Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9951989-B2
Application number	US-201715598423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2017
Priority date	Jun 3, 2016
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a door and a hinge assembly connecting the door and the cabinet. A sensor detects an opening angle of the door. The sensor includes: a first component and a second component, where one of the first component and the second component is a magnetic element, and the other one is a magnetic sensing element. The first component is provided at the hinge assembly, and the second component is provided at the door. This enables the magnetic sensing element to accurately sense a magnetic field of the magnetic element, and simplify a structure of the cabinet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet;
a door;
a hinge assembly connecting said door to said cabinet to enable said door to be opened to an opening angle between said cabinet and said door; and
a sensor configured to detect the opening angle of said door, said sensor including a first component mounted to said hinge assembly and a second component mounted to said door, wherein one of said first and second components is a magnetic element and the other of said first and second components is a magnetic sensing element.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein said hinge assembly comprises a hinge cover fixed to said cabinet, and said first component is disposed at said hinge cover.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein said hinge cover has an end distal from said cabinet and said first component is located at said end of said hinge cover.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein said hinge cover comprises a base wall substantially parallel to a top surface of said door and a flange connected to said base wall, and wherein said first component is fixed to said hinge cover along said flange.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein said hinge cover is formed with an installation groove provided along said flange, and said first component is fixed in said installation groove.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein said first component is co-injection-molded with said hinge cover.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein:
one end of said door, in a height direction, has a side cover;
a top portion of said side cover has a recess formed therein;
said second component is disposed in said recess; and
a cover member is disposed to close said recess.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein said second component is fixed to said cover member.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein an inner side of said cover member is provided with a positioning portion, and said second component is fixed by said positioning portion.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 7 , which further comprises a controller fixed to said door, and wherein said magnetic sensing element is electrically connected to said controller.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein said second component is the magnetic sensing element.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein said door is formed with an installation pocket configured to accommodate said controller, and wherein said controller is electrically connected to said magnetic sensing element by way of a cable passing through a recess in communication with said installation pocket.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , which further comprises:
a camera device affixed to said door;
a controller affixed to said door; and
wherein said magnetic sensing element is mounted to said door and is configured to send a door opening angle signal about a detected opening angle of said door to said controller, and said controller controls an action of said camera device in dependence on the door opening angle signal.

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Xia Bicong
• Zhang Chuan
• Zhang Nanwei

Classifications

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title

• F25D23/12

  Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove · CPC title

• F25D11/00 Primary

  Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators · CPC title

• F25D29/005 Primary

  Mounting of control devices · CPC title

• F25D2700/02

  Sensors detecting door opening · CPC title