Electronic home appliance and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10534332-B2
Application number	US-201514593008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

An electric home appliance includes a sensing unit configured to sense whether a user's body is within a predetermined range from the electric home appliance, an output unit configured to output a sound, and a controller configured to determine a sound output mode of the output unit based on a location of the user's body sensed by the sensing unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense whether a user's body is within a predetermined range from the refrigerator;
an output unit that comprises a display unit configured to visually provide information and a speaker configured to output a sound that provides information to the user; and
a controller configured to determine an output mode of the output unit based on a location of the user's body sensed by the sensing unit,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine whether an event indicating that a door of the refrigerator is open has occurred,
based on an occurrence of the event, determine whether the user's body is within the predetermined range,
recognize a period of time during which the user's body is within the predetermined range,
based on a determination that the period of time is greater than or equal to a predetermined time after the event has occurred, control the display unit to visually provide information,
based on a determination that the user's body is within the predetermined range for less than the predetermined time after the event has occurred, control the output unit to output a notification sound, and
based on a determination that the user's body deviates from the predetermined range without responding to the event, control the speaker to output the sound.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein
the sensing unit comprises a noise sensor that is configured to sense a noise level of a surrounding environment, and
the controller is configured to determine a volume of the sound output by the output unit based on the noise level sensed by the noise sensor.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the controller decides a volume and a quality of the sound output by the output unit based on whether the user's body is within the predetermined range.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the user's body approaches the refrigerator within a predetermined time after a first notification sound is output through the output unit.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to, based on a determination that the user's body does not approach the refrigerator within the predetermined time after the first notification sound is output through the output unit, output a second notification sound having a different volume or type than the first notification sound through the output unit.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust a sampling interval of a notification sound that is output by the output unit based on a distance value from the user's body.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit is configured to output a voice.

8. A refrigerator comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense whether a user's body is within a predetermined range from the refrigerator;
an output unit that comprises a display unit configured to visually provide information and a speaker configured to output a sound that provides information to the user; and
a controller configured to determine an output mode of the output unit based on a location of the user's body sensed by the sensing unit,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine whether an event indicating that a door of the refrigerator is open has occurred,
based on an occurrence of the event, determine whether the user's body is within the predetermined range,
recognize a period of time during which the user's body is within the predetermined range,
based on a determination that the period of time is greater than or equal to a predetermined time after the event has occurred, control the display unit to visually provide information, and
based on a determination that the user's body deviates from the predetermined range without responding to the event, control the speaker to output the sound, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine whether the user's body approaches the refrigerator within a predetermined time after a first notification sound is output through the output unit, and
based on a determination that the user's body does not approach the refrigerator within the predetermined time after the first notification sound is output through the output unit, output a second notification sound having a different volume than the first notification sound through the output unit.

9. A refrigerator comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense whether a user's body is within a predetermined range from the refrigerator;
an output unit that comprises a display unit configured to visually provide information and a speaker configured to output a sound that provides information to the user; and
a controller configured to determine an output mode of the output unit based on a location of the user's body sensed by the sensing unit,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine whether an event indicating that a door of the refrigerator is open has occurred,
based on an occurrence of the event, determine whether the user's body is within the predetermined range,
recognize a period of time during which the user's body is within the predetermined range,
based on a determination that the period of time is greater than or equal to a predetermined time after the event has occurred, control the display unit to visually provide information, and
based on a determination that the user's body deviates from the predetermined range without responding to the event, control the speaker to output the sound, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine whether the user's body approaches the refrigerator within a predetermined time after a first notification sound is output through the output unit, and
based on a determination that the user's body does not approach the refrigerator within the predetermined time after the first notification sound is output through the output unit, output a second notification sound that is a different type than the first notification sound through the output unit.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
based on a determination that a distance value of the user's body from the refrigerator decreases, decrease a luminance value of the display unit;
based on a determination that the distance value of the user's body from the refrigerator increases, increase the luminance value of the display unit.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the sensing unit is further configured to sense pupils of the user, and
wherein the controller is further configured to:
based on motion of the pupils of the user, determine whether the user gazes at the refrigerator; and
adjust luminance of the display unit based on a determination whether the user's body gazes at the refrigerator.

12. A refrigerator comprising:
a sensing unit configured to sense whether a user's body is within a predetermined range from the refrigerator;
an output unit that comprises a display unit configured to visually provide information and a speaker configured to output a sound that provides information to the user; and
a controller configured to determine an output mode of the output unit based on a location of the user's body sensed by the sensing unit,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine whether an event indicating that a door of the refrigerator is open has occurred,
based on an occurrence of the event, determine whether the user's body is within the predetermined range,
recognize a period of time during whic

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Seo Soomin
• Ko Soyeon
• Lee Youjin

Classifications

• H03G7/00

  Volume compression or expansion in amplifiers {(frequency dependent H03G9/025)} · CPC title

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• D06F2105/60

  Audible signals · CPC title

• D06F2103/00

  Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers · CPC title

• D06F33/30 Primary

  Control of washing machines characterised by the purpose or target of the control  (controlling processes of washer-dryers D06F33/50) · CPC title