US 11,692,767 B2Granted

Refrigerator appliance and methods of user identification

AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

InventorsMichael Goodman Schroeder, Sarah Virginia Morris

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, a door, a camera module, and a controller. The camera module may be mounted to the cabinet. The controller may be operably coupled to the camera module. The controller may be configured to initiate an operation routine. The operation routine may include initiating an image capture sequence at the camera module. The image capture sequence may include a two-dimensional image captured at the camera module. The operation routine may further include determining an appendage-occupied region within the two-dimensional image and analyzing the appendage-occupied region in response to determining the appendage-occupied region. The operation routine may still further include assigning a confidence score to a user profile stored in the controller based on analyzing the appendage-occupied region, comparing the assigned confidence score to a threshold score, and recording metadata regarding the two-dimensional image based on comparing the assigned confidence score.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A refrigerator appliance comprising:

a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
a door being rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber;
a camera module mounted to the cabinet;
and
a controller operably coupled to the camera module, the controller being configured to initiate an operation routine comprising
initiating an image capture sequence at the camera module, the image capture sequence comprising a first two-dimensional image captured at the camera module and a second two-dimensional image captured at the camera module subsequent to the first image,
determining an appendage-occupied region within the first two-dimensional image,
analyzing the appendage-occupied region in response to determining the appendage-occupied region,
assigning a confidence score to a user profile stored in the controller based on analyzing the appendage-occupied region,
comparing the assigned confidence score to a threshold score,
recording metadata regarding the first two-dimensional image based on comparing the assigned confidence score,
determining an appendage-occupied region within the second two-dimensional image, and
analyzing the appendage-occupied region within the second region in response to determining the appendage-occupied region within the second two-dimensional image;
wherein assigning the confidence score comprises
determining a first temporal probability score of the user profile according to the first two-dimensional image,
determining a second temporal probability score of the user profile according to the second two-dimensional image, and
calculating the confidence score based on the first temporal probability score and the second temporal probability score.

14 more elements

A method of operating a refrigerator appliance comprising a camera module mounted within a cabinet at a chilled chamber, the method comprising:

initiating an image capture sequence at the camera module, the image capture sequence comprising a first two-dimensional image captured at the camera module and a second two-dimensional image captured at the camera module subsequent to the first image;
determining an appendage-occupied region within the first two-dimensional image;
analyzing the appendage-occupied region in response to determining the appendage-occupied region;
assigning a confidence score to a user profile stored in a controller based on analyzing the appendage-occupied region;
comparing the assigned confidence score to a threshold score;
recording metadata regarding the first two-dimensional image based on comparing the assigned confidence score;
determining an appendage-occupied region within the second two-dimensional image, and
analyzing the appendage-occupied region within the second region in response to determining the appendage-occupied region within the second two-dimensional image;
wherein assigning the confidence score comprises
determining a first temporal probability score of the user profile according to the first two-dimensional image,
determining a second temporal probability score of the user profile according to the second two-dimensional image, and
calculating the confidence score based on the first temporal probability score and the second temporal probability score.

9 more elements

A method of operating a refrigerator appliance comprising a camera module mounted within a cabinet at a chilled chamber, the method comprising:

initiating an image capture sequence at the camera module, the image capture sequence comprising a first two-dimensional image captured at the camera module and a second two-dimensional image captured at the camera module subsequent to the first image;
determining an appendage-occupied region within the first two-dimensional image;
analyzing the appendage-occupied region in response to determining the appendage-occupied region;
assigning a discrete confidence score to each user profile of a plurality of user profiles based on analyzing the appendage-occupied region, the plurality of user profiles comprising a first user profile;
comparing each discrete assigned confidence score;
recording metadata regarding the first two-dimensional image based on comparing each discrete assigned confidence score;
determining an appendage-occupied region within the second two-dimensional image, and
analyzing the appendage-occupied region within the second region in response to determining the appendage-occupied region within the second two-dimensional image;
wherein assigning each discrete confidence score comprises
determining a first temporal probability score of the first user profile according to the first two-dimensional image,
determining a second temporal probability score of the first user profile according to the second two-dimensional image, and
calculating a first confidence score based on the first temporal probability score and the second temporal probability score.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/064,778Filed 7 Oct 2020
Published: US 2022/0107131 A17 Apr 2022
Granted: 4 Jul 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

F25D 29/00
Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
G06V 10/25
Image preprocessing: determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI]
G06V 20/52
Context or environment of the image: surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects
G06V 40/107
Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands: static hand or arm