [0126] 4 Axis of rotation [0127] 5 Door [0128] 6 Camera/sensor module [0129] 7 Camera [0130] 8 Inertial sensor [0131] 9 Data communication device [0132] 10 Evaluation facility [0133] 11 Housing [0134] 12 Control facility [0135] 13 Camera (outside the module) [0136] 14 Carcass [0137] 15 Monitor [0138] 16 Housing [0139] 17 Housing opening [0140] 18 Glass panel [0141] 19 Insertion opening [0142] 20 Communications printed circuit board [0143] 21 Plug connection element [0144] 22 Image recording sensor [0145] 23 Camera electronics [0146] 24 Frame [0147] 25 Optics [0148] 26 Data interface [0149] 27 Base carrier