Configurable power supply circuit for lighted shelves in a refrigerator

• US 9,528,754 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2013
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Kerner, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Walters, Ryan J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Febles, Antonio R
• Application Number:
  US13/761,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20140217879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 622/64, 312/223.5, 312/280, 312/281, 312/408, 108/23, 362/127, 211/90.01, 211/90.02, 211/90.04
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/06 the elements being coupling devices , e.g. connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0044 Household appliances, e.g. washing machines or vacuum cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/305 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/02 by shelves
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/024 Slidable shelves
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 27/005 combined with control means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet having a temperature-controlled compartment defined therein and a plurality of electrical connectors disposed at a plurality of shelf mounting positions within the temperature-controlled compartment. The refrigerator appliance also includes a plurality of adjustable shelves each carrying at least one light emitting diode (LED), where each of the plurality of adjustable shelves is removably mounted in one of the plurality of shelf mounting positions such that the at least one LED is electrically coupled to one of the plurality of electrical connectors. The refrigerator appliance further includes a power supply circuit that is electrically coupled to the plurality of electrical connectors and that is configured to selectively supply power to only a subset of the plurality of electrical connectors.

Claims

1. A refrigerator appliance comprising:

a cabinet having a temperature-controlled compartment defined therein;

a shelf ladder disposed in the temperature-controlled compartment and providing a plurality of shelf mounting positions, the shelf ladder comprising a plurality of electrical connectors such that each of the plurality of shelf mounting positions has a corresponding electrical connector;

a plurality of adjustable shelves each carrying at least one lighting device, each of the plurality of adjustable shelves being removably mounted in one of the plurality of shelf mounting positions such that the at least one lighting device is electrically coupled to the corresponding electrical connector, wherein the plurality of adjustable shelves includes a first shelf and a second shelf; and

a power supply circuit that is electrically coupled to the plurality of electrical connectors of the shelf ladder, the power supply circuit being configured to;

a) determine which of the plurality of shelf mounting positions the first shelf is mounted in;

b) determine which of the plurality of shelf mounting positions the second shelf is mounted in; and

c) supply power to the first shelf based on the determined position of the first shelf and the determined position of the second shelf.

2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the plurality of adjustable shelves are fewer in number than the plurality of shelf mounting positions provided by the shelf ladder.

3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors are part of an electrical bus that corresponds to two or more of the plurality of shelf mounting positions.

4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the at least one lighting device carried by each of the plurality of adjustable shelves comprises at least one light emitting diode (LED), and wherein the power supply circuit comprises an LED driver having a plurality of selectable power supply channels, each of the plurality of selectable power supply channels being electrically coupled to one of the plurality of electrical connectors.

5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 4, wherein:

the power supply circuit further comprises an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the LED driver, the electronic controller being configured to selectively activate the plurality of selectable power supply channels of the LED driver;

the LED driver is configured to determine an arrangement of the plurality of adjustable shelves by sensing whether each of the plurality of selectable power supply channels is electrically coupled to at least one lighting device; and

the electronic controller is configured to selectively activate the plurality of selectable power supply channels of the LED driver in response to the arrangement of the plurality of adjustable shelves.

6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit is further configured to selectively supply power to each of the plurality of electrical connectors from one or both of a first power source and a second power source, and wherein the first power source is configured to supply power to the plurality of electrical connectors at a first current level and the second power source is configured to supply power to the plurality of electrical connectors at a second current level, the first current level being greater than the second current level.

7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit selectively supplies power to less than all of the plurality of adjustable shelves mounted in the plurality of shelf mounting positions through a subset of the plurality of electrical connectors.

8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 7, wherein the power supply circuit selectively supplies power to less than all of the plurality of shelves mounted in the plurality of shelf mounting positions based on which of the plurality of shelf mounting positions the plurality of adjustable shelves are mounted in.

9. A refrigerator appliance comprising:

a cabinet having a temperature-controlled compartment defined therein;

a plurality of electrical connectors disposed at a plurality of shelf mounting positions within the temperature-controlled compartment;

a plurality of adjustable shelves each carrying at least one light emitting diode (LED), each of the plurality of adjustable shelves being removably mounted in one of the plurality of shelf mounting positions such that the at least one LED is electrically coupled to one of the plurality of electrical connectors, wherein the plurality of adjustable shelves includes a first shelf and a second shelf; and

a power supply circuit that is electrically coupled to the plurality of electrical connectors, the power supply circuit being configured to;

a) determine which of the plurality of shelf mounting positions the first shelf is mounted in;

b) determine which of the plurality of shelf mounting positions the second shelf is mounted in; and

c) supply power to the first shelf based on the determined position of the first shelf and the determined position of the second shelf.

10. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9, wherein the power supply circuit comprises an LED driver having a plurality of selectable power supply channels, each of the plurality of selectable power supply channels being electrically coupled to one of the plurality of electrical connectors.

11. The refrigerator appliance of claim 10, wherein:

the power supply circuit further comprises an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the LED driver, the electronic controller being configured to selectively activate the plurality of selectable power supply channels of the LED driver;

the LED driver is configured to determine an arrangement of the plurality of adjustable shelves by sensing whether each of the plurality of selectable power supply channels is electrically coupled to at least one LED; and

the electronic controller is configured to selectively activate the plurality of selectable power supply channels of the LED driver in response to the arrangement of the plurality of adjustable shelves.

12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9, wherein the power supply circuit is further configured to selectively supply power to each of the plurality of electrical connectors from one or both of a first power source and a second power source, the first power source being configured to supply power to the plurality of electrical connectors at a greater current level than the second power source.

13. The refrigerator appliance of claim 9, wherein the power supply circuit selectively supplies power to less than all of the plurality of shelves mounted in the plurality of shelf mounting positions based on which of the plurality of shelf mounting positions the plurality of adjustable shelves are mounted in.

14. A method comprising:

determining an arrangement of a plurality of adjustable shelves, including a first shelf and a second shelf, in a refrigerator appliance, each of the plurality of adjustable shelves carrying at least one light emitting diode (LED) and being removably mounted within a temperature-controlled compartment of the refrigerator appliance, wherein determining the arrangement of the plurality of adjustable shelves includes determining a position of the first shelf and determining a position of the second shelf;

selecting a subset of adjustable shelves from among the plurality of adjustable shelves mounted in the refrigerator appliance in response to the determined arrangement of the plurality of adjustable shelves, wherein the selected subset of adjustable shelves is less than all of the plurality of adjustable shelves mounted in the refrigerator appliance, wherein selecting the subset of adjustable shelves includes selecting the first shelf based on the determined position of the first shelf and the determined position of the second shelf; and

supplying power to the at least one LED carried by each of the selected subset of adjustable shelves.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting the subset of adjustable shelves comprises configuring a plurality of electrical jumpers within a jumper block.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein supplying power to the at least one LED carried by each of the selected subset of adjustable shelves comprises activating one or more selectable power supply channels of an LED driver, the LED driver including a selectable power supply channel electrically coupled to each location for removably mounting one of the plurality of adjustable shelves within the temperature-controlled compartment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the arrangement of the plurality of adjustable shelves comprises:

activating each selectable power supply channel of the LED driver; and

sensing an electrical response from each selectable power supply channel of the LED driver to determine whether one of the plurality of adjustable shelves is electrically coupled to the selectable power supply channel.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting the subset of adjustable shelves from among the plurality of shelves mounted in the refrigerator appliance in response to the determined arrangement of the plurality of adjustable shelves includes selecting the subset of adjustable shelves based on where the plurality of adjustable shelves are mounted in the temperature-controlled compartment.