REFRIGERATOR

• US 20100024466A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwon, Eui-Hyeok
• Granted Patent: US 8,250,871 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/449
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/02 with cooling compartments at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/126 Water cooler
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/06 Refrigerators with a vertical mullion
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/02 Sensors detecting door opening

Abstract

A refrigerator is disclosed. The refrigerator includes a main body having a storage space provided with an opening, and doors by which the opening is opened or closed; a voice input section for inputting speech through an interior voice input unit installed at the inside of the main body and an exterior voice input unit installed at the outside of the main body; a control unit for controlling the state of the refrigerator by analyzing the inputted speech; and an output section displaying the state information of the refrigerator. Accordingly, since the state and the operation of the refrigerator are controlled by receiving a control command by speech, it is capable of reducing a user'"'"'s inconvenience due to manipulation of the control panel. And, since a voice input unit is provided at each of the inside and the outside of the main body, respectively, it is capable of receiving a control command by speech input regardless of whether the door is opened or closed, thereby providing convenience for the user.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a main body having a storage space provided with an opening, and a door by which the opening is opened or closed;

a voice input section for receiving voice input from a user through an interior voice input unit installed at an inside of the main body and an exterior voice input unit installed at an outside of the main body;

a control unit controlling a state of the refrigerator by analyzing the voice input; and

an output section outputting state information so as to enable checking of the state information from outside the refrigerator.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the voice input section is configured to be capable of receiving an external voice input regardless of whether the door is opened or closed.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the interior voice input unit is installed to be covered by a gasket provided at an edge portion of a rear surface of the door when the door is closed.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the interior voice input unit is installed at one edge portion of the opening contacted by the door when the door is closed.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a plurality of doors are provided to open or close the opening, and

wherein the interior voice input unit is installed at an edge portion on each of the openings of the storage spaces contacted by each door when the corresponding door is closed.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the storage space is partitioned into a plurality of storage spaces by a partition wall, and

wherein at least one interior voice input unit is installed at one edge portion of the opening of each storage space.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the exterior voice input unit is installed at a front surface of the door.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the interior voice input unit and the exterior voice input unit are made operable, respectively, according to whether the door is opened or closed.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein selection buttons are further provided at one side of the main body by which the exterior voice input unit or the interior voice input unit is selected to operate or not according to whether the door is opened or closed.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an open/close sensing unit for sensing whether the door is opened or closed, and

wherein the exterior voice input unit is operated when the door is closed and the interior voice input unit is operated when the door is opened, by the open/close sensing unit.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the open/close sensing unit includes a permanent magnet installed at one side of one edge portion on a rear surface of the door and one edge portion of the opening of the storage space, which contact with each other when the door is closed, and a magnetic sensing circuit installed at the other side thereof.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises:

a signal processing unit converting speech input to the voice input unit into a control command code by analyzing the speech; and

a command execution unit executing a command corresponding to a control command code resulting from comparing the converted control command code with a pre-stored control command code.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the output section is implemented as a video display terminal for visually outputting the state information.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the output section is implemented as a speech output device for aurally outputting the state information.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the voice input unit receives information about a storage item to be stored in the storage space,

wherein the control unit analyzes the information about the storage item so as to memorize and determine the information, and

wherein the output section outputs the information about the storage item and a result of the determination.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the storage item information inputted via the voice input unit includes a name of the storage item and a storage position of the item.

17. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the output section outputs the name of the storage item, the storage position of the item, a storage position of an item of the same kind and an optimum position where the storage item is to be stored.