Refrigeration device comprising a door-opening aid
AssigneeBSH Hausgeräte GmbH
InventorsHans Gerd Keller, Arnd Krusche, Heinrich Müller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigeration device is provided that includes two housing parts in the form of a body and a door that together delimit an interior. A seal is fastened to one of the housing parts and sealingly contacts the other housing part when the door is closed and a drive element is arranged to drive the door from the closed position into an open position. A sensor detects a movement of the door and a control circuit coupled to the sensor activates the drive element when a movement of the door is detected.
Claims14
A refrigeration device comprising:
- a carcass;
- a door, the carcass and the door together delimiting an interior;
- a seal, the seal being attached to one of the carcass and the door, and the seal, in a closed position of the door, engaging the other of the carcass and the door to provide a sealing function between the carcass and the door;
- a drive element operable to drive the door out of the closed position into an opened position;
- a pressure sensor configured to sense a movement of the door by sensing a change in pressure in the interior while the seal is sealed with the other of the carcass and the door;
- and
- a control circuit, operatively coupled to the pressure sensor to activate the drive element, while the seal is sealed with the other of the carcass and the door, in response to a sensed movement of the door.
A refrigeration device comprising:
- a carcass;
- a door, the carcass and the door together delimiting an interior;
- a seal attached to one of the carcass and the door, the seal, in a closed position of the door, engaging the other of the carcass and the door to provide a sealing function between the carcass and the door;
- a drive element operable to drive the door out of the closed position into an opened position;
- a pressure sensor configured to detect the pressure in the interior, and
- a control circuit operatively coupled to the pressure sensor, adapted to detect short-term fluctuations in the pressure of the interior in order to sense a movement of the door, and adapted to activate the drive element while the seal is sealed with the other of the carcass and the door in response to a sensed movement of the door.
A method to operate a refrigeration device which comprises a carcass, a door, the carcass and the door together delimiting an interior, a seal attached to one of the carcass and the door, the seal, in a closed position of the door, engaging the other of the carcass and the door to provide a sealing function between the carcass and the door, a drive element operable to drive the door out of the closed position into an opened position, and a pressure sensor configured to detect the pressure in the interior, the method comprising
- sensing a movement of the door, while the seal is sealed with the other of the carcass and the door, caused by a pushing or pulling on the door by sensing a change in pressure in the interior with the pressure sensor, and
- activating the drive element, while the seal is sealed with the other of the carcass and the door, in response to the sensed movement of the door.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.