KR20210079152A - Home appliance and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a home appliance that allows an accommodating space provided inside to be viewed from the outside through a see-through window without opening a door. In a home appliance according to the present invention, a see-through window is installed on a door and, when a user knocks on the door, a knock input by the user is detected and the interior of an accommodating space is illuminated so that the interior of the accommodating space can be seen from the outside through the see-through window. In addition, a lamp is not turned on/off in a specific condition. Therefore, the user can see the interior accommodating space with a simple operation without opening the door.

Description

Home appliance and control method thereof

The present invention relates to a home appliance, and more particularly, to a home appliance having a see-through window through which an interior space can be seen from the outside and a control method thereof.

BACKGROUND ART Home appliances having a door and accommodating an object in an internal space, such as a cooking appliance, a refrigerator, and a clothes treatment device, are widely used.

These home appliances may be provided with an accommodating space for accommodating an object and a door for opening and closing the accommodating space inside the cabinet forming the exterior. Two or more doors may be provided as needed.

In general, since the door of the home appliance is made to be opaque and the object accommodated inside the accommodation space cannot be seen from the outside, the operation of opening the door is essential in order to check the object.

In the case of home appliances such as refrigerators and ovens, when the door is opened to see the inside, cold or heat inside may leak to the outside, which may cause unnecessary energy loss.

On the other hand, some home appliances, such as ovens, washing machines, dryers, etc. are equipped with a see-through window on the door so that an object inside can be viewed through the see-through window, but the object cannot be properly checked at night or in a dark environment.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 10-2016-0150575 (Prior Document 1) and No. 10-2019-0001876 (Prior Document 2) accept only a knock operation in which the user lightly taps the door without opening the door. Disclosed is a home appliance in which a lamp for illuminating the interior of a space is turned on.

The home appliance disclosed in Prior Document 1 operates a lamp when a sound wave generated by a knock input applied to a door through a sensor is sensed. In addition, in the home appliance disclosed in Prior Document 2, the sensor includes a microphone unit, and the microphone unit protrudes toward the external glass and is disposed to face the external glass, and receives a knock input through the external glass as a sound wave.

However, in the home appliances disclosed in Prior Documents 1 and 2, in order for the sound wave due to the knock to reach the sensor, a single medium must be formed between the knock position and the sensor position so that the identity and continuity of the medium for transmitting the sound wave is maintained. Installation location is very limited. In addition, in the case of home appliances such as ovens, since high-temperature heat is transmitted to the door, when the sensor is attached to the door, there is a problem in that the sensor malfunctions due to the high-temperature heat.

In particular, in the preceding documents, since various vibrations such as vibrations of the refrigerator itself or vibrations caused by other external forces may occur in the refrigerator in addition to vibrations caused by knocks, it is difficult to distinguish between these other vibrations and vibrations caused by knocks, so that a knock is misdetected. Recognize the problem that may occur, and to solve the problem, the consistency of the medium is maintained between the position where the knock is applied and the installation position of the sound wave sensor.

That is, if the identity of the medium is not maintained, the attenuation width of the sound wave transmitted along the different medium is relatively large. Therefore, the sound wave generated by the impact applied to other parts of the refrigerator other than the front panel is sufficiently attenuated. do.

When a knock input is sensed by classifying the sound wave caused by the knock applied to the front panel using the attenuation width of the sound wave, it is possible to significantly reduce the malfunction caused by the shock or vibration applied to the part other than the front panel, and the sound wave signal By recognizing knock input using the attenuation width of , vibration that does not occur on the front panel is not recognized as knock.

As such, the prior documents have to attach a sound wave sensor to the front panel, so the installation location of the sensor is limited, and a sound wave sensor is used to distinguish the knock signal generated from the front panel from vibration caused by other causes, but such a sound wave sensor The use of has the following problems.

In addition, since the sensor detects sound waves, there is a problem in that sound waves caused by factors other than the knock are mistakenly recognized as knocks because the knock input is sensed in consideration of only the intensity and pattern of the sound wave caused by the knock.

That is, the sound wave detection does not consider the direction of the location where the sound wave is generated, so it is impossible to determine where the sound wave is generated. Accordingly, the sound wave caused by the knock on the door and the sound wave caused by other factors at the location other than the door There is a problem in that it cannot be distinguished. Therefore, there is a problem in that even when a sound wave having a pattern and intensity similar to a knock is received, a knock is misdetected.

In addition, in the case of home appliances with a high temperature inside, such as an oven, the sensor may malfunction due to the heat transferred to the sight window, so it is difficult to install the sensor on the sight window, and when the sensor is installed in a location other than the sight window, the detection performance of knock input There is a problem of this deterioration.

Furthermore, a sensor for detecting sound waves is installed by pressing the door on the door, but there is a problem in that the detection rate of the sensor varies according to the degree of compression. For example, there is a problem in that the detection rate is lowered in case of strong compression, and in case of weak compression, it responds to sound waves in the vicinity such as a motor.

As described above, when a vibration sensor is used for knock detection in home appliances, a sound wave sensor is installed because it is difficult to filter noise vibration other than knock. In particular, when it is difficult to attach a sensor to a door due to high heat such as an oven, other Although the sensor must be installed at a location, there is a problem in that it is difficult to accurately detect and filter noise signals because the attenuation of sound wave transmission is large.

On the other hand, in the case of recent home appliances, advanced functions for convenience of use are continuously added, and operation devices capable of operating many additional functions are being added to the door for multifunctionality. Accordingly, since the design and manufacture of the door is becoming more complicated, a device or element for a newly added function is being installed in a part other than the door.

In particular, since the size of the see-through window and the display mounted on the door continues to increase, there is a problem in that it is difficult to provide an extra space for additionally arranging devices such as sensors, elements, and modules for advanced functions in the door. Due to these problems, there is a need to attach the devices to a location other than the door.

(Prior Document 1) Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0150575 (Prior Document 2) Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0001876

As described above, in the related art, a vibration sensor can be used for knock detection in home appliances, but since it is difficult to distinguish vibrations caused by causes other than knock and it is difficult to filter vibrations caused by other causes, it is difficult to solve this problem. A sound wave sensor was installed for In addition, when it is difficult to attach the sensor to the door due to high heat, such as in an oven, the sensor must be installed at a different location, but the attenuation of sound wave transmission increases, making accurate detection difficult and filtering noise signals difficult. An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance that solves the problems of the prior art.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance that has no limitation on the installation position of the sensor and can accurately determine the vibration caused by the knock using the vibration signal of three axes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance that allows a user to check an internal space through a see-through window without opening a door.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance capable of illuminating an internal space by operating a lamp when a knock input by a user is sensed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance capable of accurately detecting a knock input even with a small knock input.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance capable of accurately detecting whether or not a knock input is performed in consideration of the directionality of vibration corresponding to the knock input.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance in which a position of a sensor for detecting a knock input is not limited to a door and can be applied to various positions.

The present invention detects each vibration in the three-axis direction and compares and analyzes the vibration signals corresponding to the vibration in the three-axis direction to clearly distinguish vibration caused by knock and vibration caused by other factors, thereby improving the detection performance for knock input. An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance that can be improved.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance capable of accurately detecting a vibration signal corresponding to vibration caused by a knock by matching the direction of vibration by knocking with any one of the three axis directions.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance having a function of automatically correcting when the direction of vibration due to knock is different from any one of the three axis directions.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance having a function of automatically correcting a detection error according to temperature in order to exclude a sensor for detecting vibration caused by a knock from being affected by temperature.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance that increases the accuracy of vibration detection by installing a sensor assembly for detecting vibration by knocking on a door handle installed on a door.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance that can prevent a knock input sensing performance from being deteriorated by heat by installing a sensor for detecting a knock input at a position not affected by heat.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance capable of minimizing structural change for installation and precisely analyzing vibration caused by knock by applying a module-type sensor assembly.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance capable of controlling on/off of a lamp according to a user's knock.

An object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance that prevents the lamp from being turned on/off even if a user's knock is detected in a specific exceptional situation, such as a state in which the lamp is already on by touching a lamp button or a state in which the knock-on function is turned off have.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a home appliance that prevents a lamp from being turned on/off even when a user's knock is sensed when a door is opened or a self-clean function is being performed.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the following description.

The home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving space and a door for opening and closing a front part of the receiving space to accommodate an object in the interior of a cabinet forming an exterior, and a part of the door is equipped with a see-through window so that the user can use the sight through the see-through window. It can be made so that the receiving space inside can be seen from the outside.

Depending on the location where the accommodation space is installed and the ambient lighting of the home appliance, the interior of the accommodation space may not be visible even when viewed through a see-through window.

Accordingly, in the home appliance of the present invention, a lamp is installed inside the receiving space to illuminate the inside of the receiving space, or by installing a lamp outside the receiving space and illuminating the inside, the inside of the receiving space is brightened so that the inside of the receiving space can be seen clearly. can do.

In the home appliance according to the present embodiment, the operation of the lamp is possible only with a simple manipulation of the user.

That is, when the user knocks on the door, preferably on the sight window, the sensor assembly provided inside detects the vibration caused by the knock, and the control unit controls the on/off of the lamp based on the knock-on signal received from the sensor assembly. let it do

Accordingly, when the user simply knocks on the door or the viewing window, the lamp senses vibration caused by the knock to illuminate the receiving space. Accordingly, the user can see the inside of the accommodation space well with a simple operation.

Here, the sensor assembly may be installed on the door or at a location away from the door, and may detect vibrations generated by a knock applied to a part of the door and transmitted through the same medium or different mediums. Therefore, in the home appliance of the present invention, the width can be widened by selecting the installation position of the sensor assembly.

The controller may turn on/off the lamp when vibration due to knock is detected in the sensor assembly.

In this case, the controller may turn on the lamp when vibration due to knock is sensed in the sensor assembly while the lamp is off, and turn off the lamp when vibration due to knock is detected in the sensor assembly while the lamp is on. Accordingly, the user can turn the lamp on/off only by knocking, thereby providing convenience in use.

In addition, the control unit may automatically turn off the lamp when a set period of time has elapsed after the lamp is turned on. Accordingly, even if the user forgets to turn off the lamp while the lamp is on, it is automatically turned off after a predetermined time to prevent unnecessary power consumption.

In the home appliance according to the embodiment of the present invention, the door may be installed on the front part of the cabinet, and the sensor assembly may be installed on the rear part or the bottom part of the cabinet. For example, it may be installed in the lower rear part.

In another embodiment, the sensor assembly may be installed in a handle portion formed on one side of the door. When the sensor assembly is installed in the handle part, it is installed close to the door, so the vibration detection performance is excellent and the detection accuracy is increased.

In addition, the parts in which the door and the sensor assembly are installed may be of the same material or different medium. In the case of other media, vibrations due to knock applied to the door may be transmitted to the sensor assembly through a plurality of different media physically connected to each other.

In the present invention, the installation position of the sensor assembly is very important. When the home appliance is, for example, an oven, since the oven cooks food by high heat, when the sensor assembly is installed in the door and the viewing window, there is a fear that the vibration sensing performance may be deteriorated by the hot heat. Therefore, in the present invention, it is preferable to install it away from the door.

At this time, in order to sense the vibration applied to the door by the sensor assembly, a plurality of parts constituting the home appliance are made of a solid. These solid parts are physically connected to each other and can serve as a medium for transmitting vibration.

Accordingly, vibration due to the knock applied to the door may be transmitted to the sensor assembly through these plurality of media. In this way, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the sensor assembly's performance due to hot heat.

Such a sensor assembly may detect a vibration detection signal corresponding to vibration, and determine whether or not a knock is input based on the vibration detection signal. In this case, when the vibration detection signal equal to or greater than the preset threshold is continuously detected at a predetermined time interval, it may be determined that the knock has been applied.

In general, knocks take the form of "tricks" at regular intervals. Accordingly, based on the vibration detection signal corresponding to smart and the vibration detection signal corresponding to a predetermined time interval, it is possible to determine whether vibration is caused by knocking. Accordingly, it is possible to easily determine whether vibration is caused by the knock.

Vibration due to the knock may be generated only in the first axial direction among the three axial directions. For example, it may be formed only in the direction of any one of the x, y, and z axes. Therefore, the determination of whether vibration is caused by knock may be determined in consideration of the vibration detection signal of the first axis among the three axes.

The sensor assembly of the present invention may determine whether vibration is caused by knock by comparing a pattern of a vibration detection signal corresponding to a plurality of sensed vibrations with a pattern of a vibration detection signal corresponding to vibration caused by a predetermined knock.

The pattern of the vibration detection signal due to the knock may be preset, and it is possible to determine whether the knock occurs by determining whether it is mapped to the basic pattern.

On the other hand, the sensor assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention can sense the vibration transmitted in all directions. To this end, the sensor assembly may include a vibration sensor having a plurality of axes. That is, the vibration transmitted in a plurality of axial directions can be sensed using such a vibration sensor.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibration transmitted in the three-axis direction is sensed, and the vibration corresponding to the knock is sensed by combining the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration in the three-axis direction.

Of course, by adding the number of vibration sensors to detect vibration transmitted in three or more directions, the reliability of vibration detection by knock can be improved.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for example, a 3-axis sensor module for detecting vibration transmitted in the 3-axis direction and generating a vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration transmitted in the 3-axis direction, respectively, and generated by the 3-axis sensor module It may include a sensor microcomputer that determines whether vibration due to knock on the basis of the vibration detection signal.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a vibration sensor having a plurality of axes is provided in order to distinguish whether the vibration is caused by a knock on the door or the vibration is caused by a knock or movement in another part in a sensor assembly installed at a location other than the door. use. Most preferably, three axes are used. For more precise control, more than 3 axes are possible, but vibrations in all directions can be distinguished with 3 axes. That is, even if a knock is inputted from any part of the home appliance, vibrations in all three-dimensional directions can be sensed.

At this time, one of the three axes is set as the vibration generation direction by the knock, and by comparing the vibrations of the other two axes, it is determined whether the knock signal is generated from the door. And, by sensing the vibration in the three-axis direction, it is possible to sense the vibration in all three-dimensional directions by a combination thereof. Preferably, the three-axis sensor module can detect all three-dimensional directions.

In another embodiment of the present invention, not only 3-axis, but also 2-axis or 1-axis sensors may be used alone or in combination to detect knock vibration. In addition, by providing a plurality of 3-axis/2-axis/1-axis sensors at various locations, the vibration detection signals sensed by each sensor can be compared with each other to detect the knock direction and position.

In another example, the sensor assembly includes a filter unit for removing noise included in the vibration sensing signal generated by the three-axis sensor module, and an amplifying unit for amplifying the vibration sensing signal output from the filter unit and outputting it to the sensor microcomputer. may include more.

In one embodiment, the three-axis sensor module includes three acceleration sensors, wherein the three acceleration sensors sense a first acceleration sensor for detecting vibration in a first axis direction among the three axis directions, and a second axis direction vibration It may include a second acceleration sensor, a third acceleration sensor for detecting vibration in the third axis direction.

At this time, one of the three acceleration sensors is installed so that an axial direction for sensing vibration coincides with a direction of vibration caused by the knock. As described above, by aligning the vibration due to the knock with the direction of any one of the three axes, the accuracy of detecting the vibration due to the knock can be increased.

In addition, in another embodiment, the 3-axis sensor module may include one 3-axis acceleration sensor that simultaneously senses vibration in 3-axis directions, wherein the 3-axis acceleration sensor has a direction in any one of the 3-axis directions caused by the knock. Install so that it coincides with the direction of vibration. Through this, as described above, it is possible to increase the accuracy of detecting vibration by knocking.

In the home appliance of the present invention, the sensor microcomputer compares the pattern of the vibration detection signal generated by the three-axis sensor module with the pattern of the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration caused by the knock, and determines whether vibration is caused by the knock.

These three-axis sensor module and sensor microcomputer are mounted on one PCB, so that the sensor assembly can be formed in the form of an integrated module. And even when the filter unit and the amplification unit are further included, all of them are mounted on the PCB, and the sensor assembly may be formed as an integrated module. As described above, since the sensor assembly can be formed in the form of a PCB module, it is easy to install and attach it to a home appliance, and installation can be simplified even when installed in an existing home appliance. In addition, the selection range of the installation position of the sensor assembly can be widened.

The sensor microcomputer of the present invention may extract a vibration detection signal in the first direction set among the vibration detection signals in the three-axis direction, and determine whether to vibrate with respect to the knock by using the extracted vibration detection signal in the first direction. This is because the vibration caused by the knock occurs in a certain first direction.

In addition, if the vibration detection signal in the first direction is equal to or greater than a set first threshold value and is greater than or equal to a set second threshold value after lapse of the setting time, the sensor microcomputer may determine that the vibration is caused by knocking. This is because, when a knock is applied with “tok-dok”, the vibration corresponding to “tok-tok” shows a signal with a certain magnitude or more, and the rest of the signal has a small magnitude. Therefore, if the vibration detection signal corresponding to "tick" is greater than the first and second thresholds, respectively, it can be determined that the vibration is caused by knock.

In particular, in the case of the sensor microcomputer, the magnitude of the vibration detection signal by 1st knock in the vibration detection signal in the first direction is greater than or equal to the set first threshold, and after the set time has elapsed, the magnitude of the vibration detection signal by the 2nd knock is greater than or equal to the second threshold. On the other hand, it can be determined that the vibration is caused by the knock.

In addition, the sensor microcomputer extracts a vibration detection signal in any one axis direction (first axis direction) that coincides with the direction of vibration by the knock among the vibration detection signals in the three axis directions, and extracts two other vibration detection signals from the extracted vibration detection signal. By comparing the vibration detection signals in the axial direction (second and third axis directions), it is determined whether or not there is vibration in response to the knock.

Here, when the maximum value of the vibration detection signal in at least one of the second axis direction or the third axis direction is greater than the maximum value of the vibration detection signal in the first axis direction, the sensor microcomputer is not the vibration caused by the knock. can be judged as

The lamp of the present invention may be installed outside the accommodating space to illuminate the accommodating space, or installed inside the accommodating space to illuminate the accommodating space. At this time, since the inside of the receiving space is very high temperature, it should be implemented with a material with strong durability against high temperature heat.

In the present invention, it is possible to prevent the lamp from being turned on even if a user's knock is detected by checking some exceptions corresponding to a specific condition. This is to set in advance some exceptions in which the lamp should not be turned on even if a knock is input for safety reasons, energy saving dimension, user convenience, etc.

These exceptions include the door being opened, the self-clean operation in progress, the door lock set for a certain period of time after self-cleaning is completed, the lamp is already on because the lamp button is touched, and the knock-on function is off. , the lamp is flickering after preheating, etc. In this exceptional situation, the lamp is not turned on/off despite the user's knock.

In the present invention, since the lamp on/off switch is provided, the on/off of the lamp can be controlled by a user's manipulation input.

In the present invention, vibration due to knock and vibration caused by other causes are distinguished through a three-axis sensor module that detects vibration in all directions in three dimensions, not a conventional sensor that does not consider vibration due to knock or the directionality of sound waves. to ensure the accuracy and reliability of vibration detection by

The home appliance installed with a see-through window according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following effects.

First, according to the home appliance of the present invention, it is possible to see the inside of the accommodation space through the see-through window without opening the door that opens and closes the accommodation space for accommodating the object.

Second, according to the home appliance of the present invention, when the user knocks on the home appliance, the user's knock is sensed, and a lamp installed in the receiving space illuminates the inside of the receiving space so that the user can see the inside through the see-through window from the outside. It can provide convenience.

Third, according to the home appliance of the present invention, since the vibration transmitted through the solid medium constituting the home appliance is sensed, the knock can be accurately detected even with a small knock.

Fourth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, since the direction of vibration generated by the user's knock input is considered, the direction of vibration caused by knock and the direction of vibration caused by other factors can be distinguished, so that it is possible to accurately detect whether or not knock have.

Fifth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, the position of the sensor for detecting vibration by knock input is not limited to the door and can be installed in various positions, so there is no restriction on the installation position of the sensor and the choice of installation position this is wide

Sixth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, a plurality of axial vibrations are independently sensed, and vibration signals corresponding to the plurality of axial vibrations are compared and analyzed with each other to clearly distinguish vibration caused by knock and vibration caused by other factors. By distinguishing, the detection performance for knock input is excellent.

Seventh, according to the home appliance of the present invention, a vibration signal corresponding to the vibration by the knock is generated by matching any one of the plurality of axial directions and the direction of vibration by knock in the sensor for detecting vibration in a plurality of axial directions. can be detected accurately.

Eighth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, if any one axial direction of the sensor for detecting vibration among a plurality of axial directions and the direction of vibration due to knock are different, it has a function of automatically correcting this, so the accuracy of knock detection is improved .

Ninth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, vibration occurring in the three-dimensional axial direction can be sensed, and among these three-dimensional axial vibrations, the direction of vibration due to knock and the direction of vibration caused by other factors can be distinguished. Therefore, the accuracy of knock detection is improved.

Tenth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, since the detection error according to the temperature of the sensor that detects the vibration caused by the knock is automatically corrected, it is possible to exclude the influence of the temperature, and thus the accuracy of the knock detection is improved.

Eleventh, according to the home appliance of the present invention, it is possible to increase the accuracy of vibration detection by installing a sensor assembly for detecting vibration caused by a knock on a door handle installed on a door.

Twelfth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, the knock input detection performance of the sensor due to heat such as an oven can be prevented from being deteriorated by installing the sensor for detecting the knock input at a position not affected by heat.

Thirteenth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, since it is possible to distinguish vibration caused by knock and vibration caused by other factors by using, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor, it is possible to improve the detection performance for knock input.

Fourteenth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, the position of the sensor for detecting the knock input is not limited to the door and can be applied to various positions.

Fifteenth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, since the sensor for detecting vibration due to knock is implemented in the form of a module, installation is simple, structural change for installation can be minimized, and vibration caused by knock can be precisely analyzed. .

Sixteenth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, it is possible to control the on/off of the lamp according to the knock, so that it is convenient for use and power can be efficiently used.

Seventeenth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, the user can operate the lamp in the internal accommodation space of the home appliance by simply knocking without pressing the on/off switch of the lamp disposed on the upper surface.

Eighteenth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, a device such as a sensor for detecting vibration can be installed at a location other than the door as the size of the see-through window or display mounted on the door is increasing. You don't need to make extra space for it.

Nineteenth, according to the home appliance of the present invention, it is possible to provide safety and convenience in use of the home appliance because it can be set to ignore the knock input even when a knock is input in a specific exceptional situation. In particular, in a state in which the lamp is already on by touching the lamp button, a state in which the knock-on function is turned off, and a state in which self-cleaning is in progress, the lamp may not be turned on/off even by a user's knock input.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects and will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.

1 is an exemplary view showing the appearance of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exemplary view of a button displayed on a display unit of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is an exemplary view in which a sensor assembly is installed in a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram of a sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 is an arrangement perspective view of a three-axis sensor module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an arrangement perspective view of a three-axis sensor module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an exemplary view illustrating alignment between the direction of one axis of the three-axis sensor module and the direction of vibration by knocking according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 and 11 are exemplary views of a vibration detection signal sensed by a three-axis sensor module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a flowchart showing the operation of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
13 is an exemplary view of a vibration detection signal for explaining vibration caused by a knock in a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 and 15 are exemplary views of a vibration detection signal due to a knock in a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
16 is a flowchart showing the operation of a home appliance according to another embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a flowchart showing the operation of a home appliance according to another embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a graph of an experimental result of a vibration detection signal for explaining knock input detection in a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.
19 and 20 are graphs of experimental results of vibration detection signals for explaining non-detection of knock input in home appliances according to another embodiment of the present invention.
21 to 24 are block diagrams of a sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
25 to 30 are exemplary views in which a sensor assembly is mounted on a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Before describing the home appliance according to the present invention, the home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention has a receiving space inside, such as a cooking appliance, a refrigerator, a dryer, a washing machine, etc., and a see-through window is mounted on a door that opens and closes the receiving space. It can be any home appliance that allows the interior of the accommodation space to be seen from the outside.

Therefore, access to the inside of the accommodation space is possible by opening the door that opens and closes the accommodation space, and access to the interior of the accommodation space is impossible because the accommodation space is closed by the closing of the door. It is clearly stated that any home appliance that can see the interior of the accommodation space can be applied to the present invention.

In the following, when a specific form or structure is required in describing the home appliance according to the present invention, a cooking appliance will be described as an example for convenience of description. However, as mentioned above, the home appliance according to the present invention is not limited to such a cooking appliance.

A home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The appearance of the home appliance 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be formed by the cabinet 10 . The cabinet 10 may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may have various other shapes.

In addition, since the cabinet 10 has to have a predetermined strength required to protect a plurality of components installed therein, it can be made of various materials to match.

In addition, although not shown, when the home appliance according to the present invention is a cooking appliance, a device such as a cooktop for cooking food as an open cooking appliance may be further provided on the upper surface 11 of the cabinet 10 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

An accommodating space 23 of a predetermined size may be formed inside the cabinet 10 . The accommodation space 23 may be a space in which an object is stored.

For example, when the home appliance 1 is a cooking device, the accommodation space 23 may be a cooking room, and this cooking room may be used as a space in which a container containing food materials is put and food is cooked.

As another example, when the home appliance 1 is a refrigerator, the accommodation space 23 may be a storage room such as a freezing or refrigerating room, and the freezing or refrigerating room may be a space in which food is stored and stored.

Of course, as still other examples, an accommodating space may be formed in the dishwasher, washing machine, and clothes processing apparatus, and dishes, clothes, etc. may be accommodated in the accommodating space.

One or two or more of these accommodating spaces 23 may be formed. The figure shows an example in which the upper accommodating space 23 and the lower accommodating space 32 are formed. Of course, the plurality of accommodating spaces 23 and 32 may be partitioned left and right.

On the other hand, an open surface of the accommodation spaces 23 and 32, preferably a door 40 for opening and closing the front surface of the accommodation spaces 23 and 32 may be installed.

The door 40 may be composed of an upper door 20 that opens and closes the upper accommodating space 23 in a rotatable manner by rotation, and a lower door 30 that opens and closes the lower accommodating space 32 by drawing in and out in a drawer type. . Of course, both the upper door 20 and the lower door 30 may be implemented in a rotary or drawer type.

In this embodiment, the upper door 20 may be configured to open or shield the inner space of the receiving space 23 by rotating in a predetermined direction. For example, when the upper end of the upper door 20 rotates counterclockwise around the lower end of the upper door 20 , the receiving space 23 is opened, and on the contrary, the upper end of the upper door 20 is the upper end of the upper door 20 . When it rotates clockwise around the lower end, the accommodation space 23 is shielded.

Although not shown in the drawings, the home appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may have components for performing unique functions.

For example, in the case of an oven, various heating means for heating the cooking chamber as the accommodation space 23 may be provided. As another example, the refrigerator may have a configuration of a refrigerant cycle for generating cold air to be supplied to the refrigerating chamber or the freezing chamber as the accommodation space 23 . Of course, even in the case of home appliances such as dishwashers and dryers, components for performing respective unique functions may be provided.

A see-through window may be mounted on at least one of the plurality of doors 20 and 30 . Hereinafter, an example in which the see-through window 21 is installed in the upper door 20 will be described.

The see-through window 21 may be formed integrally with the door 20 as an example, or may be separately mounted on the central portion of the door 20 as another example. When formed integrally, a part of the door 20 may be formed as a see-through door.

The see-through window 21 may be made of a transparent material that can see the inside from the outside. For example, it may be implemented with glass, transparent plastic, or the like. Depending on the applied home appliance, it needs to be formed to withstand high temperature and high pressure, and functions such as waterproofing and heat dissipation may also be required.

The display unit 50 may be installed on one side of the upper portion 11 of the cabinet 10 .

The display unit 50 may display status information of the home appliance 1 and the progress of functions for operations, and the like.

The display unit 50 is for visually and auditory representation of information related to the home appliance 1 , and may include a flat panel display and a speaker. Specifically, the display unit 50 may be formed of a touch panel to which a user's touch input is applied.

The display unit 50 according to the present embodiment may display a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to driving of the home appliance 1 .

Specifically, the display unit 50 is a liquid crystal display (liquid crystal display), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (thin film transistor-liquid crystal display), an organic light-emitting diode (organic light-emitting diode), a flexible display (flexible display), 3 It may include at least one of a 3D display.

When the display unit 50 and the touch sensor for sensing a touch operation form a touch screen by forming a mutual layer structure, the display unit 50 may be used as an input device in addition to an output device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, and a touch pad.

In addition, such a touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific part of the display or capacitance generated in a specific part of the display unit 50 into an electrical input signal.

The touch sensor may be configured to detect not only the touched position and area, but also the pressure at the time of the touch. When there is a touch input to the touch sensor, a signal corresponding thereto may be sent to a touch controller (not shown).

A plurality of buttons may be displayed on the display unit 50 as in an example shown in FIG. 3 . In this embodiment, the button includes a knock-on button 51 for setting a function of automatically turning on/off the lamp 160 installed in the receiving space 23 by a user's knock input, and the lamp 160. A lamp button 52 for setting a function to manually turn on/off, and a self-clean button 53 for setting a self-clean function of the accommodation space 23, which is a cooking room, when the home appliance 1 is an oven, etc. can be displayed.

When the user touches the knock-on button 51 displayed on the display unit 50 once, the knock-on function is turned on, and when the user touches it once more, the knock-on function is turned off.

The knock-on function is a function of turning on/off the lamp 160 by a user's knock. That is, in a state in which the knock-on function is turned on, when a user's knock is input, the lamp 160 may be automatically turned on/off. Conversely, in a state in which the knock-on function is turned off, the lamp 160 is not turned on/off even when a user's knock is input.

Accordingly, when the user wants to use the knock-on function, the knock-on function is turned on, and when the user does not want to use the knock-on function, the knock-on function can be turned off.

In addition, the lamp button 52 is for manually turning on/off the lamp 160 not by a user's knock. That is, when the user touches the lamp button 52 displayed on the display unit 50 once, the lamp 160 is turned on, and when the user touches the lamp button 52 once more, the lamp 160 is turned off.

At this time, in the present embodiment, when the lamp 160 is turned on by touching the lamp button 52 , the lamp 160 is not turned off even if a user's knock is input. That is, in a state in which the user manually touches the lamp button 52 to turn on the lamp 160 , the knock-on function does not operate.

This is because, when a user manually turns on the lamp 160 and a knock is input in the process of checking the inside, turning off the lamp 160 cannot perform the intended operation. However, in a state in which the lamp 160 is turned off by touching the lamp button 52 , the knock-on function may operate to turn on the lamp 160 by the user's knock. Of course, if a knock is input again after that, the lamp 160 may be turned off.

In another embodiment, the self-clean button 53 may be displayed on the display 50 . Self-cleaning may include functions such as automatically disinfecting and cleaning the accommodation space 23 by itself. During this self-cleaning process, the knock-on function can be set to not work. In this case, even when a knock is input by the user, the lamp 160 is not turned on/off.

Although the drawings illustrate that three buttons are displayed as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto. Buttons for other additional functions may be further displayed, and when the corresponding button is touched, a function corresponding thereto may be performed. In addition, the knock-on function may or may not operate in response to the corresponding function.

A lever operation unit 62 may be installed on the front side of the cabinet 10 . The lever operation unit 62 is for setting various functions for the operations of the home appliance 1 . For example, an operating temperature, an operating time, etc. can be set. The lever operation unit 61 may operate the cooktop unit 60 disposed thereon.

A control unit 150 for controlling the overall operation of the home appliance 1 may be installed. In this embodiment, the control unit 150 may be installed inside a panel on which the display unit 50 is installed.

Of course, the position of the control unit 150 is not limited thereto. The control unit 150 may include a microprocessor mounted on a main printed circuit board (PCB), and preferably may be mounted on the main PCB in the form of an IC chip.

The control unit 150 may receive a setting value set by the lever operation unit 62 and control functions corresponding to the setting value. For example, by controlling the heating means (not shown) installed therein according to the set temperature, the internal temperature of the accommodating space 23 may be the set temperature. Also, the controller 150 may display the set temperature and the current internal temperature.

Meanwhile, as shown in the drawing, the sensor assembly 110 may be installed inside the lower rear portion of the cabinet 10 . However, in the present invention, the installation position of the sensor assembly 110 is not limited thereto. For example, it may be installed in a position adjacent to the doors 20 and 30 , and may be installed in the lower front part, the upper front/rear part, and the operation panel assembly 50 of the cabinet 10 .

However, in the case of some home appliances, since a specific temperature and pressure may affect the vibration sensing performance of the sensor assembly 110, it is preferable to install it in a position where it does not affect the vibration sensing performance due to temperature and pressure in consideration of this. .

For example, when the home appliance 1 is an oven, the upper door 20 may receive considerable heat by high-temperature heat from the inside of the cooking chamber. Accordingly, it is better to install the sensor assembly 110 at a different location less affected by heat and pressure than to directly install the sensor assembly 110 on the door 20 .

However, in order to minimize the structural change of the existing home appliance 1 and to install the sensor assembly 110 conveniently, it is preferable to install it inside the rear or both side parts of the cabinet 10 .

In this case, the cover formed on the rear or both side surfaces of the cabinet 10 is temporarily removed, the sensor assembly 110 is mounted, and then the corresponding cover can be mounted again.

4 shows an example in which the sensor assembly 110 is installed on the lower rear portion of the home appliance 1 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The sensor assembly 110 may be installed in substantially any position of the home appliance 1 .

In order to enable the sensor assembly 110 to be installed in various positions as described above, in the present embodiment, the sensor assembly 110 may be manufactured in the form of an integrated module. As such, when the sensor assembly 110 is manufactured in the form of an integrated module, the installation in the home appliance 1 is simplified and the range of options for the installation location can be widened.

The sensor assembly 110 may detect a knock input applied to the home appliance 1 . Specifically, the sensor assembly 110 is a sensor that detects vibration propagated by the medium, and detects the vibration generated by the knock when transmitted through the medium.

Such a sensor assembly 110 may sense not only vibration due to knock but also vibration caused by other factors. However, the sensor assembly 110 according to the present embodiment may be manufactured to detect vibrations caused by a knock input by a user by special distinction.

That is, the sensor assembly 110 can accurately distinguish vibration caused by a knock input by a user from vibration caused by other factors. This can sense the vibration caused by the user's knock by detecting that the sensed vibration is a specific pattern.

The sensor assembly 110 may include, for example, a three-axis sensor module 111 and a sensor microcomputer 114 . In another example, the sensor assembly 110 may further include a filter unit 112 and an amplifier unit 113 .

As shown in FIG. 7 , the three-axis sensor module 111 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a single three-axis acceleration sensor that simultaneously senses vibrations transmitted in three directions orthogonal to each other.

The three-axis accelerometer can detect three-axis components of acceleration (which can be expressed as x, y, and z axes for convenience of explanation) with one sensor. In the present embodiment, the three-axis acceleration sensor may detect a minute change in movement (acceleration) of a medium due to vibration in three directions orthogonal to each other.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the three-axis sensor module 111 according to another embodiment of the present invention may include three independent acceleration sensors. In detail, these three acceleration sensors include a first acceleration sensor 111a for detecting vibration in a first axis direction among three axes orthogonal to each other, a second acceleration sensor 111b for detecting vibration in a second axis direction, and a third It may include a third acceleration sensor (111c) for detecting the vibration in the axial direction.

Since a plurality of different solid parts, large and small, are physically coupled to each other in the home appliance 1, vibration by knocking can be transmitted to other parts of the home appliance 1 by using these solid parts as a medium.

That is, in the present embodiment, the vibrations in the home appliance 1 may be transmitted through different media. In detail, the sensor assembly 110 may be installed on the door 20 , but may also be installed at another location away from the door 20 , and even when installed at a location away from the door 20 , the vibration generated in the door 20 . may be transferred to the sensor assembly 110 through a plurality of solid media connected to each other. Accordingly, the sensor assembly 110 may generate a specific signal (hereinafter, referred to as a vibration sensing signal) corresponding to vibration transmitted through different media.

Meanwhile, FIGS. 7 and 8 show a three-axis acceleration sensor and three acceleration sensors according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment of the present invention, the number of acceleration sensors may be adjusted. As the number of acceleration sensors increases, the accuracy of vibration detection can be improved.

However, in a preferred embodiment, vibrations in all three-dimensional directions can be detected using a three-axis acceleration sensor or a combination of three acceleration sensors capable of detecting vibration in three-axis directions.

In addition, in another embodiment of the present invention, a uniaxial acceleration sensor for detecting vibration in a uniaxial direction and a two-axis accelerometer for sensing vibration in a two-axis direction are also applicable. In this case, it is important to match the direction of vibration caused by the knock applied to the door and the axial direction of the acceleration sensor.

The sensor assembly 110 may include at least one selected from the filter unit 112 and the amplifier unit 113 as necessary.

In the sensor assembly 110 , the vibration detection signal may include unnecessary noise in addition to the vibration detection signal due to the knock input, and the filter unit 112 may remove such noise.

A signal output after the noise is removed by the filter unit 112 may be amplified through the amplifier 113 . And the amplified signal may be input to the sensor microcomputer 114 .

The sensor microcomputer 114 may be configured separately from the control unit 150 and may determine whether the vibration is caused by a knock input by the user based on a signal output from the amplifying unit 113 . Here, when it is determined that the corresponding vibration is vibration caused by a knock input by the user, it may be notified to the controller 150 .

The three-axis sensor module 111 and the sensor microcomputer 114 may be mounted on one PCB board, and may be configured as a sensor assembly 110 in the form of an integrated module together with the PCB board. In addition, in another embodiment, when the sensor assembly 110 additionally includes the filter unit 112 and the amplification unit 113 , the three-axis sensor module 111 , the filter unit 112 , the amplification unit 113 and the sensor The microcomputer 114 may be mounted on one PCT board and configured as a sensor assembly 110 in the form of an integrated module together with the PCB board.

As described above, since the sensor assembly 110 is implemented in the form of an integrated module, it is possible to easily install, attach, and remove it in any part of the home appliance 1 according to the present embodiment. The installation and attachment positions of the sensor assembly 110 may be variously determined.

In detail, the sensor assembly 110 may be disposed at a location away from the door 20 as well as the door 20 . Furthermore, it may be installed on the handle part 25 formed on one side of the door 20 , or it may be installed on the rear or bottom part of the cabinet 10 . For example, it may be installed in the lower rear portion of the home appliance (1). Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto.

When the sensor assembly 110 is installed in the handle part 25 of the door 20, when a knock is applied to the door 20, the vibration caused by the knock can be more accurately detected. In this case, it is preferable to dispose an insulating material (not shown) around the sensor assembly 110 in order to minimize the effect of heat.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the portion where the door 20 and the sensor assembly 110 are installed may be of different media. Accordingly, the vibration caused by the knock applied to the door 20 may be transmitted to the sensor assembly 110 through a plurality of media physically connected to each other.

Here, a plurality of solid parts physically connected to each other constituting the home appliance 1 may be the medium.

The control unit 150 turns on/off the lamp 160 when a signal (hereinafter referred to as a knock-on signal) corresponding to vibration caused by a knock is received from the sensor assembly 110 , specifically, the sensor microcomputer 114 . It can be turned ON/OFF.

Turning on the lamp 160 means supplying power to the lamp 160 so that the lamp 160 can brightly illuminate the inside of the accommodation space 23 , and turning off the lamp 160 means the lamp 160 . ) means that the power is not supplied to prevent operation.

The lamp 160 may be a lighting device capable of brightly illuminating the interior of the accommodation space 23 . For example, it may include an LED module. The lamp 160 may be turned on/off by a control signal of the controller 150 .

In this embodiment, the lamp 160 is installed outside the accommodation space 23 to provide illumination toward the inside of the accommodation space 23 or may have a structure installed inside the accommodation space 23 .

In addition, the lamp 160 may use various light emitting devices, and any conventionally known light emitting device may be configured and used in various forms without limitation.

The operation of the home appliance 1 according to the present invention configured as described above will be described.

When a user knocks on any part of the home appliance 1 according to the present invention, the knocked part becomes a vibration generating site, and vibration due to the knock may occur in the corresponding part.

The vibration generated in this way may be transmitted to the entire area of the home appliance 1 through a plurality of media made of solid parts constituting the home appliance 1 . Accordingly, this vibration may be transmitted to the sensor assembly 110 installed in any part of the home appliance 1 .

The sensor assembly 110 generates a vibration detection signal corresponding to the transmitted vibration, and determines whether the transmitted vibration is vibration due to a user's knock input or vibration caused by other causes based on the generated vibration detection signal. can

When the sensor assembly 110 determines that the transmitted vibration is vibration caused by a user's knock input, a knock-on signal may be transmitted to the controller 150 . When a knock-on signal is received, the controller 150 may turn on the lamp 160 .

If the sensor assembly 110 determines that the transmitted vibration is not the vibration caused by the user's knock input, the knock-on signal is not transmitted to the control unit 150 . Then, the controller 150 does not turn on the lamp 160 because there is no reception of the knock-on signal.

As described above, in the home appliance 1 of the present invention, when a user's knock is sensed while the lamp 160 is off, the lamp 160 may be turned on.

Meanwhile, when a user's knock input is sensed by the sensor assembly 110 in the same manner even when the lamp 160 is turned on, the control unit 150 may cause the lamp 160 to be turned off.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when vibration by the user's knock is sensed, the lamp 160 is turned on to illuminate the inside of the accommodation space 23 so that the user can view it from the outside through the see-through window 21 mounted on the door 20. to be able to see the inside.

In addition, when the user knocks again while the lamp 160 is on, the user can provide convenience by sensing vibration caused by the knock and automatically turning off the lamp 160 .

Accordingly, the user can turn on/off the lamp 160 only by knocking and can check the inside of the accommodation space 23 of the home appliance 1 without opening the door 20 .

Hereinafter, the three-axis sensor module 111 will be described in more detail.

The three-axis sensor module 111 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in a plate shape having a certain thickness, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be implemented in various shapes such as a hexahedron.

As shown in FIG. 7 , in an embodiment of the present invention, the three-axis sensor module 111 may be implemented as a single three-axis acceleration sensor 111 ′ that simultaneously senses vibration in the three-axis direction. That is, the vibration transmitted from one three-axis acceleration sensor 111' in the three-axis direction is simultaneously sensed.

As shown in FIG. 8, in another embodiment of the present invention, the three-axis sensor module 111 includes three accelerometers independent of each other, and these three accelerometers are the first to detect vibration in the first axial direction among the three axial directions. It may include a first acceleration sensor 111a, a second acceleration sensor 111b for detecting vibration in the second axis direction, and a third acceleration sensor 111c for detecting vibration in the third axis direction. In the drawing, for example, first, second, and third axes are indicated as x, y, and z axes.

These acceleration sensors 111', 111a, 111b, and 111c are representative of a capacitive acceleration sensor, a piezoelectric acceleration sensor, a piezoresistive acceleration sensor, and the like, and the present invention is not limited to any one method.

The three-axis sensor module 111 may sense vibration in three axes, that is, in x, y, and z-axis directions orthogonal to each other. Vibration detection in the x, y, and z-axis directions can be performed independently and simultaneously.

In addition, these acceleration sensors 111 ′, 111a , 111b and 111c may be mounted on a PCB substrate 170 , and other components, that is, a filter unit 112 and an amplifier unit 113 , may be mounted on the PCB substrate 170 . ), the sensor microcomputer 114 may also be mounted. Accordingly, the PCB substrate 170 on which the components are mounted may be implemented in an integrated module form.

The type of vibration that can be applied to the home appliance 1 may be varied. For example, there may be vibrations generated from a motor mounted therein, a heating means, a refrigeration cycle, and the like. Alternatively, people in the vicinity of the home appliance 1 may inadvertently collide with or arbitrarily tap to generate vibration. Even when passing the home appliance 1, vibration may occur even by footsteps.

In consideration of the number of various cases of vibration as described above, in the present invention, vibration caused by a knock input by a user for the purpose of checking the inside through the see-through window 21 should be able to be distinguished from vibration caused by other factors.

To this end, it is necessary to increase the discrimination power between vibrations generated by knock and vibrations generated by other factors. That is, it is necessary to increase the discrimination power between the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration caused by the knock and the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration caused by other factors.

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, when the three-axis sensor module 111 is composed of three independent first, second, and third acceleration sensors 111a to c, as described above, one of the three acceleration sensors is an acceleration sensor. It is important to install so that the axial direction for sensing vibration coincides with the direction of vibration by knocking.

In addition, in another embodiment of the present invention, when the three-axis sensor module 111 is configured with one three-axis acceleration sensor 111', any one of the three-axis directions of the three-axis acceleration sensor 111' is knocked. It is important to install so as to match the direction of vibration caused by

9 shows an example in which the x-axis direction among the x, y, and z-axis directions coincides with the direction of vibration due to the knock as an example. In this way, by aligning the alignment between any one of the three axes and the direction of vibration, the vibration caused by the knock can be detected more clearly and accurately, and through this, it can be distinguished from the vibrations proceeding in the other y- and z-axis directions. make it possible

As described above, alignment between the axial direction for sensing vibration and the direction of vibration is very important in the present invention. The direction of vibration generated by the knock may be determined according to which direction of the cabinet 10 is knocked.

For example, when a knock is applied to the front part (eg, a door) of the cabinet 10 , the direction of vibration due to the knock occurs only in one axis direction. This means that the vibration transmitted in the other axial direction is not the vibration generated in the front part.

Assuming that the direction of vibration by the knock applied to the front part is the x-axis direction, the direction of vibration by the knock applied to the side part, not the front part, is the y-axis direction, and the direction of vibration by the knock applied to the top part is the z-axis direction. .

Since the vibration sensed in the y-axis direction or the z-axis direction is not vibration due to the knock applied to the front part, the signal in the x-axis direction is prioritized for judgment. Therefore, among the vibration detection signals in the three-axis direction, a vibration detection signal in one axial direction (x-axis direction) that coincides with the direction of vibration by knock is extracted, and whether or not there is vibration in response to knock is determined using the extracted vibration detection signal do.

In addition, the three-axis sensor module 111 according to the present embodiment is completely different from the conventional sensor for detecting sound waves. Since the conventional sound wave sensor does not consider the directionality of the sound wave, it is impossible to know where the knock is applied. In addition, since vibrations generated in other parts cannot be distinguished from vibrations caused by knocks, a malfunction may occur.

In this embodiment, the direction of vibration will be described.

In the case of vibration caused by a knock input by a user, the direction of vibration may be determined according to the position of the knocked part. That is, the vibration caused by the knock may appear in only one direction. For example, when knocking on the door 20 installed on the front part of the home appliance 1, vibration may be generated only in the front-rear direction. That is, vibration occurs in only one of the x, y, and z axes.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that vibration occurs in the first axis direction (x-axis direction) when a knock on the front part of the home appliance 1 is described. Of course, it is natural that the direction of vibration may vary depending on how the three-axis sensor module 111 is disposed.

As an embodiment, when the user knocks on the door 20 or the sight window 21 while trying to check the inside through the sight window 21, vibration is generated only in the x-axis direction by the knock and the 3-axis sensor module ( 111) may sense vibration in the x-axis direction.

In this embodiment, when knocking on the door 20 or the see-through window 21, vibration will occur in the x-axis direction due to the knock, but vibration due to other factors may also occur.

At this time, the sensor microcomputer 114 knows in advance that the vibration caused by the knock is in the x-axis direction, and when a vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration in the x-axis direction is received from the 3-axis sensor module 111, the pattern of the vibration detection signal is Check it to determine if it is knocked or not.

If the sensor microcomputer 114 receives a vibration detection signal corresponding to vibration in the y-axis or z-axis direction instead of in the x-axis direction, even if the pattern of the vibration detection signal is the same as the pattern of the vibration detection signal due to the knock It is judged that the vibration is not caused by knock. The reason is that, as described above, the sensor microcomputer 114 already knows in advance that the vibration due to the knock is in the x-axis direction.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary diagram of a vibration detection signal in the 3-axis direction detected by the 3-axis sensor module, and FIG. 11 is an exemplary diagram illustrating only the signal strength by simplifying the vibration detection signal in the 3-axis direction.

On the other hand, in the home appliance (1) of the present invention, the three-axis sensor module 111 is installed so that the direction of the first axis among the three axes coincides with the direction of vibration by knocking, but the alignment is caused by some cause. If it is wrong, it can be corrected automatically.

That is, the three-axis sensor module 111 may be arranged so that any one of the axes coincides with the direction of gravity. Since one of the axes is disposed in the direction of gravity, it measures the acceleration of gravity in the direction of the axis, and the sensor microcomputer 114 is configured to match the direction of gravity when there is a change in the acceleration of gravity measured by the three-axis sensor module 111. It may be determined that the alignment of the arranged axis is misaligned.

Accordingly, the sensor microcomputer 114 calculates each gravitational acceleration in the triaxial direction measured by the triaxial sensor module 111, and calculates the degree of misalignment with respect to any one axis arranged to coincide in the gravitational direction. In addition, it is possible to correct the degree of misalignment based on the calculated value.

In addition, in the home appliance 1 of the present invention, since the three-axis sensor module 111 may be affected by the ambient temperature, the magnitude of the vibration detection signal may be corrected according to the ambient temperature. In this embodiment, a correction value for the magnitude of the vibration detection signal is preset in response to the ambient temperature, and the magnitude of the vibration detection signal according to the ambient temperature can be corrected according to the set value. To this end, the home appliance 1 of the present invention may include a temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring the ambient temperature of the sensor assembly 110 .

A configuration and operation of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The home appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may have an accommodating space 23 capable of accommodating an object inside the cabinet 10 forming the exterior.

The receiving space 23 is open on one side, that is, preferably the front side. A door 20 is installed on the front part so that the receiving space 23 can be opened/closed (opened/closed).

At least a portion of the door 20 may be equipped with a see-through window 21 . The user can see the inside of the accommodation space 23 from the outside without opening the door 20 through the see-through window 21 .

In some cases, the lamp 160 may be installed in the receiving space 23 because the inside of the receiving space 23 is dark and it is impossible to accurately check the inside when the door 20 is closed. At this time, the lamp 160 may be installed outside the accommodation space 23 to illuminate the light inside.

Since the inside of the accommodating space 23 is very high, the lamp 160 may be made of a material with high durability against high temperature.

The lamp 160 may be turned on/off by the lighting driver 130 , and the lighting driver 130 may be operated by the controller 150 .

When receiving notification from the sensor assembly 110 that a knock is input by the user, the control unit 150 may operate the lighting driver 130 to turn on the lamp 160 .

The sensor assembly 110 may sense vibration due to a knock applied to the home appliance 1 . In addition, the sensor assembly 110 may detect vibrations generated by various causes in the home appliance 1 .

Accordingly, the sensor assembly 110 may specifically discriminate and determine the vibration caused by the knock among various vibrations, and when it is determined that the vibration is caused by the knock, it notifies the controller 150 of this.

At this time, the sensor assembly 110 determines whether or not a knock is input based on the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration. can judge That is, it may be determined that the knock has been applied.

This means that, for example, when a knock is applied with a "tick" at a predetermined time interval, the magnitude of the vibration corresponding to the "tick" is greater than or equal to the threshold, and the vibration corresponding to the predetermined time interval is smaller than the threshold.

Accordingly, the sensor assembly 110 may determine whether the vibration is caused by the knock by checking the pattern of the vibration detection signal as described above.

Also, the controller 150 may turn the lamp 160 off when the user's knock is input again while the lamp 160 is on.

In addition, the control unit 150 may turn the lamp 160 off if the user's knock is not input for a set time while the lamp 160 is on.

The home appliance 1 of the present invention may further include a door lock switch 120 , a door switch 130 , and a timer 140 . These components 120 to 140 may transmit status information to the control unit 150 and operate according to a control signal of the control unit 150 .

The door lock switch 120 may perform a function of locking or unlocking the door 20 of the home appliance 1 . When the home appliance 1 is in use, locking/unlocking of the door 20 may be required to prevent a safety accident.

For example, when the home appliance 1 is an oven, when food is cooked in the oven, the door 20 may be locked to prevent the door 20 from being opened. Conditions for maintaining the door 20 in a locked state may be set in various ways.

For example, there is a case in which high temperature and high heat are generated, such as when a self-clean function of the cooking room is in progress. As another example, locking is essential while washing is in progress in the washing machine.

In the household appliance 10 of the present invention, even if a knock is input during the case of maintaining the door 20 in the locked state as described above, the lamp 160 is not turned on and the lamp 160 is exceptionally maintained in an off state. Accordingly, a situation in which the lamp 160 is not turned on even when a knock is sensed while the lamp 160 is off is referred to as an 'exception situation'.

Exceptions in this embodiment include, for example, a self-clean situation for cleaning the inside of the cooking chamber when the home appliance 1 is an oven.

In addition, for example, when the door is open, the self-clean function is in operation, the door lock is set for a certain period of time after self-clean is completed, the lamp is already on because the lamp button is touched, and the knock-on function setting is not available. There is an off state, a state in which the lamp is flashing after preheating, etc.

Additional exceptions can be set. In this exceptional situation, the lamp is not turned on despite the user's knock. This is to set in advance some exceptions in which the lamp should not be turned on, such as for safety reasons or to save energy.

The control unit 150 may check whether the door 20 is in a locked state from the door lock switch 120 and at the same time determine whether it is an exceptional situation. In this exceptional situation, the lamp 160 is not turned on.

In this embodiment, the door lock switch 120 may transmit information on whether the door 20 is in a locked state or an unlocked state to the control unit 160, and on the contrary, according to a control signal transmitted from the control unit 160, the door 20 ) can be locked and unlocked.

The door switch 130 may open and close the door 20 . When the door switch 130 is turned on, it means that the door 20 is opened (opened), and when the door switch 130 is turned off, it means that the door 20 is closed (closed).

In the present embodiment, the door switch 130 may transmit information on whether the door 20 is in an open state or a closed state to the controller 160 .

An operation of the home appliance 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 12 .

A user may knock on the see-through window 21 to see the inside of the accommodation space 23 of the home appliance 1 from the outside through the see-through window 21 mounted on the door 20 .

The type of knock is not specifically set, but it can be set to "trick", which is usually done. Of course, in other embodiments, other formats may also be set.

In addition, in the present embodiment, "knock" is defined as a single knock, the first 'knock' is a knock by the first knock, which is referred to as '1st knock', and the second 'knock' is a knock by the second tap It's called '2nd knock'.

In this embodiment, although it is described as knocking on the sight window 21 mounted on the door 20, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the knocking position may be variously set. [S110: knock input step]

When a knock is applied to the sight window 21 as in the above embodiment, vibration may occur at the location of the knock. At this time, the vibration generated at one point of the viewing window 21 has a certain directionality. That is, the vibration occurs in the front-rear direction at the corresponding point.

In this embodiment, the vibration in the front-rear direction is referred to as the x-axis direction of the three-axis sensor module 111 . Accordingly, when a knock is applied to the viewing window 21 , vibration in the x-axis direction may occur.

Here, if these knocks are knocked in the form of "knock-tock" at regular intervals, two large vibrations can occur by the 1st knock and the 2nd knock. And after the two large vibrations, each small residual vibration may occur in the aftermath of these large vibrations. [S120: vibration generation stage]

The vibration generated in this way may be transmitted through a plurality of solid parts constituting the home appliance 1 and spread to the entire area of the home appliance 1 .

Specifically, since the home appliance 1 consists of a plurality of large and small solid parts physically coupled as described above, when vibration occurs in any one place, it is transmitted to the whole of the home appliance 1 through the plurality of solid parts. can

Of course, the intensity of vibration may be attenuated to some extent depending on the connection state of the solid parts and the transmitted distance, but since each solid part is physically connected to each other, even minute vibrations can be transmitted. [S130: vibration transmission step]

Vibration transmitted through the solid parts may also be transmitted to the sensor assembly 110 installed at a location separated by a predetermined distance from the door 20 in the home appliance 1 . Accordingly, the sensor assembly 110 may detect the transmitted vibration.

As described above, since vibration due to the knock applied to the viewing window 21 occurs in the x-axis direction, the sensor assembly 110 may detect the vibration in the x-axis direction.

Specifically, the sensor assembly 110 may include a three-axis sensor module 111 . The three-axis sensor module 111 may sense vibration in the three-axis direction, that is, the x, y, and z-axis directions.

Therefore, when the vibration in the x-axis direction generated by the knock is transmitted to the viewing window 21, the 3-axis sensor module 111 detects the vibration in the x-axis direction. To this end, in the present embodiment, the three-side sensor module 111 is arranged so that the x-axis direction is aligned with the vibration direction due to the knock.

At this time, since vibration in the x, y, and z-axis directions generated by any cause as well as vibration due to the knock may be generated, the three-axis sensor module 111 may detect all of these vibrations.

The three-axis sensor module 111 may generate a vibration detection signal corresponding to the sensed vibration. In another embodiment, the generated vibration sensing signal may be input to the sensor microcomputer 114 through the filter unit 112 and the amplifier unit 113 .

The sensor microcomputer 114 may analyze the vibration detection signal signal in the x, y, and z-axis directions to determine whether a user's knock is input, that is, whether vibration has occurred due to the user's knock. When it is determined that the user's knock has been input, the controller 150 may notify that the user's knock has been input. [S140: vibration detection stage]

The controller 150 that controls the overall operation of the home appliance 1 may turn on/off the lamp 160 when receiving a user's knock input from the sensor assembly 110 . When vibration due to knock is sensed while the lamp 160 is turned off, the lamp 160 may be turned on. When vibration due to knock is sensed while the lamp 160 is on, the lamp 160 may be turned off.

In detail, when the user knocks on the see-through window 21 in a state in which the lamp 160 is off and the sensor assembly 110 determines that the user's knock is input, the control unit 150 may cause the lamp 160 to be turned on. have.

In addition, when the user knocks on the see-through window 21 while the lamp 160 is on and the sensor assembly 110 determines that the user's knock is input, the control unit 150 operates the lighting driving unit 130 to operate the lamp 160 . ) can be turned off. [S150: Lamp operation stage]

Meanwhile, in another embodiment, the control unit 150 may determine whether a predetermined time set while the lamp 160 is on has elapsed. Whether the time has elapsed can be checked using the timer 140 . When a predetermined time elapses, the lamp 160 may be automatically turned off.

Accordingly, even if the user forgets to turn the lamp 160 on by knocking on the viewing window 21 to check the inside of the receiving space 23 through the viewing window 21 , and then forgetting to turn off the lamp 160 , after a certain period of time Unnecessary power consumption can be prevented by automatically turning the lamp 160 off.

Through this process, in the home appliance 1, the user can see the inside of the accommodation space 23 from the outside through the see-through window 21 mounted on the door 20 only by a simple knock operation.

The vibration sensing step ( S140 ) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15 .

The sensor microcomputer 114 may analyze the vibration detection signal signal in the x, y, and z-axis directions to determine whether a user's knock is input, that is, whether vibration has occurred due to the user's knock. When it is determined that the user's knock has been input, a knock-on signal may be output to the control unit 150 to notify that the user's knock has been input.

Assuming that the direction of vibration due to the knock is in the x-axis direction, the sensor microcomputer 114 can extract and analyze the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction even if the vibration detection signals in the x, y, and z-axis directions are simultaneously input. That is, since the vibration due to the knock input to the viewing window 21 is in the x-axis direction, only the vibration in the x-axis direction is taken into consideration.

Since the sensor microcomputer 114 knows in advance that only the vibration in the x-axis direction is the vibration of the knock input to the sight window 21, it analyzes the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction, but at a certain point in time the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction and the y-axis and the vibration detection signal in the z-axis direction.

The reason is that although the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction is a signal corresponding to the vibration caused by the knock, the vibration in the x-axis direction can be actually sensed even by the vibration in the y-axis and z-axis directions. It will be described in detail below.

As shown in the figure, it is determined whether the intensity of the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction is greater than or equal to the first threshold Zth1. The intensity of the vibration sensing signal in the x-axis direction may appear corresponding to the intensity of the knock. That is, when a strong knock is performed, the intensity of the vibration detection signal may increase.

In addition, since the vibration detection signal corresponds to the vibration caused by the knock, residual vibration may occur in the aftermath of the vibration caused by the knock. Accordingly, the vibration detection signal may also include a signal corresponding to the residual vibration.

Here, the time for which the vibration 201 by 1st knock and the resulting residual vibration 202 appear is called the 1st knock holding time and is denoted by T1.

If there is a vibration detection signal with a magnitude greater than Zth1, it waits for the set time. In other words, there is a time gap between the 1st knock and the 2nd knock in the case of a "tap" knock. This time interval is referred to as the set time and is denoted by T2. T2 can be the time to wait for the input of the 2nd knock after the input of the 1st knock.

At T2, a vibration detection signal smaller than the Zth1 may appear. That is, after the 1st knock vibration (201) occurs in T1, the vibration does not occur until the 2nd knock vibration (204) occurs, or even if it occurs, a minute vibration (203) smaller than Zth1 may occur.

The vibration 203 at T2 may be a vibration 201 generated by the 1st knock of T1 and a vibration that is minutely generated by other factors after the residual vibration 202 has disappeared.

After T2 has elapsed, it may be determined whether there is a vibration detection signal equal to or greater than a preset second threshold value Zth2. After T2, the vibration detection signal over Zth2 is due to the 2nd knock.

Here, the time for the vibration (204) by the 2nd knock and the resulting residual vibration (205) to appear is called the 2nd knock holding time and is denoted by T3.

The vibration 204 by the 2nd knock and its residual vibration 205 also have a similar pattern to the vibration 201 by the 1st knock and its residual vibration 202. Of course, depending on the intensity of the 1st knock and the 2nd knock, the magnitude of the signal may vary.

If there is a vibration detection signal by the 2nd knock having a size greater than Zth2, it waits for a certain period of time. This may be a time T3 during which the residual vibration 205 is reduced.

However, in case of knocking with "Knock Knock", the waiting time for a certain amount of time after the 2nd knock is displayed as T4. The waiting time of T4 can be the time to compare the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction with the vibration detection signal in the other y, z-axis directions after the 2nd knock.

That is, as described above, in this embodiment, for example, since the x-axis direction is the direction of vibration by knocking, the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction is analyzed and compared with the vibration detection signals in the y-axis and z-axis directions in T4.

In the present invention, this comparison process is very important. Specifically, although the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction is a signal corresponding to vibration caused by the knock, it may be a signal generated by the aftermath of vibration occurring in the y-axis and/or z-axis direction.

For example, when the user applies an impact to the side or upper surface of the cabinet or when the user makes a strong step, strong vibration is generated in the y-axis or z-axis direction, and vibration may also occur in the x-axis direction.

In this case, even if the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction is sensed, it is not a vibration detection signal due to an actual knock, so the case like the above example should be excluded from the knock-on signal.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the maximum value of the vibration detection signal in either the y-axis or the z-axis direction is determined by comparing the signal detection signal in the x-axis direction with the signal detection signal in the y-axis and z-axis directions in the x-axis direction. If it is larger than the maximum value of the vibration detection signal, it is determined that the vibration is not caused by knock. This is to exclude a case in which a strong knock is input in the y- and z-axis directions and vibration is sensed in the x-axis direction.

In another embodiment, T4, that is, the time for comparing the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction and the vibration detection signal in the y and z-axis directions may be between T2 and T3.

After T4, there is a time for vibration by 2nd knock to disappear. This time is denoted as T5. This section confirms that vibrations no longer occur in the x-axis direction. Thus, it can be confirmed that the vibration no longer occurs when the T5 time has elapsed.

In T5, vibration due to knock disappears, but vibration caused by other factors may occur. Therefore, in T5, by comparing the magnitude of the vibration detection signal with the third threshold value Zth3, if the magnitude of the vibration detection signal is smaller than Zth2, it can be determined that the vibration caused by the 2nd knock disappears. Although the vibration caused by the 2nd knock is disappearing, micro vibrations 206 caused by other factors may appear. This has no effect on knock detection if it is less than Zth3.

If, as in the example shown in the figure, when the vibration 207 greater than Zth3 is sensed in T5, it is vibration generated by other factors, so it is greater than Zth1 and Zth2, but it is not detected as vibration due to knock. Zth3 can be set to 40 to 70% of Zth2, and is preferably set to 60%.

As such, in the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction, the vibration detection signal 201 of Zth1 or higher by the 1st knock and the vibration detection signal 202 due to its residual vibration appear in T1, and thereafter, fine vibration while waiting for the input of the 2nd knock. There is T2 in which the vibration detection signal 203 by , followed by T3 in which the vibration detection signal 204 of Zth2 or higher by 2nd knock and the vibration detection signal 205 by its residual vibration appears, and thereafter If T5 is present while the vibration by the 2nd knock disappears, the vibration detection signal 206 due to micro vibration is present, the sensor microcomputer 114 can determine that a knock of “trick” is input to the sight window 21, , in this case, a knock-on signal notifying the occurrence of knock is transmitted to the control unit 150 .

14 , in the case of a general knock in one embodiment, a vibration detection signal 301 by the 1st knock and a vibration detection signal 302 by the residual vibration may appear in T1. T2 is the time to wait for the 2nd knock after the 1st knock, in which the micro-vibration may or may not be detected.

After a predetermined time T2 has elapsed, the vibration detection signal 303 by the 2nd knock and the vibration detection signal 304 by the residual vibration may appear.

In the case of such a general knock, the T2 time may be secured by a predetermined interval. This T2 time interval can be determined according to the intensity of the 1st knock.

When the vibration detection signal 301 by the 1st knock is not large, that is, when the 1st knock is not strong enough, Zth1 and Zth2 may be set to have the same magnitude.

However, as in FIG. 15 , in another embodiment, when the 1st knock is input strongly to a certain extent, after the vibration detection signal 305 by the 1st knock and the vibration detection signal 306 by the residual vibration appear in T1, In the T2 section, the vibration detection signal 307 exceeding Zth2 and the vibration detection signal 308 for the residual vibration thereof may appear.

This means that the two vibration sensing signals 306 and 307 are overlapped with each other. That is, since the latter vibration sensing signals 307 and 308 are not signals that appear after T2 has elapsed, they are not typical knock signals as shown in FIG. 12 . This may appear to be two knock signals despite the actual 1st knock because the 1st knock input is strong and the damping time of the vibration caused by the 1st knock is long.

In this case, the sensor microcomputer 114 can determine that it is a knock input because the vibration detection signal 305 of Zth1 or more appears and the vibration detection signal 307 of Zth2 or more appears afterwards. To prevent this, Zth2 is set larger than Zth1 do.

In this embodiment, Zth2 can be set equal to or larger than Zth1, and since the strength of the 1st knock must be considered, it can be set to be proportional to the strength of the vibration detection signal by the 1st knock. That is, it can be set variably in proportion to the strength of the vibration detection signal by 1st knock.

Referring to FIG. 16 , in the operation of the home appliance 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the user enters the receiving space 23 of the home appliance 1 through the see-through window 21 mounted on the door 20 . You can knock the see-through window 21 in order to see from the outside. [S210: knock input step]

When a knock is applied to the sight window 21 , the location of the knock becomes a vibration source and vibration may occur. At this time, the vibration generated at one point of the viewing window 21 has a certain directionality. That is, the vibration occurs in the front-rear direction at the corresponding point.

In this embodiment, the vibration in the front-rear direction will be described as the x-axis direction of the three-axis sensor module 111 . Accordingly, when a knock is applied to the viewing window 21 , vibration may occur in the x-axis direction. [S220: vibration generation stage]

The vibration generated in this way may be transmitted through a plurality of solid parts constituting the home appliance 1 and spread to the entire area of the home appliance 1 .

Specifically, since the home appliance 1 consists of a plurality of large and small solid parts physically coupled as described above, when vibration occurs in any one place, it is transmitted to the whole of the home appliance 1 through the plurality of solid parts. can

Of course, the intensity of vibration may be attenuated to some extent depending on the connection state of the solid parts and the distance to which they are transmitted, but since each of the solid parts is physically connected to each other, even minute vibrations can be transmitted. [S230: Vibration transmission stage]

Vibration transmitted through the solid parts may also be transmitted to the sensor assembly 110 installed at a location separated by a predetermined distance from the door 20 in the home appliance 1 . Accordingly, the sensor assembly 110 may detect the transmitted vibration.

As described above, since vibration due to the knock applied to the viewing window 21 occurs in the x-axis direction, the sensor assembly 110 may detect the vibration in the x-axis direction.

Specifically, the sensor assembly 110 may include a three-axis sensor module 111 . The three-axis sensor module 111 may sense vibration in the three-axis direction, that is, the x, y, and z-axis directions.

Therefore, when the vibration in the x-axis direction generated by the knock is transmitted to the sight window 21 , the 3-axis sensor module 111 detects the vibration in the x-axis direction.

Of course, since vibration in the x, y, and z-axis directions generated by any cause as well as vibration due to knock may be generated, the three-axis sensor module 111 may detect all of these vibrations.

The three-axis sensor module 111 may generate a vibration detection signal corresponding to the sensed vibration. The vibration detection signal may be input to the sensor microcomputer 114 through the filter unit 112 and the amplifier unit 113 .

The sensor microcomputer 114 may analyze the vibration detection signal signal in the x, y, and z-axis directions to determine whether a user's knock is input, that is, whether vibration has occurred due to the user's knock. When it is determined that the user's knock has been input, the controller 150 may notify that the user's knock has been input. [S240: vibration detection stage]

The sensor microcomputer 114 may extract only the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction when the vibration detection signal in the x, y, and z-axis directions is input. This is to consider only the vibration in the x-axis direction since the vibration caused by the knock input to the viewing window 21 is in the x-axis direction.

Since the sensor microcomputer 114 knows in advance that only the vibration in the x-axis direction is the vibration of the knock input to the viewing window 21, the vibration detection signal for the vibration in the y-axis and z-axis directions is not primarily considered. Thereafter, the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction may be compared with the vibration detection signal in the y-axis and z-axis directions.

It is determined as vibration due to knock in the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction sensed as described above. Such determination may use the pattern of the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 . That is, in the section T1 to T5, it is possible to determine whether the vibration is due to knock or not according to the comparison of the vibration detection signal and Zth1 to Zth3 [S250: Knock vibration determination step]

If it is determined from the determination result that the vibration is caused by the knock, it is determined whether the lamp 16 is in an exceptional situation not to be turned on. Even if a knock is input by the user, it is necessary to prevent the lamp 160 from being turned on in a specific situation, such as when self-cleaning is being performed in the oven. [S260: Step of determining whether there is an exception condition]

If it is determined as an exceptional case from the determination result, it is determined whether the door 20 is opened or closed. When the door 20 is open, it is not necessary to turn on the lamp 160 , and it is necessary to turn on the lamp 160 only when the door 20 is closed. Whether the door 20 is opened or closed affects the on/off of the lamp 160 , so it is determined whether the door 20 is opened. [S270: Step of determining whether the door is open]

As described above, if it is determined that the vibration is caused by the knock and the door 20 is in the closed state without an exception, the on/off state of the lamp 160 is checked. [S280: Lamp status check step]

If the lamp 160 is in an off state, the lamp 160 is turned on. This is to illuminate the accommodation space 23 by turning on the lamp 160 so that the interior of the accommodation space 23 cannot be seen from the outside when the lamp 160 is turned off. [S290: Ramp on stage]

Conversely, if the lamp 160 is on, the lamp 160 is turned off. This is to turn off the lamp 160 by knocking after the user checks the inside of the accommodation space 23 . [S300: ramp off step]

On the other hand, if it is not determined as vibration due to knock, it is not an exceptional situation, or the door 20 is in an open state, the vibration detection signal is ignored and the operation process is terminated. [S301: Ignoring vibration signal step]

Meanwhile, although not shown, not only vibration corresponding to the knock by the user but also vibration caused by other causes may occur in T1 to T5. The vibration detection signal due to such vibration may also be included in the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction.

Even in this case, the sensor microcomputer 114 can distinguish that the vibration is caused by a "trick" knock when the vibration detection signal has a constant pattern in T1 to T5.

The first threshold value Zth1 may be set to a fixed value, and the second and third threshold values Zth2 and Zth3 may be changed. The second and third thresholds Zth2 and Zth3 may be dynamically set according to the size of the first threshold Zth1. More preferably, it can be set dynamically in proportion to the magnitude of the vibration detection signal of 1st knock.

Of course, Zth1 has a fixed value, but may be set to a value other than the above example. That is, if Zth1 is set to be large, Zth2 and Zth3 may also be set to be large in proportion thereto.

Here, Zth2 is preferably set equal to or larger than Zth1. The reason is that Zth1 is the threshold for determining whether it is the 1st knock or not and Zth2 is the threshold for determining whether it is the 2nd knock, so that the 1st knock is strongly input and the vibrations caused by the 1st knock are misdetected as the input of the 2nd knock. This is to make the Zth2 larger in order to exclude possible cases, so that the judgment standard for the 2nd knock is higher. This makes the judgment on the 2nd knock more accurate.

As described above, even if the pattern of the vibration detection signal as described above appears equally in the y-axis or z-axis direction, the sensor microcomputer 114 does not determine that the vibration is caused by the knock. This is because the vibration caused by the knock applied to the viewing window 21 has only the directionality of the x-axis. However, since vibrations in the x-axis direction may be affected by vibration in the y and z-axis directions, and thus may be misdetected as vibrations caused by knocks, the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction and the vibration detection signal in the y, z-axis direction to compare with each other.

On the other hand, even when vibration detection signals having an intensity greater than or equal to Zth1 and Zth2 continuously appear at regular intervals from T1 to T4, the knock input is determined by comparing the pattern of vibration caused by the knock as described above.

Referring to FIG. 17 , when the user knocks on the door 20 in the operation of the home appliance 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the sensor assembly 110 senses vibration due to the knock. The sensor assembly 110 transmits a knock-on signal to the control unit 150 when detecting vibration caused by the user's knock. [S310: Knock-on signal transmission step]

When a knock-on signal is received from the sensor assembly 110 , the controller 150 determines whether the knock-on function is set to on. The knock-on function is a function of turning on/off the lamp 160 by a user's knock.

The knock-on function may be set by touching the knock-on button 51 displayed on the display unit 50 . When the knock-on button 51 is touched, the knock-on function is set to on, and when the knock-on button 51 is touched once more, the knock-on function is set to off.

If the knock-on function is set to on, the lamp 160 may be turned on/off by the user's knock, and if the knock-on function is set to off, the lamp 160 may be turned on/off by the user's knock can't do it That is, in a state in which the knock-on function is turned off, the on/off function of the lamp 160 is not performed even if the user knocks.

Therefore, when the knock-on signal is transmitted to the control unit 150 as described above, before the control unit 150 turns the lamp 160 on/off, it is first checked whether the knock-on function is set to ON. [S320: Knock-on function setting judgment step]

If the knock-on function is set to on, it is determined whether the current state of the home appliance 1 is in the self-clean operation. The self-clean function refers to performing a self-cleaning process such as disinfecting and cleaning the accommodation space 23 of the home appliance 1, for example.

For example, when the home appliance 1 is an oven, the interior of the cooking chamber, which is the accommodation space 23 , may be cleaned with high heat. In this case, since the inside of the cooking chamber is in a very high temperature and high temperature state, it is preferable that the door 20 is locked. And, it is preferable that the lamp 160 installed therein is not operated during self-cleaning of the accommodation space 23 .

Therefore, before turning on/off the lamp 160 in the state in which the knock-on signal is transmitted to the control unit 150 and the knock-on function is set to on, as described above, it is necessary to check whether the self-clean state is in the self-clean state. . [S330: Self-Clean Check Step]

As described above, if the knock-on function is set to on and self-cleaning is not in progress, it is determined whether the door lock switch 120 is turned on. The door lock switch 120 locks (locks) or unlocks (unlocks) the door 20 in a specific situation.

For example, after self-cleaning the cooking chamber at high heat, the door 20 is maintained in a locked state for the safety of the user while the temperature is reduced below a predetermined temperature.

In this case, the controller 150 controls the door lock switch 120 to lock the door 20 . In this way, after self-cleaning, the knock-on function is not activated for a certain period of time.

Accordingly, when the knock-on signal is input, the control unit 150 determines the state of the door lock switch 120, ie, whether the door is locked or unlocked, before turning the lamp 160 on/off. [S340: Door lock determination step]

And, if the door 20 is in an unlocked state, the control unit 150 determines whether the door 20 is opened or closed by using the signal of the door switch 130 .

When the door 20 is open, it is not necessary to turn on the lamp 160 , and it is necessary to turn on the lamp 160 only when the door 20 is closed.

Whether the door 20 is opened or closed affects the on/off of the lamp 160 , so the control unit 150 determines whether the door 20 is opened. Whether the door 20 is opened or closed may be determined by a signal received from the door switch 130 . [S350: Door open/close determination step]

When the door 20 is closed as described above, the on/off state of the lamp 160 is checked to determine whether to turn on or off the lamp 160 . [S360: Lamp status check step]

If the lamp 160 is in an off state, the lamp 160 is turned on. This is to illuminate the accommodation space 23 by turning on the lamp 160 so that the interior of the accommodation space 23 cannot be seen from the outside when the lamp 160 is turned off. [S370: Ramp on stage]

Conversely, if the lamp 160 is on, the lamp 160 is turned off. This is to turn off the lamp 160 by knocking after the user checks the inside of the accommodation space 23 . [S380: Ramp-off stage]

On the other hand, if the knock-on function is set to off when the knock-on signal is received from the control unit 150, the self-clean operation is in progress, the door is locked, or the door is opened, the control unit 150 disregards the received knock-on signal.

This is to prevent the lamp 160 from being turned on/off even when a user's knock is input in the above few exceptional situations. [S390: Knock-on signal ignore step]

As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, in the case of the knock-on function off state, the self-clean operation state, the door locked state, the door open state, etc., even if a knock is input, the lamp 160 can not be turned on/off. have.

18 is a graph of an experimental result of a vibration detection signal for explaining knock input detection in a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 19 and 20 are a knock input sensation in a home appliance according to another embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph of the experimental result of the vibration detection signal to explain the 18 to 20 show experimental results in which the vibration sensing signal is detected only on the x-axis and the y-axis.

Referring to FIG. 18 , for the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction, a vibration detection signal greater than or equal to the first threshold value (Zth1) is displayed in T1, and a vibration detection signal greater than or equal to or greater than the second threshold value (Zth2) is displayed in T3 after the waiting time of T2. , and at T5, a vibration detection signal below the third threshold value Zth3 appears, so that the sensor microcomputer 114 determines that it is the pattern of the vibration detection signal due to the knock.

The vibration detection signal in T1 is by the 1st knock and the vibration detection signal in T3 is by the 2nd knock. In the experiment of FIG. 18 , since 1st knock was not strongly input, Zth1 and Zth2 were set to the same value.

Accordingly, the sensor microcomputer 114 may detect that a knock is input to the see-through window 21 , and transmit a knock-on signal to the control unit 150 , and the control unit 150 may turn on or off the lamp 160 .

Referring to FIG. 19 , with respect to the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction, a vibration detection signal greater than or equal to Zth1 is displayed in T1, and a vibration detection signal greater than or equal to Zth2 is displayed in T3 after T2 after T2. Since the maximum value of the vibration detection signal in the y-axis direction is larger than the maximum value of the detection signal, the result of FIG. 19 is the result of the knock, although the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction appears as a pattern of the vibration detection signal due to knock. Detects as non-vibration. The reason is that the vibration in the x-axis direction is sensed by the vibration in the y-axis direction.

In this case, the sensor microcomputer 114 does not output the knock-on signal to the control unit 150 by recognizing that it is not a vibration detection signal due to the knock. The controller 150 does not output a control signal to the ramp 160 .

Referring to FIG. 20, for the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction, a vibration detection signal greater than or equal to Zth1 appears in T1, and after T2, a vibration detection signal greater than or equal to Zth2 appears in T3, but a vibration detection signal greater than Zth3 in T5 is Therefore, although the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction appears as a pattern of the vibration detection signal due to the knock, the result of FIG. 20 detects that the vibration is not caused by the knock.

That is, in T5, even though the vibration caused by the 2nd knock disappears, the vibration (indicated by a circle) is continuously occurring, so it is not judged as vibration caused by the knock.

In this case, the sensor microcomputer 114 does not output the knock-on signal to the control unit 150 by recognizing that it is not a vibration detection signal due to the knock. The controller 150 does not output a control signal to the ramp 160 .

As described above, in the present invention, when a see-through window is mounted on the front door and a knock is applied to the see-through window, vibration caused by the knock is sensed, and the light installed in the receiving space inside is turned on to illuminate the inside, thereby receiving from the outside through the see-through window. We provide home appliances that allow you to see the inside of a space.

At this time, when a knock is applied to the sight window, vibration is generated in a specific direction by the knock, and a vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration in this specific direction is detected and compared with the pattern of the vibration detection signal due to the knock, whether or not a knock is input to judge

In particular, since the direction of vibration caused by the knock is a specific direction, vibrations generated in other directions are not considered. Accordingly, even if the pattern of the vibration detection signal is the same as the vibration detection signal due to the knock, if the direction of the vibration is different, it is ignored.

In the present invention, a 3-axis accelerometer is used to accurately detect the directionality of vibration and minute vibration. The sensor microcomputer applies the pattern from T1 to T5 to the vibration detection signal detected by the 3-axis acceleration sensor to determine whether the vibration is due to knock.

If it is determined that the vibration is caused by the knock, the controller 150 may turn the lamp 160 on/off. When a knock is input while the lamp 160 is off, the lamp 160 is turned on, and conversely, when a knock is input while the lamp 160 is on, the lamp 160 is turned off.

21 to 24 are block diagrams of a sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The housing 1110 constituting the sensor assembly 110 includes a base 1120 having a rectangular shape as a whole. An edge plate 1111 forming a circumference at a constant height is formed on the upper portion of the base 1120 . A space 1112 is formed therein by the edge plate 1111 . One side of this space 1112 is open.

The PCB substrate 1130 may be disposed on the bottom surface 1113 of the space 1112 formed by the edge plate 1111 . A plurality of electronic devices (not shown) are mounted on the PCB substrate 1130 . For example, the three-axis sensor module 111, the filter unit 112, the amplification unit 113, and the sensor microcomputer 114 may be mounted.

In addition, at least one connector 1131 and 1132 for electrically connecting to an external device may be mounted on the PCB board 1130 . In order to protect the PCB substrate 1130 from the external environment, it is preferable that the height of the PCB substrate 1130 is smaller than the height of the edge plate 1111 in a state where the PCB substrate 1130 is mounted on the floor of the space 1112 .

At least one hook 1117 and 1118 may be formed on the inner surface of the edge plate 1111 so that the PCB board 1130 is stably mounted in the housing 1110 and stably fixed to the housing 1110 even after being mounted. have.

These hooks 1117 and 1118 are configured to fix the ends of the substrate 1130 corresponding to the hooks 1117 and 1118 in a state where the substrate 1130 is disposed on the bottom surface 1113 . That is, the end portion is inserted between the bottom surface 1113 and the hooks 1117 and 1118 has a structure.

To this end, the PCB substrate 1130 is pressed with force from the top so that the end of the substrate 1130 passes the hooks 1117 and 1118 and is fixed to the lower portion of the hooks 1117 and 1118 .

Holes 1117a and 1118a may be formed at positions of the bottom surface 1113 corresponding to the hooks 1117 and 1118, respectively. These holes (1117a, 1118a) are the holes (1117a, 1117a, from the bottom) of the substrate (1130) in a state in which the PCB substrate (1130) is mounted in the housing (1110) and the substrate (1130) is fixed by the hooks (1117, 1118). 1118a) to push the substrate 1130 from the back side so that the substrate 1130 can be easily separated from the housing 1110 .

The base 1120 has extensions 1115 and 1116 extending vertically. As described above, holes 1115a and 1115b are formed in the extension portions 1115 and 1116, respectively.

In one embodiment, these holes 1115a and 1115b are for inserting screws 220 and 221 to fix the sensor assembly 110 to a specific part 70 of the home appliance 1 as shown in FIG. 24 .

In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 23 , the lower extension 1116 of the extended extension is installed in the corresponding part 70 when it is mounted on a specific part 70 of the home appliance 1 . It is a part inserted into the inside of the slit (71). By inserting the lower extension 1116 into the slit 71 , the sensor assembly 110 can be mounted on the corresponding part 70 of the home appliance 1 .

A protrusion 1119 may be formed on the upper surface of the upper extension 1115 to be connected to the edge plate 1111 . Another hole 1119a is formed in this protrusion 1119 . Another screw is inserted into the corresponding hole 1119a to fix the sensor assembly 110 to the corresponding part 70 .

23, the lower extension 1116 is inserted into the slit 71 and fixed, and the upper extension 1115 is fixed with a screw 210 through a hole 1119a formed in the protrusion 1119. make it possible At this time, as an example, the screw 210 may be fastened on the back side of the corresponding part 70 to fix the sensor assembly 110 to the part 70 .

25 to 30 show an example in which a sensor assembly according to embodiments of the present invention is installed in a home appliance. As shown in these drawings, the sensor assembly 110 can be installed in any component constituting the home appliance 1 .

At this time, when the sensor assembly 110 is installed, one axis of the acceleration sensors of the three-axis sensor module 111 constituting the sensor assembly 110 is installed to coincide with the direction of vibration generated by the knock. Since the sensor assembly 110 is formed as a module, it is easy to install and is also convenient to attach and detach.

The home appliance 1 may have various shapes, and the sensor assembly 110 may be installed in any position 81 to 83 of the home appliance 1 irrespective of the shape of the home appliance 1 .

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and may be manufactured in various different forms, and those of ordinary skill in the art It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

1: home appliance 10: cabinet
11: upper surface 20: upper door
21: sight window 23: upper receiving space
30: lower door 32: lower receiving space
40: door 50: display unit
51: knock-on button 52: lamp button
53: self-clean button 62: lever control unit
110: sensor assembly 111: 3-axis sensor module
112: filter unit 113: amplification unit
114: sensor microcomputer 120: door lock switch
130: door switch 140: timer
150: control unit 160: lamp

Claims (16)

cabinets forming a facade;
an accommodation space provided to accommodate an object in the cabinet;
a door that opens and closes an open surface of the receiving space and is equipped with a see-through window;
a lamp for illuminating the interior of the accommodation space; and
a sensor assembly that outputs a knock-on signal when a user's knock is detected;
A control unit for turning on/off the lamp based on a knock-on signal output from the sensor assembly,
The control unit is
When the current state of the home appliance corresponds to at least one of a plurality of set exceptional circumstances, the home appliance is configured not to turn on/off the lamp even when the knock-on signal is output. According to claim 1, wherein the control unit,
When the door of the home appliance is in an open state, even if the knock-on signal is output, the lamp is not turned on/off. According to claim 1, wherein the control unit,
A home appliance that does not turn on/off the lamp even when the knock-on signal is output when the household appliance is in a self-clean operation state. According to claim 1, wherein the control unit,
When the door of the home appliance is locked, the lamp is not turned on/off even when the knock-on signal is output. According to claim 1, wherein the control unit,
When a lamp button for turning on/off the lamp is touched by a user's touch and the lamp is turned on, even if the knock-on signal is output, the lamp is not turned on/off. According to claim 1, wherein the control unit,
A home appliance that does not turn on/off the lamp even if the knock-on signal is output when a knock-on button that turns on/off the setting of the knock-on function is touched by a user's touch and the knock-on function is set to off. According to claim 1, wherein the control unit,
When the lamp is in a flickering state after completion of pre-heating, the home appliance is configured not to turn on/off the lamp even when the knock-on signal is output. cabinets forming a facade;
an accommodation space provided to accommodate an object in the cabinet;
a door that opens and closes an open surface of the receiving space and is equipped with a see-through window;
a lamp for illuminating the interior of the accommodation space;
a sensor assembly that outputs a knock-on signal when a user's knock is detected;
a display unit installed on an outer surface of the cabinet and displaying a plurality of buttons;
A control unit for turning on/off the lamp based on a touch signal of the button and a knock-on signal output from the sensor assembly,
The control unit is
When at least one of the plurality of buttons displayed on the display is touched, even if the knock-on signal is output, the lamp is not turned on/off. According to claim 1,
A knock-on button for turning on/off the setting of the knock-on function is displayed on the display unit by a user's touch, and the control unit displays the knock-on signal when the knock-on function is set to off by touching the knock-on button A home appliance that does not turn on/off the lamp even when is output. According to claim 1,
A lamp button for turning on/off the lamp is displayed on the display unit by a user's touch, and the control unit turns on/off the lamp even if the knock-on signal is output when the lamp is turned on by touching the lamp button. Appliances that do not turn off. outputting a knock-on signal when vibration by a user's knock applied to the home appliance is sensed;
determining whether the current state of the home appliance corresponds to at least one of a plurality of set exceptional situations when the knock-on signal is output;
If the current state does not correspond to at least one of the set exception conditions, the lamp installed in the accommodation space of the home appliance is turned on/off, and if it corresponds to at least one of the exception conditions, the lamp is turned on even when the knock-on signal is output. A control method for home appliances that does not turn on/off. The method of claim 11, wherein the exception is:
When the door of the home appliance is opened, the home appliance is in self-clean operation, the door of the home appliance is locked, a lamp button for turning on/off the lamp is touched by a user's touch When the lamp is on, the knock-on button for turning on/off the knock-on function is touched by the user's touch, and the knock-on function is set to off, the lamp flickers after completion of pre-heating A method of controlling a home appliance comprising at least one selected from among the current states. outputting a knock-on signal when vibration by a user's knock applied to the home appliance is sensed;
determining whether a knock-on function is set to on by a touch of a knock-on button when the knock-on signal is output;
determining whether the home appliance is in a self-clean operation when the knock-on function is set to on;
determining whether the door of the home appliance is in a locked state if the self-clean operation is not in progress;
determining whether the door is in a closed state if the door is not in a locked state;
and determining whether to turn on/off a lamp installed inside the accommodating space of the home appliance when the door is closed. 14. The method of claim 13,
The step of determining whether to turn on / off the lamp,
When the lamp is on, the lamp is turned off, and when the lamp is off, the lamp is turned on. 14. The method of claim 13,
If it is determined that at least one of a state in which the knock-on function is set to off, a state in which the household appliance is in self-clean operation, a state in which the door is locked, or an state in which the door is opened, the knock-on signal is ignored, A method of controlling a home appliance that does not turn on/off the lamp. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein before determining whether to turn on/off the lamp,
Further comprising the step of determining whether the lamp is in an on state by touching a lamp button for turning on/off the lamp by a user's touch,
The step of determining whether to turn on / off the lamp,
A control method of a home appliance that does not turn on/off the lamp when the lamp button is touched and the lamp is on.

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