KR20190137517A - Refrigerator and the control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, provided are a refrigerator and a control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises: a cabinet having a storage chamber formed therein; a lighting unit disposed to lighten the inside of the storage chamber; a door with a see-through window disposed to open and close the storage chamber, and disposed to see the inside of the storage chamber that is lightened by the lighting unit; a gasket disposed between the cabinet and the door and sealing cold air in the storage chamber; a sensor module disposed between the cabinet and the door and sensing push input applied to a front area of the door through a separation change between the cabinet and the door; and a control unit receiving output of the sensor module to output a control signal for controlling the lighting unit.

Description

Refrigerator and its control method of the same

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof.

In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance that allows food to be stored at a low temperature in an internal storage space shielded by a door. To this end, the refrigerator is configured to cool the inside of the storage space by using the cold air generated by heat exchange with the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle, so that the stored foods can be optimally stored.

Recently, refrigerators are becoming larger and more versatile in accordance with the change of dietary life and the high quality of products, and refrigerators equipped with various structures and convenience devices for efficient use of user's convenience and interior space have been released. .

The storage space of the refrigerator may be opened and closed by a door. The refrigerator may be classified into various types of refrigerators according to the arrangement of the storage space and the structure of the door that opens and closes the storage space.

In addition, a separate storage space accessible from the outside may be provided in the door of the refrigerator. The storage space can be accessed by opening a part of the auxiliary door or the home bar door without opening the entire refrigerator door.

Therefore, frequently used foods may be stored in a separate storage space provided in the refrigerator door. In addition, since the entire refrigerator door is not opened for storing food, there is an advantage of minimizing leakage of cold air into the outside.

However, even in such a structure, there is a problem that the food inside can not be identified unless the refrigerator door is opened. That is, the door must be opened in order to check whether the desired food is stored in the interior space or in a separate storage space provided in the door. And if there is no desired food when opening the auxiliary door or home bar, there is an inconvenience such as opening the main door again, there is a problem that can cause unnecessary leakage of cold air.

In order to solve this problem, a part of the front surface of the refrigerator door may be formed of a transparent material, but in such a case, an insulation problem in the refrigerator may occur. And when it is possible to see the inside while not using the refrigerator there is a problem that the food is exposed to the outside as it is very good in appearance.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a refrigerator capable of selectively viewing the inside of the refrigerator from the outside of the refrigerator according to the needs of the user.

In addition, it is necessary to provide a refrigerator capable of accurately determining the need or will of the user. For example, when the user does not want to see, a case where the inside of the refrigerator can be viewed or when the user wants to see but the inside of the refrigerator is impossible to see may occur. This situation causes the user to lower the reliability of the refrigerator.

The need or will of the user can recognize the user's actions or active input of the user in the refrigerator. That is, the user's active behavior or input for viewing can be recognized in the refrigerator. Therefore, there is a need for a refrigerator capable of effectively recognizing an input for perspective.

On the other hand, it may be recognized that the input for the perspective is not the input for the perspective. That is, it can be misunderstood. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a refrigerator capable of minimizing such misperception.

In addition, there will be a need for a refrigerator having a very easy and intuitive perspective input and a simple configuration and structure for perspective input.

On the other hand, the necessity of such a refrigerator may be the same in a refrigerator having a single door as well as a refrigerator having a plurality of doors for opening and closing each of the plurality of storage compartments. In addition, the same can be said for the refrigerator that can see the storage compartment of the door as well as the refrigerator that can see the storage compartment itself.

An embodiment of the present invention to provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof that can minimize the misunderstanding of the user's behavior or input (hereinafter referred to as "perspective input") to view the inside of the refrigerator from the outside of the refrigerator.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, a perspective input can be performed intuitively and easily, and to provide a refrigerator having a simple configuration and structure.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to structurally minimize the misrecognition of the perspective input to provide a refrigerator having a simple control logic.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, to provide a refrigerator having a perspective input structure that can be easily manufactured at low cost.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, to provide a refrigerator that is very easy to use by using the entire perspective door as a perspective input unit or the handle of the perspective door as a perspective input unit.

In order to achieve the above object, there is a cabinet provided with a storage compartment; A lighting unit provided to illuminate the inside of the storage compartment; A door having a viewing window provided to open and close the storage compartment and configured to view an interior of the storage compartment that is illuminated by the lighting unit; A gasket provided between the cabinet and the door and sealing cold air in the storage compartment; A sensor module provided between the cabinet and the door and detecting a push input applied to the front of the door through a change in the distance between the cabinet and the door; And a refrigerator including a control unit for receiving the output of the sensor module and outputs a control signal for controlling the lighting unit may be provided.

The entire door may be a button that can be pushed backwards. That is, the entire door can be extended to a button pushed to the rear, so that the entire door can be used as a very intuitive and easy perspective input unit.

The gasket may be formed to reduce the length of the front and rear in the state in which the push input is applied rather than the length of the front and rear in the state where the door is closed. Therefore, the gasket itself can limit the maximum separation distance by the push input or can mitigate the impact on the sensor module to protect the sensor module.

The sensor module, the pressing member provided on the rear of the door; And a sensor provided at the front of the cabinet and pressed by the pressing member. The pressing member is moved integrally with the door so that the rear movement of the door can be converted to the rear of the pressing member as it is.

The pressing member is formed to protrude rearward from the rear of the door, the protruding length of the pressing member may be smaller than the front and rear length of the gasket in the state that the door is closed.

The pressing member and the sensor may be provided to be in non-contact state when the door is closed.

And a door sensor configured to detect the opening of the door to generate a door open signal, and the controller may output the control signal when the elapsed time of not receiving the door open signal is greater than a predetermined time.

The sensor module may be provided to output an on / off signal as the sensor contacts the pressing member.

The controller may receive an ON signal of the sensor module and output the control signal.

The lighting unit may be controlled to operate for a set time after reception of the control signal.

The control unit may output a control signal for turning off the operation of the lighting unit when receiving the on signal of the sensor module during the operation of the lighting unit.

The sensor module may be provided to output an analog signal as the sensor contacts the pressing member.

The intensity of the analog signal may vary depending on a change in pressure for pressing the sensor in the pressing member or a change in separation between the cabinet and the door.

The controller may output the control signal when the intensity of the analog signal received from the sensor module is greater than a threshold.

The pressing member and the sensor may be provided to contact each other when the door is closed.

The sensor module may be configured to output an analog signal having a different intensity according to a change in pressure for pressing the sensor by the pressing member or a change in separation between the cabinet and the door.

The controller may determine that the door is open when the output of the sensor module is not received.

The controller may output the control signal when the intensity of the analog signal received from the sensor module is greater than a threshold.

The sensor module may be provided outside the closed loop formed by the gasket.

The sensor module may include any one of a mechanical switch on which a contact occurs or not, a pressure switch that is variable between on and off or a variable voltage value, or a switch that outputs an analog signal according to a displacement change.

The refrigerator may include at least one second door in addition to the door. That is, doors for opening and closing the storage compartment other than the see-through door may be provided.

The controller may perform perspective control through on / off control of the lighting unit. However, it would be possible to perform perspective control in other forms. For example, when a transparent window is provided that becomes transparent when a current is applied, perspective control may be performed through the application / blocking control of the current. In this case, the lighting unit may be referred to as a perspective switching unit.

The sensor module is a means for the user to perform a perspective input. In other words, it is a means for inputting the perspective input in the form of a push of the perspective door. However, perspective input may also be performed in other forms. Thus, the sensor module may be referred to as a perspective input unit.

Features in the above embodiments may be combined in other embodiments as long as they are not contradictory or exclusive.

Through one embodiment of the present invention can provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof that can minimize the misunderstanding of the user's behavior or input (hereinafter referred to as "perspective input") to view the inside of the refrigerator from the outside of the refrigerator.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, perspective input may be performed intuitively and easily, and a refrigerator having a simple configuration and structure may be provided.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to structurally minimize the misrecognition of the perspective input to provide a refrigerator having a simple control logic.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator having a see-through input structure that can be easily manufactured at low cost.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the entire perspective door (sub-door) can be used as a perspective input unit or the handle of the perspective door as a perspective input unit can provide a refrigerator which is very convenient to use. In particular, the perspective input unit may be positioned behind the perspective door to provide a refrigerator that allows the user to enter perspective in a very wide range of locations rather than a specific location.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a press for a specific position such as a general button may be provided using a press of the perspective door and a push of the perspective door, thereby providing a refrigerator having a convenient design and a foolish design. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the inconvenience that the user must find a small input means such as a general button and press it.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator capable of facilitating a perspective input conveniently for men and women regardless of height of a user may be provided.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of the sub-door of the refrigerator opened;
3 is a perspective view of an open main door of the refrigerator;
4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of the main door and the sub door;
5 is a perspective view of the refrigerator compartment door (main door) of the refrigerator viewed from the rear,
6 is a front view of the sub-door;
7 is an exploded perspective view of the sub-door;
8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 1;
9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ of FIG. 6;
10 is an exploded perspective view of the coupling structure of the knock detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention seen from the front of the sub-door;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC ′ of FIG. 6.
12 is a block diagram showing a control signal flow of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;
13 is a flowchart illustrating control logic of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
14 is a perspective view of a state before knocking and a state after knocking in a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;
15 is a block diagram showing a control signal flow of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention;
16 is a flowchart illustrating control logic of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention;
17 is a flowchart illustrating control logic of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention;
18 is a perspective view of a refrigerator to which another embodiment of the present invention is applied in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 2;
19 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator to which another embodiment of the present invention is applied in the refrigerator illustrated in FIG. 9.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings and examples which specifically specify the components and the like of the present invention. However, this is only used to help the understanding of the present invention. In addition, in the following embodiments, specific components may be shown or described as exaggerated or reduced for convenience of description. This is also to help the understanding of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains various modifications and variations are possible from this description, it is the scope of the present invention of such modifications and variations.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view of the sub-door 50 of the refrigerator opened. 3 is a perspective view in which the main door 40 of the refrigerator is opened.

1 to 3, the refrigerator 1 may have an outer shape formed by a cabinet 10 that forms a storage space and a door that opens and closes the storage space.

The inside of the cabinet 10 may be partitioned up and down by a barrier, and a refrigerating chamber 12 may be formed at an upper portion of the cabinet 10, and a freezing chamber 13 may be formed at a lower portion of the cabinet 10. Can be.

The door may include a refrigerating compartment door 20 and a freezing compartment door 30. The refrigerating compartment door 20 may be provided to open and close the opened front surface of the refrigerating compartment 12 by rotation. The freezer compartment door 30 may be configured to open and close the opened front surface of the freezer compartment 13 by sliding. The freezer compartment door 30 may be drawn out in a drawer type, and may be configured to open and close the freezer compartment 13 by drawing in and out. In addition, the refrigerating compartment door 20 may be configured such that the refrigerating compartment 12 is shielded by a pair of left and right pairs. Of course, one refrigerating compartment door 20 may be provided.

Meanwhile, the freezer compartment door 30 may be provided as a swing-type door like the refrigerating compartment door 20 that is not a drawer. In addition, the freezer compartment may be provided at left and right sides, respectively, and two freezer compartment doors may be provided. In the upper and lower refrigeration refrigerators, a refrigerator having left and right freezers each having a swing-type freezer door may be referred to as a French type refrigerator.

In addition, various storage members such as shelves, drawers, or baskets may be provided in the refrigerating chamber 12 and the freezing chamber 13. If necessary, the storage member may be withdrawn in and out of the refrigerating compartment door 20 and the freezing compartment door 30, and the food can be stored and stored by the withdrawal.

The refrigerating compartment door 20 and the freezing compartment door 30 form an overall appearance when viewed from the front, and the refrigerating compartment door 20 may be provided with a dispenser 22 for taking out water or ice as needed.

Meanwhile, the refrigerating compartment door 20 on the right side (see FIG. 1) of the pair of refrigerating compartment doors 20 may be configured to be opened and closed in a double manner. In detail, the refrigerating compartment door 20 located on the right side is rotatably disposed in the main door 40 that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment 12, and the main door 40 or the cabinet 10, and the main door 40. It may be configured as a sub-door 50 for opening and closing the opening 403 formed in the).

The main door 40 may be rotatably mounted to the cabinet 10 by an upper hinge 401 and a lower hinge 402 to open and close at least a part of the refrigerating chamber 12.

A door basket 43 may be mounted on the rear surface of the main door 40 including the inside of the opening 403. Therefore, even if the user opens only the sub door 50 and does not open the main door 40, the user can access the door basket 43 through the opening 403. In this case, the size of the opening 403 may occupy most of the front surface of the main door 40 except for a part of the circumference of the main door 40.

The door basket 43 may include only the first door basket 431, but further includes a second door basket 433 positioned below the first door basket 431 as necessary to secure a storage space. The second door basket 433 may further include a third door basket 435 located below the second door basket 433.

The sub door 50 may be rotatably mounted on the front surface of the main door 40 to open and close the opening 403. Therefore, the opening 403 can be accessed from the outside through the opening of the sub door 50.

The sub door 50 may have a size equal to that of the main door 40 to shield the entire front surface of the main door 40.

The sub door 50 has a panel assembly 54 formed at the center of a transparent material such as glass. Therefore, the inside of the opening 403 can be viewed even when the sub door 50 is closed. The sub door 50 may be referred to as a see-through door or a see-through door. Thus, the panel assembly 54 may be referred to as a see-through window. As will be described later, the see-through window is not always provided in a viewable state, but may be provided to be switched to a viewable state (perspective activation state) and a non-viewable state (perspective deactivation state) as necessary. In general, when the user performs a perspective input in the perspective deactivated state, it may be provided to switch to the activated state. In addition, when the user performs a perspective input so that the user no longer performs perspective in the activated state, it may be provided to switch to an inactive state.

Since the sub door 50 is rotatably mounted on the front surface of the main door 40, the sub door 50 rotates independently while the main door 40 is closed to open and close the opening 403. It can be configured to do so.

Meanwhile, a handle 23 may be provided on the front side of the refrigerating compartment door 20. The handle 23 may be formed at each end of the pair of refrigerating compartment doors 20 adjacent to each other. On the other hand, the handle 23 of the refrigerating compartment door 20 located on the right side may be provided on the front of the sub-door 50.

The handle 23 may be disposed such that a central portion of the handle 23 is farther from the refrigerating chamber door 20 than the upper and lower portions contacting the refrigerating chamber door 20. In one example, the handle 23 has an arch shape, the center of the handle 23 may be coupled to the refrigerator compartment door 20.

The sub door 50 may be provided with a locking unit 232 operated by the operation button 231, and the locking unit 232 may protrude to the rear of the sub door 50, and It may be selectively coupled to and decoupled from the restraining member 404.

Accordingly, the user may open the main door 40 by holding the handle 23, and the sub door 50 rotates integrally with the main door 40. In addition, when the user pulls the handle 23 while holding the handle 23 and pressing the coarse button 231, the main door 40 may be fixed and only the sub door 50 may be opened.

In the exemplary embodiment of the refrigerator illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sub door 50 may be referred to as a refrigerator having a form overlapped with the front of the main door 40. Therefore, in this case, the size of the sub door 50 is substantially the same as the size of the main door 40. Of course, the sub-door 50 may be a refrigerator in which a portion of the sub-door 50 is superimposed on the front of the main door 40.

However, unlike this, the sub door 50 may be inserted into the main door 40 to close the refrigerator. In this case, the size of the sub door 50 is smaller than the size of the main door 40. In other words, the main door 40 may form a door frame of the sub door 50. In this type of refrigerator, a handle for opening the main door 40 and a handle for opening the sub door 50 may be provided separately.

In any case, the sub door 50 may be formed as a perspective door, and preferably formed as a door selectively activated as required. That is, it is preferable that it is a perspective door in which perspective activation is performed by a perspective input or a perspective activation input.

Perspective activation means that the interior is not visible through the door and the state is visible. Thus, when perspective activation is performed in the refrigerator, the storage compartment behind the door can be seen from outside the refrigerator through the door.

4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structure of a main door and a sub door in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the upper hinge 401 is fixedly mounted to the cabinet 10 so that the main door 40 is rotatably mounted to the cabinet 10, and the sub upper hinge 51 The sub door 50 is rotatably mounted to the main door 40.

In this case, the hinge shaft 511 of the sub upper hinge 51 may be formed in a tube shape having a cross section of which one side is opened. Such a cross-sectional structure provides a space inside the hinge shaft 511 which is more expanded. Accordingly, the wires or signal lines L connected to the electrical components (knock sensing device or door lighting unit to be described below) provided in the sub door 50 are connected through the hinge shaft 511 of the sub upper hinge 51. It is guided out of the sub door 50 to be connected to the main control unit 2 on the cabinet 10.

The upper hinge 401 and the sub upper hinge 51 are shielded by the main hinge cover 45 and the sub hinge cover 53. The main hinge cover 45 and the sub hinge cover 53 have a structure connected to each other, the wire (L) guided to the outside through the sub upper hinge 51 is passed through the sub hinge cover 53 It may be guided to the main controller 2 side through the inner side of the main hinge cover 45.

In addition, a separate PCB may be accommodated inside the main hinge cover 45 to control electrical components on the side of the sub door 50.

Meanwhile, a lower hinge 402 for supporting the lower end of the main door 40 is mounted at one front side of the cabinet 10. A sub lower hinge 52 for supporting the sub door 50 is mounted at the lower end of the main door 40.

5 is a perspective view of the refrigerator compartment door viewed from the rear in the refrigerator according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, the front surface of the storage case 41 may be opened, and the front surface of the storage case 41 may be formed to correspond to the size of the opening 403. Accordingly, the opening 403 may be exposed when the sub door 50 is opened, and may access the door basket 43 inside the storage case 41 through the opening 403.

In addition, a rear surface of the storage case 41 may be provided with a case door 42 which is opened and closed by rotation. Therefore, the case door 42 may be opened to access the door basket 43 in the state in which the main door 40 is opened.

A case opening 432 and a door opening 421 may be formed in the storage case 41 and the case door 42 to allow cold air in the inside of the storage case 41 to flow into the storage case 41. Therefore, the temperature inside the storage case 41 may be maintained at the same temperature as the inside of the refrigerating chamber 12.

6 is a front view of the sub-door in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the sub-door.

As shown in the figure, the sub-door 50 is spaced apart from the out plate 55 forming the appearance, the panel assembly 54 mounted in the opening of the out plate 55 and the out plate 55. The door liner 58 may be mounted, and an upper cap deco 56 and a lower cap deco 57 forming upper and lower surfaces of the sub door 50 may be included.

The out plate 55 may be formed of a stainless material by forming a front exterior and a part of a circumferential surface of the sub door 50. In addition, a panel mounting hole 551 in which the panel assembly 54 is formed is formed at the center of the out plate 55.

The panel mounting hole 551 is a space for viewing the inside of the opening 403 of the main door 40 and may be formed to be the same as or similar to the size of the opening 403.

In addition, a plate bent portion 552 bent vertically inwards along the circumference of the panel mounting hole 551 is formed. The plate bent portion 552 is bent to be inserted into the support frame 60 to be described below, the plate bent portion 552 may be formed in the plate hole 5551 which is opened at a predetermined interval continuously.

The panel assembly 54 is formed to shield the panel mounting hole 551, and the front surface of the panel assembly 54 is the front surface of the out plate 55 while the panel assembly 54 is mounted. It may be formed coplanar with.

The panel assembly 54 may be selectively transparent according to the on / off of the door lighting unit 49, and configured to selectively see the inside of the opening 403. Thus, turning on the door lighting unit 49 can be referred to as perspective activation and turning off the door lighting unit 49 can be referred to as perspective deactivation. It will be desirable to maintain perspective deactivation in normal times.

Meanwhile, a bezel 5411 may be formed at an edge of the front panel 541 so that light cannot be transmitted, and the bezel 5411 may be configured to extend outwardly than the heat insulation panel 542. have.

Accordingly, the support frame 60 and the stem bar 543 (see FIG. 8) are positioned on the rear surface of the front panel 541 in which the bezel 5411 is formed, and the support frame 60 and the stem bar 543 are disposed. The front panel 541 is not exposed to the front.

The upper cap deco 56 forms an upper surface of the sub door 50 and may be coupled to the top of the out plate 55 and the door liner 58. In addition, the sub upper hinge mounting portion 501 is formed at one end of the upper cap deco 56, and the upper boss into which the hinge shaft 523 of the upper hinge 401 is inserted into the sub upper hinge mounting portion 501. 5012 may be mounted.

The lower cap deco 57 forms a lower surface of the sub door 50 and is coupled to the out plate 55 and the lower end of the door liner 58. A hinge plate 571 is mounted at the lower cap deco 57 at a position where the sub lower hinge 52 is mounted, and a hinge axis 523 of the sub lower hinge 52 is mounted at the hinge plate 571. The lower boss 572 may be mounted.

The door liner 58 forms a rear surface of the sub door 50, and a liner opening 581 may be formed in an area where the panel assembly 54 is disposed. In addition, a liner groove 582 may be formed along the liner opening 581 to maintain the shape of the door liner 58 around the door liner 58. A sub-gasket 591 (see FIG. 8) may be mounted to be recessed at the rear surface of the sub-door 50 to seal between the sub-door 50 and the main door 40.

Accordingly, light inside the storage space inside the door passes through the opening 403, the liner opening 581 and the panel assembly 54 of the main door. Through this, the storage space inside the door can be seen from the outside of the door.

The locking unit 232 may be mounted at one side of the door liner 58, and a knock detection device 82 to be described in detail below may be mounted.

The back plate of the out plate 55 is provided with a support frame 60 for fixing the out plate 55 and the panel assembly 54 along the circumference of the panel mounting hole 551. The support frame 60 may be configured by combining an upper frame 61, a lower frame 63, and a pair of side frames 62.

The door lighting unit 49 may illuminate a portion in which a plurality of door baskets 43 mounted on the main door 40 are disposed, and the high inner side may look brighter than the high outer side so that the panel assembly 54 may be bright. To make it look transparent.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 1. 8, the door lighting unit 49 includes a lamp case 491 mounted to the door liner 58, and the lamp case 491. It may be configured to include a lamp PCB 492 that is accommodated in the interior of the plurality of LEDs 4921 are disposed, and a lamp cover 493 which is exposed to the opening and shields the opened lower surface of the lamp case 491. have.

The door lighting unit 49 may be mounted to a lighting unit mounting unit 583 formed at an upper end of the liner opening 581 of the door liner 58.

The lamp cover 493 includes a recess 4912 that forms a recessed space to accommodate the lamp PCB 492 therein. The recess 4912 is configured to reflect the light emitted from the lamp PCB 492 through the round surface 4913 having a predetermined curvature to be directed toward the lamp case 491.

And, one side of the lamp PCB mounting unit 4914 may be formed with a wire entrance (4915) through which the wire (L) connected to the lamp PCB 492 is entered. The wire entrance 4915 may be guided into an inner space of the sub door 50, and may enter and exit through a hinge shaft 523 of the sub upper hinge 51.

On the other hand, the area that can be viewed through the sub-door 50 may be referred to as a basket area provided in the inner region of the storage case 41 or near the opening 403 of the main door as described above. The door lighting unit 49 may be located corresponding to this area.

However, generally, a storage compartment lighting unit is provided inside a storage compartment of a refrigerator. That is, the storage compartment lighting unit is provided in the storage compartment that is opened and closed through the main door. Therefore, the perspective brightness can be further increased by turning on the storage unit writing unit together with the door lighting unit 49. In this case, the storage case door 42 (see FIG. 5) which partially blocks the storage compartment and the basket area may be omitted.

Of course, it may be possible to omit the door lighting unit 49 when sufficient perspective brightness is provided through the storage compartment lighting unit.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the perspective activation may be performed by turning on at least one of the storage unit lighting unit and the door lighting unit.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ of FIG. 6, and in more detail with reference to FIG. 9, the panel assembly 54 has a front panel 541 and a rear of the front panel 541. It may be configured to include at least one insulation panel 542 disposed in the and the front bar 541 and the ganbong 543 supporting the insulation panel 542 and the plurality of insulation panels 542.

The bar 543 separates the front panel 541 and the thermal insulation panel 542 from each other, and allows the front panel 541 and the thermal insulation panel 542 to be spaced apart from each other and can be sealed therebetween. .

The liver rod 543 may also be disposed between the plurality of heat insulating panels 542, and if necessary, a sealed space S and a plurality of heat insulating panels between the front panel 541 and the heat insulating panel 542. An inert gas such as argon gas for thermal insulation may be filled between the enclosed spaces S between the 542.

As shown, the left and right widths of the front panel 541 may be greater than the left and right widths of the insulation panel 542. In addition, the left and right widths of the insulation panel 542 may be larger than the left and right widths of the liner opening 581. When perspective activation is enabled, the interior of the liner opening 581 (reservoir perspective area) as well as the liver rod 543 can be seen from the outside. Therefore, the bezel may be formed on the edge portion of the front panel 541 so that the liver is not viewed from the outside. The bezel 5411 may be formed of a printed layer printed on the front panel 541, and may be formed by an opaque film coating. In addition, a knock detection device, which will be described later, may be provided at the bezel portion of the front panel 541. The knock detection device may be located outside the liver rod 543. In order to maintain close contact between the knock detection device and the front panel 541, a printing layer or a coating layer may be excluded between the knock detection device and the front panel. Therefore, except for the portion where the knock detection device and the front panel 541 are in close contact with each other, the printing layer or the coating layer may be formed on the bezel portion.

On the other hand, the bezel 5411 portion may be provided with a heater (59). The heater 59 may be formed in a hot wire shape and may be formed in a closed loop shape surrounding the edge portion of the panel assembly 54 (see FIG. 7). Since the heat insulation panel 542 is not provided at the bezel portion of the front panel 541, condensation may be prevented from the front of the bezel portion through the heater 59.

The upper and lower widths of the front panel 541 may be larger than the upper and lower widths of the heat insulation panel 542. That is, the front panel 541 may be formed to extend further up and / or lower than the heat insulation panel. This extending portion may form the upper and lower bezels.

10 is an exploded perspective view of the coupling structure of the knock detection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front. 10, the out plate 55 and the panel assembly 54 of the sub door 50 are omitted.

As shown in the figure, a sensor opening 584 is formed below the door liner 58 into which the knock detection device 82 can be inserted, and the sensor opening 584 is the knock detection device 82. ) Can be formed to be inserted into the mounting from the outside.

An accommodating part case 587 may be mounted under the door liner 58 to extend to the rear surface of the panel assembly to form a space in which the knock detection device 82 is accommodated.

The accommodating part case 587 may include a sensing device inserting part 5872 into which the front end of the knock sensing device 82 is inserted, and the front surface of the sensing device inserting part 5872 has an insertion part hole 5873. The knock detection device 82 opened and inserted into the inside thereof may have a front surface thereof in close contact with a rear surface of the front panel 541.

In addition, the door liner 58 may be provided with an insert cover 585 on which a sensor device 83 for processing the knock detection signal of the knock detection device 82 is mounted, and the insert cover 585 is provided. The cover portion 5851 may be configured to cover the sensor opening 584 and the PCB insertion portion 5852 may be equipped with the sensor device 83.

The sensing device 83 may allow a user to determine that the knocking on the front surface of the panel assembly 54 is a normal knock input. More specifically, tapping a plurality of times at predetermined time intervals may be determined as a normal knock input. Judging by the normal knock input will generate a knock on signal. The knock on signal is transmitted to a controller that controls the operation of the refrigerator. Such a controller may be referred to as a main controller of the refrigerator.

The knock sensing device 82 and the sensing device PCB 83 may form one knock module 80. That is, it is possible to determine whether the knock input sensed by the knock sensing device is a normal knock input by the sensing device PCB 83 instead of the main controller 2. Accordingly, the sensing device PCB may be referred to as a knock module microcomputer.

Therefore, the input signals sensed by the knock detection device 82 do not need to be transmitted to the main controller 2. That is, the main control unit 2 may be sufficient to receive a knock on signal through the knock module 80 and control perspective activation. The configuration and control characteristics of the knock module will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 12.

In FIG. 10, an example in which the knock detection device 82 is provided at a portion where the front panel 541 extends further below the insulation panel is illustrated. That is, an example in which the knock detection device 82 is provided below the sub door 50 is illustrated. However, unlike the knock detection device 82, the front panel 541 may be provided at a portion where the top panel 541 further extends upward. In this case, the knock detection device 82 may be provided on the upper portion of the sub door 50.

The configuration and mounting structure of the knock detection device 82 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 11, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C 'of FIG. 6.

The knock detection device 82 includes a microphone module 821 for detecting a knock-on signal, a holder 823 in which the microphone module 821 is accommodated, and the holder 823 and the microphone module 821 on the front surface. It may be configured to include an elastic member 824 to be in close contact with the panel 541 and a support member 825 for supporting the elastic member 824 and the holder 823.

The microphone module 821 includes a microphone 8211 for directly sensing sound waves and a microphone accommodating part 8212 for accommodating the microphone 8211. The microphone 8211 may directly sense sound waves, and may be formed in a circular shape having a predetermined thickness and fixedly mounted in the microphone module 821.

The microphone module 821 detects a knock input applied to the front panel, and the sensor device 83 determines whether the detected knock input is a normal knock input. In the case of a normal knock input, the sensing device PCB 83 transmits a knock on signal to the main controller 2. As will be described later, when the main control unit 2 receives the knock on signal, perspective activation is performed. In one example, perspective activation may be performed by turning on the door lighting unit 49. In addition, when the main control unit 2 receives the knock-on signal in the perspective activation state, the perspective control may be performed.

12 is a block diagram showing the flow of control signals in the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating perspective activation / perspective deactivation control of the refrigerator. 14 is a perspective view of a state before and after knock operation of the refrigerator.

As shown in the figure, the refrigerator 1 includes a controller 2 for controlling the operation of the refrigerator. The refrigerator 1 may include a microcomputer that performs other processes in addition to the controller 2. For example, a microcomputer for display or communication may be additionally provided, and the above-described sensing device PC may also be referred to as a microcomputer that performs a process. Therefore, the controller 2 may be referred to as a main controller of the refrigerator.

The main controller 2 may be connected to the door switch 21. The door switch 21 is provided in the cabinet 10 to detect the opening of the refrigerating compartment door 20 or the main door 40, and is provided in the main door 40 to provide the sub door 50. You can also detect the opening of.

In addition, the main controller 2 may be connected to the door lighting unit 49 to be turned on when the sub door 50 is opened or when a knock on signal is input. The main controller 2 may be connected to the sensing device PCB 83 connected to the knock sensing device 82.

On the other hand, the refrigerator 1 may be in the same state as the mirror surface or the black panel surface in a state in which the panel assembly 54 is opaque, as shown in FIG. In such a state, fluoroscopy is impossible. That is, it may be in a perspective inactive state.

In the perspective deactivated state, the knock detection device 82 maintains a state in which the user's perspective input is available at any time in an activated state (S110).

In the perspective deactivated state, in order to check the food storage state in the refrigerator, the user may perform a knock on operation of knocking the front of the sub-door 50, that is, the front panel 541, in front of the refrigerator. A knock input of the user is sensed by the knock detection device 82, and the detection device PCB 83 determines whether the knock on operation is a valid operation. That is, it is determined whether or not the normal knock input (S120).

In detail, when the user taps the front panel 541, the wavelength due to the vibration generated at this time is moved along the front panel 541, which is the same medium, and the sound wave is emitted from the microphone 8211 in close contact with the front panel 541. Will be received.

The received sound wave may be filtered and amplified through the filter and the amplifier, and may be transmitted to the sensor device 83. The sensing device PCB 83 determines whether the knock input is a normal knock input as a collected and analyzed signal to detect the knock signal.

In the case of sound waves generated by noise or impact inside or outside the air, there may be a difference between the sound waves generated by knocking and the characteristics thereof. Therefore, the sensing device PCB 83 determines whether the user knocks through a signal corresponding to the characteristic of the knock signal.

Of course, a signal similar to the knock signal may be generated in a specific situation, and a knock-like shock may be generated on the front panel 541 by a user's carelessness or inexperienced operation, and external noise may be similar to the wavelength of the knock signal. It may be recognized as a signal.

In order to prevent misunderstanding in such a special situation, the sensing device PCB 83 may check whether the knock signal is continuously generated by the set pattern, and determine whether such a pattern is made within the set time.

For example, in order to be detected as a valid knock on signal, a signal recognized as knock may be set to be generated twice within 1 second. As a result of analyzing the knock pattern of a general user, two consecutive knocks are performed, and the time interval is within 1 second. Therefore, when set in this way, it is possible to prevent misunderstanding in special situations and to accurately recognize the knock operation of the user. You can do it. Of course, the number and setting time of the knock signal to be determined as the effective knock on signal may be variously changed.

When it is determined that the effective knock on signal is not generated through the knock detection device 82, the main controller 2 does not perform a separate control operation. That is, the perspective deactivation state is maintained. That is, the main control unit 2 does not perform the control related to the perspective unless the knock module 80 receives the valid knock on signal.

On the other hand, when the valid knock input is sensed and transmits the effective knock on signal from the sensing device PCB 83 to the main control unit 2, the main control unit 2 performs the control related to the normal perspective. That is, perspective activation control or perspective deactivation control is performed. For example, in the perspective inactive state, the control unit 2 turns on the door lighting unit 49. In addition, in the perspective activation state, the control unit 2 turns off the door lighting unit 49.

When the door lighting unit 49 is turned on, the inside of the opening 403 becomes bright, and the light inside the high light passes through the panel assembly 54. In particular, while passing through the front panel 541, the front panel 541 is transparent, as shown in Figure 14 it is possible to see the inside (S130).

When the sub door 50 becomes transparent, the user can check the storage space or the interior space inside the main door 40, and the sub door 50 is opened or necessary work for storing food. .

The lit door lighting unit 49 maintains the lit state for a set time, for example, 10 seconds, so that the user can sufficiently check the state of the refrigerator.

Then, it is determined whether the set time has elapsed while the door lighting unit 49 is turned on (S140), and when the set time has elapsed, the door lighting unit 49 is turned off (S160).

In addition, the knock input of the user may be performed before the set time elapses while the door lighting unit 49 is turned on. That is, after the user checks the height by performing a knock-on operation to check the height, the door lighting unit 49 may be turned off before the set time elapses.

For example, if the user wants to make the sub door 50 in an opaque state within 5 seconds after the door lighting unit 49 is turned on, and the user confirms the storage state in the refrigerator, the sub door 50 again. The front of the front panel 541 is knock operation.

If it is determined that the knock operation is valid at this time (S150), the door lighting unit 49 may be turned off before the set time elapses (S160). Of course, the validity determination of the knock operation at this time may be set in the same manner as in step S120, or may be set to another knock input pattern as necessary.

When the set time elapses after the door lighting unit 49 is turned on or when a valid knock on signal is input, the door lighting unit 49 may be turned off.

Accordingly, the main controller 2 receives the knock on signal and performs perspective activation / perspective deactivation control based on the knock on signal. Such control can be performed by controlling the on / off of the lighting device such as the door lighting unit 49.

When the door lighting unit 49 is turned off, the inside of the high place becomes dark, and the high outside becomes a bright state. In such a state, the high outside light is reflected from the front panel 541 so that the front surface of the sub door 50 is in a state such as a mirror that is impossible to see inside. Therefore, the sub-door 50 is maintained in an opaque state until a new operation is input (S160).

Hereinafter, a refrigerator and a control method thereof according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. In the present embodiment, the features in the above-described embodiments may be included unless they are contradictory or exclusive.

The aforementioned knock detection device is provided to detect a knock input of a user. That is, the user's knock input to the front panel is detected by sound waves or vibrations. However, external noise or external shock may be transmitted to the refrigerator, and vibration or shock may occur in the refrigerator itself. Therefore, the knock detection device detects not only the normal knock input but also an abnormal input and determines whether the knock is normal.

However, an external input similar or identical to a normal knock input may be generated, in which case perspective activation may be performed unnecessarily by misrecognition. In addition, perspective activation may occur in a state in which perspective activation is unnecessary or in a state in which perspective activation should be excluded. In this case, a process of receiving a knock input unnecessarily and determining whether or not the knock input is normal is also performed.

The knock input may be performed to look inside the storage compartment behind the door without opening the door provided with the see-through window. Therefore, perspective activation control is unnecessary when the door provided with the see-through window is opened. If the perspective activation control is performed for some reason with the door provided with the see-through window open, this may cause waste of energy and confusion of the user. In this embodiment, a refrigerator and a control method thereof may be provided to solve such a problem.

On the other hand, an impact may occur when not only a door provided with a see-through window but also another door of a refrigerator is opened and then closed. In particular, an impact may occur when the drawer-shaped freezer door is closed. Such a shock may be received by the knock detection device 82 by sound waves or vibrations.

A plurality of users close the door can be said to be a variety of forms. And even the same user may have a variety of forms of closing the door. Thus, the impact generated by the door closing may be similar to a normal knock input. Therefore, a problem of misrecognizing an abnormal input as a normal knock input may occur.

For example, when the user closes the freezer door, perspective activation may be performed on the door provided with the viewing window. In this case, the user may think that the refrigerator is not smart or suspect a product failure or abnormality, thereby lowering product reliability. Of course, such perspective activation is also unnecessary perspective activation, resulting in waste of energy. The present embodiment can provide a refrigerator and a control method thereof for solving the problem associated with the opening of the door.

Referring to Fig. 15, the control configuration of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. Duplicate description is omitted for the same features as in the above-described embodiment. Of course, the above-described embodiment may also include the same or similar control configuration in this embodiment.

The main controller 2 is provided to receive the knock on signal from the knock module 80. When the knock on signal is received, the door lighting unit 49 and / or the storage compartment lighting unit 49a provided in the storage compartment behind the seeing door are turned on to perform perspective activation.

When the door (view window door) provided with the see-through window is a refrigerator compartment (freezer compartment) door, the user inputs a knock input to the refrigerator compartment (freezer compartment) door. This form may be referred to as a refrigerator or freezer having a single door. In this case, the door writing unit 49 may be omitted and perspective activation may be performed by turning on the storage compartment writing unit 49a in the refrigerating compartment (freezer).

The main control unit 2 may know that the viewing window door is opened through the viewing window door switch 21a. When the viewing window door is opened, the main control unit 2 turns on the storage compartment lighting unit 49a so that the user can see the inside of the storage compartment well. At this time, the on of the storage unit lighting unit 49a is independent of perspective activation.

In this state, however, perspective deactivation may be performed by an abnormal knock input. In other words, the storage compartment lighting unit 49a may be turned off even when the viewing window door is open. That is, the perspective deactivation control may be performed by misrecognizing an abnormal input as a normal input. In this case, the user may suspect a breakdown of the refrigerator, and the use becomes very inconvenient.

In addition, with the sight window door open and the storage compartment lighting unit 49a turned on, the user can intentionally make a normal knock input. In this case, when the storage unit lighting unit 49a is turned off, the user may think that the refrigerator is not smart.

On the other hand, when the user opens the see-through window door and closes it hard, there may be a problem that the perception activation is performed is misidentified as a normal knock input.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the perspective activation and perspective deactivation not only be associated with the knock module 80 and the main control unit 2 but also with the viewing window door switch 21a.

In the present embodiment, the viewing window door may be a sub door provided in the main door, which is a refrigerating compartment door or a freezing compartment door. For example, the sub-door 50 provided in the main door 40 of the refrigerating compartment shown in FIG. 1 may be a viewing window door. In this case, the viewing window door switch 21a may be referred to as a sub-door switch, and the main door switch 21b may be referred to as a storage compartment writing unit 49a provided in the storage compartment behind the main door. Of course, in this case, the door lighting unit 49 may be referred to as a main door lighting unit.

The main controller 2 can know that the main door is opened through the main door switch 21b. When the main door is opened, the main controller 2 turns on the storage compartment lighting unit 49a so that the user can see the inside of the storage compartment well. At this time, the on of the storage compartment writing unit 49a is independent of the perspective activation control.

In this state, however, perspective deactivation may be performed by an abnormal knock input. In other words, the storage compartment lighting unit 49a may be turned off even though the main door is open. Of course, the reservoir writing unit 49a may not be used for perspective activation. However, when the storage lighting unit 49a is turned on to further increase the perspective brightness, the storage lighting unit 49a may be suddenly turned off while the user is looking inside the storage chamber. That is, abnormal input may be mistaken for normal input. In this case, the user may suspect a breakdown of the refrigerator, and the use becomes very inconvenient. That is, the same problem may occur as described above.

 In addition, while the main door is opened and the storage unit lighting unit 49a is turned on, the user can intentionally make a normal knock input to the sub door. In this case, when the storage unit lighting unit 49a is turned off or the door lighting unit 49 is turned on, the user may think that the refrigerator is not smart.

On the other hand, when the user opens and closes the main door hard, there may be a problem that the perspective activation is performed is misidentified as a normal knock input.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the viewing window activation and the viewing window deactivation are not only associated with the knock module 80 and the main control unit 2 but also with the main door switch 21b of the main door provided with the viewing door.

The main controller 2 can know that the sub-door 40 is opened through the see-through door switch 21a. When the sub door is opened, the main controller 2 turns on the door writing unit 49 so that the user can see the inside of the storage area provided in the main door. At this time, the on of the door lighting unit 49 is independent of the viewing window activator.

In this state, however, perspective deactivation may be performed by an abnormal knock input. In other words, the door lighting unit 49 can be turned off even though the sub door is in the open state. That is, the door writing unit 49 may be turned off suddenly while the user opens the sub door to look at the storage area of the main door. That is, abnormal input may be mistaken for normal input. In this case, the user may suspect a breakdown of the refrigerator, and the use becomes very inconvenient. That is, the same problem may occur as described above.

In addition, while the sub door 50 is opened and the door lighting unit 49 is turned on, the user can intentionally make a normal knock input to the sub door. In this case, when the door lighting unit 49 is turned off, the user may think that the refrigerator is not smart.

On the other hand, when the user opens and closes the subdoor hard, there may be a problem that the fluoroscopy activation is performed by mistaken as a normal knock input.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the viewing window activation and the viewing window deactivation are not only associated with the knock module 80 and the main control unit 2 but also with the viewing window door switch 21b.

In the present embodiment, the viewing window door may be a sub door provided in the main door, which is a refrigerating compartment door or a freezing compartment door. Of course, the viewing window door may be the main door itself. And, it may include individual doors as well as the main door and the sub-door. For example, it may include a freezer compartment door 30 shown in FIG. 1. For convenience, a door unrelated to the sight glass door is called a freezer door.

The main controller 2 can know that the freezer door is opened through the freezer door switch 21c. The freezer door is independent of the viewing window door and also of the lighting units 49 and 49a for activating the perspective. Then, the user's eyes are directed toward the freezer until the user opens and closes the freezer door.

If the user closes the freezer door hard, it can be mistaken for a normal knock input. In this case, perspective activation is performed unnecessarily, in which case, the user may suspect a breakdown of the refrigerator, and use becomes very inconvenient. That is, the same problem may occur as described above.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the viewing window activation and the viewing window deactivation are not only associated with the knock module 80 and the main control unit 2 but also with the freezing compartment door switch 21c. That is, it is preferable to also be associated with the door switch 21 of the other door irrelevant to the see-through door.

As described above, in the present embodiment, in a refrigerator having one door or a plurality of doors and a viewing window, the refrigerator and its control capable of preventing malfunctions by controlling perspective activation and perspective deactivation in association with a door switch. It provides a way. That is, in various types of refrigerators, the main controller 2 provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof in which the main controller 2 performs perspective control in connection with the door switches 21a, 21b, and 21c as well as the knock module 80.

An embodiment of a control method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As described above, various forms of misperception and malfunction associated with perspective control may occur when the door is opened. In addition, an emergency operation related to clairvoyance control may occur while the door is opened. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to fundamentally block misunderstanding, malfunction and emergency operation associated with the door. That is, this object can be achieved by using a door sensor or a door switch capable of detecting whether the door is open.

Receiving the knock input, determining whether the knock input is normal, generating the knock signal, and receiving the knock signal may be referred to as a series of procedures for activating perspective. Perspective activation is not performed if one does not perform or blocks the execution of one of these series of procedures. Of course, this series of procedures can be performed to switch from perspective activation to perspective inactivation.

In this embodiment, the switching of the perspective activation or the perspective activation may be performed on the premise that the door is closed. That is, it is preferable to determine whether the door is opened through a door switch or the like (S201), and when the door is not opened, knock module activation (S210) is preferably performed. In other words, activation of the knock module means performing all the above-described series of procedures. Here, whether the door is open may be determined through a door open signal generated when the door is opened by the door switch.

In addition, when the door is opened, the knock module may be deactivated (S205) so as not to perform at least one of the series of procedures. Examples of knock module deactivation may be as follows.

For example, when the door is opened through the door switch, the main controller 2 may block the supply of current to the knock module 80. In this case, the knock input reception itself is not performed. In addition, the knock module does not determine whether or not the normal knock input, and thus the knock on signal is not generated.

For example, the current supplied to the knock detection device 82 may be blocked. That is, the current may be interrupted through the sensor device 83 or the main control unit 2.

For example, when the door is opened in the sensing device PCB 83, the signals received from the knock detecting device 82 may be ignored or the knock input determination may not be performed. This is because the sensing device PC 83 can know whether the door is opened through the main control unit 2.

For example, when the door is opened in the sensing device PC 83, it is possible not to generate a knock on signal. This is because the sensing device PC 83 can know whether the door is opened through the main control unit 2.

For example, the main controller 2 may block reception of the knock signal from the knock module 80 or ignore the received knock signal.

Therefore, the main control unit 2 may fundamentally block a problem that may occur in connection with perspective control when the door is opened through the door switch.

Here, the door switch may be applied only to any one of the switches described with reference to FIG. 15 or may be applied to all switches. For example, when the impact when the main door 40, the sub-door 50, etc. are closed is very far from the normal knock input, the door switch and the knock module may be activated. On the other hand, when the impact when the freezer door 30 is closed may be confused with the normal knock input, only the freezer door switch may be related to whether the knock module is activated.

According to the present embodiment, in spite of using a door switch or a door sensor which is generally provided, it is possible to prevent misrecognition and malfunction from occurring.

In the case of refrigerators, the doors are opened frequently. Thus, it may not be desirable to switch knock module activation to inactive every time the door is opened. In particular, it may be undesirable to cut off the supply of current to the knock sensing device 81 or to cut off the supply of current to the knock module 80 each time the door is opened. Therefore, it may be desirable to operate the knock module 80 at all times unless the refrigerator is powered off or there is no special situation. Here, the special circumstances may include a case where the perspective function itself is turned off through a separate user input means.

However, even in this case, as described above, a problem of misrecognition and malfunction may occur with respect to the opening of the door.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the control method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 17.

This embodiment may be referred to as an embodiment in which the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 16 are combined. In this embodiment, the knock module may be basically activated.

In the knock module activation state S310, a valid knock on signal may be detected (S320). That is, the main controller 2 may receive the knock on signal through the knock module 80. In other words, in the knock module activation state, the knock module 80 detects the knock input, determines whether the knock is input, and performs a series of processes for generating a knock on signal.

In the present embodiment, when the knock-on signal is received by the control unit 2, it is preferable that perspective activation or perspective switching is not immediately performed, and the step S325 of determining whether the door is opened is preferably performed. That is, the main controller 2 determines whether the door is opened after receiving the knock on signal.

When the door is opened, the main controller 2 ignores the received knock on signal (S326). In other words, the control logic ignores the reception of the knock on signal. This can be done very easily with areas of control algorithms other than electrical or mechanical switching.

If the knock on signal is ignored, no further action is taken regarding the receipt of the knock on signal. That is, the perspective control based on the knock on signal is not performed. In one example, no further action is taken to turn on the door lighting unit 49 or to turn off the door lighting unit 49. Therefore, in this case, the on / off control of the door lighting unit 49 will depend only on whether the door is opened or closed by the door switch regardless of whether the knock on signal is present.

When the knock on signal is generated and the door is closed, it may be determined whether the knock on signal is generated by the door closing (S327). That is, when the knock on signal is generated by the impact of the door closing, it is necessary to ignore the knock on signal as well.

The main controller 2 may know whether the door is opened or closed through the door switch. Of course, the main control unit 2 may also know the time that the door is opened and / or the time that the door is closed through the door switch. By using this, when the door is closed, it may be determined whether the set time has elapsed after the door is closed. It takes a certain time for the user to close the door and perform the knock input. In addition, a certain time is required to alleviate the impact caused by the closing of the door.

The predetermined time may be determined in consideration of these predetermined times. The set time may be about 1 second. If too short, the closing shock of the door can be recognized as a knock on signal and reflected. If it is too long, the user normally inputs the knock and generates a knock on signal, which can be ignored.

When the set time has elapsed since the door is closed, perspective control may be performed by reflecting the knock on signal (S330). In one example, the knock on signal is reflected as an on / off control condition of the door lighting unit 49. In perspective active state, the device is switched to perspective inactive state, and in perspective inactive state, it is switched to perspective enabled state.

Then, when the set time has elapsed (S340) from the perspective activation start time in the perspective activation state is switched to the perspective deactivation (S360).

In this embodiment, whether the door is opened or closed can be detected through a door switch or a door sensor. The door switch or door sensor detects that the door is opened, generates a door open signal, and transmits the signal to the control unit 2. Therefore, the controller 2 can know whether the door is opened through the door switch or the door sensor.

Here, the door switch may be applied only to any one of the switches described with reference to FIG. 15, to some switches, or to all switches. For example, when the impact when the main door 40, the sub-door 50, etc. are closed is very far from the normal knock input, the door switch and the knock module may be activated. On the other hand, when the impact when the freezer door 30 is closed may be confused with the normal knock input, only the freezer door switch may be related to whether the knock module is activated.

The door condition in step S325 and the door condition in step S327 may be different or different. When a plurality of doors are provided, door conditions may overlap. That is, which doors are opened and which doors are set after the set time has elapsed may be the same or different.

In step S327 there may be a fear that the door closure causes misrecognition for all the doors. Therefore, in step S327, the door may be all doors. Of course, if there is a fear of misrecognition only in the case of a specific door in step S327, only the elapsed time of closing the specific door can be determined. For example, the specific door may be a freezer compartment door 30. In particular, in the case of a drawer type door, the freezer compartment itself is moved and closed because a relatively large impact may occur.

The door in step S325 may also be all doors. That is, it may include both a perspective door, a door associated with the perspective door, and a door independent of the perspective door. When opening a door that is independent of the see-through door, the user is not interested in the storage compartment associated with the other door. Therefore, the knock on signal need not be reflected in this state.

However, since the user may be interested in a plurality of storage areas at the same time, it is preferable that the door in step S325 is a door associated with the perspective door or the door (the main door when the perspective door is a sub-door). This is because when the perspective door or the door associated with the perspective door (the main door when the perspective door is a sub-door) is opened and the knock on signal is reflected, as described above, it may be confusing to the user.

The above-described embodiments may be related to a refrigerator in which a user's perspective input is performed by knocking and a control method thereof.

Since the knock input has to be sensed through vibration or sound waves, the knock module structure is complicated, and the control logic for preventing false recognition is complicated.

The following describes an embodiment in which the perspective input is very simple and intuitive and the perspective input unit is very simple.

The basic structure of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment may be the same as or similar to the refrigerator in the above-described embodiment. However, the structure related to the perspective input unit and its mounting may be different. Therefore, duplicate descriptions are omitted.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. 18 and 19 may correspond to FIGS. 2 and 9, respectively.

As shown, the sub-door 50 is a door having a see-through window (panel assembly 54), through which the door storage compartment area, that is, the door basket 43, provided in the main door 40 can be seen. . Accordingly, the user can determine where the storage items such as the frequently used beverages are located without opening the sub door 50.

When the sub door 50 is opened, the door basket 43 is exposed to the outside. The user may take out food or the like in the door basket 43 through the opening 403 formed in the main door 40. That is, since the desired storage has already been identified before opening the sub door 50, the desired storage may be immediately opened after opening the sub door 50.

Cold air may leak to the outside through the opening 403. Therefore, a gasket 591 may be provided between the circumference of the opening 403 and the sub door 50.

The gasket 591 is made of silicon or rubber to block leakage of cold air and to mitigate shock when the sub door 50 is closed. That is, the gap G between the main door 40 and the sub door 50 performs a sealing function and a shock mitigation function.

The gasket 591 has a closed loop shape and prevents cold air from leaking from the inside of the closed loop to the outside of the closed loop.

In addition, the gasket 591 is formed to have a magnetic property to maintain a sealing function by the magnetic, and thus, to open the sub door 50, a predetermined external force must be applied.

For this reason, the gasket is formed of an elastic material and is formed to vary in thickness. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, the thickness (front and rear width) of the gasket is kept constant in the state where the sub door is closed. However, when pulling the sub door 50, the thickness of the gasket may be increased elastically, and when pushing the sub door 50, the thickness of the gasket may be reduced elastically. Therefore, even when the sub-door 50 is kept closed, the thickness of the gasket may change elastically, which means that the gap G between the main door 40 and the sub-door 50 may also be changed. it means.

In the present embodiment, to provide a refrigerator including a sensor module 70 for detecting the user's perspective input by paying attention to the nature and location of the gasket. The sensor module 70 is an embodiment of the perspective input unit, and may be referred to as a perspective input unit different from the knock module 80 described above.

The sensor module 70 may be provided at the rear of the sub door 50. In detail, the sensor module 70 may be provided between the main door 40 and the sub door 50 to detect a change in separation therebetween.

Since the see-through window 54 is provided in the sub-door 50, the see-through input may be performed by pushing the see-through window 54 or pushing the sub-door 50. Due to the characteristics of the gasket 591, the sub door 50 can be moved to the rear to some extent. Through this separation change, the sensor module 70 may detect a perspective input.

The perspective input applied to the sensor module 70 may be referred to as a push input. By sensing the push input, the sensor module 70 generates a signal corresponding to the see-through input. That is, it generates a see-through signal. The main controller (control unit) 2 receives the output of the sensor module 70 and outputs a control signal for controlling a perspective switching unit such as a lighting unit.

The user pulls the handle 23 to open the sub door 23. Therefore, applying force to the handle of the sub door 23 may be an expression of the intention of the user to actively use the refrigerator. That is, the handle of which the user's will is first reflected may be referred to as a handle of the refrigerator.

In order to increase intuition, the sensor module 70 is preferably located behind the handle 23. That is, by pushing the handle 23, the sub-door 50 is moved to the rear, it can be detected as a perspective input. Thus, the entire handle 23 can be extended as part of the see-through input unit. In the above-described embodiment, it can be said that the entire front panel 541 is extended as part of the perspective input unit.

In addition, the handle 23 is located at a position substantially distant from the rotation axis (sub hinge) of the sub door 23. Therefore, there is also an advantage that it is possible to change the separation interval very effectively when pushing the sub door 23 behind the handle 23.

Specifically, the sensor module 70 is provided in front of the main member 40 and the pressing member 72 provided on the rear of the sub-door 50, the sensor 71 is pressed through the pressing member 72 ).

The pressing member 72 may be formed to protrude rearward from the rear of the door. Therefore, this can be called a pressing protrusion. The protruding length of the pressing member 72 is preferably smaller than the front and rear lengths of the gasket in the state in which the sub door 50 is closed. That is, it is preferable that the sub-door 50 is smaller than the gap 50 in the closed state. This is because if the protruding length of the pressing member 72 is large, the external shock may be easily damaged. Then, the rear movement of the sub door 50 by the push input is a rotational movement although the rotational angle is small. Therefore, when the protruding length of the pressing member 72 is long, a deviation occurs due to the rotational movement, which is undesirable.

For this reason, the sensor 71 is preferably provided to protrude forward from the front of the main door 40. The protruding length of the sensor is also preferably smaller than the gap 50. Therefore, the contact between the pressing member 72 and the sensor 71 is preferably performed in the gap (G). In particular, it is preferable that a contact in a state in which a push input is applied to the sub door 50 is also performed in the gap G.

However, in order to minimize the exposure of the sensor 71 itself to the outside of the refrigerator, the sensor 71 is located in a recessed shape in the front of the main door 40, whereby the pressing member 72 is further protruded Nothing will be ruled out.

When a push input is applied to the sub door 50, it is possible to predict the rear separation distance of the sub door 50, that is, the length of the gap, by using the gasket property. The length of the gap G in the state in which the push input is applied becomes smaller than the length of the gap G in the state in which the push input is not applied. However, if the sub door 50 closes very tightly, the same gap G length as the push input is applied may occur. In this case, the closing of the sub door 50 can be mistaken for a push input.

Therefore, when no external force is applied while the door is closed, the pressing member 72 and the sensor 71 are preferably provided to be in contact with each other. This non-contact arrangement can effectively prevent the door from being misidentified as a push input.

In this case, the sensor module 70 may be provided to output a perspective signal as the sensor 71 contacts the sensor 72. That is, when the contact state by the push input in the non-contact state, it is preferable to detect the perspective input to output a perspective signal. The main controller receives the perspective input signal to perform perspective activation control. The perspective input signal is transmitted to the controller 2 through the signal line 73.

Here, the signal generated by the contact / non-contact of the sensor module is very simple. That is very simple, like on / off. Therefore, a complicated process of determining whether it is a normal perspective input through an algorithm can be omitted. In addition, a very simple and simple form of the sensor 71 can be applied. In this case, the sensor module may not include a processor such as a separate microcomputer.

On the other hand, in the case of this type of sensor module 70, there is room for mistaken abnormal input as a see-through input. There is a possibility of mistaken as a perspective input when the user leans slightly on the sub-door 50 or collides with the sub-door while moving.

Therefore, the sensor module 70 may be provided to output an analog signal (a signal whose amplitude is continuously changed) rather than a signal such as on / off. That is, as the pressing member 72 contacts the sensor 71, an analog signal may be output. The intensity of the analog signal may vary depending on a change in pressure for pressing the sensor 71 in the pressing member 72 or a change in the distance between the main door 40 and the sub door 50.

The controller 2 may receive the analog signal and determine that it is a normal perspective input when the intensity of the signal is greater than the threshold.

When using the analog signal, the sensor pressing member 72 and the sensor 71 may be provided to contact the door in the closed state. When the push input is applied while the door is closed, the strength of the analog signal increases, and when it is larger than the threshold value, it can be determined as a normal perspective input.

While the contact between the pressing member 72 and the sensor 71 is maintained, an analog signal having a predetermined intensity or more may be generated. By using this, the sensor module 70 may be utilized as a door sensor. That is, it may be excluded that a separate door sensor is provided to detect whether the sub door 50 is opened or closed. In this case, through one sensor module it is possible to simultaneously detect whether the perspective input and the door open.

When the sensor 71 receives an analog signal, the sensor module 70 preferably includes a module microcomputer that determines whether the sensor 70 is a normal perspective input. That is, as in the knock module, it is preferable to include a microcomputer that generates a clairvoyance signal when it is determined as a normal clairvoyance input. In this case, the see-through signal is transmitted to the control unit 2, and the control unit 2 may perform perspective control based on the see-ion signal.

In this embodiment, a door sensor may be provided to detect the opening of the sub door 50 separately from the sensor module 70. In addition, misrecognition and malfunction may occur due to the opening and closing of the door. In particular, the shock generated when the sub door 50 is closed may be misidentified by the sensor module 70 as a normal perspective input. However, unlike the above-described embodiments, in the state in which the sub door 50 is opened due to the structure and position of the sensor module 70, there is little room for misrecognition in the sensor module 70. This is because the case where the pressing member 72 and the sensor 71 are in contact with the sub door 50 in the open state will not occur.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, control logic for preventing misrecognition that may be generated by the door closing in the above-described embodiments may be applied. That is, the controller 2 may check the elapsed time of not receiving the door open signal by the door sensor 21a (see FIG. 15) of the sub-door 50 when it is determined as a normal perspective input.

If the unreceived elapsed time is greater than a predetermined time (for example, 1 second), a control signal for changing the perspective activation is output. When the elapsed reception time is within a predetermined time, it is determined that the perspective input is due to the closing of the sub-door 50, and thus the control signal for changing the perspective activation may not be output.

Therefore, in order to prevent the erroneous recognition of the perspective input due to the closing of the door, the perspective input unit activation and deactivation described through FIG. 16 is performed, or as described with reference to FIG. It may be possible to selectively reflect the Zion signal.

On the other hand, since the sensor module 70 uses the elasticity of the gasket, it is preferably located near the gasket 591. The closed loop inner side of the gasket 591 may be referred to as a cold air region closed loop outer region. In addition, the closed loop inner region may be referred to as a region where dew condensation may occur.

Therefore, the sensor module 70 is preferably provided outside the closed loop of the gasket.

In the above-described embodiment, an embodiment in which the viewing window 52 is provided in the sub door 50 has been described. However, a viewing window may be formed in the main door 40 itself. That is, a viewing window may be formed in a refrigerating compartment or a freezing compartment door in which the sub door 50 is not provided.

In this case, the sensor module 70 may be located between the front of the cabinet 10 and the door 40. Similarly, a gasket may be provided between the cabinet 10 and the door 40. Therefore, it is possible to mount the sensor module 70 in the same form as described above and to sense the perspective input through it.

The sensor module 70 is located at the rear of the sub door 50 so that the entire sub door 50 can be used as a push button. That is, the sensor module 70 may not be exposed to the outside of the sub door 50, and the sub door 50 itself or the handle may be used as a push button.

Therefore, a relatively small input means such as a general push button is located in front of the sub-door 50 is very convenient to use. And beautiful design can be implemented.

In particular, regardless of the user's height size, all users can easily perform perspective input. In addition, it is possible to reduce the effort of finding the perspective input means, and to reduce the effort of pressing and moving a finger on the perspective input, thereby implementing a highly effective perspective input means.

In the above-described embodiments, the lighting unit is an example of the perspective switching unit, the knock module and the sensor module are an example of the perspective input unit, and the knock-on signal may be an example of the perspective signal. Thus, the perspective switching unit and the perspective input unit may be modified in various forms.

Through the refrigerator and the control method thereof according to the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that is easy to use and can improve reliability.

10 cabinet 20 cold storage door
30: freezer door 40: main door
50: sub-door (perspective door) 70: sensor module (perspective input unit)
80: knock module (perspective input unit)

Claims (20)

A cabinet in which a storage compartment is provided;
A lighting unit provided to illuminate the inside of the storage compartment;
A door having a viewing window provided to open and close the storage compartment and configured to view an interior of the storage compartment that is illuminated by the lighting unit;
A gasket provided between the cabinet and the door and sealing cold air in the storage compartment;
A sensor module provided between the cabinet and the door and detecting a push input applied to the front of the door through a change in the distance between the cabinet and the door; And
And a controller configured to receive an output of the sensor module and output a control signal for controlling the lighting unit. The method of claim 1,
The gasket is a refrigerator, characterized in that the front and rear length in the state in which the push input is applied than the front and rear length in the state that the door is closed. The method of claim 2,
The sensor module,
A pressing member provided on the rear of the door; And
And a sensor provided at the front of the cabinet and pressed by the pressing member. The method of claim 3, wherein
The pressing member is formed to protrude rearward from the rear of the door, the protruding length of the pressing member is characterized in that less than the front and rear length of the gasket in the state that the door is closed. The method of claim 3, wherein
And the pressure member and the sensor are in contact with each other when the door is closed. The method of claim 3, wherein
It includes a door sensor for detecting the opening of the door to generate a door open signal,
And the control unit outputs the control signal when the elapsed reception time of the door open signal is greater than a predetermined time. The method of claim 3, wherein
The sensor module is a refrigerator, characterized in that the sensor is provided to output an on / off signal in contact with the pressing member. The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit is a refrigerator, characterized in that for receiving the on signal of the sensor module, and outputs the control signal. The method of claim 8,
And the lighting unit is controlled to operate for a set time after reception of the control signal. The method of claim 9,
The control unit, characterized in that during the operation of the lighting unit, when receiving the on signal of the sensor module, the refrigerator outputs a control signal for turning off the operation of the lighting unit. The method of claim 3, wherein
The sensor module, characterized in that the refrigerator is provided to output an analog signal as the sensor contacts the pressing member. The method of claim 11,
The strength of the analog signal is a refrigerator, characterized in that depending on the change in the pressure to press the sensor in the pressing member or the separation change between the cabinet and the door. The method of claim 12,
The control unit, the refrigerator, characterized in that for outputting the control signal when the intensity of the analog signal received from the sensor module is greater than the threshold. The method of claim 3, wherein
The refrigerator characterized in that the pressing member and the sensor is in contact with the door is closed. The method of claim 14,
The sensor module may be configured to output an analog signal having a different intensity according to a change in pressure for pressing the sensor by the pressing member or a change in separation between the cabinet and the door. The method of claim 15,
The control unit, in the case of not receiving the output of the sensor module, characterized in that determining the opening of the door. The method of claim 16,
The control unit, the refrigerator, characterized in that for outputting the control signal when the intensity of the analog signal received from the sensor module is greater than the threshold. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17,
The sensor module is a refrigerator, characterized in that provided on the outside of the closed loop formed by the gasket. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17,
The sensor module may include any one of a mechanical switch performing contact or not, a pressure switch outputting a variable voltage value between on and off, or a switch outputting an analog signal according to a displacement change. Refrigerator. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20,
In addition to the door, at least one second door comprising a refrigerator.

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