KR20180013185A - home appliance and a lighting device having a LED pannel - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a home appliance and a lighting device having an LED panel, more specifically, to a home appliance and a lighting device having an LED panel having a display function and/or a lighting function. The home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a cabinet having a storage chamber; a door installed to open/close the storage chamber; the lighting device provided in the storage chamber; a see-through panel assembly provided on the door and including the LED panel having a see-through window and a plurality of LEDs arranged in a matrix form; and a control part for controlling the lighting device so as to enable the storage chamber to be seen through the see-through panel assembly and controlling the LEDs so as to elaborate a display through the LED panel.

Description

The present invention relates to a home appliance and a lighting device having an LED panel,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a household appliance having an LED panel, and more particularly, to a home appliance and a lighting apparatus having an LED panel having a display function and / or a lighting function.

The LED panel generally refers to a panel in which a plurality of LED elements are arranged in a matrix, and the light emission of each LED element can be controlled by the controller.

Specifically, each LED element is connected to a scan line and a data line, and on / off and brightness of each LED element can be individually controlled.

Such LED panels are widely used for billboards and billboards. That is, each LED element is controlled to transmit a readable message. Recently, an illumination device using an LED panel has been provided.

However, since such LED panels are basically mounted on opaque PCBs, there is a problem in that they can not be used in situations requiring perspective.

For example, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0088477 discloses a refrigerator having a see-through door as an example of household appliances. That is, a refrigerator has been proposed in which the inside of the storage compartment can be seen through a door of the refrigerator through a transparent refrigerator.

The see-through area of the refrigerator door normally looks like a black display, but when the lighting is turned on in the storage room, the light passes through the see-through door so that the user can visually see the inside of the storage room.

In the refrigerator, the see-through area of the door can be formed to be large so that a large part of the inside of the storage compartment can be seen. However, the above-mentioned see-through area is provided to be selectively visible, and generally does not function as a display for displaying images or characters.

On the other hand, in the case where the above-mentioned see-through area is used as a display for displaying a readable message or the like, there is a problem that the view-through can not be done in the end. Particularly, when a typical LED panel is applied to the see-through area, the LED panel itself is formed of an opaque material, so that the view-through becomes impossible.

Of course, it is possible to install a display such as a TV or a computer monitor on the door of a refrigerator. Such a display is also capable of providing various contents to the user as a touch display.

However, if such a display is installed in a door of a refrigerator, the manufacturing cost may increase significantly, and it is not easy to secure the heat insulating performance of the refrigerator due to the heat of the display. Further, since such a display itself is also formed to be opaque, it is basically impossible to provide a see-through door.

On the other hand, the conventional lighting apparatus having an LED panel has only a basic ON / OFF control, and there is a problem that various types of pattern illumination are not easy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention basically aims to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a household appliance including an LED panel capable of providing a see-through function. Further, it is intended to provide a household electric appliance capable of realizing a display through such a see-through LED panel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an LED panel which is easy to use and easy to manufacture and an appliance product including the LED panel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an LED panel which can be controlled through an external terminal. Further, it is desirable to provide a household appliance or a lighting device including such an LED panel. In particular, the present invention aims to provide a home appliance or a lighting device having an LED panel capable of implementing various patterns, characters, figures or animations.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an appliance or a lighting apparatus having an LED panel in which a user can directly implement a pattern shown on a display of an external terminal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an appliance product that visually implements a knock input of a user. Through this, we intend to provide home appliances that intuitively understand whether the knock input is properly recognized by the user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an electric appliance in which an equalizer is implemented through an LED panel or weather information is displayed.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cabinet comprising: a cabinet having a storage chamber; A door configured to open and close the storage chamber; A lighting device provided in the storage room; A perspective panel assembly provided on the door and including an LED panel having a transparent window and a plurality of LEDs arranged in a matrix form; And a control unit for controlling the operation of the lighting apparatus so as to selectively allow the storage room to be viewed through the perspective panel assembly and controlling the operation of the plurality of LEDs so that a display is realized through the LED panel .

That is, the perspective region and the display region can be simultaneously provided through the perspective panel assembly.

Preferably, the perspective panel assembly includes a front panel that forms a front surface of the door, and the LED panel is disposed on a rear surface of the front panel. That is, it is desirable to minimize the distance between the front panel and the LED panel. This is because when the distance is increased, the user's sight line may be narrowed toward the upper and lower diagonal lines.

A transparent adhesive sheet is interposed between the front panel and the LED panel, and a transparent insulation ink coating film or a transparent cover layer is formed on the rear surface of the LED panel. Therefore, the perspective structure is not deteriorated by the coupling structure between the front panel and the LED panel. In addition, the light shielding characteristic is not deteriorated by the circuit protection structure of the LED panel.

The perspective panel assembly may include at least one heat insulation panel disposed behind the LED panel. The heat insulating panel is preferably formed of a transparent material.

The plurality of LEDs may be arranged in a matrix form having a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows in the LED panel.

The LED is preferably provided at the corner of the viewing window. Therefore, the size of the viewing window can be increased.

The viewing window may be formed in a rectangular, square, or rhombic shape. It becomes possible to arrange a plurality of LEDs regularly.

The LED panel may include an LED PCB on which the LED is mounted and on which a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines are formed.

Preferably, the transparent window is formed by cutting a portion of the LED PCB excluding the portion where the LED is mounted and the portion where the scan line and the data line are formed. Since the scan line and the data line portion are linear regions, the width of the region can be minimized. Therefore, it is possible to further increase the size of the viewing window. That is, it is possible to further increase the total area occupied by the transparent window on the LED PCB.

The LED PCB is preferably a flexible PCB. In the case of flexible PCB, since the thickness is thin, it is possible to minimize the reduction of the visible region due to the thickness. In addition, the viewing window can be formed more easily.

In addition, the flexible PCB can be more easily attached to the front panel than the hard PCB.

The plurality of scan lines and the data lines are arranged at one side of the PCB to form a scan line aligner and a data line aligner, and the widths of the scan line aligner and the data line aligner may vary along the length direction.

Preferably, the size of the viewing window near the scan line aligner and the data line aligner is varied according to a variable width of the scan line aligner and the data line aligner. Therefore, it becomes possible to increase the size of the viewing window.

The household appliance may include a knock sensor provided in the perspective panel assembly and sensing a knock input by a user to knock the perspective panel assembly.

Preferably, the controller controls driving of the illumination device or the LED when the knock sensor detects the knock input.

The controller may control the lighting device to turn on when it senses that the predetermined knock is input twice consecutively at a predetermined interval through the knock sensor.

When the knock sensor senses that a predetermined knock has been input once, the controller may control the driving of the LED so that the knock input is visually displayed.

Therefore, the patterns of the knock input sensed can be made different from each other, so that the illumination device and the LED can be prevented from being simultaneously driven.

The household appliance may include a wireless communication module adapted to wirelessly communicate with the outside.

And the control unit controls the operation of the LED according to the LED emission pattern received through the wireless communication module to implement the received LED emission pattern.

For example, a pattern such as a character or a figure can be input through an external terminal. Preferably, the controller implements an LED emission pattern corresponding to a pattern received through the external terminal.

Preferably, the control unit extracts individual operation information for each of the plurality of LEDs through the received LED emission pattern, and controls operation of each of the plurality of LEDs individually.

The control unit may control operation of the LED according to an LED emission pattern corresponding to weather information received through the wireless communication module.

The control unit may control operation of the LED to implement a equalizer corresponding to the sound source to be reproduced.

Therefore, the panel assembly on the front side of the door is not simply provided for selective viewing but is provided to realize a display at the same time, which is very convenient.

On the other hand, by including an LED panel having a sight window, both the perspective and display features can be realized at low cost.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in order to realize the above-mentioned object, A panel assembly provided in the case and including an LED panel in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged in a matrix form; A wireless communication module adapted to wirelessly communicate with the outside; And a controller for controlling the operation of the LED to implement the received LED emission pattern according to the LED emission pattern received through the wireless communication module.

The control unit may extract individual operation information for each of the plurality of LEDs through the received LED emission pattern, and may individually control operation for each of the plurality of LEDs.

The individual operational information may include on / off and brightness information for each LED. In addition, it is preferable that the individual operation information further includes time information on ON / OFF and brightness for each LED.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a household appliance including an LED panel capable of providing a see-through function. In addition, it is possible to provide a household electric appliance which can realize a display through such a see-through LED panel.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an LED panel that is easy to use and easy to manufacture, and a home appliance including the same.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an LED panel that can be controlled through an external terminal can be provided. Further, it is possible to provide a home appliance or a lighting device including such an LED panel. In particular, it is possible to provide a home appliance or a lighting device having an LED panel capable of implementing various patterns, characters, figures or animations.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a home appliance or a lighting device having an LED panel in which a user can directly implement a pattern shown on a display of an external terminal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an appliance product that visually implements a knock input of a user. Through this, it is possible to provide a home appliance product in which the user can intuitively grasp whether the knock input is properly recognized.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a home appliance in which an equalizer is implemented or weather information is displayed through an LED panel can be provided.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a home appliance in which both the perspective and display features can be implemented with a simple structure, simple control logic, and low cost.

1 illustrates a refrigerator which is an example of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention,
Fig. 2 shows a horizontal section of the door shown in Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 shows the LED panel shown in Fig. 2,
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a connection structure between a front panel and an LED panel of the panel assembly shown in FIG. 2,
5 is a block diagram mainly showing a control configuration of a home electric appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a block diagram mainly showing a control configuration of a lighting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 7 shows an example of content using an LED panel in a refrigerator, which is an example of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments according to the present invention are not limited to the embodiments of the refrigerator described later. Can be extended to household appliances having a perspective LED panel, and can be extended to a lighting apparatus including the same.

In the embodiment of the refrigerator, the main door for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment may be a see-through door, and a sub-door or a home bar door for opening and closing the sub-storage compartment may be a see-through door. Such a home bar door can also be referred to as a sub door because it is a door rotatably provided in the main door.

1 is a view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The illustrated refrigerator is a bottom freezer type refrigerator in which a refrigerating chamber is provided at an upper portion of a cabinet 10 and a freezing chamber is provided at a lower portion thereof. The refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment may be part of a storage compartment or a main storage compartment 11 provided in the cabinet 10.

The present invention is not limited to this type of refrigerator, and can be applied to a refrigerator having a door that is rotatably mounted in a cabinet and opens and closes a storage room of the refrigerator.

In the illustrated embodiment, the left refrigerator compartment door 20 and the right refrigerator compartment door 25 are rotatably mounted on the right and left sides of the cabinet 10 as a door for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment. Of course, on the other hand, the door of the refrigerator compartment may be rotatably mounted on one door.

The left refrigerator compartment door 20 is an opaque door, and a handle groove may be provided at a lower end thereof. On the other hand, the right refrigerating chamber door 25 can be selectively opened so that the inside of the refrigerating chamber can be seen through the right refrigerating chamber door 25. That is, the right refrigerating chamber door 25 can be formed as a see-through door.

The freezing compartment door provided below the refrigerating compartment door may also include a left freezing compartment door 30 and a right freezing compartment door 40 that are rotatably mounted on both lower sides of the front surface of the cabinet 10. Alternatively, the freezer compartment door may be rotatably mounted on one door or may be equipped with a drawer-type door which is detachably mounted in the front-rear direction.

A handle groove 32 may be formed on the upper surface of the left freezer compartment door 30 and a handle groove may be formed on the upper surface of the right freezer compartment door 40.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a part of the door is formed of a see-through door. However, regardless of whether the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment is opened or closed and whether the door is provided in the refrigerator irrespective of opening or closing the main storage compartment or the sub-compartment, such a see-through door can be formed.

1, the right refrigerating chamber door 25 includes a main door 100 rotatably mounted to the cabinet 10, and a sub door (not shown) rotatably mounted on the main door 100 200). That is, when the main door 100 and the sub door 200 are opened together, the refrigerator can be accessed.

The sub door 200 may be provided with a handle 210. The user can pull only the handle 210 of the sub door 200 to open the sub door 200 only. The sub door 200 may be opened together when the main door is opened.

An opening 110 may be formed in the center of the main door 100 and a sub-storage room may be provided at the rear of the main door 100.

When the sub door 200 is opened, the sub-storage 200 can be accessed through the opening 110 of the main door 100. That is, the sub door 200 can be opened only by opening the sub door 200 without opening the main door 100.

The sub-storage chamber may be formed by vertically mounting a plurality of baskets. Specifically, a cover (not shown) that surrounds the plurality of baskets (not shown) may be provided. The cover may function as a partition wall separating the sub-storage chamber and the main storage chamber. Thus, the sub-storage chamber may be located in front of the main storage chamber.

In the sub door 200, a perspective region 201 or a see-through region is formed. The viewing region 201 may be a region through which light is transmitted. When light is transmitted through the viewing area 201, the user can see the inside of the refrigerator through the viewing area 201. That is, the inside of the storage room can be seen. The storage room may be a main storage room such as a refrigerating room or a sub-storage room. Of course, the main storage and sub-storage can be viewed at the same time.

An illumination device may be provided inside the refrigerator so that light is transmitted through the viewing area 201. The illumination device may be provided in the storage room or in the sub-storage room.

When the illumination device is turned on, light is emitted to the outside through the viewing area 201 inside the refrigerator. Thus, the user can see the inside of the refrigerator. This is because the inside of the refrigerator becomes brightened by the operation of the lighting device.

The operation of such a lighting device is preferably carried out at the request of the user. That is, it is preferable that the illuminating device operates when the user wants to see the inside of the refrigerator through the viewing area 201.

To this end, the door 25 of the refrigerator may be provided with a sensor assembly 500 for sensing a user's input. In particular, the sensor assembly 500 may be provided in the sub door 200.

For example, the sensor assembly 500 may include a knock sensor that senses a knock input of a user. That is, the user can sense the input knocking the perspective region 201. [ That is, the user can transmit the intention to see the inside of the refrigerator through the sight area 201 to the refrigerator by knocking. When the knock sensor senses the knock input of the user, the lighting device operates. Accordingly, the user can see the inside of the refrigerator through the viewing area 201. [

Hereinafter, the structure of the door 25 having the perspective region 201 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2, particularly the structure of the sub door 200. FIG.

The sub door 200 according to the present embodiment includes a door frame 205 having an opening 211 at a central portion thereof.

The door frame 205 includes an inner frame 210 forming an edge of the sub door 200 from the rear of the sub door 200 and a door 210 engaging with the inner frame 210 to form a rear edge of the sub door 200. [ Liner < / RTI >

The door liners 280 may be formed with grooves through which gaskets 290 may be inserted. The gasket 290 seals a gap between the contact surfaces when the sub door 200 is closed to the main door 100, thereby preventing the leakage of cold air.

The sub door 200 includes a panel assembly 270 to form a viewing area 201. Also, the sub door 200 may include a panel assembly 270 to form a display area. The viewing area 201 may be the same as the display area. That is, the viewing area 201 itself may be a display area. Of course, the display region may include the viewing region 201.

The viewing area 201 is smaller than the entire front surface of the sub door 200 by the frame 205. [ However, the display area may be substantially the same as the entire front surface of the sub door 200.

As shown in FIG. 2, the panel assembly 270 may include a front panel 271 exposed on the front surface of the sub door 200. The front panel 271 may be made of a transparent material. Of course, the front panel 271 may have a color coating film or may be formed of a color panel itself. That is, when light is opaque but relatively strong in a minute light state, it can be converted to a transparent state.

This means that the front panel itself is opaque if the illuminator is not actuated behind the front panel 271, and conversely switched to the see-through door and switched to a transparent panel when the illuminator is actuated. Therefore, when the inside of the storage compartment is dark, the inside of the storage compartment is not visible. When the inside of the storage compartment is bright, the inside of the storage compartment is seen through the front panel 271.

The panel assembly 270 may include a heat insulation panel disposed behind the front panel 271. A plurality of the heat insulating panels may be provided. Fig. 2 shows an example in which two insulating panels are provided. A plurality of heat insulating panels 273 and 274 may be provided between the front panel 271 and the heat insulating panel 273. Of course, a hinge 275 may also be provided between the heat insulating panel 273 and the heat insulating panel 274. The panels can be supported apart from each other through the baffle. The space formed by the baffle is preferably an adiabatic closed space. A vacuum may be formed in the adiabatic closed space or a closed air layer may be formed. The air filled in the heat-sealed space may be an inert gas.

The panel assembly 270 may be mounted on an opening 211 formed at a central portion of the sub door 200. Accordingly, the front panel 271 can form the front surface of the sub door 200. [

The interior space of the door frame 205 of the sub door excluding the panel assembly 270 is preferably filled with a heat insulating material. Specifically, the space 285 formed between the inner frame 210 and the door liner 280, that is, the edge of the sub door, is filled with a heat insulating material, It is possible to prevent the cold air from leaking.

Accordingly, the rim of the sub door 200 is insulated by the heat insulating material, for example, polyurethane, and the central part of the sub door 200 is insulated by the heat insulating panels 273 and 274 .

After inserting all of the sub doors 200 into the heat insulating material injection space 285, the inner frame 210 and the door liner 280 can be firmly coupled by injecting and foaming the foaming agent.

The panel assembly 270 in the sub door 400 may be coupled at the front side of the sub door 400 as shown in FIG. That is, the inner frame 210 may be coupled with the inner frame 210 in front of the inner frame 210.

The front panel 271 of the panel assembly 270 may be coupled in such a manner that its edge is not covered by the inner frame 210 but is attached to the front surface of the inner frame 210. [

That is, the front surface of the sub door is preferably formed by the front panel 271. In other words, it is preferable that the front edge portion and the central portion of the sub door 200 are formed by the front panel 271.

For this, the front panel 271 is preferably formed to be larger than the plurality of the heat insulating panels 273 and 274. In other words, it is preferable that the heat insulating panel is formed so as to extend to the outside even when covering all the heat insulating panels.

The plurality of heat insulating panels 273 and 274 may be inserted into the inner surface of the opening 211 of the sub door and the rear surface of the second heat insulating panel 474 may be supported by the door liner 280.

Meanwhile, the handle 240 may be coupled to the left side of the inner frame 210 and the door liner 280 coupled to each other.

A pair of engaging ribs 242 formed on the left side of the handle 240 in the vertical direction are formed on the left side surface of the inner frame 210 in order to engage the inner frame 210 and the handle 240, A pair of latching ribs 212 may be provided.

The pair of latching ribs 212 may protrude laterally from the left side of the inner frame 210 and may be bent forward and backward.

The pair of engagement ribs 242 may protrude laterally from the right side of the handle 240 and may be bent backward and forward.

A predetermined space 285 is formed at the rim of the sub door 200 by the combination of the inner frame 210 and the door liner 280. The predetermined space 285 may be formed by coupling a cab deco to the inner frame 210 and the door liner 280. That is, these predetermined spaces 285 are formed on the upper, lower, left, and right edges of the sub door 200. The predetermined space may be a space filled with a heat insulating material by foaming.

Therefore, a heat insulating function is performed on the rim of the sub door 200, and a heat insulating function is performed on the central part of the sub door 200 by the panel assembly 270.

The front panel 271 on the outer side in the radial direction of the heat insulating panel may be in close contact with the inner frame 210. Of course, the front panel 271 may be in close contact with the cabinet decor as well as the inner frame 210. In the latter case, the upper and lower portions of the inner frame are formed by separate cap decorations. Of course, the cab decor can be referred to as an upper portion and a lower portion of the inner frame.

First, after the handle 240 is coupled to the inner frame, a cap decode may be coupled to the inner frame if necessary. Then, the panel assembly can be closely contacted from the front of the inner frame 210. Here, the adhesion between the inner frame 210 and the panel assembly may be performed through a transparent tape, a transparent adhesive, or the like. That is, a transparent tape or the like may be provided on the rear surface of the inner frame 210 and the rim portion of the front panel 271 (i.e., the radially outer portion of the heat insulating panel).

After the panel assembly is assembled to the inner frame 210, the inner frame 210 and the door liner 280 may be joined to each other at the rear of the inner frame 210. Thereafter, the panel assembly can be closely fixed to the door frame 205 by filling the predetermined space 285 with the foaming agent.

The panel assembly 270 described above forms a viewing area while forming a display area. Thus, in terms of having a see-through region, the panel assembly 270 can be referred to as a perspective panel assembly. In terms of having a display area, the panel assembly 270 may be referred to as a display panel assembly.

In this embodiment, the panel assembly 270 preferably includes an LED panel 272 to have a see-through area and a display area simultaneously.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the door may be a main door rather than a sub door. That is, the panel assembly 270 may be provided on the door that directly opens and closes the storage room.

In addition, household appliances can be extended to household appliances in which objects are housed or stored inside the cabinet, such as washing machines, dryers, ovens, microwave ovens, and dishwashers, as well as the described refrigerators.

Hereinafter, the LED panel 272 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The LED panel 272 may include a plurality of LEDs 610 and an LED PCB 600 on which the LEDs 610 are mounted. The display can be implemented through the LED panel 272 by controlling on / off and brightness of the plurality of LEDs 610. Each of the LEDs 610 may implement color by a combination of RGB. Therefore, various colors can be realized as well as simple lighting and illumination.

In this embodiment, a transparent window 640 is preferably formed on the PCB 600. The viewing windows 640 may be arranged in a lattice form. The LED 610 may be provided at a corner of the viewing window 640. That is, a viewing window 640 may be formed between the LEDs 610.

The viewing window 640 may be formed in any one of a square, a rectangle, and a rhombus shape. Therefore, LEDs 610 may be provided at the four corners of the viewing window 640. [ The shape of the viewing window 640 allows the LEDs 610 to be arranged in a matrix.

FIG. 3 shows an LED panel in the form of a 12 * 12 matrix. Of course, the number of rows and columns of the matrix can be increased or decreased. As each LED interval increases, readability can be reduced. On the other hand, as each LED interval decreases, readability can be increased. Because a more compact pattern can be implemented. The LED spacing is directly related to the size of the viewing window 640. Thus, the smaller the LED spacing, the smaller the size of the viewing window and the smaller the area of the see-through. It is therefore desirable that the LED spacing be properly determined between readability and the see-through area.

In consideration of the size of a general refrigerator, it is preferable that the LED interval is determined to be 0.5 cm to 2 cm.

Each LED 610 may be coupled to a scan line 620 and a data line 630. Accordingly, in the 12 * 12 matrix type LED panel, 12 scan lines 620 and 12 data lines 630 may be provided.

The scan line 620 and the data line 630 may be arranged to cross each other in the vicinity of the LED. Of course, the scan line 620 and the data line 630 may be a circuit printed on the PCB 600. Thus, the scan lines 620 and the data lines 630 are printed on the PCB 600 in a lattice form, and LEDs may be provided near the intersections of the scan lines 620 and the data lines 630. That is, one LED may be connected to one scan line and one data line.

The viewing window 640 may be defined by the positional relationship between the LED 610, the scan line 620, and the data line 630. In other words, a region of the PCB region other than the portion where the LED 610, the scan line 620, and the data line 630 are formed may be formed as a viewing window 640. That is, they can be cut out from the PCB to form a viewing window.

Accordingly, the LED panel can form a lattice-shaped lattice by the LED, the scan line, the data line, and the viewing window.

The PCB 600 may be formed as a flat surface. That is, the LED 610 may be mounted on the front surface of the PCB 600. And a scan line or a data line may be printed on the front surface of the PCB. The scan line 620 and the data line 630 should not be connected to each other. Therefore, when the scan line 620 is printed on the front side of the PCB, the data line 630 is preferably printed on the back side of the PCB. Of course, the opposite might be. In FIG. 3, the scan line 620 is indicated by a solid line and the data line 630 is indicated by a dotted line.

As described above, since the PCB is formed in a plane, it is difficult for the scan lines or the data lines to have a structure in which they are stacked on each other. Thus, the scan lines or data lines in the same plane can be aligned.

3, a scan line sorting unit 625 in which scan lines are aligned on the left side of the LED panel 272 is shown, and a data line sorting unit 635 Are shown.

The scan line aligner 625 is connected to the scan line connector 626 and the data line aligner 635 is connected to the data line connector 636. The scan line connector 626 and the data line connector 636 may be connected to an LED controller 650 described later. Therefore, individual control is possible for each LED through the scan line and the data line.

The width of the scan line aligner 625 and the data line aligner 635 increases in the longitudinal direction. That is, the closer to the connectors 626 and 636, the greater the width. This is because the number of scan lines or data lines arranged in the longitudinal direction increases.

Accordingly, the size of the viewing window 640 near the scan line aligner 625 and the data line aligner 635 is preferably variable. That is, the size of the viewing window 640 is relatively large at a narrow width of the scan line aligning unit 625 and the size of the viewing window 640 at a wide width of the scan line aligning unit 625 is relatively small . This relationship may be the same or similar to the data line aligner 635 and the viewing window 640 near the data line aligner 635. [

By changing the size of the viewing window 640, it is possible to maximize the area due to the viewing window in the entire area of the PCB. In other words, it becomes possible to maximize the perspective area. Meanwhile, the viewing window positioned between the scan line aligner 625 and the data line aligner 635 may have a larger vertical width than the other viewing windows. This can further increase the viewing area.

The thinner the LED panel 627, the better. Particularly, the thinner the thickness of the portion forming the viewing window, the better. This is because the larger the thickness of the portion forming the viewing window, the smaller the viewing region. In particular, when the user's line of sight is formed by a diagonal line, the viewing area can be reduced due to the thickness of the viewing window. As a result, the smaller the thickness of the PCB, the better.

For this purpose, the PCB is preferably a flexible PCB. Flexible PCBs are very thin because they can be formed into sheets. Therefore, the narrowing of the viewing area caused by the thickness of the PCB can be remarkably prevented.

2, it is preferable that the LED panel 272 is provided on the rear surface of the front panel 271. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the front surface of the LED panel 272 can be protected by the front panel 271. [ And tightly adhered to the rear surface of the transparent front panel 271, it is possible to prevent narrowing of the viewing area due to the thickness of the LED panel.

Of course, the LED panel 272 may be provided on the front surface of the heat insulating panel 273. However, in this case, due to the distance between the front panel 271 and the heat insulating panel 273, the viewing area is inevitably narrowed. Therefore, it is preferable that the LED panel 272 is closely attached to the rear surface of the front panel 271 forming the front surface of the door.

Hereinafter, the coupling relationship between the front panel 271 and the LED panel 272 will be described with reference to FIG. The sizes and thicknesses of the structures shown in Fig. 4 are exaggerated or reduced for convenience of explanation.

The front panel 271 is preferably made of tempered glass because it forms the front of the door. And the thickness of the front panel may be about 3 mm or so.

An LED panel 272 is provided on the rear surface of the front panel 271, and a transparent adhesive sheet 272a may be interposed between the LED panel 272 and the LED panel 272. That is, a transparent adhesive sheet 272a may be provided to closely adhere the LED panel 272 to the rear surface of the front panel 271. [ The transmission of light through the transparent adhesive sheet 272a is not interfered.

It is necessary to protect the rear surface of the LED panel 272 after the LED panel 272 is brought into close contact with the front panel 271. Therefore, a transparent insulation ink coating film or a transparent cover layer 272b is formed on the rear surface of the LED panel 272 to protect the circuit. The back surface of the LED panel 272 can be sealed by such a coating film or cover layer 272b. In addition, since it is a transparent material, the transmission of light is not interfered.

The user can see the rear of the front panel 271 through the front windows 640 in front of the front panel 271 except for the blanks of the above-described PCB. That is, the inside of the storage room can be seen.

Through the LED panel 272, it is possible to secure a viewing area and to form a display area.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, a detailed description will be given of a control configuration of a home appliance that can be applied to the embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigerator 1, which is an example of a household appliance, may include a sensor module 500, a lighting device 720, an LED PCB 600 and a communication module 730 in a control configuration. The sensor module 500 may be a knock sensor module. These control arrangements can be controlled through one main control unit 710 and can be controlled through respective control units. In this case, control signals can be transmitted and received between the control units. That is, it can be said that there are one subject performing the calculation for control and plural subjects.

The knock sensor module 500 may include a knock sensor 510 for sensing the knock input of the user. The knock sensor 510 may be a microphone for receiving sound waves. The microphone may be a sensor for receiving a knock input applied to the front panel 271 as sound waves.

Upon reception of the knock input through the knock sensor 510, the knock sensor control unit 520 determines that the knock sensor input is a normal knock input. For example, if a knock input over a predetermined size is input twice consecutively at predetermined time intervals, it can be judged as a normal knock input. For example, if a knock input over a predetermined size is input twice consecutively within a predetermined time interval, it can be judged as a normal knock input.

If the normal knock input is determined through the knock sensor control unit 520, the main control unit 710 controls the operation of the illumination device 720. In one example, the lighting device 720 is controlled to be turned on. When the lighting device 720 is turned on, the inside of the storage room becomes bright. That is, since the rear of the panel assembly 270 becomes brighter, the rear of the panel assembly 270 can be seen in front of the panel assembly 270. In other words, when the lighting device 720 is turned on, the panel assembly 270 is switched to the perspective panel assembly.

The LED panel 272 includes an LED PCB 600 and a plurality of LEDs 610 mounted on the LED PCB 600. And an LED control unit 650 for controlling the driving of each of the LEDs 610.

The LED controller 650 may be connected to the main controller 710 and may control driving of the LED 610 based on information input through the main controller 710.

The communication module 730 may be a wireless communication module. For example, a Wi-Fi communication module or a Bluetooth communication module. That is, the communication module 730 may be provided to wirelessly communicate with the outside of the household appliance, particularly the refrigerator 1. [

The communication module 730 may be connected to the main control unit 710. Specific information may be transmitted to the main control unit 710 through the communication module 730. [ For example, specific information may be transmitted to the main control unit 710 through an external terminal such as the smartphone 800.

Of course, the main control unit 710 can transmit specific information to the communication module 730, and specific information can be transmitted to an external terminal such as the smartphone 800 through the communication module.

It is possible to remotely control the driving of the LED 610 through the smartphone 800. [ It is possible to transmit the LED 610 driving information from the smartphone 800 to the refrigerator 1 by wireless communication.

The smartphone 800 may directly communicate with the refrigerator 1 or may indirectly communicate with the refrigerator 1 through the server.

The LED driving information may include on / off information and brightness information of each LED (). The LED driving information may include time information of each LED (). That is, it may include an on / off time point and a time point of emitting light at a specific brightness. Of course, color information of each LED () can also be included.

Smart phones typically include touch displays. Therefore, a specific pattern can be input in the touch display area. For example, it may be a letter or figure pattern.

The touch display area may correspond to an LED panel area, that is, a display area of a home appliance. Therefore, information about a specific pattern input to the touch display can be transferred from the smart phone to the household appliance.

The main control unit 710 extracts information on the received specific pattern and controls driving of each LED.

For example, the user can enter a heart pattern in the touch display area of the smartphone. The main control unit 710 may receive information on the heart pattern and transmit the information to the LED control unit 710. The LED controller 710 controls driving of each LED so that the LED panel 272 realizes a heart pattern through information on the transmitted heart pattern. For example, only the LEDs corresponding to the heart pattern can be controlled to emit bright light, and the other LEDs can be controlled to be off. Further, in order to provide readability and play, the LEDs which have been emitted are controlled to be turned off, and the LEDs which have been turned off can be controlled to emit light. That is, the LEDs can be controlled in consideration of time information. Thus, it is possible to implement an animation as well as an implementation of a simple pattern.

FIG. 7 shows one example of content that can be implemented in a refrigerator in which perspective and display are simultaneously implemented.

FIG. 7 (a) shows an example of contents implemented so that the LED panel 272 responds visually to the knock input of the user.

When the user knocks the viewing area 201 or the display area of the door 200, the LED panel 272 can be driven to implement a pattern in which the waves propagate in the radial direction. By driving the LED panel 272, the user can intuitively know that the knock input is normally detected.

However, knock input is basically a user input for variable perspective. Therefore, the knock input for perspective and the general knock input should be distinguished.

As described above, two consecutive knock inputs can be judged as knock inputs for variable perspective. Accordingly, the knock input deviating therefrom can be judged as an input for driving the LED panel 272.

For example, if the user knocks only once, the LED panel 272 may be driven in response to the knock. Thereafter, all the LEDs of the LED panel 272 can be turned off. The LED panel 272 can be reactivated again if the user knocks once again. Of course, in this case, it is preferable that the interval between two successive knocks is longer than the time interval at the normal knock input.

In Fig. 7 (b), an example of contents in which the LED panel 272 implements an equalizer is shown.

The household appliance may include a reproducing apparatus for reproducing the sound source by itself. Therefore, it is possible for the LED panel 272 to implement the equalizer through the equalizer information corresponding to the reproduced sound source.

In addition, the household appliances can receive the equalizer information from the external sound source reproducing apparatus through the communication module 730. [ It is possible for the LED panel 272 to implement the equalizer through the received equalizer information.

Recently, home appliances such as refrigerators tend to be installed near the living room. Thus, when implementing an equalizer in a refrigerator, it is possible to provide not only auditory satisfaction but also visual satisfaction.

In Fig. 7 (c), an example of contents in which the LED panel 272 implements weather information is shown.

The home appliance (1) can receive weather information from outside through the communication module (730). A plurality of patterns may be preset corresponding to the weather information. For example, patterns can be defined as sun-shaped patterns in clear weather, cloud-shaped patterns in cloudy weather, rain-shaped patterns in rainy weather, and wind-shaped patterns in windy weather.

The main control unit 710 can transmit the pattern information corresponding to the received weather information to the LED control unit 650 and the LED control unit can control driving of the LED 610 in a pattern corresponding to the received weather information.

The pattern corresponding to the weather information may be implemented at normal times. For example, after the user wakes up in the morning, he can intuitively grasp weather information through the LED pattern. In other words, the user can grasp the weather information very easily without having to labor to grasp the weather information.

On the other hand, the above-described LED panels of household appliances can be extended to lighting devices. For example, the door 200 itself having the LED panel may be a lighting device. The frame of the door 200 corresponds to the case of the lighting apparatus, and the panel assembly 270 is a medium through which the illumination is transmitted to the outside.

Accordingly, the illumination device can also be controlled through an external terminal such as a smart phone.

6, the lighting device 900 may include a communication module 910, a lighting device control 920, and an LED 930. The LED 930 may be mounted on a plurality of LED PCBs as in the above-described embodiments. That is, the type, number, layout type, and control logic of the LED 930 may be the same as in the above-described embodiment.

The illuminating device may also be provided with a front panel. However, the front panel of the lighting device may be formed to be translucent. And the LED PCB may be spaced apart from the rear of the front panel. In this case, the LED PCB may be provided with a viewing window. However, due to the nature of the lighting device, the viewing area may be unnecessary. Therefore, the viewing window can be omitted.

The illumination device 900 may be wirelessly connected to an external terminal such as the smartphone 800 through a communication module 910. [ Accordingly, the operation of the illumination device 900 can be controlled through the smartphone 800, as in the above-described embodiment.

A plurality of LEDs () are arranged in a matrix form, and each of the LEDs can be individually controlled. Thus, it becomes possible to remotely control the lighting device in various forms such as pattern illumination, brightness control illumination, animation illumination, and message illumination as well as on / off of the illumination device.

1: Home appliances (refrigerator) 10: Cabinet
100: Main door 200: Sub door
270: Panel assembly 271: Front panel
272: LED panel 600: LED PCB
610: LED 620: scan line
630: Data line 640:

Claims (20)

A cabinet having a storage room;
A door configured to open and close the storage chamber;
A lighting device provided in the storage room;
A perspective panel assembly provided on the door and including an LED panel having a transparent window and a plurality of LEDs arranged in a matrix form; And
A control unit operable to selectively control the operation of the illumination device to allow the storage chamber to be viewed through the perspective panel assembly and to control the operation of the plurality of LEDs so that the display is implemented through the LED panel. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the perspective panel assembly includes a front panel defining a front surface of the door,
Wherein the LED panel is provided on a rear surface of the front panel. 3. The method of claim 2,
A transparent adhesive sheet is interposed between the front panel and the LED panel,
Wherein a transparent insulation ink coating film or a transparent cover layer is formed on the rear surface of the LED panel. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the perspective panel assembly includes at least one heat insulation panel disposed behind the LED panel. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of LEDs are arranged in a matrix form having a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows in the LED panel. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the LED is provided at an edge of the viewing window. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the viewing window is formed in a rectangular, square or rhombic shape. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the LED panel includes an LED PCB on which the LEDs are mounted and on which a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines are formed, the LEDs being connected to the LEDs. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the transparent window is formed by cutting a portion of the LED PCB excluding a portion where the LED is mounted and a portion where the scan line and the data line are formed. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the LED PCB is a flexible PCB. 9. The method of claim 8,
The plurality of scan lines and the data lines are aligned on one side of the PCB to form a scan line aligner and a data line aligner,
Wherein the scan line aligning unit and the data line aligning unit have widths varying along the length direction. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the size of the viewing window near the scan line aligning unit and the data line aligning unit is varied according to a variable width of the scan line aligning unit and the data line aligning unit. The method according to claim 1,
And a knock sensor provided in the perspective panel assembly for sensing a knock input by a user to knock the perspective panel assembly,
Wherein the control unit controls driving of the illumination device or the LED when the knock sensor senses a knock input. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the control unit controls the lighting device to be turned on when it detects that the predetermined knock is input twice consecutively at a predetermined interval through the knock sensor,
Wherein the controller controls driving of the LED so that the knock sensor senses that a predetermined knock has been input once, and the controller visually displays that knock input is performed. 15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
And a wireless communication module adapted to wirelessly communicate with the outside,
Wherein the control unit controls the operation of the LED according to the LED emission pattern received through the wireless communication module to implement the received LED emission pattern. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the control unit extracts individual operation information for each of the plurality of LEDs through the received LED emission pattern and individually controls operation for each of the plurality of LEDs. 16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
And a wireless communication module adapted to wirelessly communicate with the outside,
Wherein the controller controls operation of the LED according to an LED emission pattern corresponding to weather information received through the wireless communication module. 16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
Wherein the control unit controls the operation of the LED to implement a equalizer corresponding to the sound source to be reproduced. case;
A panel assembly provided in the case and including an LED panel in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged in a matrix form;
A wireless communication module adapted to wirelessly communicate with the outside; And
And a controller for controlling operation of the LED to implement the received LED emission pattern according to the LED emission pattern received through the wireless communication module,
Wherein the control unit extracts individual operation information for each of the plurality of LEDs through the received LED light emission pattern and individually controls operation for each of the plurality of LEDs. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the individual operating information includes on / off and brightness information for each LED, and preferably further comprises time information on on / off and brightness for each LED.

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