Methods and apparatus for controlling refrigerators
View Patent ↗A refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment, a refrigerator door coupled to the refrigerator compartment, the refrigerator door has an inner surface. The refrigerator further includes a bin for storing items therein mounted to the inner surface of the refrigerator door and at least one thermoelectric module operationally coupled to the bin, such that the bin is temperature controlled independent of the refrigerator compartment.
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator compartment;
a refrigerator door coupled to said refrigerator compartment, said refrigerator door including an inner surface;
a bin for storing items therein mounted to said inner surface of said refrigerator door; and
at least one thermoelectric module operationally coupled to said bin such that said bin is temperature controlled independent of said refrigerator compartment.
2. A refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein said inner surface comprises a control interface thereon for controlling temperature within said bin.
3. A refrigerator according claim 2 , wherein said control interface has a quick chill mode which causes a temperature within said bin to be maintained lower than a temperature within said compartment.
4. A refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein said control interface has a quick thaw mode which causes a temperature within said bin to be maintained higher than a temperature within said compartment.
5. A refrigerator according claim 2 , wherein said control interface has a set temperature mode causing the temperature within said bin to be maintained at the set temperature inputted by a user.
6. A refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first temperature sink coupled to a first side of said at least one thermoelectric module; and
a second temperature sink coupled to a second side of said at least one thermoelectric module.
7. A refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein said bin comprises at least one light source to illuminate said bin.
8. A bin mounted to an inner surface of a refrigerator door, said bin comprising:
a bin housing assembly having a bottom wall, a side wall, and a top wall, defining an inner surface of said bin;
a bin door having an inner surface and an outer surface; and
a linkage system coupling said bin door to said bin for moving said bin door between an open position and a closed position in a single vertical plane, said linkage system comprising:
a first linkage member comprising a first end coupled to said inner surface of said side wall and a second end coupled to said inner surface of said bin door;
a first biasing member comprising a first end coupled to said inner surface of said side wall and a second end coupled to said first linkage member;
a second linkage member comprising a first end coupled to said inner surface of said side wall and a second end coupled to said inner surface of said bin door; and
a second biasing member including a first end coupled to an anchor member extending from said inner surface of said side wall and a second end coupled to said second linkage member.
9. A bin according to claim 8 , wherein said linkage system automatically moves said bin door between the open position and the closed position when said bin door is provided with at least an initial upward force and downward force by a user.
10. A bin according to claim 8 , wherein said refrigerator door is moveable between an open position and a closed position, said bin door is configured such that when said bin door is in the open position, the refrigerator is moveable between the open position and the closed position.
11. A bin mounted to an inner surface of a refrigerator door, said bin comprising:
a bin housing assembly having a bottom wall, a side wall, and a top wall defining an inner surface of said bin;
a bin door coupled to said bin housing assembly by a hinge; and
a leaf spring system for moving said bin door between an open position and a closed position in a single vertical plane, said leaf spring system comprising:
a leaf spring including a first end fixedly attached to said inner surface of said top wall and a second end including a curved tip at a distal end thereof;
an arcuate hinge member extending from said hinge, said hinge member disposed between said leaf spring and said top wall so that said leaf spring applies a force on said hinge member.
12. A bin according to claim 11 , wherein said leaf spring system automatically moves said bin door between the open position and the closed position when said bin door is provided with at least an initial upward force and downward force by a user.
13. A bin of claim 11 , wherein said refrigerator door is moveable between an open position and a closed position, said bin door is configured such that when said bin door is in the open position, the refrigerator is moveable between the open position and the closed position.
14. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator compartment;
a main refrigerator control system for controlling the temperature of said refrigerator compartment;
a refrigerator door coupled to said refrigerator compartment by a hinge, said refrigerator door including an inner surface; and
a bin for storing items therein mounted to said inner surface of said refrigerator door, said bin is temperature controlled independently of said refrigerator compartment, said bin having a local bin control system for controlling the temperature within said bin, said local bin control system electrically coupled to said main refrigerator control system through said hinge.
15. A refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein said local bin control system is electrically coupled to said main refrigerator control system by at least four wires.
16. A refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein said at least four wires further comprise two direct current power supply wires and two communication interface wires.
17. A method for operating a thermoelectric module, said method comprising:
providing a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller, wherein the PWM controller comprises an H-bridge circuit;
electrically coupling a shunt capacitor to the thermoelectric module; and
controlling the thermoelectric module with the PWM controller.
18. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator compartment;
a main refrigerator control system for controlling the temperature of said refrigerator compartment;
a refrigerator door coupled to said refrigerator compartment by a hinge, said refrigerator door has an inner surface and an outer surface; and
a bin for storing items therein mounted to said inner surface of said refrigerator door, said bin is temperature controlled independently of said refrigerator compartment, said bin having a local bin control system configured to control the temperature within said bin, said bin control systems configured to provide a signal to said main refrigerator control system.
19. A refrigerator according to claim 18 wherein said bin control system further configured to provide a signal to said main refrigerator control system to delay a defrost cycle in said refrigerator.
20. A refrigerator according to claim 18 wherein said bin control system further configured to provide a signal to said main refrigerator control system to decrease the temperature in said refrigerator compartment.
21. A refrigerator according to claim 19 wherein said bin control system further configured to provide a signal to said main refrigerator control system to resume normal operations in the refrigerator.