Refrigerator with sound reproducing capability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11725878-B2
Application number	US-201916569274-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2019
Priority date	Jun 12, 2019
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A refrigerator with a sound reproducing capability is provided. The refrigerator may include a cabinet forming an exterior of the refrigerator and having an upper surface portion, a lower surface portion, a side surface portion, and a rear surface portion, a door coupled to the cabinet, a vibration module attached to an inner surface of at least one among the door, the upper surface portion, the side surface portion, the rear surface portion, and the lower surface portion, and a controller configured to control vibration of the vibration module. The vibration strength of the vibration module and power supplied to the vibration module may be determined by a trained model trained through machine learning, an area of artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, the refrigerator may include a communicator, and may operate in conjunction with an external device via 5G communication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator with a sound reproducing capability, the refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet forming an exterior of the refrigerator, the cabinet having an upper surface portion, a lower surface portion, a side surface portion, and a rear surface portion;
a door coupled to the cabinet;
a first vibrator attached to an inner surface of one of the door, the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion, the side surface portion, or the rear surface portion;
a controller configured to control vibration of the first vibrator; and
a second vibrator attached to an inner surface of another of the door, the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion, the side surface portion, or the rear surface portion,
wherein the first vibrator vibrates the inner surface of the one of the door, the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion, the side surface portion, or the rear surface portion so as to output sound, and
wherein the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion, the side surface portion, the rear surface portion or a front surface of the door operates as a diaphragm for outputting sound,
wherein the cabinet includes a storage space,
wherein the controller is configured to operate the first vibrator when the refrigerator performs a defrosting operation to remove frost generated in a part of the refrigerator,
wherein the controller is configured to analyze positions where frost is generated by an image sensor disposed in the storage space, and
wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate one of the first and second vibrators which is closest to the positions where the frost is generated when performing the defrosting operation.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a frame configured to mechanically support the first vibrator such that the first vibrator is fixed while being in contact with the inner surface of the one of the door, the upper surface portion, the side surface portion, or the rear surface portion, and
wherein a front surface portion of the first vibrator is attached to the inner surface of the one of the door, the upper surface portion, the side surface portion, and the rear surface portion via an adhesive member.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power regulator configured to regulate an amount of power supplied to the first vibrator; and
a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature in the refrigerator,
wherein the power regulator is configured to control the power supplied to the first vibrator to be less than or equal to a threshold value, and is configured to reduce the power supplied to the first vibrator when a temperature variation in the refrigerator sensed by the temperature sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the cabinet includes a storage space for storing food,
wherein a sensor configured to sense an introduction of food is disposed in the storage space, and
wherein the controller is configured to record a point in time at which the food is introduced, and to generate a warning signal using the first vibrator when the introduced food has been stored in the storage space for a predetermined period of time or longer.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a communicator configured to communicate with an external device via a wireless network,
wherein the cabinet includes a storage space for storing food,
wherein an image sensor configured to sense a shape of stored food is disposed in the storage space, and
wherein the controller is configured to transmit the shape of the food sensed by the image sensor to the external device via the communicator, and to receive, from the external device, a menu of possible dishes for cooking recommended according to a type of the food determined based on the shape of the food by the external device.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a communicator configured to communicate with an external device via a wireless network; and
a microphone capable of receiving a voice of a user,
wherein the communicator is configured to transmit the voice of the user received via the microphone to an external device capable of recognizing a voice request, and to receive a response to the voice request recognized by the external device, and
wherein the controller is configured to output the response via the first vibrator.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the cabinet includes a storage space for storing food,
wherein a transparent glass panel is disposed on at least a partial surface of the door such that at least a part of the storage space is observable from outside of the refrigerator,
wherein the first vibrator is disposed below the glass panel, on the inner surface of the door, and
wherein a vibration absorbing member is disposed between the glass panel and a portion of the door where the first vibrator is disposed, and the first vibration absorbing member is configured to prevent vibration generated from the first vibrator from being transmitted to the glass panel.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a second vibrator attached to the inner surface of another of the door, the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion, the side surface portion, or the rear surface portion.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first vibrator includes a first vibration surface spaced from a second vibration surface, each of the first vibration surface and the second vibration surface being attached to the inner surface of the one of the door, the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion, the side surface portion, or the rear surface portion.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first vibrator includes:
a based attached to the inner surface of the one of the door, the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion, the side surface portion, or the rear surface portion;
a centered vibration portion; and
a case attached to the base.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a vibration strength of the first vibrator is determined by a trained model trained through machine learning.

12. A refrigerator with a sound reproducing capability, the refrigerator comprising:
a storage unit configured to form a storage space for storing food, the storage unit having an upper surface portion, a lower surface portion, a side surface portion, and a rear surface portion;
a door configured to open and close the storage space, the door having an outer plate forming a front exterior of the refrigerator;
a first vibrator disposed in contact with an inner surface of the outer plate of the door, and configured to generate sound by vibrating the outer plate;
a second vibrator attached to an inner surface of one of the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion, the side surface portion, or the rear surface portion; and
an image sensor configured to obtain position images where frost is generated in the storage unit,
wherein the outer plate of the door operates as a diaphragm for outputting sound, and
wherein the first vibrator and the second vibrator are configured to selectively operate to perform a defrosting operation to remove frost generated in a part of the refrigerator according to the position images.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12 , wherein the first vibrator is configured to operate to reproduce sound outside the refrigerator via the door when the door is closed, and the second vibrator is configured to operate to reproduce sound inside the st

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Seok Hyun
• Yun Jun Sang
• Kim Sang Oh

Classifications

• G06N3/09

  Supervised learning · CPC title

• F25D29/008 Primary

  Alarm devices · CPC title

• F25D11/02

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25D21/00

  Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water (removing ice or water from heat-exchange apparatus in general F28F17/00; heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas H05B3/84) · CPC title

• G06N20/00

  Machine learning · CPC title