Refrigerator

• US 10,345,035 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2018
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Sangoh, Lee, Hangbok, Lee, Jaeyoul, Kim, Minsub, Son, Jungkyu, Soh, Jaehyun, Suh, Eugene, Kim, Nami
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Evan P
• Application Number:
  US15/928,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20180209721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4257 Details of the loading door
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 49/003 Doors or covers; Safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/04 with transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/00 Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/025 Secondary closures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/02 Details of doors or covers not otherwise covered
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/021 French doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/023 Door in door constructions
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/005 combined with control means
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/04 Sensors detecting the presence of a person
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/02 using mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/00 Measuring characteristics of vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 3/00 Measuring characteristics of vibrations by using a detector in a fluid G01H7/00, G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence

Abstract

A refrigerator equipped with a door that becomes transparent as necessary to make the interior thereof visible is disclosed. The refrigerator includes a cabinet having a storage compartment defined therein, a lighting device for illuminating the interior of the storage compartment, a door, which is hingedly coupled to the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment, and has an opening and a panel assembly including a front panel disposed on the front surface thereof, a sensor for detecting sound waves, which are generated by a knock input applied to the door and are transmitted through the front panel, and a controller for controlling the lighting device to allow light to be transmitted through the panel assembly, thus making the storage compartment visible from outside the door through the opening when a predetermined knock input is detected.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet having a storage chamber defined therein;

a lighting device arranged inside the storage chamber and configured to illuminate an interior of the storage chamber;

a door connected to the cabinet and configured to open and close the storage chamber, the door comprising;

a door frame having an opening defined therethrough; and

a panel assembly configured to cover the opening of the door frame, the panel assembly comprising;

a front panel configured to cover at least a portion of the opening defined in the door frame, the front panel comprising;

a masking layer configured to at least partially block transmission of light therethrough,

a sensor arranged in the door and configured to detect a user input, the sensor positioned behind the front panel of the panel assembly of the door at a location that is covered by the masking layer of the front panel; and

at least one processor configured to activate the lighting device based on a user input being detected by the sensor,

wherein the masking layer is provided on a periphery of the front panel,

wherein the front panel is divided as a first area and a second area by the masking layer,

wherein the first area is an area on which the masking layer is provided, and the second area is positioned at an inner side of the first area,

wherein in a state in which the lighting device is activated, light that is emitted from the lighting device is at least partially blocked by the first area of the front panel, and passes through the second area of the front panel.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the masking layer forms a border along a periphery of the front panel, and defines an area of the front panel within the border through which the interior of the storage chamber is visible from an outside in a state in which the lighting device is activated.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged closer to a periphery of the front panel as compared to an area of the front panel through which the interior of the storage chamber is visible from an outside in a state in which the lighting device is activated.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein at least part of the front panel overlaps in front of at least part of the door frame.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the masking layer is formed on a rear surface of the front panel of the panel assembly of the door.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the masking layer of the front panel does not overlap with the opening defined in the door frame.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine whether the user input satisfies at least one criterion; and

based on a determination that the user input satisfies the at least one criterion, activate the lighting device to illuminate an interior of the storage chamber to be visible through the opening of the door frame.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a knock input applied on the front panel of the door.

9. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet having a storage chamber defined therein;

a lighting device arranged inside the storage chamber and configured to illuminate an interior of the storage chamber;

a door connected to the cabinet and configured to open and close the storage chamber, the door comprising;

a door frame having an opening defined therethrough; and

a panel assembly configured to cover the opening of the door frame the panel assembly comprising;

a front panel configured to cover at least a portion of the opening defined in the door frame, the front panel comprising;

a masking layer configured to at least partially block transmission of light therethrough,

a sensor arranged in the door, and comprising;

a microphone configured to detect a sound wave from a knock that is input on the door; and

an accommodation part that is in contact with the front panel of the panel assembly of the door,

wherein, in a state in which the accommodation part of the sensor is in contact with the front panel, the accommodation part and the front panel form a space between the microphone and the front panel at a location that is covered by the masking layer, and

at least one processor configured to activate the lighting device based on the sensor detecting the sound wave from the knock that was input on the door.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the microphone is configured to detect the sound wave that travels from a surface of the front panel to the microphone through the space that is formed by the accommodation part and the front panel.

11. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the accommodation part of the sensor and the front panel form the space to be hermetically sealed.

12. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the masking layer forms a border along a periphery of the front panel, and defines an area of the front panel within the border through which the interior of the storage chamber is visible from an outside in a state in which the lighting device is activated.

13. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the sensor is arranged closer to a periphery of the front panel as compared to an area of the front panel through which the interior of the storage chamber is visible from an outside in a state in which the lighting device is activated.

14. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine, based on the sound wave detected by the sensor, whether a knock is input on the door; and

activate the lighting device based on a determination that a knock is input on the door.

15. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

based on a determination that a knock is input onto the front panel of the panel assembly of the door, determine whether the knock satisfies at least one criterion; and

based on a determination that the knock satisfies the at least one criterion, activate the lighting device to illuminate an interior of the storage chamber to be visible through the opening of the door frame.

16. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet having a storage chamber defined therein;

a lighting device arranged inside the storage chamber and configured to illuminate an interior of the storage chamber; and

a door connected to the cabinet and configured to open and close the storage chamber, the door comprising;

an outer door having an opening defined therethrough; and

a panel assembly arranged behind the outer door, and comprising a front panel configured to cover the opening defined through the outer door, with a portion of the front panel overlapped by the outer door;

a sensor arranged in the door and configured to detect a user input, the sensor arranged to face the portion of the front panel that is overlapped by the outer door; and

at least one processor configured to activate the lighting device based on the sensor detecting the user input.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the portion of the front panel that is overlapped by the outer door forms a border along a periphery of the front panel, and defines an area of the front panel within the border through which the interior of the storage chamber is visible from an outside in a state in which the lighting device is activated.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the sensor is arranged closer to a periphery of the front panel as compared to an area of the front panel through which the interior of the storage chamber is visible in a state in which the lighting device is activated.

19. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine whether the user input satisfies at least one criterion; and

based on a determination that the user input satisfies the at least one criterion, activate the lighting device to illuminate an interior of the storage chamber to be visible through the opening of the outer door of the door.

20. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a knock input applied on the front panel of the door.

21. A refrigerator comprising:

a cabinet having a storage chamber defined therein;

a lighting device arranged inside the storage chamber and configured to illuminate an interior of the storage chamber;

a main door connected to the cabinet and configured to open and close the storage chamber, the main door having a first opening defined therethrough;

a sub door configured to open and close the first opening of the main door, the sub door comprising;

a door frame having a second opening defined therethrough; and

a panel assembly configured to cover the second opening of the door frame of the sub door, the panel assembly comprising;

a front panel configured to cover the second opening of the door frame of the sub door, the front panel comprising;

a masking layer configured to at least partially block transmission of light therethrough,

a sensor arranged in the sub door and configured to detect a user input, the sensor positioned behind the front panel of the sub door at a location that is covered by the masking layer of the front panel; and

at least one processor configured to activate the lighting device based on a user input being detected by the sensor.

22. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein in a state in which the lighting device is activated, light that is emitted from the lighting device is at least partially blocked by a first area of the front panel in which the masking layer is formed, and passes through a second area of the front panel in which the masking layer is not formed.

23. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the masking layer forms a border along a periphery of the front panel, and defines an area of the front panel within the border through which the interior of the storage chamber is visible from an outside in a state in which the lighting device is activated.

24. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the sensor is arranged closer to a periphery of the front panel as compared to an area of the front panel through which the interior of the storage chamber is visible from an outside in a state in which the lighting device is activated.

25. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein at least part of the front panel overlaps in front of at least part of the door frame of the sub door.

26. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the masking layer is formed on a rear surface of the front panel of the panel assembly of the sub door.

27. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the masking layer of the front panel does not overlap with the second opening defined in the door frame of the sub door.

28. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine whether the user input satisfies at least one criterion; and

based on a determination that the user input satisfies the at least one criterion, activate the lighting device to illuminate an interior of the storage chamber to be visible through the second opening of the door frame of the sub door.

29. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a knock input applied on the front panel of the sub door.