Position and Level Sensing Applications in Refrigerators and Freezers
Microprocessor-based electronics in refrigerators and freezers allow better control.
Refrigerators, freezers, and wine coolers are among any household’s major energy consumers. In fact, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey, the refrigerator is the second-largest user of electricity (13.7%), right behind the air conditioner (14.1%). As with many other modern appliances, microprocessor-based electronics in refrigerators and freezers allow better control over various functions, allowing designs to better enable energy efficiency. These modern electronics also enable use of a variety of sensors to ensure reliable, safe, and more energy-efficient operation (Figure 1).
Reed sensors and Hall effect sensors are both highly reliable and will operate over millions of cycles with long-term integrity when used with microprocessor logic-level electrical loads. Both types of devices are operated by a magnetic field. Reed switches and sensors consume no power; Hall effect devices are semiconductors and will consume a small amount of current in both activated and de-activated states.