Domestic refrigeration appliance and method for operating a domestic refrigeration appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9989302-B2
Application number	US-201615131480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 22, 2015
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

A domestic refrigeration appliance has a heat-insulated carcass which has an inner container with a coolable interior space for storing food, a refrigeration device for cooling the coolable interior space, an assisting device, and a door leaf mounted pivotable relative to the carcass for opening and closing the interior space or a drawer which in the closed state is pushed into the coolable interior space in order to close it, and in the open state is at least partially withdrawn from the coolable interior space. The assisting device has an air pressure sensor configured to determine a change of the air pressure within the interior space due to a pushing and/or pulling on the closed door leaf or the closed drawer. The assisting device is configured to open the closed door leaf or the closed drawer automatically at least partially depending on the determined change in the air pressure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A domestic refrigeration appliance, comprising:
a heat-insulated carcass having an inner container with a coolable interior space for storing food;
a refrigeration device for cooling said coolable interior space;
an assisting device;
a closeable device selected from the group consisting of a drawer and a door leaf,
said door leaf mounted pivotable relative to said carcass for opening and closing said coolable interior space; or
said drawer which in a closed state is pushed into said coolable interior space in order to close said drawer thus resulting in a closed drawer, and in an open state is at least partially withdrawn from said coolable interior space;

said assisting device having an air pressure sensor configured to determine a change of air pressure within said coolable interior space resulting due to a pushing and/or pulling on said door leaf in a closed state or on said closed drawer, said assisting device configured to open said door leaf or said closed drawer automatically at least partially depending on a determined change in the air pressure; and
said air pressure sensor, containing:
a pressure chamber with an entry and coupled via said entry to said coolable interior space so that the change in the air pressure within the coolable interior space is transferred to said pressure chamber;
an inductive component disposed within said pressure chamber, said inductive component having an areal electric coil and an electrically conductive film spaced at a distance from said areal electric coil, so that the change in the air pressure is directly applied to said electrically conductive film causing a change in a distance between said electrically conductive film and said areal electric coil, resulting in a change in an inductance, a resistance and/or a reactance of said inductive component; and
an evaluating device configured to evaluate the inductance, the resistance and/or the reactance of said inductive component associated with the change in the air pressure, so that said assisting device opens said door leaf or said closed drawer at least partially, dependent upon the inductance, the resistance and/or the reactance of said inductive component.

2. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said air pressure sensor has a spacing ring which is disposed between said areal component and said electrically conductive film.

3. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said air pressure sensor has a circuit board with a surface and said areal component is disposed on said surface.

4. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 3 , wherein only said areal component is directly disposed on said circuit board.

5. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 3 , wherein:
said air pressure sensor has a housing which delimits said pressure chamber and contains said entry to said pressure chamber;
said housing of said air pressure sensor has an opening formed therein which is closed by said circuit board such that said surface of said circuit board faces toward said pressure chamber and said areal component is disposed in a region of said opening within said pressure chamber; and
said circuit board contains a peripherally circumferential edge which overlaps an edge of said opening at least partially.

6. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said assisting device has a housing within which substantially all components of said assisting device are disposed and in which said pressure chamber is provided.

7. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 6 , wherein said housing of said assisting device has said entry which is directly linked to said pressure chamber and is coupled with said coolable interior space.

8. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said air pressure sensor contains a circuit board having a surface with a depression formed therein, said areal component is disposed in said depression of said surface.

9. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said closeable device has an elastic magnetic seal which lies sealingly on said carcass when said closeable device is closed.

10. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said drawer has an elastic magnetic seal which lies sealingly on said carcass when said drawer is closed.

11. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 , wherein said electrically conductive film delimits said pressure chamber.

12. The domestic refrigeration appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the air pressure is directly applied to a surface of said electrically conductive film.

13. A method for operating a domestic refrigeration appliance, which comprises the steps of:
providing the domestic refrigeration appliance to contain:
a heat-insulated carcass having an inner container with a coolable interior space for storing food;
a refrigeration device for cooling the coolable interior space;
an assisting device;
a closeable device selected from the group consisting of a drawer and a door leaf:
the door leaf mounted pivotable relative to the carcass for opening and closing the coolable interior space; or
the drawer which in a closed state is pushed into the coolable interior space in order to close the drawer thus resulting in a closed drawer, and in an open state is at least partially withdrawn from the coolable interior space;

the assisting device having an air pressure sensor configured to determine a change of air pressure within the coolable interior space resulting due to a pushing and/or pulling on the door leaf in a closed state or on the closed drawer, the assisting device configured to open the door leaf or the closed drawer automatically at least partially depending on a determined change in the air pressure;
the air pressure sensor, containing:
a pressure chamber with an entry and coupled via the entry to the coolable interior space so that the change in the air pressure within the coolable interior space is transferred to the pressure chamber;
an inductive component disposed within the pressure chamber, the inductive component having an areal electric coil and an electrically conductive film spaced at a distance from the areal electric coil, so that the change in the air pressure is directly applied to the electrically conductive film causing a change in a distance between the electrically conductive film and the areal electric coil, resulting in a change in an inductance, a resistance and/or a reactance of the inductive component; and
an evaluating device configured to evaluate the inductance, the resistance and/or the reactance of the inductive component associated with the change in the air pressure, so that the assisting device opens the door leaf or the closed drawer at least partially, dependent upon the inductance, the resistance and/or the reactance of the inductive component;

determining a value or a change in at least one electrical variable of the inductive component by means of the evaluating device, the at least one electrical variable selected from the group consisting of the inductance, the resistance and the reactance of the inductive component, so that the at least one electrical variable is changed due to an at least partially changing distance between the electrically conductive film and the areal electric coil caused by the change in the air pressure resulting from the pulling or pushing on the door leaf or on the closed drawer;
evaluating a determined value or a determined change in the at least one electrical variable by means of the ev

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh
• BSH Hausegeraete GmbH

Inventors

• Heydel Adolf

Classifications

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• F25D2700/00

  Means for sensing or measuring; Sensors therefor · CPC title

• F25D25/025

  Drawers · CPC title

• E05F15/71

  responsive to temperature changes, rain, wind or noise · CPC title

• F25D2700/02

  Sensors detecting door opening · CPC title