Patent Description:
<CIT> disclosed a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a body which includes a storage compartment, a door which opens and closes the storage compartment and includes a dispenser, a water tank case disposed in the door, a water tank separably mounted in the water tank case, a water level sensor configured to sense a water level inside the water tank when the water tank is mounted in the water tank case, and a water tank valve configured to guide water supplied from a water supply source to the dispenser or the water tank and to prevent water from being supplied to the water tank when the water level sensor senses that a certain amount of water is stored in the water tank.

<CIT> disclosed a water supply device. The water supply device comprising a water reservoir for storing water, a water supply mechanism for fixing the reservoir and supplying water to the reservoir, and a control system; the reservoir having a first sensing element for determining whether the reservoir is fixed to the water supply mechanism, and a second sensing element for determining the level of water in the reservoir; and the control system comprising a sensor for detecting the first sensing element and the second sensing element.

<CIT> disclosed an automatic water supply system for refrigerator drinking apparatus comprising a control unit; a water tank; a water supply pipe, a water valve electrically connected to the control unit being provided on the water supply pipe. A sensing floater used for determining a water level is provided in the water tank, and a sensing sensor corresponding to the sensing floater is provided on a refrigerator door.

At present, many refrigerators may provide refrigerated drinking water. Generally, there are two water supply manners: one is providing a dispenser on a surface of the refrigerator so that the user may use a cup to receive water from the dispenser; the other is filling water into a water vessel, then placing the water vessel into the refrigerator, and then taking the water vessel out of the refrigerator after a period of time to drink cold water. In the second solution, to facilitate the user to take a sufficient amount of cold water at any time, some automatic water-filling devices are available from the market, to detect whether the water vessel is placed on a bracket, and detect whether a liquid level in the water vessel is low, and water is automatically filled when the water vessel is placed on the bracket and the liquid level is low.

However, these automatic water-filling devices are structurally complicated and need to use a plurality of sensors to respectively detect whether the water vessel is placed on the bracket and whether the liquid level in the water vessel is low, so that the costs are high, and the structures are complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic water supply device and a refrigerator having the same.

According to the invention, an automatic water supply device and a refrigerator according to the appended claims is provided.

As compared with the prior art, in the automatic water supply device and the refrigerator having the same according to the present invention, the automatic water supply device judges whether the water vessel is placed on the bracket according to the ON state and OFF state of the sensing unit, and then sends the detection signal characterizing the liquid level in the water vessel to the control through the sensing unit in the ON state. One sensing unit may be used to simultaneously detect whether the water vessel is placed on the bracket as well as the liquid level in the water vessel, thereby controlling the water valve to open when the water vessel is placed on the bracket and the liquid level is low, to automatically fill water into the water vessel, so that the user may take the cold water conveniently at any time.

As shown in <FIG>, the present invention discloses a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a cabinet and a door body <NUM> for opening and closing the cabinet, an automatic water supply device <NUM> being provided on an inner side of the door body <NUM>.

<FIG> show an automatic water supply device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The automatic water supply device <NUM> comprises a water vessel <NUM>, a bracket <NUM> for placing the water vessel <NUM>, detection means <NUM>, and a water supply mechanism <NUM> for supplying water to the water vessel <NUM>. The cabinet may define a refrigerating chamber. When the door body <NUM> closes the cabinet, the cold air in the refrigerating chamber may cool the water in the water vessel <NUM>.

Certainly, sites where the automatic water supply device is used are not limited to refrigerators, and may be various sites such as other refrigeration appliances or cafes. In embodiments of the present invention, water is a collective term of liquid beverages, and includes but not limited to liquid beverages such as purified water, fruit juice, milk or coffee.

As shown in <FIG>, the water vessel <NUM> comprises a water filling port <NUM>. The detection means <NUM> comprises a switch movably connected to the bracket <NUM> and a sensing unit <NUM> fitted with the switch. The switch is disposed on the bracket <NUM> at a position corresponding to a side wall of the water vessel <NUM>. The water supply mechanism <NUM> comprises a water supply pipe <NUM> and a water valve provided on the water supply pipe <NUM>. An outlet of the water supply pipe <NUM> corresponds to the water filling port <NUM> of the water vessel <NUM>. The automatic water supply device further comprises a controller. The sensing unit <NUM> switches between an ON state and an OFF state based on the movement of the switch. The water vessel <NUM> is placed on the bracket <NUM> to touch the switch, thereby driving the sensing unit <NUM> to be in the ON state. The sensing <NUM> sends a detection signal characterizing the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM> to the controller in the ON state. The controller controls the water valve to open or close according to the detection signal.

The automatic water supply device disclosed in the present invention judges whether the water vessel <NUM> is placed on the bracket <NUM> according to the ON state and OFF state of the sensing unit <NUM>, and then outputs the detection signal characterizing the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM> through the sensing unit <NUM> in the ON state. One sensing unit <NUM> may be used to simultaneously detect whether the water vessel <NUM> is placed on the bracket <NUM> as well as the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM>, thereby controlling the water valve to open when the water vessel <NUM> is placed on the bracket <NUM> and the liquid level is low, to automatically fill water into the water vessel <NUM>, so that the user may take the cold water conveniently at any time.

Preferably, the sensing unit may be a capacitive sensor, a photoelectric sensor, a pressure/weight sensor, a Hall sensor or the like, and may also be other sensors as long as they may detect and determine the presence of the liquid in the water vessel and/or the liquid level in the water vessel.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a height nearby the top of the water vessel <NUM> is set as a preset liquid level. When the liquid level in the water vessel reaches the preset liquid level, water needn't be further filled and the controller will control the water valve to close; when the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM> does not reach the preset liquid level, water needs to be filled into the water vessel, and the controller will control the water valve to open.

Specifically, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the sensing unit <NUM> comprises a capacitive sensor which is disposed on the bracket <NUM> at a position corresponding to the side wall of the water vessel <NUM>. The capacitive sensor detects the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM> in the ON state, and generates the detection signal according to the liquid level. In the embodiment of the present invention, the capacitive sensor is specifically a capacitive liquid level sensor. The capacitive liquid level sensor is a variable medium type capacitor that uses a change of a measured medium surface to cause a capacitance change. Specifically, the switch and the capacitive sensor are disposed on the bracket <NUM> at a height corresponding to a preset liquid level of the water vessel <NUM>. When the capacitive sensor is in the ON state, if the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM> does not reach the preset liquid level, and the capacitive sensor only detects air, the controller receives the first detection signal and controls the water valve to open. At this time, water will filled into the water vessel <NUM>; during water filling, the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM> gradually rises. When the liquid level is higher than the position of the capacitive sensor, the capacitive sensor can detect that the medium changes from air to water. At this time, the capacitance value changes, and the controller will receive the second detection signal and control the water valve to close so that the automatic water filling is completed. The capacitive sensor has a large detection dynamic range, a fast response speed, a simple structure and a low cost.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the switch comprises a rotating member <NUM> rotatably connected to the bracket <NUM>, an electrical connection member <NUM> is provided on the bracket <NUM>, and the capacitive sensor is disposed in the rotating member <NUM>. When the water vessel <NUM> is placed on the vessel <NUM>, the side wall of the water vessel <NUM> touches and presses the rotating member <NUM>, so that the rotating member <NUM> drives the capacitive sensor to rotate. The capacitive sensor contacts the electrical connection member <NUM> to energize the capacitive sensor, so that whether the water vessel <NUM> is placed on the bracket <NUM> may be judged through the ON state and OFF state of the capacitive sensor. Therefore, it is unnecessary to provide an additional sensor, and only the capacitive sensor for detecting the liquid level can be used to detect whether the water vessel is placed on the bracket. In another embodiment, the electrical connection member may be provided on the rotating member, and the capacitive sensor may be fixedly disposed on the bracket.

In another embodiment, the capacitive sensor may also be disposed on the water vessel, and the electrical connection member is disposed on the bracket. When the water vessel is placed on the bracket, the capacitive sensor may be in contact with the electrical connection member to be in an ON state.

Specifically, the water supply pipe <NUM> may be externally connected to the user's water source, and extends along the cabinet of the refrigerator into the door body <NUM>. When the water valve is opened, the external water source may fill the water vessel <NUM> with water through the water supply pipe <NUM>. Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the water supply pipe extends from a compressor compartment at a lower part of the cabinet along the cabinet into the inner side of the door body, and the water valve may be provided on the water supply pipe in the compressor compartment. Certainly, in other embodiments, the water valve may also be disposed on other parts of the water supply pipe.

The electrical connection member <NUM> is an elastic member. When the water vessel <NUM> is placed on the bracket <NUM>, a side wall of the water vessel <NUM> presses the rotating member <NUM>, and the capacitive sensor contacts the electrical connection member <NUM> to make the elastic electrical connection member <NUM> in a compressed state. When the water vessel <NUM> is removed from the bracket <NUM>, the electrical connection member <NUM> may release the elastic force to cause the rotating member <NUM> to rotate reversely, and the capacitive sensor does not contact the electrical connection member <NUM> any longer and switches to the OFF state. After the water vessel <NUM> is taken from the the bracket <NUM>, the elastic electrical connection member <NUM> enables the rotating member <NUM> to be automatically elastically driven to rotate, thereby making the capacitive sensor to switch to the ON state and simplifying the ON/OFF state switching of the capacitive sensor. The electrical connection member <NUM> may preferably be a compression spring. As shown in <FIG>, three compression springs extend from the bracket <NUM>, and correspond to the three contacts on the sensor, respectively.

The capacitive sensor comprises at least three contacts. When the rotating member <NUM> is pressed, the at least three contacts are all in contact with the electrical connection member <NUM>. The at least three contacts include at least two electrical connection contacts and at least one signal connection contact. In the present invention, as shown in <FIG>, the capacitive sensor comprises three contacts, two of which are electrical connection contacts, and the remaining one is a signal connection contact. Correspondingly, three electrical connection members <NUM> are provided on the bracket <NUM>. When the rotating member <NUM> is pressed, the two electrical connection contacts and one signal connection contact of the capacitive sensor are respectively communicated with the corresponding electrical connection members <NUM>, so that the capacitive sensor is in the ON state. After the controller detects that the capacitive sensor is in the ON state, it may determine that the water vessel <NUM> is already placed on the bracket <NUM>. The signal connection contact is used to send a detection signal characterizing the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM> to the controller when the capacitive sensor is in the ON state.

As shown in <FIG>, the water vessel <NUM> further comprises a water vessel lid <NUM>, a water vessel body <NUM>, a water storage space defined by the water vessel lid <NUM> and the water vessel body <NUM>, and the water filling port <NUM> is disposed on the water vessel lid <NUM>. The water vessel <NUM> further comprises a water filling cup <NUM> extending from the water filling port <NUM> to the bottom of the water vessel <NUM>. A plurality of water outlets <NUM> communicated with the water storage space are provided on a peripheral wall of the water filling cup <NUM>. The water filling cup <NUM> may slow down the flow rate of the water upon water filling, reduce the noise upon water filling, and prevent the water flow from splashing around.

Preferably, the water filling cup <NUM> comprises an upwardly-protruding bottom wall <NUM>, and the water outlets <NUM> extend from top to bottom on the peripheral wall to a position connected to the bottom wall <NUM>. Specifically, a plurality of elongated water outlets <NUM> are provided at an interval on the peripheral wall of the water filling cup <NUM>, and the water outlets <NUM> extend on the peripheral wall of the water filling cup <NUM> so that water can flow into the water storage space quickly without gathering in the water filling cup <NUM>. The upward protrusion of the bottom wall <NUM> may further prevent the water in the water filling cup <NUM> from gathering and enable the water to flow out through the water outlets <NUM>.

A water spout <NUM> is disposed on the water vessel body <NUM>, and a water baffle <NUM> is provided at a position adjacent to the water spout <NUM> in the water storage space. A water passageway <NUM> communicated with the water spout <NUM> is formed between the water baffle <NUM> and the inner wall of the water vessel <NUM>. When the user takes water, he may pour out water through the water spout <NUM>. The water baffle <NUM> is provided to prevent the water from flowing rapidly and splashing out of the water vessel <NUM> when the user pours water.

Preferably, the water baffle <NUM> is preferably arc-shaped. Furthermore, the arc top of the water baffle <NUM> protrudes toward the side wall of the water vessel <NUM> opposite to the water spout <NUM>. The arc-shaped water baffle <NUM> has a good water blocking effect, and its arc top protrudes toward the side wall of the water vessel <NUM> opposite to the water spout <NUM>, so that an effective water passageway is formed between the water baffle <NUM> and the side wall of the water vessel <NUM>, and further enhances the splash-preventing effect.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the water baffle <NUM> extends from the water vessel lid <NUM> to the bottom of the water vessel <NUM>, and the water passageway <NUM> is formed on both sides and the bottom of the water baffle <NUM>. The water baffle <NUM> extending to the bottom of the water vessel <NUM> may guide water into the water passageway from a lower position of the water vessel <NUM>, thereby further reducing the flow rate of water when poured.

As shown in <FIG>, the door <NUM> is provided with a bottle seat <NUM>, and the bracket <NUM> is additionally disposed on the bottle seat <NUM>. The bracket <NUM> is pre-assembled with the bottle seat <NUM> through a connecting piece. The connecting piece may be specifically a hook structure to facilitate mounting the bracket <NUM> to or demounting the bracket <NUM> from the bottle seat <NUM>. When the user does not need to use the water vessel, he may remove the water vessel <NUM> and the bracket <NUM>, and the original position where the bracket is placed may continue to be used as the bottle seat. The outlet of the water supply pipe <NUM> is fixed at an upper half of the bracket <NUM> to align with the water filling port <NUM> on the water vessel lid <NUM> of the water vessel <NUM>. The water vessel <NUM> is located below the bottle seat <NUM> and on a side close to the door handle. The water vessel may be drawn out transversely along the width direction of the door body, so it occupies a small space in the refrigerator without affecting the storage space of the shelves in the refrigerating compartment.

<FIG> show an automatic water supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the sensing unit <NUM>" includes a sensor <NUM>' that cooperates with the rotating member <NUM>' and an inductive element <NUM>' that is disposed in the water vessel <NUM> and rises and falls with the liquid level. The rotating member <NUM>' is disposed on the bracket <NUM>' at a position corresponding to the top of the water vessel <NUM>'. The sensor <NUM>' switches between an ON state and an OFF state based on the movement of the switch, and the rotating member <NUM>' drives the sensor <NUM>' to be in the ON state. The sensor <NUM>' detects the position of the inductive element <NUM>' in the ON state to output a detection signal characterizing the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM>'. The controller controls the opening or closing of the water valve according to the received detection signal of the sensor <NUM>'.

In the present embodiment, the sensor <NUM>' is disposed in the rotating member <NUM>', and the top of the water vessel <NUM>' is provided with a bump <NUM>'. When the water vessel <NUM>' is placed on the bracket <NUM>', the bump <NUM>' on the top of the water vessel <NUM>' presses the switch to cause the rotating member <NUM>' to drive the sensor <NUM>' to rotate to energize the sensor <NUM>', so that whether the water vessel <NUM>' is placed on the bracket <NUM>' through the ON/OFF state of the sensor <NUM>'. Inside the water vessel <NUM>', an inner box <NUM>' is disposed extending downward from the lid <NUM>', and a peripheral wall of the inner box <NUM>' is provided with a plurality of water holes communicated with the water storage space, so that the water in the water vessel <NUM>' may flow into the inner box <NUM>'. Specifically, a float box <NUM>' is disposed in the inner box <NUM>', and the inductive element <NUM>' is disposed in the float box <NUM>'. Specifically, the inner box <NUM>' is snap-fitted on the water vessel lid <NUM>', and the inner box <NUM>' does not rise or fall with the liquid level, whereas the float box <NUM>' moves up and down inside the inner box <NUM>' as the liquid level changes. With the inner box <NUM>' that does not move along with the liquid level being disposed in the water vessel <NUM>', a movement range and movement direction of the float box <NUM>' can be restricted, and it can be ensured that the magnet can only move within a desired height range and move only in the height direction of the water vessel <NUM>'. The inductive element <NUM>' is fixedly disposed in the float box <NUM>' and moves up and down with the float box <NUM>'. The float box <NUM>' seals the inductive element <NUM>' therein to ensure that the float box can float up and down.

Specifically, an outer diameter of the float box <NUM>' matches an inner diameter of the inner box <NUM>', so that the float box <NUM>' can only move up and down in the height direction of the inner box <NUM>'. The inner wall of the inner box <NUM>' is further provided with a plurality of guide ribs <NUM>' which extend from top to bottom and can prevent the float box <NUM>' from getting stuck when it moves up and down. An upper surface of the float box <NUM>' is further provided with a plurality of protrusions <NUM>', and exhaust holes <NUM>' are provided on the water vessel lid <NUM>' at positions corresponding to the protrusions <NUM>'. Specifically, after the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM>' rises and the upper surface of the float box <NUM>' contacts the bottom surface of the water vessel lid <NUM>', the float box <NUM>' might not fall down when the liquid level falls due to a siphon effect. With the protrusions <NUM>' being provided on the upper surface of the float box <NUM>' and the exhaust hole <NUM>' being provided on the water vessel lid <NUM>', a gap is present between the upper surface of the float box <NUM>' and the water vessel lid <NUM>' to avoid occurrence of the siphon effect between the upper surface of the float box <NUM>' and the water vessel lid <NUM>', so that the up-down movement of the float box <NUM>' is smoother.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the sensor <NUM>' is a Hall switch, and the Hall switch is provided on the bracket <NUM>' at a position corresponding to the top of the water vessel <NUM>'; the inductive element <NUM>' is a magnet. The Hall switch is disposed on the water vessel lid <NUM>', and the approaching of the magnet may be detected. Specifically, the Hall switch is an active electromagnetic conversion device made by an integrated packaging and assembling process based on the principle of the Hall effect. The Hall switch may sense the magnitude of the magnetic flux. When the magnetic flux reaches a preset value, a trigger in the Hall switch flips, and an output level state of the Hall switch is also inverted accordingly, so that the magnetic input signal may be converted into an electrical signal. The magnet in the float box <NUM>' will move up and down with the liquid level, and the magnetic flux detected by the Hall switch will also change accordingly. When the Hall switch is in the ON state, the controller receives the signal and determines that the water vessel <NUM>' has been placed on the bracket <NUM>'. If the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM>' does not reach the preset liquid level, the magnet is far away from the Hall switch and the magnetic flux induced by the Hall switch cannot make the trigger inside the Hall switch flip, and the controller will control the water valve to open and fill the water vessel <NUM>' with water. During the water filling process, the liquid level will rise and drive the float box <NUM>' to move upward, and the magnet will also approach the Hall switch until the magnetic flux induced by the Hall switch also reaches a preset value when the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM>' reaches the preset liquid level. At this time, the trigger inside the Hall switch flips to invert the output level state of the Hall switch, and the controller will control the water valve to close and stop water filling. As such, the Hall switch judges the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM>' by detecting the position of the magnet, and the controller may control the opening and closing of the water valve according to the detection signal sent by the Hall switch, to automatically fill the water vessel <NUM>' with water when needed.

Other structures such as the cabinet door body and the water supply structure in the second embodiment of the present invention are all the same as those in the first embodiment, and will not be detailed any more here.

Another embodiment of the present invention further discloses an automatic water supply method. The method comprises the following steps: S1: receiving a signal characterizing that the sensing unit is in an ON state. S2: determining whether a first detection signal characterizing that the liquid level in the water vessel reaches a preset level is received. S3: if YES, turning to step S4; if NO, turning to step S5. S4: controlling the water valve to close. S5: controlling the water valve to open, and meanwhile performing step S3.

When the water vessel is placed on the bracket, the side wall of the water vessel will press the rotating member to energize the sensing unit to be in the ON state. At this time, the controller will receive the signal indicating that the sensing unit is in the ON state. The sensing unit will detect the liquid level in the water vessel. If the liquid level in the water vessel reaches the preset level, the sensing unit will send the first detection signal to the controller; otherwise, the sensing unit will not send the signal to the controller or sends a second detection signal to the controller. When the controller does not receive the first signal or receives the second detection signal, it will control the water valve to be in an open state, whereupon the water supply pipe will automatically fill the water vessel with water. When the liquid level in the water vessel gradually rises to the preset level, the controller receives the first signal and controls the water valve to close to end the automatic water filling. In this way, one sensor is used to achieve the detection of whether the water vessel <NUM> is placed on the bracket <NUM> and the detection of the liquid level in the water vessel <NUM> at the same time, so that the water vessel <NUM> may be automatically filled with water, and the user may conveniently take a sufficient amount of cold water at any time.

Claim 1:
An automatic water supply device, wherein the device comprises a water vessel (<NUM>), a bracket (<NUM>) for placing the water vessel (<NUM>), detection means (<NUM>), and a water supply mechanism (<NUM>) for supplying water to the water vessel (<NUM>), the water vessel (<NUM>) comprising a water filling port (<NUM>); the detection means (<NUM>) comprises a switch movably connected to the bracket (<NUM>) and a sensing unit (<NUM>) fitted with the switch; the water supply mechanism (<NUM>) comprises a water supply pipe (<NUM>) and a water valve provided on the water supply pipe (<NUM>), and an outlet of the water supply pipe (<NUM>) corresponds to the water filling port (<NUM>) of the water vessel (<NUM>); the automatic water supply device further comprises a controller, the sensing unit (<NUM>) switches between an ON state and an OFF state based on the movement of the switch, and the water vessel (<NUM>) being placed on the bracket (<NUM>) to touch the switch, thereby driving the sensing unit (<NUM>) to be in the ON state; the sensing unit (<NUM>) outputs a detection signal characterizing the liquid level in the water vessel (<NUM>) in the ON state, the controller controlling the water valve to open or close according to the detection signal; characterized in that,
the switch comprises a rotating member (<NUM>) rotatably connected to the bracket (<NUM>) , an electrical connection member (<NUM>) is provided on the bracket (<NUM>) , and the sensing unit (<NUM>) is provided in the rotating member (<NUM>); when the rotating member (<NUM>) is pressed, the sensing unit (<NUM>) contacts the electrical connection member (<NUM>);
wherein the sensing unit (<NUM>) comprises at least three contacts; when the rotating member (<NUM>) is pressed, all of the at least three contacts are in contact with the electrical connection member (<NUM>); the at least three contacts comprise at least two electrical connection contacts and at least one signal connection contact.