Cooling appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10371440-B2
Application number	US-201615549686-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2016
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A cooling appliance includes a cabinet, first and second doors connected to the cabinet and a door-opening detection device having a magnetic element disposed on the first door and a magnetic sensitive element disposed on the cabinet. A first magnetic conductive element on the second door can be magnetized by the magnetic element. The magnetic sensitive element can produce a door-opening signal based on a magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element. The magnetic sensitive element produces the door-opening signal when at least one of the doors is open. In this way it can be detected, by using one suite of door-opening detection devices, if any door among multiple doors is in an open state. The structure is simple, and the number of components can be reduced. Moreover, wires are reduced, which lowers manufacturing costs and difficulty.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling appliance, comprising:
a cabinet;
a first door and a second door connected to said cabinet, said first door having a side facing said second door, said second door having a first end facing said first door and a second end facing away from said first door;
a door-opening detection device including a magnetic element disposed at said first door, a first magnetic conductive element, and a magnetic sensitive element disposed at said cabinet, said magnetic element being located on said side of said first door facing said second door;
said first magnetic conductive element disposed on said second door, said first magnetic conductive element being magnetizable by said magnetic element, said first magnetic conductive element extending from said first end of said second door to said second end of said second door, said first magnetic conductive element having a first end proximate to said second end of said second door;
said magnetic sensitive element being adjacent to said first end of said first magnetic conductive element when said second door is closed; and
said magnetic sensitive element being configured to produce a door-opening signal based on a magnetic field of said magnetic element, said magnetic field of said magnetic element conducted via said first magnetic conductive element to the first end thereof and sensed by said magnetic sensitive element when said first and second doors are both closed, and said magnetic sensitive element producing the door-opening signal upon opening of either or both of said first and second doors, thereby making said magnetic field of said magnetic element undetected by said magnetic sensitive element.

2. The cooling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein: said first magnetic conductive element has said first end and a second end along a length direction; and
when said first door and said second door are closed, said second end of said first magnetic conductive element approaches said magnetic element and said first end of said first magnetic conductive element is remote from said magnetic element and approaches said magnetic sensitive element.

3. The cooling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said magnetic sensitive element is covered by said second door when said second door is closed.

4. The cooling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said cabinet has a front-rear direction, and said first magnetic conductive element is adjacent to said magnetic sensitive element along said front-rear direction of said cabinet when said second door is closed.

5. The cooling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said first door and said second door are disposed side by side along an up-down direction or a left-right direction of said cabinet; and said first door and said second door are adjacent each other.

6. The cooling appliance according to claim 1 , which further comprises:
at least one third door located between said first door and said second door;
said door-opening detection device including a second magnetic conductive element disposed on said at least one third door;
said second magnetic conductive element being magnetizable by said magnetic element; and
said second magnetic conductive element conducting said magnetic field of said magnetic element to said first magnetic conductive element, so as to magnetize said first magnetic conductive element.

7. The cooling appliance according to claim 6 , wherein said second magnetic conductive element extends along a direction from said first door to said second door.

8. The cooling appliance according to claim 6 , wherein:
said second magnetic conductive element has a length direction;
said second magnetic conductive element has one end along said length direction disposed closer to one of said first door or said second door; and
said second magnetic conductive element has another end along said length direction disposed closer to another of said first door or said second door.

9. The cooling appliance according to claim 6 , wherein:
said second door and said at least one third door define a direction; and
said first magnetic conductive element and said second magnetic conductive element at least partially overlap along said direction defined by said second door and said at least one third door when said second door and said at least one third door are both closed.

10. The cooling appliance according to claim 6 , wherein said at least one third door includes a plurality of third doors, and said plurality of third doors are disposed along a direction from said first door to said second door.

11. The cooling appliance according to claim 6 , wherein said first magnetic conductive element and said second magnetic conductive element include silicon steel sheets.

12. The cooling appliance according to claim 6 , wherein:
said second door and said at least one third door each have a respective housing;
said first magnetic conductive element is disposed in said housing of said second door; and
said second magnetic conductive element is located in said housing of said at least one third door.

13. The cooling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said magnetic element is a single magnetic element and said magnetic sensitive element is a single magnetic sensitive element.

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Hao Jingpeng
• Li Mingwen
• Lu Songtao

Classifications

• H01H36/002

  Actuation by moving ferromagnetic material, switch and magnet being fixed · CPC title

• F25D29/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F25D29/005 Primary

  Mounting of control devices · CPC title

• F25D2700/02

  Sensors detecting door opening · CPC title

• F25D25/025

  Drawers · CPC title