CN210113498U

CN210113498U - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN210113498U
Application number: CN201920689163.3U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 森胁实
Original assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Priority date: 2018-08-06
Filing date: 2019-05-15
Publication date: 2020-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2029-05-15
Also published as: JP7175125B2; JP7518135B2; JP2020024049A; JP2022190164A

Abstract

The utility model provides a refrigerator, its operability is excellent, can restrain the power consumptive increase of unnecessary, does not destroy the pleasing to the eye of refrigerator to can restrain the touch sensor degradation. When the detection units (26 b-31 b, 47) detect a change in electrostatic capacitance in a first state in which the first light source (42a) and the second light source (42b) are turned off and the first operation units (26-30) and the second operation unit (31) are not displayed on the door front panel (24), a second state is set in which the first light source (42a) is turned off and the operation on the first operation units (26-30) is invalidated and the second light source (42b) is turned on and the operation on the second operation unit (31) is validated, and when the second operation unit (31) is operated in the second state, a third state is set in which the first light source (42a) is turned on and the operation on the first operation units (26-30) is validated.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The utility model discloses an embodiment relates to the refrigerator.

Background

As for the refrigerator, there are refrigerators: an operation panel having a display unit and an operation unit including a capacitance type touch sensor is provided on the front surface of a door for opening and closing a front surface opening of a main body, and when a mode or the like is set by an operation of the operation unit, a display corresponding to the mode appears on the display unit.

In such a refrigerator, a light source for illuminating the operation unit from behind may be provided to facilitate the position of the operation unit, but if the operation unit is always illuminated, power consumption increases.

Therefore, a refrigerator provided with: there are a second operation unit that is always operable separately from the operation unit, and a second light source that always illuminates the second operation unit from behind, and before the second operation unit is operated, the light source that illuminates the operation unit is turned off, and the operation on the operation unit is invalidated, and when the second operation unit is operated, the light source is turned on to illuminate the operation unit, and the operation on the operation unit is validated (for example, refer to patent document 1 below).

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2014-40960

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

However, when the second operation unit is always illuminated, the second operation unit may be unnecessarily displayed on the front surface of the door, which may cause: unnecessary power is consumed by the second light source illuminating the second operation portion, the appearance of the refrigerator is spoiled, and the touch sensor constituting the second operation portion is easily deteriorated.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator including an operation unit including a capacitive touch sensor on a front surface of a door, in which the position of the operation unit is easily known, the refrigerator is excellent in operability, unnecessary increase in power consumption is suppressed, the appearance of the refrigerator is not spoiled, and deterioration of the touch sensor constituting a second operation unit is suppressed.

The refrigerator of the embodiment includes: a main body having an opening portion on a front surface thereof; a door having a translucent door front panel on a front surface thereof, for opening and closing the opening; an operation area provided on a front surface of the door front panel; a detection unit provided in the operation area and configured to detect a change in capacitance; a first operation part and a second operation part which are arranged in the operation area; a first light source for illuminating the first operation unit; a second light source for illuminating the second operation unit; and a control unit for controlling the detection unit, the first operation unit, the second operation unit, the first light source, and the second light source, wherein the control unit performs: turning on the first and second light sources to display the first and second operation portions on the door front panel, turning off the first and second light sources to not display the first and second operation portions on the door front panel, wherein when the detection unit detects a change in capacitance in a first state in which the first light source and the second light source are turned off, the control unit is set to a second state in which the first light source is turned off and the operation to the first operation unit is invalidated, and the second light source is turned on and the operation to the second operation unit is validated, when the second operation unit is operated in the second state, the control unit sets the first light source to be turned on and sets the first operation unit to be operated in a third state.

According to the refrigerator of the present embodiment, when the operation portion is not operated for a predetermined time, the operation control portion sets the operation panel portion to the following first state: all the detection units provided in the operation area can detect the change of the electrostatic capacitance and all the light sources are turned off. Thus, unnecessary display of the operation unit on the door front panel is avoided, and therefore unnecessary increase in power consumption can be suppressed, and deterioration of the first and second detection units constituting the operation unit can be suppressed without spoiling the appearance of the refrigerator.

The utility model discloses a refrigerator is on the basis of above-mentioned refrigerator, preferably detection portion possesses: a first detection section for detecting an operation with respect to the first operation section; a second detection section for detecting an operation for a second operation section; and a third detection unit configured to detect an operation to an outside of the first detection unit, wherein the control unit is set to the second state when at least 1 of the first, second, and third detection units detects a change in capacitance in the first state.

The refrigerator of the present invention is preferably configured such that, when the second operation portion is operated in the first state, the control portion is set to the third state on the basis of the above refrigerator.

The utility model discloses a refrigerator is on the basis of above-mentioned refrigerator, preferably the control part constitutes for: the sensitivity of the detection section to detect a change in the electrostatic capacitance in the first state is higher than the sensitivity of the detection section to detect a change in the electrostatic capacitance in the third state.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the operation panel section, and shows a state where the entire display is performed.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the operation unit.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where the operation unit is inserted into the housing portion.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the operation unit is stored in the storage section with the door front panel removed.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal side sectional view of the operation unit along line a-a of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a transverse top sectional view of the operation unit along the line B-B of fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a front view of the flexible switch printed board.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the control content of controlling the operation panel section by the operation control section.

Description of the symbols:

1 … refrigerator, 2 … heat insulation box, 8 … left door, 9 … right door, 10 … operation panel, 22 … main control device, 23 … operation control part, 24 … front panel, 25 … operation unit, 26-30 … first operation part, 31 … second operation part, 26 a-30 a … first operation button, 31a … second operation button, 26 b-30 b … first detection part, 31b … second detection part, 32-36 … display part, 42a … first light source, 42b … second light source, 42c … third light source and 47 … third detection part.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an external configuration of a refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment. The refrigerator 1 is constituted as follows: a plurality of storage compartments are provided in a vertically long rectangular box-shaped heat insulating box 2 having an open front surface. Specifically, a refrigerating chamber 3 and a vegetable chamber 4 are provided in the heat-insulating box 2 in this order from the top down, an ice-making chamber 5 and a second freezing chamber (switching chamber) 6 are provided below the vegetable chamber 4 in parallel on the left and right sides, and a first freezing chamber 7 is provided at the lowermost portion.

The refrigerating chamber 3 and the vegetable chamber 4 are storage chambers in which the temperature in the refrigerator is controlled to a refrigerating temperature range of about 1 ℃ to 5 ℃. Ice making compartment 5, second freezing compartment 6, and first freezing compartment 7 are storage compartments having a freezing temperature range in which the temperature in the refrigerator is controlled to a freezing temperature of, for example, -18 ℃. Two heat-insulating doors, i.e., right and left 2-hinged

openable doors

8 and 9, are provided on the front surface of the refrigerating chamber 3. As described later, as shown in fig. 2 and the like, the left door 8 (hereinafter referred to as the left door 8) is provided with an operation panel portion 10. The front surfaces of vegetable compartment 4, ice making compartment 5, second freezing compartment 6, and first freezing compartment 7 are opened and closed by pull-out

heat insulating doors

11, 12, 13, and 14, respectively, and storage containers are connected to the rear surfaces of

heat insulating doors

11, 12, 13, and 14.

A refrigeration cycle is incorporated in the refrigerator 1. As partially shown in fig. 3, the refrigeration cycle includes: 2 coolers, which are a cooler for a refrigerating room for cooling the refrigerating room 3 and the vegetable room 4, and a cooler for a freezing room for cooling the ice-making room 5, the first freezing room 7, and the second freezing room 6, respectively; and a compressor 15 (illustrated only in fig. 3), a condenser, a switching valve 16 for switching the flow of the refrigerant to the 2 coolers, and the like.

In addition, as shown in fig. 3, the refrigerator 1 is provided with: a refrigerating fan 17 for circulating and supplying cold air from the refrigerating room cooler to the refrigerating room 3 and the vegetable room 4, a freezing fan 18 for circulating and supplying cold air from the freezing room cooler to the ice making room 5, the first freezing room 7, and the second freezing room 6, a defrosting heater 19 for defrosting the freezing room cooler, a refrigerating room temperature sensor 20, and a freezing room temperature sensor 21.

Further, a main control device 22 is provided in the refrigerator 1, and the main control device 22 is mainly configured by a computer and controls the whole. The main control device 22 is also connected to an operation control unit 23 described later, and controls the refrigerating blower 17, the freezing blower 18, the compressor 15, the switching valve 16, and the defrosting heater 19 based on a signal from the operation control unit 23, signals from the refrigerating room temperature sensor 20, a signal from the freezing room temperature sensor 21, and the like, thereby performing a cooling operation of the refrigerator 1.

Next, referring to fig. 2 to 9 again, the configuration of operation panel unit 10 provided in left door 8 of refrigerating compartment 3 will be described in detail.

The left door 8 is constituted by: a heat insulating material is disposed between a glass door front panel 24 disposed on the front surface side and a cabinet made of plastic and thin in the front-rear direction, the cabinet being disposed on the rear surface side of the door front panel 24 and having an open front surface. As shown in fig. 5 and the like, the operation panel unit 10 is configured to: an operation unit 25 is disposed on the back side of the door front panel 24. As shown in fig. 1, the operation panel unit 10 is provided in a vertically long rectangular region on the open side of the front surface of the left door 8 opposite to the hinge, that is, in the right-side edge portion.

As illustrated in fig. 2, the operation panel unit 10 is provided with an operation region R1 long in the vertical direction on the right side, and is provided with a display region R2 long in the vertical direction on the left side of the operation region R1. The lower portion of the display region R2 extends to the right and is also located below the operation region R1.

In the operation region R1, 5 first operation parts 26 to 30 are arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction, and 1 second operation part 31 is provided below the first operation parts. Hereinafter, the first operation units 26 to 30 and the second operation unit 31 may be collectively referred to as operation units 26 to 31.

In the display region R2, the display sections 32 to 35 corresponding to the first operation sections 26 to 30 are arranged in a vertical row, and the display section 36 corresponding to the second operation section 31 is provided below the display section 35 and the second operation section 31.

The first operation units 26 to 30 include capacitance type touch sensors, and include: first operation buttons 26a to 30a virtually set on the front surface of door front panel 24, and first detection units 26b to 30b (see fig. 9 and the like) located on the rear surface side of first operation buttons 26a to 30a and detecting a change in capacitance. In addition, the second operation unit 31 includes a capacitance type touch sensor, similarly to the first operation units 26 to 30, and includes: a second operation button 31a virtually set on the front surface of the door front panel 24, and a second detection unit 31b located on the back surface side of the second operation button 31a and detecting a change in capacitance (see fig. 9 and the like).

Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, there are provided in order from top to bottom: the refrigerator includes a first operation unit 26 (operation button 26a) "for cold storage", a first operation unit 27 (operation button 27a) "for freezing", a first operation unit 28 (operation button 28a) "for freezing function", a first operation unit 29 (operation button 29a) "for ice making", and a first operation unit 30 (operation button 30a) "for power saving", and further, a second operation unit 31 (operation button 31a) "for home page" is provided below the first operation unit 30. The first operation buttons 26a to 30a for "cold storage", "freezing function", "ice making", and "power saving" are configured to: the characters are arranged in a circle. The operation buttons 31a of the second operation portion 31 of the "home" are provided with circular marks.

On the other hand, the uppermost display portion 32 is provided at an intermediate height between the

first operation portions

26 and 27 of "cold storage" and "freezing", includes characters of "strong" and "weak" and 5 arc marks arranged in a circular shape as a whole, and is an indicator for indicating the intensity level by the number of lighted-up portions. The display portion 33 below the display portion 32 corresponds to the operation portion 28 of the "freezing function", and selectively displays characters of "one-shot freezing", "hot-substance freezing", "vegetable freezing", and "drying" in this order from the top.

The display portion 34 below the display portion 33 selectively displays characters of "make ice in one air" and "close ice" in correspondence with the first operation portion 29 of "make ice". The display unit 35 below the display unit 34 corresponds to the first operation unit 30 for "power saving", and selectively displays characters of "power saving", "going out", and "off peak" in this order from the top. The lowermost display unit 36 corresponds to the second operation unit 31 of the "home page", displays the character of "eco mode" and the mark of "key (key)" on the left side of the operation region R1, and displays the characters of "lock" and "push for 3 seconds" below the operation region R1.

The operation unit 25 constituting the operation panel unit 10 is configured as follows. That is, as shown in fig. 4, the operation unit 25 is configured to: a circuit board 37, a shield plate 38, a spring member 39, a flexible switch printed board 40, and a nameplate film 41 are stacked in this order from the rear surface side.

The circuit board 37 is formed in a substantially vertically long rectangular shape, and a first light source 42a, a second light source 42b, and a third light source 42c, each of which is formed of an LED, are mounted on a surface (front surface) thereof. The first light sources 42a are provided corresponding to the first operation units 26 to 30, and illuminate the first operation units 26 to 30 from the rear. The second light source 42b is provided corresponding to the second operation unit 31, and illuminates the second operation unit 31 from behind. The third light sources 42c are provided corresponding to the respective display units 32 to 36, and illuminate the display units 32 to 36 from the rear. Hereinafter, the first light source 42a, the second light source 42b, and the third light source 42c may be collectively referred to as

light sources

42a, 42b, and 42 c.

The circuit board 37 is provided with a circuit for conducting electricity to the

light sources

42a, 42b, and 42c, an operation control unit 23 (only shown in fig. 3) including signal processing circuits (detection units) of the first detection units 26b to 30b, the second detection unit 31b, and a third detection unit 47 described later, and an external connection connector 43 for connecting to the outside. The circuit board 37 is further provided with a connector portion 44 for connecting a connecting portion of a flexible switch printed board 40 described later.

The shield plate 38 is formed of a colored (opaque) rigid plastic molded product, and is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in length as a whole. Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the shield plate 38 integrally includes: a rectangular front plate portion 38a that is long, a peripheral wall portion 38b that rises rearward from the periphery (four side portions) of the front plate portion 38a, and a plurality of light transmitting portions 45 provided in the front plate portion 38 a. Further, a cutout 38c for electrically connecting a flexible switch printed board 40 to be described later to the circuit board 37 is formed at a lower end portion of the right side portion of the shield plate 38. Further, a stopper 49 having a spring characteristic and protruding to the left side in a rectangular frame shape is integrally provided on the left side of the peripheral wall portion 38b of the shield plate 38 so as to be aligned in the vertical direction at position 3.

Each light transmitting portion 45 provided in the shield plate 38 is configured to: light emitted from the

light sources

42a, 42b, and 42c of the circuit board 37 is prevented from leaking, and the light is guided to the front operation units 26 to 31 and the display units 32 to 36, respectively. Therefore, as also shown in fig. 6 and 7, the light transmitting portions 45 corresponding to the respective operation portions 26 to 31 are formed as follows: the shielding plate 38 is tapered (mortar-shaped) so as to become thinner toward the rear, is located at a position close to the right of the center of the shielding plate, and is longitudinally arranged in number of 6 as a whole. The light transmitting portions 45 corresponding to the display portions 32 to 36 (characters and marks) are formed as follows: the shield plate 38 is formed in a frame shape having a depth in the front-rear direction (for example, a horizontally long frame shape corresponding to a character), is positioned on the left side of the shield plate, and is arranged in the vertical direction. The shield plate 38 is attached to cover the surface side of the circuit board 37 in a positioned state.

The spring member 39 is made of a transparent plastic material having flexibility (elasticity), and is configured to: the operation unit includes a thick circular portion 39a having a circular shape (one round larger) corresponding to each of the operation units 26 to 31 (operation buttons 26a to 31a) and a connecting portion 39b having a substantially く shape and connecting the circular portions 39a in this order in the vertical direction. The spring member 39 is mounted: and is fitted into a recess formed in a portion of the front surface of the front plate portion 38a of the shield plate 38 on the right side. Thus, the spring member 39 functions as a buffer member having spring characteristics disposed on the back side of the first detection portions 26b to 30b and the second detection portion 31b of the flexible switch printed board 40, and also functions to press the first detection portions 26b to 30b and the second detection portion 31b against the back side of the door front panel 24 via the nameplate film 41.

As also shown in fig. 9, the flexible switch printed board 40 is a thin, long rectangular sheet shape that entirely covers the right half of the front plate portion 38a of the shield plate 38. The flexible switch printed board 40 is configured by printing the first detection portions 26b to 30b, the second detection portion 31b, the wiring 46, the third detection portion 47, and the like on the surface of the base film 40a made of a flexible transparent film such as PET, and covering the surfaces thereof with a transparent cover film made of PET.

Specifically, the first detection sections 26b to 30b constituting a part of the first operation sections 26 to 30 are each formed by printing and coating a conductive polymer having a certain transparency in a circular shape on the surface of the base film 40 a. The second detection section 31b constituting a part of the second operation section 31 is also constituted by printing and applying, for example, a conductive polymer having a certain transparency in a circular shape on the surface of the base film 40a, similarly to the first detection sections 26b to 30 b.

The wiring 46 is formed by printing silver paste on the surface of the base film 40a, extends rightward from the first detection sections 26b to 30b and the second detection section 31b, and then is bent at a right angle and extends downward.

The third detection unit 47 includes a plurality of stage portions 47a and connection portions 47b, and is formed by printing silver paste on the surface of the base film 40a and (simultaneously) printing the silver paste together with the wiring lines 46. The table portion 47a is provided: near the portion of the wiring 46 extending rightward from the first detection units 26b to 30b and the second detection unit 31 b. The connecting portion 47b includes a wiring connecting the plurality of table portions 47a, is disposed so as to surround the first detection portions 26b to 30b, and is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction so as to be arranged at a narrow interval in the left-right direction at the right side portion of the flexible switch printed board 40 (the right side of the first detection portions 26b to 30b and the second detection portion 31 b) in a state of being integrated with the plurality of wirings 46.

The third detection unit 47 is for detecting a change in electrostatic capacitance in the operation region R1 and outside the first detection units 26b to 30b, and detecting such a situation (preventing erroneous detection) when the user does not correctly operate the operation units 26 to 31, such as when the user accidentally touches the operation units 26 to 31.

Specifically, when the user touches and operates not only the operation portions 26 to 31 but also the periphery thereof at the same time, the third detection portion 47 detects a change in the capacitance in the operation control portion 23 together with the first detection portions 26b to 30b and the second detection portion 31 b. In this case, the operation control unit 23 invalidates the touch operation to the operation units 26 to 31.

The first detection units 26b to 30b, the second detection unit 31b, and the third detection unit 47 are detection units provided in the operation region R1, and detect changes in capacitance at different positions in the operation region R1, respectively, whereby the first detection units 26b to 30b detect touch operations with respect to the first operation units 26 to 30, the second detection unit 31b detects touch operations with respect to the second operation unit 31, and the third detection unit 47 detects touch operations with respect to the outside of the first operation units 26 to 30. This allows the touch operation by the user to be detected over substantially the entire operation region R1.

The flexible switch printed board 40 has an extension portion 40b which is located at a lower end portion of a right side portion, extends downward with a narrow width, and is provided with the plurality of wires 46, and a connection portion 48 is provided at a front end of the extension portion 40b so as to be bent leftward. A plurality of carbon contacts for connecting the wires 46 are provided at the tip (left side portion) of the connection portion 48. At this time, as shown in fig. 4, the flexible switch printed board 40 is disposed on the front surface of the front plate portion 38a (spring member 39) of the shield plate 38, but the extension portion 40b is not folded back but falls on the front surface side of the circuit board 37 through the notch portion 38c of the shield plate 38, so that the connection portion 48 is connected to the connector portion 44.

The nameplate film 41 is constituted by: a light shielding portion and a display light transmitting portion are provided on the surface of a vertically long rectangular transparent film. The display light-transmitting portions are formed in correspondence with (in a transparent display state) the marks and characters for displaying the first operation buttons 26a to 30a and the second operation button 31a, and the characters and marks constituting the display portions 32 to 36.

When the first light source 42a is turned on, light passes through the light transmitting portion for display of the nameplate film 41, and the first operation buttons 26a to 30a composed of characters and marks are reflected on the door front panel 24, thereby displaying the first operation portions 26 to 30. When the first light source 42a is turned off, the first operation buttons 26a to 30a projected on the door front panel 24 disappear, and the first operation portions 26 to 30 are not displayed.

When the second light source 42b is turned on, the light passes through the display light-transmitting portion of the nameplate film 41 to reflect the second operation button 31a formed of a mark on the door front panel 24 (operation panel portion 10), and the second operation portion 31 is displayed. When the second light source 42b is turned off, the second operation button 31a reflected on the door front panel 24 disappears, and the second operation portion 31 is not displayed.

When the third light source 42c is turned on, light passes through the display light-transmitting portion of the nameplate film 41 to reflect characters or marks on the door front panel 24, thereby displaying the display portions 32 to 36. When the third light source 42c is turned off, the display portions 32 to 36 projected on the door front panel 24 are not displayed.

As described above, when the

light sources

42a, 42b, and 42c are turned off and the first operation units 26 to 30, the second operation unit 31, and the display units 32 to 36 are not displayed, the operation region R1 and the display region R2 have the same appearance as the other regions of the door front panel 24.

The flexible switch printed board 40 and the nameplate film 41 are attached to be superposed in a positioned state on the front surface of the shield plate 38, thereby constituting the unitized operation unit 25.

As shown in fig. 5, 6, and the like, the operation unit 25 configured as described above is stored in a storage section 50 provided near the lower right portion of the left door 8 so as to be accessible. The right side wall portion 8a of the left door 8 is provided with a vertically long opening 50a for taking in and out the operation unit 25. The housing section 50 includes a space defined by a plastic housing box 51 provided inside the left door 8.

As partially shown in fig. 7 and 8, the storage box 51 has a rectangular box shape with an open front surface and thin in the front-rear direction, and can store the operation unit 25. In this case, the storage box 51 integrally includes: a back plate 51a of a vertically long rectangular plate shape, peripheral wall portions 51b rising forward from the upper, left, and lower sides thereof, and a flange portion 51c positioned at the front ends of these peripheral wall portions. At this time, it is set to: the front surface of the flange portion 51c abuts against the rear surface of the door front panel 24.

As shown in fig. 5, the operation unit 25 is slid from the opening 50a and stored in the storage box 51 (storage section 50). As shown in fig. 6, a cover member 52 is detachably attached to the opening portion 50 a. The lid member 52 has a function of closing the opening 50a and firmly pressing the operation unit 25 to the storage box 51 by the upper and lower 2 arm portions 52 a. At this time, as also shown in fig. 8, 3 stoppers 49 having a spring property protruding leftward from the operation unit 25 (shield plate 38) are pressed into the housing box 51.

The housing 50 is provided with a connector for connection to the external connection connector 43 of the circuit board 37 in a state of being connected to a lead provided with a margin enough to be drawn out from the opening 50 a. Thus, after the connector is connected to the external connection connector 43 of the operation unit 25 outside the left door 8, the storage operation into the storage section 50 is performed. The main control device 22 and the operation control unit 23 (operation unit 25) shown in fig. 3 are electrically connected by the connection of the connectors.

Next, the operation of the operation panel unit 10 of the refrigerator 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to fig. 10.

When the first operation units 26 to 30 and the second operation unit 31 are not operated for a predetermined time, the operation control unit 23 sets the operation panel unit 10 to a first state (step S1) in which: all the

light sources

42a, 42b, and 42c are turned off, and none of the first operation units 26 to 30, the second operation unit 31, and the display units 32 to 36 is displayed on the door front panel 24.

In this first state, all of the detection units provided in the operation region R1, that is, the first detection units 26b to 30b, the second detection unit 31b, and the third detection unit 47 detect a change in capacitance, and detect a touch operation performed by the user over substantially the entire region of the operation region R1.

When the user touches operation region R1 in the first state, operation control unit 23 sets operation panel unit 10 to the second state (step S3) by detecting a change in capacitance in at least any one of first detectors 26b to 30b, second detector 31b, and third detector 47 (yes at step S2).

In the second state, the operation control unit 23 turns on the second light source 42b to display the second operation button 31a on the door front panel 24, and continues to detect the change in the electrostatic capacitance in the second detection unit 31b and the third detection unit 47, thereby enabling (receiving) the touch operation with respect to the second operation unit 31. In the second state, the operation control unit 23 turns off the first light source 42a and the third light source 42c so that the first operation units 26 to 30 and the display units 32 to 36 are not displayed, and interrupts the detection of the electrostatic capacitance by the first detection units 26b to 30b to invalidate the touch operation to the first operation units 26 to 30 (not accepted).

When the user touches the second operation unit 31 in the second state, the second detection unit 31b detects a change in the electrostatic capacitance (yes in step S4), and the operation control unit 23 sets the operation panel unit 10 to the third state (step S5).

In the third state, the operation control unit 23 turns on the second light source 42b and the first light source 42a to display the first operation buttons 26a to 30a and the second operation button 31a on the door front panel 24, detects a change in the electrostatic capacitance in the first detection units 26b to 30b, the second detection unit 31b, and the third detection unit 47, and validates (receives) the touch operation with respect to the first operation units 26 to 30, the second operation unit 31, and the third detection unit 47. In the third state, the operation control unit 23 turns on the third light source 42c to display the current setting state of the refrigerator 1 on the display units 32 to 36.

When the user touches the first operation units 26 to 30 or the second operation unit 31 in the third state, the first detection units 26b to 30b or the second detection unit 31b detect a change in capacitance (yes at step S6). Thus, the operation control unit 23 changes the setting corresponding to the operation units 26 to 31 that have received the touch operation, and changes the display contents of the corresponding display units 32 to 36 (step S7). Then, the process returns to step S6, and the touch operation is detected in the first operation units 26 to 30 and the second operation unit 31.

In the second state, if the user continues the second state for a predetermined time without performing a touch operation on second operation unit 31 (no in step S4) (yes in step S8), or if the user continues the third state for a predetermined time without performing a touch operation on first operation units 26 to 30 and second operation unit 31 (no in step S6) in the third state (yes in step S8), operation control unit 23 turns off all

light sources

42a, 42b, and 42c that are being turned on, and sets operation panel unit 10 to the first state (step S1).

According to the above embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.

When the operation units 26 to 31 are not operated for a predetermined time, the operation control unit 23 sets the operation panel unit 10 to the following first state: all of the detection units 26b to 31b, 47 provided in the operation region R1 are allowed to detect a change in capacitance, and all of the

light sources

42a, 42b, 42c are turned off. Thus, unnecessary display of the operation units 26 to 31 on the door front panel 24 is avoided, and therefore unnecessary increase in power consumption can be suppressed, and deterioration of the first detection units 26b to 30b and the second detection unit 31b constituting the operation units 26 to 31 can be suppressed without spoiling the appearance of the refrigerator 1.

In the first state, since the detection units 26b to 31b, 47 provided in the operation region R1 are allowed to detect a change in capacitance, the user can detect the operation by simply touching the position where the operation region R1 is approximately present, and shift to the second state in which the second operation button 31a is displayed on the door front panel 24 and the touch operation on the second operation unit 31 is enabled. Therefore, even if all the

light sources

42a, 42b, and 42c are turned off in the first state, the state can be easily changed to a state in which the user can accept an operation.

In particular, in the present embodiment, in the first state, not only the first detection units 26b to 30b and the second detection unit 31b but also the third detection unit 47 for detecting an operation to the outside of these parts detects a touch operation, and therefore, the touch operation can be detected in a wide range of the operation region R1, and the transition from the first state to the second state can be made easier.

In the above-described embodiment, the case of transition to the second state when the first operation units 26 to 30 and the second operation unit 31 are operated in the first state has been described, but for example, when the second operation unit 31 is operated in the first state, the state may be changed from the first state to the third state without passing through the second state. Thus, the user can shift to the third state in which various settings of the refrigerator 1 can be made without going through the second state, and can perform a simple operation.

In the above-described embodiment, the detection sensitivities of the first detection units 26b to 30b and the second detection unit 31b may be set to be constant in all of the first state, the second state, and the third state, or the detection sensitivity in the first state may be set to be higher than the detection sensitivities in the second state and the third state. By setting the detection sensitivity in the first state to be high, the touch operation to the operation region R1 can be easily detected in the first state, and the transition from the first state to the second state can be made easier.

(other embodiments)

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are provided as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. These embodiments may be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is provided with:

a main body having an opening portion on a front surface thereof;

a door having a translucent door front panel on a front surface thereof, the door opening and closing the opening;

an operation region provided to a front surface of the door front surface plate;

a detection section provided in the operation area for detecting a change in electrostatic capacitance;

a first operation part and a second operation part which are arranged in the operation area;

a first light source for illuminating the first operation portion;

a second light source for illuminating the second operation portion; and

a control unit for controlling the detection unit, the first operation unit, the second operation unit, the first light source, and the second light source,

the control section performs the following control: turning on the first and second light sources to display the first and second operation portions on the door front panel, turning off the first and second light sources to not display the first and second operation portions on the door front panel,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the control unit sets a second state in which the first light source is turned off and an operation on the first operation unit is invalidated and the second light source is turned on and an operation on the second operation unit is validated when the detection unit detects a change in capacitance in a first state in which the first light source and the second light source are turned off, and sets a third state in which the first light source is turned on and an operation on the first operation unit is validated when the second operation unit is operated in the second state.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the detection unit includes: a first detection section for detecting an operation with respect to the first operation section; a second detection section for detecting an operation for a second operation section; and a third detection section for detecting an operation to an outside of the first detection section,

the control unit is configured to set the control unit to the second state when at least 1 of the first, second, and third detection units detects a change in capacitance in the first state.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2,

the control unit is set to the third state when the second operation unit is operated in the first state.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2,

the control unit is configured to: the sensitivity of the detection section to detect a change in the electrostatic capacitance in the first state is higher than the sensitivity of the detection section to detect a change in the electrostatic capacitance in the third state.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 3,