Vibration Detector and Electrical Apparatus Having the Same

A vibration detector includes a housing, a cover plate, a piezoelectric sensing module, and a PCBA module. The piezoelectric sensing module is arranged in the housing and generates a piezoelectric signal in response to vibration of the cover plate. The PCBA module is arranged in the housing and is electrically coupled to the piezoelectric sensing module. The PCBA module is adapted to receive the piezoelectric signal from the piezoelectric sensing module and to generate a detection signal based on the piezoelectric signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202211060362.0, filed Aug. 31, 2022, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of sensing equipment, and more particularly, to a vibration detector and an electrical apparatus having the same.

BACKGROUND

Technological developments have driven consumer demands for improved aesthetics, ease of use, and intelligence of household appliances. As a result, the design of electrical apparatuses including intelligent sensing and control systems are at the forefront of the industry.

More specifically, household appliances are often operable via the use buttons and remote controls. For example, common actions include turning on or off an air conditioner via a remote control, and opening or closing a refrigerator door by pulling or pushing a refrigerator door handle. However, in practice, a user may need to spend time locating a given remote control, as they are often misplaced after use. Likewise, a refrigerator door handle may easily get dirty due to its frequent contact with hands. Further, it is inconvenient to open or close the refrigerator door by pulling or pushing the door handle, resulting in a poor user experience.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a vibration detector includes a housing, a cover plate, a piezoelectric sensing module, and a PCBA module. The piezoelectric sensing module is arranged in the housing and generates a piezoelectric signal in response to vibration of the cover plate. The PCBA module is arranged in the housing and is electrically coupled to the piezoelectric sensing module. The PCBA module is adapted to receive the piezoelectric signal from the piezoelectric sensing module and to generate a detection signal based on the piezoelectric signal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

A vibration detector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to any suitable household appliance or industrial electrical apparatus, such as range hood, refrigerator, oven, food processor, washing machine, intelligent water tap, or intelligent closestool. The following describes the application of an exemplary vibration detector of the present disclosure to a refrigerator by way of non-limiting example.

FIG.1andFIG.2show an exploded view and a perspective view of the exemplary vibration detector, respectively. Referring toFIGS.1and2, the vibration detector10includes a housing101, a cover plate102, a piezoelectric sensing module103, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) module104, and a signal transmission module105. The PCBA module104can be electrically coupled to the piezoelectric sensing module103, for example, through an electrical connection wire. The signal transmission module105can be electrically coupled to the PCBA module104through an electrical connection wire.

The piezoelectric sensing module103is arranged in the housing101, and can be fixed on the cover plate102with an adhesive tape106, so that the piezoelectric sensing module103is tightly attached to the cover plate102. The cover plate102can be made of plastic material. When the vibration detector10is installed into a refrigerator door to detect vibration, a part of the mechanical housing of the refrigerator door abuts against the cover plate102of the vibration detector10. When the user taps the mechanical housing of the refrigerator with their hand, the cover plate102of the vibration detector10accordingly vibrates.

The piezoelectric sensing module103is configured to generate a piezoelectric signal in response to vibration of the cover plate102. In this embodiment, the piezoelectric sensing module103includes a piezoelectric sheet. The piezoelectric sheet adopts a structure similar to that of a capacitor, wherein a bottom layer of the piezoelectric sheet is a disk made of nickel metal, a middle layer is made of a ceramic medium, and a top layer thereof is conductive silver paste applied on the ceramic medium. After sensing vibration, the piezoelectric sheet outputs an electrical signal including capacitance and vibration frequency. In other examples, the piezoelectric sensing module103may be a piezoelectric film.

The PCBA module104, which is a finished circuit board equipped with electronic components, is also arranged in the housing101. Optionally, the vibration detector10further includes a potting adhesive107for fixing the PCBA module104in the housing101. The potting adhesive107covers the surface of the PCBA module104, and can also provide sealing, moisture-proof, and anti-corrosion effects. The PCBA module104is configured to receive the piezoelectric signal from the piezoelectric sensing module103and generates a detection signal based on the piezoelectric signal. Specifically, the PCBA module104is configured to filter the piezoelectric signal to obtain the piezoelectric signal generated by the vibration of the cover plate102caused by tapping. In addition, the PCBA module104is also configured to amplify the received piezoelectric signal, and ultimately generates a detection signal indicating whether tapping has occurred. Thus, the PCBA module104is adapted to at least filter and amplify the piezoelectric signal, wherein the sequence of filtering and amplifying is not limited.

Referring toFIG.1, the housing101includes at least two accommodating cavities arranged thereon, which are separated by a part of the housing. One accommodating cavity109is configured to accommodate the piezoelectric sensing module103and another accommodating cavity108is configured to accommodate the PCBA module104. Specifically, the at least two accommodating cavities of the housing101are stacked up and down or vertically, and are separated by a part of the housing located therebetween.

As shown inFIG.1, the upper accommodating cavity108is configured to accommodate the PCBA module104, and the lower accommodating cavity109is configured to accommodate the piezoelectric sensing module103. The PCBA module104and the piezoelectric sensing module103are integrated in one housing101, which can effectively reduce the volume of the vibration detector10and facilitate the miniaturization thereof. The housing101can be made of metal or plastic. Further, fixing holes are arranged on two sides of the housing101, so as to conveniently install the vibration detector inside the refrigerator door with screws. In addition, the housing101can also be fixed by any other conceivable means, such as snapping, riveting, and welding.

The signal transmission module105is configured to transmit the detection signal to the electrical apparatus to be controlled (in this embodiment, the refrigerator). Referring toFIG.1, the signal transmission module105includes a connector wire harness. In other embodiments, the signal transmission module105may not necessarily be wired, but can be a wireless transmission device. In addition, the connector wire harness electrically coupled to the electrical apparatus can also supply power to the PCBA module104and/or the piezoelectric sensing module103. In other embodiments, a battery may be arranged in the vibration detector10to supply power to the PCBA module104and/or the piezoelectric sensing module103.

When the user taps the refrigerator door with their hand, the vibration detector10quickly detects the vibration and sends the detection signal to a main control board or controller of the refrigerator. The main control board of the refrigerator sends an instruction to open the door based on the detection signal, and controls the refrigerator door to open. Refrigerators having this automatic sensing function are more intelligent and automated compared to conventional refrigerators. The vibration detector10plays an indispensable role in the automatic sensing process of the refrigerator.

Although the above embodiment only describes the application of the vibration detector10to refrigerator doors, it can be easily understood that when an electrical apparatus such as air conditioner, food processor, or intelligent closestool includes the vibration detector, the electrical apparatus is configured to perform, in response to the detection signal, corresponding control operations such as blowing, heating food, or flushing. Specifically, these electrical apparatuses include a mechanical housing that abuts against the cover plate of the vibration detector, wherein the electrical apparatus is configured to perform the control operation above in response to a tapping on the mechanical housing.

In addition, those areas in which it is believed that those of ordinary skill in the art are familiar, have not been described herein in order not to unnecessarily obscure the invention described. Accordingly, it has to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are