REFRIGERATOR AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20150276302A1
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NDIS Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: ROH, Hee Yuel, KWON, Soon-Bum, KIM, Kyoung Sun, KIM, Joo Ho, TATSUHIRO, Otsuka, LEE, Burm-Young
• Granted Patent: US 9,689,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/02 Doors; Covers F25D23/08 takes precedence locks or fastenings E05B65/0042
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/12 Sensors measuring the inside temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133377 Cells with plural compartments or having plurality of liquid crystal microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. one microcell per pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13718 based on a change of the texture state of a cholesteric liquid crystal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0486 Cholesteric liquid crystals, including chiral-nematic liquid crystals, with transitions between focal conic, planar, and homeotropic states
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3433 using light modulating elements actuated by an electric field and being other than liquid crystal devices and electrochromic devices using liquid crystal devices G09G3/36; using electrochromic devices G09G3/38
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a body including a storage chamber; a door that is coupled to the body so as to open/close the storage chamber; a display that is disposed in at least one region of the door and is configured to be converted between a transparent mode and a display mode; and a controller that controls the display to display at least one among a text, an image, and color when the display is in the display mode.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a body comprising a storage chamber;

a door that is coupled to the body so as to open/close the storage chamber;

a display that is disposed in at least one region of the door and is configured to be converted between a transparent mode and a display mode; and

a controller that controls the display to display at least one among a text, an image, and color when the display is in the display mode.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the display is a reflective display that does not comprise a light source therein.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the display comprises:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

cholesteric liquid crystals, which are filled between the first electrode and the second electrode and of which states vary according to an electric field applied to the cholesteric liquid crystals.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the display is configured to be converted into an opaque mode in which a memo is input by the cholesteric liquid crystals.

5. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the display comprises:

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

photonic crystals, which are filled between the first electrode and the second electrode and of which states vary according to an electric field applied to the photonic crystals.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the display is configured to be converted into a reflection mode in which the display is used as a mirror by the photonic crystals.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an illumination unit disposed in the storage chamber,

wherein the controller controls the display to turn on the illumination unit when the display is in a transparent mode.

8. The refrigerator of claim 4, further comprising an input unit to which selection of the transparent mode, the display mode or the opaque mode is input,

wherein the controller controls the display to be converted into the transparent mode, the display mode or the opaque mode according to selection input to the input unit.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein, when the transparent mode is selected, the controller controls the display to transmit light by adjusting voltages applied to the display so that the cholesteric liquid crystals are in a homeotropic state.

10. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein, when the display mode is selected, the controller controls the display to selectively reflect incident light according to wavelength by adjusting voltages applied to the display so that the cholesteric liquid crystals are in a planar state.

11. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein, when the opaque mode is selected, the controller controls the display to scatter or diffusedly reflect incident light by adjusting voltages applied to the display so that the cholesteric liquid crystals are in a focal conic state.

12. The refrigerator of claim 6, further comprising an input unit to which selection of the transparent mode, the display mode or the reflection mode is input, wherein the controller controls the display to be converted into the transparent mode, the display mode or the reflection mode according to selection input to the input unit.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an insulation member disposed on a rear surface of the display.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the insulation member comprises a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate, and a space between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate is in a vacuum state.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the insulation member comprises at least one spacer formed between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate.

16. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the display displays the memo input by a user in the opaque mode.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the input unit is configured so that selection of reset is further input to the input unit, and

the controller deletes the memo displayed on the display when selection of reset is input to the input unit.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising a touch panel disposed on a front surface of the display,

wherein the memo is input through the touch panel.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, further comprising a memory device for storing the input memo.

20. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein, if a reference time elapses after the display is converted into the transparent mode, the controller converts the display into the display mode.

21. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a sensing sensor that senses a user'"'"'s access to the refrigerator,

wherein, if the user'"'"'s access to the refrigerator is sensed, the controller converts the display into the transparent mode, and if it is sensed that the user is distant from the refrigerator, the controller converts the display into the display mode.

22. The refrigerator of claim 3, further comprising a circular polarizer or a twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal disposed on a rear surface of the display.

23. The refrigerator of claim 22, wherein the circular polarizer comprises a quarter wavelength plate and a linear polarizer.

24. The refrigerator of claim 22, wherein, when the cholesteric liquid crystals have a structure in which right hand circular polarized (RCP) light is reflected, the circular polarizer transmits only RCP light.

25. The refrigerator of claim 22, wherein, when the cholesteric liquid crystals have a structure in which left hand circular polarized (LCP) light is reflected, the circular polarizer transmits only LCP light.

26. A method of controlling a refrigerator comprising a display having an operating mode comprising a transparent mode and a display mode, the method comprising:

when the display is in the transparent mode, controlling the display to transmit light by adjusting voltages applied to the display; and

when the display is in the display mode, controlling the display to display at least one among a text, an image, and color by adjusting voltages applied to the display.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising receiving selection of the transparent mode or the display mode.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising, when the display is in the transparent mode, turning on an illumination unit disposed in the refrigerator.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

sensing a user'"'"'s access to the refrigerator; and

if the user'"'"'s access to the refrigerator is sensed, converting the display into the transparent mode.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

measuring an operating time of the display in the transparent mode; and

if the measured operating time is equal to or greater than a reference time, converting the display into the display mode.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising, when the display is in an opaque mode, controlling the display to display a memo input by the user,

wherein the operating mode further comprises the opaque mode.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

receiving selection of reset; and

deleting the memo displayed on the display.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein the display comprises cholesteric liquid crystals, and

the controlling of the display to display at least one among text, image, and color comprises controlling voltages applied to the display so that the cholesteric liquid crystals are in a planar state.

34. The method of claim 26, wherein the display comprises cholesteric liquid crystals, and

the controlling of the display to transmit light comprises controlling voltages applied to the display so that the cholesteric liquid crystals are in a homeotropic state.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the display comprises cholesteric liquid crystals, and

the controlling of the display to display a memo input by the user comprises controlling voltages applied to the display so that the cholesteric liquid crystals are in a focal conic state.