Refrigerator Ambient Light Sensor Housing for Adaptive Interior Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household refrigeration appliances face challenges in providing optimal interior lighting that adapts to varying ambient brightness conditions, often resulting in either blindingly bright or insufficiently lit environments when the door is opened, due to the inability to precisely detect ambient light levels.
Innovation Solution
The integration of an ambient light detection unit with a sensor housing and a brightness sensor, positioned on the front strip or door end strip, utilizing a lens to focus ambient light onto the sensor for precise brightness determination, allowing for adaptive lighting adjustments based on detected ambient brightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ambient light detection unit is positioned inside the household appliance, then it is protected from mechanical influences, but it requires additional internal space that may conflict with other components
Solution Approach 1:
The ambient light detection unit is separated from the main appliance body and mounted on the door assembly instead. This segmentation allows the sensor to be positioned in a location that does not encroach on internal storage space while still being protected during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor housing is designed to be mounted on the exterior surface of the door (on the dimension of the door surface) rather than inside the appliance volume. This dimensional relocation resolves the space conflict while maintaining protection through the door structure.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the brightness sensor is exposed on the front of the door, then it can detect ambient light, but it becomes vulnerable to mechanical damage and soiling
Solution Approach 1:
The brightness sensor is nested within a protective sensor housing that is integrated into the door structure. The housing provides a protective cavity that shields the sensor from mechanical damage and soiling while allowing optical access through a transparent or translucent window.
Solution Approach 2:
A transparent or translucent window or lens acts as an intermediary between the ambient light and the brightness sensor. This intermediary element allows light to pass through to the sensor while providing mechanical protection and resistance to soiling.
3Measurement precision
If a lens is added to focus light onto the brightness sensor, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lens is integrated directly into the sensor housing structure rather than being a separate assembly. The housing itself is molded with the lens element incorporated, combining the protective function and optical focusing function into a single component, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor housing serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical protection for the brightness sensor, structures the optical path for the lens, and integrates the lens element itself. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise determination of ambient brightness, allowing the lighting device to be set accordingly, providing a needs-based illumination that avoids glare or insufficient lighting, thus enhancing user experience across different environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The ambient light detection unit has at least one optical imaging element, in particular a lens, with which the ambient light incident on the sensor housing is bundled towards the brightness sensor
Implementation Method 2
a brightness sensor that detects the brightness of the ambient light of the household appliance
Data Source
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AI summary
One aspect of the invention relates to a household appliance (1) with an ambient light detection unit (8) comprising a sensor housing (14) and a brightness sensor (22) that detects the brightness of the ambient light of the household appliance (1), wherein the brightness sensor (22) is arranged in the sensor housing (14), wherein the household appliance (1) comprises a housing (2) with a front panel (13) and a door (4, 4a, 4b) attached to the housing (2), and wherein the ambient light detection unit (8) is arranged on the front panel (13) or on a door seal (4c) of the door (4, 4a, 4b). Furthermore, a method for the specific brightness adjustment of a lighting device for a household refrigerator is specified.