Abstract:
A refrigerator is provided which includes a cabinet. A first compartment and second compartment are disposed within the cabinet. A first door provides access to the first compartment and a second door provides access to the second compartment. A beverage dispensing system is operatively connected to the cabinet. A machine vision system associated with the beverage dispensing system. The machine vision system has an imaging device.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/915,139, filed on Oct. 29, 2010, entitled “BEVERAGE DISPENSING SYSTEM WITH MACHINE VISION,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to beverage dispensing. More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a beverage dispensing system having machine vision for use in adjusting or controlling beverage dispensing parameters. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Consumers that desire a certain beverage are required to purchase, store, retrieve, or prepare the beverage to meet their taste. For example, pre-packaged beverages (such as beverages packaged in cans or bottles) may create storage space issues and issues with transportation. Where beverages are prepared by the consumer, there is the attendant inconvenience of preparing the beverage. In recent years, consumers are turning to single serve pods/cartridges to deliver their hot or even cold beverages through countertop or water cooler based systems. These pods typically may contain a powder, concentrate, or grounds that mix with a fluid to create the beverage. There are examples of current countertop systems that detect the type of pod and configure the system accordingly. However, the use of such systems may limit the ability of a consumer to prepare beverages which match their taste. Even where such systems allow a consumer to adjust parameters affecting taste, doing so may be inconvenient and where multiple users are using the same beverage dispensing system may require each user to modify settings before each use. What is needed is a beverage dispensing system which assists users in preparing beverages according to their individual tastes in a way that is convenient to the users. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to improve over the state of the art. 
     It is another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide a beverage dispensing system which is convenient to use. 
     Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a beverage dispensing system which provides customized settings to match specific consumer needs. 
     Yet another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for tracking beverage usage. 
     A still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for associating users with their user preferences. 
     Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for recognizing users. 
     Yet another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for recognizing containers. 
     A still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for predicting beverage settings based on user, container, time, or other information. 
     Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide for associating restrictions on beverage dispensement based on the user or other parameters. 
     One or more of these and/or other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims that follow. No single embodiment need exhibit all of these objects, features, or advantages. The present invention is not to be limited to or by these objects, features, or advantages. 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, a fresh food compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a freezer compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, and a beverage dispensing system operatively connected to the refrigerator cabinet and configured to dispense beverages. The refrigerator also includes an imaging device associated with the beverage dispensing system and an intelligent control associated with the beverage dispensing system and operatively connected to the imaging device. The intelligent control may be configured to determine an identity of a user of the beverage dispensing system based upon image information acquired with the imaging device. The beverage dispensing system may be configured to adjust beverage parameters based on the identity of the user. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention a method of dispensing a beverage is provided. The method includes providing a refrigerator having a refrigerator cabinet, a fresh food compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a freezer compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a beverage dispensing system operatively connected to the refrigerator cabinet and configured to dispense beverages, an imaging device associated with the beverage dispensing system, and an intelligent control associated with the beverage dispensing system and operatively connected to the imaging device. The method further includes acquiring image information using the imaging device and determining a beverage dispensing system setting using the image information. The image information may include image information associated with a person and/or image information associated with a container. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of dispensing a beverage is provided. The method includes providing a refrigerator having a refrigerator cabinet, a fresh food compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a freezer compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a beverage dispensing system operatively connected to the refrigerator cabinet and configured to dispense beverages, a sensing device associated with the beverage dispensing system, and an intelligent control associated with the beverage dispensing system and operatively connected to the sensing device. The method further includes acquiring container information using the sensing device and determining a beverage dispensing system setting using the container information. The sensing device may be an imaging device or may be an RFID reader or other type of device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a beverage dispensing system and image sensor, in this instance the beverage dispensing system and image sensor are integrated within a refrigerator. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram representation of a user recognition system for a beverage dispensing system. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a flow diagram representation of the various input parameters for a beverage dispensing system settings. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a refrigerator  10  having a fresh food compartment  14  and a freezer compartment  12 . The fresh food compartment  14  has a door  18  and the freezer compartment  12  has a door  16 . The refrigerator  10  includes a beverage dispensing system  22  which is shown in the door  16 . The refrigerator  10  also includes an image sensor  24  which is shown in the door  16  and above the beverage dispensing system  22 , although the image sensor may be otherwise positioned. The image sensor  24  is used to assist in acquiring images for use in user recognition, image recognition or other functions. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the refrigerator  10  is shown in a side-by-side configuration. Of course, the refrigerator  10  may take on other configurations as well, such as a bottom mount freezer configuration. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram representation of a beverage dispensing system  22 . The beverage dispensing system  22  may include beverage dispenser components  23 . The beverage dispenser components  23  may include actuators, valves, pumps and nozzles to allow the chosen beverage (colas, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch, hot chocolate, hot tea, coffee, milk, water, hot water, etc) to dispense into a consumer&#39;s chosen container (cup, glass, mug, etc). The beverage dispensing system  22  may also dispense ice cubes and or crushed ices. 
     Another component of the beverage dispensing system  22  is an image sensor  24  which is shown in the door  16  and above the beverage dispensing system  22  (refer to  FIG. 1 ). The image sensor may be a device that converts an optical image to an electric signal. The image sensor  24  may be a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) active-pixel sensor, or other type of image sensor or camera. 
     Another component of the beverage dispensing system  22  is a display  26 . The display  26  may display images or symbols which represent the state of the refrigerator, such as fresh food temperature, freezer temperature, beverage dispenser functions and recognition of the present user. The display  26  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electro luminescent device (OLED), a quantum-dot-based LED (QDLED), a interferometric modulator display (iMoD), surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), or a field emission display (FED). Of course, the image display  26  may use other display technology as well. The display  26  may also be a touch screen. 
     Another component of the beverage dispensing system  22  are user controls  28 . The user controls  28  may include controls such as buttons, touch screen display inputs, sliders or switches, which enable a user to select a preferred dispensing operation or selected other settings. 
     Another component of the beverage dispensing system  22  is a memory/storage device  34 . The memory/storage  34  device may be used to store individual user information and beverage usage patterns. The beverage usage patterns may be daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or for any other period of time. The memory/storage  34  device may be a magnetic memory or a form of semiconductor storage. Of course, the memory/storage device  34  may use other technology as well. 
     Another component of the beverage dispensing system  22  is reader I detector  25 . The reader I detector  25  may be a radio-frequency identification (RFID) system. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag may be affixed to the user&#39;s beverage container or a microchip may be embedded within the user&#39;s beverage container for the purpose of identifying a particular beverage container. As will be discussed later herein the beverage container may be associated with a particular user or type of beverage. 
     Another component of the beverage dispensing system  22  is an image processing component  32 . The image processing component  32  resides within the intelligent controller  30  and processes the electrical signal from the image sensor  24 . The image processing component  32  may be implemented in hardware or software or a combination thereof. Where the image processing component  32  is implemented in hardware a dedicated chipset may be used. 
     Another component of the beverage dispensing system  22  is an intelligent control  30 . The intelligent control  30  may function as a main controller. The intelligent control  30  sets the states and controls various refrigerator  10  functions based on those states, including states associated with the fresh food compartment  14 , freezer compartment  12 , and beverage dispenser components  23 . The intelligent control  30  may be a microcontroller, microprocessor, or other type of intelligent control. The intelligent control  30  is electrically connected to the beverage dispenser components  23 , and the image sensor  24 , the display  26 , the user controls  28 , the reader/detector  25  and the memory/storage device  34 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a flow diagram of the various input parameters for the beverage dispensing settings  34  to provide a safe and optimized user experience of the beverage dispenser system  22 . The image database  38  which is read and written to the memory/storage  34  contains a container image file and user image file. Each of the image files are obtained via the image sensor  24  and processed within the intelligent control  30  via the image processing component  32 . The preference database  40  which may be read and written to the memory/storage  34  contains user preferences, user usage patterns (hourly, daily, monthly, etc.), nutritional information for each beverage and user restrictions. The user interface  36  contains user controls such as buttons and/or a touch screen. 
     A user may setup a configuration to associate their image, a plurality of container images and a plurality of preferences via the user controls  28 . The intelligent control  30  may display user preference queries via the display  26  for the user to respond to. The intelligent control  30  may request the user to enter their name, any restrictions and any beverage preferences which are time dependent, such as coffee in the morning. The intelligent control  30  may request the user to stand still for their image and/or any preferred containers image to be acquired by the image sensor  24 . Alternatively, to aid in the setup, the beverage dispensing system  22  may monitor and record use over a period of time. The data from that monitoring process may be used to assist in setting up preferences. The preferences may be parental overrides and child restrictions. Also, the preferences may be patterns of usage such as, coffee or orange juice in the morning. The beverage dispensing system  22  may identify patterns of usage such as, coffee or orange juice in the morning. 
     Example 1 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may de-activate the hot water from dispensing when children are using the beverage dispenser components  23 . Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  provides a safe and optimized usage experience of the beverage dispenser components  23  which may prevent a child from being burned or scalded by the hot water. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the user and determine that the user is a child. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the user with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that the user is a child. 
     Example 2 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may programmed to prevent children from drinking too much of a specific type of beverage. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  may limit a child to four caffeinated drinks per day, or no more than one caffeinated drink per hour. Additionally the beverage dispensing system may not allow the child to have caffeinated beverages after a certain hour. The beverage dispensing system  22  may then prevent a child from over indulging in a beverage which may cause them to become over caffeinated and they are therefore provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the user and determine that the user is a child. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the user with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that the user is a child. 
     Example 3 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may prepare a given drink that the consumer uses on a regular basis. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  may provide coffee or juice in the morning, cola throughout the day. The user places their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and receives their preferred beverage without the need to make any decisions and they are therefore provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the user and determine the identity of that the user. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the user with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that specific user. 
     Example 4 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may recognize a type of container, such as a mug or a specific glass. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  may recommend via the user interface a beverage that matches the container type or automatically dispense a beverage that matched the container type. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the container and determine the type of container. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the container with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that specific container type. The user may then place their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and receive their preferred beverage and they are therefore provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. 
     Example 5 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may display branded logos. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  may utilize brandable logos for the user to make their beverage dispensing decisions. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the user and determine the users preferred beverages and then display a plurality of branded logos. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the user with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that user. The user may then place their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and receive their chosen beverage and they are therefore provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. 
     Example 6 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may display the status of the beverage dispensing system  22 . Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  gives the user important information graphically, iconically and/or textually to the real-time operation of the system via the display  26 . The information may include the plurality of beverage dispenser components  23 , the image sensor  24 , the reader/detector  25 , etc. Also, the beverage dispensing system  22  may presently be brewing a beverage, or carbonating a beverage, etc. As these processes occur internally they are not visible to the user, the beverage dispensing system  22  may inform to its state via the display  26 . The beverage dispensing system  22  may also notify the user of the need to replace a beverage which is now empty or its expiration date has expired. To do so, the intelligent control  30  may query and acquire the status of the various beverage dispenser components  23 , the image sensor, the display  26 , the user controls  28  the memory/storage  34 , the reader/detector  25  and the image processing component  32 . One way of doing so is to compare the existing status of the various beverage dispenser components  23 , the image sensor, the display  26 , the user controls  28  the memory/storage  34 , the reader/detector  25  or the image processing component  32  with the present status of the various beverage dispenser components  23 , the image sensor, the user controls  28  the memory/storage  34 , the reader/detector  25  and the image processing component  32  within a database to determine a change and to then to indicate that to the user via the display  26 . 
     Example 7 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may also display drink information for each user for a given period of time. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  gives the user important information such as nutritional or the total volume consumed for each beverage which they may use to adjust their consumption rates. The information may also be used to evaluate costs associated with each beverage over time. 
     Example 8 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may detect a user&#39;s container utilizing RFID tags. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  recognizes the user based upon the container. To do so, the RFID reader/detector  25  may acquire the identifying information of the container from the RFID tag affixed to the container. One way of doing so is to compare the identifying information located in the RFID tag of the container with identifying information within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the identifying information indicating that the user. The system may associate a specific beverage based on the container. The system may also associate the container to a specific user and their beverage preferences. The user then places their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and is then provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. 
     Example 9 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may detect a user&#39;s container utilizing direct contact data communication via a microchip within the container, or other means. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  recognizes the user based upon the container. To do so, the RFID reader/detector  25  may acquire the identifying information of the container from the microchip embedded within the container. One way of doing so is to compare the identifying information located in the microchip of the container with identifying information within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the identifying information indicating the user. The system may associate a specific beverage based on the container. The system may also associate the container to a specific user and their beverage preferences. The user then places their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and is then provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. 
     Example 10 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  recognizes the container and not the user. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  recognizes the container visually as opposed to utilizing a RFID tag affixed to the container or a microchip embedded into the container. The system may associate a specific beverage based on the container. The system may also associate the container to a specific user and their beverage preferences. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  may recommend via the user interface a beverage that matches the container type. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the container and determine the type of container. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the container with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that specific container type. The user may then place their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and receive their preferred beverage and they are therefore provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. The user then places their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and is then provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. 
     Example 11 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may limit caloric intake of the user for a given period of time. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  prevents the user from dispensing any beverage once a caloric limit has been reached for the given period of time. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the container and/or the user and determine the type of container and/or the user. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the container and/or the user with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that specific container type and/or the user. The beverage dispensing system  22  may query the user regarding limiting caloric intake or the user may initiate limiting caloric intake via the user interface  36 . The user may limit their caloric intake to 1000 calories a day or any other caloric value or time period. The user may then place their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and receive their preferred beverage and they are therefore provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. 
     Example 12 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may limit drink selections of the user. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  prevents the user from dispensing certain beverages, such as sugary or caffeinated beverages, etc. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the container and/or the user and determine the type of container and/or the user. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the container and/or the user with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that specific container type and/or the user. The beverage dispensing system  22  may query the user regarding limiting caloric intake or the user may initiate limiting caloric intake via the user interface  36 . The user may limit their caloric intake to 1000 calories a day or any other caloric value or time period. The user may then place their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and receive their preferred beverage and they are therefore provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. 
     Example 13 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may inform the user of their beverage usage. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  informs the user of their beverage usage via the display  26  for monitoring dietary intake. The information may include total beverages, total volume and total calories for a day, a week, a month or any length of time. The beverage dispensing system  22  may query the user regarding displaying the information or the information may be displayed as a normal operating function of the beverage dispensing system  22 . To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the user and determine the user. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the user with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating the user and then displaying the beverage usage. 
     Example 14 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  may inform the user of their beverage usage. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  informs the user of their beverage usage via the display  26  to assist with inventory management. The information may include total beverage usage for a day, a week, a month or any length of time. The beverage dispensing system  22  may query the user regarding displaying the information or the information may be displayed as a normal operating function of the beverage dispensing system  22 . To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the user and determine the user. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the user with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating the user and then displaying the beverage inventory levels. 
     Example 15 
     The beverage dispensing system  22  recognizes indicia on the container. Thus in this example, the beverage dispensing system  22  may recommend via the user interface a beverage that matches the container indicia or automatically dispense a beverage that matched the container indicia. To do so, the image sensor  24  may acquire an image of the container indicia and determine the indicia on the container. One way of doing so is to compare an image of the container indicia with images within a database to determine a match and to then access data associated within the image indicating that specific container indicia. The user may then place their beverage container into the beverage dispenser components  23  and receive their preferred beverage and they are therefore provided a safe and optimized beverage dispensing usage experience. 
     The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is not to be limited to any specific embodiment described herein.