Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cooling device with a Sabbath feature.

Background of the Invention

Cooling devices such as refrigerators are used especially for cooling and/or freezing food products. Said cooling devices mainly comprise at least one body; at least one inner compartment located in the body for placing the items to be cooled; at least one door providing access into the inner compartment; and at least one cooling system for cooling the inner compartment. Especially in household cooling devices, said cooling system comprises at least one compressor; at least one condenser; at least one evaporator; at least one capillary tube and at least one coolant. Here, since a pressure of the coolant is changed by the compressor and the capillary tube, the condenser heats up while the evaporator cools down. In other words, the cooling process is carried out by transferring the heat energy around the evaporator to the environment where the condenser is located.

During operation of the cooling devices, operating state of the various components may also change. For example, when a temperature of the inner compartment reaches a desired value, operation of the compressor may be ceased by additional components, such as a fan. In addition, operation of various components can be controlled in order to ensure energy efficiency, depending on whether the doors of the cooling devices are open or closed. For example, when the door of the cooling device is open, the compressor and the fan are stopped in order to prevent energy loss. In this case, a lighting element can also be operated so that users can see the interior better.

A rest day called sabbath is available in various religions, especially in Judaism. On such days, people are religiously forbidden to do any work by using physical force, except for compulsory situations. Users may need to open cooling devices, such as refrigerators, to take items, e.g. food items, from the inner compartment. However, when a user opens the door of the cooling device, change in the operating function of the cooling device is considered as a non-obligatory action performed using physical force. For this reason, the operating function of the cooling device should not be affected by opening the door, especially on Sabbath.

Brief Description of the Invention

The cooling device according to the present invention comprises at least one body; at least one inner compartment located in the body for placing the items to be cooled; at least one door providing access into the inner compartment; at least one cooling system for cooling the inner compartment; and at least one control circuit. Said control circuit comprises at least one power source; at least a first resistor connected to the power source; at least a second resistor connected in series to a side of the first resistor that is not connected to the power source; at least one door sensing switch, which is connected in parallel to the first resistor for detecting an open state or a closed state of the door; at least one sabbath select switch connected in series to at least a third resistor and connected in parallel to the first resistor together with the third resistor; at least one control unit connected to the second resistor on the side not connected to the first resistor, wherein the control unit detects the states of opening the door, closing the door and selection of Sabbath based on the information on current received from the second resistor, and controls operation of at least one component in the cooling device according to the detected state information.

In the cooling device according to the present invention, the sabbath select switch, which is used for sabbath selection, is connected in parallel to the first resistor (and the door sensing switch) together with a third resistor, so that states as sabbath selection, open position of the door and closed position of the door can be distinguished from each other. Therefore, users are enabled to use their cooling devices on Sabbath in a way that meets the religious requirements. of the Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device with a Sabbath feature. Another object of the present invention is to provide a practical and reliable cooling device.

Description of the Drawings

An exemplary embodiment of a control circuit used in the cooling device according to the present invention is illustrated in the attached drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a circuit diagram of the control circuit according to the invention.

All the parts illustrated in figures are individually assigned a reference numeral and the corresponding terms of these numbers are listed below:

Power source (1)

Door sensing switch (2)

Sabbath select switch (3)

Control unit (4)

First resistor (R1)

Second resistor (R2)

Third resistor (R3)

Fourth resistor (R4)

Description of the Invention

Cooling devices such as refrigerators may comprise various components to provide the cooling process. Here, operation of some of the components can be controlled according to whether a door of the cooling device is open or not. However, on Sabbath, there should be no change in the operation of said components during the opening and closing states of the door of the cooling device. Therefore, the present invention discloses a cooling device with a Sabbath feature.

The cooling device according to the present invention comprises at least one body; at least one inner compartment located in the body for placing the items to be cooled; at least one door providing access into the inner compartment; and at least one cooling system for cooling the inner compartment. The cooling device further comprises at least one control circuit, an exemplary circuit diagram of which is illustrated in figure 1. Said control circuit comprises at least one power source (1); at least a first resistor (R1) connected to the power source (1); at least a second resistor (R2) connected in series to a side of the first resistor (R1) that is not connected to the power source (1); at least one door sensing switch (2), which is connected in parallel to the first resistor (R1) for detecting an open state or a closed state of the door; at least one sabbath select switch (3) connected in series to at least a third resistor (R3) and connected in parallel to the first resistor (R1) together with the third resistor (R3); at least one control unit (4) connected to the second resistor (R2) on the side not connected to the first resistor (R1), wherein the control unit (4) detects the states of opening the door, closing the door and selection of Sabbath based on the information on current received from the second resistor (R2), and controls operation of at least one component in the cooling device according to the detected state information.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the cooling device is a household refrigerator. Here, in the control circuit, a first resistor (R1) and a second resistor (R2) are connected in series and located between the power source (1) and the control unit (4) (as shown in figure 1 , the power source (1) is connected to the control unit (4) on one side, for example, on the negative pole thereof). The third resistor (R3), which is connected in series with the door sensing switch (1), and the Sabbath select switch (3) are connected in parallel to the first resistor (R1). The door switch (2) is preferably in a closed (short circuit) position when the door is in an open position, and it is in the open position when the door is in the closed position. Similarly, when the Sabbath is selected by a user, for example, the sabbath select switch (3) is in the closed (short circuit) position, while the sabbath selector switch (3) is in the open position during normal use. Thus, an amount of current sent to the control unit (4) varies according to open position of the door, closed position of the door and selection of the Sabbath feature. For example, in a situation where the voltage provided by the power source (1) is 5 V, the first resistor (R1) is 4 ohms, the second resistor (R2) is 2 ohms, and the third resistor (R3) is 4 ohms; resistance between the control unit (4) and the power source (1) is provided as 4+2=6 ohms, when the door is closed. Therefore, a value of the current transmitted to the control unit (4) is 5/6 A. When the door is brought to the open position, since the first resistor (R1) will be short-circuited via the door sensing switch (2), the resistance between the control unit (4) and the power source (1) is provided as 4 ohms. Therefore, the value of current transmitted to the control unit (4) is 5/2 A. When the Sabbath selection is made using the Sabbath select switch (3), the resistance between the control unit (4) and the power source (1) is 2+2= 4 ohms, since the third resistor (R3) would be connected in parallel to the first resistor (R1). Therefore, the value of current transmitted to the control unit (4) is 5/4 A. Thus, based on the value of current transmitted to the control unit (4), states such as the open position of the door, closed position of the door and the Sabbath selection can be distinguished from each other. Here, for example, when the Sabbath is selected, this situation is detected by the control unit (4) when the door is in the open position. Moreover, if the Sabbath is selected, there is no change in the operation of the cooling device even when the door is opened. In this way, for religions that prohibit working on the Sabbath, the necessary religious prohibitions are fulfilled.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit (4) is a processor (e.g. a microprocessor). In this embodiment, the cooling device comprises at least one analog-to- digital converter (ADC). Thus, the analog current supplied to the control unit (4) through the second resistor (R2) can be detected by the control unit (4), which can process digital data.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the door sensing switch (2) comprises a button (a push switch). In this embodiment, for example, when the door is closed, a force is applied on said button, such that the load on the button is removed when the door is brought to the open position. Thus, position of the door sensing switch (2) changes according to the position of the door. In an alternative embodiment, the door sensing switch (2) comprises at least one magnetic switch (such as a reed switch, a hall switch, etc.) and the cooling device comprises at least one magnetic element (such as a magnet). Here, for example, when the door is in the closed position, said magnetic element is in a position close to the magnetic switch. In this position, the magnetic switch becomes an open circuit. When the door is opened, the magnetic element and the magnetic switch move away from each other, so the magnetic switch becomes a closed circuit.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the sabbath select switch (3) is a manual switch. Manual switches have at least two positions, and transition from one of these positions to the other is manually controlled by the users. In this embodiment, for example, users can manually turn the Sabbath select switch (3) off before the Sabbath and turn it back on after the Sabbath is over. Therefore, during Sabbath, the Sabbath select switch (3) remains in the closed position. In an alternative embodiment, the Sabbath select switch (3) is an automatic switch. Here, the automatic switch automatically returns to its original position when it is moved from one position to another. In this embodiment, when the user presses the Sabbath select switch (3), this is detected by the control unit (4), so that the cooling device is operated in the Sabbath function for a predefined period (for example, 24 hours). Here, even if the Sabbath select switch (3) returns to its old (open) position after the user stops pressing the Sabbath select switch (3), the control unit (4) ensures that the cooling device operates in Sabbath function for the predefined period. In order to provide this function, the control unit (4) may comprise at least one timer.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the cooling device comprises at least one display. The display provides visual information to the users about the operating status of the cooling device. In this embodiment, the control unit (4) provides a warning on the display regarding the Sabbath selection information when a Sabbath selection is made. Thus, for example, when the Sabbath is selected without the user being aware of it, the user is informed accordingly.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the Sabbath select switch (3) is located on the door. In an alternative embodiment, the Sabbath select switch (3) is located on the body of the cooling device. In both of these embodiments, users are provided with easy access to the Sabbath select switch (3).

In the cooling device according to the present invention, the sabbath select switch (3), which is used for sabbath selection, is connected in parallel to the first resistor (R1) (and the door sensing switch (2)) together with a third resistor (R3), so that states as sabbath selection, open position of the door and closed position of the door can be distinguished from each other. Therefore, users are enabled to use their cooling devices on Sabbath in a way that meets the religious requirements.