Do home appliances – specifically refrigerators – use position sensors such as Hall-effect or Inductive sensors to detect movement or exact position of moving parts?
Do home appliances – specifically refrigerators – use position sensors such as Hall-effect or Inductive sensors to detect movement or exact position of moving parts?
This is a very good question and something most people don’t really think about. Essentially any piece of electronic equipment that has moving parts has the potential to use a position sensor and home appliances are a perfect example of this. In short, the answer is “yes”. Let me provide you a couple of use cases where position sensors are used in refrigerators.
Use case #1: Open/close door or compartment detection
In the graphic shown below, the position sensor is situated in a couple of locations. The first placement is on the door frame to detect if the refrigerator door has been opened/closed. The second position sensor can be found in a compartment within the refrigerator itself. In both cases, if a Hall-effect sensor is used then an accompanying magnet (as shown in blue) must be placed beside it when the door or compartment is closed.
Recommended Products:
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Device |
Data Sheet |
Description |
System-Level Benefits |
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Low-power (<1µA), low-voltage Hall-effect switch |
The sensitivity levels provide tight BOP, BRP response for consistent open/close results.
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Two-wire, high-precision, Hall-effect switch with current output |
Two-wire current output allows for longer cabling for off-board sensing due to the device’s inherent noise tolerance. Additionally, only 2 wires are needed from the MCU to the sensor reducing cost.
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Use case #2: Ice dispenser
Ice dispensers are great places to use position sensors as they can detect when the cup lever has been pushed to dispense ice or water.
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Device |
Data Sheet |
Description |
System-Level Benefits |
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Low-power (<1µA), low-voltage Hall-effect switch |
The various sensitivity levels allow for many magnet sizes and placement combinations.
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In-plane, high-precision, Hall-effect switch |
The device’s capability to detect in-plane magnetic fields (or horizontal to the SOT-23 package) allows for flexible placement options and reduction in total space usage.
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