# US 12,181,211 B2 · Home appliance and refrigerator

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- Number: US 12,181,211 B2
- Document ID: US12181211B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/388,406
- Filed: 2023-11-09
- Published: 2024-03-07
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2021-10-29
- Assignees: LG Electronics Inc.
- Applicants: LG Electronics Inc.
- Inventors: Yoonjung Hong; Heekyung Kang; Yongbeom Ma; Kunwoo Lee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181211B2

## CPC

- F25D 27/005: {combined with control means}
- F21V 23/0435: {activated by remote control means}
- F21V 23/0464: {the sensor sensing the level of ambient illumination, e.g. dawn or dusk sensors}
- F21V 23/0471: {the sensor detecting the proximity, the presence or the movement of an object or a person}
- F25D 23/028: {Details}
- F25D 2327/001: Lighting arrangements on the external side of the refrigerator, freezer or cooling box
- F25D 2700/04: Sensors detecting the presence of a person
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)
- F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A home appliance includes a cabinet having a space, a door configured to open and close the space and including a light source, an illuminance sensor provided in the cabinet or the door and configured to detect illuminance, a user detection sensor provided in the cabinet or the door and configured to detect user proximity, and a controller configured to control the light source based on information detected by the user detection sensor, wherein, when a user is detected to approach the home appliance within a reference distance by the user detection sensor, the controller controls the light source of the door to be changed from a first state to a second state, and the reference distance is changeable based on one or more of an illuminance and current time detected by the illuminance sensor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An appliance comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage space;
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage space, the door including a light source;
a user detection sensor disposed at the cabinet or the door and configured to detect a proximity of a user from the appliance; and
a controller configured to control the light source of the door,
wherein the controller is configured to:
receive a reference distance that is set or changed via (i) a manipulator of the appliance or (ii) a remote device, and
control the light source of the door to change from a first state to a second state based on the user detection sensor detecting the user within the reference distance, and
wherein the controller is configured to set the reference distance to be changeable based on a current time.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the manipulator or the remote device is configured to provide a preset range of a changeable reference distance to thereby enable a selection of the reference distance within the preset range.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:
based on the current time corresponding to a first time range, set a first reference distance as the reference distance; and
based on the current time corresponding to a second time range, set a second reference distance as the reference distance, the second reference distance being different from the first reference distance.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to, based on (i) the light source of the door being changed from the first state to the second state and (ii) the user detection sensor no longer detecting the user within the reference distance from the appliance, control the light source of the door to return to the first state.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the first state is an off-state of the light source, and the second state is an on-state of the light source.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to:
based on operating in the first state, emit light in a first color; and
based on operating in the second state, emit light in a second color different from the first color.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to:
based on operating in the first state, emit light with a first brightness; and
based on operating in the second state, emit light with a second brightness different from the first brightness.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the light source includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), and
wherein the controller is configured to:
based on operating the light source in the first state, turn on a first number of LEDs among the plurality of LEDs; and
based on operating the light source in the second state, turn on a second number of LEDs among the plurality of LEDs.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the door is one of a plurality of doors, each of the plurality of doors including a light source, and
wherein the controller is configured to, based on the user detection sensor detecting the user within the reference distance from the appliance, control the light source of each of the plurality of doors to change from the first state to the second state.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The appliance of claim 1, wherein the door is one of a plurality of doors, each of the plurality of doors including a light source, and
wherein the controller is configured to, based on the user detection sensor detecting the user within the reference distance from the appliance, control the light source of at least one of the plurality of doors to change from the first state to the second state.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The appliance of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to, based on (i) the light source of the at least one of the plurality of doors being changed from the first state to the second state and (ii) the user detection sensor detecting the user within a second reference distance from the appliance, control the light source of another door of the plurality of doors to change from the first state to the second state, the second reference distance being less than the reference distance.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The appliance of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to, based on (i) the light source of each of the plurality of doors being changed from the first state to the second state and (ii) the user detection sensor no longer detecting the user within the reference distance from the appliance, control the light source of each of the plurality of doors to return to the first state.

### Claim 13

An appliance comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage space;
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage space, the door including a light source;
an illuminance sensor disposed at the cabinet or the door and configured to detect an illuminance around the appliance;
a user detection sensor disposed at the cabinet or the door and configured to detect a proximity of a user from the appliance; and
a controller configured to control the light source of the door to change from a first state to a second state based on the user detection sensor detecting the user within a reference distance, and
wherein the controller is configured to:
based on an illuminance value detected by the illuminance sensor being greater than or equal to a reference illuminance value, set a first reference distance as the reference distance; and
based on the illuminance value detected by the illuminance sensor being less than the reference illuminance value, set a second reference distance as the reference distance, the second reference distance being greater than the first reference distance.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The appliance of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to receive the reference illuminance value that is set via a manipulator of the appliance or set via a remote device, and
wherein the appliance further comprises a non-transitory memory configured to store the reference illuminance value.

### Claim 15

An appliance comprising:
a cabinet that defines a storage space;
a door configured to open and close at least a portion of the storage space, the door including a light source;
an illuminance sensor disposed at the cabinet or the door and configured to detect an illuminance around the appliance;
a user detection sensor disposed at the cabinet or the door and configured to detect a proximity of a user from the appliance; and
a controller configured to control the light source of the door to change from a first state to a second state based on the user detection sensor detecting the user within a reference distance,
wherein the controller is configured to:
based on a current time and an illuminance value detected by the illuminance sensor, determine an operation mode of the appliance, wherein the operation mode of the appliance includes a first operation mode, a second operation mode, and a third operation mode,
based on (i) the current time corresponding to a first time range and (ii) the illuminance value corresponding to a first illuminance range, set the operation mode of the appliance to the first operation mode, and
based on (i) the current time corresponding to a second time range and (ii) the illuminance value corresponding to the first illuminance range, set the operation mode of the appliance to the third operation mode of the appliance.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The appliance of claim 15, wherein the operation mode of the appliance further includes a fourth operation mode,
wherein the controller is configured to:
based on (i) the current time corresponding to the first time range and (ii) the illuminance value corresponding to a second illuminance range, set the operation mode of the appliance to the second operation mode, and
based on (i) the current time corresponding to the second time range and (ii) the illuminance value corresponding to the second illuminance range, set the operation mode of the appliance to the fourth operation mode of the appliance.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The appliance of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to:
based on setting the first operation mode, control the light source to emit light with a first brightness value; and
based on setting the second operation mode, control the light source to emit light with a second brightness value that is less than the first brightness value, and
wherein an illuminance value in the second illuminance range is less than an illuminance value in the first illuminance range.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The appliance of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to:
based on setting the third operation mode, control the light source to emit light with a third brightness value that is less than or equal to the first brightness value; and
based on setting the fourth operation mode, control the light source to emit light with a fourth brightness value that is less than the second brightness value and the third brightness value.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The appliance of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to:
based on setting the first operation mode, turn on a first number of light emitting diodes (LEDs) of the light source; and
based on setting the second operation mode, turn on a second number of LEDs of the light source, the second number being less than the first number.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The appliance of claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to:
based on setting the third operation mode, turn on a third number of LEDs of the light source, the third number being less than or equal to the first number; and
based on setting the fourth operation mode, turn on a fourth number of LEDs of the light source, the fourth number being less than the second number and the third number.