KR20170105707A - Method for setting sensing distance - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for setting a detection distance. The method for setting the detection distance of the present invention comprises: a step of checking whether a control unit inputs a key through a key input unit; a step of controlling the control unit to enter an automatic detection range setting mode when the input of the key is checked; and a step of setting a distance from a proximity sensor to an arbitrary object, detected by the proximity sensor installed at a specific location outside a home appliance, as a proximity sensor detection reference value when the home appliance enters the automatic detection range setting mode. Accordingly, the present invention can automatically set the detection distance of the proximity sensor for detecting the access state of the object in the home appliance.

Description

{METHOD FOR SETTING SENSING DISTANCE}

The present invention relates to a sensing distance setting method, and more particularly, to a sensing distance setting method for automatically setting a sensing distance of a proximity sensor for sensing an approach state of an object in an appliance.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a refrigerator is used to freeze food or the like and to store refrigerated food. The refrigerator has a case for forming a storage space for a storage room separated into a freezing room and a refrigerating room, a freezing room door for opening and closing the freezing room and a refrigerating room, And a device for lowering the temperature of the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment by performing a refrigeration cycle such as a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator.

On the other hand, in the case of a general refrigerator, the temperature of the inside of the refrigerator is drastically changed during the process of opening and closing the door frequently, and the storage period of the kimchi is shortened due to contact with the outside air during the removal of the kimchi container from the refrigerator, It is very difficult to maintain the proper aging condition of kimchi.

To solve this problem, a kimchi refrigerator has been developed which can keep the taste of ripe kimchi for a long time by moderately aging the kimchi according to seasonal changes and users' preferences and then maintaining the temperature at a proper temperature.

Such a general refrigerator and a kimchi refrigerator are not only the most basic but also the most widely used core elements in the kitchen space, and they are becoming larger and larger as the consumption and western lifestyle changes.

In addition, unlike the past, the kitchen space is not simply a space for dietary life. It is transformed into a major living space for family members to converse and solve dietary habits. Therefore, the refrigerator, which is a key element in the kitchen space, It is necessary to change the function quantitatively or qualitatively so that all members of the family can easily use it.

In addition, since the information communication technology has been rapidly developed and the multimedia of electronic products is rapidly proceeding, it is expected that home electronic products will function not only with one or two functions but also with various home appliances.

For example, a computer is connected to a conventional refrigerator, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) is attached to a refrigerator door to watch television, and a web site can be connected to enjoy the Internet.

At this time, not only the current temperature and operating condition of the refrigerator but also the stored food condition, nutrition information, cooking information, and the like can be displayed through the LCD screen on the refrigerator door.

In recent years, an LCD display window for displaying the operating state of the refrigerator and an LCD monitor for watching the television or internet have been additionally provided in the recent refrigerator. Such an LCD is a cause of increasing the power consumption of the refrigerator when the refrigerator is always on. The LCD can be turned off and on manually to reduce power consumption, but it is cumbersome to use.

Therefore, a proximity sensor is installed in the refrigerator to detect the proximity of a person or object through a proximity sensor, thereby operating the screen to reduce power consumption. At this time, the detection distance at which the screen is activated by the proximity sensor is set in the refrigerator, and the screen is operated based on the sensed voltage value inputted from the proximity sensor.

However, the sensing distance of the proximity sensor may vary depending on various factors such as the characteristics of the proximity sensor and the assembly process. In addition, there is a problem that unnecessary operation is performed or operation is not performed at a desired distance as the sensing distance desired by the user varies depending on the installation environment of the refrigerator.

As a background technique of the present invention, there is a "automatic display device for a refrigerator ", which is Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2008-0004822 (published on January 10, 2008).

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus and method for automatically setting a sensing distance of a proximity sensor for detecting an approach state of an object in an appliance product, And a method for setting the sensing distance.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for setting a sensing distance, comprising: checking whether a control unit inputs a key through a key input unit; Controlling the control unit to enter the automatic detection range setting mode when the input of the key is confirmed; And a control unit that sets the distance from the proximity sensor to an arbitrary object sensed by the proximity sensor installed at a specific position outside the home appliance to the proximity sensor sensing reference value when the home appliance enters the automatic sensing distance setting mode The method comprising the steps of:

In the present invention, the step of confirming whether or not the key is input may include: checking the input time of the key through the key input unit; And determining that the key is input through the key input unit when the input time of the key is equal to or longer than the set time.

In the present invention, the step of setting the proximity sensor detection reference value may include: checking the maintenance time at which the control unit maintains the distance from the proximity sensor to an arbitrary object; And terminating the sensing distance automatic setting mode when the control unit maintains the proximity sensor sensing reference value when the holding time is maintained for a reference time or more.

The present invention is characterized in that the control unit further comprises a step of blinking or lighting the display unit when the home appliance enters the automatic detection range setting mode.

In the step of blinking or lighting the display unit of the present invention, the control unit blinks the display unit when the home appliance enters the automatic detection range setting mode, and when the proximity sensor detection reference value setting is completed, The display unit is turned on.

In the present invention, the proximity sensor outputs a voltage signal having a size corresponding to the distance to the arbitrary object.

In the present invention, the key input unit may include a unlocking key for activating the key input unit and a sensing distance setting key for entering the sensing distance automatic setting mode.

The sensing distance setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention allows a user to set a sensing distance of a proximity sensor for sensing the approach state of a person or an object in a home appliance, The deviation of the sensing distance of the proximity sensor that varies depending on the distance can be reduced.

The sensing distance setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention allows the user to set the sensing distance of the proximity sensor so that the user can select the desired sensing distance regardless of the characteristics of the proximity sensor or the installation environment So that not only the convenience of the user is improved but also the satisfaction of the user can be improved.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a sensing distance setting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of setting a sensing distance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a method of setting the sensing distance according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the thicknesses of the lines and the sizes of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation.

In addition, the terms described below are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user, the operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a sensing distance setting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a sensing distance setting apparatus will be described.

1, the detection distance setting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a key input unit 10, a storage unit 40, a control unit 30, and a display unit 50.

The key input unit 10 has a key for setting the sensing distance of the proximity sensor 20 for sensing the approach state of the object in the household appliance. Here, the proximity sensor 20 may be installed at a specific position outside the household appliance.

At this time, the key input unit 10 may include a detection distance setting key 13 for entering the automatic detection distance setting mode of the household appliances, and enter the automatic detection distance setting mode by one key input. The key input unit 10 may include a lock release key 11 for activating the key input unit 10 to switch the key input unit 10 in the locked state to the unlocked state.

The storage unit 40 stores the distance from the proximity sensor 20 sensed by the proximity sensor 20 to an arbitrary object such that the proximity sensor 20 outputs a voltage of a magnitude corresponding to the distance to any object A distance to an arbitrary object can be stored in the storage unit 40 by outputting a signal.

At this time, the controller 30 may set the distance from the proximity sensor 20 to an arbitrary object as the proximity sensor sensing reference value. That is, the control unit 30 can operate a screen of the refrigerator or the like with the proximity sensor detection reference value stored in the storage unit 40. [

Also, in this embodiment, the storage unit 40 may include an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

By configuring the storage unit 40 as an EEPROM, the proximity sensor detection reference value set once can be maintained even in the case of power failure, so that the power failure compensation function can be performed.

On the other hand, the proximity sensor detection reference value may be set by adding a function for automatically setting the proximity sensor detection distance after completion of the product to the process, but may be set by the user, but is not limited thereto.

The control unit 30 determines whether or not the detection distance automatic setting mode is entered according to the input of the key input unit 10. [ At this time, the controller 30 checks the input time of the key input unit 10 and enters the automatic detection distance setting mode when the input time of the key input unit 10 is longer than the set time.

The controller 30 activates the key input unit 10 to receive the detection distance setting key 13 when the unlocking key 11 has been input from the key input unit 10 for a predetermined activation time or more . When the detection distance setting key 13 is inputted for a predetermined time or more, the control unit 30 enters the automatic setting mode for the detection distance and detects the proximity sensor 20 sensed by the proximity sensor 20 from the proximity sensor 20, The proximity sensor detection reference value can be set based on the distance from the object to the object.

At this time, the control unit 30 may terminate the detection distance automatic setting mode by checking the holding time at which the distance from the proximity sensor 20 to an arbitrary object is maintained. That is, when the control unit 30 determines that the holding time at which the distance from the proximity sensor 20 to an object is maintained is longer than the reference time, the control unit 30 may complete the proximity sensor detection reference value setting and terminate the automatic detection distance setting mode .

Also, the controller 30 may set the proximity sensor ON detection reference value and the proximity sensor OFF detection reference value, respectively.

For example, in the present embodiment, the controller 30 sets the proximity sensor-on sensing reference value in accordance with the on-sensing distance of the object after entering the sensing distance automatic setting mode, If there is no change in the distance over the reference time, the detection range automatic setting mode is terminated. When entering the automatic detection distance setting mode again, the controller 30 can set the proximity sensor off detection reference value according to the off detection distance of the object.

Therefore, instead of selecting the proximity sensor detection distance based on the sensing distance set in the designing stage, the proximity sensor ON sensing reference value and the proximity sensor OFF sensing reference value are set at a desired distance, .

On the other hand, when the control unit 30 enters the detection distance automatic setting mode, the control unit 30 can display the state of entering the detection distance automatic setting mode through the display unit 50. [ Also, the controller 30 may display the completion status of the sensing distance automatic setting mode through the display unit 50. FIG.

That is, when the control unit 50 enters the detection distance automatic setting mode, the controller 50 can display the status by blinking or lighting the display unit 50. For example, when the control unit 30 enters the detection distance automatic setting mode, the display unit 50 is flickered. When the proximity sensor detection reference value is completed and the detection distance automatic setting mode is ended, the control unit 30 lights the display unit 50 can do.

The display unit 50 outputs the operation state of the control unit 30 through an LCD screen or an LED. At this time, the display unit 50 may be turned on or blink according to the control of the control unit 30 to display whether or not the detection distance automatic setting mode is entered.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a detection distance setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a method of setting the detection distance will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the detection distance setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 30 first confirms the input of the key input unit 10 (S10). At this time, the control unit 30 can confirm the input time of the key input unit 10.

The key input unit 10 includes a detection distance setting key 13 for entering the detection distance automatic setting mode and a lock release key 11 for activating the key input unit 10.

The control unit 30 activates the key input unit 10 so that the user can input the detection distance setting key 13 when the control unit 30 receives the activation time longer than the arbitrary set time of the lock pulley key 11 from the key input unit 10 do. For example, when the user inputs the unlocking key 11 for 3 seconds or longer, the control unit 30 switches the key input unit 10 to the unlocked state.

Next, the control unit 30 determines whether the input time of the key input unit 10 is longer than the set time (S20). That is, the control unit 30 determines whether the detection distance setting key 13 has been input from the key input unit 10 for a preset time or more. For example, the control unit 30 checks whether the detection distance setting key 13 has been input for 5 seconds or more.

That is, the control unit 30 can determine whether or not the detection distance automatic setting mode is entered according to the input time of the key input unit 10.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the detection distance setting key 13 is not separately provided, and when one key arbitrarily set in the display setting menu of the appliance (for example, refrigerator) .

If the control unit 30 determines in step S20 that the input time of the key input unit 10 is longer than the preset time, the control unit 30 enters the detection distance automatic setting mode (S30).

At this time, the control unit 30 may blink the display unit 50 to display the entry of the detection distance automatic setting mode.

On the other hand, if the control unit 30 determines in step S20 that the input time of the key input unit 10 is less than the set time, the process can be terminated.

Next, the control unit 30 receives the distance from the proximity sensor 20 detected by the proximity sensor 20 to the arbitrary object from the proximity sensor 20 (S40). At this time, the proximity sensor 20 can output a voltage signal having a size corresponding to the distance to an arbitrary object.

Next, the control unit 30 checks whether the distance from the proximity sensor 20 to an arbitrary object is maintained for a reference time or more (S50). That is, when the distance from the proximity sensor 20 to the arbitrary object is maintained without change over the reference time, the control unit 30 can determine that the user intends to set the position of the currently input object as the sensing distance.

Accordingly, the control unit 30 sets the distance from the proximity sensor held for the reference time or longer to an arbitrary object as the proximity sensor sensing reference setting value in step S50 (S60). That is, the control unit 30 can operate a screen of the refrigerator or the like with the proximity sensor detection reference set value stored in the storage unit 40. [

On the other hand, if the distance from the proximity sensor 20 to an arbitrary object is not maintained over the reference time in step S50, the control unit 30 returns to step S40 to change the distance from the proximity sensor 20 to an arbitrary object again Receive input.

Next, the controller 30 finishes setting the proximity sensor detection reference value and ends the automatic detection distance setting mode (S70). At this time, the control unit 30 may display the end of the detection distance automatic setting mode by turning on the display unit 50. [

On the other hand, the controller 30 can set the proximity sensor ON detection reference value and the proximity sensor OFF detection reference value, respectively.

For example, in the present embodiment, the controller 30 sets the proximity sensor-on sensing reference value in accordance with the on-sensing distance of the object after entering the sensing distance automatic setting mode, If there is no change in the distance over the reference time, the detection range automatic setting mode is terminated. When the automatic sensing mode is set again, the control unit 30 can set the proximity sensor off sensing reference value according to the off sensing distance of the object.

That is, steps S10 to S70 may be performed to set the proximity sensor ON sensing reference value, and the proximity sensor OFF sensing reference value may be set by performing steps S10 to S70 again. However, the button for setting the proximity sensor-on sensing reference value and the button for setting the proximity sensor-off sensing reference value may be set as the proximity sensor-off sensing reference value It is possible to separately set the detection distances regardless of the order.

As described above, the sensing distance setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention allows a user to set a sensing distance of a proximity sensor for sensing the approach state of a person or an object in a home appliance, It is possible to reduce the deviation of the detection distance of the proximity sensor depending on the installation environment of the home appliance.

The sensing distance setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention allows the user to set the sensing distance of the proximity sensor so that the user can select the desired sensing distance regardless of the characteristics of the proximity sensor or the installation environment So that not only the convenience of the user is improved but also the satisfaction of the user can be improved.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. I will understand.

Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims.

10:
11: Unlocking key
13: Sensing distance setting key
20: Proximity sensor
30:
40:
50:

Claims (7)

Checking whether a control unit inputs a key through a key input unit;
Controlling the control unit to enter the automatic detection range setting mode when the input of the key is confirmed; And
The control unit sets the distance from the proximity sensor to an arbitrary object sensed by the proximity sensor installed at a specific position outside the home appliance to the proximity sensor sensing reference value when the home appliance enters the sensing distance automatic setting mode The method comprising the steps of:
The method according to claim 1,
The step of verifying whether or not the key is input comprises:
Checking the input time of the key through the key input unit; And
And determining that a key has been input through the key input unit when the input time of the key is equal to or longer than a preset time.
The method according to claim 1,
The step of setting the proximity sensor sensing reference value,
Confirming a holding time at which the control unit maintains a distance from the proximity sensor to an arbitrary object; And
And setting the proximity sensor sensing reference value and terminating the sensing distance automatic sensing mode when the holding time is maintained for a reference time or more.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of the control unit blinking or lighting the display unit when the home appliance enters the automatic detection range setting mode.
5. The method of claim 4,
In the step of blinking or lighting the display unit,
Wherein the control unit blinks the display unit when the home appliance enters the automatic sensing distance setting mode and lights up the display unit when the proximity sensor sensing reference value is set and the sensing distance automatic setting mode is ended. How to set the sensing distance.
The method according to claim 1,
The proximity sensor includes:
And outputting a voltage signal having a magnitude corresponding to a distance to the arbitrary object.
The method according to claim 1,
The key input unit,
A lock release key for activating the key input unit, and a detection distance setting key for entering the detection distance automatic setting mode.

Images