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.

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; 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. 
   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein
 the panel is a conductive panel or a non-conductive panel.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein,
 the panel is the non-conductive panel, and   a conductive material is disposed on a rear side of the panel.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 3 , wherein
 the conductive material includes a metal copper foil.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein
 no 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 , wherein
 the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.   
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 6 , wherein
 the capacitive sensor is a touch gasket.   
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein
 the 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; 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. 
 
   
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 10 , wherein
 the 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 , wherein
 based 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, and   based 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 , wherein
 based 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 , wherein
 the first direction that the pattern coil faces is a same direction that the door faces.   
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 14 , wherein
 the pattern coil is a first capacitive sensor, and   the 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, and   the 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, 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. 
   
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator of  claim 17 , wherein
 the processor includes the touch IC, or the touch IC includes the processor.   
     
     
         19 . The refrigerator of  claim 10 , wherein
 the 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.