Refrigerators having internal content cameras, and methods of operating the same

A refrigerator comprising:

• a cabinet;
• an internal compartment disposed within the cabinet;
• a door operatively coupled to the cabinet by a door hinge and providing selective access to the internal compartment;
• a camera operatively coupled with the door and positioned to capture images of different portions of the internal compartment;
• a plurality of light sources disposed in the internal compartment and adjustable to provide different illuminations within the internal compartment;
• and
• a controller disposed in the cabinet and communicatively coupled with the cameras and light sources through the door hinge.

A refrigerator comprising:

• a cabinet;
• an internal compartment disposed within the cabinet;
• a door operatively coupled to the cabinet by a door hinge and providing selective access to the internal compartment;
• a camera operatively coupled with the door and positioned to capture images of different portions of the internal compartment;
• a plurality of light sources disposed in the internal compartment and adjustable to provide different illuminations within the internal compartment;
• and
• a controller disposed in the cabinet and communicatively coupled with the cameras and light sources through the door hinge, the controller configured to capture the images after a door closure event is detected;
• an appliance control unit disposed in said refrigerator and configured to store the captured images.