Refrigerator including touch sensor

Abstract

A refrigerator including a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air; a storage room configured to receive the supplied cool air so that food is storable in the storage room at a low temperature; a door configured to open and close the storage room, and to insulate the storage room from outside temperature; a panel on the door and configured to, based on a user touching the panel, be displaced in a first direction; and a printed circuit board (PCB) behind the panel, the PCB including a pattern coil facing the first direction and configured to function as an inductive sensor, and a touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to, based on the panel being displaced in the first direction by a user's touch, process the user's touch by inductive sensing according to a change of a magnetic field at the pattern coil.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT / KR2025 / 005261, filed on Apr. 17, 2025, which is based on and claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application Number 10-2024-0104126, filed on Aug. 5, 2024, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] An embodiment of the disclosure relates to a home appliance including a touch sensor that operates as one of an inductive sensor or a capacitive sensor regardless of a kind of a panel.BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Home appliances include electrical appliances and machines used in homes. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a home appliance may include an apparatus that is fixed in a home or an apparatus that is movable in a home. Here, home means not only a house but also an indoor space such as an office. The home appliances include televisions, digital video disk (DVD) players, audio, refrigerators, air conditioners, air dressers, vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, washing machines, air purifiers, set-top boxes, home automation control panels, security control panels, media boxes (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, etc.), game consoles, electronic dictionaries, electronic keys, camcorders, electronic picture frames, speakers, e-book readers, desktop PCs, laptop PCs, netbook computers, workstations, servers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), MP3 players, medical devices, cameras, etc. A home appliance includes an input interface for receiving inputs from a user and an output interface for outputting information for a user. The input interface includes various input interfaces, for example, a touch type input key. Touch types are classified into a capacitive sensing type and an inductive sensing type, and recently, many home appliances are provided with touch panels that can be selected by a user from among metal panels, glass panels, plastic panels, or panels made of other materials. Accordingly, when a user touches a specific area on a panel, a desired function needs to be performed regardless of the material of the panel.DISCLOSURETechnical Solution

[0004] Aspects of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a refrigerator includes a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air; a storage room configured to receive the supplied cool air so that food is storable in the storage room at a low temperature; a door configured to open and close the storage room, and to insulate the storage room from outside temperature; a panel on the door and configured to, based on a user touching the panel, be displaced in a first direction; and a printed circuit board (PCB) behind the panel, the PCB including a pattern coil facing the first direction and configured to function as an inductive sensor, and a touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to, based on the panel being displaced in the first direction by a user's touch, process the user's touch by inductive sensing according to a change of a magnetic field at the pattern coil.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the panel may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the panel may be the non-conductive panel, and a conductive material may be disposed on a rear side of the panel.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the conductive material may include a metal copper foil.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, no support structure may be arranged between the panel and the PCB within a preset distance from the PCB.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a capacitive sensor configured to detect a user's touch made in a second direction at a side of the refrigerator. The side of the refrigerator may include a non-conductive material.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the second direction may be perpendicular to the first direction.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the capacitive sensor may be a touch gasket.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may be configured to be automatically opened and closed based on the processing of the user's touch on the panel.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a refrigerator includes a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air; a storage room configured to receive the supplied cool air so that food is storable in the storage room at a low temperature; a door configured to open and close the storage room, and to insulate the storage room from outside temperature; a panel on the door; and a printed circuit board (PCB) behind the panel, the PCB including a pattern coil facing a first direction and configured to function as an inductive sensor and a capacitive sensor, and a touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to, based on the panel being touched by a user, obtain touch data generated by the pattern coil, based on the obtained touch data, identify the panel being touched by the user as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel, based on the panel being identified as a conductive panel, process the user's touch by inductive sensing, and, based on the panel being identified as a non-conductive panel, process the user's touch by capacitive sensing.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the obtained touch data to identify the panel being touched by the user as the conductive panel or the non-conductive panel may be related to an inductance change of the pattern coil.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, based on the panel being identified as the conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as the inductive sensor for sensing an inductance change. Based on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as a touch pad for capacitive sensing in at least an etched part of the PCB.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, based on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as a touch panel with a capacitance varying depending on the user's touch in the at least one etched part of the PCB.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first direction that the pattern coil faces may be a same direction that the door faces.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil may be a first capacitive sensor. The refrigerator may further include a second capacitive sensor in the door, the second capacitive sensor being mounted on the PCB and facing a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a side touch key configured to receive a user's side touch for touch sensing by the second capacitive sensor. The side touch key may include a touch gasket.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a processor configured to, based on the panel being identified as the conductive panel, set a circuit connected to the touch IC for inductive sensing and capacitive sensing to process the user's touch by the inductive sensing, and, based on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, set the circuit connected to the touch IC for inductive sensing and capacitive sensing to process the user's touch by the capacitive sensing.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC, or the touch IC may include the processor.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may be configured to be automatically opened and closed based on the processing of the user's touch made on the panel.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a support structure that forms a gap between the panel and the PCB.DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings listed below.

[0026] FIG. 1A is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on a capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 1B is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on a capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 2A is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on an inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 2B is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on an inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 3A shows a refrigerator door using a side protrusion type touch key according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 3B shows a protrusion type touch key positioned on a right surface of a door, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a printed circuit board (PCB) including a touch sensor implementing multi-sensing, attached to a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a PCB including an inductive sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view for describing inductive sensing that occurs when a touch is made on a conductive panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view for describing inductive sensing that occurs when a touch is made on a non-conductive panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a front view showing a touch recognition area when an inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is used.

[0037] FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented on a conductive panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented on a non-conductive panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented through a cavity formed by etching a PCB, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented through a cavity formed by etching a PCB, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 10 is a front view showing touch recognition areas when a multi sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is used.

[0042] FIG. 11 shows an operation of a touch key based on a capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of a touch sensing circuit according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which a pattern coil operates as a multi sensor according to a material of a panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0045] FIG. 14 shows a refrigerator to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0046] FIG. 15 shows a dish washer to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0047] FIG. 16 shows an electric oven to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0048] FIG. 17 shows a washing machine to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0049] FIG. 18 shows an air conditioner to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0050] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0051] FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the disclosure.MODE FOR INVENTION

[0052] Terms used in this specification will be briefly described, and an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail.

[0053] Although general terms being currently widely used were selected as terminology used in the disclosure while considering the functions in an embodiment of the disclosure, they may vary according to intentions of one of ordinary skill in the art, judicial precedents, the advent of new technologies, and the like. Terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant of the disclosure may also be used in a specific case. In this case, their meanings will be described in detail in the detailed description of the disclosure. Hence, the terms used in the disclosure must be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the contents of the entire disclosure, not by simply stating the terms themselves.

[0054] Throughout the disclosure, the expression “at least one of a, b or c” indicates “a”, “b”, “c”, “a and b”, “a and c”, “b and c”, “all of a, b, and c”, or variations thereof.

[0055] It will be understood that when a certain part “includes” a certain component, the part does not exclude another component but can further include another component, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the terms “portion”, “module”, etc. written in the disclosure refers to a unit that can perform at least one function or operation, and may be implemented as hardware or software or as a combination of hardware and software.

[0056] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings such that the embodiment can be readily implemented by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the disclosure pertains. However, an embodiment of the disclosure may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Also, in the drawings, portions irrelevant to the description are not shown in order to definitely describe an embodiment of the disclosure, and throughout the entire specification, similar components are assigned like reference numerals.

[0057] A home appliance may include an input interface for receiving a user's command. Recently, many input interfaces use a touch sensing method. For example, on a refrigerator door, an input interface based on a touch sensing method, which performs a function of automatically opening or closing a door according to reception of a user's touch, may be provided. However, according to recent trends, panels used in refrigerator doors may be freely changed by users. In other words, a color and material of a panel may be freely selected by a user. In the case in which a panel of a refrigerator door is made of metal, an inductive sensing method may need to be used as a touch sensing method for sensing a touch on the metal. In the case in which a panel of a refrigerator door is made of glass or plastic, not metal, a capacitive sensing method may need to be used as a touch sensing method for sensing a touch on the panel. Therefore, a multi-sensing input interface capable of sensing a touch based on the inductive sensing method and sensing a touch based on the capacitive sensing method to correspond to panel replacement may be required. Alternatively, an input interface capable of sensing a touch regardless of a material of a panel may be required.

[0058] Throughout the disclosure, a ‘touch’ or ‘touch input’ may include a contact touch that is a contact without application of a force and a force touch that is pressing with a force (pressure). Accordingly, a touch or touch input of generating an input signal for a home appliance may include a contact touch input of generating an input signal based on the capacitive sensing method and a force touch input of generating an input signal based on the inductive sensing method.

[0059] FIG. 1A is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on the capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 1A, first capacitance 401 may exist between a touch key 1401 and a ground. While SW 1403 operates, the first capacitance 401 existing between a power source Vcc and the ground may be charged, and at this time, a charging time may be t1. When a human touches the touch key 1401, a circuit where second capacitance 402 between the human and the ground is added may be formed. Accordingly, a total magnitude of capacitance that needs to be charged may become C1+C2. Also, a total charging time may become a charging time (>t1) resulting from adding a charging time for the second capacitance 402. This is expressed by a graph of FIG. 1B.

[0061] FIG. 1B is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on the capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0062] As described above with reference to FIG. 1A, while the SW 1403 operates, the first capacitance 401 existing between the power source Vcc and the ground may be charged, and at this time, a charging time may be t1. When a human touches the touch key 1401, a circuit where the second capacitance 402 between the human and the ground is added may be formed, and therefore, a total magnitude of capacitance that needs to be charged may become C1+C2. Accordingly, when a touch is made, the second capacitance 402 may be added to the first capacitance 401, and a total charging time may become t2 (>t1).

[0063] Depending on a change of a charging time, whether a touch has been made on the touch key 1403 may be identified. So far, the operation principle of the touch key based on the capacitive sensing method has been described.

[0064] FIG. 2A is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on the inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0065] An operation principle of a touch key based on the inductive sensing method is shown in FIG. 2A. The touch key 1501 based on the inductive sensing method may sense presence or absence of a conductive material such as metal according to the principle of electromagnetic induction. While alternating current flows through a coil 1510, a magnetic field may be generated. The magnetic field may change as a displacement of a conductive material such as metal located around the magnetic field changes (as the conductive material moves close to or away from the magnetic field). The change of the magnetic field may cause a change of inductance on a path along which the alternating current flows. The change of inductance may change a value of the alternating current. A home appliance may determine whether a push input has been applied to the touch key 1501 (whether a touch has been made on the touch key 1501) based on the inductive sensing type by detecting a change of alternating current.

[0066] FIG. 2B is a diagram for describing an operation principle of the touch key based on the inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0067] In FIG. 2B, when a high-frequency voltage is applied to the coil 1510, current that is inversely proportional to a magnitude of inductance by the coil 1510 may flow through the coil 1510. At this time, when metal 1502 that is a material with high permeability approaches the coil 1510, total inductance of the coil 1510 may increase, resulting in a reduction of the current. Sensing an approach of the metal 1502 through a reduction of current may be an operation principle of a touch key based on the inductive sensing method. With regard to a ‘detection distance’ within which the metal 1502 approaching the coil 1510 is sensed, metal such as iron with high permeability may have a longest detection distance, and metal such as aluminum with relatively low permeability may have a short detection distance. For example, a detection distance for aluminum may be about half that for iron. Accordingly, an inductive sensor using the principle may be a sensor capable of sensing a touch only when a movement (displacement difference) of the metal 1502 occurs. As a result, to implement an inductive sensor in a home appliance, a structure where the metal 1502 moves according to a touch may be required.

[0068] The inductive sensor may be a sensor that detects an approach (touch) of a conductive material by using a magnetic force among electric and magnetic forces of an electromagnetic field. In contrast, a capacitive sensor may be a sensor that detects a user's touch by using an electric force of an electromagnetic field. While the capacitive sensor measures a change of capacitance, the inductive sensor may measure a change of inductance.

[0069] FIG. 3A shows a refrigerator door using a side protrusion type touch key according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 3A, a refrigerator 2000 may include a protrusion type touch key 2032 on a side of a door 2030. The door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may be configured with various panels even for the same refrigerator model. Panels made of various materials, such as, for example, metal, glass, aluminum, and plastic, may be used in the door 2030. To sense a user's touch made on the door 2030, a touch key may be included in the door 2030. However, it may be impossible to use a touch key based on the capacitive sensing method in a metal panel. The reason may be because touch recognition based on the capacitive sensing method is performed through a very small change in capacitance in pFs, but when a touch key is located on a metal panel, capacitance of the metal panel is relatively large and accordingly, a small capacitance value in pFs is not sensed by a touch key. Therefore, in the case in which a panel made of a conductive material is used in a door, a touch key that implements a touch based on the capacitive sensing method will fail to recognize a touch.

[0071] To implement a touch based on the capacitive sensing method in the case in which a metal panel is used in the door 2030, a protrusion type touch key 2032 may be positioned on a side of the door 2030. However, the protrusion type touch key 2032 positioned on the door 2030 may reduce an aesthetic effect and may not be in line with a trend that pursues minimal designs. Accordingly, a touch recognition method not affected by a material of a panel may need to be applied to the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000.

[0072] FIG. 3B shows a protrusion type touch key positioned on a right surface of a door, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0073] A left part of FIG. 3B is a front view of the door 2030, and a right part of FIG. 3B is a side view of the door 2030. For convenience of descriptions, a front direction of the door 2030 is referred to as a first direction, and a side direction of the door 2030 is referred to as a second direction.

[0074] Because the door 2030 includes a conductive panel 2210, it may be impossible to place a touch key based on the capacitive sensing method in the first direction. Accordingly, the refrigerator 2000 may include the protrusion type touch key 2301 based on the capacitive sensing method, placed in the second direction. The conductive panel 2210 may include, for example, a metal panel.

[0075] FIG. 4 shows a printed circuit board (PCB) including a touch sensor implementing multi-sensing, attached to a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 4, on the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000, a touch key 2031 for receiving a user's touch may be positioned in the first direction that the door 2030 faces. The touch key 2031 may be a touch sensing area where a touch is sensed on the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000.

[0077] Below the touch key 2031, a PCB 2100 with a touch sensor including an inductive sensor 2110 may be positioned. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a pattern coil 2111 capable of operating as the inductive sensor 2110 may be patterned and printed on the PCB 2100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, at least an area of the PCB 2100 on which the pattern coil 2111 is printed may operate as a touch pad of which capacitance changes when a touch made on the touch key 2031 needs to be processed by the capacitive sensing method. However, this is only an embodiment, and the PCB 2100 on which the pattern coil 2111 is printed may detect a touch only by the inductive sensing method when a user's touch is made in the first direction. In other words, the PCB 2100 may operate only by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel when a user's touch is made in the first direction. This will be described in more detail, below.

[0078] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, while the pattern coil 2111 operates as an inductive sensor 2110 when a user's touch made on the touch key 2031 needs to be processed by the inductive sensing method, the pattern coil 2111 may operate as a capacitive sensor 2120 when a user's touch made on the touch key 2031 needs to be processed by the capacitive sensing method.

[0079] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a side touch key 2033 capable of sensing a touch may also be positioned on a side of the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000. However, this is only an embodiment, and the side touch key 2033 positioned on the side of the door 2030 may be omitted. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the side touch key 2033 may not protrude. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a touch gasket 2133 may function as the side touch key 2033. The touch gasket 2133 may be electrically connected to the PCB 2100.

[0080] The touch gasket 2133 may be configured by wrapping a polyurethane sponge with a conductive fabric and attaching the result to a PCB or mechanism with a conductive double-sided tape. Capacitive sensing by the touch gasket 2133 will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

[0081] FIG. 11 shows an operation of a touch key by the capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0082] A touch key 1200 may be not a key that makes an electrical connection through a contact by physical pressing, like a mechanical key, but rather a key that determines a ‘user's intention to input’ through a change in internal capacitance or resistance of the touch key 1200 or a change in capacitance or resistance of a circuit connected to the touch key 1200 when the user touches the touch key 1200. The touch key 1200 may also be referred to as an electronic key to distinguish the touch key 1200 from a mechanical key. When a conductor such as a user's finger approaches or comes into contact with a monopolar plate and thus a dielectric constant of the monopolar plate changes, the touch key 1200 may detect a change of capacitance according to the change of the dielectric constant and generate a switching signal according to the detected result.

[0083] The touch key 1200 may be, as shown in FIG. 11, implemented with a touch panel 1210, the touch gasket 2133, an electrode 1230, and a touch sensor module 1240.

[0084] The touch panel 1210 may sense a user's touch input and output a touch event value corresponding to a sensed touch signal. In the case in which the touch panel 1210 configures a touch screen (not shown) by being coupled with a display panel (not shown), the touch screen may be implemented as various types of touch sensor modules 1240, such as an electrostatic type, a pressure-sensitive type, and a piezoelectric type. The electrostatic type may use a method of calculating touch coordinates by, when a user's body part touches a surface of a touch screen, sensing micro-electricity conducted by the user's body by using a dielectric coated on the surface of the touch screen. The pressure-sensitive type may use a method of calculating touch coordinates by including two upper and lower electrode plates installed in a touch screen to, when a user touches the touch screen and thus the upper and lower electrode plates come into contact with each other at a touch point, sense a flow of current. A touch event generated in a touch screen may be caused mainly by a human's finger. However, a touch event may also be generated by a conductive object capable of causing a change in capacitance.

[0085] A touch sensed in the touch sensor module 1240 may be processed as data through a touch integrated circuit (IC) 2130. The touch panel 1210 may be an interface part that a user touches. When a user's touch is made on the touch panel 1210, the touch gasket 2133 may function as an electrode that connects the touch panel 1210 on which the touch is made to the touch sensor module 1240 or the electrode 1230, by an electrostatic touch input method. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch gasket 2133 may be replaced by a touch spring or a conductive bar to configure the touch key 1200.

[0086] The electrode 1230 may function to electrically connect the touch gasket 2133 to the touch sensor module 1240. The touch IC 2130 may process data by a touch sensed in the touch sensor module 1240. For example, the touch IC 2130 may transfer data by a touch sensed in the touch sensor module 1240 to a processor (not shown) through communication. The touch key 1200 of FIG. 11 may be electrically connected to the PCB 2100 shown in FIG. 4 or may be mounted on the PCB 2100 as a part of the PCB 2100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch key 1200 of FIG. 11 may include the side touch key 2033 of the refrigerator 2000.

[0087] The following description will be given with reference to FIG. 4.

[0088] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB 2100 may include the touch IC 2130. The touch IC 2130 may be an IC including a circuit that processes a user's touch made on the touch key 2031 and / or the side touch key 2033 on the door 2030.

[0089] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch IC 2130 may identify a kind (material) of a panel of the door 2030 based on touch data generated according to a touch.

[0090] Also, the touch IC 2130 may generate a signal for performing a function of the refrigerator 2000 based on the touch data. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch IC 2130 may generate a control signal for automatically opening or closing the door 2030 based on touch data. However, this is only an embodiment, and an operation of identifying a kind (material) of the panel of the door 2030 based on touch data generated according to a touch and generating a control signal for automatically opening or closing the door 2030 based on the touch data may be performed by the processor (not shown).

[0091] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an air gap (not shown) may exist between the door 2030 and the PCB 2100 to generate a displacement of the touch key 2031 such that the pattern coil 2111 operates as an inductive sensor. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air gap between the touch key 2031 and the PCB 2100 may be a space formed by a support structure between the PCB 2100 and the panel included in the door 2030. Alternatively, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air gap between the touch key 2031 and the PCB 2100 may be a space formed by etching a surface of the PCB 2100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB 2100 may include a first PCB (not shown) on which the pattern coil 2111 is printed and a second PCB (not shown) soldered onto the first PCB as an interposer layer on the first PCB. In this case, the air gap capable of generating a displacement of the touch key 2031 may be formed by the second PCB soldered onto the first PCB. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the second PCB as an interposer layer may also include a printed circuit.

[0092] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a PCB including an inductive sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0093] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB 2100 may include the inductive sensor 2110 capable of implementing the inductive sensing method. The inductive sensor 2110 may include the pattern coil 2111 capable of causing a change of a magnetic field depending on a displacement difference of metal approaching the pattern coil 2111. The pattern coil 2111 may be a coil printed on the PCB 2100.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 5, when a user's touch is made on the door 2030 in a direction toward the door 2030, a change of a magnetic field of the pattern coil 2111 may occur based on a slight displacement difference of the panel configuring the door. The change of the magnetic field may cause an inductance change of a path along which alternating current flows. Based on the inductance change, a value of the alternating current may also change, and according to the change of the value of the alternating current, the touch may be recognized. The operation may be performed regardless of a material of the panel. When the panel is a conductive panel and a user's touch is made on the conductive panel, a change of a magnetic field of the pattern coil 2111 may be generated based on a displacement difference of the panel. In the case in which the panel is a non-conductive panel, a conductive material may be attached to a lower side of the panel. Because the conductive material is attached to the lower side of the panel, when a user's touch is made on the panel, a change of a magnetic field of the pattern coil 2111 may be generated based on a displacement difference of the panel even though the panel is a glass panel or a plastic panel. Accordingly, even when a non-conductive panel is included in the door 2030, touch sensing by the inductive sensing method may be possible.

[0095] The touch IC 2130 may be a hardware chip including a circuit connected to the pattern coil 2111 and configured to process a user's touch data, as described above. Operations of the touch IC 2130 will be described in more detail, below.

[0096] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 may be a touch pad based on the capacitive sensing method. When the panel of the door 2030 is a non-conductive panel such as a glass panel or a plastic panel and no conductive material is attached to the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 may be used as a touch pad to sense a user's touch according to a change in capacitance.

[0097] FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view for describing inductive sensing when a touch is made on a conductive panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0098] Although not shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a touch sensor capable of sensing a touch may also be positioned on a side of the refrigerator 2000. However, the touch sensor is not described below.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 6A, when a user touches the conductive panel 2210, the inductive sensor 2110 of the PCB 2100 on a main body 2010 may sense the touch according to a displacement difference of the conductive panel 2210. As described above, when the conductive panel 2210 generates a displacement change toward a pattern coil (not shown) included in the inductive sensor 2110 by pressure caused by a user's touch, the inductive sensor 2110 may recognize the touch through a change of a magnetic field generated in the pattern coil. The inductive sensor 2110 may recognize a touch by responding to even a slight displacement change of the conductive panel 2210. For example, the inductive sensor 2110 may sense a displacement change of 20 μm to 50 um of the conductive panel 2210. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6A, in the case in which a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100, a movement of the conductive panel 2210 may spread to the entire area of the conductive panel 2210, which may significantly increase a touch recognition area 15.

[0100] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view for describing inductive sensing when a touch is made on a non-conductive panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 6B, when a user touches a non-conductive panel 2220, the inductive sensor 2110 of the PCB 2100 on the main body 2010 may not respond to a displacement difference of the non-conductive panel 2220. Accordingly, when the non-conductive panel 2220 is used in a door, the inductive sensor 2110 may fail to sense a touch. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, to enable the inductive sensor 2110 to sense a touch made on the non-conductive panel 2220, a conductive copper foil 2045 may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel 2220, that is, a surface of the non-conductive panel 2220 facing the PCB 2100. The conductive copper foil 2045 may include a metal copper foil. When the conductive copper foil 2045 attached to the non-conductive panel 2220 causes a displacement change toward the pattern coil (not shown) included in the inductive sensor 2110 by a user's touch pressure applied onto the non-conductive panel 2220, touch recognition may be conducted through a change of a magnetic field generated in the pattern coil 2111. Because a slight displacement change occurs when a touch is made even on the non-conductive panel 2220 made of a glass material or a plastic material, such touch recognition may be possible. The inductive sensor 2110 may recognize a touch by responding to such a slight displacement change. As shown in FIG. 6B, in the case in which a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100, a movement of the non-conductive panel 2220 may spread to the entire area of the non-conductive panel 2220, which may significantly increase the touch recognition area 15. However, in this case, the touch recognition area 15 may be proportional to a size of the conductive copper foil 2045, and therefore, the conductive copper foil 2045 attached to the non-conductive panel 2220 may need to cover a sufficiently wide range of the non-conductive panel 2220.

[0102] By the methods described above with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a user's touch made on the door 2030 may be sensed by the inductive sensor 2110 regardless of whether the panel of the refrigerator 2000 is the conductive panel 2210 or the non-conductive panel 2220.

[0103] FIG. 7 is a front view showing a touch recognition area when the inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is used.

[0104] In FIG. 7, a PCB area 2101 where the PCB 2100 including the inductive sensor 2110 is positioned is shown. The PCB 2100 may be positioned to correspond to the PCB area 2101 below a panel 2200.

[0105] The touch recognition area 15 for sensing by the inductive sensor 2110 is shown separately on the panel 2200 of the refrigerator 2000. A reason why the touch recognition area 15 extends significantly wider than the PCB area 2101 where the PCB 2100 is positioned may be because a displacement difference of the panel 2200 is detected by the inductive sensor 2110 even when a touch is made at a location that is away from the inductive sensor 2110 included in the PCB 2100. Accordingly, in the case in which a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100, the touch recognition area 15 may extend relatively widely, as shown in FIG. 7. However, FIG. 7 shows only an example, and the touch recognition area 15 may be wider or a little smaller than the area shown in FIG. 7 depending on a thickness and elasticity of the panel 2200. In the case in which a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100 (within 3 cm to 15 cm from edges of the PCB 2100), the possibility that the inductive sensor 2110 will recognize a touch made on the panel 2200 even at a long distance from the PCB 2100 may be high.

[0106] Even when a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100, a part of the panel 2200, for example, a part of edges of the panel 2200 may come into close contact with the main body 2010 including the PCB 2100. The part of the panel 2200 that comes into close contact with the main body 2010 may act as a support structure. Even though the part exists, at least 50% of the door 2030 in a vertical direction of the door 2030 from the PCB area 2101 may be the touch recognition area 15. Referring to FIG. 7, 50% of a distance from the PCB area 2101 to an upper edge of the door 2030 may be the touch recognition area 15, and 50% of a distance from the PCB area 2101 to a lower edge of the door 2030 may also be the touch recognition area 15. An entire area of the door 2030 in a horizontal direction may be the touch recognition area 15 regardless of the PCB area 2101. However, this may be only an example showing that the touch recognition area 15 is relative to a size of the refrigerator 2000, and in the case in which the refrigerator 2000 is a small refrigerator with a height of 60 cm or less, a nearly entire area of the panel 2200 may be the touch recognition area 15.

[0107] In the case in which the panel 2200 is the non-conductive panel 2220, a copper foil may need to be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel 2220, as shown in FIG. 6B. In this case, the touch recognition area 15 may depend on an area of the copper foil. In other words, when the area of the copper foil is wide, the touch recognition area 15 may also be wide, and when the area of the copper foil is small, the touch recognition area 15 may be relatively small because influence of the copper foil causing a change in a magnetic field in the inductive sensor 2110 is limited.

[0108] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the copper foil may include a copper foil tape having an adhesive on one side.

[0109] FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented on a conductive panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0110] The refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 8A may be configured with the main body 2010 and the conductive panel 2210 including a touch key. An area of the conductive panel 2210 where the touch key is positioned may be used as an input interface for a user. The PCB 2100 may include the inductive sensor 2110. The inductive sensor 2110 may be implemented as the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100.

[0111] When a user presses the conductive panel 2210, a displacement difference of the conductive panel 2210 may need to be generated to generate an inductance change in the inductive sensor 2110 of the PCB 2100. A displacement difference of the conductive panel 2210 may be generated by an air gap 2140 formed between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. An inductance change of the inductive sensor 2110 may be generated by a displacement difference of the conductive panel 2210, and a touch made on the conductive panel 2210 may be sensed by a change of alternating current of the inductive sensor 2110, caused by the generated inductance change. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a touch key may be positioned on the conductive panel 2210, or a part of the conductive panel 2210 may be provided as a touch area without providing a separate touch key such that a touch is sensed when a user touches the touch area.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 8A, to generate a displacement difference when a user touches the touch key or the touch area on the conductive panel 2210, a space (the air gap 2140) may need to be formed between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. The air gap 2140 may provide a space where a displacement difference is generated between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. To form the air gap 2140, a support structure 2400, such as a rubber or a double-sided tape, may be used between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210.

[0113] In FIG. 8A, the conductive panel 2210 may be installed on the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000. Recently, products that allow users to freely select a color or material of a panel installed on the door 2030 have been released. In the case in which the conductive panel 2210 such as metal is used, a function (for example, an automatic opening and closing function) of the door 2030 may be implemented according to touch sensing based on the inductive sensing method described with reference to FIG. 8A. In the case in which the conductive panel 2210 needs to be implemented on a surface of a home appliance including an air conditioner, a washing machine, a drying machine, an air dresser, an electric oven, and a dish washer, as well as the refrigerator 2000, the inductive sensor 2110 may be implemented.

[0114] FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented on a non-conductive panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0115] The refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 8B may be configured with the main body 2010 and the non-conductive panel 2220 including a touch key. The non-conductive panel 2220 may include, for example, a glass panel or a plastic panel, although not limited thereto. An area of the non-conductive panel 2220 where a touch key is positioned may be used as an input interface for a user. The PCB 2100 may include the capacitive sensor 2120. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the capacitive sensor 2120 of the PCB 2100 may be implemented by the pattern coil 2111 used as the inductive sensor 2110 in FIG. 8A. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the case in which the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 is configured with the non-conductive panel 2220, the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100 may function as a touch pad when a user touches an area operating as a touch key on the non-conductive panel 2220. Accordingly, in the case in which the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 is configured with the non-conductive panel 2220, the pattern coil 2111 may function as a touch pad for performing the capacitive sensing method.

[0116] When a user presses a touch key for touch sensing (or a touch recognition area included in the non-conductive panel 2220) included in the non-conductive panel 2220, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100, corresponding to the capacitive sensor 2120, may function as a touch pad and be coupled to a capacitor formed between the user and a ground, thereby causing a change in capacitance. According to the change in capacitance, the touch IC 2130 included in the PCB may sense a touch based on the capacitive sensing method.

[0117] Therefore, the refrigerator 2000 may sense the user's touch made on the panel regardless of whether the panel is the conductive panel 2210 or the non-conductive panel 2220.

[0118] In FIG. 8B, the non-conductive panel 2220 may be positioned on the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000. In the case in which the panel 2200 is the non-conductive panel 2220 such as glass, a function (for example, an automatic opening and closing function) of the door 2030 may be implemented according to touch sensing based on the capacitive sensing method described with reference to FIG. 8B. In the case in which the non-conductive panel 2220 is used on a surface of a home appliance including an air conditioner, a washing machine, a drying machine, an air dresser, an electric oven, and a dish washer, as well as the refrigerator 2000, the capacitive sensor 2120 may be implemented.

[0119] FIG. 8B shows a case in which there is no support structure around the PCB 2100. However, according to an example, there may be a support structure around the PCB 2100. In this case, a part of the non-conductive panel 2200 may be in close contact with any of edges of the main body 2010, and due to the part, the non-conductive panel 2220 may be spaced from the PCB 2100. Because the capacitive sensor 2120 is difficult to recognize a touch at a location far from the capacitive sensor 2120, a touch recognition area may be limited to an area around the capacitive sensor 2120.

[0120] FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented through a cavity formed by etching a PCB, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0121] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 9A may have a structure where a cavity 2060 exists between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. The structure shown in FIG. 9A may be applied to a case in which a panel included in the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 is in close contact with the PCB 2100 included in the main body 2010 and accordingly, there is no appropriate space for touch sensing between the panel and the PCB 2100.

[0122] A touch key or a touch recognition area on the conductive panel 2210 may be used as an input interface for a user. When a user presses the touch key (or the touch recognition area) included in the conductive panel 2210, the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To generate an inductance change in the pattern coil 2111 operating as the inductive sensor 2110, a displacement difference of the touch key included in the conductive panel 2210 may need to be generated. The displacement difference of the touch key may be generated by the cavity 2060 located between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. The cavity 2060 may be a kind of air gap. The cavity 2060 may be formed by a process of cutting the PCB 2100 with a laser or sandblasting the PCB 2100. The structure including the cavity 2060, as shown in FIG. 9A, may provide a space where a displacement difference of the touch key is generated between the conductive panel 2210 and the inductive sensor 2110 without a spacer.

[0123] By the displacement difference of the touch key, an inductance change may be generated in the inductive sensor 2110, and a touch may be sensed through a current change of the inductive sensor 2110, caused by the generated inductance change. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 operating as the inductive sensor 2110 may be positioned on a surface of the PCB 2100 exposed to the cavity 2060.

[0124] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented through a cavity formed by etching a PCB, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0125] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 9B may have a structure where the cavity 2060 is formed by etching the PCB 2100, like the structure of FIG. 9A, but the refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 9B may include the non-conductive panel 2220 instead of the conductive panel 2210.

[0126] A touch key or a touch recognition area on the non-conductive panel 2220 may be used as an input interface for a user. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch key (or the touch recognition area) included in the non-conductive panel 2220, the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100 may function as a touch pad and operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. When a user touches the touch key or the touch recognition area on the non-conductive panel 2220, capacitance by the user's touch may be added to capacitance by the pattern coil 2111 to change total capacitance, and a touch IC (not shown) of the PCB 2100 may sense the touch according to the change in capacitance.

[0127] As described above with reference to FIGS. 8A to 9B, when a user touches the panel 2200, the refrigerator 2000 may detect the touch by the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method. When a user touches a side of the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000, the touch may be detected by the capacitive sensing method through the touch gasket 2133, although not limited thereto.

[0128] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the inductive sensing method may recognize that a touch has been made when a detected inductance change Delta-I of the pattern coil 2111 is greater than or equal to a preset inductance threshold. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as an operation according to the recognized touch, the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may open. Meanwhile, when the detected inductance change Delta-I is smaller than the preset inductance threshold, it may be recognized that no touch has been made, and the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may not operate. When a detected inductance change Delta-I is greater than or equal to the preset inductance threshold while the door 2030 is in an open state, it may be recognized that a touch has been made, and the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may be closed. Meanwhile, when a detected inductance change Delta-I is smaller than the preset inductance threshold while the door 2030 is in the open state, it may be recognized that no touch has been made and the door 2030 may not operate.

[0129] An inductance change Delta-I may be detected through the touch IC 2130. An inductance change Delta-I may be obtained by subtracting an inductance reference value Baseline-I from a real-time inductance sensed value Rawcount-I. The inductance reference value Baseline-I may be set to an average of inductance values sensed several times while no touch is made on the panel 2200.

[0130] The preset inductance threshold may be a reference value for an inductance change used to determine whether a touch has been made, and for example, the preset inductance threshold may be set to a value corresponding to about 90% to about 100% of an inductance value based on which a valid touch is determined through an experiment.

[0131] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the capacitive sensing method may recognize that a touch has been made when a capacitance change Delta-C detected while the pattern coil 2111 operates as a touch pad is greater than or equal to a preset capacitance threshold, and perform an operation according to the touch. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the operation according to the touch may include opening the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000. Meanwhile, when the detected capacitance change Delta-C is smaller than the preset capacitance threshold, it may be recognized that no touch has been made, and the operation according to the touch may not be performed. For example, while no touch is recognized, the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may not operate. When a capacitance change Delta-C detected while the door 2030 is in an open state is greater than or equal to the preset capacitance threshold, it may be recognized that a touch has been made, and the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may be closed. Meanwhile, when a capacitance change Delta-C detected while the door 2030 is in the open state is smaller than the preset capacitance threshold, it may be recognized that no touch has been made, and the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may not operate.

[0132] A capacitance change Delta-C may be detected through the touch IC 2130. A capacitance change Delta-C may be obtained by subtracting a capacitance reference value Baseline-C from a real-time capacitance sensed value Rawcount-C. The capacitance reference value Baseline-C may be set to an average of capacitance values sensed several times while no touch is made on the panel 2200.

[0133] The preset capacitance threshold may be a reference value for a capacitance change used to determine whether a touch has been made, and for example, the preset inductance threshold may be set to a value corresponding to about 90% to about 100% of a capacitance value based on which a valid touch is determined through an experiment.

[0134] FIG. 10 is a front view showing a touch recognition area when a multi sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is used.

[0135] 101 of FIG. 10 is a front view showing a touch recognition area 16 when the panel 2200 is the conductive panel 2210 in the structures where there is a support structure around the PCB 2100 or where a support is formed by etching the PCB 2100, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A. As seen in 101, it may be confirmed that the touch recognition area 16 is relatively smaller than the touch recognition area 15 of FIG. 7 due to the support structure (etched structure) unlike the case of FIG. 7. In other words, in the structures where there is a support structure around the PCB 2100 or where the PCB 2100 is etched, as shown in FIG. 8A or 9A, a touch may be recognized only around the PCB area 2101 (where an inductive sensor exists).

[0136] Likewise, 102 is a front view showing a touch recognition area 17 when the panel 2200 is the non-conductive panel 2220 in the structures where ta support structure is absent around the PCB 2100 or where the PCB 2100 is etched, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9B. As seen in 102, it may be confirmed that the touch recognition area 17 is relatively smaller than the touch recognition area 15 of FIG. 7 because a touch recognition area of the capacitive sensor 2120 is relatively limited compared to the case of FIG. 7.

[0137] FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of a touch sensing circuit according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0138] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch IC 2130 may read a signal from the pattern coil 2111 through a reception path RX. The signal read by the touch IC 2130 may be, for example, in the form of a pulse per unit time. However, the signal read by the touch IC 2130 may vary depending on specifications of the touch IC 2130.

[0139] For example, when the touch IC 2130 detects a signal through the reception path RX, there may be a difference depending on whether the panel 2200 is the conductive panel 2210 or the non-conductive panel 2220. Also, a port IND_N0 connected to the reception path RX and one end of capacitance C103, and a port IND_P0 at an upper end of a voltage distribution circuit may be converted into states shown in Table 1 according to touch data detected through the reception path RX.TABLE 1Conductive PanelNon-Conductive Panel(Inductive(Capacitive SensingSensing Method)Method)Touch Data>19,000≤19,000IND_P0HighHigh ImpedanceIND_N0LowHigh Impedance

[0140] As shown in able, when the panel 2200 is the conductive panel 2210, touch data detected in the reception path RX of the touch IC 2130 may be greater than 19,000. Meanwhile, when the panel 2200 is the non-conductive panel 2220, touch data detected in the reception path RX of the touch IC 2130 may be smaller than or equal to 19,000. However, a data value of 19,000 detected from the pattern coil 2111 may be only an example, and the data value may vary depending on a circuit configuration or the specifications of the touch IC 2130. The main point is that when a user's touch is made on the panel 2200, touch data detected by the touch IC 2130 depends on whether a material of the panel 2200 is conductive or non-conductive.

[0141] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a material(kind) of the panel 2200 facing the pattern coil 2111 may be identified according to touch data read by the touch IC 2130. According to the panel 2200 being identified as the conductive panel 2210 based on touch data (touch data>19,000 in Table 1), a processor (not shown) of the refrigerator 2000 may perform control of setting the port IND_P0 to high and the port IND_N0 to low to operate the pattern coil 2111 connected to the touch IC 2130 by the inductive sensing method. A reason why the processor performs control of setting the port IND_P0 to high and the port IND_N0 to low may be to cause a periphery circuit including the pattern coil 2111 around the touch IC 2130 to operate as an inductive sensor. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or a certain function of the touch IC 2130 may act as the processor.

[0142] According to the panel 2200 being identified as the non-conductive panel 2220 based on touch data (touch data ≤19,000 in Table 1), the processor of the refrigerator 2000 may set the ports IND_P0 and IND_N0 to a high impedance state to operate the pattern coil 2111 connected to the touch IC 2130 by the capacitive sensing method. The high impedance state may include an open state. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or a certain function of the touch IC 2130 may act as the processor.

[0143] However, how to set states of the ports IND_P0 and IND_N0 as a peripheral circuit of the touch IC 2130 may depend on the specifications of the touch IC 2130. It may be important that according to a material of the panel 2200 identified based on received touch data, the processor may change a configuration of the peripheral circuit of the touch IC 2130 to operate by any sensing method of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method.

[0144] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which the pattern coil operates as a multi sensor according to a material of a panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0145] In operation S1301, a user may touch a touch recognition area of a home appliance.

[0146] A panel including the touch recognition area may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0147] In operation S1303, a touch sensor located below the touch recognition area may generate touch data according to the touch by the user. The touch sensor may include the pattern coil 2111. The pattern coil 2111 may generate different touch data according to kinds of panels touched by a user. A data value for distinguishing a conductive panel from a non-conductive panel when a touch is made on the pattern coil 2111 is referred to as a preset panel identification value. For example, the preset panel identification value may vary depending on the specifications of the touch IC 2130, specifications of the pattern coil 2111, or a designer's settings.

[0148] In operation S1305, the home appliance may compare the touch data obtained by the touch sensor to the preset panel identification value. The home appliance may identify a material of the panel on which the touch has been made, based on the compared result. The home appliance may identify the panel as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel by comparing the touch data to the preset panel identification value. When the compared result between the touch data and the preset panel identification value satisfies a condition 1, the panel may be identified as a conductive panel. When the compared result between the touch data and the preset panel identification value satisfies a condition 2, the panel may be identified as a non-conductive panel. For example, a case in which touch data is greater than or equal to the preset panel identification value may be the condition 1, and a case in which touch data is smaller than the preset panel identification value may be the condition 2. However, this may be only an example, and according to a circuit configuration, a case in which touch data is smaller than or equal to the preset panel identification value may be the condition 1, and a case which touch data is greater than the preset panel identification value may be the condition 2.

[0149] In operations S1307 and S1309, the home appliance may set a configuration of the peripheral circuit of the touch IC 2130 based on the identified material of the panel. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the home appliance may enable the touch sensor to operate as the inductive sensor 2110 or the capacitive sensor 2120 by setting a preset port to a high, low, or high-impedance state.

[0150] After a configuration of the peripheral circuit of the touch IC 2130 is completely set, according to the panel being identified as a conductive panel, the touch sensor including the pattern coil 2111 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 in operation S1311. Also, in operation S1313, according to the panel being identified as a non-conductive panel, the touch sensor including the pattern coil 2111 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. At this time, the pattern coil 2111 may operate as a touch pad for capacitive sensing.

[0151] FIG. 14 shows a refrigerator to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0152] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the main body 2010.

[0153] The main body 2010 may include an inner case, an outer case positioned outside the inner case, and an insulation positioned between the inner case and the outer case.

[0154] The “inner case” may include a case, a plate, a panel, or a liner forming a storage room. The inner case may be formed as a single body or formed by assembling a plurality of plates. The “outer case” may form an appearance of the main body 2010, and may be coupled to an outer side of the inner case such that the insulation is positioned between the inner case and the outer case.

[0155] The “insulation” may insulate inside of the storage room from outside of the storage room such that an internal temperature of the storage room is maintained at an appropriate setting temperature without being influenced by an external environment of the storage room. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the insulation may include a foam insulation. By fixing the inner case and the outer case with a jig or the like and then injecting and foaming urethane foam which is a mixture of polyurethane and a foaming agent, the foam insulation may be formed.

[0156] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the insulation may include a vacuum insulation in addition to a foam insulation, or the insulation may be configured only with a vacuum insulation without a foam insulation. The vacuum insulation may include a core material, and a cladding material accommodating the core material therein and sealing inside with vacuum or pressure close to vacuum. The vacuum insulation may further include an adsorbent for adsorbing a gas and water to stably maintain a vacuum state. However, the insulation is not limited to a foaming insulation or a vacuum insulation mentioned above, and may include various materials capable of being used for insulation.

[0157] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a cool air supply device for supplying cool air to the storage room.

[0158] The “cool air supply device” may include a machine, an apparatus, an electronic device, and / or a combination system thereof, capable of generating cool air and guiding the cool air to cool the storage room.

[0159] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cool air supply device may generate cool air through a cooling cycle including compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation processes of refrigerants. To this end, the cool air supply device may include a compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator to drive the cooling cycle.

[0160] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a machine room where at least some components belonging to the cool air supply device are installed.

[0161] The “machine room” may be partitioned and insulated from the storage room to prevent heat generated from the components installed in the machine room from being transferred to the storage room. To dissipate heat from the components installed inside the machine room, the machine room may communicate with outside of the main body.

[0162] The refrigerator 2000 is a kind of home appliance that supplies cool air generated by the compressor of the cool air supply device to the storage room to maintain various foods fresh for a long time. The refrigerator 2000 may provide various functions in addition to such a long-time storage function, and representative ones among the functions may be a communication function of configuring an Internet of Things (IoT) network and a function of outputting sound through a speaker installed on the refrigerator 2000.

[0163] Referring to FIG. 14, the refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the main body 2010, and a door 2030a, 2030b, 2030c, and 2030d that opens or closes the storage room.

[0164] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the door 2030 configured to open or close an open side of the storage room.

[0165] The refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 14 is shown to include four doors 2030. However, the number of the doors 2030 is not limited thereto. A right upper door 2030a and a right lower door 2030b of the refrigerator 2000 may be configured as a single door, and the single door may include a panel. The panel may include a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel. A left upper door 2030c and a left lower door 2030d of the refrigerator 2000 may be configured as a single door. The single door may include a panel. The panel may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel. Also, the number of the doors 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may be more or less than four. Also, positions of the doors 2030 may change variously. According to an arrangement of the doors 2030 and the storage room, the refrigerator 2000 may be classified into a French door type refrigerator, a side-by-side type refrigerator, etc.

[0166] The door 2030 may be closed to insulate the storage room from outside temperature. The door 2030 may include an insulation, like the main body 2010, to insulate the storage room while being closed.

[0167] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the touch recognition area 15 on the door 2030 (the panel 2200 included in the door 2030). The touch recognition area 15 may be an area configured to perform a preset operation (automatically opening or closing the door 2030) when a user touches the area. The touch recognition area 15 may have a relatively wide range in the case in which the pattern coil 211 included in the PCB 2100 operates only as the inductive sensor 2110 without any support structure around the PCB 2100, as shown in FIG. 6A or 6B. In the case in which the panel of the door 2030 is a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the panel to enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate only as the inductive sensor 2110.

[0168] In the case in which there is a support structure around the PCB 2100 and the pattern coil 2111 operates selectively as the inductive sensor 2110 or the capacitive sensor 2120 according to a material of the panel, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 9B, the touch recognition area 15 may have a relatively small range compared to the above case.

[0169] FIG. 15 shows a dish washer to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0170] Referring to FIG. 15, a dish washer 3000 may be configured with a main body 3010 and a door 3030 for enabling a user to put dishes to be washed into the main body 3010 or take washed dishes out of the main body 3010. In an upper end portion of the door 3030, a user interface 3040 may be provided. As shown in FIG. 15, the user interface 3040 of the dish washer 3000 may be positioned on a surface of the door 3030, which appears when the door 3030 opens, although not limited thereto. The user interface 3040 may be a part of the main body 3010 or may be positioned on a front surface of the door 3030. The user interface 3040 may include an input panel as an input interface that receives an operation command from a user, and a display as an output interface that displays operation information of the dish washer 3000. The input panel as the input interface may include a touch key that operates by a touch. In FIG. 15, the touch recognition area 15 may be provided on the front surface of the door 3030. The user interface 3040 may be positioned at a part of the touch recognition area 15.

[0171] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the dish washer 3000 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel included in the door 3030. According to the panel of the door 3030 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the panel of the door 3030 being identified as a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0172] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the dish washer 3000 may identify a kind of the panel included in the door 3030 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method. When a user's touch is made on the panel of the door 3030, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel of the door 3030 may be identified.

[0173] According to the panel of the door 3030 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, a processor of the dish washer 3000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0174] According to the panel of the door 3030 being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor of the dish washer 3000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0175] FIG. 16 shows an electric oven to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0176] An electric oven 4000 may be a cooking appliance for performing cooking such as baking. Because the electric oven 4000 has a high internal temperature, in many cases, an external panel of the electric oven 4000 is made of metal rather than plastic. However, recently, because external panels are made of high-resistant glass or high-resistant plastic, there is a need to implement a touch sensor that is not restricted by a panel material.

[0177] The electric oven 4000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a user interface4040. The user interface 4040 may include a touch key for receiving a user input, together with a display for displaying information for a user. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch key may operate by the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method.

[0178] At least a part of the user interface 4040 may operate as the touch recognition area 15 that performs a function of opening or closing a door 4030 according to a user's touch. The touch recognition area 15 may be positioned on at least a part of the user interface 4040, or on a front surface of the door 4030 as shown in FIG. 16.

[0179] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the electric oven 4000 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel included in the door 4030. According to the panel of the door 4030 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the panel of the door 4030 being identified as a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0180] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the electric oven 4000 may identify a kind of the panel included in the door 4030 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method. When a user's touch is made on the panel of the door 4030, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel of the door 4030 may be identified.

[0181] According to the panel of the door 4030 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, a processor of the electric oven 4000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0182] According to the panel of the door 4030 being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor of the electric oven 4000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0183] FIG. 17 shows a washing machine to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0184] A washing machine 5000 of FIG. 17 may include a main body 5010, a water tank (not shown) installed inside the main body 5010, and a drum 5011 installed inside the water tank. A lifter 5012 that lifts laundry upward and then drops the laundry by gravity while the drum 5011 rotates may be installed on an inner side of the drum 5011. The drum 5011 may perform washing, rinsing, and / or dehydrating while rotating inside a tub which will be described below. The drum 5011 may include a through hole that connects an inside space of the drum 5011 with an inside space of the tub. The drum 5011 may have a substantially cylindrical shape of which one side opens.

[0185] The main body 5010 may generally have, but is not limited thereto, a hexahedron shape. In a front center of the main body 5010, an opening 5013 through which laundry is put into the drum 5011 or taken out of the drum 5011 may be formed, and a door 5030 for opening or closing the opening 5013 may be rotatably installed. At least a part of the door 5030 may be transparent or translucent to show an inside space surrounded by the drum 5011. At least a part of the door 5030 may include the touch recognition area 15 in which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is positioned.

[0186] The washing machine 5000 may include the tub provided inside the water tank to store water, which is not shown in FIG. 17. The tub may be supported inside the water tank. The tub may have a substantially cylindrical shape of which one side opens. The tub may be elastically supported on the water tank by a damper. The damper may connect the tub to the water tank. The damper may attenuate vibrations generated during a rotation of the drum 5011 by absorbing vibration energy between the tub and the water tank upon transferring of the vibrations to the tub and / or the water tank.

[0187] On a front upper portion of the main body 5010, a user interface 5040 for displaying an operation state of the washing machine 5000 for a user or enabling the user to control a washing operation may be installed. The user interface 5040 may include an input device as an input interface for receiving an operation command from a user, and a display device as an output interface for displaying operation information of the washing machine 5000.

[0188] The input device may provide an electrical output signal corresponding to a user input to a controller (not shown) including a processor. The input device may include, for example, a power button, an operation button, a course selection dial (or a course selection button), and a washing / rinsing / dehydrating setting button. The input button may include, for example, a tact switch, a push switch, a slide switch, a toggle switch, a micro switch, a touch switch, etc. A surface of the washing machine 5000 or at least a part of the user interface 5040 of the washing machine 5000 may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0189] The display may receive a signal from the processor, and display information corresponding to the received signal. The display may include a screen for displaying an operation time of the washing machine 5000 and a washing course selected by rotating the course selection dial (or pressing the course selection button), and an indicator for displaying a washing setting / rinsing setting / dehydrating setting selected by the setting button. The display may include, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) panel, etc.

[0190] The washing machine 5000 may include a driver configured to rotate the drum 5011, which is not shown in FIG. 17.

[0191] The driver (not shown) may include a driving motor, and a rotating shaft (not shown) for transferring a driving force generated in the driving motor to the drum 5011. The rotating shaft may penetrate the tub and be connected to the drum. The driver may rotate the drum 5011 forward and backward to perform a washing operation, a rinsing operation, and / or a dehydrating operation.

[0192] A controller including the processor may control various components (for example, the driving motor and a water supply valve) of the washing machine 5000. The controller may control various components of the washing machine 5000 to perform at least an operation including water supply, washing, rinsing, and / or dehydrating according to a user input to a control panel. For example, the controller may control the driving motor to adjust a rotation speed of the tub, or control the water supply valve of a water supply to supply water to the tub.

[0193] The controller may include hardware, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or memory, and software such as a control program. For example, the controller may include at least one memory that stores data in the form of an algorithm or program for controlling operations of components in the washing machine, and at least one processor that performs the above-described operations by using the data stored in the at least one memory. The memory and the processor may be implemented as separate chips. The processor may include one, two or more processor chips or one, two, or more processing cores. The memory may include one, two, or more memory chips or one, two, or more memory blocks. Also, the memory and the processor may be implemented as a single chip.

[0194] At least a part of the user interface 5040 may operate as the touch recognition area 15 that performs a function of opening or closing the door 5030 by a user's touch. The touch recognition area 15 may include at least a part of the user interface 5040, or may be a part of the door 5030 as shown in FIG. 17.

[0195] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the washing machine 5000 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel configuring at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040. According to the at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040 being a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below or around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040 being a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0196] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the washing machine 5000 may identify a kind of a panel configuring at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method. When a user's touch is made on the touch recognition area 15 configuring at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of a panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 may be identified.

[0197] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, a processor of the washing machine 5000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0198] In the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor of the washing machine 5000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0199] FIG. 18 shows an air conditioner to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0200] To cool an air-conditioned space to be air-conditioned, an air conditioner 6000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may absorb heat from the air-conditioned space (hereinafter, referred to as an “indoor space”) and emit heat to an outside (hereinafter, referred to as an “outside space”) of the air-conditioned space. Also, to heat the indoor space, the air conditioner 6000 may absorb heat from the outside space and emit heat to the indoor space.

[0201] Also, the air conditioner 6000 may include one, two, or more outdoor units 6100 installed in the outdoor space and one, two, or more indoor units 6200 installed in the indoor space. An outdoor unit 6100 may be electrically connected to an indoor unit 6200. For example, a user may input information (or a command) for controlling the indoor unit 6200 through a user interface 6040, and the outdoor unit 6100 may operate in response to a user input from the indoor unit 6200.

[0202] The outdoor unit 6100 may be fluidically connected to the indoor unit 6200 through a refrigerant pipe.

[0203] The outdoor unit 6100 may be installed in an outdoor space. The outdoor unit 6100 may perform heat exchange between a refrigerant and outside air by using a phase change (for example, evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant. At this time, the heat exchange may be performed through an outdoor heat exchanger included in the outdoor unit 6100. For example, while a refrigerant is condensed in the outdoor unit 6100, the refrigerant may emit heat to outside air. While a refrigerant is evaporated in the outdoor unit 6100, the refrigerant may absorb heat from outside air.

[0204] The indoor unit 6200 may be installed in an indoor space. The indoor unit 6200 may perform heat exchange between a refrigerant and indoor air by using a phase change (for example, evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant. The heat exchange may be performed through an indoor heat exchanger included in the indoor unit 6200. For example, while a refrigerant is evaporated in the indoor unit 6200, the refrigerant may absorb heat from indoor air, and the indoor space may be cooled. While a refrigerant is condensed in the indoor unit 6200, the refrigerant may emit heat to indoor air, and the indoor space may be heated. The air conditioner 6000 may include a compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, an expander, and the indoor heat exchanger. The air conditioner 6000 may include a refrigerant pipe that connects the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the expander, and the indoor heat exchanger to each other.

[0205] The indoor unit 6200 of the air conditioner 6000 may include a user interface 6040 that displays operation information of the air conditioner 6000 and receives a command from a user. A display of the user interface 6040 may receive information about an operation of the air conditioner 6000 from a processor that controls an operation of the air conditioner 6000, and display information corresponding to the received information. The display may include an indicator that displays an operation mode of the air conditioner 6000, selected by a user, power on / off of the indoor unit 6200, etc. The indicator may include, for example, a LCD panel, a LED panel, or a plurality of LEDs. At least a part of a surface of the air conditioner 6000 or at least a part of the user interface 6040 may be configured with a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0206] The outdoor unit 6100 may include an outdoor unit body 6101 forming an appearance of the outdoor unit 6100, and an outdoor unit fan 6102 that is provided in a side of the outdoor unit body 6101 and discharges heat-exchanged air.

[0207] The indoor unit 6200 may include an indoor unit body 6201 forming an appearance of the indoor unit 6200, an indoor unit outlet 6202 that is provided in a front side of the indoor unit body 6201 and discharges heat-exchanged air, and the user interface 6040 that receives an operation command for the air conditioner 6000 from a user.

[0208] The touch recognition area 15 shown in FIG. 18 is only an example, and a position or size of the touch recognition area 15 may vary according to applications.

[0209] At least a part of the user interface 6040 may operate as the touch recognition area 15 that performs a specific function by a user's touch. The touch recognition area 15 may include at least a part of the user interface 6040 or may be positioned at another location. For example, according to a touch made on the touch recognition area 15, a function of operating or stopping the air conditioner 6000 may be performed.

[0210] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the air conditioner 6000 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel of a part corresponding to the touch recognition area 15. In the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below or around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. In the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0211] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the air conditioner 6000 may identify a kind of a panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method. When a user's touch is made on the touch recognition area 15, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 may be identified.

[0212] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, a processor of the air conditioner 6000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0213] In the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor of the air conditioner 6000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0214] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0215] Referring to FIG. 19, the refrigerator 2000 according to the disclosure may include a controller 2500, a cool air supply device 2800, a storage room 2700, the door 2030, and a power conversion device 2600.

[0216] Components of the refrigerator 2000 have been described in detail with reference to FIG. 14, and therefore, overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0217] The cool air supply device 2800 may include a compressor 2810, a condenser 2820, an expander 2830, and an evaporator 2840 capable of driving a cooling cycle. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cool air supply device 2800 may further include a semiconductor such as a thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric element may cool the storage room 2700 by heating and cooling actions through the Peltier effect. The storage room 2700 may include a refrigerating room 2702a and a freezing room 2702b, as described above. The refrigerator 2000 may further include a temperature conversion room 2702c, and the temperature conversion room 2702c may or may not be included in the refrigerator 2000 depending on design specifications or a model of the refrigerator 2000. The refrigerating room 2702a, the freezing room 2702b, and the temperature conversion room 2702c of the storage room 2700 may be called by various names, such as “vegetable room”, “fresh room”, “cooling room”, and “ice room”, and the terms “refrigerating room”, “freezing room” and “temperature conversion room” should be understood to encompass storage rooms having corresponding uses and temperature ranges, respectively.

[0218] The door 2030 may be used to preserve coldness of the storage room 2700 of the refrigerator 2000 while enabling a user to put food into the storage room 2700 and take food stored in the storage room 2700 out of the storage room 2700. A double-door refrigerator may include two doors that open at both sides. The door 2030 may include a transparent door. The door 2030 may be divided into an upper door and a lower door.

[0219] The controller 2500 may include a processor 2510, a first communication unit 2520, a memory 2550, a display 2540, and the PCB 2100. Components of the controller 2500 except for the display 2540 may configure a printed board assembly (PBA) of the refrigerator 2000. The PCB 2100 may be integrated into or separated from the PBA. Also, the touch IC 2130 included in the PCB 2100 may be a part of the processor 2510 of the controller 2500, or the processor 2510 may be included in the touch IC 2130.

[0220] The processor 2510 included in the controller 2500 may be implemented as one or more processors. Also, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) processor may be mounted on the processor 2510. The AI processor may be manufactured in the form of a dedicated hardware chip for AI, or manufactured as a portion of an existing general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) or a graphic dedicated processor (e.g., a GPU) and mounted on the refrigerator 2000.

[0221] The processor 2510 may execute programs stored in the memory 2550 to control the first communication unit 2520, the display 2540, and the memory 2550. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 2510 may control the PCB 2100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 2510 may be an AI processor. The AI processor may be manufactured in the form of a dedicated hardware chip for AI, or manufactured as a portion of an existing general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) or a graphic dedicated processor (e.g., a GPU) and mounted on the refrigerator 2000. The processor 2510 may receive temperature information of the storage room 2700 from a temperature sensor (not show), and generate a cooling control signal for controlling an operation of the cool air supply device 2800 based on the temperature information of the storage room 2700. The processor 2510 may receive a user's touch input through the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100, and perform a preset function of the refrigerator 2000 in response to the user's touch input. The preset function may include a function of opening or closing the door 2030, a function of displaying information on the display 2540, etc., although not limited thereto.

[0222] The processor 2510 may output a control signal for driving the power conversion device 2600, and control an operation of the refrigerator 2000 based on ‘overheating’ information transferred from the power conversion device 2600. The processor 2510 may control the display 2540 to display information or notifications, such as an overheating state or errors of the refrigerator 2000, for a user. For example, when overheating has occurred at a specific location of the refrigerator 2000, the processor 2510 may control the display 2540 to display an overheating state notifying “overheating has currently occurred in XXX” together with an overheating location, based on overheating information transferred from the power conversion device 2600. The first communication unit 2520 may include one or more components for communication between the refrigerator 2000 and a server device (not shown) or between the refrigerator 2000 and a mobile device (not shown). For example, the first communication unit 2520 may include a short-range communication unit 2521, a long-distance communication unit 2523, etc.

[0223] The short-range communication unit 2521 may include, but is not limited thereto, a Bluetooth communication unit, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication unit, a Near Field Communication (NFC) unit, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication unit, a Zigbee communication unit, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) communication unit, a Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) communication unit, a ultra wideband (UWB) communication unit, an Ant+ communication unit, etc. The long-distance communication unit 2523 may be used to communicate with a server device (not shown) when the refrigerator 2000 is controlled remotely by the server device in an IoT environment. The long-distance communication unit 2523 may include the Internet, a computer network (e.g., Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN)), and a mobile communication unit. The mobile communication unit may include, but is not limited thereto, a 3G module, a 4G module, a 5G module, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) module, a NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) module, a LET-M module, etc.

[0224] The display 2540 may be used to display required data.

[0225] According to the display 2540 being configured as a touch screen by forming a layer structure together with a touch pad, the display 2540 may also be used as an input interface. The display 2540 may include at least one of a LCD, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), a LED, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a flexible display, a 3Dimensional (3D) display, or an electrophoretic display. Also, according to an implementation type of the refrigerator 2000, the refrigerator 2000 may include two or more displays 2540.

[0226] The PCB 2100 may include a touch sensor 2102 for receiving a touch input from a user. The touch sensor 2102 may include the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100. The pattern coil 2111 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 or as a capacitive sensor 2120 according to preset conditions.

[0227] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB 2100 may be positioned below the panel 2200. The touch sensor 2102 of the PCB 2100 may recognize a user's touch made on the panel 2200 and generate a control signal corresponding to the user's touch. A function of the refrigerator 2000 corresponding to the generated control signal may be performed. The touch sensor 2102 including the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 may operate as an input interface capable of processing a user's touch input by being combined with the touch recognition area 15 of the panel 2200. Because an operation of the PCB 2100 is relevant to the panel 2200 included in the door 2030, the panel 2200 will be described.

[0228] The panel 2200 may be any one of a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel. The conductive panel may include, for example, a metal panel. The non-conductive panel may include, for example, a glass panel or a plastic panel. The panel 2200 may be included in the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 or replace the door 2030. The panel 2200 may include the touch recognition area 15 that recognizes a user's touch on the surface. The touch recognition area 15 may have different ranges depending on whether the pattern coil 2111 operates by the inductive sensing method or by the capacitive sensing method. Also, the touch recognition area 15 may have different ranges depending on whether or not there is a support structure between the panel 2200 and the PCB 2100. In the case in which there is a support structure between the panel 2200 and the PCB 2100, the touch recognition area 15 may have a relatively small range. The case in which there is a support structure between the panel 2200 and the PCB 2100 may mean a case in which there is a support structure around the PCB 2100. Around the PCB 2100 may vary depending on a size of the PCB 2100, but may include, for example, an area within 3 cm to 15 cm from edges of the PCB 2100.

[0229] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 may operate by the inductive sensing method or by the capacitive sensing method. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 may recognize a user's touch by the inductive sensing method or by the capacitive sensing method, and a function of opening or closing the door 2030 may be performed. The touch recognition area 15 may be positioned on the panel 2200 of the door 2030.

[0230] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15 on the panel 2200, the pattern coil 2111 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of the panel 2200 included in the door 2030.

[0231] According to the panel 2200 being a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the panel 2200 being a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0232] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the processor 2510 may identify a kind of the panel 2200 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method of the pattern coil 2111. When a user's touch is made on the panel 2200, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel 2200 may be identified. The touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may vary according to the kind of the panel 2200. For example, according to the panel 2200 being a conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be greater than the preset panel identification value, and according to the panel 2200 being a non-conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be smaller than the preset panel identification value.

[0233] According to the panel 2200 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, the processor 2510 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor 2510 may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 2510 may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor 2510.

[0234] According to the panel 2200 being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor 2510 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor 2510 may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 2510 may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor 2510.

[0235] The memory 2550 may store a program for processing and control of the processor 2510, and store input / output data. The memory 2550 may store an AI model. For example, the memory 2550 may store an AI model for recognizing sound, an AI model for outputting sound, etc. The memory 2550 may store programs and / or data for controlling components included in the refrigerator 2000, and store temporary data generated while a control signal for controlling the components included in the refrigerator 2000 is generated.

[0236] The memory 2550 may include at least one type of storage medium among a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, Secure Digital (SD) or eXtreme Digital (XD) memory), Random Access Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. Also, the refrigerator 2000 may operate a web storage or a cloud server that performs a storage function on the Internet. Although the memory 2550 is shown as a separate block from the processor 2510 in FIG. 19, the memory 2550 may be included in the processor 2510.

[0237] The power conversion device 2600 may include a switched mode power supply (SMPS).

[0238] The power conversion device 2600 may convert an alternating current voltage of an input power source input to the refrigerator 2000 into a direct current voltage, and supply the direct current voltage to the controller 2500 and other components of the refrigerator 2000. The power conversion device 2600 may include a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller 2630 for controlling PWM switching to convert power. While a switch 2640 operates by the PWM controller 2630, power may be converted. Various power switches may be used as the switch 2640. For example, the switch 2640 may be, but is not limited thereto, a transistor, a field effect transistor (FET), a metal oxide silicon field effect transistor (MOSFET), or an insulated gate bipolar mode transistor (IGBT).

[0239] FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0240] As shown in FIG. 20, a home appliance 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a processor 1001, a communication interface 1300, a user interface 1400, and memory 1500.

[0241] Hereinafter, the above-mentioned components will be described in order.

[0242] The processor 1001 may control overall operations of the home appliance 1000. The processor 1001 may be a hardware apparatus that controls overall operations of the home appliance 1000. The processor 1001 may be a hardware chip including an integrated circuit into which electrical circuit are integrated. The processor 1001 may control the communication interface 1300, the user interface 1400, and the memory 1500 by executing programs stored in the memory 1500. The home appliance 1000 may include at least one processor. For example, the processor 1001 may be a single or a plurality of processors. Also, in the case in which a plurality of processors are provided, an operation by the processor 1001 according to the disclosure may be performed by any one of the plurality of processors. The home appliance 1000 may include only a main processor, or include a main processor and at least one sub processor.

[0243] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an AI processor may be mounted on the home appliance 1000. The AI processor may be manufactured in the form of a dedicated hardware chip for AI, or manufactured as a portion of an existing general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) or a graphic dedicated processor (e.g., a GPU) and mounted on the home appliance 1000.

[0244] The communication interface 1300 may include one or more components that enable communication between the home appliance 1000 and a server device (not shown) or between the home appliance 1000 and a user terminal (not shown). For example, the communication interface 1300 may include a short-range communication unit 1310 and a long-distance communication unit 1320. The short-range communication unit 1310 may include, but is not limited thereto, a Bluetooth communication unit, a BLE communication unit, a NFC unit, a WLAN communication unit, a Zigbee communication unit, an IrDA communication unit, a WFD communication unit, a UWB communication unit, an Ant+ communication unit, etc. The long-distance communication unit 2523 may include the Internet, a computer network (e.g., LAN or WAN), and a mobile communication unit. The mobile communication unit may transmit / receive a wireless signal to / from at least one of a base station, an external terminal, or a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include a voice call signal, a video call signal or various formats of data according to transmission / reception of text / multimedia messages. The mobile communication unit may include, but is not limited thereto, a 3G module, a 4G module, a LTE module, a 5G module, a 6G module, a NB-IoT module, a LTE-M module, etc.

[0245] The user interface 1400 may include an output interface 1410 and an input interface 1420. The output interface 1410 may be used to output an audio signal or a video signal, and include a display and a sound output device.

[0246] According to the display configured as a touch screen by forming a layer structure together with a touch pad, the display may also be used as the input interface 1420, as well as the output interface 1410. The display may include at least one of a LCD, a TFT-LCD, a LED display, an OLED display, a flexible display, a 3D display, or an electrophoretic display. Also, according to an implementation type of the home appliance 1000, the home appliance 1000 may include two or more displays.

[0247] The sound output device may output audio data received from the communication interface 1300 or stored in the memory 1500. Also, the sound output device may output a sound signal related to a function that is performed in the home appliance 1000. The sound output device may include a speaker, a buzzer, etc.

[0248] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the output interface 1410 may display information about the home appliance 1000. For example, the output interface 1410 may output a Graphical User Interface (GUI) corresponding to a current state, failure information, or product model information of the home appliance 1000.

[0249] The input interface 1420 may be used to receive an input from a user. The input interface 1420 may be, but is not limited thereto, at least one of a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (a capacitive type, a resistive type, an infrared beam type, a surface acoustic wave type, an integral strain gauge type, a piezo effect type, etc.), a jog wheel, or a jog switch.

[0250] The input interface 1420 may include a voice recognition module. For example, the home appliance 1000 may receive a voice signal as an analog signal through a microphone, and convert a voice part into computer-readable text by using an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) model. The home appliance 1000 may obtain a user's utterance intention by interpreting the converted text based on a Natural Language Understanding (NLU) model. Here, the ASR model or the NLU model may be an AI model. The AI model may be processed by an AI-dedicated processor designed with a hardware structure specialized to process AI models. The AI model may be created through training. Creating through training means creating a predefined operation rule or an AI model set to perform a desired characteristic (or a purpose) when a basic AI model is trained with a plurality of pieces of training data by a learning algorithm. The AI model may be configured with a plurality of neural network layers. Each of the plurality of neural network layers may have a plurality of weights, and perform a neural network arithmetic operation through an arithmetic operation between an arithmetic operation result of a previous layer and the plurality of weights.

[0251] The linguistic comprehension is technology for recognizing and applying / processing human language / characters, and includes Natural Language Processing, Machine Translation, Dialogue System, Question Answering, Speech Recognition / Synthesis, etc.

[0252] The memory 1500 may store a program for processing and control of the processor 1001, and store input / output data. The memory1500 may store an AI model.

[0253] The memory 1500 may include at least one type of storage medium of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), RAM, SRAM, ROM, EEPROM, PROM, magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. Also, the home appliance 1000 may operate a web storage or a cloud server that performs a storage function on the Internet.

[0254] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 may operate by the inductive sensing method or by the capacitive sensing method. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, by recognizing a user's touch by the pattern coil 2111 based on the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method, a specific function of the home appliance 1000 may be performed. The touch recognition area 15 may be positioned on the panel 2200.

[0255] The PCB 2100 may be a block for recognizing and processing a touch made on a panel 1010. The pattern coil 2111 capable of operating as the inductive sensor 2110 or the capacitive sensor 2120 may be printed on the PCB 2100. Touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be processed by the touch IC 2130 to enable the home appliance 1000 to perform a specific function by the touch.

[0256] The panel 1010 may include the touch recognition area 15 for recognizing a touch. The panel 1010 may be at least one of a conductive panel made of metal or a non-conductive panel made of glass or plastic. When the touch recognition area 15 is configured with a conductive panel and pressure by a user's push is applied onto the touch recognition area 15, the pattern coil 2111 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a displacement difference of the conductive panel. The inductive sensor 2110 may detect a touch by a displacement difference of the conductive panel. A displacement difference of the conductive panel may be generated by a cavity (or an air gap) formed between the conductive panel and the inductive sensor 2110. The cavity formed between the conductive panel and the inductive sensor 2110 may be formed by etching the PCB 2100 or by a support structure around the PCB 2100. The inductive sensor 2110 may be implemented by the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100 below the conductive panel.

[0257] According to the panel 1010 being a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 may operate as a kind of touch pad and become the capacitive sensor 2120.

[0258] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15 on the panel 1010, the pattern coil 2111 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of the panel 1010. According to the panel being a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the panel 1010 being a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0259] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the processor 1001 may identify a kind of the panel 1010 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method of the pattern coil 2111. When a user's touch is made on the panel 1010, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel 1010 may be identified. The touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may vary according to the kind of the panel 1010. For example, according to the panel 1010 being a conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be greater than the preset panel identification value, and according to the panel 1010 being a non-conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be smaller than the preset panel identification value. However, this is only an example. According to the panel 1010 being a conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be smaller than the preset panel identification value, and according to the panel being a non-conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be greater than the preset panel identification value.

[0260] According to the panel 1010 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, the processor 1001 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor 1001 may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 1001 may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor 1001.

[0261] According to the panel 1010 being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor 1001 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor 1001 may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 1001 may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor 1001.

[0262] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a refrigerator including a touch sensor is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air, a storage room configured to maintain and store food at a low temperature with cool air supplied from the cool air supply device, and a door configured to insulate the storage room from outside temperature and configured with a panel configured to, when a user touches the panel, generate a displacement in a first direction. The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a printed circuit board (PCB) configured to sense a user's touch made on the panel. The PCB of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a pattern coil configured to function as an inductive sensor and positioned to face the first direction. The PCB of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to process the user's touch by inductive sensing according to a change of a magnetic field by the user's touch.

[0263] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the panel may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0264] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the case in which the panel is a non-conductive panel, a lower side of the panel may include a conductive material.

[0265] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the conductive material may be a metal copper foil.

[0266] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a support structure is absent between the panel and the PCB within a preset distance from the PCB.

[0267] The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may further include a capacitive sensor configured to detect a user's touch made in a second direction, and a side of the refrigerator may be made of a non-conductive material.

[0268] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the second direction may be vertical to the first direction and may be a side direction of the refrigerator.

[0269] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the capacitive sensor may be a touch gasket.

[0270] In the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may be configured to be automatically opened or closed by the user' touch made on the panel.

[0271] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a refrigerator including a touch sensor is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air, a storage room configured to maintain and store food at a low temperature with cool air supplied from the cool air supply device, and a door configured to insulate the storage room from outside temperature and configured with a panel. The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a PCB configured to sense a user's touch made on the panel. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB may include a pattern coil configured to function as an inductive sensor or a capacitive sensor and positioned to face a first direction. The PCB of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a touch IC configured to obtain touch data generated by the pattern coil according to a user's touch, identify a panel on which the user's touch has been made as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel based on the obtained touch data, and process the user's touch by one of inductive sensing or capacitive sensing depending on whether the identified panel is a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0272] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch data obtained to identify the panel on which the user's touch has been made as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel may be data related to an inductance change of the pattern coil.

[0273] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, according to the panel being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as the inductive sensor for sensing an inductance change, and according to the panel being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil is configured to operate as a touch pad for capacitive sensing in at least an etched part of the PCB.

[0274] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when the panel is identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as a touch panel with capacitance varying depending on the user's touch in the at least one etched part of the PCB.

[0275] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first direction that the pattern coil faces may be a same direction that the door faces.

[0276] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a second capacitive sensor may be included in the door, the second capacitive sensor facing a second direction that is vertical to the first direction and being mounted on the PCB.

[0277] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a side touch key configured to receive a user's side touch for touch sensing by the second capacitive sensor may include a touch gasket.

[0278] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a processor configured to set a circuit connected to the touch IC for inductive sensing or capacitive sensing to process the user's touch by one of the inductive sensing or the capacitive sensing depending on whether the identified panel is a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0279] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC or the touch IC may include the processor.

[0280] In the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may be configured to be automatically opened or closed by a user's touch made on the door.

[0281] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a support structure for a gap between the panel and the PCB.

[0282] The method according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in the form of program commands that can be executed by various computer means, and may be recorded on computer-readable media. The computer-readable media may also include, alone or in combination with program commands, data files, data structures, and the like. Program commands recorded on the media may be the kind specifically designed and constructed for the disclosure or well-known and available to those of ordinary skill in the computer software field. Examples of the computer-readable media include magnetic media, such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media, such as CD-ROM and DVD, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like, specifically configured to store and execute program commands. Examples of the program commands include high-level language codes that can be executed on a computer through an interpreter or the like, as well as machine language codes produced by a compiler.

[0283] An embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in the form of a computer-readable recording medium including an instruction that is executable by a computer, such as a program module that is executed by a computer. The computer-readable recording medium may be an arbitrary available medium which can be accessed by a computer, and may include a volatile or non-volatile medium and a separable or non-separable medium. Further, the computer-readable recording medium may include a computer storage medium and a communication medium. The computer storage medium may include volatile and non-volatile media and separable and non-separable media implemented by an arbitrary method or technology for storing information such as a computer readable instruction, a data structure, a program module, or other data. The communication medium may generally include a computer-readable instruction, a data structure, a program module, other data of a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, or another transfer mechanism, and include an arbitrary information transmission medium. Also, an embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented as a computer program or a computer program product including instructions that are executable by a computer, such as a computer program executed by a computer.

[0284] The machine-readable recording medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. The term ‘non-transitory storage medium’ simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does not differentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storage medium. For example, a ‘non-transitory storage medium’ may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

[0285] According to an embodiment, the method may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloadable or uploadable) online via an application store or between two user devices (e.g., smart phones) directly. When distributed online, at least part of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable app) may be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such as a memory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store, or a relay server.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0052]Terms used in this specification will be briefly described, and an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail.

[0053]Although general terms being currently widely used were selected as terminology used in the disclosure while considering the functions in an embodiment of the disclosure, they may vary according to intentions of one of ordinary skill in the art, judicial precedents, the advent of new technologies, and the like. Terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant of the disclosure may also be used in a specific case. In this case, their meanings will be described in detail in the detailed description of the disclosure. Hence, the terms used in the disclosure must be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the contents of the entire disclosure, not by simply stating the terms themselves.

[0054]Throughout the disclosure, the expression “at least one of a, b or c” indicates “a”, “b”, “c”, “a and b”, “a and c”, “b and c”, “all of a, b, and c”, or variation...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT / KR2025 / 005261, filed on Apr. 17, 2025, which is based on and claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application Number 10-2024-0104126, filed on Aug. 5, 2024, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] An embodiment of the disclosure relates to a home appliance including a touch sensor that operates as one of an inductive sensor or a capacitive sensor regardless of a kind of a panel.BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Home appliances include electrical appliances and machines used in homes. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a home appliance may include an apparatus that is fixed in a home or an apparatus that is movable in a home. Here, home means not only a house but also an indoor space such as an office. The home appliances include televisions, digital video disk (DVD) players, audio, refrigerators, air conditioners, air dressers, vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens, washing machines, air purifiers, set-top boxes, home automation control panels, security control panels, media boxes (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, etc.), game consoles, electronic dictionaries, electronic keys, camcorders, electronic picture frames, speakers, e-book readers, desktop PCs, laptop PCs, netbook computers, workstations, servers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), MP3 players, medical devices, cameras, etc. A home appliance includes an input interface for receiving inputs from a user and an output interface for outputting information for a user. The input interface includes various input interfaces, for example, a touch type input key. Touch types are classified into a capacitive sensing type and an inductive sensing type, and recently, many home appliances are provided with touch panels that can be selected by a user from among metal panels, glass panels, plastic panels, or panels made of other materials. Accordingly, when a user touches a specific area on a panel, a desired function needs to be performed regardless of the material of the panel.DISCLOSURETechnical Solution

[0004] Aspects of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a refrigerator includes a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air; a storage room configured to receive the supplied cool air so that food is storable in the storage room at a low temperature; a door configured to open and close the storage room, and to insulate the storage room from outside temperature; a panel on the door and configured to, based on a user touching the panel, be displaced in a first direction; and a printed circuit board (PCB) behind the panel, the PCB including a pattern coil facing the first direction and configured to function as an inductive sensor, and a touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to, based on the panel being displaced in the first direction by a user's touch, process the user's touch by inductive sensing according to a change of a magnetic field at the pattern coil.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the panel may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the panel may be the non-conductive panel, and a conductive material may be disposed on a rear side of the panel.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the conductive material may include a metal copper foil.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, no support structure may be arranged between the panel and the PCB within a preset distance from the PCB.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a capacitive sensor configured to detect a user's touch made in a second direction at a side of the refrigerator. The side of the refrigerator may include a non-conductive material.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the second direction may be perpendicular to the first direction.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the capacitive sensor may be a touch gasket.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may be configured to be automatically opened and closed based on the processing of the user's touch on the panel.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a refrigerator includes a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air; a storage room configured to receive the supplied cool air so that food is storable in the storage room at a low temperature; a door configured to open and close the storage room, and to insulate the storage room from outside temperature; a panel on the door; and a printed circuit board (PCB) behind the panel, the PCB including a pattern coil facing a first direction and configured to function as an inductive sensor and a capacitive sensor, and a touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to, based on the panel being touched by a user, obtain touch data generated by the pattern coil, based on the obtained touch data, identify the panel being touched by the user as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel, based on the panel being identified as a conductive panel, process the user's touch by inductive sensing, and, based on the panel being identified as a non-conductive panel, process the user's touch by capacitive sensing.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the obtained touch data to identify the panel being touched by the user as the conductive panel or the non-conductive panel may be related to an inductance change of the pattern coil.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, based on the panel being identified as the conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as the inductive sensor for sensing an inductance change. Based on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as a touch pad for capacitive sensing in at least an etched part of the PCB.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, based on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as a touch panel with a capacitance varying depending on the user's touch in the at least one etched part of the PCB.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first direction that the pattern coil faces may be a same direction that the door faces.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil may be a first capacitive sensor. The refrigerator may further include a second capacitive sensor in the door, the second capacitive sensor being mounted on the PCB and facing a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a side touch key configured to receive a user's side touch for touch sensing by the second capacitive sensor. The side touch key may include a touch gasket.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a processor configured to, based on the panel being identified as the conductive panel, set a circuit connected to the touch IC for inductive sensing and capacitive sensing to process the user's touch by the inductive sensing, and, based on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, set the circuit connected to the touch IC for inductive sensing and capacitive sensing to process the user's touch by the capacitive sensing.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC, or the touch IC may include the processor.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may be configured to be automatically opened and closed based on the processing of the user's touch made on the panel.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a support structure that forms a gap between the panel and the PCB.DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings listed below.

[0026] FIG. 1A is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on a capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 1B is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on a capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 2A is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on an inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 2B is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on an inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 3A shows a refrigerator door using a side protrusion type touch key according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 3B shows a protrusion type touch key positioned on a right surface of a door, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a printed circuit board (PCB) including a touch sensor implementing multi-sensing, attached to a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a PCB including an inductive sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view for describing inductive sensing that occurs when a touch is made on a conductive panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view for describing inductive sensing that occurs when a touch is made on a non-conductive panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a front view showing a touch recognition area when an inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is used.

[0037] FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented on a conductive panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented on a non-conductive panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented through a cavity formed by etching a PCB, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented through a cavity formed by etching a PCB, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 10 is a front view showing touch recognition areas when a multi sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is used.

[0042] FIG. 11 shows an operation of a touch key based on a capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of a touch sensing circuit according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which a pattern coil operates as a multi sensor according to a material of a panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0045] FIG. 14 shows a refrigerator to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0046] FIG. 15 shows a dish washer to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0047] FIG. 16 shows an electric oven to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0048] FIG. 17 shows a washing machine to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0049] FIG. 18 shows an air conditioner to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0050] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0051] FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the disclosure.MODE FOR INVENTION

[0052] Terms used in this specification will be briefly described, and an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail.

[0053] Although general terms being currently widely used were selected as terminology used in the disclosure while considering the functions in an embodiment of the disclosure, they may vary according to intentions of one of ordinary skill in the art, judicial precedents, the advent of new technologies, and the like. Terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant of the disclosure may also be used in a specific case. In this case, their meanings will be described in detail in the detailed description of the disclosure. Hence, the terms used in the disclosure must be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the contents of the entire disclosure, not by simply stating the terms themselves.

[0054] Throughout the disclosure, the expression “at least one of a, b or c” indicates “a”, “b”, “c”, “a and b”, “a and c”, “b and c”, “all of a, b, and c”, or variations thereof.

[0055] It will be understood that when a certain part “includes” a certain component, the part does not exclude another component but can further include another component, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the terms “portion”, “module”, etc. written in the disclosure refers to a unit that can perform at least one function or operation, and may be implemented as hardware or software or as a combination of hardware and software.

[0056] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings such that the embodiment can be readily implemented by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the disclosure pertains. However, an embodiment of the disclosure may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Also, in the drawings, portions irrelevant to the description are not shown in order to definitely describe an embodiment of the disclosure, and throughout the entire specification, similar components are assigned like reference numerals.

[0057] A home appliance may include an input interface for receiving a user's command. Recently, many input interfaces use a touch sensing method. For example, on a refrigerator door, an input interface based on a touch sensing method, which performs a function of automatically opening or closing a door according to reception of a user's touch, may be provided. However, according to recent trends, panels used in refrigerator doors may be freely changed by users. In other words, a color and material of a panel may be freely selected by a user. In the case in which a panel of a refrigerator door is made of metal, an inductive sensing method may need to be used as a touch sensing method for sensing a touch on the metal. In the case in which a panel of a refrigerator door is made of glass or plastic, not metal, a capacitive sensing method may need to be used as a touch sensing method for sensing a touch on the panel. Therefore, a multi-sensing input interface capable of sensing a touch based on the inductive sensing method and sensing a touch based on the capacitive sensing method to correspond to panel replacement may be required. Alternatively, an input interface capable of sensing a touch regardless of a material of a panel may be required.

[0058] Throughout the disclosure, a ‘touch’ or ‘touch input’ may include a contact touch that is a contact without application of a force and a force touch that is pressing with a force (pressure). Accordingly, a touch or touch input of generating an input signal for a home appliance may include a contact touch input of generating an input signal based on the capacitive sensing method and a force touch input of generating an input signal based on the inductive sensing method.

[0059] FIG. 1A is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on the capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 1A, first capacitance 401 may exist between a touch key 1401 and a ground. While SW 1403 operates, the first capacitance 401 existing between a power source Vcc and the ground may be charged, and at this time, a charging time may be t1. When a human touches the touch key 1401, a circuit where second capacitance 402 between the human and the ground is added may be formed. Accordingly, a total magnitude of capacitance that needs to be charged may become C1+C2. Also, a total charging time may become a charging time (>t1) resulting from adding a charging time for the second capacitance 402. This is expressed by a graph of FIG. 1B.

[0061] FIG. 1B is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on the capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0062] As described above with reference to FIG. 1A, while the SW 1403 operates, the first capacitance 401 existing between the power source Vcc and the ground may be charged, and at this time, a charging time may be t1. When a human touches the touch key 1401, a circuit where the second capacitance 402 between the human and the ground is added may be formed, and therefore, a total magnitude of capacitance that needs to be charged may become C1+C2. Accordingly, when a touch is made, the second capacitance 402 may be added to the first capacitance 401, and a total charging time may become t2 (>t1).

[0063] Depending on a change of a charging time, whether a touch has been made on the touch key 1403 may be identified. So far, the operation principle of the touch key based on the capacitive sensing method has been described.

[0064] FIG. 2A is a diagram for describing an operation principle of a touch key based on the inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0065] An operation principle of a touch key based on the inductive sensing method is shown in FIG. 2A. The touch key 1501 based on the inductive sensing method may sense presence or absence of a conductive material such as metal according to the principle of electromagnetic induction. While alternating current flows through a coil 1510, a magnetic field may be generated. The magnetic field may change as a displacement of a conductive material such as metal located around the magnetic field changes (as the conductive material moves close to or away from the magnetic field). The change of the magnetic field may cause a change of inductance on a path along which the alternating current flows. The change of inductance may change a value of the alternating current. A home appliance may determine whether a push input has been applied to the touch key 1501 (whether a touch has been made on the touch key 1501) based on the inductive sensing type by detecting a change of alternating current.

[0066] FIG. 2B is a diagram for describing an operation principle of the touch key based on the inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0067] In FIG. 2B, when a high-frequency voltage is applied to the coil 1510, current that is inversely proportional to a magnitude of inductance by the coil 1510 may flow through the coil 1510. At this time, when metal 1502 that is a material with high permeability approaches the coil 1510, total inductance of the coil 1510 may increase, resulting in a reduction of the current. Sensing an approach of the metal 1502 through a reduction of current may be an operation principle of a touch key based on the inductive sensing method. With regard to a ‘detection distance’ within which the metal 1502 approaching the coil 1510 is sensed, metal such as iron with high permeability may have a longest detection distance, and metal such as aluminum with relatively low permeability may have a short detection distance. For example, a detection distance for aluminum may be about half that for iron. Accordingly, an inductive sensor using the principle may be a sensor capable of sensing a touch only when a movement (displacement difference) of the metal 1502 occurs. As a result, to implement an inductive sensor in a home appliance, a structure where the metal 1502 moves according to a touch may be required.

[0068] The inductive sensor may be a sensor that detects an approach (touch) of a conductive material by using a magnetic force among electric and magnetic forces of an electromagnetic field. In contrast, a capacitive sensor may be a sensor that detects a user's touch by using an electric force of an electromagnetic field. While the capacitive sensor measures a change of capacitance, the inductive sensor may measure a change of inductance.

[0069] FIG. 3A shows a refrigerator door using a side protrusion type touch key according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 3A, a refrigerator 2000 may include a protrusion type touch key 2032 on a side of a door 2030. The door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may be configured with various panels even for the same refrigerator model. Panels made of various materials, such as, for example, metal, glass, aluminum, and plastic, may be used in the door 2030. To sense a user's touch made on the door 2030, a touch key may be included in the door 2030. However, it may be impossible to use a touch key based on the capacitive sensing method in a metal panel. The reason may be because touch recognition based on the capacitive sensing method is performed through a very small change in capacitance in pFs, but when a touch key is located on a metal panel, capacitance of the metal panel is relatively large and accordingly, a small capacitance value in pFs is not sensed by a touch key. Therefore, in the case in which a panel made of a conductive material is used in a door, a touch key that implements a touch based on the capacitive sensing method will fail to recognize a touch.

[0071] To implement a touch based on the capacitive sensing method in the case in which a metal panel is used in the door 2030, a protrusion type touch key 2032 may be positioned on a side of the door 2030. However, the protrusion type touch key 2032 positioned on the door 2030 may reduce an aesthetic effect and may not be in line with a trend that pursues minimal designs. Accordingly, a touch recognition method not affected by a material of a panel may need to be applied to the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000.

[0072] FIG. 3B shows a protrusion type touch key positioned on a right surface of a door, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0073] A left part of FIG. 3B is a front view of the door 2030, and a right part of FIG. 3B is a side view of the door 2030. For convenience of descriptions, a front direction of the door 2030 is referred to as a first direction, and a side direction of the door 2030 is referred to as a second direction.

[0074] Because the door 2030 includes a conductive panel 2210, it may be impossible to place a touch key based on the capacitive sensing method in the first direction. Accordingly, the refrigerator 2000 may include the protrusion type touch key 2301 based on the capacitive sensing method, placed in the second direction. The conductive panel 2210 may include, for example, a metal panel.

[0075] FIG. 4 shows a printed circuit board (PCB) including a touch sensor implementing multi-sensing, attached to a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 4, on the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000, a touch key 2031 for receiving a user's touch may be positioned in the first direction that the door 2030 faces. The touch key 2031 may be a touch sensing area where a touch is sensed on the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000.

[0077] Below the touch key 2031, a PCB 2100 with a touch sensor including an inductive sensor 2110 may be positioned. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a pattern coil 2111 capable of operating as the inductive sensor 2110 may be patterned and printed on the PCB 2100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, at least an area of the PCB 2100 on which the pattern coil 2111 is printed may operate as a touch pad of which capacitance changes when a touch made on the touch key 2031 needs to be processed by the capacitive sensing method. However, this is only an embodiment, and the PCB 2100 on which the pattern coil 2111 is printed may detect a touch only by the inductive sensing method when a user's touch is made in the first direction. In other words, the PCB 2100 may operate only by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel when a user's touch is made in the first direction. This will be described in more detail, below.

[0078] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, while the pattern coil 2111 operates as an inductive sensor 2110 when a user's touch made on the touch key 2031 needs to be processed by the inductive sensing method, the pattern coil 2111 may operate as a capacitive sensor 2120 when a user's touch made on the touch key 2031 needs to be processed by the capacitive sensing method.

[0079] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a side touch key 2033 capable of sensing a touch may also be positioned on a side of the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000. However, this is only an embodiment, and the side touch key 2033 positioned on the side of the door 2030 may be omitted. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the side touch key 2033 may not protrude. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a touch gasket 2133 may function as the side touch key 2033. The touch gasket 2133 may be electrically connected to the PCB 2100.

[0080] The touch gasket 2133 may be configured by wrapping a polyurethane sponge with a conductive fabric and attaching the result to a PCB or mechanism with a conductive double-sided tape. Capacitive sensing by the touch gasket 2133 will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

[0081] FIG. 11 shows an operation of a touch key by the capacitive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0082] A touch key 1200 may be not a key that makes an electrical connection through a contact by physical pressing, like a mechanical key, but rather a key that determines a ‘user's intention to input’ through a change in internal capacitance or resistance of the touch key 1200 or a change in capacitance or resistance of a circuit connected to the touch key 1200 when the user touches the touch key 1200. The touch key 1200 may also be referred to as an electronic key to distinguish the touch key 1200 from a mechanical key. When a conductor such as a user's finger approaches or comes into contact with a monopolar plate and thus a dielectric constant of the monopolar plate changes, the touch key 1200 may detect a change of capacitance according to the change of the dielectric constant and generate a switching signal according to the detected result.

[0083] The touch key 1200 may be, as shown in FIG. 11, implemented with a touch panel 1210, the touch gasket 2133, an electrode 1230, and a touch sensor module 1240.

[0084] The touch panel 1210 may sense a user's touch input and output a touch event value corresponding to a sensed touch signal. In the case in which the touch panel 1210 configures a touch screen (not shown) by being coupled with a display panel (not shown), the touch screen may be implemented as various types of touch sensor modules 1240, such as an electrostatic type, a pressure-sensitive type, and a piezoelectric type. The electrostatic type may use a method of calculating touch coordinates by, when a user's body part touches a surface of a touch screen, sensing micro-electricity conducted by the user's body by using a dielectric coated on the surface of the touch screen. The pressure-sensitive type may use a method of calculating touch coordinates by including two upper and lower electrode plates installed in a touch screen to, when a user touches the touch screen and thus the upper and lower electrode plates come into contact with each other at a touch point, sense a flow of current. A touch event generated in a touch screen may be caused mainly by a human's finger. However, a touch event may also be generated by a conductive object capable of causing a change in capacitance.

[0085] A touch sensed in the touch sensor module 1240 may be processed as data through a touch integrated circuit (IC) 2130. The touch panel 1210 may be an interface part that a user touches. When a user's touch is made on the touch panel 1210, the touch gasket 2133 may function as an electrode that connects the touch panel 1210 on which the touch is made to the touch sensor module 1240 or the electrode 1230, by an electrostatic touch input method. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch gasket 2133 may be replaced by a touch spring or a conductive bar to configure the touch key 1200.

[0086] The electrode 1230 may function to electrically connect the touch gasket 2133 to the touch sensor module 1240. The touch IC 2130 may process data by a touch sensed in the touch sensor module 1240. For example, the touch IC 2130 may transfer data by a touch sensed in the touch sensor module 1240 to a processor (not shown) through communication. The touch key 1200 of FIG. 11 may be electrically connected to the PCB 2100 shown in FIG. 4 or may be mounted on the PCB 2100 as a part of the PCB 2100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch key 1200 of FIG. 11 may include the side touch key 2033 of the refrigerator 2000.

[0087] The following description will be given with reference to FIG. 4.

[0088] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB 2100 may include the touch IC 2130. The touch IC 2130 may be an IC including a circuit that processes a user's touch made on the touch key 2031 and / or the side touch key 2033 on the door 2030.

[0089] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch IC 2130 may identify a kind (material) of a panel of the door 2030 based on touch data generated according to a touch.

[0090] Also, the touch IC 2130 may generate a signal for performing a function of the refrigerator 2000 based on the touch data. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch IC 2130 may generate a control signal for automatically opening or closing the door 2030 based on touch data. However, this is only an embodiment, and an operation of identifying a kind (material) of the panel of the door 2030 based on touch data generated according to a touch and generating a control signal for automatically opening or closing the door 2030 based on the touch data may be performed by the processor (not shown).

[0091] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an air gap (not shown) may exist between the door 2030 and the PCB 2100 to generate a displacement of the touch key 2031 such that the pattern coil 2111 operates as an inductive sensor. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air gap between the touch key 2031 and the PCB 2100 may be a space formed by a support structure between the PCB 2100 and the panel included in the door 2030. Alternatively, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the air gap between the touch key 2031 and the PCB 2100 may be a space formed by etching a surface of the PCB 2100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB 2100 may include a first PCB (not shown) on which the pattern coil 2111 is printed and a second PCB (not shown) soldered onto the first PCB as an interposer layer on the first PCB. In this case, the air gap capable of generating a displacement of the touch key 2031 may be formed by the second PCB soldered onto the first PCB. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the second PCB as an interposer layer may also include a printed circuit.

[0092] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a PCB including an inductive sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0093] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB 2100 may include the inductive sensor 2110 capable of implementing the inductive sensing method. The inductive sensor 2110 may include the pattern coil 2111 capable of causing a change of a magnetic field depending on a displacement difference of metal approaching the pattern coil 2111. The pattern coil 2111 may be a coil printed on the PCB 2100.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 5, when a user's touch is made on the door 2030 in a direction toward the door 2030, a change of a magnetic field of the pattern coil 2111 may occur based on a slight displacement difference of the panel configuring the door. The change of the magnetic field may cause an inductance change of a path along which alternating current flows. Based on the inductance change, a value of the alternating current may also change, and according to the change of the value of the alternating current, the touch may be recognized. The operation may be performed regardless of a material of the panel. When the panel is a conductive panel and a user's touch is made on the conductive panel, a change of a magnetic field of the pattern coil 2111 may be generated based on a displacement difference of the panel. In the case in which the panel is a non-conductive panel, a conductive material may be attached to a lower side of the panel. Because the conductive material is attached to the lower side of the panel, when a user's touch is made on the panel, a change of a magnetic field of the pattern coil 2111 may be generated based on a displacement difference of the panel even though the panel is a glass panel or a plastic panel. Accordingly, even when a non-conductive panel is included in the door 2030, touch sensing by the inductive sensing method may be possible.

[0095] The touch IC 2130 may be a hardware chip including a circuit connected to the pattern coil 2111 and configured to process a user's touch data, as described above. Operations of the touch IC 2130 will be described in more detail, below.

[0096] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 may be a touch pad based on the capacitive sensing method. When the panel of the door 2030 is a non-conductive panel such as a glass panel or a plastic panel and no conductive material is attached to the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 may be used as a touch pad to sense a user's touch according to a change in capacitance.

[0097] FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view for describing inductive sensing when a touch is made on a conductive panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0098] Although not shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a touch sensor capable of sensing a touch may also be positioned on a side of the refrigerator 2000. However, the touch sensor is not described below.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 6A, when a user touches the conductive panel 2210, the inductive sensor 2110 of the PCB 2100 on a main body 2010 may sense the touch according to a displacement difference of the conductive panel 2210. As described above, when the conductive panel 2210 generates a displacement change toward a pattern coil (not shown) included in the inductive sensor 2110 by pressure caused by a user's touch, the inductive sensor 2110 may recognize the touch through a change of a magnetic field generated in the pattern coil. The inductive sensor 2110 may recognize a touch by responding to even a slight displacement change of the conductive panel 2210. For example, the inductive sensor 2110 may sense a displacement change of 20 μm to 50 um of the conductive panel 2210. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6A, in the case in which a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100, a movement of the conductive panel 2210 may spread to the entire area of the conductive panel 2210, which may significantly increase a touch recognition area 15.

[0100] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view for describing inductive sensing when a touch is made on a non-conductive panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 6B, when a user touches a non-conductive panel 2220, the inductive sensor 2110 of the PCB 2100 on the main body 2010 may not respond to a displacement difference of the non-conductive panel 2220. Accordingly, when the non-conductive panel 2220 is used in a door, the inductive sensor 2110 may fail to sense a touch. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the disclosure, to enable the inductive sensor 2110 to sense a touch made on the non-conductive panel 2220, a conductive copper foil 2045 may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel 2220, that is, a surface of the non-conductive panel 2220 facing the PCB 2100. The conductive copper foil 2045 may include a metal copper foil. When the conductive copper foil 2045 attached to the non-conductive panel 2220 causes a displacement change toward the pattern coil (not shown) included in the inductive sensor 2110 by a user's touch pressure applied onto the non-conductive panel 2220, touch recognition may be conducted through a change of a magnetic field generated in the pattern coil 2111. Because a slight displacement change occurs when a touch is made even on the non-conductive panel 2220 made of a glass material or a plastic material, such touch recognition may be possible. The inductive sensor 2110 may recognize a touch by responding to such a slight displacement change. As shown in FIG. 6B, in the case in which a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100, a movement of the non-conductive panel 2220 may spread to the entire area of the non-conductive panel 2220, which may significantly increase the touch recognition area 15. However, in this case, the touch recognition area 15 may be proportional to a size of the conductive copper foil 2045, and therefore, the conductive copper foil 2045 attached to the non-conductive panel 2220 may need to cover a sufficiently wide range of the non-conductive panel 2220.

[0102] By the methods described above with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a user's touch made on the door 2030 may be sensed by the inductive sensor 2110 regardless of whether the panel of the refrigerator 2000 is the conductive panel 2210 or the non-conductive panel 2220.

[0103] FIG. 7 is a front view showing a touch recognition area when the inductive sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is used.

[0104] In FIG. 7, a PCB area 2101 where the PCB 2100 including the inductive sensor 2110 is positioned is shown. The PCB 2100 may be positioned to correspond to the PCB area 2101 below a panel 2200.

[0105] The touch recognition area 15 for sensing by the inductive sensor 2110 is shown separately on the panel 2200 of the refrigerator 2000. A reason why the touch recognition area 15 extends significantly wider than the PCB area 2101 where the PCB 2100 is positioned may be because a displacement difference of the panel 2200 is detected by the inductive sensor 2110 even when a touch is made at a location that is away from the inductive sensor 2110 included in the PCB 2100. Accordingly, in the case in which a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100, the touch recognition area 15 may extend relatively widely, as shown in FIG. 7. However, FIG. 7 shows only an example, and the touch recognition area 15 may be wider or a little smaller than the area shown in FIG. 7 depending on a thickness and elasticity of the panel 2200. In the case in which a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100 (within 3 cm to 15 cm from edges of the PCB 2100), the possibility that the inductive sensor 2110 will recognize a touch made on the panel 2200 even at a long distance from the PCB 2100 may be high.

[0106] Even when a support structure is absent around the PCB 2100, a part of the panel 2200, for example, a part of edges of the panel 2200 may come into close contact with the main body 2010 including the PCB 2100. The part of the panel 2200 that comes into close contact with the main body 2010 may act as a support structure. Even though the part exists, at least 50% of the door 2030 in a vertical direction of the door 2030 from the PCB area 2101 may be the touch recognition area 15. Referring to FIG. 7, 50% of a distance from the PCB area 2101 to an upper edge of the door 2030 may be the touch recognition area 15, and 50% of a distance from the PCB area 2101 to a lower edge of the door 2030 may also be the touch recognition area 15. An entire area of the door 2030 in a horizontal direction may be the touch recognition area 15 regardless of the PCB area 2101. However, this may be only an example showing that the touch recognition area 15 is relative to a size of the refrigerator 2000, and in the case in which the refrigerator 2000 is a small refrigerator with a height of 60 cm or less, a nearly entire area of the panel 2200 may be the touch recognition area 15.

[0107] In the case in which the panel 2200 is the non-conductive panel 2220, a copper foil may need to be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel 2220, as shown in FIG. 6B. In this case, the touch recognition area 15 may depend on an area of the copper foil. In other words, when the area of the copper foil is wide, the touch recognition area 15 may also be wide, and when the area of the copper foil is small, the touch recognition area 15 may be relatively small because influence of the copper foil causing a change in a magnetic field in the inductive sensor 2110 is limited.

[0108] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the copper foil may include a copper foil tape having an adhesive on one side.

[0109] FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented on a conductive panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0110] The refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 8A may be configured with the main body 2010 and the conductive panel 2210 including a touch key. An area of the conductive panel 2210 where the touch key is positioned may be used as an input interface for a user. The PCB 2100 may include the inductive sensor 2110. The inductive sensor 2110 may be implemented as the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100.

[0111] When a user presses the conductive panel 2210, a displacement difference of the conductive panel 2210 may need to be generated to generate an inductance change in the inductive sensor 2110 of the PCB 2100. A displacement difference of the conductive panel 2210 may be generated by an air gap 2140 formed between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. An inductance change of the inductive sensor 2110 may be generated by a displacement difference of the conductive panel 2210, and a touch made on the conductive panel 2210 may be sensed by a change of alternating current of the inductive sensor 2110, caused by the generated inductance change. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a touch key may be positioned on the conductive panel 2210, or a part of the conductive panel 2210 may be provided as a touch area without providing a separate touch key such that a touch is sensed when a user touches the touch area.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 8A, to generate a displacement difference when a user touches the touch key or the touch area on the conductive panel 2210, a space (the air gap 2140) may need to be formed between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. The air gap 2140 may provide a space where a displacement difference is generated between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. To form the air gap 2140, a support structure 2400, such as a rubber or a double-sided tape, may be used between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210.

[0113] In FIG. 8A, the conductive panel 2210 may be installed on the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000. Recently, products that allow users to freely select a color or material of a panel installed on the door 2030 have been released. In the case in which the conductive panel 2210 such as metal is used, a function (for example, an automatic opening and closing function) of the door 2030 may be implemented according to touch sensing based on the inductive sensing method described with reference to FIG. 8A. In the case in which the conductive panel 2210 needs to be implemented on a surface of a home appliance including an air conditioner, a washing machine, a drying machine, an air dresser, an electric oven, and a dish washer, as well as the refrigerator 2000, the inductive sensor 2110 may be implemented.

[0114] FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented on a non-conductive panel according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0115] The refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 8B may be configured with the main body 2010 and the non-conductive panel 2220 including a touch key. The non-conductive panel 2220 may include, for example, a glass panel or a plastic panel, although not limited thereto. An area of the non-conductive panel 2220 where a touch key is positioned may be used as an input interface for a user. The PCB 2100 may include the capacitive sensor 2120. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the capacitive sensor 2120 of the PCB 2100 may be implemented by the pattern coil 2111 used as the inductive sensor 2110 in FIG. 8A. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the case in which the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 is configured with the non-conductive panel 2220, the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100 may function as a touch pad when a user touches an area operating as a touch key on the non-conductive panel 2220. Accordingly, in the case in which the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 is configured with the non-conductive panel 2220, the pattern coil 2111 may function as a touch pad for performing the capacitive sensing method.

[0116] When a user presses a touch key for touch sensing (or a touch recognition area included in the non-conductive panel 2220) included in the non-conductive panel 2220, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100, corresponding to the capacitive sensor 2120, may function as a touch pad and be coupled to a capacitor formed between the user and a ground, thereby causing a change in capacitance. According to the change in capacitance, the touch IC 2130 included in the PCB may sense a touch based on the capacitive sensing method.

[0117] Therefore, the refrigerator 2000 may sense the user's touch made on the panel regardless of whether the panel is the conductive panel 2210 or the non-conductive panel 2220.

[0118] In FIG. 8B, the non-conductive panel 2220 may be positioned on the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000. In the case in which the panel 2200 is the non-conductive panel 2220 such as glass, a function (for example, an automatic opening and closing function) of the door 2030 may be implemented according to touch sensing based on the capacitive sensing method described with reference to FIG. 8B. In the case in which the non-conductive panel 2220 is used on a surface of a home appliance including an air conditioner, a washing machine, a drying machine, an air dresser, an electric oven, and a dish washer, as well as the refrigerator 2000, the capacitive sensor 2120 may be implemented.

[0119] FIG. 8B shows a case in which there is no support structure around the PCB 2100. However, according to an example, there may be a support structure around the PCB 2100. In this case, a part of the non-conductive panel 2200 may be in close contact with any of edges of the main body 2010, and due to the part, the non-conductive panel 2220 may be spaced from the PCB 2100. Because the capacitive sensor 2120 is difficult to recognize a touch at a location far from the capacitive sensor 2120, a touch recognition area may be limited to an area around the capacitive sensor 2120.

[0120] FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented through a cavity formed by etching a PCB, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0121] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 9A may have a structure where a cavity 2060 exists between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. The structure shown in FIG. 9A may be applied to a case in which a panel included in the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 is in close contact with the PCB 2100 included in the main body 2010 and accordingly, there is no appropriate space for touch sensing between the panel and the PCB 2100.

[0122] A touch key or a touch recognition area on the conductive panel 2210 may be used as an input interface for a user. When a user presses the touch key (or the touch recognition area) included in the conductive panel 2210, the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To generate an inductance change in the pattern coil 2111 operating as the inductive sensor 2110, a displacement difference of the touch key included in the conductive panel 2210 may need to be generated. The displacement difference of the touch key may be generated by the cavity 2060 located between the PCB 2100 and the conductive panel 2210. The cavity 2060 may be a kind of air gap. The cavity 2060 may be formed by a process of cutting the PCB 2100 with a laser or sandblasting the PCB 2100. The structure including the cavity 2060, as shown in FIG. 9A, may provide a space where a displacement difference of the touch key is generated between the conductive panel 2210 and the inductive sensor 2110 without a spacer.

[0123] By the displacement difference of the touch key, an inductance change may be generated in the inductive sensor 2110, and a touch may be sensed through a current change of the inductive sensor 2110, caused by the generated inductance change. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 operating as the inductive sensor 2110 may be positioned on a surface of the PCB 2100 exposed to the cavity 2060.

[0124] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing a multi sensor implemented through a cavity formed by etching a PCB, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0125] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 9B may have a structure where the cavity 2060 is formed by etching the PCB 2100, like the structure of FIG. 9A, but the refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 9B may include the non-conductive panel 2220 instead of the conductive panel 2210.

[0126] A touch key or a touch recognition area on the non-conductive panel 2220 may be used as an input interface for a user. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch key (or the touch recognition area) included in the non-conductive panel 2220, the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100 may function as a touch pad and operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. When a user touches the touch key or the touch recognition area on the non-conductive panel 2220, capacitance by the user's touch may be added to capacitance by the pattern coil 2111 to change total capacitance, and a touch IC (not shown) of the PCB 2100 may sense the touch according to the change in capacitance.

[0127] As described above with reference to FIGS. 8A to 9B, when a user touches the panel 2200, the refrigerator 2000 may detect the touch by the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method. When a user touches a side of the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000, the touch may be detected by the capacitive sensing method through the touch gasket 2133, although not limited thereto.

[0128] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the inductive sensing method may recognize that a touch has been made when a detected inductance change Delta-I of the pattern coil 2111 is greater than or equal to a preset inductance threshold. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, as an operation according to the recognized touch, the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may open. Meanwhile, when the detected inductance change Delta-I is smaller than the preset inductance threshold, it may be recognized that no touch has been made, and the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may not operate. When a detected inductance change Delta-I is greater than or equal to the preset inductance threshold while the door 2030 is in an open state, it may be recognized that a touch has been made, and the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may be closed. Meanwhile, when a detected inductance change Delta-I is smaller than the preset inductance threshold while the door 2030 is in the open state, it may be recognized that no touch has been made and the door 2030 may not operate.

[0129] An inductance change Delta-I may be detected through the touch IC 2130. An inductance change Delta-I may be obtained by subtracting an inductance reference value Baseline-I from a real-time inductance sensed value Rawcount-I. The inductance reference value Baseline-I may be set to an average of inductance values sensed several times while no touch is made on the panel 2200.

[0130] The preset inductance threshold may be a reference value for an inductance change used to determine whether a touch has been made, and for example, the preset inductance threshold may be set to a value corresponding to about 90% to about 100% of an inductance value based on which a valid touch is determined through an experiment.

[0131] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the capacitive sensing method may recognize that a touch has been made when a capacitance change Delta-C detected while the pattern coil 2111 operates as a touch pad is greater than or equal to a preset capacitance threshold, and perform an operation according to the touch. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the operation according to the touch may include opening the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000. Meanwhile, when the detected capacitance change Delta-C is smaller than the preset capacitance threshold, it may be recognized that no touch has been made, and the operation according to the touch may not be performed. For example, while no touch is recognized, the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may not operate. When a capacitance change Delta-C detected while the door 2030 is in an open state is greater than or equal to the preset capacitance threshold, it may be recognized that a touch has been made, and the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may be closed. Meanwhile, when a capacitance change Delta-C detected while the door 2030 is in the open state is smaller than the preset capacitance threshold, it may be recognized that no touch has been made, and the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may not operate.

[0132] A capacitance change Delta-C may be detected through the touch IC 2130. A capacitance change Delta-C may be obtained by subtracting a capacitance reference value Baseline-C from a real-time capacitance sensed value Rawcount-C. The capacitance reference value Baseline-C may be set to an average of capacitance values sensed several times while no touch is made on the panel 2200.

[0133] The preset capacitance threshold may be a reference value for a capacitance change used to determine whether a touch has been made, and for example, the preset inductance threshold may be set to a value corresponding to about 90% to about 100% of a capacitance value based on which a valid touch is determined through an experiment.

[0134] FIG. 10 is a front view showing a touch recognition area when a multi sensing method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is used.

[0135] 101 of FIG. 10 is a front view showing a touch recognition area 16 when the panel 2200 is the conductive panel 2210 in the structures where there is a support structure around the PCB 2100 or where a support is formed by etching the PCB 2100, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A. As seen in 101, it may be confirmed that the touch recognition area 16 is relatively smaller than the touch recognition area 15 of FIG. 7 due to the support structure (etched structure) unlike the case of FIG. 7. In other words, in the structures where there is a support structure around the PCB 2100 or where the PCB 2100 is etched, as shown in FIG. 8A or 9A, a touch may be recognized only around the PCB area 2101 (where an inductive sensor exists).

[0136] Likewise, 102 is a front view showing a touch recognition area 17 when the panel 2200 is the non-conductive panel 2220 in the structures where ta support structure is absent around the PCB 2100 or where the PCB 2100 is etched, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9B. As seen in 102, it may be confirmed that the touch recognition area 17 is relatively smaller than the touch recognition area 15 of FIG. 7 because a touch recognition area of the capacitive sensor 2120 is relatively limited compared to the case of FIG. 7.

[0137] FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of a touch sensing circuit according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0138] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch IC 2130 may read a signal from the pattern coil 2111 through a reception path RX. The signal read by the touch IC 2130 may be, for example, in the form of a pulse per unit time. However, the signal read by the touch IC 2130 may vary depending on specifications of the touch IC 2130.

[0139] For example, when the touch IC 2130 detects a signal through the reception path RX, there may be a difference depending on whether the panel 2200 is the conductive panel 2210 or the non-conductive panel 2220. Also, a port IND_N0 connected to the reception path RX and one end of capacitance C103, and a port IND_P0 at an upper end of a voltage distribution circuit may be converted into states shown in Table 1 according to touch data detected through the reception path RX.TABLE 1Conductive PanelNon-Conductive Panel(Inductive(Capacitive SensingSensing Method)Method)Touch Data>19,000≤19,000IND_P0HighHigh ImpedanceIND_N0LowHigh Impedance

[0140] As shown in able, when the panel 2200 is the conductive panel 2210, touch data detected in the reception path RX of the touch IC 2130 may be greater than 19,000. Meanwhile, when the panel 2200 is the non-conductive panel 2220, touch data detected in the reception path RX of the touch IC 2130 may be smaller than or equal to 19,000. However, a data value of 19,000 detected from the pattern coil 2111 may be only an example, and the data value may vary depending on a circuit configuration or the specifications of the touch IC 2130. The main point is that when a user's touch is made on the panel 2200, touch data detected by the touch IC 2130 depends on whether a material of the panel 2200 is conductive or non-conductive.

[0141] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a material(kind) of the panel 2200 facing the pattern coil 2111 may be identified according to touch data read by the touch IC 2130. According to the panel 2200 being identified as the conductive panel 2210 based on touch data (touch data>19,000 in Table 1), a processor (not shown) of the refrigerator 2000 may perform control of setting the port IND_P0 to high and the port IND_N0 to low to operate the pattern coil 2111 connected to the touch IC 2130 by the inductive sensing method. A reason why the processor performs control of setting the port IND_P0 to high and the port IND_N0 to low may be to cause a periphery circuit including the pattern coil 2111 around the touch IC 2130 to operate as an inductive sensor. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or a certain function of the touch IC 2130 may act as the processor.

[0142] According to the panel 2200 being identified as the non-conductive panel 2220 based on touch data (touch data ≤19,000 in Table 1), the processor of the refrigerator 2000 may set the ports IND_P0 and IND_N0 to a high impedance state to operate the pattern coil 2111 connected to the touch IC 2130 by the capacitive sensing method. The high impedance state may include an open state. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or a certain function of the touch IC 2130 may act as the processor.

[0143] However, how to set states of the ports IND_P0 and IND_N0 as a peripheral circuit of the touch IC 2130 may depend on the specifications of the touch IC 2130. It may be important that according to a material of the panel 2200 identified based on received touch data, the processor may change a configuration of the peripheral circuit of the touch IC 2130 to operate by any sensing method of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method.

[0144] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which the pattern coil operates as a multi sensor according to a material of a panel, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0145] In operation S1301, a user may touch a touch recognition area of a home appliance.

[0146] A panel including the touch recognition area may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0147] In operation S1303, a touch sensor located below the touch recognition area may generate touch data according to the touch by the user. The touch sensor may include the pattern coil 2111. The pattern coil 2111 may generate different touch data according to kinds of panels touched by a user. A data value for distinguishing a conductive panel from a non-conductive panel when a touch is made on the pattern coil 2111 is referred to as a preset panel identification value. For example, the preset panel identification value may vary depending on the specifications of the touch IC 2130, specifications of the pattern coil 2111, or a designer's settings.

[0148] In operation S1305, the home appliance may compare the touch data obtained by the touch sensor to the preset panel identification value. The home appliance may identify a material of the panel on which the touch has been made, based on the compared result. The home appliance may identify the panel as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel by comparing the touch data to the preset panel identification value. When the compared result between the touch data and the preset panel identification value satisfies a condition 1, the panel may be identified as a conductive panel. When the compared result between the touch data and the preset panel identification value satisfies a condition 2, the panel may be identified as a non-conductive panel. For example, a case in which touch data is greater than or equal to the preset panel identification value may be the condition 1, and a case in which touch data is smaller than the preset panel identification value may be the condition 2. However, this may be only an example, and according to a circuit configuration, a case in which touch data is smaller than or equal to the preset panel identification value may be the condition 1, and a case which touch data is greater than the preset panel identification value may be the condition 2.

[0149] In operations S1307 and S1309, the home appliance may set a configuration of the peripheral circuit of the touch IC 2130 based on the identified material of the panel. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the home appliance may enable the touch sensor to operate as the inductive sensor 2110 or the capacitive sensor 2120 by setting a preset port to a high, low, or high-impedance state.

[0150] After a configuration of the peripheral circuit of the touch IC 2130 is completely set, according to the panel being identified as a conductive panel, the touch sensor including the pattern coil 2111 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 in operation S1311. Also, in operation S1313, according to the panel being identified as a non-conductive panel, the touch sensor including the pattern coil 2111 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. At this time, the pattern coil 2111 may operate as a touch pad for capacitive sensing.

[0151] FIG. 14 shows a refrigerator to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0152] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the main body 2010.

[0153] The main body 2010 may include an inner case, an outer case positioned outside the inner case, and an insulation positioned between the inner case and the outer case.

[0154] The “inner case” may include a case, a plate, a panel, or a liner forming a storage room. The inner case may be formed as a single body or formed by assembling a plurality of plates. The “outer case” may form an appearance of the main body 2010, and may be coupled to an outer side of the inner case such that the insulation is positioned between the inner case and the outer case.

[0155] The “insulation” may insulate inside of the storage room from outside of the storage room such that an internal temperature of the storage room is maintained at an appropriate setting temperature without being influenced by an external environment of the storage room. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the insulation may include a foam insulation. By fixing the inner case and the outer case with a jig or the like and then injecting and foaming urethane foam which is a mixture of polyurethane and a foaming agent, the foam insulation may be formed.

[0156] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the insulation may include a vacuum insulation in addition to a foam insulation, or the insulation may be configured only with a vacuum insulation without a foam insulation. The vacuum insulation may include a core material, and a cladding material accommodating the core material therein and sealing inside with vacuum or pressure close to vacuum. The vacuum insulation may further include an adsorbent for adsorbing a gas and water to stably maintain a vacuum state. However, the insulation is not limited to a foaming insulation or a vacuum insulation mentioned above, and may include various materials capable of being used for insulation.

[0157] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a cool air supply device for supplying cool air to the storage room.

[0158] The “cool air supply device” may include a machine, an apparatus, an electronic device, and / or a combination system thereof, capable of generating cool air and guiding the cool air to cool the storage room.

[0159] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cool air supply device may generate cool air through a cooling cycle including compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation processes of refrigerants. To this end, the cool air supply device may include a compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator to drive the cooling cycle.

[0160] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a machine room where at least some components belonging to the cool air supply device are installed.

[0161] The “machine room” may be partitioned and insulated from the storage room to prevent heat generated from the components installed in the machine room from being transferred to the storage room. To dissipate heat from the components installed inside the machine room, the machine room may communicate with outside of the main body.

[0162] The refrigerator 2000 is a kind of home appliance that supplies cool air generated by the compressor of the cool air supply device to the storage room to maintain various foods fresh for a long time. The refrigerator 2000 may provide various functions in addition to such a long-time storage function, and representative ones among the functions may be a communication function of configuring an Internet of Things (IoT) network and a function of outputting sound through a speaker installed on the refrigerator 2000.

[0163] Referring to FIG. 14, the refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the main body 2010, and a door 2030a, 2030b, 2030c, and 2030d that opens or closes the storage room.

[0164] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the door 2030 configured to open or close an open side of the storage room.

[0165] The refrigerator 2000 of FIG. 14 is shown to include four doors 2030. However, the number of the doors 2030 is not limited thereto. A right upper door 2030a and a right lower door 2030b of the refrigerator 2000 may be configured as a single door, and the single door may include a panel. The panel may include a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel. A left upper door 2030c and a left lower door 2030d of the refrigerator 2000 may be configured as a single door. The single door may include a panel. The panel may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel. Also, the number of the doors 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 may be more or less than four. Also, positions of the doors 2030 may change variously. According to an arrangement of the doors 2030 and the storage room, the refrigerator 2000 may be classified into a French door type refrigerator, a side-by-side type refrigerator, etc.

[0166] The door 2030 may be closed to insulate the storage room from outside temperature. The door 2030 may include an insulation, like the main body 2010, to insulate the storage room while being closed.

[0167] The refrigerator 2000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the touch recognition area 15 on the door 2030 (the panel 2200 included in the door 2030). The touch recognition area 15 may be an area configured to perform a preset operation (automatically opening or closing the door 2030) when a user touches the area. The touch recognition area 15 may have a relatively wide range in the case in which the pattern coil 211 included in the PCB 2100 operates only as the inductive sensor 2110 without any support structure around the PCB 2100, as shown in FIG. 6A or 6B. In the case in which the panel of the door 2030 is a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the panel to enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate only as the inductive sensor 2110.

[0168] In the case in which there is a support structure around the PCB 2100 and the pattern coil 2111 operates selectively as the inductive sensor 2110 or the capacitive sensor 2120 according to a material of the panel, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 9B, the touch recognition area 15 may have a relatively small range compared to the above case.

[0169] FIG. 15 shows a dish washer to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0170] Referring to FIG. 15, a dish washer 3000 may be configured with a main body 3010 and a door 3030 for enabling a user to put dishes to be washed into the main body 3010 or take washed dishes out of the main body 3010. In an upper end portion of the door 3030, a user interface 3040 may be provided. As shown in FIG. 15, the user interface 3040 of the dish washer 3000 may be positioned on a surface of the door 3030, which appears when the door 3030 opens, although not limited thereto. The user interface 3040 may be a part of the main body 3010 or may be positioned on a front surface of the door 3030. The user interface 3040 may include an input panel as an input interface that receives an operation command from a user, and a display as an output interface that displays operation information of the dish washer 3000. The input panel as the input interface may include a touch key that operates by a touch. In FIG. 15, the touch recognition area 15 may be provided on the front surface of the door 3030. The user interface 3040 may be positioned at a part of the touch recognition area 15.

[0171] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the dish washer 3000 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel included in the door 3030. According to the panel of the door 3030 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the panel of the door 3030 being identified as a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0172] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the dish washer 3000 may identify a kind of the panel included in the door 3030 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method. When a user's touch is made on the panel of the door 3030, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel of the door 3030 may be identified.

[0173] According to the panel of the door 3030 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, a processor of the dish washer 3000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0174] According to the panel of the door 3030 being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor of the dish washer 3000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0175] FIG. 16 shows an electric oven to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0176] An electric oven 4000 may be a cooking appliance for performing cooking such as baking. Because the electric oven 4000 has a high internal temperature, in many cases, an external panel of the electric oven 4000 is made of metal rather than plastic. However, recently, because external panels are made of high-resistant glass or high-resistant plastic, there is a need to implement a touch sensor that is not restricted by a panel material.

[0177] The electric oven 4000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a user interface4040. The user interface 4040 may include a touch key for receiving a user input, together with a display for displaying information for a user. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch key may operate by the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method.

[0178] At least a part of the user interface 4040 may operate as the touch recognition area 15 that performs a function of opening or closing a door 4030 according to a user's touch. The touch recognition area 15 may be positioned on at least a part of the user interface 4040, or on a front surface of the door 4030 as shown in FIG. 16.

[0179] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the electric oven 4000 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel included in the door 4030. According to the panel of the door 4030 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the panel of the door 4030 being identified as a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0180] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the electric oven 4000 may identify a kind of the panel included in the door 4030 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method. When a user's touch is made on the panel of the door 4030, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel of the door 4030 may be identified.

[0181] According to the panel of the door 4030 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, a processor of the electric oven 4000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0182] According to the panel of the door 4030 being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor of the electric oven 4000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0183] FIG. 17 shows a washing machine to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0184] A washing machine 5000 of FIG. 17 may include a main body 5010, a water tank (not shown) installed inside the main body 5010, and a drum 5011 installed inside the water tank. A lifter 5012 that lifts laundry upward and then drops the laundry by gravity while the drum 5011 rotates may be installed on an inner side of the drum 5011. The drum 5011 may perform washing, rinsing, and / or dehydrating while rotating inside a tub which will be described below. The drum 5011 may include a through hole that connects an inside space of the drum 5011 with an inside space of the tub. The drum 5011 may have a substantially cylindrical shape of which one side opens.

[0185] The main body 5010 may generally have, but is not limited thereto, a hexahedron shape. In a front center of the main body 5010, an opening 5013 through which laundry is put into the drum 5011 or taken out of the drum 5011 may be formed, and a door 5030 for opening or closing the opening 5013 may be rotatably installed. At least a part of the door 5030 may be transparent or translucent to show an inside space surrounded by the drum 5011. At least a part of the door 5030 may include the touch recognition area 15 in which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is positioned.

[0186] The washing machine 5000 may include the tub provided inside the water tank to store water, which is not shown in FIG. 17. The tub may be supported inside the water tank. The tub may have a substantially cylindrical shape of which one side opens. The tub may be elastically supported on the water tank by a damper. The damper may connect the tub to the water tank. The damper may attenuate vibrations generated during a rotation of the drum 5011 by absorbing vibration energy between the tub and the water tank upon transferring of the vibrations to the tub and / or the water tank.

[0187] On a front upper portion of the main body 5010, a user interface 5040 for displaying an operation state of the washing machine 5000 for a user or enabling the user to control a washing operation may be installed. The user interface 5040 may include an input device as an input interface for receiving an operation command from a user, and a display device as an output interface for displaying operation information of the washing machine 5000.

[0188] The input device may provide an electrical output signal corresponding to a user input to a controller (not shown) including a processor. The input device may include, for example, a power button, an operation button, a course selection dial (or a course selection button), and a washing / rinsing / dehydrating setting button. The input button may include, for example, a tact switch, a push switch, a slide switch, a toggle switch, a micro switch, a touch switch, etc. A surface of the washing machine 5000 or at least a part of the user interface 5040 of the washing machine 5000 may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0189] The display may receive a signal from the processor, and display information corresponding to the received signal. The display may include a screen for displaying an operation time of the washing machine 5000 and a washing course selected by rotating the course selection dial (or pressing the course selection button), and an indicator for displaying a washing setting / rinsing setting / dehydrating setting selected by the setting button. The display may include, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) panel, etc.

[0190] The washing machine 5000 may include a driver configured to rotate the drum 5011, which is not shown in FIG. 17.

[0191] The driver (not shown) may include a driving motor, and a rotating shaft (not shown) for transferring a driving force generated in the driving motor to the drum 5011. The rotating shaft may penetrate the tub and be connected to the drum. The driver may rotate the drum 5011 forward and backward to perform a washing operation, a rinsing operation, and / or a dehydrating operation.

[0192] A controller including the processor may control various components (for example, the driving motor and a water supply valve) of the washing machine 5000. The controller may control various components of the washing machine 5000 to perform at least an operation including water supply, washing, rinsing, and / or dehydrating according to a user input to a control panel. For example, the controller may control the driving motor to adjust a rotation speed of the tub, or control the water supply valve of a water supply to supply water to the tub.

[0193] The controller may include hardware, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or memory, and software such as a control program. For example, the controller may include at least one memory that stores data in the form of an algorithm or program for controlling operations of components in the washing machine, and at least one processor that performs the above-described operations by using the data stored in the at least one memory. The memory and the processor may be implemented as separate chips. The processor may include one, two or more processor chips or one, two, or more processing cores. The memory may include one, two, or more memory chips or one, two, or more memory blocks. Also, the memory and the processor may be implemented as a single chip.

[0194] At least a part of the user interface 5040 may operate as the touch recognition area 15 that performs a function of opening or closing the door 5030 by a user's touch. The touch recognition area 15 may include at least a part of the user interface 5040, or may be a part of the door 5030 as shown in FIG. 17.

[0195] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the washing machine 5000 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel configuring at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040. According to the at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040 being a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below or around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040 being a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0196] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the washing machine 5000 may identify a kind of a panel configuring at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method. When a user's touch is made on the touch recognition area 15 configuring at least a part of the door 5030 or the user interface 5040, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of a panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 may be identified.

[0197] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, a processor of the washing machine 5000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0198] In the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor of the washing machine 5000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0199] FIG. 18 shows an air conditioner to which a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the disclosure is applied.

[0200] To cool an air-conditioned space to be air-conditioned, an air conditioner 6000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may absorb heat from the air-conditioned space (hereinafter, referred to as an “indoor space”) and emit heat to an outside (hereinafter, referred to as an “outside space”) of the air-conditioned space. Also, to heat the indoor space, the air conditioner 6000 may absorb heat from the outside space and emit heat to the indoor space.

[0201] Also, the air conditioner 6000 may include one, two, or more outdoor units 6100 installed in the outdoor space and one, two, or more indoor units 6200 installed in the indoor space. An outdoor unit 6100 may be electrically connected to an indoor unit 6200. For example, a user may input information (or a command) for controlling the indoor unit 6200 through a user interface 6040, and the outdoor unit 6100 may operate in response to a user input from the indoor unit 6200.

[0202] The outdoor unit 6100 may be fluidically connected to the indoor unit 6200 through a refrigerant pipe.

[0203] The outdoor unit 6100 may be installed in an outdoor space. The outdoor unit 6100 may perform heat exchange between a refrigerant and outside air by using a phase change (for example, evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant. At this time, the heat exchange may be performed through an outdoor heat exchanger included in the outdoor unit 6100. For example, while a refrigerant is condensed in the outdoor unit 6100, the refrigerant may emit heat to outside air. While a refrigerant is evaporated in the outdoor unit 6100, the refrigerant may absorb heat from outside air.

[0204] The indoor unit 6200 may be installed in an indoor space. The indoor unit 6200 may perform heat exchange between a refrigerant and indoor air by using a phase change (for example, evaporation or condensation) of the refrigerant. The heat exchange may be performed through an indoor heat exchanger included in the indoor unit 6200. For example, while a refrigerant is evaporated in the indoor unit 6200, the refrigerant may absorb heat from indoor air, and the indoor space may be cooled. While a refrigerant is condensed in the indoor unit 6200, the refrigerant may emit heat to indoor air, and the indoor space may be heated. The air conditioner 6000 may include a compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, an expander, and the indoor heat exchanger. The air conditioner 6000 may include a refrigerant pipe that connects the compressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the expander, and the indoor heat exchanger to each other.

[0205] The indoor unit 6200 of the air conditioner 6000 may include a user interface 6040 that displays operation information of the air conditioner 6000 and receives a command from a user. A display of the user interface 6040 may receive information about an operation of the air conditioner 6000 from a processor that controls an operation of the air conditioner 6000, and display information corresponding to the received information. The display may include an indicator that displays an operation mode of the air conditioner 6000, selected by a user, power on / off of the indoor unit 6200, etc. The indicator may include, for example, a LCD panel, a LED panel, or a plurality of LEDs. At least a part of a surface of the air conditioner 6000 or at least a part of the user interface 6040 may be configured with a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0206] The outdoor unit 6100 may include an outdoor unit body 6101 forming an appearance of the outdoor unit 6100, and an outdoor unit fan 6102 that is provided in a side of the outdoor unit body 6101 and discharges heat-exchanged air.

[0207] The indoor unit 6200 may include an indoor unit body 6201 forming an appearance of the indoor unit 6200, an indoor unit outlet 6202 that is provided in a front side of the indoor unit body 6201 and discharges heat-exchanged air, and the user interface 6040 that receives an operation command for the air conditioner 6000 from a user.

[0208] The touch recognition area 15 shown in FIG. 18 is only an example, and a position or size of the touch recognition area 15 may vary according to applications.

[0209] At least a part of the user interface 6040 may operate as the touch recognition area 15 that performs a specific function by a user's touch. The touch recognition area 15 may include at least a part of the user interface 6040 or may be positioned at another location. For example, according to a touch made on the touch recognition area 15, a function of operating or stopping the air conditioner 6000 may be performed.

[0210] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the air conditioner 6000 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of a panel of a part corresponding to the touch recognition area 15. In the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below or around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. In the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0211] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the air conditioner 6000 may identify a kind of a panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method. When a user's touch is made on the touch recognition area 15, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 may be identified.

[0212] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, a processor of the air conditioner 6000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0213] In the case in which the panel corresponding to the touch recognition area 15 is identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned around the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor of the air conditioner 6000 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor.

[0214] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0215] Referring to FIG. 19, the refrigerator 2000 according to the disclosure may include a controller 2500, a cool air supply device 2800, a storage room 2700, the door 2030, and a power conversion device 2600.

[0216] Components of the refrigerator 2000 have been described in detail with reference to FIG. 14, and therefore, overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0217] The cool air supply device 2800 may include a compressor 2810, a condenser 2820, an expander 2830, and an evaporator 2840 capable of driving a cooling cycle. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cool air supply device 2800 may further include a semiconductor such as a thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric element may cool the storage room 2700 by heating and cooling actions through the Peltier effect. The storage room 2700 may include a refrigerating room 2702a and a freezing room 2702b, as described above. The refrigerator 2000 may further include a temperature conversion room 2702c, and the temperature conversion room 2702c may or may not be included in the refrigerator 2000 depending on design specifications or a model of the refrigerator 2000. The refrigerating room 2702a, the freezing room 2702b, and the temperature conversion room 2702c of the storage room 2700 may be called by various names, such as “vegetable room”, “fresh room”, “cooling room”, and “ice room”, and the terms “refrigerating room”, “freezing room” and “temperature conversion room” should be understood to encompass storage rooms having corresponding uses and temperature ranges, respectively.

[0218] The door 2030 may be used to preserve coldness of the storage room 2700 of the refrigerator 2000 while enabling a user to put food into the storage room 2700 and take food stored in the storage room 2700 out of the storage room 2700. A double-door refrigerator may include two doors that open at both sides. The door 2030 may include a transparent door. The door 2030 may be divided into an upper door and a lower door.

[0219] The controller 2500 may include a processor 2510, a first communication unit 2520, a memory 2550, a display 2540, and the PCB 2100. Components of the controller 2500 except for the display 2540 may configure a printed board assembly (PBA) of the refrigerator 2000. The PCB 2100 may be integrated into or separated from the PBA. Also, the touch IC 2130 included in the PCB 2100 may be a part of the processor 2510 of the controller 2500, or the processor 2510 may be included in the touch IC 2130.

[0220] The processor 2510 included in the controller 2500 may be implemented as one or more processors. Also, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) processor may be mounted on the processor 2510. The AI processor may be manufactured in the form of a dedicated hardware chip for AI, or manufactured as a portion of an existing general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) or a graphic dedicated processor (e.g., a GPU) and mounted on the refrigerator 2000.

[0221] The processor 2510 may execute programs stored in the memory 2550 to control the first communication unit 2520, the display 2540, and the memory 2550. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 2510 may control the PCB 2100. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 2510 may be an AI processor. The AI processor may be manufactured in the form of a dedicated hardware chip for AI, or manufactured as a portion of an existing general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) or a graphic dedicated processor (e.g., a GPU) and mounted on the refrigerator 2000. The processor 2510 may receive temperature information of the storage room 2700 from a temperature sensor (not show), and generate a cooling control signal for controlling an operation of the cool air supply device 2800 based on the temperature information of the storage room 2700. The processor 2510 may receive a user's touch input through the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100, and perform a preset function of the refrigerator 2000 in response to the user's touch input. The preset function may include a function of opening or closing the door 2030, a function of displaying information on the display 2540, etc., although not limited thereto.

[0222] The processor 2510 may output a control signal for driving the power conversion device 2600, and control an operation of the refrigerator 2000 based on ‘overheating’ information transferred from the power conversion device 2600. The processor 2510 may control the display 2540 to display information or notifications, such as an overheating state or errors of the refrigerator 2000, for a user. For example, when overheating has occurred at a specific location of the refrigerator 2000, the processor 2510 may control the display 2540 to display an overheating state notifying “overheating has currently occurred in XXX” together with an overheating location, based on overheating information transferred from the power conversion device 2600. The first communication unit 2520 may include one or more components for communication between the refrigerator 2000 and a server device (not shown) or between the refrigerator 2000 and a mobile device (not shown). For example, the first communication unit 2520 may include a short-range communication unit 2521, a long-distance communication unit 2523, etc.

[0223] The short-range communication unit 2521 may include, but is not limited thereto, a Bluetooth communication unit, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication unit, a Near Field Communication (NFC) unit, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication unit, a Zigbee communication unit, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) communication unit, a Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) communication unit, a ultra wideband (UWB) communication unit, an Ant+ communication unit, etc. The long-distance communication unit 2523 may be used to communicate with a server device (not shown) when the refrigerator 2000 is controlled remotely by the server device in an IoT environment. The long-distance communication unit 2523 may include the Internet, a computer network (e.g., Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN)), and a mobile communication unit. The mobile communication unit may include, but is not limited thereto, a 3G module, a 4G module, a 5G module, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) module, a NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) module, a LET-M module, etc.

[0224] The display 2540 may be used to display required data.

[0225] According to the display 2540 being configured as a touch screen by forming a layer structure together with a touch pad, the display 2540 may also be used as an input interface. The display 2540 may include at least one of a LCD, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), a LED, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a flexible display, a 3Dimensional (3D) display, or an electrophoretic display. Also, according to an implementation type of the refrigerator 2000, the refrigerator 2000 may include two or more displays 2540.

[0226] The PCB 2100 may include a touch sensor 2102 for receiving a touch input from a user. The touch sensor 2102 may include the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100. The pattern coil 2111 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 or as a capacitive sensor 2120 according to preset conditions.

[0227] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB 2100 may be positioned below the panel 2200. The touch sensor 2102 of the PCB 2100 may recognize a user's touch made on the panel 2200 and generate a control signal corresponding to the user's touch. A function of the refrigerator 2000 corresponding to the generated control signal may be performed. The touch sensor 2102 including the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 may operate as an input interface capable of processing a user's touch input by being combined with the touch recognition area 15 of the panel 2200. Because an operation of the PCB 2100 is relevant to the panel 2200 included in the door 2030, the panel 2200 will be described.

[0228] The panel 2200 may be any one of a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel. The conductive panel may include, for example, a metal panel. The non-conductive panel may include, for example, a glass panel or a plastic panel. The panel 2200 may be included in the door 2030 of the refrigerator 2000 or replace the door 2030. The panel 2200 may include the touch recognition area 15 that recognizes a user's touch on the surface. The touch recognition area 15 may have different ranges depending on whether the pattern coil 2111 operates by the inductive sensing method or by the capacitive sensing method. Also, the touch recognition area 15 may have different ranges depending on whether or not there is a support structure between the panel 2200 and the PCB 2100. In the case in which there is a support structure between the panel 2200 and the PCB 2100, the touch recognition area 15 may have a relatively small range. The case in which there is a support structure between the panel 2200 and the PCB 2100 may mean a case in which there is a support structure around the PCB 2100. Around the PCB 2100 may vary depending on a size of the PCB 2100, but may include, for example, an area within 3 cm to 15 cm from edges of the PCB 2100.

[0229] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 may operate by the inductive sensing method or by the capacitive sensing method. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 may recognize a user's touch by the inductive sensing method or by the capacitive sensing method, and a function of opening or closing the door 2030 may be performed. The touch recognition area 15 may be positioned on the panel 2200 of the door 2030.

[0230] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15 on the panel 2200, the pattern coil 2111 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of the panel 2200 included in the door 2030.

[0231] According to the panel 2200 being a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the panel 2200 being a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0232] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the processor 2510 may identify a kind of the panel 2200 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method of the pattern coil 2111. When a user's touch is made on the panel 2200, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel 2200 may be identified. The touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may vary according to the kind of the panel 2200. For example, according to the panel 2200 being a conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be greater than the preset panel identification value, and according to the panel 2200 being a non-conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be smaller than the preset panel identification value.

[0233] According to the panel 2200 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, the processor 2510 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor 2510 may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 2510 may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor 2510.

[0234] According to the panel 2200 being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor 2510 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor 2510 may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 2510 may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor 2510.

[0235] The memory 2550 may store a program for processing and control of the processor 2510, and store input / output data. The memory 2550 may store an AI model. For example, the memory 2550 may store an AI model for recognizing sound, an AI model for outputting sound, etc. The memory 2550 may store programs and / or data for controlling components included in the refrigerator 2000, and store temporary data generated while a control signal for controlling the components included in the refrigerator 2000 is generated.

[0236] The memory 2550 may include at least one type of storage medium among a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, Secure Digital (SD) or eXtreme Digital (XD) memory), Random Access Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. Also, the refrigerator 2000 may operate a web storage or a cloud server that performs a storage function on the Internet. Although the memory 2550 is shown as a separate block from the processor 2510 in FIG. 19, the memory 2550 may be included in the processor 2510.

[0237] The power conversion device 2600 may include a switched mode power supply (SMPS).

[0238] The power conversion device 2600 may convert an alternating current voltage of an input power source input to the refrigerator 2000 into a direct current voltage, and supply the direct current voltage to the controller 2500 and other components of the refrigerator 2000. The power conversion device 2600 may include a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller 2630 for controlling PWM switching to convert power. While a switch 2640 operates by the PWM controller 2630, power may be converted. Various power switches may be used as the switch 2640. For example, the switch 2640 may be, but is not limited thereto, a transistor, a field effect transistor (FET), a metal oxide silicon field effect transistor (MOSFET), or an insulated gate bipolar mode transistor (IGBT).

[0239] FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0240] As shown in FIG. 20, a home appliance 1000 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a processor 1001, a communication interface 1300, a user interface 1400, and memory 1500.

[0241] Hereinafter, the above-mentioned components will be described in order.

[0242] The processor 1001 may control overall operations of the home appliance 1000. The processor 1001 may be a hardware apparatus that controls overall operations of the home appliance 1000. The processor 1001 may be a hardware chip including an integrated circuit into which electrical circuit are integrated. The processor 1001 may control the communication interface 1300, the user interface 1400, and the memory 1500 by executing programs stored in the memory 1500. The home appliance 1000 may include at least one processor. For example, the processor 1001 may be a single or a plurality of processors. Also, in the case in which a plurality of processors are provided, an operation by the processor 1001 according to the disclosure may be performed by any one of the plurality of processors. The home appliance 1000 may include only a main processor, or include a main processor and at least one sub processor.

[0243] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an AI processor may be mounted on the home appliance 1000. The AI processor may be manufactured in the form of a dedicated hardware chip for AI, or manufactured as a portion of an existing general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) or a graphic dedicated processor (e.g., a GPU) and mounted on the home appliance 1000.

[0244] The communication interface 1300 may include one or more components that enable communication between the home appliance 1000 and a server device (not shown) or between the home appliance 1000 and a user terminal (not shown). For example, the communication interface 1300 may include a short-range communication unit 1310 and a long-distance communication unit 1320. The short-range communication unit 1310 may include, but is not limited thereto, a Bluetooth communication unit, a BLE communication unit, a NFC unit, a WLAN communication unit, a Zigbee communication unit, an IrDA communication unit, a WFD communication unit, a UWB communication unit, an Ant+ communication unit, etc. The long-distance communication unit 2523 may include the Internet, a computer network (e.g., LAN or WAN), and a mobile communication unit. The mobile communication unit may transmit / receive a wireless signal to / from at least one of a base station, an external terminal, or a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include a voice call signal, a video call signal or various formats of data according to transmission / reception of text / multimedia messages. The mobile communication unit may include, but is not limited thereto, a 3G module, a 4G module, a LTE module, a 5G module, a 6G module, a NB-IoT module, a LTE-M module, etc.

[0245] The user interface 1400 may include an output interface 1410 and an input interface 1420. The output interface 1410 may be used to output an audio signal or a video signal, and include a display and a sound output device.

[0246] According to the display configured as a touch screen by forming a layer structure together with a touch pad, the display may also be used as the input interface 1420, as well as the output interface 1410. The display may include at least one of a LCD, a TFT-LCD, a LED display, an OLED display, a flexible display, a 3D display, or an electrophoretic display. Also, according to an implementation type of the home appliance 1000, the home appliance 1000 may include two or more displays.

[0247] The sound output device may output audio data received from the communication interface 1300 or stored in the memory 1500. Also, the sound output device may output a sound signal related to a function that is performed in the home appliance 1000. The sound output device may include a speaker, a buzzer, etc.

[0248] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the output interface 1410 may display information about the home appliance 1000. For example, the output interface 1410 may output a Graphical User Interface (GUI) corresponding to a current state, failure information, or product model information of the home appliance 1000.

[0249] The input interface 1420 may be used to receive an input from a user. The input interface 1420 may be, but is not limited thereto, at least one of a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (a capacitive type, a resistive type, an infrared beam type, a surface acoustic wave type, an integral strain gauge type, a piezo effect type, etc.), a jog wheel, or a jog switch.

[0250] The input interface 1420 may include a voice recognition module. For example, the home appliance 1000 may receive a voice signal as an analog signal through a microphone, and convert a voice part into computer-readable text by using an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) model. The home appliance 1000 may obtain a user's utterance intention by interpreting the converted text based on a Natural Language Understanding (NLU) model. Here, the ASR model or the NLU model may be an AI model. The AI model may be processed by an AI-dedicated processor designed with a hardware structure specialized to process AI models. The AI model may be created through training. Creating through training means creating a predefined operation rule or an AI model set to perform a desired characteristic (or a purpose) when a basic AI model is trained with a plurality of pieces of training data by a learning algorithm. The AI model may be configured with a plurality of neural network layers. Each of the plurality of neural network layers may have a plurality of weights, and perform a neural network arithmetic operation through an arithmetic operation between an arithmetic operation result of a previous layer and the plurality of weights.

[0251] The linguistic comprehension is technology for recognizing and applying / processing human language / characters, and includes Natural Language Processing, Machine Translation, Dialogue System, Question Answering, Speech Recognition / Synthesis, etc.

[0252] The memory 1500 may store a program for processing and control of the processor 1001, and store input / output data. The memory1500 may store an AI model.

[0253] The memory 1500 may include at least one type of storage medium of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), RAM, SRAM, ROM, EEPROM, PROM, magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. Also, the home appliance 1000 may operate a web storage or a cloud server that performs a storage function on the Internet.

[0254] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the pattern coil 2111 may operate by the inductive sensing method or by the capacitive sensing method. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, by recognizing a user's touch by the pattern coil 2111 based on the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method, a specific function of the home appliance 1000 may be performed. The touch recognition area 15 may be positioned on the panel 2200.

[0255] The PCB 2100 may be a block for recognizing and processing a touch made on a panel 1010. The pattern coil 2111 capable of operating as the inductive sensor 2110 or the capacitive sensor 2120 may be printed on the PCB 2100. Touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be processed by the touch IC 2130 to enable the home appliance 1000 to perform a specific function by the touch.

[0256] The panel 1010 may include the touch recognition area 15 for recognizing a touch. The panel 1010 may be at least one of a conductive panel made of metal or a non-conductive panel made of glass or plastic. When the touch recognition area 15 is configured with a conductive panel and pressure by a user's push is applied onto the touch recognition area 15, the pattern coil 2111 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a displacement difference of the conductive panel. The inductive sensor 2110 may detect a touch by a displacement difference of the conductive panel. A displacement difference of the conductive panel may be generated by a cavity (or an air gap) formed between the conductive panel and the inductive sensor 2110. The cavity formed between the conductive panel and the inductive sensor 2110 may be formed by etching the PCB 2100 or by a support structure around the PCB 2100. The inductive sensor 2110 may be implemented by the pattern coil 2111 printed on the PCB 2100 below the conductive panel.

[0257] According to the panel 1010 being a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 may operate as a kind of touch pad and become the capacitive sensor 2120.

[0258] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15 on the panel 1010, the pattern coil 2111 may operate by the inductive sensing method regardless of a material of the panel 1010. According to the panel being a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. According to the panel 1010 being a non-conductive panel, a copper foil may be attached to a lower side of the non-conductive panel. Due to the copper foil attached to the lower side of the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110 by a slight displacement difference of the non-conductive panel caused when a touch is made on the non-conductive panel.

[0259] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when a user touches the touch recognition area 15, the processor 1001 may identify a kind of the panel 1010 and determine which one of the inductive sensing method or the capacitive sensing method as an operation method of the pattern coil 2111. When a user's touch is made on the panel 1010, touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may be compared to a preset panel identification value and a kind of the panel 1010 may be identified. The touch data obtained by the pattern coil 2111 may vary according to the kind of the panel 1010. For example, according to the panel 1010 being a conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be greater than the preset panel identification value, and according to the panel 1010 being a non-conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be smaller than the preset panel identification value. However, this is only an example. According to the panel 1010 being a conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be smaller than the preset panel identification value, and according to the panel being a non-conductive panel, the obtained touch data may be greater than the preset panel identification value.

[0260] According to the panel 1010 being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the inductive sensor 2110. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the inductive sensor 2110, the processor 1001 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the inductive sensing method. For example, the processor 1001 may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 1001 may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor 1001.

[0261] According to the panel 1010 being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil 2111 of the PCB 2100 positioned below the touch recognition area 15 may operate as the capacitive sensor 2120. To enable the pattern coil 2111 to operate as the capacitive sensor 2120, the processor 1001 may perform appropriate settings to enable the peripheral circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to operate by the capacitive sensing method. For example, the processor 1001 may set a certain port of the touch IC 2130 or a certain point of the circuit connected to the touch IC 2130 to any state of high, low, or high-impedance. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor 1001 may include the touch IC 2130, or the touch IC 2130 may include the processor 1001.

[0262] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a refrigerator including a touch sensor is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air, a storage room configured to maintain and store food at a low temperature with cool air supplied from the cool air supply device, and a door configured to insulate the storage room from outside temperature and configured with a panel configured to, when a user touches the panel, generate a displacement in a first direction. The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a printed circuit board (PCB) configured to sense a user's touch made on the panel. The PCB of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a pattern coil configured to function as an inductive sensor and positioned to face the first direction. The PCB of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to process the user's touch by inductive sensing according to a change of a magnetic field by the user's touch.

[0263] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the panel may be a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0264] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, in the case in which the panel is a non-conductive panel, a lower side of the panel may include a conductive material.

[0265] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the conductive material may be a metal copper foil.

[0266] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a support structure is absent between the panel and the PCB within a preset distance from the PCB.

[0267] The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may further include a capacitive sensor configured to detect a user's touch made in a second direction, and a side of the refrigerator may be made of a non-conductive material.

[0268] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the second direction may be vertical to the first direction and may be a side direction of the refrigerator.

[0269] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the capacitive sensor may be a touch gasket.

[0270] In the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may be configured to be automatically opened or closed by the user' touch made on the panel.

[0271] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a refrigerator including a touch sensor is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air, a storage room configured to maintain and store food at a low temperature with cool air supplied from the cool air supply device, and a door configured to insulate the storage room from outside temperature and configured with a panel. The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a PCB configured to sense a user's touch made on the panel. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the PCB may include a pattern coil configured to function as an inductive sensor or a capacitive sensor and positioned to face a first direction. The PCB of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a touch IC configured to obtain touch data generated by the pattern coil according to a user's touch, identify a panel on which the user's touch has been made as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel based on the obtained touch data, and process the user's touch by one of inductive sensing or capacitive sensing depending on whether the identified panel is a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0272] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the touch data obtained to identify the panel on which the user's touch has been made as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel may be data related to an inductance change of the pattern coil.

[0273] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, according to the panel being identified as a conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as the inductive sensor for sensing an inductance change, and according to the panel being identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil is configured to operate as a touch pad for capacitive sensing in at least an etched part of the PCB.

[0274] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, when the panel is identified as a non-conductive panel, the pattern coil may be configured to operate as a touch panel with capacitance varying depending on the user's touch in the at least one etched part of the PCB.

[0275] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the first direction that the pattern coil faces may be a same direction that the door faces.

[0276] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a second capacitive sensor may be included in the door, the second capacitive sensor facing a second direction that is vertical to the first direction and being mounted on the PCB.

[0277] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a side touch key configured to receive a user's side touch for touch sensing by the second capacitive sensor may include a touch gasket.

[0278] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a processor configured to set a circuit connected to the touch IC for inductive sensing or capacitive sensing to process the user's touch by one of the inductive sensing or the capacitive sensing depending on whether the identified panel is a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

[0279] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the processor may include the touch IC or the touch IC may include the processor.

[0280] In the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may be configured to be automatically opened or closed by a user's touch made on the door.

[0281] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may further include a support structure for a gap between the panel and the PCB.

[0282] The method according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in the form of program commands that can be executed by various computer means, and may be recorded on computer-readable media. The computer-readable media may also include, alone or in combination with program commands, data files, data structures, and the like. Program commands recorded on the media may be the kind specifically designed and constructed for the disclosure or well-known and available to those of ordinary skill in the computer software field. Examples of the computer-readable media include magnetic media, such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media, such as CD-ROM and DVD, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like, specifically configured to store and execute program commands. Examples of the program commands include high-level language codes that can be executed on a computer through an interpreter or the like, as well as machine language codes produced by a compiler.

[0283] An embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in the form of a computer-readable recording medium including an instruction that is executable by a computer, such as a program module that is executed by a computer. The computer-readable recording medium may be an arbitrary available medium which can be accessed by a computer, and may include a volatile or non-volatile medium and a separable or non-separable medium. Further, the computer-readable recording medium may include a computer storage medium and a communication medium. The computer storage medium may include volatile and non-volatile media and separable and non-separable media implemented by an arbitrary method or technology for storing information such as a computer readable instruction, a data structure, a program module, or other data. The communication medium may generally include a computer-readable instruction, a data structure, a program module, other data of a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, or another transfer mechanism, and include an arbitrary information transmission medium. Also, an embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented as a computer program or a computer program product including instructions that are executable by a computer, such as a computer program executed by a computer.

[0284] The machine-readable recording medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. The term ‘non-transitory storage medium’ simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does not differentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storage medium. For example, a ‘non-transitory storage medium’ may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

[0285] According to an embodiment, the method may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloadable or uploadable) online via an application store or between two user devices (e.g., smart phones) directly. When distributed online, at least part of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable app) may be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such as a memory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store, or a relay server.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0052]Terms used in this specification will be briefly described, and an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail.

[0053]Although general terms being currently widely used were selected as terminology used in the disclosure while considering the functions in an embodiment of the disclosure, they may vary according to intentions of one of ordinary skill in the art, judicial precedents, the advent of new technologies, and the like. Terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant of the disclosure may also be used in a specific case. In this case, their meanings will be described in detail in the detailed description of the disclosure. Hence, the terms used in the disclosure must be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the contents of the entire disclosure, not by simply stating the terms themselves.

[0054]Throughout the disclosure, the expression “at least one of a, b or c” indicates “a”, “b”, “c”, “a and b”, “a and c”, “b and c”, “all of a, b, and c”, or variation...

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air;a storage room configured to receive the supplied cool air so that food is storable in the storage room at a low temperature;a door configured to open and close the storage room, and to insulate the storage room from outside temperature;a panel on the door and configured to, based on a user touching the panel, be displaced in a first direction; anda printed circuit board (PCB) behind the panel, the PCB including:a pattern coil facing the first direction and configured to function as an inductive sensor, anda touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to, based on the panel being displaced in the first direction by a user's touch, process the user's touch by inductive sensing according to a change of a magnetic field at the pattern coil.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, whereinthe panel is a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein,the panel is the non-conductive panel, anda conductive material is disposed on a rear side of the panel.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, whereinthe conductive material includes a metal copper foil.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, whereinno support structure is arranged between the panel and the PCB within a preset distance from the PCB.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising:a capacitive sensor configured to detect a user's touch made in a second direction at a side of the refrigerator,wherein the side of the refrigerator includes a non-conductive material.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, whereinthe second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6, whereinthe capacitive sensor is a touch gasket.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, whereinthe door is configured to be automatically opened and closed based on the processing of the user's touch on the panel.

10. A refrigerator comprising:a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air;a storage room configured to receive the supplied cool air so that food is storable in the storage room at a low temperature;a door configured to open and close the storage room, and to insulate the storage room from outside temperature;a panel on the door; anda printed circuit board (PCB) behind the panel, the PCB including:a pattern coil facing a first direction and configured to function as an inductive sensor and a capacitive sensor, anda touch integrated circuit (IC) configured to, based on the panel being touched by a user:obtain touch data generated by the pattern coil,based on the obtained touch data, identify the panel being touched by the user as a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel,based on the panel being identified as a conductive panel, process the user's touch by inductive sensing, andbased on the panel being identified as a non-conductive panel, process the user's touch by capacitive sensing.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, whereinthe obtained touch data to identify the panel being touched by the user as the conductive panel or the non-conductive panel is related to an inductance change of the pattern coil.

12. The refrigerator of claim 10, whereinbased on the panel being identified as the conductive panel, the pattern coil is configured to operate as the inductive sensor for sensing an inductance change, andbased on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil is configured to operate as a touch pad for capacitive sensing in at least an etched part of the PCB.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12, whereinbased on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, the pattern coil is configured to operate as a touch panel with a capacitance varying depending on the user's touch in the at least one etched part of the PCB.

14. The refrigerator of claim 10, whereinthe first direction that the pattern coil faces is a same direction that the door faces.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14, whereinthe pattern coil is a first capacitive sensor, andthe refrigerator further comprises a second capacitive sensor in the door, the second capacitive sensor being mounted on the PCB and facing a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15, further comprising:a side touch key configured to receive a user's side touch for touch sensing by the second capacitive sensor, andthe side touch key includes a touch gasket.

17. The refrigerator of claim 10, further comprising:a processor configured to:based on the panel being identified as the conductive panel, set a circuit connected to the touch IC for inductive sensing and capacitive sensing to process the user's touch by the inductive sensing, andbased on the panel being identified as the non-conductive panel, set the circuit connected to the touch IC for inductive sensing and capacitive sensing to process the user's touch by the capacitive sensing.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17, whereinthe processor includes the touch IC, or the touch IC includes the processor.

19. The refrigerator of claim 10, whereinthe door is configured to be automatically opened and closed based on the processing of the user's touch made on the panel.

20. The refrigerator of claim 10, further comprising:a support structure that forms a gap between the panel and the PCB.

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