Refrigerator and method of controlling the same

Abstract

The application provides a refrigerator and a control method thereof, wherein the refrigerator comprises a cabinet, a door body for opening or closing the cabinet, the cabinet comprises an inner container with a storage compartment, the refrigerator further comprises a light source fixed to a side wall of the inner container, a light shield plate movably arranged outside the light source, a projection device arranged on the inner side of the door body opposite to the light source, and the light shield plate has a first use state of allowing light of the light source to be projected to the projection device and a second use state of allowing the light to be projected to the storage compartment. Through the above structure, the refrigerator can display a projected image on the door body, when a customer approaches the refrigerator, the light shield plate is automatically rotated, so that the light in the refrigerator illuminates the storage compartment, the diversified display requirements of the customer are met, and the use experience of the user is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of refrigeration equipment technology, and in particular to a freezer and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] Commercial freezers or commercial display freezers typically use glass doors, with light boxes on both sides of the interior wall to illuminate the products inside, allowing consumers to easily observe them. However, commercial freezers also often display printed brand logos or icons on the light boxes for advertising purposes. This traditional light box design takes up space inside the freezer and negatively impacts the consumer experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a freezer and its control method to solve one of the above-mentioned problems.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] A freezer includes a cabinet and a door for opening or closing the cabinet. The cabinet includes an inner liner forming a storage compartment. The freezer also includes a light source fixed to the side wall of the inner liner, a light shield movably disposed outside the light source, and a projection device disposed inside the door relative to the light source. The light shield has a first use state for directing light from the light source toward the projection device and a second use state for directing light toward the storage compartment.

[0006] Furthermore, in the horizontal direction, the light-shielding plate moves circumferentially along the light source, thereby switching the light-shielding plate between a first use state and a second use state.

[0007] Furthermore, in the vertical direction, the freezer also includes gears located above and below the light-shielding plate, the upper and lower parts of which have tooth grooves that mesh with the gears.

[0008] Furthermore, it also includes a lampshade located outside the light source, with the light shield located inside the lampshade and close to it, and the gear located inside the lampshade and cooperating with the light shield.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes a pivot that rotatably connects the housing and the door, with the light source and projection device both located close to the pivot; a housing is provided on the inner side of the door adjacent to the pivot, forming a receiving cavity together with the door, the housing being made of an opaque material, the projection device being located inside the receiving cavity, and a light-transmitting window opening towards the light source is provided on the housing near the light source, the projection device including a lens embedded in the light-transmitting window and a projected image on the front side of the lens.

[0010] Furthermore, the projection device also includes a first reflector and a second reflector arranged near the door to reflect light and in cooperation with it; the door also includes a glass door panel. In the first use state, the light from the light source passes through the lens, the projected image, the first reflector, and the second reflector in sequence, and finally projects the projected image onto the glass door panel.

[0011] Furthermore, the light source is located on the inner liner in the form of a vertical strip, and the length of the light shield is not less than the length of the light source in the length direction of the light source.

[0012] Furthermore, the freezer also includes a motor that drives the light shield to move, a control unit that controls the operation of the motor, and a sensing unit for sensing the distance between a human body and the freezer. The control unit and the sensing unit are communicatively connected.

[0013] The present invention also relates to a control method for a freezer, comprising:

[0014] Detecting signals of a human approaching the freezer.

[0015] The control motor operates, driving the light shield to move to the front of the door, where it enters the second usage state.

[0016] Obtain signals indicating that a person is away from the freezer.

[0017] The control motor operates, driving the light-shielding plate to move to the rear of the door, where it is in its first operational state.

[0018] Furthermore, the signal of a human approaching the freezer is obtained when the sensing unit detects that the distance between the human and the freezer is less than 2 meters.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: by rotating the light shield, the light source can project images onto the door to enhance the customer's visual effect. When a customer approaches the freezer, the light shield can also rotate to allow the light source to provide lighting for the storage room, thus meeting the diverse display and lighting needs of customers and improving the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a freezer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The embodiment shows a top view of the freezer in its first usage state.

[0022] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A top view of the freezer in the second usage state in the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of the local structure at point A in the middle.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a top view of another embodiment of the freezer of the present invention in its first use state.

[0025] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure in which the light source and the light shield cooperate.

[0026] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure in which the gear and the light shield cooperate at another angle.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the freezer control method of the present invention.

[0028] Among them, 10-box body, 11-inner liner, 20-door body, 21-glass door panel, 22-door frame, 30-light source, 40-light shield, 41-tooth groove, 50-projection device, 51-lens, 52-projected image, 53-first reflector, 54-second reflector, 60-gear, 61-motor, 70-lampshade, 80-shell, 81-receiving cavity. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this invention, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0030] It should be noted that the terms "upper" and "lower," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the auxiliary diagram. They are only used to simplify the description of the present invention and do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. Specifically, in the present invention, the user's operating surface is considered the front, and the direction facing the ground is considered the lower. Conversely, the direction away from the user's operating surface is considered the rear, and the direction away from the ground is considered the upper. Other descriptions of orientation are defined based on "upper" and "lower."

[0031] In the various illustrations of this invention, for ease of illustration, certain dimensions of structures or parts may be exaggerated relative to other structural parts; therefore, they are only used to illustrate the basic structure of the subject matter of this invention.

[0032] A refrigerator includes a cabinet 10 and a door 20 for opening or closing the cabinet 10. The cabinet 10 includes an inner liner 11 forming a storage compartment. The refrigerator also includes a light source 30 fixed to the side wall of the inner liner 11, a light shield 40 movably disposed outside the light source 30, and a projection device 50 disposed inside the door relative to the light source 30. The light shield 40 has a first usage state where light from the light source 30 is directed towards the projection device 50, and a second usage state where light is directed towards the storage compartment. By changing the position of the light shield 40 relative to the light source 30, the light source 30 can project images onto the door, improving the customer's visual experience, and can also provide lighting for the storage compartment when needed, meeting diverse display and lighting needs and enhancing the user experience. The refrigerator of this invention is described in detail using a side-opening refrigerator as an example.

[0033] Furthermore, the door 20 also includes a glass door panel 21 and a door frame 22 surrounding the glass door panel 21. In the first use state of the present invention, light is projected onto the glass door panel 21 through the projection device 50. Preferably, the side of the glass door panel 21 facing the storage room is roughened to achieve diffuse reflection of light, making the image seen by the customer more comfortable and less glaring.

[0034] Furthermore, the freezer also includes a pivot (not shown) that rotatably connects the cabinet body 10 and the door 20. The light source 30 and the projection device 50 are both positioned close to the pivot. On one hand, the proximity of the light source 30 and the projection device 50 to the inside of the freezer does not affect its normal operation. On the other hand, this minimizes the propagation distance of the light from the light source 30, reducing light loss during propagation. Of course, in the horizontal direction, the light source 30 and the projection device 50 can also be positioned separately. The light source 30 can be positioned near the pivot, and the projection device 50 can be positioned away from the pivot, or vice versa. Both configurations achieve the purpose of projecting light from the light source 30 onto the projection device 50.

[0035] Furthermore, the light source 30 is a vertical strip located on the inner liner 11 and is positioned close to the pivot, which facilitates selective local occlusion of the light source 30 in the radial direction.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the freezer further includes a lampshade 70 disposed outside the light source 30. The lampshade 70 is used to protect the light source 30. The two lateral ends of the lampshade 70 extend to the inner liner 11. The lampshade 70 is arc-shaped and located on the circumference of the light source 30.

[0037] The lampshade 70 is transparent, allowing light to pass through it and shine onto the storage room or projection device 50, making it convenient for customers to view or select items in the storage room.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light shield 40 is located inside and close to the lampshade 70. The light shield 40 moves circumferentially along the light source 30, thereby switching between a first use state and a second use state. Preferably, the light shield 40 is fixed to the lampshade 70 by a snap fastener, which facilitates the installation and removal of the light shield 40.

[0039] Furthermore, in the longitudinal direction of the light source 30, the length of the light shield 40 is not less than the length of the light source 30 so as to block the side where no light is used; in the horizontal direction, the light shield 40 is located outside the light source 30 in an arc shape, and the arc length is not less than half of the circumferential arc length of the light shield 40 so as to better block light.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the freezer further includes gears 60 disposed above and below the light-shielding plate 40 in the vertical direction. Specifically, the gears 60 are disposed inside the lampshade 70 and engage with the light-shielding plate 40. The upper and lower parts of the light-shielding plate 40 have tooth grooves 41 that engage with the gears 60. In this embodiment, the shaft of the gears 60 is hollow. The freezer also includes a motor 61 that drives the light-shielding plate 40 to move. The motor 61 is located at the hollow shaft of the gears 60. The motor 61 drives the gears 60 to rotate, causing the light-shielding plate 40 meshing with the gears 60 to move relative to the light source 30 along the circumferential surface of the lampshade 70.

[0041] It is understood that the light shield 40 and the gear 60 can also be disposed on the outside of the lampshade 70, so that the light shield 40 can selectively block light.

[0042] Of course, the lampshade 70 and the light shield 40 can also be moved by the cooperation of the slide rail and the slider to switch the light shield 40 between the first use state and the second use state. The slide rail can be provided on the light shield 40 or the lampshade 70. Correspondingly, the slider can be provided on the lampshade 70 or the light shield 40, all of which are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0043] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a housing 80 is provided on the inner side of the door body 20 adjacent to the pivot 23, which together forms a receiving cavity 81 with the door body 20. The housing 80 is made of an opaque material. The projection device 50 is located inside the receiving cavity 81, so that light does not leak inside the receiving cavity 81.

[0044] Furthermore, the housing 80 has a light-transmitting window (not shown) opening towards the light source 30 near the light source 30. The projection device 50 includes a lens 51 embedded in the light-transmitting window and a projected image 52 on the front side of the lens 51. In this embodiment, light passes through the lens 51 and projects the projected image 52.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the projection device 50 further includes a first reflector 53 and a second reflector 54 arranged near the door 20 for reflecting light and in cooperation with each other, which can effectively magnify the size of the projected image 52. In the first usage state, the light from the light source 30 passes sequentially through the lens 51, the projected image 52, the first reflector 53, and the second reflector 54, and finally projects the projected image 52 onto the glass door panel 21. In this embodiment, the projected image 52 is magnified and projected onto the glass door panel 21 by the angle cooperation of the first reflector 53 and the second reflector 54, thereby improving the user experience.

[0046] Furthermore, the freezer also includes a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the motor 61 and a sensing unit (not shown) for sensing the distance between a human body and the freezer, wherein the control unit and the sensing unit are communicatively connected.

[0047] The freezer is generally in its first operating state, where the light source 30 provides light to the projection device 50 to project the image 52 onto the glass door panel 21 to advertise the products inside. When the sensor unit detects a person approaching, the control unit receives the signal from the sensor unit and controls the motor 61 to rotate the light shield 40 from the first operating state to the second operating state. In this second operating state, the light source 30 provides lighting to the storage compartment, allowing customers to more clearly and intuitively observe the items inside the freezer and improving the user experience. Conversely, when the sensor unit detects that a person has moved away from the freezer, the control unit controls the motor 61 to rotate in the opposite direction, moving the light shield 40 from the second operating state back to the first operating state.

[0048] The present invention also provides a control method for the above-mentioned freezer, wherein the control method includes:

[0049] The system can detect when a person approaches the freezer. Specifically, the system detects when the distance between the person and the freezer is less than 2 meters. This indicates that a person is approaching or paying attention to the product information inside the freezer, and prompts the system to adjust the lighting in the storage room.

[0050] The control motor 61 is activated, which moves the light shield 40 to the front of the door 20 and puts it into the second use state. At this time, the light from the light source 30 shines into the storage room, making the storage room brighter.

[0051] The system detects when a person is moving away from the freezer. When the sensing unit detects that the distance between the person and the freezer is greater than 2 meters, it determines that the person is moving away from the freezer.

[0052] The control motor 61 is activated, which moves the light shield 40 to the rear of the door 20 and puts it into the first use state. At this time, the light from the light source 30 is displayed on the door through the projection device 50, and the product information of the freezer can be observed from a distance.

[0053] In summary, the freezer of the present invention improves the visual effect for customers by changing the position of the light shield 40 relative to the light source 30 and using the light from the light source 30 to project images onto the door 20. When lighting is needed, it can also provide indoor lighting for the storage room, meeting the diverse display and lighting needs of customers and improving the user experience.

[0054] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0055] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific illustrations of feasible embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A freezer, comprising a cabinet body and a door for opening or closing the cabinet body, said cabinet body including an inner liner forming a storage compartment, characterized in that: The freezer also includes a light source fixed to the inner wall, a light shield movably disposed outside the light source, and a projection device disposed inside the door relative to the light source. The light shield has a first use state of directing light from the light source to the projection device and a second use state of directing light to the storage compartment. The projection device includes a lens and a projected image in front of the lens. When a person moves away from the freezer, the light shield moves to the rear of the door and is in the first use state. In the first use state, the light source projects the image onto the door. When a person approaches the freezer, the light shield moves to the front of the door and enters a second usage state. In the second usage state, the light source provides illumination to the storage room.

2. The freezer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: In the horizontal direction, the light-shielding plate moves circumferentially along the light source, thereby switching the light-shielding plate between a first use state and a second use state.

3. The freezer as described in claim 2, characterized in that: In the vertical direction, the freezer also includes gears located above and below the light shield, the upper and lower parts of the light shield having tooth grooves that mesh with the gears.

4. The freezer as described in claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a lampshade located outside the light source, with the light shield located inside the lampshade and close to it, and the gear located inside the lampshade and cooperating with the light shield.

5. The freezer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a pivot that rotatably connects the housing and the door, with the light source and projection device both located close to the pivot; a housing is provided on the inner side of the door adjacent to the pivot, forming a receiving cavity together with the door, the housing is made of an opaque material, the projection device is located inside the receiving cavity, and a light-transmitting window is provided on the housing near the light source, opening towards the light source, with the lens embedded in the light-transmitting window.

6. The freezer as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The projection device also includes a first reflector and a second reflector arranged near the door to reflect light and in cooperation with it; the door also includes a glass door panel. In the first use state, the light from the light source passes through the lens, the projected image, the first reflector, and the second reflector in sequence, and finally projects the projected image onto the glass door panel.

7. The freezer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The light source is a vertical strip located on the inner liner, and the length of the light shield is not less than the length of the light source in the length direction of the light source.

8. The freezer as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The freezer also includes a motor that drives the light shield to move, a control unit that controls the operation of the motor, and a sensing unit for sensing the distance between a human body and the freezer. The control unit and the sensing unit are communicatively connected.

9. A control method for a freezer as described in claim 8, characterized in that: Detecting signals of a human approaching the freezer. The control motor operates, driving the light shield to move to the front of the door, where it enters the second usage state. Obtain signals indicating that a person is away from the freezer. The control motor operates, driving the light-shielding plate to move to the rear of the door, where it is in its first operational state.

10. The control method for a freezer as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The signal of a human approaching the freezer is obtained when the sensing unit detects that the distance between the human and the freezer is less than 2 meters.

Images