US20060196198A1 - Refrigerator, refrigerator control apparatus and method - Google Patents
Refrigerator, refrigerator control apparatus and method Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060196198A1 US20060196198A1 US11/256,983 US25698305A US2006196198A1 US 20060196198 A1 US20060196198 A1 US 20060196198A1 US 25698305 A US25698305 A US 25698305A US 2006196198 A1 US2006196198 A1 US 2006196198A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- door
- container
- unit
- moving
- refrigerator
- Prior art date
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47B—TABLES; DESKS; OFFICE FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; GENERAL DETAILS OF FURNITURE
- A47B51/00—Cabinets with means for moving compartments up and down
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D25/00—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
- F25D25/02—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled by shelves
- F25D25/024—Slidable shelves
- F25D25/025—Drawers
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D25/00—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
- F25D25/04—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled by conveyors
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2700/00—Means for sensing or measuring; Sensors therefor
- F25D2700/02—Sensors detecting door opening
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Refrigerator Housings (AREA)
- Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
Abstract
A control apparatus for a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a door and a container connected to the door. The container is movable along a first direction by moving the door along the first direction. The control apparatus includes: a door holding unit for holding the door at a fully open position when the door is fully open in the first direction; a container moving unit, the container being movable along a second direction by moving the container moving unit along the second direction; and a controlling unit for controlling the container moving unit to move the container along the second direction after the door is held by the door holding unit at the fully open position
Description
- This Nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 10-2005-0017451 filed in Korea on Mar. 2, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a bottom freezer type refrigerator. The present invention further relates to a refrigerator control apparatus and method capable of lifting a container installed in a bottom freezer.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Refrigerators can be classified into several types depending on the locations of a freezing chamber and a chilling chamber. For example, a top mount refrigerator includes a freezing chamber and a chilling chamber that are partitioned up and down, a side-by-side refrigerator includes a freezing chamber and a chilling chamber that are partitioned left and right, and a bottom freezer refrigerator includes a freezing chamber and a chilling chamber that are partitioned down and up.
- Although the bottom freezer refrigerator is illustrated to describe the present invention, the present invention is not limited to this particular type of refrigerator.
- The bottom freezer refrigerator includes a chilling chamber door and a freezing chamber door. Although the chilling chamber door is a hinged door like other types of refrigerators, the freezing chamber door is a drawer type door because the freezing chamber is relatively small and located at a lower portion of the refrigerator.
- Therefore, what is needed is a simple, easy, and convenient way to stow and remove food in the freezing chamber.
- Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a refrigerator, refrigerator control apparatus and method that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, refrigerator control apparatus and method that give a more convenient way of putting food in the refrigerator and taking food out of the refrigerator.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, refrigerator control apparatus and method, in which a drawer type door is more safely and conveniently operated.
- A further another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, refrigerator control apparatus and method, in which a door is safely open and closed without interference with other parts.
- A still further another object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator, refrigerator control apparatus and method, in which an alarm/warning signal is generated to inform a user whether a door is properly operated or not, such that the user can conveniently use the refrigerator.
- Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
- To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a control apparatus for a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a door and a container connected to the door. The container is movable along a first direction by moving the door along the first direction. The control apparatus includes: a door holding unit for holding the door at a fully open position when the door is fully open in the first direction; a container moving unit, the container being movable along a second direction by moving the container moving unit along the second direction; and a controlling unit, the controlling unit controlling the container moving unit to move the container along the second direction after the door is held by the door holding unit at the fully open position.
- In another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes: a main body, the main body including at least one chamber; a door movable along a horizontal direction for opening and closing the chamber; a container supporter located on a side of the door facing the at least one chamber, the container supporter being movable along the horizontal direction by moving the door along the horizontal direction; a door sensing unit for detecting the door at a fully open position when the door is fully open in a horizontal direction; a door holding unit for holding the door at the fully open position when the door sensing unit detects the door at the fully open position; and a container moving unit, the container supporter being movable by the container moving unit along the vertical direction after the door is held by the door holding unit at the fully open position.
- In a further another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a refrigerator is provided. The method includes: opening a door at a fully open position; holding the door at the fully open position; moving, by an container moving unit, a container with respect to the door along a vertical direction when a vertical movement command is requested; and generating an alarm signal when the door moves along a horizontal direction or the container moves along the vertical direction.
- Therefore, food can be more conveniently put in and taken out of the refrigerator. In addition, the refrigerator door can be more safely operated such that the user can use the refrigerator more conveniently.
- Further, the door and the container can be moved without interfering with other parts, thereby decreasing the possibility of damaging the door and the container.
- Furthermore, the user can be informed whether the door and the container are properly operated or not. Therefore, the user can use the door and the container more conveniently.
- It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
- The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator equipped with a container moving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line I-I′ inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 shows a container that is lifted from a position depicted inFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a door according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a rear view of a door according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a control apparatus for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control method for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator equipped with a container moving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Referring to
FIG. 1 , arefrigerator 1 is a bottom freezer type refrigerator that includes a freezing chamber at a lower portion and a freezing chamber door capable of sliding along a horizontal direction, e.g., the forward and backward directions. - In detail, the
refrigerator 1 includes amain body 2,first doors 5, asecond door 6, aslider 10, a first chamber (refer to thereference numeral 3 inFIG. 2 ), a second chamber (refer to thereference numeral 4 inFIG. 2 ),drawers 8, acontainer supporter 55, and apower supply terminal 32. Thefirst doors 5 are hinged on a front upper portion of themain body 2 to open and close thefirst chamber 3. Thesecond door 6 is slidably installed at a front lower portion of themain body 2 to open and close thesecond chamber 4. Theslider 10 is connected between themain body 2 and thesecond door 6 to enable the sliding of thesecond door 6 in forward and backward directions. Thedrawers 8 are formed under thefirst chamber 3 to store food. Thepower terminal 32 is formed above or between thedrawers 8 to supply power to a container moving unit (as will be described later) for lifting thecontainer supporter 55. - Further, the
refrigerator 1 includes a control panel such ascontrol switch buttons 7 at a front side of thesecond door 6 and acontainer 62 behind thesecond door 6. Thecontrol switch buttons 7 are formed at a front side of thesecond door 6 for controlling the operation of thesecond door 6. Thecontainer 62 is supported by thecontainer supporter 55 to store food. Thecontainer 62 can be vertically lifted by lifting thecontainer supporter 55. That is, thecontainer 62 may be lifted up for an easy access to food in thecontainer 62, and it may be lowered down to open and close thesecond door 6. - The lifting and lowering of the
container 62 will now be described with reference to accompanying drawings. -
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line I-I′ inFIG. 1 , andFIG. 3 shows a container that is lifted from a position depicted inFIG. 2 . - Referring to
FIGS. 2 and 3 , a container moving unit in the illustrate embodiment includes an actuatingunit 40, avertical guide unit 20, and apower supply unit 30. The actuatingunit 40 lifts up and lowered down thecontainer supporter 55 along a rear wall of thesecond door 6. Thevertical guide unit 20 guides the lifting and lowering of thecontainer supporter 55. Thepower supply unit 30 supplies power to theactuating unit 40. It should be noted that in the illustrated embodiment the container moving system moves thecontainer supporter 55 along the vertical direction. However, the present invention can also be applied to move the container supporter along the horizontal or other directions. - The
refrigerator 1 further includes acompartment wall 61 between thefirst chamber 3 and thesecond chamber 4. Thedrawers 8 are placed under thecompartment wall 61 to provide storages at a constant temperature. That is, food and other substances requiring a constant temperature condition can be kept in thedrawers 8. - Between the
compartment wall 61 and thedrawer 8, adrawer sensor 15 is installed to detect opening of thedrawer 8. Thedrawer senor 15 may be a contact sensor, an optical sensor or any other types of sensors. When thedrawer sensor 15 detects the opening of thedrawer 8, the lifting of thecontainer 62 is not carried out to prevent collision between thecontainer 62 and thedrawer 8. - When the
second door 6 is extended outward, theslider 10 stably guides thesecond door 6. After the second door is fully extended, the actuatingunit 40 operates to lift up thecontainer supporter 55. Accordingly, the lifting of thecontainer supporter 55 is stably guided by thevertical guide unit 20. Thepower supply unit 30 controls power supply to theactuating unit 40. - The
slider 10 includes a pair of horizontal rails. Aninner rail 12 is mounted on an inner side of themain body 2 and anouter rail 11 is mounted on an outer side of thesecond door 6. In addition, theslider 10 includes a connecting structure with a roller to sidably connect theinner rail 12 and theouter rail 11, such that when thesecond door 6 is open, theouter rail 11 can be slid outward from theinner rail 12. - Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the
slider 10 includes a stoppingunit 13 at an overlapped portion between theinner rail 12 and theouter rail 11 when thesecond door 6 is fully open. In an embodiment, the stoppingunit 13 may be a solenoid. In detail, when theouter rail 11 is fully extended from theinner rail 12, a rod extended from the solenoid is inserted through theouter rail 11 and theinner rail 12 to prevent theouter rail 11 from further extending, such that theouter rail 11 can be fixed at its fully extended position. In other words, when thesecond door 6 is fully open, the rod of the solenoid is extended from the solenoid and inserted through theouter rail 11 and theinner rail 12. For this purpose, theouter rail 11 and theinner rail 12 respectively define holes to receive the rod of the solenoid when thesecond door 6 is fully open. - Alternatively, the stopping
unit 13 may be protruded from a front end of theinner rail 12 to define a predetermined distance from a rear end of theouter rail 11 when theouter rail 11 is fully extended. Therefore, the stoppingunit 13 can prevent the extendedouter rail 11 from moving back to the retracted position. - A
door sensor 14 is located at a front end of theinner rail 12 to detect the opening of thesecond door 6. Thedoor sensor 14 may determine that thesecond door 6 is fully open when theouter rail 11 completely passes thedoor sensor 14. - The
vertical guide unit 20 is provided to guide thecontainer supporter 55 when thecontainer supporter 55 is lifted up and lowered down. Thevertical guide unit 20 includes avertical rail 21 fixed to the rear surface of thesecond door 6. Thevertical rail 21 defines a groove (refer to thereference numeral 22 inFIG. 4 ) running its length to receive a protrusion formed on a corresponding side of thecontainer supporter 55, such that the lifting and lowering of thecontainer supporter 55 can be exactly guided by thevertical rail 21. The structure of thevertical rail 21 can be clearly understood with reference toFIG. 4 . - To lift the
container supporter 55, the actuatingunit 40 includes anarm support 57 fixed to the rear surface of thesecond door 6, anrotary arm 47 hinged on thearm support 57 and extended toward the inside of therefrigerator 1, afree end 56 of therotary arm 47, and aroller 48 rotatably fixed to thefree end 56 to make contact with thecontainer supporter 55 at a bottom of thecontainer supporter 55. The actuatingunit 40 further includes a motor (refer to thereference numeral 41 inFIG. 4 ) to rotate the rotary arm. The actuatingunit 40 will be further described later. - The
power supply unit 30 includes abattery 33 connected to themotor 41 to supply power to themotor 41. The battery can be located at any place, e.g., within thedoor 6 as shown inFIG. 3 , on the rear side of thedoor 6 as shown inFIG. 4 , or on/within themain body 2 with a wiring connection to themotor 41. The chargingterminal 31 is connected to thebatter 33 via a wire connection, and the chargingterminal 31 comes into contact with thepower terminal 32 formed on themain body 2 when thesecond door 6 is closed. - The lifting of the
container 62 will now be described more fully. First, thesecond door 6 is open manually or automatically. When thesecond door 6 is fully open, thedoor sensor 14 detects the opening of thesecond door 6 from the relative positions of theinner rail 12 and theouter rail 11. Then, the stoppingunit 13 fixes the current position of theouter rail 11 to prevent thesecond door 6 from being closed involuntarily. - After the
second door 6 is fully open and fixed to the fully open position, a user can request to lift thecontainer 62 by manipulating thecontrol switch buttons 7. When the user presses a lift-up button, thebattery 33 supplies power to themotor 41 to lift the container up. - When the power is on, the
motor 41 rotates therotary arm 47 about thearm support 57 in an upward direction. Thus, theroller 48 as it turns pushes thecontainer supporter 55 upward to lift thecontainer 62. An alarm signal can be generated to inform the user of the lifting of thecontainer 62. - The relationship between the
rotary arm 47 and thecontainer supporter 55 can be clearly understood with reference toFIGS. 2 and 3 , which respectively show thecontainer 62 before and after the lifting. - The
power supply unit 30 is provided with thebattery 33. When thesecond door 6 is closed, thebattery 33 is charged by receiving power from themain body 2 through thepower terminal 32 and the chargingterminal 31. Therefore, thebattery 33 can supply power to themotor 41 when the twoterminals second door 6. - That is, since the
power supply unit 30 is provided with therechargeable battery 33, in this illustrated embodiment, an additional wire connection is not required between themain body 2 and thesecond door 6 to supply power to themotor 41 when thesecond door 6 is open. Therefore, the container moving unit can be simply constructed and conveniently used. -
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of thesecond door 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 5 is a rear view of thesecond door 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention. An operation of therefrigerator 1 related to the lifting of thecontainer 62 will now be more fully described with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5 . - The actuating
unit 40 includes themotor 41 installed on the rear surface of thesecond door 6, amotor shaft 42, adriving gear 43 connected to themotor shaft 42, a drivengear 44 engaged with thedriving gear 43, anarm shaft 46 coupled to a center of the drivengear 44, and therotary arm 47 fixed to an end of thearm shaft 46. Agear support 45 is fixed to the rear surface of thesecond door 6 to support thedriving gear 43 and the drivengear 44. - In the illustrate embodiment, there are two
rotary arms 47 that are respectively coupled to both ends of thearm shaft 46. Therefore, thecontainer supporter 55 can be supported at both sides by therotary arm 47 and thus it can be stably lifted. - The
gear support 45 includes afirst arm stopper 49 and asecond arm stopper 50 that are projected from a surface of thegear support 45 to restrict the rotation of therotary arm 47 to a predetermined angle range. That is, thecontainer supporter 55 can be exactly limited between the non-lifted and lifted positions. For example, even when themotor 41 is not properly controlled,arm stoppers rotary arm 47 from over-rotation. - Another stopping structure can be formed on the
vertical rail 21 to stop thecontainer supporter 55. That is, the upper andlower stoppers vertical rail 21 in order to further limit thecontainer supporter 55 between the non-lifted and lifted positions. Therefore, the container moving system can be more reliably operated. - Sensors are provided to detect the up and down motions of the
container supporter 55. That is, the upper andlower sensors vertical rail 21 to detect the lifting up and lowering down of thecontainer supporter 55. For example, both the contact type sensor and the optical type sensor can be used for the upper andlower sensors lower sensors motor 41 may be controlled. - When the
container 62 is not in the fully lifted position or the fully lowered position (that is, when thecontainer 62 is being lifted up or lowered down), an alarm signal may be generated to inform a user of the moving state of thecontainer 62. Whether thecontainer 62 is being moved or not is determined by checking detected signals from the upper andlower sensors - An operation of a refrigerator control apparatus of the illustrated embodiment will now be described. When the
second door 6 is closed, thepower terminal 32 and the chargingterminal 31 come into contact with each other so that thebattery 33 can be charged. - When the
second door 6 is open, thedoor sensor 14 will detect whether thesecond door 6 is fully open. If so, the stoppingunit 13 operates to fix thesecond door 6 at the fully open position as described above. - If a user presses a lift-up button among the
control switch buttons 7, thebattery 33 supplies power to themotor 41 to drive themotor 41. Driving force is transmitted from themotor shaft 42 to therotary arm 47 through thedriving gear 43, the drivengear 44, and thearm shaft 46. Upon the rotation of therotary arm 47, theroller 48 on thefree end 56 of therotary arm 47 pushes up thecontainer supporter 55. - When the
container supporter 55 is completely lifted up, theupper sensor 53 detects thecontainer supporter 55. In response to the detection of thecontainer supporter 55 by theupper sensor 53, themotor 41 is powered off to stop therotary arm 47 and thecontainer supporter 55. - During the lifting up of the
container 62, an alarm signal can be generated to prevent a user from getting hurt. Also, when the opening of thedrawer 8 is detected by thedrawer sensor 15, the lifting up of thecontainer 62 is not carried out to prevent collision between thecontainer 62 and theopen drawer 8. - Further, when the
container supporter 55 is completely lifted up, thecontainer supporter 55 is prevented from being further lifted up by the physical structure of theupper stopper 51 and/or thefirst arm stopper 49. Therefore, even if theupper sensor 53 failed to detect the fully liftedcontainer supporter 55, thecontainer supporter 55 would be prevented from being over-lifted. This increases the reliability of theactuating unit 40. Thecontainer supporter 55 is lowered down in the same way as it is lifted up. Merely, the motor is rotated in the reverse direction. - The operation of the refrigerator control apparatus of the illustrated embodiment will now be more fully described with reference to a block diagram.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a control apparatus for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 6 , the refrigerator control apparatus of the illustrated embodiment includes: a controllingunit 80 to control the movement of thesecond door 6; adrawer sensing unit 81 to detect opening of thedrawer 8 and send a corresponding signal to thecontroller 80; adoor sensing unit 82 to detect opening of thesecond door 6 and send a corresponding signal to the controllingunit 80; and acontainer sensing unit 83 to detect the movement of thecontainer 62 and send a corresponding signal to the controllingunit 80. - The controlling
unit 80 may be any kind of microprocessor installed in therefrigerator 1. Thedrawer sensing unit 81 may be thedrawer sensor 15 that detects opening or closing of thedrawer 8. Thedoor sensing unit 82 may include thedoor sensor 14 and thebattery 33. Thecontainer sensing unit 83 may be theupper sensor 53 and thelower sensor 54 that are respectively installed on the upper and lower ends of thevertical rail 21. - To receive requests from a user and send them to the controlling
unit 80, the refrigerator control apparatus further includes a lift-upbutton 84, a lift-down button 85, astop button 87, and areset button 86. Thebuttons control switch buttons 7 that are formed on the outer surface of thesecond door 6. The lift-upbutton 84 receives a request for lifting up thecontainer 62 and sends it to the controllingunit 80. The lift-down button 85 receives a request for lifting down thecontainer 62 and sends it to the controllingunit 80. Thestop button 87 receives a request for prompt stopping of thecontainer 62 and sends it to the controllingunit 80. Thereset button 86 receives a request for returning of thecontainer 62 from a currently moving position to an original or previous position, which is before thecontainer 62 is moved, and sends it to the controllingunit 80. - As operating units according to the control of the controlling
unit 80, the refrigerator control apparatus further includes adoor holding unit 88, analarming unit 89, and acontainer moving unit 90. Thedoor holding unit 88 securely holds thesecond door 6 when the door is placed in a fully open position. Thealarming unit 89 generates an alarm signal when thesecond door 6 or thecontainer 62 is moving. Thecontainer moving unit 90 lifts up and lowers down thecontainer 62. - The
door holding unit 88 may be the stoppingunit 13 formed on a front end of theinner rail 12. Thealarming unit 89 may be installed at any location of therefrigerator 1 and may include any type of speaker. The stoppingunit 13 may be a solenoid as described above or any kind of holding device that can perform the function of the stoppingunit 13. Thecontainer moving unit 90 may include themotor 41, therotary arm 47, and other components to lift up and lower down thecontainer 62. -
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control method for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S1, thesecond door 6 is open manually or automatically. During the opening of thesecond door 6, thealarming unit 89 generates an alarm signal to inform a user of the opening operation of thesecond door 6. Further, since thepower terminal 32 and the chargingterminal 31 is disconnected upon the opening of thesecond door 6, the starting of the opening operation of thesecond door 6 can be determined by checking the voltage of thebattery 33 that is connected to the chargingterminal 31. - In step S2, the controlling
unit 80 determines whether the lift-upbutton 84 is pressed to lift up the container, and if so, the process goes to step S3. - In step S3, the
door sensing unit 82 determines whether thesecond door 6 is fully open. If not, the pressing of the lift-upbutton 84 is ignored to prevent thecontainer 62 from colliding with the other part of therefrigerator 1. If the second door is fully open, the process goes to step S4 where a lifting up of thecontainer 62 is carried out. - In step S4, the
door holding unit 88 holds thesecond door 6 at the fully open position and thecontainer moving unit 90 operates to lift up thecontainer 62. While thecontainer 62 is being lifted up, thealarming unit 89 generates an alarm signal to inform a user of the lifting up of thecontainer 62. - The
alarming unit 89 generates the alarm signal to prevent the user from putting food in thecontainer 62 or taking food out of thecontainer 62 during the lifting of thecontainer 62. Also, thealarming unit 89 may generate different alarm signals for informing the user of the opening of thesecond door 6 and the lifting-up of thecontainer 62. For example, thealarming unit 89 may generate human voices, other sounds, vibration, etc. - In step S5, the
container sensing unit 83 determines whether thecontainer 62 is fully lifted up. If so, the process goes to step S6. In step S6, the operations of thealarming unit 89 and thecontainer moving unit 90 stop. When thecontainer 62 is fully lifted up, the user can put food in thecontainer 62 or take food out of the container 62 (step S7). - After that, if the lower-
down button 85 is pressed (step S8), thecontainer moving unit 90 operates to lower down thecontainer 62 until thecontainer 62 is fully lowered down and thealarming unit 89 generates an alarm signal to inform the user of the lowering down of the container 62 (step S9). In step S10, it is determined whether thecontainer 62 is fully lifted down. If so, the process goes to step S11. In step S11, thedoor holding unit 88 releases the holding of thesecond door 6, and thealarming unit 89 changes its alarm signal to inform the user that thecontainer 62 is fully lowered down but thesecond door 6 is still open. - In step S12, the
second door 6 is closed. In step S13, the door sensing unit 82determines whether thesecond door 6 is fully closed. If so, the process goes to step S14. In step S14, the alarming signal is stopped, thereby informing the user that thesecond door 6 is fully closed. - As described above, the user is informed of whether the
second door 6 is fully closed or not, such that leakage of cold air from therefrigerator 1 can be prevented. - Also, the user is informed of the lifting up and lowering down of the
container 62, such that the user can use therefrigerator 1 more safely with less possibility of putting food in thecontainer 62 and taking food out of thecontainer 62 during the lifting up and lowering down of thecontainer 62. - Further, the
container 62 is not lifted up or lowered down when the lifting of thecontainer 62 is obstructed. For example, when thesecond door 6 is not fully open or thedrawer 8 is open, the lifting up or lowering down of thecontainer 62 is automatically prevented. Therefore, thecontainer 62 can be more stably used with less possibility of breakage. - Further, the drawer-type
second door 6 is securely held at the fully open position to prevent undesired shifting from the fully open position, such that the user can use thesecond door 6 more conveniently and stably. - Further, the
reset button 86 is provided to move back thecontainer 62 to its original or previous position when the lifting up lowering down of thecontainer 62 is not properly carried out. For example, when an obstacle such as user's skirt is inserted between thecontainer 62 and thesecond door 6 during the lifting up or lowering down of thecontainer 62, the user can press thereset button 86 to move back thecontainer 62 and remove the obstacle. Furthermore, thestop button 87 is provided such that if necessary the user can temporarily stop thecontainer 62 during the lifting up or lowering down of thecontainer 62. In addition, thestop button 87 and thereset button 86 can be designed to be automatically pressed or triggered when themotor 41 is overloaded. - It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims (39)
1. A control apparatus for a refrigerator, the refrigerator including a door and a container connected to the door, the container being movable along a first direction by moving the door along the first direction, the control apparatus comprising:
a door holding unit for holding the door at a fully open position when the door is fully open in the first direction;
a container moving unit, the container being movable along a second direction by moving the container moving unit along the second direction; and
a controlling unit for controlling the container moving unit to move the container along the second direction after the door is held by the door holding unit at the fully open position.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction and the second direction is a vertical direction.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a container supporter on which the container is seated, wherein the container moving unit moves the container along the second direction by moving the container supporter along the second direction.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a slider to guide the door moving along the first direction, wherein the door holding unit is connected to the slider.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the door holding unit is located on the slider.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the slider includes an outer rail mounted on an outer side of the door and an inner rail mounted on an inner side of a main body of the refrigerator, the door holding unit being inserted through the outer rail and the inner rail when the door is at the fully open position.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the door holding unit is a solenoid.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the door holding unit is a solenoid.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a door sensing unit for detecting the door at the fully open position.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the door sensing unit is connected to the controlling unit, the controlling unit controlling the door holding unit to hold the door at the fully open position when the door sensing unit detects the door at the fully open position.
11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a container sensing unit to detect the movement of the container along the second direction.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the container sensing unit is connected to the controlling unit, the control apparatus further comprising an alarming unit connected to the controlling unit, the controlling unit controlling the alarming unit to issue an alarm signal during the movement of the container along the second direction when the container sensing unit detects the movement of the container along the second direction.
13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an alarming unit, the alarming unit issuing an alarm signal during the movement of the container along the second direction.
14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a drawing sensing unit, the controlling unit preventing the container moving unit from moving the container in the second direction when the drawing sensing unit detects a drawing of the refrigerator located on a path blocking movement of the container in the second direction.
15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a stop button connected to the controlling unit, wherein when the stop button is pressed, the controlling unit controls the container moving unit to temporarily stop moving the container.
16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a reset button connected to the controlling unit, wherein when the reset button is pressed, the controlling unit controls the container moving unit to move back the container to a previous position in the second direction which is before the container is moved.
17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a first button and a second button connected to the controlling unit, wherein when the first button is pressed, the controlling unit controls the container moving unit to move the container forward in the second direction, and when the second button is pressed, the controlling unit controls the container moving unit to move the container backward in the second direction.
18. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a battery connected to the container moving unit to supply power to the container moving unit when the door is open, the battery being charged when the door is closed.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the battery is located on the door.
20. A refrigerator, comprising:
a main body including at least one chamber;
a door movable along a horizontal direction for opening and closing the at least one chamber;
a container supporter located on a side of the door facing the at least one chamber, the container supporter being movable along the horizontal direction by moving the door along the horizontal direction;
a door sensing unit for detecting the door at a fully open position when the door is fully open in a horizontal direction;
a door holding unit for holding the door at the fully open position when the door sensing unit detects the door at the fully open position; and
a container moving unit, the container supporter being movable by the container moving unit along a vertical direction after the door is held by the door holding unit at the fully open position.
21. The refrigerator according to claim 20 , further comprising:
a battery connected to the door, the battery being charged when the door is closed, the container moving unit receiving power from the battery when the door is open.
22. The refrigerator according to claim 20 , further comprising a slider to guide the opening and closing of the door, wherein the door sensing unit is connected to the slider.
23. The refrigerator according to claim 22 , wherein the door sensing unit is located on the slider.
24. The refrigerator according to claim 22 , wherein the slider includes an outer rail mounted on an outer side of the door and an inner rail mounted on an inner side of the main body, and wherein the door sensing unit detects that the door is at the fully peon position when the outer rail is separated from the inner rail without overlapped portion therebetween.
25. The refrigerator according to claim 24 , wherein the door holding unit is inserted through the outer rail and the inner rail when the door is at the fully open position.
26. The refrigerator according to claim 20 , further comprising:
a drawer located at a predetermined portion of the main body; and
a drawer sensing unit for detecting opening of the drawer.
27. The refrigerator according to claim 26 , wherein the container supporter is prevented from moving along the vertical direction toward the drawer when the drawer is open.
28. The refrigerator according to claim 20 , further comprising a control panel to receive a request for lifting up, lowering down, temporarily stopping, or moving back the container supporter.
29. The refrigerator according to claim 28 , wherein the request inputted through the control panel is ignored when the door is not fully open.
30. The refrigerator according to claim 20 , further comprising an alarming unit, the alarming unit issuing an alarm signal when the door is open and/or the container supporter moves.
31. The refrigerator according to claim 30 , wherein the alarm signal includes at least one of a sound and a vibration.
32. A method for controlling a refrigerator, comprising:
opening a door at a fully open position;
holding the door at the fully open position;
moving, by a container moving unit, a container with respect to the door along a vertical direction when a vertical movement command is received by the container moving unit; and
generating an alarm signal when the door moves along a horizontal direction or the container moves along the vertical direction.
33. The method according to claim 32 , further comprising determining whether a drawer is open or not after the door is fully open.
34. The method according to claim 33 , further comprising generating a warning signal when the door is not at the fully open position or the drawer is open.
35. The method according to claim 33 , further comprising refusing to move the container along the vertical direction if the door is not at the fully open position or the drawer is open.
36. The method according to claim 32 , further comprising:
when a user starts to close the door, determining whether the container is fully lowered down or not; and
if not, generating a warning signal.
37. The method according to claim 32 , further comprising:
receiving a stop request; and
in response to the stop request, temporarily stopping moving of the container by the container moving unit in the vertical direction.
38. The method according to claim 32 , wherein the step of moving the container includes:
receiving a reset request; and
in response to the reset request, moving the container by the container moving unit back to a previous position in the vertical direction which is before the container is moved.
39. The method according to claim 32 , wherein the step of moving the container includes:
determining whether the container is fully moved up or down in the vertical direction by using an upper sensor or a lower sensor to detect a position of the container in the vertical direction; and
terminating the moving of the container when the container is fully moved up or down in the vertical direction.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020050017451A KR100700776B1 (en) | 2005-03-02 | 2005-03-02 | Refrigerating machine and door controlling apparatus and method of the same |
KR10-2005-0017451 | 2005-03-02 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20060196198A1 true US20060196198A1 (en) | 2006-09-07 |
Family
ID=36942780
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/256,983 Abandoned US20060196198A1 (en) | 2005-03-02 | 2005-10-25 | Refrigerator, refrigerator control apparatus and method |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20060196198A1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR100700776B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN100582611C (en) |
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US20100236277A1 (en) * | 2009-03-20 | 2010-09-23 | Yong Hwan Eom | Refrigerator and method for controlling same |
US20100236278A1 (en) * | 2009-03-20 | 2010-09-23 | Yong Hwan Eom | Refrigerator and method for controlling same |
US20100236279A1 (en) * | 2009-03-20 | 2010-09-23 | Yong Hwan Eom | Refrigerator |
US20100236281A1 (en) * | 2009-03-20 | 2010-09-23 | Yong Hwan Eom | Refrigerator and method for controlling the same |
US20100236280A1 (en) * | 2009-03-20 | 2010-09-23 | Yong Hwan Eom | Refrigerator |
US8169175B2 (en) | 2008-03-26 | 2012-05-01 | Lg Electronics Inc. | System and method for driving a drawer in a refrigerator |
US8217613B2 (en) | 2008-03-26 | 2012-07-10 | Lg Electronics Inc. | System and method for driving a drawer of a refrigerator and refrigerator employing same |
US8274251B2 (en) | 2008-03-26 | 2012-09-25 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator, system and method for driving a drawer of the refrigerator |
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US9377238B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2016-06-28 | Electrolux Home Products, Inc. | Refrigerator with a scissor-type lift mechanism |
JP2019027682A (en) * | 2017-07-31 | 2019-02-21 | 東芝ライフスタイル株式会社 | refrigerator |
EP3514465A4 (en) * | 2016-09-16 | 2019-08-28 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator |
US20190293345A1 (en) * | 2018-03-26 | 2019-09-26 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US20210278127A1 (en) * | 2018-05-08 | 2021-09-09 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US11821677B2 (en) * | 2017-12-05 | 2023-11-21 | Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh | Domestic appliance comprising a sensor for detecting a door movement |
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KR102211191B1 (en) | 2018-12-07 | 2021-02-03 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator and control method thereof |
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KR102168703B1 (en) * | 2018-12-10 | 2020-10-22 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator and control method thereof |
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US20100236278A1 (en) * | 2009-03-20 | 2010-09-23 | Yong Hwan Eom | Refrigerator and method for controlling same |
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JP2021127984A (en) * | 2017-07-31 | 2021-09-02 | 東芝ライフスタイル株式会社 | refrigerator |
JP7122434B2 (en) | 2017-07-31 | 2022-08-19 | 東芝ライフスタイル株式会社 | refrigerator |
US11821677B2 (en) * | 2017-12-05 | 2023-11-21 | Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh | Domestic appliance comprising a sensor for detecting a door movement |
US10598428B2 (en) * | 2018-03-26 | 2020-03-24 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
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US20210278127A1 (en) * | 2018-05-08 | 2021-09-09 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US11614275B2 (en) * | 2018-05-08 | 2023-03-28 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US11898794B2 (en) | 2018-05-08 | 2024-02-13 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN100582611C (en) | 2010-01-20 |
KR20060096730A (en) | 2006-09-13 |
CN1828200A (en) | 2006-09-06 |
KR100700776B1 (en) | 2007-03-27 |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: LG ELECTRONICS INC., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:KIM, SANG OH;KIM, SEONG JAE;OH, SEUNG HWAN;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:017144/0842 Effective date: 20051007 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |