Refrigerator and method for operating a refrigerator
AssigneeBSH Hausgeraete GmbH
InventorsLi Du, Jing Hong, Yu Xia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator includes a receiving chamber and a drawer movably received in the receiving chamber. The drawer is at a first location when it is closed. The refrigerator further includes a first sensor that is fixed to the drawer or a wall of the receiving chamber. The first sensor is configured to detect when the drawer reaches a second location. The first and second locations are spaced apart by a spacing distance.
Claims21
A refrigerator, comprising:
- a refrigerator body formed with a receiving chamber;
- a drawer movably received in said receiving chamber, said drawer being at a first location when said drawer is closed and being movable to a second location that is spaced from the first location;
- a first sensor mounted to move with said drawer or being fixed to a wall of said receiving chamber, said first sensor configured to detect whether the drawer reaches the second location that is spaced from the first location;
- a second sensor configured to detect whether said drawer is at the first location;
- a trigger cooperating with said first sensor and said second sensor;
- a control unit determining, based on feedback of said first sensor and said second sensor, a direction in which the drawer is being moved to the second location;
- and
- a power-consuming function component associated with said drawer;
- said control unit configured to control said power-consuming function component based on a detection result of said first sensor;
- wherein after receiving, from the second sensor, a signal indicating that the drawer leaves the first location, when receiving, from said first sensor for an even number of times, a signal indicating that said drawer reaches the second location, said control unit determines that said drawer is moved to the second location along a direction in which said drawer is closed;
- wherein the second location is located between the first location and a third location, and the drawer is in a maximum open state at the third location.
A method for operating a refrigerator, the method comprising:
- providing the refrigerator with a receiving chamber, a drawer movably received in the receiving chamber, a first sensor mounted to move with the drawer or being fixed to a wall of the receiving chamber, and a second sensor configured to detect whether the drawer is at the first location, the drawer being at a first location when the drawer is closed and being movable to a second location that is spaced from the first location, the first sensor configured to detect whether the drawer reaches the second location that is spaced from the first location;
- providing the refrigerator with a video recorder disposed above the drawer;
- the method comprising:
- detecting, with the first sensor, whether the drawer leaving the first location reaches a second location that is spaced apart from the first location;
- and
- causing, with a control unit based on a detection result of the first sensor, the video recorder to record a video of an interior of the drawer.
A method for operating a refrigerator, the refrigerator having a receiving chamber, a drawer that may be pushed into or pulled out of the receiving chamber, an illuminator for illuminating an interior of the drawer when the drawer is opened, and a first sensor mounted for movement with the drawer or affixed to a wall of the receiving chamber, and wherein the drawer is closed at a first location, the method comprising:
- detecting, with the first sensor, whether the drawer leaving the first location reaches a second location that is spaced apart from the first location;
- and
- using a control unit for controlling the illuminator based on a detection result of the first sensor.
A method for operating a refrigerator, the refrigerator including a refrigerator body formed with a receiving chamber, a drawer movably received in the receiving chamber, the drawer being at a first location when the drawer is closed and being movable to a second location that is spaced from the first location, a first sensor mounted to move with the drawer or being fixed to a wall of the receiving chamber, the first sensor configured to detect whether the drawer reaches the second location that is spaced from the first location, a second sensor configured to detect whether the drawer is at the first location, a trigger cooperating with the first sensor and the second sensor, and a control unit, the method which comprises:
- determining, with the control unit, a direction in which the drawer is being moved to the second location based on feedback of the first sensor and the second sensor;
- controlling, with the control unit, a power-consuming function component, which is associated with the drawer, based on a detection result of the first sensor;
- wherein after receiving, from the second sensor, a signal indicating that the drawer leaves the first location, when receiving, from the first sensor for an even number of times, a signal indicating that the drawer reaches the second location, the control unit determining that the drawer is moved to the second location along a direction in which the drawer is closed;
- wherein the second location is located between the first location and a third location, and the drawer is in a maximum open state at the third location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.