Carbonated water producing apparatus, refrigerator having the same, and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10456763-B2
Application number	US-201615343167-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2016
Priority date	Nov 3, 2015
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a carbonated water producing apparatus which guides a replacement of a cylinder using sound generated when carbon dioxide is supplied from the cylinder, and a refrigerator having the same. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a carbonated water producing apparatus comprising: a carbonated water producing unit including a cylinder configured to store carbon dioxide and configured to supply the carbon dioxide to a container; a microphone configured to obtain sound generated in the carbonated water producing unit; a filter configured to pass a signal having a frequency of a predetermined cutoff frequency or more of signals obtained by the microphone; a user interface unit configured to display information related to carbonated water production; and a controller configured to obtain the sound generated in the carbonated water producing unit by driving the microphone when the carbonated water producing unit operates, and configured to display a message which requests that the cylinder which stores the carbon dioxide be replaced on the user interface unit when an intensity of a signal passing through the filter is less than a predetermined reference value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A carbonated water producing apparatus comprising:
a carbonated water producing unit including a cylinder configured to store carbon dioxide and configured to supply the carbon dioxide to a container;
a microphone configured to obtain sound generated in the carbonated water producing unit;
a user interface unit configured to display information related to carbonated water production; and
a controller configured to obtain the sound generated when carbon dioxide is supplied from the cylinder to the container by driving the microphone when the carbonated water producing unit operates, and configured to display a message which requests that the cylinder that stores the carbon dioxide be replaced on the user interface unit when an intensity of a signal passing through a filter is less than a predetermined reference value;
wherein the carbonated water producing unit includes an interrupter configured to interrupt a supply of the carbon dioxide, and
wherein the controller operates the microphone when the interrupter operates.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller displays the message which requests that the cylinder which stores the carbon dioxide be replaced on the user interface unit when the intensity of the signal passing through the filter is less than the predetermined reference value and the carbon dioxide is supplied from the carbonated water producing unit to the container.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the carbonated water producing unit includes the interrupter configured to interrupt a supply of the carbon dioxide and a hall sensor configured to detect an operating state of the interrupter; and
the controller displays the message which request that the cylinder which stores the carbon dioxide be replaced on the user interface unit when the intensity of the signal passing through the filter is less than the predetermined reference value and an operation of the interrupter is detected by the hall sensor.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller operates the microphone when a carbonated water production command is input through the user interface unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller calculates a root mean square (RMS) value of the signal passing through the filter, and displays the message which requests that the cylinder which stores the carbon dioxide be replaced on the user interface unit when the calculated RMS value is less than the predetermined reference value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the microphone includes a first microphone and a second microphone which are spaced a predetermined distance apart; and
the apparatus further comprises a beamformer configured to remove a phase difference between sound signals obtained by the first microphone and the second microphone and then to sum the sound signals.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the filter passes a signal having a frequency of a predetermined cutoff frequency or more of the sound signals summed by the beamformer.

8. A refrigerator comprising:
a carbonated water producing unit including a cylinder configured to store carbon dioxide and configured to supply the carbon dioxide to a container;
a dispenser provided in a door and including a discharge port configured to discharge carbon dioxide supplied from the carbonated water producing unit and having the container detachably provided therein;
a microphone configured to obtain sound generated in the carbonated water producing unit;
a user interface unit configured to display information related to carbonated water production; and
a controller configured to obtain the sound generated when carbon dioxide is supplied from the cylinder to the container by driving the microphone when the carbonated water producing unit operates, and configured to display a message which requests that the cylinder which stores the carbon dioxide be replaced on the user interface unit when an intensity of a signal passing through a filter is less than a predetermined reference value;
wherein the carbonated water producing unit includes an interrupter configured to interrupt a supply of the carbon dioxide, and
wherein the controller operates the microphone when the interrupter operates.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the controller displays the message which requests that the cylinder which stores the carbon dioxide be replaced on the user interface unit when the intensity of the signal passing through the filter is less than the predetermined reference value and the carbon dioxide is supplied from the carbonated water producing unit to the container.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein:
the microphone includes a first microphone and a second microphone which are spaced a predetermined distance apart; and
the refrigerator further comprises a beamformer configured to remove a phase difference between sound signals obtained by the first microphone and the second microphone and then to sum the sound signals.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the filter passes a signal having a frequency of a predetermined cutoff frequency or more of the sound signals summed by the beamformer.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Dae Sung
• Ryu Sang Chul

Classifications

• G01L11/06

  Ultrasonic means · CPC title

• F25D17/065

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• G08B21/182

  Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold · CPC title

• G01L11/04

  by acoustic means · CPC title

• G01H3/00

  Measuring {characteristics of} vibrations by using a detector in a fluid (G01H7/00, G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence) · CPC title