Household appliance provided with a see-through window

Abstract

The present invention relates to a home appliance capable of observing an accommodation space provided inside without opening a door through a see-through window from the outside. In the home appliance of the present invention, the see-through window is installed to the door, and when a user knocks the door, the inside of the accommodation space is illuminated by detecting a knock input by the user, so that the inside of the accommodation space can be observed from the outside through the see-through window. Thus, the user can observe the accommodation space inside without opening the door by a simple action.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to household appliances, and more specifically, to a household appliance having a viewing window that allows observation of the interior space from the outside. Background Technology

[0002] Household appliances with doors and internal spaces that house objects, such as cooking equipment, refrigerators, and clothing handling devices, are widely used.

[0003] Such household appliances can have a storage space for accommodating objects inside a housing that forms the exterior, and a door for opening and closing the storage space. Depending on the need, two or more doors can be provided.

[0004] Typically, the doors of household appliances are made opaque, making it impossible to observe the objects inside the storage space from the outside. Therefore, in order to identify the objects, the door must be opened.

[0005] In the case of household appliances such as refrigerators and ovens, when the door is opened to observe the interior, cold or hot air inside may flow out, potentially causing unnecessary energy loss.

[0006] On the other hand, although some household appliances such as ovens, washing machines, and dryers have viewing windows installed on their doors, allowing observation of objects inside, it is not possible to properly identify the objects in dark environments or at night.

[0007] To address this issue, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0150575 (Prior Document 1) and No. 10-2019-0001876 (Prior Document 2) disclose a household appliance that turns on a light used to illuminate the interior of a storage space simply by the user gently knocking on the door without opening the door.

[0008] In the household appliance disclosed in prior art document 1, a light is activated when a sensor detects a sound wave generated by a knocking input applied to a door. In the household appliance disclosed in prior art document 2, the sensor includes a microphone portion that protrudes towards and faces an external glass pane, and the microphone portion receives the knocking input transmitted through the external glass in an acoustic manner.

[0009] However, in the household appliances disclosed in existing documents 1 and 2, in order for the sound waves generated by the tapping to be transmitted to the sensor, a single medium needs to be formed between the tapping location and the sensor location to maintain the identity and continuity of the medium used to transmit the sound waves. Therefore, the installation location of the sensor is very limited. In addition, in the case of household appliances such as ovens, since the high temperature heat is transferred to the door, there is a problem that the sensor may malfunction due to the high temperature when it is attached to the door.

[0010] In particular, in the aforementioned existing literature, in addition to the vibration generated by the tap, the refrigerator may also generate various vibrations such as the refrigerator's own vibration or vibrations generated by other external forces. Therefore, there is a possibility of erroneous detection of the tap due to the inability to distinguish between such other vibrations and the vibration generated by the tap. In order to solve this problem, the same medium should be maintained between the location where the tap is applied and the installation location of the acoustic sensor.

[0011] That is, when the sameness of the medium is not maintained, the attenuation of sound waves transmitted along different media will be relatively large. Therefore, the sound wave intensity generated by the impact applied to other parts of the refrigerator rather than the front panel is sufficiently attenuated.

[0012] When the sound waves generated by the taps applied to the front panel are distinguished and the tapping input is detected by utilizing the attenuation amplitude of such sound waves, the erroneous operation caused by impacts or vibrations applied to other parts that are not on the front panel can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, by using the attenuation amplitude of the sound wave signal to identify the tapping input, vibrations not generated on the front panel can be avoided from being identified as taps.

[0013] As mentioned above, in the existing literature, the acoustic sensor must be attached to the front panel, which limits the sensor's installation location. Furthermore, an acoustic sensor is used to distinguish the impact signal generated on the front panel from vibrations caused by other reasons. However, using such an acoustic sensor presents the following problems.

[0014] In addition, since the sensor detects sound waves, it only considers the intensity and pattern of the sound waves generated by the tap to detect the tapping input, which may lead to the problem of misidentifying sound waves generated by other factors that are not tapping as tapping.

[0015] In other words, sound wave detection does not consider the direction of the sound wave's origin, thus making it impossible to determine the location of the sound wave. This leads to the inability to distinguish between sound waves generated by knocking on a door and sound waves generated by other factors not located at the door's position. Consequently, there is a problem of incorrectly detecting sound waves with similar patterns and intensities to knocking as knocking.

[0016] In addition, in the case of household appliances with high internal temperatures, such as ovens, the sensor may malfunction due to the heat transmitted to the viewing window. Therefore, it is not easy to place the sensor in the viewing window. When the sensor is placed in a location other than the viewing window, there is a problem that the detection performance of tap input is reduced.

[0017] Furthermore, since the sensor for detecting sound waves is installed on the door under pressure, there is a problem that the sensor's detection rate varies depending on the degree of pressure. For example, the detection rate decreases when there is strong pressure, while it may react to sound waves from the surrounding area, such as the motor, even when there is weak pressure.

[0018] As mentioned above, in existing household appliances, when vibration sensors are used to detect knocks, it is not easy to filter out noise vibrations that are not knocks. Therefore, sound wave sensors are installed. Especially in cases such as ovens where it is not easy to attach sensors to the door due to high temperatures, the sensors need to be placed in other locations. However, there are problems such as difficulty in achieving accurate detection due to increased attenuation of sound wave transmission, and difficulty in filtering noise signals.

[0019] On the other hand, recent home appliances are constantly incorporating advanced, user-friendly features, and doors are increasingly being equipped with operating mechanisms to enable even more additional functions, thus achieving multi-functionality. As a result, door design and manufacturing have become more complex, and therefore the devices or components used to achieve these new additional functions are located in other parts of the door.

[0020] In particular, the size of viewing windows and displays installed on doors is constantly increasing, making it difficult to ensure sufficient space on the door for attaching devices such as sensors, components, and modules used to implement cutting-edge functions. Because of this, these devices need to be attached to locations other than the door itself. Summary of the Invention

[0021] The problem to be solved

[0022] As described above, in the prior art, household appliances can use vibration sensors to detect impacts. However, it is difficult to distinguish vibrations caused by reasons other than impacts, and it is also difficult to filter vibrations caused by other reasons. Therefore, sound wave sensors are used to solve these problems. Furthermore, in situations such as ovens where the high temperature makes it difficult to attach sensors to the door, the sensors need to be placed in other locations. However, this presents problems such as increased attenuation of sound wave transmission, making accurate detection difficult, and difficulty in filtering noise signals. The object of the present invention is to provide a household appliance that solves these problems of the prior art.

[0023] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a household appliance in which the sensor can be installed in an unrestricted location and can accurately determine the vibration generated by a tap by using a triaxial vibration signal.

[0024] The purpose of this invention is to provide a home appliance that allows users to view the interior space through a viewing window even without opening the door.

[0025] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that can activate a lamp to illuminate the interior space when a user's tapping input is detected.

[0026] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that can accurately detect tapping input even when the tapping input is small.

[0027] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that can accurately detect whether an input is a tapping input by taking into account the directionality of the vibration corresponding to the tapping input.

[0028] The purpose of this invention is to provide a sensor for detecting tapping input whose position can be applied to a variety of locations, not limited to household appliances on doors.

[0029] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that can detect vibrations in three axial directions and clearly distinguish vibrations caused by knocking from vibrations caused by other factors by comparing the vibration signals corresponding to the vibrations in the three axial directions, thereby improving the detection performance of knocking inputs.

[0030] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that can accurately detect the vibration signal corresponding to the vibration generated by a tap by aligning one of the three axial directions with the direction of the vibration generated by the tap.

[0031] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that automatically corrects itself when one of the three axial directions is misaligned with the direction of vibration generated by a tap.

[0032] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance with a function of automatically correcting detection errors based on temperature to prevent the sensor used to detect vibrations generated by knocking from being affected by temperature.

[0033] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that improves the accuracy of vibration detection by incorporating a sensor assembly for detecting vibrations generated by knocking into a door handle installed on the door.

[0034] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that prevents the detection performance of tapping input from being reduced due to heat by placing the sensor used to detect tapping input in a position unaffected by heat.

[0035] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that uses a sensor assembly in the form of a module, which can minimize structural changes during installation and accurately analyze vibrations generated by impacts.

[0036] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that can control the on / off state of a light based on the user's tapping.

[0037] The purpose of this invention is to provide a household appliance that will not turn the light on or off even if a user tap is detected, in specific exceptional cases such as when the light is already turned on due to the light button being touched or when the tap function is turned off.

[0038] Another objective of this invention is to provide a household appliance that will not turn the light on or off even if a user tap is detected when the door is open or the self-cleaning function is in operation.

[0039] The subject matter of this invention is not limited to the subject matter mentioned above. Other subject matters not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0040] Technical solutions to the problem

[0041] The household appliance of this invention includes: a storage space for storing objects inside a housing that forms the exterior; and a door for opening and closing the front of the storage space, with a viewing window installed on a portion of the door so that a user can observe the internal storage space from the outside through the viewing window.

[0042] Depending on the location of the enclosure and the surrounding lighting of the appliances, the interior of the enclosure may not be visible even through the viewing window.

[0043] Therefore, in the household appliance of the present invention, by installing a lamp inside the housing space and illuminating the interior of the housing space, or by installing a lamp outside the housing space and illuminating the interior, the interior of the housing space can be illuminated, thereby enabling a clear observation of the interior of the housing space.

[0044] In the household appliance of this embodiment, the operation of such a lamp can be achieved through simple operation by the user.

[0045] That is, when a user knocks on the door, preferably on the viewing window, a sensor assembly installed inside detects the vibration generated by the knock, and the control unit controls the light to turn on / off based on the knock signal from the sensor assembly.

[0046] Therefore, when a user simply knocks on a door or window, the vibration generated by the knock is detected, and a light illuminates the storage space. Thus, the user can clearly see the interior of the storage space with just a simple action.

[0047] The sensor assembly can be installed on the door, or it can be installed in a location away from the door, and it can detect vibrations generated by knocking applied to a part of the door and transmitted through the same medium or different media. Therefore, in the household appliance of the present invention, the range of choices for the installation location of the sensor assembly can be expanded.

[0048] When the sensor assembly detects the vibration caused by the impact, the control unit can turn the light on / off.

[0049] In this configuration, when the light is off, the control unit can turn on the light when the sensor component detects a vibration caused by a tap, and turn off the light when the light is on and the sensor component detects a vibration caused by a tap. This allows the user to turn the light on / off simply by tapping it, providing convenience.

[0050] Furthermore, the control unit can automatically turn off the light after a set time has elapsed since it was turned on. Therefore, even if the user forgets to turn off the light, it will automatically shut off after the predetermined time, thus preventing unnecessary power consumption.

[0051] In the household appliance of this invention, the door can be located on the front of the cabinet, and the sensor assembly can be located on the back or bottom of the cabinet. For example, it can be located on the lower back.

[0052] In another embodiment, the sensor assembly can also be disposed on the handle portion formed on one side of the door. When the sensor assembly is disposed on the handle portion, the vibration detection performance is excellent and the detection accuracy is improved because it is located close to the door.

[0053] Furthermore, the door and the part housing the sensor assembly can be made of the same medium, or they can be made of different media. In the case of different media, the vibration generated by knocking on the door can be transmitted to the sensor assembly via multiple physically connected, different media.

[0054] In this invention, the installation location of the sensor assembly is very important. When the appliance is a household appliance such as an oven, since the oven cooks food at high temperatures, placing the sensor assembly in the door or window poses a risk that the vibration detection performance will be reduced due to the heat. Therefore, in this invention, it is preferable to place it away from the door.

[0055] At this point, the multiple components that make up the household appliance are made of solids, and these solid components can be physically connected to each other to act as a medium for transmitting vibrations, so that the sensor assembly can detect the vibrations applied to the door.

[0056] Therefore, the vibrations generated by knocking on the door can be transmitted to the sensor assembly through these multiple media. This prevents the performance of the sensor assembly from degrading due to high temperatures.

[0057] Such a sensor assembly can detect vibration detection signals corresponding to vibrations, and can determine whether the input is a knock based on these vibration detection signals. In this case, when vibration detection signals above a preset threshold are continuously detected at predetermined time intervals, it can be determined that a knock has been applied.

[0058] Typically, a tapping sound produces a "thump-thump" pattern at predetermined time intervals. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the vibration is caused by a tap based on the vibration detection signal corresponding to the "thump-thump" and the vibration detection signal corresponding to the predetermined time interval. Thus, it is easy to determine whether the vibration is caused by a tap.

[0059] The vibration generated by a tap can occur only along the first axis of the three axes. For example, it can occur only along one of the x, y, and z axes. Therefore, it can be determined whether the vibration is generated by a tap by considering the vibration detection signal along the first axis of the three axes.

[0060] The sensor assembly of the present invention can determine whether the vibration is caused by a knock by comparing a pattern of vibration detection signals corresponding to a plurality of detected vibrations with a preset pattern of vibration detection signals corresponding to vibrations caused by a knock.

[0061] The pattern of the vibration detection signal generated by the tap can be preset, and by determining whether it maps to the basic pattern, it can be determined whether a tap has occurred.

[0062] On the other hand, the sensor assembly of this embodiment can detect vibrations transmitted in all directions. For this purpose, the sensor assembly may include a vibration sensor having a plurality of axes. That is, such a vibration sensor can be used to detect vibrations transmitted along a plurality of axial directions.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, vibrations transmitted along the three axes are detected, and vibrations corresponding to the impact are detected by combining these vibration detection signals corresponding to the vibrations in the three axes.

[0064] Of course, increasing the number of vibration sensors to detect vibrations transmitted along three or more axes can improve the reliability of vibration detection caused by striking.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for example, it may include: a triaxial sensor module that detects vibrations transmitted along the three axes and generates vibration detection signals corresponding to the vibrations transmitted along the three axes; and a sensor microcomputer that determines whether the vibration is caused by a knock based on the vibration detection signals generated by the triaxial sensor module.

[0066] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a sensor assembly located elsewhere outside the door uses a vibration sensor with multiple axes to distinguish between vibrations caused by knocking on the door and vibrations caused by knocking or movement from other parts of the appliance. Most preferably, the vibration sensor uses a three-axis design. For more precise control, more than three axes may be used, but a three-axis design can distinguish vibrations in all directions. That is, even if the knocking input occurs in any part of the household appliance, vibrations in all three dimensions can be detected.

[0067] At this point, by setting one of the three axes to the direction of vibration generated by a knock and comparing the vibrations of the other two axes, it can be determined whether the knocking signal originated from the door. Furthermore, detecting vibrations in the three axes and combining them allows for the detection of vibrations in all three dimensions. Preferably, a three-axis sensor module can be used to detect vibrations in all three dimensions.

[0068] In another embodiment of the invention, not only triaxial sensors, but also biaxial or uniaxial sensors can be used individually or in combination to detect the vibration of the impact. Furthermore, by setting multiple triaxial / biaxial / uniaxial sensors at multiple locations and comparing the vibration detection signals detected by each sensor, the direction and location of the impact can also be detected.

[0069] In another example, the sensor assembly may optionally include: a filter section for removing noise from the vibration detection signal generated by the triaxial sensor module; and an amplification section for amplifying the vibration detection signal output from the filter section and outputting it to the sensor microcomputer.

[0070] In one embodiment, the triaxial sensor module includes three acceleration sensors, which may include: a first acceleration sensor for detecting vibration in a first axial direction of the three axes; a second acceleration sensor for detecting vibration in a second axial direction of the three axes; and a third acceleration sensor for detecting vibration in a third axial direction of the three axes.

[0071] At this point, the axis direction of one of the three accelerometers used for vibration detection is configured to align with the direction of the vibration generated by the impact. As described above, by aligning the vibration generated by the impact with the direction of one of the three axes, the accuracy of vibration detection can be improved.

[0072] In another embodiment, the triaxial sensor module may include a triaxial accelerometer that simultaneously detects vibrations in three directions. In this case, the direction of one of the three axes of the triaxial accelerometer is configured to align with the direction of the vibration generated by the impact. Therefore, as described above, the accuracy of vibration detection generated by the impact can be improved.

[0073] In the household appliance of the present invention, the sensor microcomputer determines whether the vibration is caused by a knock by comparing the pattern of the vibration detection signal generated in the triaxial sensor module with the pattern of the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration generated by the knock.

[0074] These triaxial sensor modules and sensor microcomputers are mounted on a single PCB, allowing the sensor assembly to be formed as a single module. Furthermore, when filter and amplification sections are also included, these are also mounted on the PCB, enabling the sensor assembly to be formed as a single module. As described above, because the sensor assembly can be formed as a PCB module, it is easy to install and attach to household appliances, and can also be easily installed into existing household appliances. Furthermore, the range of installation locations for the sensor assembly can be expanded.

[0075] The sensor microcomputer of this invention extracts a vibration detection signal in a first direction from the vibration detection signals in three axes, and uses the extracted vibration detection signal in the first direction to determine whether the vibration is caused by a knock. This is because the vibration caused by a knock occurs in any first direction.

[0076] Furthermore, if the vibration detection signal in the first direction exceeds a set first threshold and, after a set time, exceeds a set second threshold, the sensor microcomputer can determine that the vibration is caused by a tap. This is because when a tap is applied in a "thump-thump" manner, the vibration corresponding to the "thump-thump" generates a signal of a predetermined magnitude or greater, while the magnitudes of other signals are smaller. Therefore, when the vibration detection signal corresponding to the "thump-thump" exceeds the first and second thresholds respectively, it can be determined that the vibration is caused by a tap.

[0077] In particular, if the magnitude of the vibration detection signal generated by the first strike in the vibration detection signal in the first direction is above a set first threshold value, and the magnitude of the vibration detection signal generated by the second strike after a set time is above a set second threshold value, then the sensor microcomputer can determine that it is the vibration generated by the strike.

[0078] In addition, the sensor microcomputer extracts the vibration detection signal in one axis direction (first axis direction) that is consistent with the direction of the vibration generated by the knock from the vibration detection signals in the three axes, and determines whether it is the vibration generated by the knock by comparing the extracted vibration detection signal with the vibration detection signals in the other two axes (second and third axis directions).

[0079] Here, if the maximum value of the vibration detection signal in at least one of the second or third axial directions is greater than the maximum value of the vibration detection signal in the first axial direction, the sensor microcomputer can determine that the vibration is not caused by the knocking.

[0080] The lamp of the present invention can be disposed outside the containing space and illuminate the interior of the containing space, or it can be disposed inside the containing space and illuminate the interior of the containing space. In this case, since the temperature inside the containing space is very high, it is necessary to use a material with high high-temperature durability.

[0081] In this invention, by checking for certain exceptions corresponding to specific conditions, the light may not be turned on even if a user tap is detected. This is because, for reasons such as safety, energy saving, and user convenience, certain exceptions are pre-defined so that the light should not be turned on even if a tap is input.

[0082] Such exceptions include when the door is open, during self-cleaning, after self-cleaning has finished and the door lock has been set to lock at a predetermined time, when the light has been turned on due to the light button being touched, when the tap function is off, and when the light is flashing after preheating. In these exceptions, the light will not be turned on / off even if the user taps it.

[0083] In this invention, since a light on / off switch is provided, the light can be controlled to turn on / off via user input.

[0084] In this invention, a triaxial sensor module that detects vibrations in all three directions is used to distinguish vibrations caused by striking from vibrations caused by other reasons, instead of using existing sensors that do not take into account the directionality of vibrations or sound waves caused by striking, thereby ensuring the accuracy and reliability of vibration detection caused by striking.

[0085] Technical effect

[0086] The household appliances with transparent windows according to embodiments of the present invention have the following effects.

[0087] First, according to the household appliance of the present invention, even without opening the door of the storage space used to open and close the storage space containing the object, the interior of the storage space can be observed through the viewing window.

[0088] Secondly, according to the present invention, when a user taps the appliance, the interior of the storage space is illuminated by a light installed inside the storage space by detecting the user's tap, so that the user can observe the interior from the outside through a viewing window, thereby providing convenience of use.

[0089] Third, according to the household appliance of the present invention, since vibrations transmitted through the solid medium constituting the household appliance are detected, even small impacts can be accurately detected.

[0090] Fourth, the household appliance according to the present invention, since the directionality of vibration generated by the user's tapping input is taken into account, can distinguish the direction of vibration generated by tapping from the direction of vibration generated by other factors, thereby accurately detecting whether it is a tapping.

[0091] Fifth, according to the household appliance of the present invention, the sensor for detecting vibrations generated by a knocking input can be set in a variety of locations and is not limited to the door. Therefore, the installation location of the sensor is not restricted, and thus the range of installation location selection is wide.

[0092] Sixth, the household appliance according to the present invention, by independently detecting vibrations in multiple axial directions and comparing and analyzing the vibration signals corresponding to the vibrations in multiple axial directions, clearly distinguishes the vibrations generated by striking from vibrations generated by other factors, thereby achieving excellent detection performance for striking inputs.

[0093] Seventh, according to the household appliance of the present invention, by aligning one of the axial directions of a sensor that detects vibrations in a plurality of axial directions with the direction of vibration generated by a tap, the vibration signal corresponding to the vibration generated by the tap can be accurately detected.

[0094] Eighth, the household appliance according to the present invention has an automatic correction function when one axial direction of the sensor that detects vibrations in multiple axial directions is misaligned with the direction of the vibration generated by the tap, thus improving the accuracy of the tap detection.

[0095] Ninth, the household appliance according to the present invention can detect vibrations generated in three-dimensional axial directions, and can distinguish the direction of vibrations generated by striking from the vibrations in these three-dimensional axial directions from the direction of vibrations generated by other factors, thus improving the accuracy of striking detection.

[0096] Tenth, in the household appliance according to the present invention, since the detection error caused by temperature in the sensor used to detect vibrations generated by knocking is automatically corrected, the influence caused by temperature can be eliminated, thereby improving the accuracy of knocking detection.

[0097] Eleventh, according to the household appliance of the present invention, by providing a sensor assembly for detecting vibrations generated by knocking on a door handle, the accuracy of vibration detection can be improved.

[0098] Twelfth, in the household appliance according to the present invention, by placing the sensor for detecting tapping input in a position unaffected by heat, it is possible to prevent the tapping input detection performance of the sensor from being reduced by heat from ovens or the like.

[0099] Thirteenth, the household appliances according to the present invention can, for example, use a triaxial accelerometer to distinguish vibrations caused by striking from vibrations caused by other factors, thereby improving the detection performance for striking inputs.

[0100] Fourteenth, according to the household appliance of the present invention, the position of the sensor for detecting tapping input can be applied to a variety of locations and is not limited to doors.

[0101] Fifteenth, the household appliance according to the present invention implements a sensor for detecting vibrations generated by knocking in a modular form, thus simplifying installation and minimizing structural changes required for installation, and enabling accurate analysis of vibrations generated by knocking.

[0102] Sixteenth, the household appliance according to the present invention can control the light to turn on / off by tapping, thus making it convenient to use and able to make efficient use of electricity.

[0103] Seventeenth, according to the present invention, the user can activate the light in the internal storage space of the household appliance by simply tapping it, without pressing the on / off switch of the light arranged on the top surface.

[0104] Eighteenth, according to the household appliance of the present invention, as the size of the viewing window or display installed on the door is constantly increasing, the device such as the vibration detection sensor can be placed in a location other than the door, so that additional space for the device can be provided on the door.

[0105] Nineteenth, the household appliance according to the present invention can be configured to ignore tapping input even when tapping is input in certain exceptional circumstances, thus providing both safety and ease of use. In particular, even when the light has been turned on due to the light button being touched, when the tapping function is off, or when self-cleaning is in progress, the light can be turned off / off even if the user taps it.

[0106] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains can clearly understand them through the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0107] Figure 1 This is an example diagram showing the appearance of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0108] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0109] Figure 3 This is an example diagram of buttons displayed on the display section of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0110] Figure 4 This is an example diagram of a household appliance equipped with a sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0111] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0112] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0113] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the configuration of a three-axis sensor module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0114] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the configuration of a three-axis sensor module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] Figure 9 This is an example diagram illustrating the alignment between the direction of one axis of the triaxial sensor module according to an embodiment of the present invention and the direction of the vibration generated by the tap.

[0116] Figure 10 and Figure 11 This is an example diagram of the vibration detection signal detected by the triaxial sensor module of this invention.

[0117] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0118] Figure 13 This is an example diagram illustrating the vibration detection signal generated by a tap in a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0119] Figure 14 and Figure 15 This is an example diagram of the vibration detection signal generated by knocking in a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0120] Figure 16 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a household appliance according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0121] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a household appliance according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0122] Figure 18 This is a graph illustrating the experimental results of vibration detection signals for tapping input detection in a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0123] Figure 19 and Figure 20 This is a graph illustrating the experimental results of a vibration detection signal in a household appliance in which no knocking input was detected, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0124] Figures 21 to 24 This is a structural diagram of the sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0125] Figures 25 to 30 This is an example diagram of a household appliance equipped with a sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0126] The advantages, features, and methods for implementing the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and detailed embodiments described below. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various forms. These embodiments are provided only to disclose the invention more completely, thereby more fully indicating the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals denote the same structural elements.

[0127] Before describing the household appliances of the present invention, the household appliances of the present invention may be, for example, cooking equipment, refrigerators, dryers, washing machines, etc., any household appliance product that has an internal accommodating space and has a viewing window installed on the door for opening and closing the accommodating space, allowing the interior of the accommodating space to be observed from the outside.

[0128] Therefore, it should be clearly stated that any household appliance that allows access to the interior of the storage space by opening the door for opening and closing the storage space and that closes the door to prevent access to the interior of the storage space, and that allows observation of the interior of the storage space from the outside through a viewing window installed on the door, can be applied to this invention.

[0129] Furthermore, for ease of explanation, when describing the household appliances of the present invention below and requiring specific shapes or structures, cooking equipment will be used as an example. However, as stated above, the household appliances of the present invention are not limited to such cooking equipment.

[0130] The following is a detailed description of the household appliances according to embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0131] The appearance of the household appliance 1 in this embodiment of the invention can be formed by a housing 10. The housing 10 can be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. However, the invention is not limited to this and can have various shapes.

[0132] In addition, the enclosure 10 needs to have the required strength to protect the plurality of components housed inside it, and therefore can be made of a variety of materials that match it.

[0133] Additionally, although not shown, when the household appliance of the present invention is a cooking device, a stove or similar device for cooking food as an open cooking device may also be provided on the top surface 11 of the housing 10. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0134] An accommodating space 23 of a predetermined size can be formed inside the housing 10. Such an accommodating space 23 can be a space for storing objects.

[0135] As an example, when the household appliance 1 is a cooking device, the storage space 23 can be a cooking room, which can be used as a space for placing containers containing ingredients and cooking food.

[0136] As another example, when the household appliance 1 is a refrigerator, the storage space 23 can be a storage compartment such as a freezer or refrigerator compartment, which can be a space for storing and preserving food.

[0137] Of course, as another example, dishwashers and washing machines can also have storage space inside their clothing handling units, which can hold tableware, clothing, etc.

[0138] Such accommodating spaces 23 can be formed in one or more ways. An example with an upper accommodating space 23 and a lower accommodating space 32 is shown in the figure. Of course, multiple accommodating spaces 23, 32 can also be separated along the left and right sides.

[0139] On the other hand, the accommodating spaces 23 and 32 may be provided with an open side for opening and closing the accommodating spaces 23 and 32, preferably a door 40 on the front.

[0140] Door 40 may include: an upper door 20, which opens and closes the upper receiving space 23 by rotation; and a lower door 30, which extends and opens / closes the lower receiving space 32 in a drawer-like manner. Of course, both the upper door 20 and the lower door 30 may be configured as either a rotary type or a drawer type.

[0141] In this embodiment, the upper part 20 can be configured to rotate in a predetermined direction to open or close the internal space of the accommodating space 23. For example, if the upper part 20 rotates counterclockwise with the lower part of the upper part 20 as the center, the accommodating space 23 is opened; conversely, if the upper part 20 rotates clockwise with the lower part of the upper part 20 as the center, the accommodating space 23 is closed.

[0142] Although not illustrated, the household appliance 1 of this embodiment may have a plurality of structural elements for performing proprietary functions.

[0143] For example, in the case of an oven, various heating units can be provided for heating the cooking chamber, which serves as the storage space 23. As another example, in the case of a refrigerator, structural elements can be provided for generating a refrigerant circulation system to supply cold air to the refrigerator or freezer compartment, which serves as the storage space 23. Of course, in the case of household appliances such as dishwashers and dryers, multiple structural elements can be provided for performing their respective proprietary functions.

[0144] At least one of the plurality of doors 20, 30 may be equipped with a viewing window. The following description will take the case where a viewing window 21 is installed in the upper door 20 as an example.

[0145] As one example, such a see-through window 21 can be integrated with the door 20, or it can be installed separately in the center of the door 20. When integrated, a portion of the door 20 can be made into a see-through door.

[0146] The viewing window 21 can be made of a transparent material that allows observation of the interior from the outside. For example, it can be made of glass, transparent plastic, etc. Depending on the household appliance to which it is used, it needs to be resistant to high temperatures and high pressures, and may also require functions such as waterproofing and heat dissipation.

[0147] A display unit 50 may be provided on one side of the upper part 11 of the housing 10.

[0148] The display unit 50 can display the status information of the household appliance 1 and the execution status of its functions.

[0149] Such a display unit 50 is used to present information related to the home appliance 1 in a visual and auditory manner, and may include a flat panel display and a speaker. Specifically, the display unit 50 may be configured as a touch panel that receives touch input from a user.

[0150] The display unit 50 in this embodiment can display a user interface (UI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) related to the driving of the home appliance 1.

[0151] Specifically, the display unit 50 may include at least one of a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, and a 3D display.

[0152] When a touch screen is formed by stacking the display unit 50 and the touch sensor that detects touch actions, the display unit 50 can be used as an input device in addition to being an output device. The touch sensor can take the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, or a touchpad.

[0153] Furthermore, such a touch sensor can be configured to convert changes in pressure applied to a specific part of the display or changes in capacitance generated in a specific part of the display unit 50 into an electrical input signal.

[0154] A touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the location and area of ​​a touch, but also the pressure applied during the touch. When a touch is input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal can be sent to the touch controller (not shown).

[0155] like Figure 3 As shown in the example, a plurality of buttons can be displayed in such a display section 50. In this embodiment, buttons such as a tap button 51, a light button 52, and a self-cleaning button 53 can be displayed. The tap button 51 is used to set the function of automatically turning on / off the light 160 installed inside the housing space 23 by the user's tapping input. The light button 52 is used to set the function of manually turning on / off the light 160. When the household appliance 1 is an oven, the self-cleaning button 53 is used to set the self-cleaning function of the housing space 23, which serves as the cooking chamber.

[0156] If the user touches the tap button 51 displayed on the display unit 50 once, the tap-on function is turned on; if the user touches it again, the tap-on function is turned off.

[0157] The tapping function allows the user to turn the light 160 on / off by tapping it. That is, when the tapping function is enabled, the light 160 will automatically turn on / off when the user taps it. Conversely, when the tapping function is disabled, the light 160 will not turn on / off even if the user taps it.

[0158] Therefore, users can enable the tapping function when they want to use it, and disable it when they don't want to use it.

[0159] Additionally, the light button 52 is used to manually turn the light 160 on / off without the user tapping it. That is, if the user touches the light button 52 displayed on the display unit 50 once, the light 160 is turned on; if the user touches it again, the light 160 is turned off.

[0160] In this embodiment, when the light 160 is turned on by touching the light button 52, the light 160 will not be turned off even if the user taps it. That is, the tapping function does not work when the user manually touches the light button 52 to turn on the light 160.

[0161] This is because, during the process of the user manually turning on the light 160 and confirming its internal state, if the light 160 is turned off by a keystroke, the intended operation cannot be performed. However, when the light 160 is turned off by touching the light button 52, the keystroke function can be activated, and the light 160 can be turned on based on the user's keystroke. Of course, the light 160 can be turned off again when a keystroke is entered again.

[0162] In another embodiment, a self-cleaning button 53 may also be displayed on the display 50. Self-cleaning may include functions such as automatically disinfecting and cleaning the storage space 23. During such self-cleaning, the tapping function can be set to not operate. In this case, even if the user taps, the light 160 will not turn on / off.

[0163] As an example, the accompanying drawings show an example with three buttons, but the invention is not limited thereto. Buttons for other additional functions may also be displayed, and when said buttons are touched, their corresponding functions can be executed. Furthermore, the tapping function may also operate or not operate in accordance with its corresponding function.

[0164] A lever operation section 62 can be provided on the front of the housing 10. The lever operation section 62 is used to set various functions for the operation of the household appliance 1. For example, the operating temperature and operating time can be set. The lever operation section 61 can operate the upper stove section 60.

[0165] A control unit 150 for controlling the overall operation of the household appliance 1 can be provided. In this embodiment, such a control unit 150 can be provided inside the panel on which the display unit 50 is provided.

[0166] Of course, the location of the control unit 150 is not limited to this. Such a control unit 150 may include a microprocessor mounted on the main printed circuit board (PCB), preferably, it may be mounted on the main PCB in the form of an IC chip.

[0167] The control unit 150 can receive a setting value set by the lever operation unit 62 and control the function corresponding to that setting value. For example, it can control the internally installed heating unit (not shown) according to the set temperature so that the internal temperature of the accommodating space 23 reaches the set temperature. In addition, the control unit 150 can display the set temperature and the current internal temperature.

[0168] On the other hand, as shown in the figure, a sensor assembly 110 can be installed inside the lower rear portion of the housing 10. However, in this invention, the installation position of the sensor assembly 110 is not limited to this. For example, it can be installed near the doors 20 and 30, or it can be installed at the lower front portion, upper front / rear portion, or operation panel assembly 50 of the housing 10.

[0169] It should be noted that, in the case of some household appliances, specific temperatures and pressures may affect the vibration detection performance of the sensor assembly 110. Therefore, it is preferable to consider the above-mentioned situation and set it in a position where the vibration detection performance will not be affected by temperature and pressure.

[0170] For example, when the appliance 1 is an oven, the upper part 20 may receive considerable heat from the high temperature inside the cooking chamber. Therefore, it is preferable to place the sensor assembly 110 in a location where the effects of heat and pressure are less significant, rather than placing it directly on the door 20.

[0171] However, preferably, the sensor assembly 110 is located on the inner side of the rear or side surfaces of the housing 10, so as to minimize structural changes to the existing household appliance 1 and to simply install the sensor assembly 110.

[0172] The cover formed on the back or side of the housing 10 can be temporarily removed and reinstalled after the sensor assembly 110 is installed.

[0173] Figure 4 An example is shown where the sensor assembly 110 is disposed on the lower rear part of the household appliance 1. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The sensor assembly 110 can be disposed at virtually any location on the household appliance 1.

[0174] As described above, in this embodiment, the sensor assembly 110 can be manufactured as an integrated module, allowing it to be installed in various locations. As described above, when the sensor assembly 110 is manufactured as an integrated module, it can be easily installed in the household appliance 1, and the range of installation locations can be expanded.

[0175] Sensor assembly 110 can detect the impact input applied to household appliance 1. Specifically, sensor assembly 110 acts as a sensor for detecting vibrations propagated by a medium; when the vibration generated by the impact is transmitted through the medium, sensor assembly 110 detects the vibration.

[0176] Such a sensor assembly 110 can detect vibrations not only caused by tapping, but also vibrations caused by other factors. However, the sensor assembly 110 of this embodiment can be made to specifically distinguish and detect vibrations caused by user-input tapping.

[0177] That is, the sensor assembly 110 can accurately distinguish between vibrations caused by user-input taps and vibrations caused by other factors. By detecting whether the detected vibrations follow a specific pattern, vibrations caused by user taps can be detected.

[0178] As an example, sensor assembly 110 may include a triaxial sensor module 111 and a sensor microcomputer 114. In another example, sensor assembly 110 may also include a filter section 112 and an amplifier section 113.

[0179] like Figure 7 As shown, a triaxial sensor module 111 of one embodiment of the present invention may include a triaxial accelerometer that simultaneously detects vibrations transmitted in three mutually orthogonal triaxial directions.

[0180] A triaxial accelerometer can be used to detect the three-axis components of acceleration (represented by x, y, and z axes for ease of explanation). In this embodiment, the triaxial accelerometer can detect minute changes in the movement (acceleration) of the medium caused by vibration in three mutually orthogonal axes.

[0181] like Figure 8 As shown, the triaxial sensor module 111 of another embodiment of the present invention may include three independent accelerometers. Specifically, these three accelerometers may include: a first accelerometer 111a for detecting vibration in the first axis direction of the three orthogonal axes; a second accelerometer 111b for detecting vibration in the second axis direction of the three orthogonal axes; and a third accelerometer 111c for detecting vibration in the third axis direction of the three orthogonal axes.

[0182] In household appliance 1, multiple solid components of different sizes are physically connected to each other, so that the vibration generated by striking can be transmitted to other parts of household appliance 1 through these solid components.

[0183] That is, in this embodiment, vibrations in the household appliance 1 can be transmitted via different media. Specifically, the sensor assembly 110 can be located at the door 20, or at a location other than the door 20. When the sensor assembly 110 is located away from the door 20, vibrations generated at the door 20 can also be transmitted to the sensor assembly 110 via a plurality of interconnected solid media. Therefore, the sensor assembly 110 can generate a specific signal (hereinafter referred to as a vibration detection signal) corresponding to vibrations transmitted via different media.

[0184] On the other hand, Figure 7 and Figure 8 The diagram illustrates a triaxial accelerometer and three accelerometers according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment of the present invention, the number of accelerometers can be adjusted. Increasing the number of accelerometers can improve the accuracy of vibration detection.

[0185] However, in a preferred embodiment, vibrations in all three dimensions can be detected by using a triaxial accelerometer or a combination of three accelerometers capable of detecting vibrations in three axial directions.

[0186] In another embodiment of the invention, a uniaxial accelerometer that detects vibrations in a single-axis direction or a biaxial accelerometer that detects vibrations in two-axis directions can also be used. In this case, it is important that the direction of the vibration generated by the knocking on the door is aligned with the axial direction of the accelerometer.

[0187] As needed, the sensor assembly 110 may include one or more selected from the filter section 112 and the amplification section 113.

[0188] In the vibration detection signal of the sensor assembly 110, in addition to the vibration detection signal generated by the impact input, there may also be unwanted noise, which the filter unit 112 can remove.

[0189] The signal output after noise removal by the filter section 112 can be amplified by the amplification section 113. Furthermore, the amplified signal can be input to the sensor microcomputer 114.

[0190] The sensor microcomputer 114 can be configured separately from the control unit 150, and can determine whether the vibration is caused by a user-input tap based on the signal output from the amplification unit 113. If it is determined that the vibration is caused by a user-input tap, it can notify the control unit 150.

[0191] The triaxial sensor module 111 and the sensor microcomputer 114 can be mounted on a PCB substrate and together with the PCB substrate, form an integrated module-type sensor assembly 110. Alternatively, in another embodiment, when the sensor assembly 110 includes a filter section 112 and an amplifier section 113, the triaxial sensor module 111, filter section 112, amplifier section 113, and sensor microcomputer 114 can also be mounted on a PCT substrate and together with the PCB substrate, form an integrated module-type sensor assembly 110.

[0192] As described above, since the sensor assembly 110 is formed as an integrated module, it can be easily installed, attached, or removed from any part of the household appliance 1 in this embodiment. The installation and attachment positions of the sensor assembly 110 can be determined differently.

[0193] In detail, the sensor assembly 110 can be configured not only on the door 20, but also at a location away from the door 20. Furthermore, it can be located on the handle portion 25 formed on one side of the door 20, or on the rear or bottom portion of the housing 10. For example, it can be located on the lower rear portion of the household appliance 1. Of course, the invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0194] With the sensor assembly 110 disposed on the handle portion 25 of the door 20, the vibration generated by the knock can be detected more accurately when the door 20 is struck. In this case, it is preferable to arrange heat-insulating material (not shown) around the sensor assembly 110 to minimize the effects caused by heat.

[0195] As described above, in this embodiment, the door 20 and the portion where the sensor assembly 110 is located can be different media from each other. Therefore, the vibration generated by a knock applied to the door 20 can be transmitted to the sensor assembly 110 via a plurality of physically connected media.

[0196] The medium can be one of a plurality of solid components that constitute household appliance 1 and are physically connected to each other.

[0197] If the control unit 150 receives a signal (hereinafter referred to as a knock-on signal) corresponding to the vibration generated by the knock from the sensor assembly 110, specifically from the sensor microcomputer 114, the light 160 can be turned on / off.

[0198] Turning on lamp 160 means supplying power to lamp 160 so that lamp 160 illuminates the interior of the receiving space 23; turning off lamp 160 means not supplying power to lamp 160 so that lamp 160 does not operate.

[0199] Lamp 160 can be a lighting device capable of illuminating the interior of the accommodating space 23. For example, it may include an LED module. Lamp 160 can be turned on / off according to the control signal from control unit 150.

[0200] In this embodiment, the lamp 160 may have a structure that is disposed on the outside of the receiving space 23 and provides illumination toward the inside of the receiving space 23, or disposed on the inside of the receiving space 23.

[0201] In addition, such a lamp 160 can use a variety of light-emitting devices. As long as the light-emitting device is conventional and known, it can be constructed and used in various forms without restriction.

[0202] The operation of the household appliance 1 of the present invention, configured as described above, will be explained.

[0203] When a user taps any part of the household appliance 1 of the present invention, the tapped part becomes a vibration generating part, thereby generating vibrations caused by the tapping.

[0204] The vibrations generated as described above can be transmitted to the entire area of ​​the household appliance 1 via a plurality of media composed of solid components constituting the household appliance 1. Therefore, such vibrations can also be transmitted to the sensor assembly 110 disposed on any part of the household appliance 1.

[0205] The sensor assembly 110 generates a vibration detection signal corresponding to the received vibration, and can determine, based on the generated vibration detection signal, whether the received vibration is a vibration input by the user's tapping or a vibration caused by other reasons.

[0206] If the sensor assembly 110 determines that the received vibration is a vibration input by a user's tap, it can transmit the tap signal to the control unit 150. If the control unit 150 receives the tap signal, it can turn on the light 160.

[0207] If the sensor assembly 110 determines that the received vibration is not a vibration input by the user's tap, it will not transmit the tap signal to the control unit 150. Therefore, since no tap signal is received, the control unit 150 does not turn on the light 160.

[0208] As described above, in the household appliance 1 of the present invention, when a user's tap is detected while the light 160 is off, the light 160 can be turned on.

[0209] On the other hand, when the user's tapping input is detected by the sensor assembly 110 in the same way while the lamp 160 is on, the control unit 150 can turn off the lamp 160.

[0210] In an embodiment of the invention, when a vibration caused by a user tapping is detected, the light 160 is turned on and the interior of the receiving space 23 is illuminated, so that the user can observe the interior from the outside through the viewing window 21 installed on the door 20.

[0211] In addition, when the user taps the light 160 again while it is on, the system detects the vibration generated by the tap and automatically turns off the light 160, providing convenience for the user.

[0212] Thus, the user can turn the light 160 on / off simply by tapping it, thereby allowing them to check the interior of the storage space 23 of the household appliance 1 without opening the door 20.

[0213] The triaxial sensor module 111 will be described in further detail below.

[0214] The triaxial sensor module 111 of this embodiment can be formed as a plate shape with a predetermined thickness, but the present invention is not limited thereto and can be formed as a hexahedron or other shapes.

[0215] like Figure 7 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the triaxial sensor module 111 can be implemented by a triaxial accelerometer 111' that simultaneously detects vibrations in three axial directions. That is, a triaxial accelerometer 111' simultaneously detects vibrations transmitted from three axial directions.

[0216] like Figure 8 As shown, in another embodiment of the present invention, the triaxial sensor module 111 includes three independent accelerometers. These three accelerometers may include: a first accelerometer 111a, which detects vibration in the first axis direction of the three axes; a second accelerometer 111b, which detects vibration in the second axis direction of the three axes; and a third accelerometer 111c, which detects vibration in the third axis direction of the three axes. In the figure, for example, the first, second, and third axes are represented by the x, y, and z axes.

[0217] These acceleration sensors 111′, 111a, 111b, and 111c are representative examples of capacitive acceleration sensors, piezoelectric acceleration sensors, and piezoresistive acceleration sensors, etc., and the present invention is not limited to any one of them.

[0218] The triaxial sensor module 111 can detect vibrations along three axes, namely the x, y, and z axes, which are orthogonal to each other. Vibration detection in the x, y, and z axes can be performed independently and simultaneously.

[0219] Furthermore, these accelerometers 111′, 111a, 111b, and 111c can be mounted on the PCB substrate 170, and other structural elements, namely the filter section 112, the amplification section 113, and the sensor microcomputer 114, can also be mounted on the PCB substrate 170. Thus, the PCB substrate 170, which mounts a plurality of the aforementioned structural elements, can be realized as an integrated module.

[0220] The types of vibrations that can be applied to the household appliance 1 can be varied. For example, it could be vibrations generated by the motor, heating unit, or refrigeration cycle installed inside. Or, it could be vibrations caused by people accidentally bumping or knocking on the household appliance 1 around it. Even footsteps passing by the household appliance 1 could cause vibrations.

[0221] As described above, considering the variety of vibration scenarios, in this invention, it is necessary to distinguish between vibrations caused by user-input taps and vibrations caused by other factors in order to achieve the purpose of confirming the interior through the perspective window 21.

[0222] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the resolution between vibrations generated by impact and vibrations generated by other factors. That is, it is necessary to improve the resolution between the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration generated by impact and the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration generated by other factors.

[0223] Therefore, as described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, when the triaxial sensor module 111 is composed of three independent first, second, and third accelerometers 111a, 111b, and 111c, it is important that the axial direction of one of these three accelerometers for detecting vibration is configured to be consistent with the direction of the vibration generated by the impact.

[0224] In another embodiment of the invention, when the triaxial sensor module 111 is composed of a triaxial accelerometer 111', it is important that the direction of any one of the three axes of the triaxial accelerometer 111' is configured to be consistent with the direction of the vibration generated by the impact.

[0225] As an example, in Figure 9 The example shown aligns the x-axis direction (among the x, y, and z axes) with the direction of the vibration produced by the impact. As described above, by aligning one of the three axes with the direction of the vibration, the vibration produced by the impact can be detected more clearly and accurately, thereby distinguishing it from vibrations traveling in the other y and z axis directions.

[0226] As described above, in this invention, the alignment between the axial direction used to detect vibration and the direction of vibration is very important. The direction of vibration generated by the impact can be determined by the direction from which the housing 10 is struck.

[0227] For example, when the front of the housing 10 is struck (e.g., a door), the resulting vibration is generated only along one axis. Therefore, vibrations transmitted along other axes are not generated on the front.

[0228] Assuming the direction of vibration produced by a tap applied to the front is the x-axis, the direction of vibration produced by a tap applied to the side (but not the front) is the y-axis, and the direction of vibration produced by a tap applied to the top is the z-axis.

[0229] Since the vibrations detected in the y-axis or z-axis directions are not vibrations caused by an impact applied to the front face, the signal in the x-axis direction is given priority for judgment. Therefore, the vibration detection signal in one axis direction (x-axis direction) that is consistent with the direction of the impact vibration is extracted from the vibration detection signals in the three axes, and the extracted vibration detection signal is used to determine whether it is a vibration caused by an impact.

[0230] Furthermore, the triaxial sensor module 111 of this embodiment is completely different from existing sensors for detecting sound waves. Existing sound wave detection sensors do not consider the directionality of sound waves, and therefore cannot determine which part of the body was struck. In addition, since they cannot distinguish between vibrations generated at other parts and vibrations generated by the strike, erroneous operation may occur.

[0231] The directionality of the vibration in this embodiment will be explained.

[0232] In the case of vibrations generated by user-input tapping, the directionality of the vibration can be determined based on the location of the tapped part. That is, the vibration generated by tapping can occur in only one direction. For example, when the door 20 on the front of the household appliance 1 is tapped, the vibration can be generated only in the front-back direction. That is, the vibration is generated only in one of the x, y, and z axes.

[0233] In this embodiment, it is assumed that when the front of the household appliance 1 is struck, vibration is generated in the first axial direction (x-axis direction), and this will be described accordingly. Of course, the direction of vibration can be changed depending on how the triaxial sensor module 111 is configured.

[0234] As an example, when a user wants to check the interior through the viewing window 21 and knocks on the door 20 or the viewing window 21, the knocking will only cause vibration in the x-axis direction, and the triaxial sensor module 111 can detect the vibration in the x-axis direction.

[0235] In such an embodiment, when the door 20 or the viewing window 21 is struck, vibration is generated in the x-axis direction due to the strike, but vibrations caused by other factors may also be generated at the same time.

[0236] At this time, the sensor microcomputer 114 knows in advance that the vibration generated by the knock is in the x-axis direction. When the triaxial sensor module 111 receives the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration in the x-axis direction, it confirms the pattern of the vibration detection signal to determine whether it is a knock.

[0237] When the sensor microcomputer 114 receives a vibration detection signal corresponding to a vibration in the y-axis or z-axis direction instead of the x-axis direction, it determines that the vibration is not caused by a knock, even if the pattern of the vibration detection signal is the same as the pattern of the vibration detection signal generated by a knock. The reason is that, as mentioned above, the sensor microcomputer 114 already knows in advance that the vibration generated by a knock is in the x-axis direction.

[0238] Figure 10 An example diagram shows vibration detection signals in three axes detected by a triaxial sensor module. Figure 11 This is an example diagram that simplifies the vibration detection signal in the three-axis directions and only shows the signal intensity.

[0239] On the other hand, in the household appliance 1 of the present invention, the direction of the first axis of the three axes of the triaxial sensor module 111 is configured to be aligned with the direction of the vibration generated by the tap, but can be automatically corrected if the alignment is misaligned for some reason.

[0240] That is, one of the axes of the triaxial sensor module 111 can be configured to align with the direction of gravity. Since the one axis is configured along the direction of gravity, gravitational acceleration can be measured in the corresponding axial direction. When the gravitational acceleration measured by the triaxial sensor module 111 changes, the sensor microcomputer 114 can determine that the alignment of the axis configured to align with the direction of gravity has been misaligned.

[0241] Therefore, the sensor microcomputer 114 calculates the degree of misalignment of the axis configured to align with the direction of gravity by calculating the gravitational accelerations in each of the three axes measured by the triaxial sensor module 111. Furthermore, the degree of misalignment can be corrected based on the calculated value.

[0242] Furthermore, in the household appliance 1 of the present invention, since the triaxial sensor module 111 may be affected by the ambient temperature, the magnitude of the vibration detection signal can also be corrected according to the ambient temperature. In this embodiment, the magnitude correction value of the vibration detection signal corresponding to the ambient temperature has been preset, and the magnitude of the vibration detection signal corresponding to the ambient temperature can be corrected according to such a preset value. For this purpose, the household appliance 1 of the present invention may include a temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring the ambient temperature of the sensor assembly 110.

[0243] The structure and operation of the household appliances according to embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0244] In the household appliance 1 of this embodiment, a storage space 23 for accommodating objects can be formed inside the housing 10 that forms the exterior.

[0245] One side of the receiving space 23, i.e., the front side, is open. A door 20 is provided on such a front side, so that the receiving space 23 can be opened and closed.

[0246] A viewing window 21 may be installed on at least a portion of the door 20. The user can observe the interior of the accommodating space 23 from the outside through the viewing window 21 without opening the door 20.

[0247] Depending on the situation, when the door 20 is closed, the interior of the receiving space 23 is too dark to be accurately seen, so a light 160 can be installed inside the receiving space 23. In this case, such a light 160 can also be configured to be located outside the receiving space 23 and illuminate the interior.

[0248] Because the internal temperature of the containment space 23 is very high, the lamp 160 can be made of a material with high temperature durability.

[0249] The lamp 160 can be turned on / off by the lighting drive unit 130, which can be operated by the control unit 150.

[0250] When the sensor assembly 110 receives a notification that the user has entered a tap, the control unit 150 can activate the lighting drive unit 130 to turn on the lamp 160.

[0251] The sensor assembly 110 can detect vibrations caused by impacts applied to the household appliance 1. Furthermore, the sensor assembly 110 can also detect vibrations in the household appliance 1 caused by various other factors.

[0252] Therefore, the sensor assembly 110 can distinguish and determine the vibration generated by the knock among various vibrations, and when the vibration generated by the knock is determined, it notifies the control unit 150 of this situation.

[0253] At this time, the sensor assembly 110 determines whether it is a knocking input based on the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration, and when a vibration detection signal above a preset threshold is continuously detected at a predetermined time interval, it can be determined that a vibration caused by a knock has occurred. That is, it can be determined that a knock has been applied.

[0254] Therefore, for example, when a "thump-thump" is applied at predetermined time intervals, the magnitude of the vibration corresponding to such a "thump-thump" is above a critical value, while the vibration corresponding to the predetermined time interval is below the critical value.

[0255] Therefore, the sensor assembly 110 can determine whether the vibration is caused by a knock by confirming the pattern of the vibration detection signal as described above.

[0256] In addition, when the light 160 is on, the control unit 150 can turn off the light 160 when the user inputs a key again.

[0257] Furthermore, if the user does not input any keystrokes within a set time while the light 160 is on, the control unit 150 can also turn off the light 160.

[0258] The household appliance 1 of the present invention may further include a door lock switch 120, a door switch 130, and a timer 140. These components 120, 130, and 140 can transmit status information to the control unit 150 and operate according to the control signals of the control unit 150.

[0259] The door lock switch 120 can perform the locking or unlocking function of the door 20 of the household appliance 1. When using the household appliance 1, it may be necessary to lock / unlock the door 20 to prevent safety accidents.

[0260] For example, if the household appliance 1 is an oven, the door 20 can be locked when cooking food in the oven to prevent it from being opened. The conditions for keeping the door 20 locked can be set in various ways.

[0261] For example, situations where high temperatures are generated, similar to the self-cleaning function in a cooking chamber. Another example is that the washing machine must be locked while performing a wash cycle.

[0262] In the household appliance 10 of the present invention, as described above, even if a knock is detected while the door 20 is locked, the light 160 will not be turned on and will remain off. Here, the situation in which the light 160 is off and will not be turned on even if a knock is detected is referred to as an "exceptional case".

[0263] In this embodiment, exceptions may include, for example, when the household appliance 1 is an oven, the self-cleaning function used to clean the interior of the cooking chamber.

[0264] In addition, the exceptions include, for example, the door being open, the self-cleaning function being activated, the door being locked after a predetermined time following self-cleaning, the light being turned on due to the light button being touched, the knocking function being turned off, and the light flashing after preheating.

[0265] You can also set exceptions. In these exceptions, the light will not be turned on even if the user taps it. These are pre-set exceptions for reasons such as safety or energy saving, where the light should not be turned on.

[0266] The control unit 150 can confirm whether the door 20 is locked via the door lock switch 120, and can also confirm whether there is an exception. In such an exception, the light 160 will not be turned on.

[0267] In this embodiment, the door lock switch 120 can transmit information to the control unit 160 about whether the door 20 is in a locked or unlocked state. Conversely, the door 20 can be locked or unlocked according to the control signal transmitted from the control unit 160.

[0268] Door switch 130 can open and close door 20. If door switch 130 is turned on, it means that door 20 is open; if door switch 130 is turned off, it means that door 20 is closed.

[0269] In this embodiment, the door switch 130 can transmit information to the control unit 160 about whether the door 20 is in an open or closed state.

[0270] Reference Figure 12 The operation of the household appliance 1 in this embodiment will be explained in detail.

[0271] Users can tap the viewing window 21 to observe the interior of the storage space 23 of the household appliance 1 from the outside through the viewing window 21 installed on the door 20.

[0272] There is no specific setting for the tapping pattern, but it can be set to the usual "thump-thump". Of course, in other embodiments, it can also be set to other patterns.

[0273] In addition, in the following embodiment, "dong dong" is defined as a knock. The first "dong" is the knock produced by the first knock and is called "first knock (1st knock)". The second "dong" is the knock produced by the second knock and is called "second knock (2nd knock)".

[0274] In this embodiment, the knocking action is described as striking the viewing window 21 installed on the door 20, but the invention is not limited to this, and the striking position can be set differently. [S110: Knocking Input Step]

[0275] As described in the above embodiment, when the viewing window 21 is tapped, vibration can be generated at the tapping location. At this time, the vibration generated at a location on the viewing window 21 has a predetermined directionality; that is, a back-and-forth vibration is generated at that location.

[0276] In this embodiment, vibration in the front-to-back direction is referred to as the x-axis direction of the triaxial sensor module 111. Therefore, when the viewing window 21 is tapped, vibration in the x-axis direction can be generated.

[0277] Here, if such knocking is performed in a "thump-thump" pattern at predetermined time intervals, the 1st knock and the 2nd knock can produce two large vibrations. Furthermore, after the two large vibrations, smaller residual vibrations can be generated as aftershocks of these large vibrations.

[0278] [S120: Vibration Generation Steps]

[0279] The vibrations generated as described above can be transmitted and propagated throughout the entire area of ​​the household appliance 1 via a plurality of solid components constituting the household appliance 1.

[0280] Specifically, as described above, the household appliance 1 is physically formed by combining a plurality of solid components of varying sizes, so that when a vibration occurs at any point, it can be transmitted to the entire household appliance 1 through these plurality of solid components.

[0281] Of course, depending on the connection status of the multiple solid components and the transmission distance, the intensity of the vibration may decrease to some extent. However, since the solid components are physically connected to each other, even minute vibrations can be transmitted. [S130: Vibration Transmission Steps]

[0282] Vibrations transmitted via solid components can also be transmitted to a sensor assembly 110 located at a predetermined distance from the door 20 in the household appliance 1. The sensor assembly 110 can detect the transmitted vibrations.

[0283] As described above, since the vibration generated by the tap applied to the viewing window 21 is generated along the x-axis direction, the sensor assembly 110 can detect the vibration in the x-axis direction.

[0284] Specifically, the sensor assembly 110 may include a triaxial sensor module 111. The triaxial sensor module 111 can detect vibrations in three axes, namely the x, y, and z axes.

[0285] Therefore, when a vibration in the x-axis direction caused by the tap is transmitted to the viewing window 21, the triaxial sensor module 111 detects the vibration in the x-axis direction. For this purpose, in this embodiment, the x-axis direction of the triaxial sensor module 111 is configured to be aligned with the direction of the vibration generated by the tap.

[0286] At this time, not only the vibration caused by the knocking will be generated, but also vibrations in the x, y, and z axes caused by any reason may also be generated. Therefore, the triaxial sensor module 111 can detect all these vibrations.

[0287] The triaxial sensor module 111 can generate a vibration detection signal corresponding to the detected vibration. In another embodiment, the generated vibration detection signal can be input to the sensor microcomputer 114 via the filter unit 112 and the amplification unit 113.

[0288] The sensor microcomputer 114 can determine whether a user's tap has been input, i.e., whether the vibration generated by the user's tap has been produced, by analyzing the vibration detection signals in the x, y, and z axes. If it is determined that a user's tap has been input, it can notify the control unit 150 that the tap has been input.

[0289] [S140: Vibration Testing Procedure]

[0290] When a user taps the light, the control unit 150, which controls the overall operation of the household appliance 1, receives the tapping input from the sensor assembly 110. The light 160 can be turned on when a vibration from the tap is detected while it is off. The light 160 can be turned off when a vibration from the tap is detected while it is on.

[0291] In detail, when the user taps the viewing window 21 while the light 160 is off, causing the sensor assembly 110 to determine that the user has tapped, the control unit 150 can turn on the light 160.

[0292] Additionally, when a user taps the viewing window 21 while the light 160 is on, causing the sensor assembly 110 to detect the tap, the control unit 150 can activate the lighting drive unit 130 to turn off the light 160. [S150: Light operation step]

[0293] On the other hand, in another embodiment, the control unit 150 can determine whether a predetermined time has elapsed while the lamp 160 is on. A timer 140 can be used to confirm whether the time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the lamp 160 can be automatically turned off.

[0294] Therefore, after a user taps the viewing window 21 to turn on the light 160 in order to check the interior of the storage space 23, even if the user forgets to turn off the light 160, unnecessary power consumption can be prevented by having the light 160 automatically turn off after a predetermined time.

[0295] Through this process, in the home appliance 1, the user can observe the interior of the storage space 23 from the outside through the viewing window 21 installed on the door 20 with just a simple tapping action.

[0296] Reference Figures 13 to 15 The vibration detection step S140 is described in detail.

[0297] The sensor microcomputer 114 can determine whether a user's tap has been input, i.e., whether the vibration generated by the user's tap, has been produced, by analyzing the vibration detection signals in the x, y, and z axes. If it is determined that a tap has been input, a tap signal can be output to the control unit 150 to notify the user that a tap has been input.

[0298] Assuming the vibration generated by the tap is in the x-axis direction, even if vibration detection signals in the x, y, and z axes are input simultaneously, the sensor microcomputer 114 can extract and analyze the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction. That is, since the vibration generated by the tap input to the viewing window 21 is in the x-axis direction, only the vibration in the x-axis direction is considered.

[0299] Since the sensor microcomputer 114 knows in advance that only the vibration in the x-axis direction is the vibration of the tapping input to the perspective window 21, it analyzes the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction and compares the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction with the vibration detection signals in the y-axis and z-axis directions at a certain time point.

[0300] The reason is that, although the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction corresponds to the vibration generated by the impact, vibration in the x-axis direction can actually be detected through vibrations in the y-axis and z-axis directions. This will be explained in detail below.

[0301] As shown in the figure, it is determined whether the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction has an intensity above the first critical value Zth1. The intensity of the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction corresponds to the intensity of the impact. That is, when a force is applied, the intensity of the vibration detection signal can increase.

[0302] Furthermore, since the vibration detection signal corresponds to the vibration generated by the impact, residual vibrations may be generated as aftershocks of the impact. Therefore, the vibration detection signal may also include a signal corresponding to the residual vibrations.

[0303] Here, the time when the vibration 201 generated by the first knock and the corresponding residual vibration 202 occur is called the first knock holding time and is denoted by T1.

[0304] If a vibration detection signal of magnitude Zth1 or greater is present, a set time is waited for. That is, in the case of a "thump-thump" knock, there will be a time interval between the 1st knock and the 2nd knock. This time interval is called the set time and denoted by T2. T2 can be the time to wait for the 2nd knock after the 1st knock input.

[0305] In T2, a vibration detection signal smaller than Zth1 may be generated. That is, after the 1st knock vibration 201 is generated in T1, no vibration will be generated until the 2nd knock vibration 204 is generated, or even if it is generated, it may be a tiny vibration 203 smaller than Zth1.

[0306] Vibration 203 in T2 can be a minor vibration generated by other factors after the vibration 201 generated by the 1st knock in T1 and its residual vibration 202 have disappeared.

[0307] After T2, it can be determined whether there is a vibration detection signal above the preset second threshold Zth2. After T2, vibration detection signals above Zth2 are generated by the 2nd knock.

[0308] Here, the time when the vibration 204 generated by the 2nd knock and the corresponding residual vibration 205 appear is called the 2nd knock holding time and is denoted by T3.

[0309] The vibration 204 and its residual vibration 205 generated by the second knock also have similar patterns to the vibration 201 and its residual vibration 202 generated by the first knock. Of course, the signal magnitude can be different depending on the intensity of the first knock and the second knock.

[0310] If a vibration detection signal based on the 2nd knock with a magnitude greater than Zth2 exists, then wait for a predetermined time. This can be the time T3 during which the residual vibration 205 decreases.

[0311] However, in the case of a "thump-thump" knock, the waiting time after the predetermined time following the second knock is denoted by T4. The waiting time T4 can be the time required to compare the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction with the vibration detection signals in the y and z-axis directions after the second knock.

[0312] That is, as described above, in this embodiment, for example, the x-axis direction is the direction of the vibration generated by the knocking, so the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction is analyzed and compared with the vibration detection signals in the y-axis and z-axis directions at T4.

[0313] In this invention, such a comparison process is very important. Specifically, although the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction is the signal corresponding to the vibration generated by the impact, it may also be a signal generated by the aftershocks of vibrations generated in the y-axis and / or z-axis directions.

[0314] For example, when a user impacts the side or top of the enclosure or stomps their foot, strong vibrations are generated in the y-axis or z-axis direction, and vibrations may also occur in the x-axis direction.

[0315] In this case, even if a vibration detection signal is detected in the x-axis direction, it is not actually a vibration detection signal generated by the knocking. Therefore, in the above example, it needs to be excluded from the knocking signal.

[0316] Therefore, in this embodiment, by comparing the signal detection signals in the x-axis direction with those in the y-axis and z-axis directions, if the maximum value of the vibration detection signal in one of the y-axis or z-axis directions is greater than the maximum value of the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction, it is determined that the vibration is not caused by a knock. This is to exclude the situation where a strong knock is input in the y- or z-axis directions, but vibration is detected in the x-axis direction.

[0317] In another embodiment, T4, which is the time for comparing the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction with the vibration detection signals in the y and z-axis directions, can also be between T2 and T3.

[0318] After T4, there is a period of time during which the vibration caused by the second knock disappears. Let this period be denoted as T5. This is the interval in which vibration is confirmed to no longer occur in the x-axis direction. Therefore, if time T5 has elapsed, it can be confirmed that vibration has ceased.

[0319] In T5, although the vibration generated by the knock disappears, vibrations from other factors may still occur. Therefore, in T5, by comparing the third critical value Zth3 with the magnitude of the vibration detection signal, it can be determined that the vibration generated by the second knock is disappearing when the magnitude of the vibration detection signal is less than Zth2. Although the vibration generated by the second knock is disappearing, minute vibrations 206 from other factors may still occur. When these minute vibrations 206 are less than Zth3, they will not affect the knock detection.

[0320] In one example shown in the figure, when a vibration 207 greater than Zth3 is detected at T5, since it is a vibration generated by other factors, it will not be detected as a vibration produced by a knock, even though it is greater than Zth1 and Zth2. Zth3 can be set to 40-70% of Zth2, preferably 60%.

[0321] As described above, if in the vibration detection signals in the x-axis direction there is a vibration detection signal 201 based on the Zth1 of the 1st knock and a vibration detection signal 202 based on its residual vibration, and then in the waiting period for the input of the 2nd knock there is a vibration detection signal 203 based on a small vibration, and then in the vibration detection signals 204 based on the Zth2 of the 2nd knock and a vibration detection signal 205 based on its residual vibration, and then in the period when the vibration generated by the 2nd knock disappears there is a vibration detection signal 206 based on a small vibration, then the sensor microcomputer 114 can determine that there is a "thump" knocking input in the perspective window 21, and in this case, send a notification to the control unit 150 of the knocking signal generated by the knocking.

[0322] like Figure 14 As shown, in one embodiment, under normal knocking conditions, a vibration detection signal 301 based on the first knock and a vibration detection signal 302 based on its residual vibration may occur in T1. T2, as the time to wait for the second knock after the first knock, may detect minute vibrations, or may not detect them at all.

[0323] After a predetermined time T2, a vibration detection signal 303 based on the 2nd knock and a vibration detection signal 304 based on its residual vibration may appear.

[0324] Under such typical knocking conditions, a T2 time can be ensured at predetermined intervals. These T2 time intervals can be determined based on the intensity of the first knock.

[0325] When the vibration detection signal 301 based on the 1st knock is not large, that is, when the 1st knock is input in a relatively weak manner, Zth1 and Zth2 can be set to the same value.

[0326] However, as Figure 15As shown, in another embodiment, when the 1st knock is input with a certain degree of strength, after the vibration detection signal 305 based on the 1st knock and the vibration detection signal 306 based on its residual vibration appear in T1, a vibration detection signal 307 exceeding Zth2 and a vibration detection signal 308 based on its residual vibration appear in the T2 interval.

[0327] This results in signal overlap between the two vibration detection signals 306 and 307. That is, the latter vibration detection signals 307 and 308 are not signals that appear after T2, therefore... Figure 12 As shown, this is not a typical knock signal. This is because the stronger 1st knock input results in a longer decay time for the vibration generated by the 1st knock, so although it is actually the 1st knock, it may appear as two knock signals.

[0328] In this case, the sensor microcomputer 114 may judge the vibration detection signal 307 above Zth2 after the vibration detection signal 305 above Zth1 appears as a knocking input. Therefore, in order to prevent such a situation, Zth2 is set to be greater than Zth1.

[0329] In this embodiment, Zth2 can be set to be greater than or equal to Zth1, and the intensity of the first knock needs to be considered, so it can be set to be proportional to the intensity of the vibration detection signal based on the first knock. That is, it can be variably set proportionally to the intensity of the vibration detection signal based on the first knock.

[0330] Reference Figure 16 In another embodiment of the present invention, during the operation of the household appliance 1, the user can tap the viewing window 21 to observe the interior of the housing space 23 of the household appliance 1 from the outside through the viewing window 21 installed on the door 20. [S210: Tapping Input Step]

[0331] When the viewing window 21 is tapped, the tapping location can become a vibration source and generate vibration. At this time, the vibration generated at a location on the viewing window 21 has a predetermined directionality; that is, a back-and-forth vibration is generated at that location.

[0332] In this embodiment, vibration in the front-to-back direction is referred to as the x-axis direction of the triaxial sensor module 111 and explained accordingly. Therefore, when the viewing window 21 is tapped, vibration in the x-axis direction can be generated.

[0333] [S220: Vibration Generation Steps]

[0334] The vibrations generated as described above can be transmitted and propagated throughout the entire area of ​​the household appliance 1 via a plurality of solid components constituting the household appliance 1.

[0335] Specifically, as described above, the household appliance 1 is physically formed by combining a plurality of solid components of varying sizes, so that when a vibration occurs at any point, it can be transmitted to the entire household appliance 1 through these plurality of solid components.

[0336] Of course, the intensity of the vibration may decrease to some extent depending on the connection status of the multiple solid components and the distance of transmission. However, since the solid components are physically connected to each other, even minute vibrations can be transmitted. [S230: Vibration Transmission Steps]

[0337] Vibrations transmitted through multiple solid components can also be transmitted to a sensor assembly 110 located at a predetermined distance from the door 20 in the household appliance 1. The sensor assembly 110 can detect the transmitted vibrations.

[0338] As described above, since the vibration generated by the tap applied to the viewing window 21 is generated along the x-axis direction, the sensor assembly 110 can detect the vibration in the x-axis direction.

[0339] Specifically, the sensor assembly 110 may include a triaxial sensor module 111. The triaxial sensor module 111 can detect vibrations in three axes, namely the x, y, and z axes.

[0340] Therefore, when the vibration in the x-axis direction generated by the tap is transmitted to the viewing window 21, the triaxial sensor module 111 detects the vibration in the x-axis direction.

[0341] Of course, it can generate not only the vibrations caused by knocking, but also vibrations in the x, y, and z axes caused by any reason. Therefore, the triaxial sensor module 111 can detect all these vibrations.

[0342] The triaxial sensor module 111 can generate a vibration detection signal corresponding to the detected vibration. The vibration detection signal can be input to the sensor microcomputer 114 via the filter unit 112 and the amplification unit 113.

[0343] The sensor microcomputer 114 can determine whether a user's tap has been input, i.e., whether the vibration generated by the user's tap has been produced, by analyzing the vibration detection signals in the x, y, and z axes. If it is determined that a user's tap has been input, it can notify the control unit 150 that the tap has been input.

[0344] [S240: Vibration Testing Procedure]

[0345] When vibration detection signals are input in the x, y, and z axes, the sensor microcomputer 114 can extract only the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction. This is because the vibration generated by the tapping input to the viewing window 21 is in the x-axis direction, so only the vibration in the x-axis direction is considered.

[0346] Since the sensor microcomputer 114 knows in advance that only the vibration in the x-axis direction is the vibration input to the viewing window 21, the vibration detection signals in the y-axis and z-axis directions are not considered initially. Later, the vibration detection signals in the x-axis direction can be compared with the vibration detection signals in the y-axis and z-axis directions.

[0347] As described above, the vibration generated by the impact is determined from the detected vibration signal along the x-axis. This determination can be achieved using methods such as... Figures 11 to 13 The diagram shows the pattern of the vibration detection signal along the x-axis. That is, by comparing the vibration detection signal in the T1 to T5 interval with Zth1 to Zth3, it can be determined whether the vibration is caused by a tap. [S250: Step for determining whether a tapping vibration has occurred]

[0348] If the vibration is determined to be caused by a tap in the above judgment results, then it is determined whether this is an exception to the rule that light 16 should not be turned on. Even if the user inputs a tap, in specific situations such as when performing self-cleaning in an oven, light 160 should not be turned on. [S260: Exception Judgment Step]

[0349] If the above judgment results indicate an exception, then the openness or closure of door 20 is determined. When door 20 is open, light 160 does not need to be turned on; light 160 only needs to be turned on when door 20 is closed. Whether door 20 is open or closed affects the on / off state of light 160; therefore, the openness or closure of door 20 is determined. [S270: Door Openness / Openness Determination Step]

[0350] As described above, if the vibration is determined to be caused by a knock and is not an exception, and the door 20 is in the closed state, then the on / off state of the light 160 is confirmed. [S280: Light Status Confirmation Step]

[0351] If lamp 160 is in the off state, then lamp 160 is turned on. This is because the interior of the receiving space 23 cannot be observed from the outside when lamp 160 is off, therefore turning on lamp 160 illuminates the receiving space 23 so that it can be observed from the outside. [S290: Lamp Turn-On Step]

[0352] Conversely, if light 160 is on, then light 160 is turned off. This is so that after the user has confirmed the interior of the accommodating space 23, the light 160 can be turned off by tapping. [S300: Light Turn-Off Step]

[0353] On the other hand, if it is determined that the vibration is not caused by a knock, or is not an exceptional case, or if door 20 is in the open state, the vibration detection signal is ignored and the operation process ends. [S301: Vibration signal ignore step]

[0354] On the other hand, although not illustrated, vibrations corresponding to user taps are generated not only in T1 to T5, but also vibrations caused by other reasons. Vibration detection signals based on such vibrations may also be included in the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction.

[0355] Even under such circumstances, when the vibration detection signal has a predetermined pattern in T1 to T5, the sensor microcomputer 114 can distinguish it as vibration generated by a "thump-thump" knock.

[0356] The first critical value Zth1 can be set to a fixed value, while the second and third critical values ​​Zth2 and Zth3 can be changed. These second and third critical values ​​Zth2 and Zth3 can be dynamically set based on the magnitude of the first critical value Zth1. More preferably, they can be dynamically set in proportion to the magnitude of the vibration detection signal of the first knock.

[0357] Of course, although Zth1 has a fixed value, it can also be set to other values ​​different from the example above. That is, when Zth1 is set larger, Zth2 and Zth3 can also be set larger in proportion to Zth1.

[0358] Preferably, Zth2 is set to be greater than or equal to Zth1. This is because Zth1 is the threshold for determining whether it is a 1st knock, and Zth2 is the threshold for determining whether it is a 2nd knock. Therefore, to prevent the vibration generated by the 1st knock from being incorrectly detected as a 2nd knock due to a strong 1st knock input, Zth2 is increased to improve the criterion for judging a 2nd knock. This allows for more accurate judgment of the 2nd knock.

[0359] As described above, even if the vibration detection signal pattern appears identically in the y-axis or z-axis direction, the sensor microcomputer 114 will not identify it as a vibration caused by a tap. This is because the vibration caused by a tap applied to the viewing window 21 only has a x-axis directionality. It should be noted that since vibrations in the x-axis direction may be incorrectly detected as tapping vibrations due to the influence of vibrations in the y and z-axis directions, the vibration detection signals in the x-axis direction are compared with those in the y and z-axis directions.

[0360] On the other hand, even if vibration detection signals with intensities of Zth1 and Zth2 or higher appear continuously at predetermined intervals between each other in T1 to T4, it is determined whether it is a knocking input by comparing it with the pattern of vibration generated by the knocking as described above.

[0361] Reference Figure 17 In another embodiment of the present invention, during the operation of the household appliance 1, when a user knocks on the door 20, the sensor assembly 110 detects the vibration generated by the knock. If the sensor assembly 110 detects that the vibration is generated by the user's knock, it transmits a knock signal to the control unit 150. [S310: Knock signal transmission step]

[0362] When a tap signal is received from the sensor assembly 110, the control unit 150 determines whether the tap function is set to be enabled. The tap function is the function of turning the light 160 on / off by the user tapping it.

[0363] The tapping function can be set by touching the tapping button 51 displayed on the display unit 50. If the tapping button 51 is touched, the tapping function is set to be on; if it is touched again, the tapping function is set to be off.

[0364] When the tapping function is enabled, the light 160 can be turned on / off by the user tapping it. When the tapping function is disabled, the light 160 cannot be turned on / off by the user tapping it. That is, when the tapping function is disabled, even if the user taps it, the light 160 will not be turned on / off.

[0365] Therefore, as described above, when the tapping signal is transmitted to the control unit 150, before turning the light 160 on / off, the control unit 150 first confirms whether the tapping function is set to be on. [S320: Tapping function setting determination step]

[0366] If the tapping function is set to be enabled, it is determined whether the current state of household appliance 1 is in the self-cleaning action. The self-cleaning function, for example, refers to performing a self-cleaning process such as disinfecting and cleaning the space 23 containing household appliance 1.

[0367] As an example, when the appliance 1 is an oven, the interior of the cooking chamber, which serves as the housing space 23, can be cleaned using high temperatures. In this case, the interior of the cooking chamber is in a very high-temperature, high-heat state, so it is preferable to lock the door 20. Furthermore, it is preferable that the light 160 installed inside the housing space 23 is not activated during the self-cleaning process of the housing space 23.

[0368] Therefore, as described above, when the tapping signal is transmitted to the control unit 150 and the tapping function is set to on, the control unit 150 needs to confirm whether the self-cleaning state is active before turning the light 160 on / off. [S330: Self-cleaning confirmation step]

[0369] As described above, when the knocking function is set to on and self-cleaning is not in progress, it is determined whether the door lock switch 120 is on. The door lock switch 120 locks or unlocks the door 20 under certain circumstances.

[0370] For example, after the cooking chamber is self-cleaned at high temperature, the door 20 is kept locked for the user's safety during the period when the temperature drops below a predetermined level.

[0371] In this situation, the control unit 150 locks the door 20 by controlling the door lock switch 120. As described above, the knocking function does not operate within a predetermined time after self-cleaning.

[0372] Therefore, when a knocking signal is input, before turning the light 160 on / off, the control unit 150 determines the state of the door lock switch 120, i.e., whether the door is locked or unlocked. [S340: Door lock locking / unlocking determination step]

[0373] Furthermore, if the door 20 is in the unlocked state, the control unit 150 uses the signal from the door switch 130 to determine whether the door 20 is open or closed.

[0374] When door 20 is open, there is no need to turn on light 160; light 160 only needs to be turned on when door 20 is closed.

[0375] Whether door 20 is open or closed affects the on / off state of light 160, therefore control unit 150 determines whether door 20 is open or closed. Whether door 20 is open or closed can be determined by a signal received from door switch 130. [S350: Door Open / Closed Determination Step]

[0376] As described above, if door 20 is closed, the on / off status of light 160 is checked to determine whether light 160 is on or off. [S360: Light Status Confirmation Step]

[0377] If lamp 160 is in the off state, then lamp 160 is turned on. This is because the interior of the receiving space 23 cannot be observed from the outside when lamp 160 is off, therefore turning on lamp 160 illuminates the receiving space 23 so that it can be observed from the outside. [S370: Lamp Turn-On Step]

[0378] Conversely, if light 160 is on, then light 160 is turned off. This is so that after the user has confirmed the interior of the accommodating space 23, the light 160 can be turned off by tapping. [S380: Light Turn-Off Step]

[0379] On the other hand, if the tapping function is set to off, or the self-cleaning operation is in progress, or the door is locked, or the door is open, when the control unit 150 receives a tapping signal, the control unit 150 ignores the received tapping signal.

[0380] This is to prevent light 160 from being turned on / off even if there is a user tap in the aforementioned exceptional cases. [S390: Tap signal ignore step]

[0381] As described above, in the embodiments of the present invention, even if there is a tap, the lamp 160 will not be turned on / off in the following situations: when the tapping function is off, in the self-cleaning action, in the door locked state, or in the door open state.

[0382] Figure 18 This is a graph illustrating the experimental results of vibration detection signals for impact input detection in a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 19 and Figure 20 This is a graph illustrating experimental results of a vibration detection signal in a household appliance where no knocking input was detected, serving as an illustration of another embodiment of the present invention. Figures 18 to 20 The experimental results show that vibration detection signals were detected only on the x and y axes.

[0383] Reference Figure 18 In the vibration detection signal in the x-axis direction, a vibration detection signal above the first critical value Zth1 appears at T1, a vibration detection signal above the second critical value Zth2 appears at T3 after the waiting time of T2, and a vibration detection signal below the third critical value Zth3 appears at T5. Thus, the sensor microcomputer 114 determines that it is a pattern of vibration detection signal generated by a knock.

[0384] The vibration detection signal in T1 is generated by the 1st knock, and the vibration detection signal in T3 is generated by the 2nd knock. Figure 18 In the experiment, since the 1st knock input was weak, Zth1 and Zth2 were set to the same value.

[0385] Thus, the sensor microcomputer 114 detects the tapping input in the viewing window 21 and transmits the tapping signal to the control unit 150, so that the control unit 150 can turn the lamp 160 on or off.

[0386] Reference Figure 19In the vibration detection signal along the x-axis, a vibration detection signal greater than Zth1 appears at T1, and a vibration detection signal greater than Zth2 appears at T3 after T2. However, in T1 and T3, because the maximum value of the vibration detection signal along the y-axis is greater than the maximum value of the vibration detection signal along the x-axis, although the vibration detection signal along the x-axis presents the pattern of a vibration detection signal generated by an impact, Figure 19 The result was detected as vibration not caused by the tapping. This is because the vibration in the x-axis direction was detected as vibration in the y-axis direction.

[0387] In this situation, the sensor microcomputer 114 identifies the vibration detection signal as not generated by a knock, and therefore does not output a knock signal to the control unit 150. The control unit 150 then does not output a control signal to the lamp 160.

[0388] Reference Figure 20 In the vibration detection signal along the x-axis, a vibration detection signal greater than Zth1 appears at T1, followed by a vibration detection signal greater than Zth2 at T3 (after T2), but a vibration detection signal greater than Zth3 appears at T5. Therefore, although the vibration detection signal along the x-axis presents the pattern of a vibration detection signal generated by an impact, Figure 20 The results showed that the vibration was not caused by striking.

[0389] That is, although T5 is the interval where the vibration generated by the 2nd knock disappears, vibration continues to be generated in T5 (represented by circles), so it will not be judged as the vibration generated by the knock.

[0390] In this situation, the sensor microcomputer 114 identifies the vibration detection signal as not generated by a knock, and therefore does not output a knock signal to the control unit 150. The control unit 150 then does not output a control signal to the lamp 160.

[0391] As described above, the present invention provides a household appliance in which a viewing window is installed on the front door. When a knock is applied to the viewing window, the vibration generated by the knock is detected to turn on the lighting installed in the internal storage space and illuminate the interior, thereby allowing the interior of the storage space to be observed from the outside through the viewing window.

[0392] At this time, when a tap is applied to the viewing window, a vibration is generated in a specific direction due to the tap. By detecting the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration in such a specific direction and comparing it with the pattern of the vibration detection signal generated by the tap, it is determined whether it is a tap input.

[0393] In particular, since the vibration generated by the tap is in a specific direction, vibrations generated in other directions are not considered. Therefore, even if the pattern of the vibration detection signal is the same as that generated by the tap, it is ignored if the directionality of the vibration is different.

[0394] In this invention, a triaxial accelerometer is used to accurately detect the directionality and minute vibrations. The sensor microcomputer determines whether the vibration is caused by a knock by applying the patterns T1 to T5 to the vibration detection signal detected by the triaxial accelerometer.

[0395] If the vibration is determined to be caused by a tap, the control unit 150 can turn the lamp 160 on / off. When the tap is made while the lamp 160 is off, the lamp 160 is turned on; conversely, when the tap is made while the lamp 160 is on, the lamp 160 is turned off.

[0396] Figures 21 to 24 This is a structural diagram of the sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0397] The housing 1110 constituting the sensor assembly 110 has a base 1120 that is generally rectangular in shape. An edge plate 1111 with a perimeter formed at a predetermined height is formed on the upper part of the base 1120. The edge plate 1111 forms a space 1112 inside it. One side of such space 1112 is open.

[0398] A PCB substrate 1130 may be disposed on the bottom surface 1113 of the space 1112 formed by the edge plate 1111. A plurality of electronic components (not shown) are mounted on the PCB substrate 1130. For example, a triaxial sensor module 111, a filter section 112, an amplifier section 113, and a sensor microcomputer 114 may be mounted.

[0399] Additionally, at least one connector 1131, 1132 for electrical connection with an external device may be mounted on the PCB substrate 1130. Preferably, when the PCB substrate 1130 is mounted on the bottom surface of the space 1112, the height of the PCB substrate 1130 is lower than the height of the edge plate 1111 to protect the PCB substrate 1130 from the influence of the external environment.

[0400] At least one hook 1117 or 1118 may be formed on the inner surface of the edge plate 1111 to ensure that the PCB substrate 1130 is stably mounted inside the housing 1110 and is stably fixed to the housing 1110 after installation.

[0401] The hooks 1117 and 1118 are configured such that the end portions of the substrate 1130 corresponding to the hooks 1117 and 1118 are fixed when the substrate 1130 is disposed on the bottom surface 1113. That is, the end portions are configured to be inserted between the bottom surface 1113 and the hooks 1117 and 1118.

[0402] Therefore, the PCB substrate 1130 is pressed down from above so that the end of the substrate 1130 is fixed to the lower part of the hooks 1117 and 1118 via the hooks 1117 and 1118.

[0403] Holes 1117a and 1118a can be formed in the bottom surface 1113 at positions corresponding to hooks 1117 and 1118, respectively. These holes 1117a and 1118a are used to push the substrate 1130 from the bottom through the holes 1117a and 1118a from the back side when the PCB substrate 1130 is mounted on the housing 1110 and the substrate 1130 is fixed by hooks 1117 and 1118, so that the substrate 1130 can be easily separated from the housing 1110.

[0404] The base 1120 has extensions 1115 and 1116 that extend vertically. As described above, holes 1115a and 1115b are formed in the extensions 1115 and 1116, respectively.

[0405] like Figure 24 As shown, in one embodiment, such holes 1115a, 1115b are used to insert screws 220, 221 to secure the sensor assembly 110 to a specific component 70 of the household appliance 1.

[0406] like Figure 23 As shown, in another embodiment of the invention, the lower extension 1116 of the extended portion is the portion that, when installed on a specific component 70 of the household appliance 1, is inserted into the interior of a slit 71 provided on the component 70. By inserting the lower extension 1116 into the slit 71, the sensor assembly 110 can be installed on the component 70 of the household appliance 1.

[0407] A protrusion 1119 for connection with the edge plate 1111 may be formed on the top surface of the upper extension 1115. An additional hole 1119a is formed in this protrusion 1119. Other screws are inserted into the hole 1119a to secure the sensor assembly 110 to the component 70.

[0408] like Figure 23As shown, the lower extension 1116 can be inserted into and fixed inside the slit 71, and the upper extension 1115 can be fixed by screws 210 through the hole 1119a formed on the protrusion 1119. In this case, as an example, the screws 210 can be tightened from the back of the component 70 and the sensor assembly 110 can be fixed to the component 70.

[0409] Figures 25 to 30 Examples of sensor assemblies according to embodiments of the present invention are shown in household appliances. As these figures show, sensor assembly 110 can be disposed on any component constituting household appliance 1.

[0410] At this time, when setting up the sensor assembly 110, any one axis of the accelerometer in the triaxial sensor module 111 constituting the sensor assembly 110 is set to be aligned with the direction of the vibration generated by the impact. The sensor assembly 110 is formed as a module, which simplifies setup and facilitates installation and removal.

[0411] The household appliance 1 can have various shapes, and the sensor assembly 110 can be set at any position 81 to 83 of the household appliance 1 regardless of its shape.

[0412] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but can be manufactured in various different forms. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical concept or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should not be construed as limiting in any way.

Claims

1. A domestic appliance, wherein includes: a cabinet forming an appearance; a storage space provided inside the cabinet to accommodate an object; a door opening and closing an open side of the storage space and installed with a see-through window; a sensor assembly provided at a position outside the door and detecting a vibration; a light illuminating the inside of the storage space; and a control portion turning on / off the light based on a knock signal output from the sensor assembly; the sensor assembly detects a vibration generated by a knock applied to the door, which is transmitted to the sensor assembly in three-axis directions orthogonal to each other through two or more different media from the door, to determine whether it is a vibration generated by a user's knock. 2.The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly is provided at a back surface portion or a bottom surface portion of the cabinet. 3.The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly is provided at a handle portion formed on the door. 4.The home appliance of claim 1, wherein if the sensor assembly detects a vibration generated by the knock, the control portion turns on the light. 5.The home appliance of claim 1, wherein if the sensor assembly detects a vibration generated by the knock in a state in which the light is turned off, the control portion turns on the light, if the sensor assembly detects a vibration generated by the knock in a state in which the light is turned on, the control portion turns off the light. 6.The home appliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly includes: a three-axis sensor module detecting a vibration transmitted in the three-axis directions and respectively generating vibration detection signals corresponding to the vibration transmitted in the three-axis directions; and a sensor microcomputer determining whether it is a vibration generated by the knock based on the vibration detection signals generated by the three-axis sensor module. 7.The home appliance of claim 6, wherein the three-axis sensor module includes three acceleration sensors, the three acceleration sensors include: a first acceleration sensor detecting a vibration in a first-axis direction among the three-axis directions; a second acceleration sensor detecting a vibration in a second-axis direction among the three-axis directions; and a third acceleration sensor detecting a vibration in a third-axis direction among the three-axis directions. 8.The home appliance of claim 7, wherein one of the three acceleration sensors is configured such that an axis direction for detecting a vibration coincides with a direction of a vibration generated by the knock. 9.The home appliance of claim 6, wherein the three-axis sensor module includes one three-axis acceleration sensor simultaneously detecting vibrations in the three-axis directions. 10.The home appliance of claim 9, wherein the three-axis acceleration sensor is configured such that a direction of one axis among the three-axis directions coincides with a direction of a vibration generated by the knock. 11.The home appliance of claim 6, wherein The sensor microcomputer judges whether the vibration is the vibration generated by the tapping by comparing a pattern of the vibration detection signal generated in the three-axis sensor module with a pattern of the vibration detection signal corresponding to the vibration generated by the tapping.

12. The home appliance according to claim 6, wherein The sensor microcomputer extracts a vibration detection signal in one direction of the three-axis directions that coincides with a direction of the vibration generated by the tapping, and judges whether the vibration is the vibration generated by the tapping using the extracted vibration detection signal.

13. The home appliance according to claim 12, wherein The sensor microcomputer judges that the vibration is the vibration generated by the tapping if a size of the vibration detection signal generated by the first tapping is equal to or greater than a first critical value set in the extracted vibration detection signal, and a size of the vibration detection signal generated by the second tapping is equal to or greater than a second critical value set after a lapse of a set time.

14. The home appliance according to claim 13, wherein The second critical value is greater than the first critical value, and the size of the second critical value is proportional to the size of the vibration detection signal generated by the first tapping.

15. The home appliance according to claim 12, wherein The sensor microcomputer extracts a vibration detection signal in a first-axis direction that is one axis direction of the three-axis directions that coincides with the direction of the vibration generated by the tapping, and judges whether the vibration is the vibration generated by the tapping by comparing the extracted vibration detection signal with vibration detection signals in second-axis and third-axis directions that are the other two-axis directions different from the first-axis direction.

16. The home appliance according to claim 15, wherein The sensor microcomputer judges that the vibration is not the vibration generated by the tapping if a maximum value of the vibration detection signal in at least one of the second-axis and third-axis directions is greater than a maximum value of the vibration detection signal in the first-axis direction.

17. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein further comprising: a display portion provided on a top surface or a front surface of the cabinet and displaying one or more buttons among a tapping button and a light button.

18. The home appliance according to claim 17, wherein the tapping function is set to be turned on if the tapping button is touched once, and the tapping function is set to be turned off if the tapping button is touched again, the light is turned on if the light button is touched once, and the light is turned off if the light button is touched again.

19. The home appliance according to claim 18, wherein the control portion does not turn on / off the light even if the tapping by the user is input in a state where the tapping function is set to be turned off or in a state where the light is turned on by the touch of the light button.

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