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US 12,571,578 B2Granted
Refrigerator with automatic door and method for controlling automatic door of refrigerator
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsHyunbum Kim, Seungyoon Cho
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator includes: a door rotatably coupled to a main body and opening and closing a storage container defined in the main body, a door driver disposed at an upper portion of the main body and, based on the door being pressed, opening the door, a sensor comprising a magnetic field sensor and a magnet and detecting an open or closed state of the door and measuring a pressed amount of the door based on to a change in a distance between the magnetic field sensor and the magnet, and a controller controlling the door driver and determining whether the door is to be opened based on to the pressed amount of the door.
Claims10
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 to 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 to the pressed amount of the door,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- select, as a threshold value, an output voltage of the magnetic field sensor based on the door being closed,
- select an operation determination value of the door according to the threshold value,
- control the door driver to open the door open based on a state being maintained for a first preset time, and
- determine, based on the state not being maintained for the first preset time, whether the door is to be opened, and
- wherein a difference between the output voltage of the magnetic field sensor and the threshold value is equal to or greater than the operation determination value in the state,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- based on a determination that the difference between the output voltage of the magnetic field sensor and the threshold value is less than the operation determination value, determine whether to save the threshold value,
- based on the difference between the output voltages of the magnetic field sensor after determining whether to save the threshold value being equal to or less than a preset voltage value for a preset time, save the threshold value.
12 more elements
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 to 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 to the pressed amount of the door,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- select, as a threshold value, an output voltage of the magnetic field sensor based on the door being closed,
- select an operation determination value of the door according to the threshold value,
- control the door driver to open the door open based on a state being maintained for a first preset time, and
- determine, based on the state not being maintained for the first preset time, whether the door is to be opened, and
- wherein a difference between the output voltage of the magnetic field sensor and the threshold value is equal to or greater than the operation determination value in the state,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- 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 between the output voltage of the magnetic field sensor when the door is pressed and the threshold value being equal to or greater than the operation determination value, control the door driver to open the door, and
- based on the difference between the output voltage of the magnetic field sensor when the door is pressed and the threshold value being less than the operation determination value, determine whether the door is opened or closed.
13 more elements
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 to 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 to the pressed amount of the door,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- select, as a threshold value, an output voltage of the magnetic field sensor based on the door being closed,
- select an operation determination value of the door according to the threshold value,
- control the door driver to open the door open based on a state being maintained for a first preset time, and
- determine, based on the state not being maintained for the first preset time, whether the door is to be opened, and
- wherein a difference between the output voltage of the magnetic field sensor and the threshold value is equal to or greater than the operation determination value in the state,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- compare the output voltage of the magnetic field sensor with a preset voltage value to determine whether the door is opened or closed,
- based on the output voltage being equal to or greater than the preset voltage value, determine that the door is closed, and
- based on the output voltage being less than the preset voltage value, determine that the door is opened.
13 more elements
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 to 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 to the pressed amount of the door,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- select, as a threshold value, an output voltage of the magnetic field sensor based on the door being closed,
- select an operation determination value of the door according to the threshold value,
- control the door driver to open the door open based on a state being maintained for a first preset time, and
- determine, based on the state not being maintained for the first preset time, whether the door is to be opened, and
- wherein a difference between the output voltage of the magnetic field sensor and the threshold value is equal to or greater than the operation determination value in the state,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- based on a determination that the door is closed, compare a variation of an output voltage measured every preset time with a preset convergence determination voltage value,
- based on the variation of the output voltage being equal to or less than the convergence determination voltage value, determine that the output voltage converges, and
- select the converged output voltage as the threshold value.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.