Refrigerator with automatic door and method for controlling automatic door of refrigerator
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsHyunbum Kim, Seungyoon Cho
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A refrigerator includes: a sensor comprising a magnetic field sensor and a magnet and configured to detect an open or closed state of a door and measure a pressed amount of the door based on a change in a distance between the magnetic field sensor and the magnet, and a controller configured to control the door driver and determine whether the door is to be opened based on the pressed amount of the door.
Claims20
A refrigerator comprising:
- a main body including an inner case defining a storage container, an outer case surrounding the inner case, and an insulator disposed between the inner case and the outer case;
- a door rotatably coupled to the main body and configured to open and close the storage container;
- a door driver disposed at an upper portion of the main body and configured to, based on the door being pressed, open the door;
- a sensor comprising a magnetic field sensor and a magnet and configured to detect an open or closed state of the door and measure a pressed amount of the door based on a change in a distance between the magnetic field sensor and the magnet;
- and
- a controller configured to control the door driver and determine whether the door is to be opened based on the pressed amount of the door,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- based on the door being closed, determine whether the door is to be opened,
- based on the door being closed, select an output voltage of the magnetic field sensor as a threshold value,
- select an operation determination value of the door according to the threshold value,
- determine whether the door is to be opened by comparing (i) a difference between an output voltage of the magnetic field sensor when the door is pressed and the threshold value with (ii) the operation determination value,
- based on the difference being less than the operation determination value and in response to a first lapse of a preset time, save the threshold value, and
- based on a second lapse of the preset time after saving the threshold value, update the threshold value.
A method for controlling a refrigerator that comprises a main body having a storage container therein, a door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the storage container, and a door driver configured to, based on the door being pressed, automatically open the door, the method comprising:
- periodically measuring an output voltage of a magnetic field sensor every preset time, the magnetic field sensor being configured to detect a magnetic flux density according to a change in a distance between the magnetic field sensor and a magnet;
- determining whether the door is opened or closed by comparing the output voltage with a preset voltage value;
- selecting an output voltage at a time at which it is determined that the door is closed, as a threshold value;
- selecting an operation determination value of the door according to the threshold value;
- determining whether the door is to be open by comparing a difference between an output voltage when the door is pressed and the threshold value with the operation determination value;
- and
- controlling the door driver to open the door based on the difference between the output voltage when the door is pressed and the threshold value being greater than or equal to the operation determination value, while performing a determination on whether to save the threshold value based on the difference between the output voltage when the door is pressed and the threshold value being less than the operation determination value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.