WO2018003170A1

WO2018003170A1 - Beverage supply device and door structure

Info

Publication number: WO2018003170A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/007305
Authority: WO
Inventors: 和田　悟; 博明片岡; 盛司馬場
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2016-07-01
Filing date: 2017-02-27
Publication date: 2018-01-04
Also published as: CN109312978A; MY192432A; CN109312978B

Abstract

A beverage supply device (10) is built into a refrigerator (1). The beverage supply device (10) is disposed in a refrigeration compartment door (2) which is internally provided with a heat insulating material (40). The beverage supply device (10) is provided with a water supply tank (20), a water supply pipe (23), a water dispensing lever (12), and a lock mechanism (24). The water supply tank (20) is disposed on the backside of the refrigeration compartment door (2). The water supply pipe (23) and the water dispensing lever (12) are disposed under the water supply tank (20) to dispense a beverage in the water supply tank (20). The lock mechanism (24) fixes the water supply tank (20) in a state of being installed in the refrigeration compartment door (2), and limits the movement of the water supply tank (20) in an installed direction.

Description

Beverage supply device and door structure

The present invention relates to a beverage supply device for supplying a beverage such as water. In particular, the present invention relates to a beverage supply device attached to a door of a storage such as a refrigerator. The present invention also relates to an automatic opening / closing door structure.

Conventionally, a beverage supply device (also called a water dispenser) for supplying a beverage such as water is known. Moreover, the structure which incorporates this drink supply apparatus in a refrigerator and can take out cold water from the cold water tank provided in the refrigerator, without opening the door of a refrigerator is proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigerator including a cooling tank that stores water cooled by cold air in a refrigerator compartment, and a water tap that supplies water in the cold water tank to a water supply member. And in the refrigerator of patent document 1, the small door which opens and closes an opening part and this opening part is provided in the refrigerator door, and the cold water tank and the water tap are arrange | positioned in the position corresponding to an opening part. Patent Document 2 discloses a refrigerator having a dispenser portion for supplying cold water at a door.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-132456 JP 2010-65962 A

In the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, a cold water tank 3 is disposed so as to penetrate the refrigerator compartment door 1 and protrude toward the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 1 (see FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1). . Further, the water tap 4 is integrally provided at the lower part of the cold water tank 3. The cold water tank 3 is placed on a tank shelf 6 provided inside the refrigerator compartment door 1.

However, in the above configuration, there is a problem that the cold water tank placed on the tank shelf is unstable. In particular, when the amount of water in the cold water tank 3 is reduced, the instability increases.

In addition, for example, when the water tap is attached to the lower part of the cold water tank so that the water tap is fixed to the cold water tank, the user presses the water tap strongly, etc. If a force is applied to the cold water tank, the cold water tank may fall off the tank shelf. This problem becomes more pronounced when the amount of water in the cold water tank is small.

Therefore, an object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a configuration that can hold a water supply tank in a more stable state in a beverage supply device installed on a wall surface.

In addition, in a configuration in which a storage door such as a refrigerator is provided with small doors for beverage supply devices and small items, the small doors are opened and closed automatically (ie, electrically) in order to improve the convenience for the user. Adopting a method is being considered. However, when the door has an automatic opening / closing structure, if a human hand or the like accidentally touches the door, the door may open although it is not intended. This is because the automatic opening / closing door structure is attached to the main body device by a mechanism that can be opened and closed even when the door is closed.

Therefore, in another aspect of the present invention, an automatic open / close door structure is provided that can prevent the door from being accidentally opened when it is not intended.

The beverage supply device according to one aspect of the present invention is a beverage supply device disposed on a wall surface having heat insulation properties. This beverage supply device is a state in which a water supply tank disposed on the back side of the wall surface, a discharge unit that is disposed below the water supply tank and discharges the beverage in the water supply tank, and the water supply tank is attached to the device. And a locking mechanism that restricts the movement of the water supply tank in the mounting direction.

In the beverage supply apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the discharge unit includes a water supply pipe that is connected to the water supply tank and extends obliquely downward from the water supply tank, the extending direction of the water supply pipe, and the water supply The mounting direction of the tank may be substantially parallel.

In the beverage supply apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the lock mechanism may be a rotary lock mechanism provided in the water supply tank. The rotary lock mechanism includes a rotary lock and a rail member, and the hook of the rotary lock is used as the rail member in a state where the protrusion provided on the wall surface is accommodated in the rail member. You may engage and restrict | limit the movement of the attachment direction of the said water supply tank.

Furthermore, in the beverage supply apparatus having a rotary lock mechanism, the water supply tank may have a lid portion, and the rotary lock may be disposed on the lid portion of the water supply tank.

In the beverage supply device according to one aspect of the present invention, the lock mechanism may be a spring-type lock mechanism. In the spring-type lock mechanism, a spring of the lock mechanism may be engaged with a protrusion provided on the wall surface side to restrict movement of the water supply tank in the mounting direction.

A door structure according to another aspect of the present invention includes a door, a control unit that controls opening and closing of the door, and a lock mechanism that maintains the closed state of the door when the door is closed. Yes. And after making the said door into a closed state, the said control part turns on the said locking mechanism so that the said door may be maintained in a closed state, and the said control part made the said locking mechanism into an OFF state Later, the opening operation of the door is started.

In the door structure according to another aspect of the present invention described above, the door is a rotary door, and the lock mechanism moves along the rotation axis direction of the door to turn on and off. And may be switched.

In the door structure according to another aspect of the present invention, the door may be a rotary door, and the lock mechanism may lock an outer peripheral portion of the door.

In the door structure according to another aspect of the present invention described above, the lock mechanism may be arranged on the side that moves backward when the door is opened.

The door structure according to another aspect of the present invention may further include a drive unit that drives the opening / closing operation of the door, and the lock operation of the lock mechanism may be driven by the drive unit.

As described above, the beverage supply device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a lock mechanism for fixing the water supply tank in a state of being attached to the device. Therefore, in the beverage supply apparatus installed on the wall surface such as the door of the refrigerator compartment, the water supply tank can be held in a more stable state.

As described above, the door structure according to another aspect of the present invention includes a lock mechanism that maintains the closed state of the door when the door is closed. Therefore, in the automatic open / close door structure door structure, it is possible to prevent the door from being accidentally opened when not intended.

It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the refrigerator which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the state at the time of use of the drink supply apparatus with which the refrigerator compartment door of the left side of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 15 was equipped. It is a perspective view which shows the state at the time of use of the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of the refrigerator compartment door of the left side of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a rear view of the refrigerator compartment door of the left side of the refrigerator shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the beverage supply device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing in the BB line of the refrigerator compartment door shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the water supply tank of the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. (A) And (b) is a perspective view which expands and shows the broken-line frame part IX of the water supply tank shown in FIG. (A) is a figure which shows the case where a locking mechanism is an ON state (state locked). (B) is a figure which shows the case where a locking mechanism is an OFF state (state which unlocked). (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the locking mechanism of the water supply tank of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the case where a locking mechanism is an OFF state (state which unlocked). (B) is a figure which shows the case where a locking mechanism is an ON state (locked state). (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the locking mechanism of the water supply tank of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the case where a locking mechanism is an OFF state (state which unlocked). (B) is a figure which shows the case where a locking mechanism is an ON state (locked state). (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of the locking mechanism of the water supply tank which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. (A) is a figure which shows the case where a locking mechanism is an OFF state (state which unlocked). (B) is a figure which shows the case where a locking mechanism is an ON state (locked state). It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the drink supply apparatus which concerns on the 4th and 9th embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the state at the time of use of the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the refrigerator concerning the 5th Embodiment of this invention. (A)-(c) is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the usage method of the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the component of the rotation drive unit which comprises the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the rotation drive unit which comprises the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. (A) And (b) is a top view which shows the internal structure of the cam accommodating part which comprises the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. (A) shows the case where a revolving door is an open state. (B) shows the case where the revolving door is closed. (A) is a figure corresponding to Drawing 22 (a), and is a top view showing the state where a slide cam was removed from Drawing 22 (a). (B) is a figure corresponding to FIG.22 (b), and is a top view which shows the state which removed the slide cam from FIG.22 (b). (A) is a side view which shows a lock mechanism in case a lock mechanism is an ON state. (B) is a side view showing the lock mechanism when the lock mechanism is in the OFF state. (A) is a top view which shows the internal structure of the drink supply apparatus concerning the 6th Embodiment of this invention. (B) is a front view which shows the structure of the drink supply apparatus concerning the 6th Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a top view which shows the internal structure of the drink supply apparatus concerning the 7th Embodiment of this invention. (B) is a front view which shows the structure of the drink supply apparatus concerning the 7th Embodiment of this invention. These figures show the case where the revolving door of the beverage supply device is in an open state. FIG. 27 is a front view showing a case where the revolving door is in a closed state in the beverage supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the drink supply apparatus concerning the 8th Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a top view which shows the structure of the drink supply apparatus concerning the 8th Embodiment of this invention. (B) is a left view of the beverage supply apparatus shown in (a). (C) is a front view of the beverage supply apparatus shown in (a). (D) is a right view of the drink supply apparatus shown to (a). These figures show the case where the revolving door of the beverage supply device is in the open state (the lock mechanism is in the off state). (A) is a top view which shows the structure of the drink supply apparatus concerning the 8th Embodiment of this invention. (B) is a left view of the beverage supply apparatus shown in (a). (C) is a front view of the beverage supply apparatus shown in (a). (D) is a right view of the drink supply apparatus shown to (a). These figures show the case where the revolving door of the beverage supply device is in the closed state (the lock mechanism is in the off state). (A) is a top view which shows the structure of the drink supply apparatus concerning the 8th Embodiment of this invention. (B) is a left view of the beverage supply apparatus shown in (a). (C) is a front view of the beverage supply apparatus shown in (a). (D) is a right view of the drink supply apparatus shown to (a). These figures show the case where the lock mechanism is turned on after the revolving door of the beverage supply device is closed. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the door opening / closing control in the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. This figure shows the flow of control when the revolving door shifts from the open state to the closed state. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the door opening / closing control in the drink supply apparatus shown in FIG. This figure shows the flow of control when the revolving door shifts from the closed state to the open state. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the refrigerator concerning other embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

<First Embodiment>
<Outline of refrigerator>
This Embodiment demonstrates an example of the structure by which the drink supply apparatus which concerns on this invention was incorporated in the refrigerator. However, the beverage supply device of the present invention does not necessarily have to be built in the refrigerator. First, the outline | summary of the refrigerator 1 in which the drink supply apparatus 10 concerning this Embodiment is mounted is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator 1 equipped with a beverage supply device 10 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 has four doors. The refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment is equipped with a refrigerator compartment at the top and a freezer compartment at the bottom. A handle 3 is provided at each door of the refrigerator. And the drink supply apparatus 10 is mounted in the left refrigerator door (wall surface which has heat insulation) 2 seeing from the front of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. However, in the present invention, the arrangement position of the beverage supply device 10 is not limited to this. For example, the beverage supply device 10 may be mounted on the right refrigerator compartment door 2 as viewed from the front.

However, the refrigerator 1 on which the beverage supply device 10 is mounted may have fewer than four doors, may have more than four doors, and the refrigerator compartment may be located in the lower part or the middle part. It may be arranged in.

FIG. 1 shows a state when the beverage supply device 10 is not used. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating door 11 of the beverage supply device 10 is located on the front side of the refrigerator 1 when not in use. That is, the water supply mechanism (discharge unit) of the beverage supply device 10 is located on the back side of the rotary door 11 and is not visible.

In the beverage supply apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the rotary door 11 is an electric rotary type. That is, an open / close switch (not shown) for opening and closing the rotary door 11 is provided in the vicinity of the rotary door 11. When the user of the beverage supply device 10 presses this open / close switch, the drive motor connected to the revolving door 11 is activated, and the revolving door 11 starts to rotate. Thereby, the user of the beverage supply apparatus 10 can easily open and close the revolving door 11 without manually opening and closing the door.

In addition, you may perform opening / closing of the revolving door 11 using an object detection sensor, for example. The object detection sensor detects that the user's hand or the like of the beverage supply device 10 has approached the surroundings or that the user's hand has touched the sensor. And if an object detection sensor detects a user's hand etc., the revolving door 11 of the drink supply apparatus 10 may rotate horizontally, and it may be comprised so that a water supply mechanism may appear in the front.

Moreover, in the beverage supply device of the present invention, it is possible to manually open and close the revolving door without using a motor or the like. Furthermore, in the drink supply apparatus of this invention, it is also possible to set it as the structure which does not provide a rotation door. In this case, the water supply mechanism of the beverage supply device is always exposed on the front surface of the refrigerator 1.

<Configuration of beverage supply device>
Next, the structure of the drink supply apparatus 10 concerning this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the left side refrigerator compartment door 2 on the surface 2a side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration on the surface 2a side of the left refrigerator door 2. In FIG.2 and FIG.3, the state at the time of use of the drink supply apparatus 10 is shown. In addition, although the water supply tank 20 of the drink supply apparatus 10 is arrange | positioned at the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 2, and is in the state which cannot be seen from the front (surface 2a side), in FIG. Is indicated by a broken line.

As will be described later, the refrigerator compartment door 2 has a heat insulating material 40 (see FIG. 7) inside, and has heat insulating properties. Therefore, the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is maintained at substantially the same temperature as the refrigerator compartment. Thereby, the beverage in the water supply tank 20 is also cooled to the refrigeration temperature.

As described above, the beverage supply device 10 is configured such that when the user presses the open / close switch of the rotary door 11, the rotary door 11 rotates in the horizontal direction and the water supply mechanism appears in the front. That is, when the revolving door 11 rotates, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the water supply chamber 10 a of the beverage supply device 10 appears in the front. The water supply chamber 10a includes a water injection lever (discharge portion) 12 that constitutes a water supply mechanism, a back plate 13, a side plate 14, and a bottom portion 15 (water receiver) that form the inner wall of the water supply chamber 10a. The revolving door 11 is arrange | positioned so that the back plate 13 of the water supply chamber 10a may overlap. The surface of the revolving door 11 is located in front of the refrigerator 1 when the beverage supply device 10 is not in use (see FIG. 1).

In the present embodiment, for example, when the user pushes the water injection lever 12 to the back plate 13 side with a container such as a glass, the water injection port attached to the water injection lever 12 is released, and water enters the glass from the water injection port. Is supplied. That is, the water inlet of the water injection lever 12 is connected to the water supply tank 20 disposed above the water supply chamber 10a, and when the user operates the water injection lever 12, the water in the water supply tank 20 is supplied to the water supply pipe (discharge pipe). Part) 23 (see FIG. 6) and discharged from the water inlet. The water supply tank 20 is located in the refrigerator compartment, and the water in the water supply tank 20 is maintained at the refrigerator temperature.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the side surface of the refrigerator compartment door 2. In FIG. 5, the structure by the side of the back surface 2b of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is shown. 6 and 7 show a cross-sectional configuration of the refrigerator compartment door 2. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional configuration of the refrigerator compartment door 2 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional configuration of the refrigerator compartment door 2 shown in FIG.

The beverage supply device 10 is arranged in an opening formed by cutting through a part of the refrigerator compartment door 2. That is, the beverage supply device 10 is disposed so as to penetrate the refrigerator compartment door 2 (see FIG. 6). The beverage supply apparatus 10 is mainly composed of a water supply chamber 10a, a water supply tank 20, and a refrigerator compartment door (wall surface having heat insulating properties) 2 to which these members are attached.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the vicinity of the left and right ends of the back surface 2b of the refrigerator compartment door 2,

side walls

2c and 2d protruding from the back surface 2b are arranged along the end portions. And the water supply tank 20 and the storage container 4 are attached to the back surface 2b of the refrigerator compartment door 2. As shown in FIG. The water supply tank 20 and the storage container 4 are attached to the back surface 2b so as to be fitted between the left and

right side walls

2c and 2d.

The storage container 4 is disposed below the back surface 2 b of the refrigerator compartment door 2. The storage container 4 is provided with a recess or the like that fits into the protrusion formed on the back surface 2b and the

side walls

2c and 2d of the refrigerator compartment door 2. Thereby, the storage container 4 is fixedly arranged on the back surface 2 b of the refrigerator compartment door 2. The storage container 4 stores beverages, seasonings, and the like having forms such as plastic bottles, paper packs, and bottles.

The water supply tank 20 is located in the upper part of the beverage supply apparatus 10. More specifically, the water supply tank 20 is located diagonally above the water supply chamber 10a (specifically, diagonally upward toward the rear of the refrigerator 1) (see FIG. 6). Beverages such as drinking water and soft drinks discharged from the water supply mechanism of the beverage supply device 10 are accommodated in the water supply tank 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the lateral width of the water supply tank 20 extends from one side wall 2c of the back surface 2b of the refrigerator compartment door 2 to the other side wall 2d. However, this is an example of the present invention, and the size of the water supply tank 20 can be appropriately changed according to the desired tank capacity.

The water supply tank 20 can be removed from the back surface 2 b of the refrigerator compartment door 2. When the beverage in the water supply tank 20 runs out or the remaining amount decreases, the user can remove the water supply tank 20 from the refrigerator compartment door 2 and supply the beverage to the water supply tank 20. The outer shape of the water supply tank 20 is mainly formed by a tank main body 21 and an upper lid (lid portion) 22. The upper lid 22 is configured to be removable from the tank main body 21.

The water supply chamber 10 a is located below the water supply tank 20. In the present embodiment, the water supply chamber 10 a is arranged so as to be slightly on the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2. That is, the water supply chamber 10a is disposed on the side close to the handle 3 of the refrigerator compartment door 2. However, in the present invention, the arrangement position of the water supply chamber is not limited to this.

Subsequently, a more specific configuration of the beverage supply apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. 6 and 7 show a state where the water supply chamber 10a is exposed on the front surface of the refrigerator 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the beverage supply device 10 is disposed so as to penetrate the refrigerator compartment door 2.

The inside of the refrigerator compartment door 2 (between the front surface 2a and the back surface 2b) is filled with a heat insulating material 40 (see FIG. 7). Thereby, the heat insulation in a refrigerator compartment is maintained. Moreover, as for the water supply chamber 10a of the drink supply apparatus 10, the back side periphery is covered with the heat insulating material 40a (refer FIG. 6).

And the water supply tank 20 located in the upper part of the back side of the water supply chamber 10a is arrange | positioned so that it may ride on the heat insulating material 40a. Thus, by covering the periphery of the back surface side of the water supply chamber 10a with the heat insulating material 40a, it is possible to suppress the escape of cold air in the refrigerator compartment to the outside of the refrigerator via the water supply chamber 10a.

The water supply tank 20 is attached in a state of being fixed to the refrigerator compartment door 2 by a lock mechanism 24. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the protrusions (protrusions provided on the wall surface side) 5 provided on the inner side surfaces of the

side walls

2 c and 2 d of the refrigerator compartment door 2 are engaged with the lock mechanism 24. The water supply tank 20 is fixed to the refrigerator compartment door 2.

The water supply chamber 10a has a water injection lever 12, a back plate 13, a side plate 14 and a bottom 15 (water receiver) that form the inner wall of the water supply chamber 10a. The water injection lever 12 is connected to a water supply pipe (discharge unit) 23 provided in the water supply tank 20.

Further, the bottom 15 of the water supply chamber 10a is connected to the rotating shaft 16. The rotating shaft 16 is rotatably attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2. Moreover, the water supply chamber 10a is connected with the upper rotating shaft (not shown) in the upper direction. The upper rotating shaft is connected to a drive motor that drives the rotation of the water supply chamber 10a. Thereby, for example, when the user operates the open / close switch, the water supply chamber 10a can automatically rotate.

Subsequently, a more specific configuration of the water supply tank 20 provided in the beverage supply apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the water supply tank 20. In FIG. 8, the state which looked at the water supply tank 20 from the side surface side (namely, right side surface) in which the water supply pipe 23 was provided is shown.

For convenience of explanation, in the water supply tank 20, the side surface facing the back surface 2 b of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is referred to as the front surface of the water supply tank 20. The surface on the side facing the front surface of the water supply tank 20 is referred to as the rear surface of the water supply tank 20. Further, the side surface of the water supply tank 20 located on the near side in FIG. 8 is referred to as the right side surface of the water supply tank 20. Further, the side surface of the water supply tank 20 located on the rear side in FIG. 8 is referred to as the left side surface of the water supply tank 20.

The water supply tank 20 includes a tank body 21, an upper lid 22, a water supply pipe 23, and a lock mechanism 24 as main components.

The tank body 21 has a generally box shape and accommodates a drink inside. The upper surface of the tank body 21 is in a released state. A recess 21 a is formed below the front surface and the right side surface of the tank body 21. And the water supply pipe 23 is provided in the front part of the recessed part 21a. The water supply pipe 23 protrudes from the tank body 21 so as to extend obliquely downward (in the direction of arrow A). The tip of the water supply pipe 23 is connected to the water injection port of the water injection lever 12.

Thus, in the beverage supply apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the water supply pipe 23 is disposed below the water supply tank 20 and extends obliquely downward from the water supply tank 20. Thereby, the drink in the water supply tank 20 arrange | positioned at the back surface 2b side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 can be guide | induced to the water injection lever 12 arrange | positioned at the surface 2a side of the refrigerator compartment door 2. FIG.

In addition, in the state which attached the water supply tank 20 to the refrigerator compartment door 2, the heat insulating material 40b is embedded in the recessed part 21a (refer FIG. 6). Thereby, the inside of the tank main body 21 and the water supply pipe 23 is insulated from the space outside the refrigerator 1, and the beverage W in the water supply tank 20 can be maintained in a refrigerated state.

Rail members 26 are provided on the right side surface and the left side surface of the tank body 21, respectively. The rail member 26 constitutes a lock mechanism 24 together with a rotation lock 25 provided on the upper lid 22.

The upper lid 22 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface of the tank body 21. The upper lid 22 can be removed from the tank body 21. A plurality of stoppers 27 are provided on the front surface and the left and right side surfaces of the upper lid 22. The upper lid 22 is fixed to the tank body 21 by a stopper 27. In addition, rotation locks 25 are provided on the right side surface and the left side surface of the upper lid 22, respectively. The rotation lock 25 constitutes a lock mechanism 24.

<About the water tank lock mechanism>
Hereinafter, the lock mechanism 24 will be described more specifically. The lock mechanism 24 is provided to limit the movement of the water supply tank 20 in the mounting direction. Here, the attachment direction of the water supply tank 20 is substantially the same as the extending direction of the water supply pipe 23 provided below the water supply tank 20. This is because when the water supply tank 20 is attached, the water supply pipe 23 is inserted between the

heat insulating materials

40a and 40b disposed so as to surround the water supply pipe 23 (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the water supply pipe 23 inserted between the

heat insulating materials

40 a and 40 b is connected to the water injection lever 12. And when the drink supply apparatus 10 is used, in order to pour the drink W, such as water, in a container, a user performs the operation | movement of pushing the water injection lever 12 back. At this time, an upward force is applied to the tank body 21 of the water supply tank 20 along the extending direction of the water supply pipe 23 (that is, the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8). If a relatively large amount of beverage W is contained in the water supply tank 20, the gravity of the beverage W is greater than the diagonally upward force, so that the water supply tank 20 is stabilized in the refrigerator compartment door 2. Is more likely to be retained.

However, in a state where the beverage W in the water supply tank 20 is reduced, the total weight of the water supply tank 20 including the beverage W becomes light. Usually, the water supply tank 20 is formed of a resin material such as plastic. Therefore, the weight of the water supply tank 20 itself is quite light (for example, about several hundred grams). Accordingly, when the user pushes the water injection lever 12 with the remaining amount of the beverage W remaining in the water supply tank 20, the diagonally upward direction that works along the extending direction of the water supply pipe 23 rather than the weight of the water supply tank 20 including the beverage W. The force to (see arrow A) is greater. Therefore, there is a possibility that the water supply tank 20 may wobble during the water injection operation of the beverage supply device 10 or may fall off from the attachment position of the refrigerator compartment door 2.

Therefore, the water supply tank 20 according to the present embodiment is provided with the lock mechanism 24 as described above. Since the water supply tank 20 of the beverage supply device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with the lock mechanism 24, the movement direction of the water supply tank 20 in the direction in which the water supply tank is attached, that is, in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. . Thereby, the risk of wobbling or dropping off of the water supply tank 20 during the water injection operation can be reduced.

Next, a method for attaching the water supply tank 20 to the refrigerator compartment door 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B show the operation of the lock mechanism 24 when the water supply tank 20 is attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the lock mechanism 24 of the present embodiment includes a rotation lock 25 attached to the upper lid 22 and a rail member 26 formed on the side surface of the tank body 21. The The rotation lock 25 includes a rotation shaft 25a, a gripping portion 25b, a hooking portion 25c, and the like.

The rotation shaft 25a is the rotation center of the rotation lock 25. The grip portion 25b is a portion that becomes a handle that is gripped by the user when the rotation lock 25 is rotated. The hook portion 25c is a member that is hooked to the tip engaging portion 26c of the rail member 26 when the lock mechanism 24 is in the ON state.

Here, the ON state of the lock mechanism 24 means a state in which the water supply tank 20 is attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2 and fixed. Moreover, the OFF state of the lock mechanism 24 means a state when the water supply tank 20 is removed from the refrigerator compartment door 2. That is, the state shown in FIG. 9A is an on state, and the state shown in FIG. 9B is an off state.

The rail member 26 has a shape in which the plate-like member is bent so as to have a shape like the numeral “7” when viewed from the side. The protrusion 5 of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is accommodated in the internal space 24a of the rail member 26 obtained by this shape when the rail member 26 is attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2. The rail member 26 includes a downward inclined portion 26a, a protrusion accommodating portion 26b, a tip engaging portion 26c, and the like.

The downward inclined portion 26a is a member extending obliquely downward from the internal space 24a. In addition, it is preferable that the downward inclination part 26a inclines substantially parallel to the extending | stretching direction (direction of arrow A of FIG. 8) of the water supply pipe 23. FIG. Thereby, when attaching the water supply tank 20 to the refrigerator compartment door 2, the water supply tank 20 can be slid, guiding the water supply tank 20 in the same direction as the extending direction of the water supply pipe 23.

The protrusion accommodating portion 26b has an inverted “L” shape and forms an internal space 24a. The tip engaging portion 26c is a member protruding forward from the protrusion accommodating portion 26b. In the ON state of the lock mechanism 24, the hook portion 25c of the rotation lock 25 is engaged with the tip engaging portion 26c in a state in which the protruding portion 5 of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is accommodated in the internal space 24a. Thereby, the movement of the water supply tank 20 (particularly, the movement in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8) is restricted by restricting the movement of the protrusion 5 accommodated in the internal space 24a.

In the lock mechanism 24 having the above-described configuration, when the water supply tank 20 is attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2, as shown in FIG. 9B, the gripping portion 25b of the rotation lock 25 is turned in the arrow B1 direction. As a result, the engagement between the hook portion 25c and the tip engagement portion 26c is released, and the internal space 24a is largely open downward. Then, the water supply tank 20 is slid in the direction of arrow B2.

Here, the direction of the arrow B2 is substantially the same as the direction of inclination of the downward inclined portion 26a. At this time, if the inclination direction of the downward inclined portion 26a is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the water supply pipe 23 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8), the water supply pipe 23 is smoothly guided between the

heat insulating materials

40a and 40b. Can do. That is, it is preferable that the rail direction of the rail member 26 formed by the downward inclined portion 26a or the like is substantially parallel to the mounting direction of the water supply tank 20 (in the present embodiment, the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8).

Thereafter, the rotation lock 25 is rotated in a state in which the protruding portion 5 of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is completely accommodated in the internal space 24a, and as shown in FIG. 9A, the hook portion 25c and the front end engaging portion 26c. Engage with. As a result, the lock mechanism 24 is turned on. In the on state, the movement of the protrusion 5 is restricted by the hook portion 25c entering the internal space 24a. In particular, the protrusion 5 is restricted in movement in the mounting direction (that is, in the direction of the arrow B2).

As described above, the rotation lock 25 of the lock mechanism 24 and the rail member 26 are both provided in the water supply tank 20, so that the hook portion 25 c of the rotation lock 25 and the front end engagement portion 26 c of the rail member 26 are positioned relative to each other. Deviation can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a state in which the hook part 25c and the tip engaging part 26c are not correctly engaged, thereby releasing the lock or being unable to lock, and the lock mechanism 24 can be kept on.

In addition, it is more preferable that the rail member 26 of the lock mechanism 24 is arranged on an extension line of the arrangement position of the water supply pipe 23 (axial position of the water supply pipe 23). Thereby, the wobble of the water supply tank 20 at the time of water supply operation | movement can be suppressed more reliably.

From the above, in the beverage supply apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the water supply tank 20 can be stably installed on the wall surface of the refrigerator compartment door 2 or the like. In particular, wobbling of the water supply tank 20 when the remaining amount of beverage in the water supply tank 20 is reduced can be suppressed.

In the above-described first embodiment, the example in which the rotary lock mechanism 24 is configured by the rotary lock 25 and the rail member 26 has been described. However, in the beverage supply apparatus of the present invention, the lock mechanism is not limited to a rotary type.

In the first embodiment, the rotation lock 25 is attached to the upper lid 22 of the water supply tank 20, and the rail member 26 is provided in the tank main body 21. With this configuration, when the lock mechanism 24 is turned on, the upper lid 22 and the tank body 21 can also be locked. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, both the rotation lock 25 and the rail member 26 constituting the lock mechanism 24 may be provided in the tank body 21. Further, the number of lock mechanisms and the attachment positions are not limited to the above-described configuration.

<Second Embodiment>
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the structure by which the lock mechanism was provided in the water supply tank of the drink supply apparatus was demonstrated. However, in the beverage supply apparatus of the present invention, the lock mechanism may be provided on the wall surface side instead of the water supply tank side. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a configuration example in which the lock mechanism is provided on the wall surface side (that is, the refrigerator compartment door side) will be described.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show a configuration around the water supply tank 420 of the beverage supply device 410 provided in the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment. The beverage supply apparatus 410 according to the present embodiment is built in the refrigerator 1 as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the beverage supply device 410 is built in the refrigerator compartment door 2. About the structure of the refrigerator compartment door 2 to which the drink supply apparatus 410 is attached, the structure substantially the same as 1st Embodiment is applicable. However, in 2nd Embodiment, the structure which attaches the water supply tank 420 to the back surface of the refrigerator compartment door 2 differs from 1st Embodiment. Only the configuration different from that of the first embodiment will be described below.

In the first embodiment, the protrusions 5 provided on the inner surfaces of the

side walls

2c and 2d of the refrigerator compartment door 2 are engaged with the lock mechanism 24 of the supply tank 20, whereby the supply tank 20 is provided with the refrigerator compartment door. 2 was fixed. On the other hand, in 2nd Embodiment, the lock mechanism 404 is provided in the inner surface of the side walls 2c * 2d of the refrigerator compartment door 2. As shown in FIG. And the protrusion part 425 engaged with the lock mechanism 404 is provided in the side surface of the right and left both sides of the water supply tank 420 (refer Fig.10 (a) (b)).

As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the water supply tank 420 includes a tank body 21, an upper lid (not shown), a water supply pipe 423, and a protrusion 425 as main components. About the external shape of the tank main body 421, an upper cover, and the water supply pipe 423, the structure substantially the same as 1st Embodiment is applicable.

The protrusions 425 are formed so as to protrude from the right side surface and the left side surface of the tank body 421, respectively. The protrusion 425 is formed at a position corresponding to the lock mechanism 404 on the refrigerator compartment door 2 side. The protrusion 425 can be formed of a material similar to the plastic material or the like forming the tank body 421. Moreover, the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion part 425 can be made into the rectangular shape as shown to Fig.10 (a), for example.

The lock mechanism 404 is provided on the inner side surfaces of the

side walls

2c and 2d of the refrigerator compartment door 2. The lock mechanism 404 includes a rotation lock 405 and a rail member 406.

The rotation lock 405 includes a rotation shaft 405a, a gripping portion 405b, a hooking portion 405c, and the like. The rotation shaft 405a is the rotation center of the rotation lock 405. The grip portion 405b is a portion that serves as a handle that is gripped by the user when the rotation lock 405 is rotated. The hook portion 405c is a member that is hooked to the tip engaging portion 406c of the rail member 406 when the lock mechanism 404 is in an on state.

The rail member 406 has a shape in which the plate-like member is bent so as to have a shape like the numeral “7” when viewed from the side, similarly to the rail member 26 of the first embodiment. However, the rail member 406 is arranged in a positional relationship such that when the water supply tank 420 is attached, the rail member 26 is rotated by about 180 degrees. A protrusion 425 of the water supply tank 120 is accommodated in the internal space 404a of the rail member 406 obtained by this shape when the water supply tank 420 is attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2. The rail member 406 includes an upward inclined portion 406a, a protrusion accommodating portion 406b, a tip engaging portion 406c, and the like.

The upward inclined portion 406a is a member extending obliquely upward from the internal space 404a. Note that the upper inclined portion 406a is preferably inclined substantially parallel to the extending direction of the water supply pipe 423 (the direction of the arrow A1 in FIG. 10A). Thereby, when attaching the water supply tank 420 to the refrigerator compartment door 2, the water supply tank 420 can be slid in the same direction A2 as the extending direction A1 of the water supply pipe 423.

The protrusion accommodating portion 406b has a bent shape and forms an internal space 404a. In the ON state of the lock mechanism 404, as shown in FIG. 10B, the rotation lock 405 is rotated in the direction of the arrow B1 while the protrusion 425 of the water supply tank 420 is accommodated in the internal space 404a. As a result, the internal space 404 a is covered with the grip portion 405 b of the rotation lock 405.

In the ON state of the lock mechanism 404, the hook portion 405c of the rotation lock 405 is engaged with and fixed to the tip engagement portion 406c in a state where the protrusion 425 of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is accommodated in the internal space 404a. . Thereby, the movement of the protrusion 425 in the internal space 404a is restricted, and accordingly, the movement of the water supply tank 420 (particularly, the upward movement) is restricted.

FIG. 10A shows a case where the lock mechanism 404 is in an off state. When the water supply tank 420 is attached to or removed from the refrigerator compartment door 2, the rotation lock 405 is rotated in the direction of arrow B2, as shown in FIG. As a result, the internal space 404a is opened to the upper right.

For example, when the water supply tank 420 is attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2, the water supply tank 420 is slid along the extending direction A1 of the water supply pipe 423. At this time, if the upper inclined portion 406a of the rail member 406 is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the extending direction A1 of the water supply pipe 423, the protrusion of the water supply tank 420 along the direction A2 substantially parallel to the extending direction A1. Part 425 can be guided. Thereby, attachment of the water supply tank 420 to the refrigerator compartment door 2 can be performed more easily.

<Third Embodiment>
Subsequently, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first and second embodiments described above, the configuration using the rotary lock mechanism as the lock mechanism for fixing the water supply tank has been described. However, in the beverage supply device of the present invention, the lock mechanism is not limited to the rotary type. Therefore, in the third embodiment, a configuration example using a spring-type lock mechanism will be described.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a configuration around the water supply tank 520 of the beverage supply device 510 provided in the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment. The beverage supply device 510 according to the present embodiment is built in the refrigerator 1 as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the beverage supply device 510 is built in the refrigerator compartment door 2. About the structure of the refrigerator compartment door 2 to which the drink supply apparatus 510 is attached, the structure substantially the same as 1st Embodiment is applicable.

However, in the third embodiment, the shape of the protrusions (protrusions provided on the wall surface side) 505 provided on the inner side surfaces of the

side walls

2c and 2d of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is the protrusion 5 of the first embodiment. Is different. Moreover, in 3rd Embodiment, the structure of the lock mechanism 524 provided in the water supply tank 520 differs from the lock mechanism 24 of 1st Embodiment. Only the configuration different from that of the first embodiment will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the water supply tank 520 includes a tank main body 521, an upper lid (not shown), a water supply pipe 523, and a lock mechanism 524 as main components. About the external shape of the tank main body 521, an upper cover, and the water supply pipe 523, the structure similar to 1st Embodiment is applicable. In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the protrusion 505 provided on the inner surface of the

side walls

2c and 2d of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is engaged with the lock mechanism 524, whereby the water supply tank 520 is Fixed to the refrigerator compartment door 2.

The lock mechanism 524 is provided on the left and right side surfaces of the water supply tank 520. The lock mechanism 524 includes a rail member 525 and a leaf spring (spring) 526 as main components.

The rail member 525 has substantially the same shape as the rail member 26 of the first embodiment. However, the rail member 525 is provided with a leaf spring accommodating portion 525a instead of the tip engaging portion 26c. In the internal space 524a of the rail member 525 obtained by this shape, the protrusion 505 of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is accommodated when attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2 (see FIG. 11B).

The rail member 525 has a leaf spring accommodating portion 525a and a downward inclined portion 525b. A leaf spring 526 is accommodated in the leaf spring accommodating portion 525a. The downward inclined portion 525b is a member that extends obliquely downward from the internal space 524a. In addition, it is preferable that the downward inclination part 525b inclines substantially parallel to the extending direction (direction of arrow A1 of Fig.11 (a)) of the water supply pipe 523. FIG. Thereby, when attaching the water supply tank 520 to the refrigerator compartment door 2, the water supply tank 520 can be slid, guiding the water supply tank 520 in the same direction A2 as the extending direction of the water supply pipe 523. That is, since the rail direction of the rail member 525 is substantially the same as the sliding direction (attachment direction) when the water supply tank 520 is attached, the water supply tank 520 can be easily attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2.

The leaf spring 526 is disposed in a leaf spring accommodating portion 525 a provided above the rail member 525. A central portion 526a of the leaf spring 526 is exposed from the leaf spring accommodating portion 525a toward the internal space 524a. Further, in the downward inclined portion 525b, a concave portion 525c is formed at a position facing the central portion 526a of the leaf spring 526.

On the other hand, a protrusion 505 that engages with the lock mechanism 524 is provided on the refrigerator compartment door 2 side. The protrusions 505 are formed on the inner side surfaces of the

side walls

2c and 2d of the refrigerator compartment door 2, respectively. The shape of the protrusion 505 is different from the protrusion 5 of the first embodiment. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion 505 is a substantially rectangular shape. And as shown in FIG.11 (b), the projection part 505 inclines substantially parallel to the extending | stretching direction A1 of the water supply pipe 523 so that the shape of the internal space 524a of the lock mechanism 524 may be corresponded. The protrusion 505 is formed with a protrusion 505a. The convex portion 505a is preferably formed at a position corresponding to the concave portion 525c of the rail member 525 when the protruding portion 505 is accommodated in the internal space 524a of the lock mechanism 524.

FIG. 11A shows a state in which the water supply tank 520 is removed from the refrigerator compartment door 2 (that is, the lock mechanism 524 is in an off state). From this state, when the water supply tank 520 is attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2, the water supply tank 520 is slid in the extending direction A1 of the water supply pipe 523. At this time, since the downward inclined portion 525b is inclined in the arrow A2 direction (that is, a direction substantially parallel to the extending direction A1 of the water supply pipe 523), the protruding portion 505 of the refrigerator compartment door 2 along the arrow A2 direction. Can be induced. Thereby, attachment of the water supply tank 520 to the refrigerator compartment door 2 can be performed more easily.

FIG. 11B shows a state where the water supply tank 520 is attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2 (that is, the lock mechanism 524 is turned on). In this state, the protrusion 505 of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is accommodated in the internal space 524a. The central portion 526a of the leaf spring 526 is pressed by the protrusion 505 and is accommodated in the leaf spring accommodating portion 525a. Further, the convex portion 505 a of the protrusion 505 is fitted with the concave portion 525 c of the rail member 525.

As described above, when the lock mechanism 524 is in the ON state, the protrusion 505 is held in the internal space 524 a of the rail member 525 by the elastic force of the leaf spring 526. That is, the movement of the water supply tank 520 in the mounting direction is limited. Thereby, the water supply tank 520 is fixed to the refrigerator compartment door 2. Thus, by providing the lock mechanism 524, the water supply tank 520 can be stably held with respect to the refrigerator compartment door 2.

<Modification>
Subsequently, a modified example of the lock mechanism 524 according to the third embodiment will be described. 12A and 12B show a lock mechanism 524 ′ according to a modification. In the lock mechanism 524 ′, the shape of the protrusion 505 ′ and the rail member 525 ′ (specifically, the downward inclined portion 525b ′) that engage with the lock mechanism 524 is different from that of the lock mechanism 524 according to the third embodiment. Is different.

Specifically, no concave portion is formed in the downward inclined portion 525b 'of the rail member 525'. In other words, the downward inclined portion 525b 'of the rail member 525' has a flat surface that forms the internal space 524a.

Further, the protrusion 505 'has a flat shape with no convex portion provided on the lower surface (the surface facing the downward inclined portion 525b'). On the other hand, a recess 505b 'is formed on the upper surface of the protrusion 505' (the surface facing the leaf spring 526). The concave portion 505b 'is provided at a position facing the central portion 526a of the leaf spring 526.

With the above configuration, when the lock mechanism 524 ′ is in the ON state, the central portion 526a of the leaf spring 526 is fitted into the recess 505b ′ of the protrusion 505 ′, and the protrusion 505 ′ is moved to the rail member by the elastic force of the leaf spring 526. It is held in the internal space 524a of 525 ′. That is, the movement of the water supply tank 520 in the mounting direction is limited. Thereby, the water supply tank 520 is fixed to the refrigerator compartment door 2. Thus, by providing the lock mechanism 524 ′, the water supply tank 520 can be stably held with respect to the refrigerator compartment door 2.

<Fourth Embodiment>
Subsequently, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first to third embodiments described above, the example in which the beverage supply device is built in the refrigerator has been described. However, the beverage supply device of the present invention does not necessarily have to be built in the refrigerator, and may be installed alone, for example, in a facility such as a gymnasium, a sports facility, or a hospital. Therefore, in this embodiment, an example in which a beverage supply device is installed alone will be described.

FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show an external configuration of the beverage supply device 610 according to the present embodiment. About the structure inside the drink supply apparatus 610 of this Embodiment, the same structure as the drink supply apparatus 10 which concerns on the above-mentioned 1st Embodiment is applicable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, only points different from the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 13 shows an appearance of the beverage supply device 610 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the beverage supply device 610 has the revolving door 11 positioned on the front side of the device 610. The water supply mechanism of the beverage supply device 610 is disposed on the back side of the rotary door 11 and is in an invisible state. Moreover, the water supply tank 20 is arrange | positioned at the back surface side of the front wall 610a of the drink supply apparatus 610, and has become invisible. In FIG. 13, for convenience, the water supply tank 20 is indicated by a broken line.

FIG. 14 shows a state when the beverage supply device 610 is used. The beverage supply device 610 is configured such that when the user presses an open / close switch (not shown) or the like of the rotary door 11, the rotary door 11 rotates in the horizontal direction and the water supply mechanism appears in the front.

As described above, the beverage supply device 610 of the present embodiment includes the water supply chamber 10a that rotates in the horizontal direction. And the drink supply apparatus 610 has the water supply part concealed in the back surface of the rotation door 11 of the water supply chamber 10a in the state of non-use, and the water supply chamber 10a rotates and the water supply part is the front in the state of use. It is configured to be exposed to.

Note that the beverage supply device 610 according to the above-described fourth embodiment may be installed on the wall surface of a facility such as a gymnasium, a sports facility, or a hospital, for example. In this case, a predetermined installation space is formed behind the wall where the beverage supply device 610 is installed. And what is necessary is just to install the drink supply apparatus 610 in the said space.

At this time, the water supply tank 20 is installed on the back side of the front wall (wall surface) 610a of the beverage supply device 610. The front wall 610a has, for example, a door structure that can be opened and closed from either the left or right end. This door structure is provided with a heat insulating material as in the refrigerator compartment door 2 in the first embodiment. Thereby, the drink in the water supply tank 20 can be maintained at the refrigeration temperature. About the structure which attaches the water supply tank 20 with respect to the back surface of the front wall 610a, the structure similar to the locking mechanism of the drink supply apparatus of the above-mentioned 1st to 3rd embodiment is applicable.

<Fifth Embodiment>
<Outline of refrigerator>
In this embodiment, an example of a refrigerator including a door structure according to one aspect of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, as an example of a door structure, a revolving door provided in a beverage supply device will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. First, the outline | summary of the refrigerator 1 in which the drink supply apparatus 10 concerning this Embodiment is mounted is demonstrated. FIG. 15: is a front view which shows the refrigerator 1 which mounts the drink supply apparatus 10 concerning this Embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, the refrigerator 1 has four doors. The refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment is equipped with a refrigerator compartment at the top and a freezer compartment at the bottom. A handle 3 is provided at each door of the refrigerator. And the drink supply apparatus 10 is mounted in the left refrigerator compartment door 2 seeing from the front of the refrigerator 1.

However, in one aspect of the present invention, the arrangement position of the beverage supply device 10 is not limited to this. That is, for example, like a refrigerator 701 shown in FIG. 34, the beverage supply device 10 may be mounted on the right refrigerator compartment door 2 when viewed from the front. In the refrigerator 701, the display panel 5 is disposed on the left refrigerator compartment door 2, but may be disposed on the same right refrigerator compartment door 2 as the beverage supply device 10.

However, the refrigerator 1 on which the beverage supply device 10 is mounted may have fewer than four doors, may have more than four doors, and the refrigerator compartment may be a lower stage or a middle stage. It may be arranged in.

FIG. 15 shows a state when the beverage supply device 10 is not used. As shown in FIG. 15, the rotating door 11 of the beverage supply device 10 is located on the front side of the refrigerator 1 when not in use. That is, the water supply mechanism of the beverage supply device 10 is disposed on the back side of the rotary door 11 and is in an invisible state.

In addition, a display panel 5 is provided in front of the refrigerator 1. Although the position of the display panel 5 is not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the display panel 5 is disposed on the surface 2 a of the refrigerator compartment door 2. The display panel 5 is a touch panel display device, and may function as an operation panel (operation unit). In this case, the user can change the operation mode of the refrigerator 1 or the operation mode of the beverage supply device 10 from the operation panel.

In the beverage supply apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the rotary door 11 is an electric rotary type. That is, an opening / closing button for opening / closing the rotating door 11 is provided in the vicinity of the rotating door 11. The open / close button can be provided on the display panel 5, for example. When the user of the beverage supply device 10 presses the open / close button, the drive motor connected to the revolving door 11 is activated, and the revolving door 11 is configured to start rotating operation (( a) to (c)). Thereby, the user of the beverage supply apparatus 10 can easily open and close the revolving door 11 without manually opening and closing the door.

<Configuration of beverage supply device>
Next, the structure of the drink supply apparatus 10 concerning this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the left side refrigerator compartment door 2 on the surface 2a side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration on the surface 2a side of the left refrigerator door 2. In addition, in FIG. 16, the manner in which the revolving door 11 rotates during use of the beverage supply device 10 and the water supply chamber 10 a including the water supply mechanism is exposed is shown in order from (a) to (c).

2 and 3 show the state of using the beverage supply device 10. In addition, although the water supply tank 20 of the drink supply apparatus 10 is arrange | positioned at the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 2, and is in the state which cannot be seen from the front (surface 2a side), in FIG. Is indicated by a broken line. 2 and 3, the display panel 5 is not shown.

As will be described later, the refrigerator compartment door 2 has a heat insulating material 40 inside, and has heat insulating properties. Therefore, the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is maintained at substantially the same temperature as the refrigerator compartment. Thereby, the beverage in the water supply tank 20 is also cooled to the refrigeration temperature.

As shown in (a) to (b) of FIG. 16, when the user presses the open / close button of the revolving door 11 displayed on the display panel 5, the revolving door 11 rotates in the horizontal direction. Thus, the water supply mechanism is configured to appear on the front. In addition, the rotation direction of the rotary door 11 shown in FIG. 4 is an example, and this invention is not limited to this.

When the revolving door 11 rotates, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the water supply chamber 10a of the beverage supply device 10 appears in the front. The water supply chamber 10a includes a water injection lever (discharge portion) 21 that constitutes a water supply mechanism,

side plates

12 and 13 that form an inner wall of the water supply chamber 10a, a bottom portion 15 (water receiver), a back plate 16, and the like. Yes. The revolving door 11 is arrange | positioned so that the back plate 16 of the water supply chamber 10a may overlap. The surface of the revolving door 11 is positioned in front of the refrigerator 1 when the beverage supply device 10 is not in use (see FIG. 15).

Then, based on the user's operation, the water in the water supply tank 20 cooled in the refrigerator compartment is discharged from a water inlet (not shown). In the present embodiment, for example, when the user pushes the water injection lever 21 toward the back plate 16 with a container G such as a glass, water is supplied into the glass. In addition, the water supply mechanism of the beverage supply apparatus 10 may have a configuration in which water is automatically poured by a sensor.

In the present embodiment, for example, when the user pushes the water injection lever 21 toward the back plate 16 side with a container such as a glass, the water injection port attached to the water injection lever 21 is released, and water enters the glass from the water injection port. Is supplied. That is, the water injection port of the water injection lever 21 is connected to the water supply tank 20 disposed above the water supply chamber 10a. When the user operates the water injection lever 21, the water in the water supply tank 20 is supplied to the water supply pipe (see FIG. (Not shown) and discharged from the water inlet. The water supply tank 20 is located in the refrigerator compartment, and the water in the water supply tank 20 is maintained at the refrigerator temperature.

The water supply chamber 10 a is located below the water supply tank 20. In the present embodiment, the water supply chamber 10 a is arranged so as to be slightly on the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2. That is, the water supply chamber 10a is disposed on the side close to the handle 3 of the refrigerator compartment door 2. However, the arrangement | positioning position of the drink supply apparatus 10 in the refrigerator 1 mentioned above is an example of this invention, and this invention is not limited to this.

Subsequently, a detailed configuration of the inside of the beverage supply apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 17 to 21. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional configuration of the refrigerator compartment door 2 shown in FIG. 17 and 18 are perspective views showing the internal configuration of the beverage supply device 10. FIG. 17 shows a state when the beverage supply device 10 is used (that is, a state where the water supply chamber 10a faces the front side). FIG. 18 shows a state when the beverage supply device 10 is not used (that is, a state where the rotary door 11 faces the front side). FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show the beverage supply apparatus 10 as seen from the back side. In FIG. 19, the water supply chamber 10a and the rotation drive unit 30 of the drink supply apparatus 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 20 shows the components of the rotary drive unit 30 in an exploded state. FIG. 21 shows a cross-sectional configuration of the rotary drive unit 30.

The beverage supply device 10 is arranged in an opening formed by cutting through a part of the refrigerator compartment door 2. That is, the beverage supply device 10 is disposed so as to penetrate the refrigerator compartment door 2 (see FIG. 6). The beverage supply apparatus 10 is mainly composed of a water supply chamber 10a, a water supply tank 20, and a rotation drive unit (drive unit) 30.

The outer shape of the water supply chamber 10 a is formed by the rotary door 11, the right side plate 12, the left side plate 13, the top plate 14, the bottom (water receiving) 15, and the back plate 16. A water supply mechanism such as a water injection port and a water injection lever 21 is accommodated in the water supply chamber 10a. The revolving door 11 and the back plate 16 are disposed so as to overlap each other. When the beverage supply device 10 is not in use, the revolving door 11 is positioned in front (see FIG. 18). When the beverage supply device 10 is in use, the water supply chamber 10a including the back plate 16 and the like. Is exposed to the front (see FIG. 17). The upper surface plate 14 is formed with a lock pin insertion hole 14a into which a lock pin 51 (see FIG. 20) for maintaining the rotary door 11 in the closed state is fitted. When the revolving door 11 is in the closed state, the lock pin 51 is fitted into the lock pin insertion hole 14a (see FIG. 18).

The water supply tank 20 is located in the upper part of the beverage supply apparatus 10. The water supply tank 20 is located obliquely above the water supply chamber 10a (specifically, obliquely upward toward the rear of the refrigerator 1) (see FIG. 6). Beverages W such as drinking water and soft drinks discharged from the water supply mechanism of the beverage supply device 10 are accommodated in the water supply tank 20. A water supply pipe 23 is disposed below the water supply tank 20. The water supply pipe 23 extends obliquely downward from the water supply tank 20. The tip of the water supply pipe 23 is connected to the water injection port of the water injection lever 21.

The inside of the refrigerator compartment door 2 (between the front surface 2a and the back surface) is filled with a heat insulating material 40 (see FIG. 6). Thereby, the heat insulation in a refrigerator compartment is maintained. Moreover, the periphery of the water supply chamber 10a of the beverage supply apparatus 10 is covered with

heat insulating materials

40a and 40b (see FIG. 6).

Further, the bottom 15 of the water supply chamber 10a is connected to the lower rotating shaft 17. The lower rotating shaft 17 is rotatably attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2. Moreover, the water supply chamber 10a is connected with the upper rotating shaft 18 (refer FIG. 17, FIG. 18) in the upper direction. The upper rotating shaft 18 is connected to a drive motor 41 (see FIG. 20) that drives the rotation of the water supply chamber 10a. Thereby, for example, when the user operates the open / close button, the water supply chamber 10a can automatically rotate.

Rotation drive unit 30 drives automatic opening / closing type revolving door 11. As shown in FIG. 17, the rotary drive unit 30 includes an upper rotary shaft 18, a motor cover 31, a cam housing portion 32, a lock housing portion 33, and the like.

The upper rotating shaft 18 is connected to the water supply chamber 10a and transmits the rotational driving force of the drive motor 41 to the water supply chamber 10a. The upper rotating shaft 18 is connected to the upper surface plate 14 of the water supply chamber 10a. The upper rotating shaft 18 is connected to the first shaft 44 a of the slide arm 44 above the upper rotating shaft 18. A connection portion between the first shaft 44a and the upper rotary shaft 18 is P1 '(see FIG. 19).

The driving force of the driving motor 41 (see FIG. 20) is transmitted to the slide arm 44. As a result, the first shaft 44a rotates about P1 as the center of rotation. Further, the upper rotating shaft 18 connected to the first shaft 44a rotates 180 degrees as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. Thereby, the driving force of the drive motor 41 is transmitted also to the water supply chamber 10a connected to the upper rotating shaft 18, and the rotary door 11 is opened and closed.

As shown in FIG. 20, a drive motor 41 and the like are arranged in the motor cover 31. The drive motor 41 drives the rotation of the rotary door 11. The drive motor 41 starts or stops operating according to an instruction signal from a central processing unit (control unit) (not shown). The door detection switch 45 is disposed adjacent to the drive motor 41. The door detection switch 45 is a contact switch, for example, and detects that the revolving door 11 is in a closed state (state shown in FIG. 18). In the present embodiment, the door detection switch 45 is pressed by the motor arm 43 and is turned on.

The cam housing portion 32 includes a cam base 34 and a cam cover 35. The cam base 34 is a box-shaped member that houses the slide cam 42 and the like therein. On the bottom surface of the cam base 34, a moving rail 34a for moving the second shaft 44b of the slide arm 44, a moving rail 34b for moving the first shaft 44a of the slide arm 44, a lock pin corresponding hole 34c, and the like are formed. The cam cover 35 is a member that covers the upper surface of the cam housing portion 32. A drive motor 41 and the like are placed on the cam cover 35.

In the cam accommodating portion 32, a slide cam 42, a motor arm 43, a slide arm 44, a door detection switch 47, and the like are accommodated. As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the motor arm 43 is disposed on the upper side with the slide cam 42 interposed therebetween, and the slide arm 44 is disposed on the lower side with the slide cam 42 interposed therebetween.

The slide cam 42 slides in the left-right direction within the cam housing portion 32. The slide cam 42 is formed with a moving rail 42a on which the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 moves and a moving rail 42b on which the second shaft 44b of the slide arm 44 moves.

The motor arm 43 has a first shaft 43a at one end and a second shaft 43b at the other end. The first shaft 43a is connected to the rotation axis P0 of the drive motor 41 (see FIG. 21). As a result, the motor arm 43 rotates about the first shaft 43a as the rotation center P0 (see FIG. 22). Then, the second shaft 43b moves in the direction indicated by the arrow R1 or R2 shown in FIG.

Further, the second shaft 43b is fitted in the moving rail 42a of the slide cam 42. Accordingly, when the motor arm 43 rotates around the rotation center P0, the movement of the second shaft 43b is restricted by the moving rail 42a. Therefore, the slide cam 42 can move in the left-right direction (the direction indicated by the arrow S1 or S2 in FIG. 22). The second shaft 43b also has a function of pushing the tip of the lock pin 51 protruding from the lock pin corresponding hole 34c (that is, a function of turning on the lock mechanism 50) after the rotary door 11 is closed. (See FIG. 21).

The slide arm 44 has a first shaft 44a at one end and a second shaft 44b at the other end. The first shaft 44a passes through the moving rail 34b of the cam base 34 and is connected to the connecting portion P1 'of the upper rotating shaft 18 (see FIG. 21). Further, the second shaft 44b is fitted in the moving rail 42b of the slide cam 42 at the upper portion thereof, and the lower portion thereof is fitted in the moving rail 34a of the cam base 34. Accordingly, when the slide cam 42 moves in the left-right direction, the movement of the second shaft 44b is restricted by the moving rail 42b and the moving rail 34a. With the movement of the second shaft 44b, the slide arm 44 and the first shaft 44a also move (see FIG. 23).

The lock accommodating portion 33 accommodates a lock mechanism 50 for maintaining the rotary door 11 in a closed state. The lock accommodating portion 33 is disposed below the drive motor 41 with the cam accommodating portion 32 interposed therebetween (see FIG. 17 and the like). The lock mechanism 50 includes a lock pin 51, lock

pin receiving portions

52a and 52b, a lock shaft 53, a lock pin cap 54, a lock spring 55, and the like.

The lock pin 51 moves up and down. The time when the lock pin 51 is positioned below is a case where the lock mechanism 50 is in an ON state (a state where the rotary door 11 is fixed in a closed state). Further, the time when the lock pin 51 is positioned upward is a case where the lock mechanism 50 is in an OFF state (a state where it is not locked). When the lock mechanism 50 is in the off state, the top end of the lock pin 51 is inserted into the lock pin corresponding hole 34 c of the cam base 34.

The lock

pin receiving portions

52a and 52b are members that support the lock pin 51 at its upper and lower portions, respectively. The lock

pin receiving portions

52 a and 52 b are connected to the lock receiving portion 33. The lock shaft 53 is a member that serves as an axis of the lock pin 51. The lock pin cap 54 is a member that partially covers the lock pin 51. The lock spring 55 is disposed around the lock pin 51 and imparts elasticity to the vertical movement of the lock pin 51. When the lock mechanism 50 is in the off state, the lock spring 55 has an elastic force that pushes the lock pin 51 upward. When the lock mechanism 50 is turned on, the tip of the lock pin 51 is pushed by the second shaft 43b. Since this pressing force is larger than the elastic force of the lock spring 55, the lock pin 51 is pushed down.

<Regarding the control of the opening and closing of the revolving door and the lock mechanism>
Then, the opening / closing operation | movement of the rotation door 11 in the drink supply apparatus 10 is demonstrated. Further, the operation of the lock mechanism 50 of the rotary door 11 will be described with reference to FIGS.

22A and 22B show the operation of each component member in the cam housing portion 32 until the rotary door 11 is changed from the open state to the closed state. FIG. 22A shows the position of each component when the rotary door 11 is in the open state. FIG. 22B shows the positions of the constituent members when the rotary door 11 is in the closed state. FIGS. 23A and 23B are diagrams corresponding to FIGS. 22A and 22B, respectively, but showing a state in which the slide cam 42 in the cam housing portion 32 is removed.

FIG. 24A shows a configuration around the lock mechanism 50 when the lock mechanism 50 is in the ON state. FIG. 24B shows a configuration around the lock mechanism 50 when the lock mechanism 50 is in the OFF state.

Below, operation | movement when the revolving door 11 of the drink supply apparatus 10 transfers to a closed state from an open state is demonstrated. When the revolving door 11 is in the open state, the slide cam 42 is positioned at one end (the left end in FIG. 22A) in the cam base 34, as shown in FIG. At this time, the door detection switch 47 provided in the cam base detects that the rotary door 11 is in the open state (the state shown in FIG. 17). The door detection switch 47 is, for example, a contact switch. In this embodiment, the door detection switch 47 is pressed by the switch pressing portion 47a of the slide cam 42 and is turned on.

For example, when the user finishes using the beverage supply device 10 and presses the open / close button displayed on the display panel 5, an instruction signal for closing the door is transmitted from the central processing unit to the rotary drive unit 30. Is done. And the drive motor 41 in the rotational drive unit 30 starts the rotational drive to the direction (namely, arrow R1 direction) which makes a door a closed state.

This rotational drive is transmitted to the motor arm 43 via the first shaft 43a. Then, the motor arm 43 starts to rotate in the direction of the arrow R1 shown in FIG. Thereby, the second shaft 43b moves upward in the drawing while drawing a locus similar to the arrow R1. At this time, since the second shaft 43b is fitted into the moving rail 42a of the slide cam 42, the second shaft 43b moves in the direction of the arrow in the moving rail 42a. In accordance with the movement of the second shaft 43b, the slide cam 42 slides to the right (in the direction of the arrow S1).

When the slide cam 42 slides in the direction of the arrow S1, the slide arm 44 also slides to the right (see FIGS. 23A and 23B). At this time, the movement of the second shaft 44b of the slide arm 44 is restricted by the moving

rails

42b and 34a. That is, the second shaft 44b of the slide arm 44 moves in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.

At this time, the movement of the first shaft 44a of the slide arm 44 is restricted by the moving rail 34b, and moves in the direction of the broken arrow shown in FIG. As described above, in the first shaft 44a of the slide arm 44, the connection portion of the upper rotary shaft 18 is connected to P1 '. Accordingly, the upper rotary shaft 18 shifts the rotary door 11 from the open state shown in FIG. 17 to the closed state shown in FIG. 18 according to the movement of the first shaft 44a.

Then, when the first shaft 44a reaches the rightmost side of the moving rail 34b (that is, the point of A1), the rotary door 11 is completely closed. At this time, the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 connected to the drive motor 41 has reached the right end, but has not yet reached the uppermost end of the moving rail 42a. Therefore, at this time, the door detection switch 45 is not pressed by the motor arm 43, and the drive motor 41 does not stop driving.

Further thereafter, the drive motor 41 continues to rotate, rotates the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 in the R1 direction, and guides the second shaft 43b to the uppermost end of the moving rail 42a. During this operation, the tip of the second shaft 43b passes over the lock pin corresponding hole 34c. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 24A, the upper end portion of the lock pin 51 protruding from the lock pin corresponding hole 34c is pressed by the second shaft 43b. And the lock pin 51 is pushed below (arrow direction of Fig.24 (a)), and the lower end part of the lock pin 51 is inserted in the lock pin insertion hole 14a of the upper surface board 14 of the water supply chamber 10a. As a result, the lock mechanism 50 is turned on. When the lock mechanism 50 is turned on, the revolving door 11 cannot be manually opened. Therefore, when the user of the refrigerator 1 accidentally touches the revolving door 11, it can suppress that the revolving door 11 rotates unintentionally.

In this operation, the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 moves to the left after reaching the right end of its own trajectory. However, the moving rail 42a of the slide cam 42 is formed in the same direction as the moving direction of the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 (the direction extending from the lower right to the upper left in the drawing). Therefore, the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 only moves in the moving rail 42a of the slide cam 42, and the slide cam 42 itself does not move. Therefore, since the slide arm 44 does not move, the rotary door 11 is maintained in a completely closed state.

When the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 reaches the uppermost end of the moving rail 42a, the motor arm 43 presses the door detection switch 45 and stops the drive motor 41.

As described above, according to the beverage supply device 10 according to the present embodiment, the lock mechanism 50 can be turned on after the rotary door 11 is closed. In the present embodiment, the central processing unit that controls all operations in the beverage supply device 10 and the rotation drive unit 30 constitute a control unit that controls automatic opening / closing of the revolving door 11.

Subsequently, the operation when the revolving door 11 of the beverage supply device 10 shifts from the closed state to the open state will be described. When the revolving door 11 is in the closed state, as shown in FIG. 22B, the slide cam 42 is positioned at the other end in the cam base 34 (the right end in FIG. 22B). At this time, the door detection switch 45 provided in the cam base detects that the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 has reached the uppermost end of the moving rail 42a. In the present embodiment, the door detection switch 45 is pressed by the motor arm 43 and is turned on.

For example, when the user presses the open / close button displayed on the display panel 5 in order to use the beverage supply device 10, an instruction signal for opening the door is sent from the central processing unit to the rotary drive unit 30. Communicated. And the drive motor 41 in the rotational drive unit 30 starts the rotational drive to the direction (namely, arrow R2 direction) which opens a door.

This rotational drive is transmitted to the motor arm 43 via the first shaft 43a. Then, the motor arm 43 starts to rotate in the direction of the arrow R2 shown in FIG. Thereby, the 2nd shaft 43b moves below, drawing the locus | trajectory similar to arrow R2.

Note that immediately after the drive motor 41 starts rotating, only the motor arm 43 starts rotating, and the slide arm 44 does not start sliding. That is, the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 starts moving in the arrow R2 direction. However, as described above, the moving rail 42 a of the slide cam 42 is formed in the same direction as the moving direction of the second shaft 43 b of the motor arm 43. Therefore, the second shaft 43b of the motor arm 43 only moves in the moving rail 42a of the slide cam 42, and the slide cam 42 itself does not move. Therefore, the first shaft 44a of the slide arm 44 does not move and remains at the point A1. As a result of the movement of the second shaft 43b, the tip of the second shaft 43b is displaced from the lock pin corresponding hole 34c.

This eliminates the pressing of the upper end of the lock pin 51. Then, as shown in FIG. 24B, the lock pin 51 is raised by the elastic force of the lock spring 55 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 24B), and the lower end of the lock pin 51 is detached from the lock pin insertion hole 14a. As a result, the lock mechanism 50 is turned off.

Even after the lock mechanism 50 is turned off, the drive motor 41 continues to rotate, and the second shaft 43b continues to rotate in the direction of the arrow R2. In accordance with the movement of the second shaft 43b, the slide cam 42 slides to the left (in the direction of the arrow S2).

When the slide cam 42 slides in the direction of the arrow S2, the slide arm 44 also slides to the left (see FIGS. 23 (a) and (b)). At this time, the movement of the second shaft 44b of the slide arm 44 is restricted by the moving

rails

42b and 34a. That is, the second shaft 44b of the slide arm 44 moves in the direction of the arrow shown in FIGS. 22B and 23B in each of the moving

rails

42b and 34a.

At this time, the movement of the first shaft 44a of the slide arm 44 is restricted by the moving rail 34b, and moves in the direction of the broken arrow shown in FIG. As described above, in the first shaft 44a of the slide arm 44, the connection portion of the upper rotary shaft 18 is connected to P1 '. Accordingly, the upper rotary shaft 18 shifts the rotary door 11 from the closed state shown in FIG. 18 to the open state shown in FIG. 17 according to the movement of the first shaft 44a.

Then, when the first shaft 44a reaches the leftmost side of the moving rail 34b (that is, the point of A2), the revolving door 11 is completely opened. At this time, the door detection switch 47 detects that the rotary door 11 is in the open state (the state shown in FIG. 17), and stops the drive motor 41. Then, the user can enter the water supply operation.

As described above, according to the beverage supply device 10 according to the present embodiment, the opening operation of the rotary door 11 can be started after the lock mechanism 50 is turned off.

<Summary of Fifth Embodiment>
As described above, the beverage supply device 10 mounted on the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment includes the lock mechanism 50 for suppressing the rotation of the revolving door 11 when the revolving door 11 is in a closed state. It has been. Therefore, when the revolving door 11 is in a closed state, the closed state of the revolving door 11 can be maintained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the revolving door from being opened (rotated) by mistake when the user does not intend.

Moreover, in the drink supply apparatus 10 of this embodiment, after making the rotation door 11 into a closed state by the structure of the rotation drive unit 30, the lock mechanism 50 is turned on so that the rotation door 11 is maintained in the closed state. be able to. Furthermore, in the beverage supply device 10 of the present embodiment, the rotation drive unit 30 can be configured to start the opening operation of the rotary door 11 after the lock mechanism 50 is turned off. Thereby, in the situation where it is necessary to turn on the lock mechanism 50 (that is, when the beverage supply device 10 is not used), the closed state of the revolving door 11 can be more reliably maintained and the rotation can be performed. It is possible to prevent the lock mechanism 50 from interfering during the opening / closing operation of the door 11.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the number of drive motors can be reduced by executing the driving of the rotary door 11 and the lock mechanism 50 using the same drive unit (that is, the drive motor 41). In addition, when the revolving door and the lock mechanism are driven by separate drive motors, if the drive motor malfunctions, the order of the opening / closing operation of the revolving door and the on / off operation of the lock mechanism will be reversed. there is a possibility. On the other hand, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the rotating door and the lock mechanism are driven by one drive unit, even when the drive motor malfunctions, the opening / closing operation of the rotating door and the lock mechanism It is possible to prevent the order of the on / off operation from being reversed.

Moreover, in the beverage supply apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the lock pin 51 which comprises the lock mechanism 50 moves to an up-down direction, and switches the lock mechanism 50 on / off. That is, the lock pin 51 moves in a direction along the rotation axis P1 of the rotary door 11 (a direction parallel to the rotation axis P1). Thereby, the lock pin 51 etc. which comprise the lock mechanism 50 move to a direction orthogonal to the opening / closing operation | movement direction of the rotation door 11 at the time of locking operation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lock mechanism 50 from moving and being turned off when attempting to open the revolving door 11 manually. Therefore, the stress for holding the lock mechanism 50 can be reduced, and the lock mechanism can be reduced in size and power can be saved.

In the present embodiment, the configuration example in which the lock mechanism is provided in the horizontal rotation type electric door has been described. However, the door structure of the present invention is not limited to a horizontally rotating door. For example, the present invention can be applied to any electric (automatic opening / closing) door structure without particular limitation. That is, examples of the opening / closing method of the door structure of the present invention include a rotary type, a rotary type, and a slide type.

In the above-described fifth embodiment, the example in which the door structure of the present invention is applied to the revolving door 11 of the beverage supply device 10 disposed in the refrigerator compartment door 2 of the refrigerator 1 has been described. However, the door structure of one embodiment of the present invention can also be applied to a small door disposed on a main body door of a storage other than the refrigerator (for example, a heat storage, a food storage, etc.).

<Sixth Embodiment>
Subsequently, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the sixth embodiment, an example in which the lock mechanism is turned on / off by a mechanism different from that of the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 (a) and 25 (b). In addition, the drink supply apparatus 110 concerning 6th Embodiment is different from 5th Embodiment only in the structure of the rotational drive unit 130. FIG. Therefore, only the configuration different from that of the fifth embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 25 (a) shows the configuration of the rotary drive unit 130 provided in the beverage supply apparatus 110 according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 25B shows the internal configuration of the beverage supply apparatus 110 according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 25B shows a state in which the beverage supply device 110 is viewed from the front side. FIG. 25B shows a case where the rotary door 11 is in a closed state and the lock mechanism 150 is in an on state.

The beverage supply device 110 is mainly composed of a water supply chamber 10a, a water supply tank 20, and a rotation drive unit (drive unit) 130. About the water supply chamber 10a and the water supply tank 20, the structure substantially the same as the drink supply apparatus 10 of 5th Embodiment is applicable.

The rotation drive unit 130 drives the automatic opening / closing type rotary door 11. The rotary drive unit 130 includes an upper rotary shaft 118, a drive motor 141, a first spur gear 131, a second spur gear 132, a lock mechanism 150, and the like.

The upper rotating shaft 118 is connected to the water supply chamber 10a and transmits the rotational driving force of the drive motor 141 to the water supply chamber 10a. The upper rotating shaft 118 is connected to the upper surface plate 14 of the water supply chamber 10a. A second spur gear 132 is disposed above the upper rotating shaft 118. The upper rotating shaft 118 rotates starting from the rotating shaft P2 of the second spur gear 132.

The drive motor 141 drives the rotation of the rotary door 11. The drive motor 141 starts or stops operating according to an instruction signal from a central processing unit (control unit) (not shown). The drive motor 141 rotates around the rotation axis P1. The drive motor 141 is disposed at a position such that the rotation axis P1 thereof overlaps the rotation axis P2 of the upper rotation shaft 118 in a front view.

The rotation shaft of the first spur gear 131 is connected to the rotation shaft P1 of the drive motor 141. As shown in FIG. 25A, a tooth mold 131 a that meshes with a tooth mold such as a second spur gear 132 disposed adjacent to the outer periphery of the first spur gear 131 is partially formed.

The second spur gear 132 rotates around the rotation axis P2. On the outer periphery of the second spur gear 132, a tooth shape is formed throughout. The second spur gear 132 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the first spur gear 131 when engaged with the tooth mold 131 a of the first spur gear 131 that rotates as the drive motor 141 rotates.

The lock mechanism 150 is provided to keep the revolving door 11 in a closed state. The lock mechanism 150 includes a lock pin 151, a first bevel gear 133, a second bevel gear 134, and the like.

The lock pin 151 has a rack gear and can move in the vertical direction. The rack gear of the lock pin 151 meshes with a tooth mold formed on the outer periphery of the second bevel gear 134. As a result, the lock pin 151 moves in the vertical direction in conjunction with the rotational movement of the second bevel gear 134.

When the lock pin 151 moves downward (in the direction of arrow A4 in FIG. 25B), the lower end portion thereof is inserted into the lock pin insertion hole 14a of the upper surface plate 14 of the water supply chamber 10a. As a result, the lock mechanism 150 is turned on. When the lock mechanism 150 is turned on, the revolving door 11 cannot be manually opened.

The first bevel gear 133 rotates around the rotation axis P3. The rotation axis P3 of the first bevel gear 133 is disposed at a position where it overlaps with the rotation axis P1 of the drive motor 41 when the beverage supply device 110 is viewed from the side (right side). That is, the rotational axis P2 of the second spur gear 132 and the rotational axis P3 of the first bevel gear 133 have a positional relationship such that they exist at a position of 90 degrees with respect to the rotational axis P1 of the drive motor 41. ing.

However, in each aspect of the present invention, the positional relationship is not limited. The positional relationship of each gear can be changed according to the size (or the number of teeth) of the gear. In one aspect of the present invention, the tooth mold 131a of the first spur gear 131 and the second spur gear 132 mesh with each other, and after the rotary door 11 rotates 180 degrees, the tooth mold 131a of the first spur gear 131 and the first The positional relationship may be such that the bevel gear 133 meshes.

A tooth pattern is formed on the entire outer periphery of the first bevel gear 133. Thus, the first bevel gear 133 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the first spur gear 131 when meshed with the tooth mold 131 a of the first spur gear 131 that rotates as the drive motor 141 rotates.

Further, an inclined tooth surface is formed on the lower surface of the first bevel gear 133. This inclined tooth surface is arranged so as to mesh with the inclined tooth surface of the second bevel gear 134. As a result, the second bevel gear 134 rotates in conjunction with the rotational movement of the first bevel gear 133.

The second bevel gear 134 rotates around the rotation axis P4. The rotational axis P4 is in a positional relationship so as to be orthogonal to the rotational axis P3 of the first bevel gear 133. An inclined tooth surface that meshes with the inclined tooth surface of the first bevel gear 133 is formed on the side surface of the second bevel gear 134. Further, a tooth pattern is formed on the entire outer periphery of the second bevel gear 134. The tooth pattern formed on the outer periphery of the second bevel gear 134 meshes with the rack gear of the lock pin 151.

<Regarding the control of the opening and closing of the revolving door and the lock mechanism>
Then, the opening / closing operation | movement of the rotation door 11 in the drink supply apparatus 110 is demonstrated. Furthermore, the operation of the lock mechanism 150 of the rotary door 11 will be described.

First, the operation when the revolving door 11 of the beverage supply device 110 shifts from the open state to the closed state will be described. For example, when the user finishes using the beverage supply device 110 and presses the open / close button displayed on the display panel 5, an instruction signal for closing the door is transmitted from the central processing unit to the rotary drive unit 130. . And the drive motor 141 in the rotation drive unit 130 starts the rotation drive to the direction (for example, arrow A1 direction) which makes a door a closed state.

When the drive motor 141 rotates, the first spur gear 131 also rotates about the rotation axis P1. When the tooth pattern 131a of the first spur gear 131 meshes with the tooth pattern of the second spur gear 132 disposed adjacent to the first spur gear 131, the second spur gear 132 rotates about the rotation axis P2. To do. In the present embodiment, the second spur gear 132 rotates in the arrow A2 direction. Then, the upper rotating shaft 118 connected to the second spur gear 132 rotates with the rotating shaft P2 of the second spur gear 132 as a starting point. Thereby, the revolving door 11 rotates.

The tooth type 131a of the first spur gear 131 is designed to rotate the second spur gear 132 by 180 degrees. Therefore, the rotating door 11 is changed from the open state to the closed state by the meshing operation of the tooth mold 131 a of the first spur gear 131 and the second spur gear 132.

Thereafter, when the first spur gear 131 continues to rotate in the A1 direction, the tooth mold 131a of the first spur gear 131 and the second spur gear 132 are disengaged, and the tooth mold 131a of the first spur gear 131 is adjacent to the right side. Meshes with the tooth shape of the first bevel gear 133 disposed on the surface. As a result, the first bevel gear 133 rotates around the rotation axis P3. In the present embodiment, the first bevel gear 133 rotates in the direction of arrow A3.

When the first bevel gear 133 is rotated, the second bevel gear 134 having the inclined tooth surfaces meshing with each other also rotates about the rotation axis P4. As a result, the lock pin 151 meshed with the tooth pattern formed on the outer periphery of the second bevel gear 134 moves downward (in the direction of arrow A4) in conjunction with the rotational movement of the second bevel gear 134. As a result, the lock mechanism 150 is turned on.

As described above, according to the beverage supply device 110 according to the present embodiment, after the rotary door 11 is closed, the lock mechanism 150 is turned on so that the rotary door 11 is maintained in the closed state. it can.

Further, when the revolving door 11 of the beverage supply device 110 shifts from the closed state to the open state, an operation opposite to the above-described shift operation from the open state to the closed state may be performed. Thereby, according to the drink supply apparatus 110 concerning this embodiment, after making the lock mechanism 150 into an OFF state, the opening operation of the revolving door 11 can be started.

Also, in the beverage supply device 110 according to the present embodiment, the lock mechanism 150 is disposed at a position close to the left and right ends of the rotary door 11. That is, the lock mechanism 150 is configured to lock the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the rotary door 11. Thereby, when the lock mechanism 150 is turned on, the closed state of the revolving door 11 can be maintained more firmly. Therefore, even when the rotary door 11 is pushed with a stronger force when the lock mechanism 150 is in the on state, the closed state of the rotary door 11 can be stably maintained.

<Seventh Embodiment>
Subsequently, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the seventh embodiment, the lock mechanism has a configuration different from that of the sixth embodiment. About the structure of other than that, the structure similar to the drink supply apparatus 110 of 6th Embodiment is applicable. Therefore, only the configuration different from that of the sixth embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 26 (a) shows the configuration of the rotation drive unit 230 provided in the beverage supply apparatus 210 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 26B shows the internal configuration of the beverage supply apparatus 210 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 26B shows a state where the beverage supply device 210 is viewed from the front side. FIG. 26B shows a case where the rotary door 11 of the beverage supply device 210 is in an open state. FIG. 26 shows a case where the rotary door 11 is in a closed state and the lock mechanism 250 is in an on state.

The beverage supply apparatus 210 is mainly composed of a water supply chamber 10a, a water supply tank 20, and a rotation drive unit (drive unit) 230. About the water supply chamber 10a and the water supply tank 20, the structure substantially the same as the drink supply apparatus 10 of 5th Embodiment is applicable.

The rotation drive unit 230 drives the automatic opening / closing type rotary door 11. The rotary drive unit 230 includes an upper rotary shaft 218, a drive motor 241, a first spur gear 231, a second spur gear 232, a lock mechanism 250, and the like.

The upper rotating shaft 218 is connected to the water supply chamber 10a and transmits the rotational driving force of the drive motor 241 to the water supply chamber 10a. The upper rotating shaft 218 is connected to the upper surface plate 14 of the water supply chamber 10a. A second spur gear 232 is disposed above the upper rotating shaft 218. The upper rotating shaft 218 rotates with the rotating shaft P2 of the second spur gear 232 as a starting point.

The drive motor 241 drives the rotation of the rotary door 11. The drive motor 241 starts or stops operation according to an instruction signal from a central processing unit (control unit) (not shown). The drive motor 241 rotates about the rotation axis P1.

The rotation shaft of the first spur gear 231 is connected to the rotation shaft P1 of the drive motor 41. As shown in FIG. 26A, a tooth mold 231 a that meshes with a tooth mold such as a second spur gear 232 arranged adjacent to the outer periphery of the first spur gear 231 is partially formed.

The second spur gear 232 rotates around the rotation axis P2. The rotation shaft P <b> 2 of the second spur gear 232 is disposed at a position that overlaps the rotation shaft P <b> 1 of the drive motor 241 when the beverage supply device 210 is viewed from the side (right side). On the outer periphery of the second spur gear 232, a tooth pattern is formed throughout. The second spur gear 232 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the first spur gear 231 when meshed with the tooth pattern 231 a of the first spur gear 231 that rotates with the rotation of the drive motor 241.

The lock mechanism 250 is provided to keep the revolving door 11 in a closed state. The lock mechanism 250 includes a lock plate 251, a support shaft 252, a third spur gear 233, a fourth spur gear 234, and the like.

The lock plate 251 is a member for holding the closed revolving door 11 so as not to rotate. As shown in FIG. 27, in the beverage supply device 210 of the present embodiment, the lock plate 251 is located on the side surface side of the rotary door 11. That is, the lock plate 251 is configured to be positioned on the outer peripheral portion of the locus of the revolving door 11 that rotates horizontally when the lock mechanism 250 is in the on state. Thus, when the lock plate 251 is configured to lock the outer peripheral portion of the rotary door 11, the closed state of the rotary door 11 is more firmly maintained when the lock mechanism 250 is turned on. can do. Therefore, even when the rotary door 11 is pushed with a stronger force when the lock mechanism 250 is in the on state, the closed state of the rotary door 11 can be stably maintained.

In this embodiment, the lock plate 251 is disposed on the back side of the rotary door 11 (see FIG. 27). Therefore, a notch is formed in the upper portion of the right side plate 12 of the water supply chamber 10a at a position corresponding to the operating range of the lock plate 251. In the present invention, the arrangement position of the lock plate is not limited to this. In other words, the lock plate may be positioned on the front side of the rotary door 11. However, in order to maintain the beauty of the refrigerator 1, it is preferable that the lock plate 251 is disposed on the back side of the rotary door 11.

The support shaft 252 has an upper end connected to the rotation shaft P4 of the fourth spur gear 234 and a lower end connected to the end of the lock plate 251. Thereby, the support shaft 252 rotates with the rotation of the fourth spur gear 234. Then, the lock plate 251 is rotated about the support shaft 252.

The third spur gear 233 rotates around the rotation axis P3. The third spur gear 233 is disposed on the front right side of the drive motor 241. On the outer periphery of the third spur gear 233, a tooth pattern is formed throughout. Thus, the third spur gear 233 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the first spur gear 231 when meshed with the tooth mold 231a of the first spur gear 231 that rotates as the drive motor 241 rotates.

The fourth spur gear 234 rotates around the rotation axis P4. The fourth spur gear 234 is disposed on the right rear side of the third spur gear 233. On the outer periphery of the fourth spur gear 234, a tooth pattern is formed throughout. The tooth shape of the fourth spur gear 234 is arranged to mesh with the tooth shape of the third spur gear 233. Thereby, the fourth spur gear 234 rotates in conjunction with the rotational movement of the third spur gear 233. A support shaft 252 is connected to the rotation shaft P4 of the fourth spur gear 234.

<Regarding the control of the opening and closing of the revolving door and the lock mechanism>
Then, the opening / closing operation | movement of the rotation door 11 in the drink supply apparatus 210 is demonstrated. Further, the operation of the lock mechanism 250 of the rotary door 11 will be described.

First, the operation when the revolving door 11 of the beverage supply device 210 shifts from the open state to the closed state will be described. For example, when the user finishes using the beverage supply device 210 and presses the open / close button displayed on the display panel 5, an instruction signal for closing the door is transmitted from the central processing unit to the rotary drive unit 230. . And the drive motor 241 in the rotation drive unit 230 starts the rotation drive to the direction (for example, arrow A1 direction) which makes a door a closed state.

When the drive motor 241 rotates, the first spur gear 231 also rotates about the rotation axis P1. When the tooth pattern 231a of the first spur gear 231 meshes with the tooth pattern of the second spur gear 232 disposed adjacent to the first spur gear 231, the second spur gear 232 rotates about the rotation axis P2. To do. In the present embodiment, the second spur gear 232 rotates in the direction of the arrow A2. The upper rotary shaft 218 connected to the second spur gear 232 rotates with the rotation shaft P2 of the second spur gear 232 as a starting point. Thereby, the revolving door 11 rotates.

The tooth pattern 231a of the first spur gear 231 is designed to rotate the second spur gear 232 by 180 degrees. Therefore, the rotating door 11 is changed from the open state to the closed state by the meshing operation of the tooth mold 231 a of the first spur gear 231 and the second spur gear 232.

Thereafter, when the first spur gear 231 continues to rotate in the A1 direction, the meshing of the tooth pattern 231a of the first spur gear 231 and the second spur gear 232 is disengaged, and the tooth pattern 231a of the first spur gear 231 is moved to the right side. It meshes with the tooth pattern of the third spur gear 233 arranged. Thereby, the 3rd spur gear 233 rotates centering on the rotating shaft P3. In the present embodiment, the third spur gear 233 rotates in the arrow A3 direction.

Rotation of the third spur gear 233 causes the fourth spur gear 234 whose teeth are meshed with each other to also rotate in the direction of arrow A4 about the rotation axis P4. As a result, the support shaft 252 connected to the rotation shaft P4 of the fourth spur gear 234 rotates. As the support shaft 252 rotates, the lock plate 251 moves in the arrow A5 direction. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 27, the lock mechanism 150 is turned on.

As described above, according to the beverage supply device 210 according to the present embodiment, after the rotary door 11 is closed, the lock mechanism 250 is turned on so that the rotary door 11 is maintained in the closed state. it can.

Subsequently, an operation when the revolving door 11 of the beverage supply device 210 shifts from the closed state to the open state will be described. When the revolving door 11 is in the closed state, as shown in FIG. 27, the lock plate 251 is located on the back side of the right side plate 12 of the water supply chamber 10a.

For example, when the user presses the open / close button displayed on the display panel 5 in order to use the beverage supply device 210, an instruction signal for opening the door is sent from the central processing unit to the rotation drive unit 230. Communicated. And the drive motor 241 in the rotation drive unit 230 starts the rotation drive to the direction (namely, direction opposite to arrow A 1) which makes a door an open state.

When the drive motor 241 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow A1, first, the tooth mold 231a of the first spur gear 231 is engaged with the third spur gear 233, and the third spur gear 233 is centered on the rotation axis P3. Rotate. As the third spur gear 233 rotates, the fourth spur gear 234 whose tooth forms mesh with each other also rotates about the rotation axis P4 in the direction opposite to the arrow A4.

Thereby, the support shaft 252 connected to the rotation shaft P4 of the fourth spur gear 234 rotates. As the support shaft 252 rotates, the lock plate 251 moves in the direction of the arrow B1 (the direction opposite to the arrow A5) (see FIG. 27). As a result, the lock mechanism 150 is turned off, and the lock of the rotary door 11 is released.

Thereafter, when the first spur gear 231 continues to rotate, the tooth mold 231a of the first spur gear 231 and the third spur gear 233 are disengaged, and the tooth mold 231a of the first spur gear 231 is disposed on the left side. It meshes with the tooth pattern of the second spur gear 232. Thereby, the 2nd spur gear 232 rotates centering on the rotating shaft P2, and the rotary door 11 rotates in the arrow B2 direction (direction opposite to arrow A2).

The opening operation of the revolving door 11 can be started after the lock mechanism 250 is turned off by the above series of operations. In addition, it is preferable that the lock mechanism 250 is disposed on the side surface on the side that moves backward when the rotary door 11 is opened. That is, when the revolving door 11 rotates in the direction of the arrow B2 when the revolving door 11 is opened like the beverage supply device 210 according to the third embodiment, the locking mechanism is directed toward the right side plate 12 of the water supply chamber 10a. 250 is preferably arranged. According to this configuration, the rotation inhibition force of the rotary door 11 by the lock mechanism 250 can be further increased.

<Eighth Embodiment>
Subsequently, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fifth to seventh embodiments described above, the configuration example in which the on / off of the lock mechanism is controlled by the drive motor that drives the rotation operation of the rotary door 11 has been described. However, in the door structure of one embodiment of the present invention, on / off of the lock mechanism may be controlled by a drive unit different from the drive unit of the rotary door 11. Therefore, in the eighth embodiment, a configuration example in which the lock mechanism has a dedicated drive motor will be described.

28 and 29 (a) to (c) show the configuration of the beverage supply apparatus 310 according to the eighth embodiment. Similar to the beverage supply device 10 of the fifth embodiment, the beverage supply device 310 according to the present embodiment is built in the refrigerator 1. The beverage supply device 310 is different from the fifth embodiment only in the configuration of the rotation drive unit 330 and the lock mechanism 350. Therefore, only the configuration different from that of the fifth embodiment will be described below.

The beverage supply device 310 mainly includes a water supply chamber 10a, a water supply tank 20, a display panel 5, a rotation drive unit 330, a control unit 340, and a lock mechanism 350. About the water supply chamber 10a, the water supply tank 20, and the display panel 5, the structure substantially the same as the drink supply apparatus 10 of 5th Embodiment is applicable.

However, a protrusion 321 is formed on the right side plate 12 in the water supply chamber 10a. The protruding portion 321 is provided so as to protrude from the outer surface of the right side plate 12 (see FIGS. 29A and 29C). Moreover, the 1st contact member 322 which the protrusion part 321 contact | abuts is provided on the left side of the water supply chamber 10a seeing from the front (refer FIG. 29 (a) (c) etc.). By providing the first contact member 322, it is possible to suppress the rotation of the revolving door 11 by 180 degrees or more in the operation of changing the revolving door 11 from the closed state to the open state.

Although not shown in FIG. 29, a second contact member 323 with which the protrusion 321 contacts may be further provided on the right side of the water supply chamber 10a when viewed from the front (FIG. 30 (a)). ) (C) etc.). By providing the second contact member 323, it is possible to suppress the rotation of the revolving door 11 by 180 degrees or more in the operation of changing the revolving door 11 from the open state to the closed state.

Rotational drive unit 330 drives automatic opening / closing type rotary door 11. The rotation drive unit 330 includes a door rotation drive motor 331 (hereinafter referred to as a door drive motor 331), an upper rotation shaft 318, a door open / close detection switch 332, and the like.

The door drive motor 331 is connected to the upper rotary shaft 318 and drives the opening / closing operation of the rotary door 11. The upper rotating shaft 318 is connected to the water supply chamber 10a, and transmits the rotational driving force of the door drive motor 331 to the water supply chamber 10a. The upper rotating shaft 318 is connected to the upper surface plate 14 of the water supply chamber 10a.

The door opening / closing detection switch 332 detects whether the revolving door 11 is open or closed. For example, the door opening / closing detection switch 332 is provided in each of the water supply chamber 10a and the refrigerator compartment door 2. Whether the revolving door 11 is in an open state or a closed state can be detected based on whether or not the switches arranged at the respective positions are in the ON state. For example, the door opening / closing detection switch 332 can be disposed on the protruding portion 321, the first contact member 322, the second contact member 323, or the like.

The controller 340 controls the operation of each component in the beverage supply device 310. In the control unit 340, a motor rotation control unit 341, a memory 343, and the like are provided. The control unit 340 is connected to a timer 344 that measures time.

The motor rotation control unit 341 controls the door drive motor 331 provided in the rotation drive unit 330 and the lock mechanism drive motor 352 provided in the lock mechanism 350 (hereinafter simply referred to as the drive motor 352).

The memory 343 includes a ROM (read only memory) and a RAM (Random access memory). The memory 343 stores an operation program and setting data of the beverage supply device 310 and temporarily stores a calculation result by the control unit 340. For example, the timer 344 measures the time between the opening / closing operation of the rotary door 11 and the on / off operation of the lock mechanism 350.

The lock mechanism 350 includes a case 351, a drive motor 352, a rotating shaft 353, a lock pin 354, a lock ON / OFF detection switch 355 (hereinafter simply referred to as a lock detection switch 355), and the like. The lock mechanism 350 is disposed on the right side of the beverage supply device 310 when viewed from the front (see FIG. 29A and the like). However, the arrangement position of the lock mechanism 350 is not limited to this.

The case 351 accommodates each component of the lock mechanism 350. The drive motor 352 is connected to the lock pin 354 via the rotation shaft 353. When the drive motor 352 operates, the rotation shaft 353 rotates. And the direction of the lock pin 354 connected to the rotating shaft 353 can be changed.

As shown in FIGS. 30C and 31C, the lock pin 354 can be turned 90 degrees from the rotation shaft 353 as a starting point. As shown in FIG. 31C, when the lock pin 354 faces the water supply chamber 10a, the lock mechanism 350 is in an on state (a state in which the rotary door 11 is fixed in a closed state). Further, as shown in FIGS. 29 (c) and 30 (c), when the lock pin 354 is directed downward, the lock mechanism 50 is in an off state (an unlocked state).

As shown in FIG. 31 (a), when the lock mechanism 350 is in the ON state, the lock pin 354 is located behind the protrusion 321 provided on the right side plate 12 of the water supply chamber 10a. Therefore, for example, even if the right side of the revolving door 11 is pushed, the lock pin 354 becomes a rotation barrier and the revolving door 11 cannot be rotated. That is, the revolving door 11 cannot be manually opened. Therefore, when the user of the refrigerator 1 accidentally touches the revolving door 11, it can suppress that the revolving door 11 rotates unintentionally.

In addition, it is preferable that the locking mechanism 350 is disposed at a position facing the side surface on the side that moves backward when the rotary door 11 is opened. That is, when the revolving door 11 rotates in the direction of the arrow R1 when the revolving door 11 is opened as in the beverage supply device 310 according to the eighth embodiment, the locking mechanism moves toward the right side plate 12 of the water supply chamber 10a. 350 is preferably arranged. According to this configuration, the rotation inhibition force of the rotary door 11 by the lock mechanism 350 can be further increased. Further, since the side surface having the engaging portion (projecting portion 321) on the side of the revolving door 11 locked by the locking mechanism 350 rotates backward during the opening / closing operation of the revolving door 11, the engaging portion (projecting portion 321). Can be prevented from appearing on the front surface, and the aesthetics of the opening / closing operation during the opening / closing operation of the rotary door 11 is improved.

The lock detection switch 355 detects whether the lock mechanism 350 is on or off.

<Regarding the control of the opening and closing of the revolving door and the lock mechanism>
Next, the opening / closing operation of the rotary door 11 and the flow of the operation of the lock mechanism 350 of the rotary door 11 in the beverage supply device 310 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 29 shows the beverage supply device 310 when the revolving door 11 is in an open state. In addition, Fig.29 (a) is the figure which looked at the drink supply apparatus 310 from upper direction. FIG. 29B is a view of the beverage supply device 310 shown in FIG. 29A as viewed from the arrow B side. FIG. 29C is a view of the beverage supply device 310 shown in FIG. 29A as viewed from the arrow A side. FIG. 29D is a view of the beverage supply device 310 shown in FIG. 29A as viewed from the arrow C side.

30 (a) to 30 (d) show the beverage supply device 310 when the rotary door 11 is in a closed state and the lock mechanism is in an off state. 31 (a) to 31 (d) show the beverage supply device 310 when the rotary door 11 is in the closed state and the lock mechanism is in the on state. In FIG. 32, the flow of a process when the revolving door 11 of the drink supply apparatus 310 transfers to a closed state from an open state is shown.

First, the operation when the revolving door 11 of the beverage supply device 310 shifts from the open state to the closed state will be described. For example, when the user finishes using the beverage supply device 310 and presses the open / close button displayed on the display panel 5, an instruction signal for closing the door is transmitted to the motor rotation control unit 341 in the control unit 340. (YES in step S11). Then, the motor rotation control unit 341 starts the rotation drive of the door drive motor 331 in the rotation drive unit 330 (step S12).

The door drive motor 331 rotates around the rotation axis P1 in a direction that closes the door (for example, in the direction of arrow R2 in FIG. 29A). When the revolving door 11 is fully opened (see FIG. 30A), for example, the door opening / closing detection switch 332 disposed on the second contact member 323 is in the closed state. It is detected (YES in step S13).

When it is detected that the rotary door 11 is closed, the motor rotation control unit 341 stops driving the door drive motor 331 (step S14). Thereafter, the motor rotation control unit 341 starts the rotation drive of the drive motor 352 of the lock mechanism 350. When the drive of the drive motor 352 is started, the lock pin 354 rotates from the state shown in FIG. 30C in the direction of the arrow R3 shown in FIG. As a result, the lock mechanism 350 is turned on (step S15).

Thereafter, when the lock detection switch 355 detects the ON state of the lock mechanism 350 (YES in step S16), the motor rotation control unit 341 stops driving the drive motor 352 (step S17). After the revolving door 11 is closed by the series of processes described above, the lock mechanism 350 can be turned on so that the revolving door 11 is maintained in the closed state.

In addition, between the above-mentioned step S14 and step S15, the timer 344 measures the time, and the operation of the lock mechanism 350 may be started after a predetermined time has elapsed after the drive of the door drive motor 331 is stopped. . Thereby, a fixed interval can be secured between the end of the operation of the rotary door 11 and the start of the operation of the lock mechanism 250.

Subsequently, an operation when the revolving door 11 of the beverage supply device 310 shifts from the closed state to the open state will be described with reference to FIGS. 28 to 31 and FIG. 33. In FIG. 33, the flow of a process when the rotation door 11 of the drink supply apparatus 310 transfers to a open state from a closed state is shown. When the revolving door 11 is in the closed state, as shown in FIG. 31, the lock pin 354 is located on the back side of the right side plate 12 of the water supply chamber 10a.

For example, when the user presses the open / close button displayed on the display panel 5 in order to use the beverage supply device 310, an instruction signal for opening the door is sent to the motor rotation control unit in the control unit 340. 341 (YES in step S21). Then, the motor rotation control unit 341 starts the rotation drive of the drive motor 352 of the lock mechanism 350. When the drive of the drive motor 352 is started, the lock pin 354 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow R3 from the state shown in FIG. As a result, the lock mechanism 350 is turned off (step S22).

Thereafter, when the lock detection switch 355 detects the OFF state of the lock mechanism 350 (YES in step S23), the motor rotation control unit 341 stops driving the drive motor 352 (step S24). Thereafter, the motor rotation control unit 341 starts the rotation drive of the door drive motor 331 (step S25).

The door drive motor 331 rotates around the rotation axis P1 in a direction that opens the door (for example, in the direction of arrow R1 in FIG. 29A). When the revolving door 11 is fully opened, for example, the door opening / closing detection switch 332 disposed on the first contact member 322 detects that the revolving door 11 has been opened (step). YES in S26).

When it is detected that the rotary door 11 has been opened, the motor rotation control unit 341 stops driving the door drive motor 331 (step S27). With the series of operations described above, the opening operation of the revolving door 11 can be started after the lock mechanism 250 is turned off.

As described above, in the beverage supply device 310 according to the present embodiment, the drive unit of the rotary door 11 and the drive unit of the lock mechanism 350 are configured by different mechanisms. Therefore, the structure of the beverage supply device can be made simpler.

<Ninth Embodiment>
Subsequently, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fifth to eighth embodiments described above, examples have been described in which the beverage supply device is provided in the refrigerator, and the beverage supply device is provided with an automatic opening / closing door. However, the door structure of the present invention can also be applied to an automatic rotating beverage supply apparatus. Therefore, in the present embodiment, an example of a beverage supply device having a door structure according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show an external configuration of the beverage supply device 610 according to the present embodiment. About the structure inside the drink supply apparatus 610 of this Embodiment, the same structure as the drink supply apparatus 10 which concerns on the above-mentioned 5th Embodiment is applicable. Therefore, in this embodiment, only points different from the fifth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 13 shows an external appearance of the beverage supply device 610 according to the present embodiment when not in use. As shown in FIG. 13, the beverage supply device 610 has the revolving door 11 positioned on the front side of the device 610. The water supply mechanism of the beverage supply device 610 is disposed on the back side of the rotary door 11 and is in an invisible state. Moreover, the water supply tank 20 is arrange | positioned at the back surface side of the front wall 610a of the drink supply apparatus 610, and has become invisible. In FIG. 13, for convenience, the water supply tank 20 is indicated by a broken line.

FIG. 14 shows a state when the beverage supply device 610 is used. The beverage supply device 610 is configured such that when the user presses an open / close button (not shown) of the rotary door 11 or the like, the rotary door 11 rotates in the horizontal direction and the water supply mechanism appears in the front.

The water supply tank 20 is installed on the back side of the front wall (wall surface) 610a of the beverage supply device 610. The front wall 610a has, for example, a door structure that can be opened and closed from either the left or right end. This door structure is provided with a lock mechanism for maintaining the revolving door 11 in a closed state. Thereby, the revolving door 11 can be locked in a closed state. About the specific structure of a locking mechanism, the structure similar to the locking mechanism of the drink supply apparatus of the above-mentioned 5th to 8th embodiment is applicable.

In the fifth to ninth embodiments described above, as an application example of the door structure according to one aspect of the present invention, the rotating door of the beverage supply device has been described as an example. However, the door structure of one aspect of the present invention can also be applied to door structures other than the beverage supply device.

The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims. Further, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification with each other are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Refrigerator 2: Refrigerating room door (wall surface)
10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610: Beverage supply device 10a: Water supply chamber 11: Revolving door 12: Water injection lever 20, 120, 220: Water supply tank 21, 121, 221: Tank main body 22: Upper lid (lid) Part)
23, 123, 223: water supply pipe (discharge section)
24, 104: (rotary) lock mechanism 25, 105: rotation lock (lock mechanism)
26, 106: Rail member (locking mechanism)
30, 130, 230, 330:

Rotation drive unit

50, 150, 250, 350: Lock mechanism 224 (door type): Lock mechanism 225 (spring type): Rail member (lock mechanism)
226: Leaf spring (spring)
340: Control unit

Claims

A beverage supply device disposed on a wall surface having heat insulation properties,
A water supply tank disposed on the back side of the wall;
A discharge unit that is disposed below the water supply tank and discharges the beverage in the water supply tank;
A beverage supply device comprising: a lock mechanism that fixes the water supply tank attached to the device and restricts movement of the water supply tank in the attachment direction.
The discharge unit is connected to the water supply tank, and has a water supply pipe extending obliquely downward from the water supply tank,
The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an extending direction of the water supply pipe is substantially parallel to an attachment direction of the water supply tank.
The lock mechanism is a rotary lock mechanism provided in the water supply tank,
The rotary lock mechanism has a rotary lock and a rail member,
The movement of the water supply tank in the mounting direction is limited by engaging the hook portion of the rotation lock with the rail member in a state where the protrusion provided on the wall surface is accommodated in the rail member. Or the drink supply apparatus of 2.
The water supply tank has a lid,
The beverage supply device according to claim 3, wherein the rotary lock is disposed on the lid portion of the water supply tank.
The lock mechanism is a spring-type lock mechanism, and a spring of the lock mechanism is engaged with a protrusion provided on the wall surface side to restrict movement in the mounting direction of the water supply tank. The beverage supply device described in 1.
Door,
A control unit for controlling opening and closing of the door;
A lock mechanism for maintaining the closed state of the door when the door is closed;
The control unit turns on the lock mechanism so that the door is kept closed after the door is closed,
The said control part is a door structure which starts the opening operation | movement of the said door, after making the said locking mechanism into an OFF state.
The door structure according to claim 6, wherein the door is a rotary door, and the lock mechanism is switched between an on state and an off state by moving along a rotation axis direction of the door.
The door is a rotary door, and the lock mechanism locks an outer peripheral portion of the door.
The door structure according to claim 6 or 7.
The door structure according to claim 8, wherein the lock mechanism is disposed on a side that moves backward when the door is opened.
A drive unit for driving the door opening and closing operation;
The locking operation of the locking mechanism is driven by the driving unit.
The door structure according to any one of claims 6 to 9.