JP2001201252A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent failures of a door switch by lowering a lateral force acting on a pushbutton, when the door is closed in a system where opened/closed state of the door is detected pushing the door switch disposed in a cooling chamber, so as to operate the pushbutton in front/rear directions rearwards by an engagement part provided on the rear face of the rotary door. SOLUTION: The door switch 18 is disposed on an inner box sidewall 22 of the cooling chamber 5, in such a manner as to operate the pushbutton 20 in the front/rear directions. The engagement part 32 for pushing the pushbutton 20 rearward is provided on the rear face of the rotary door 12. A first abutting face 32a of the engagement part 32, first abutting against the pushbutton 20 accompanying closing operation of the door 12, is disposed at an inclination with respect to a plane 32b perpendicular to the operating direction of the pushbutton 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a structure for detecting the open / close state of a door in a cooling room whose front surface is opened and closed by a pivotable door.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a cooling room such as a freezing room or a refrigerator room of a refrigerator, a door switch for detecting an open / closed state of a door is provided for controlling a fan motor, an interior light, an ice maker, and the like. ing.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion where a door switch 101 is provided in a cooling room 100 of a conventional refrigerator.
The cooling chamber 100 has a front face closed by a rotary type 102, and a drawer-type storage container 103 that is drawn out in the front-rear direction is disposed in the room.

In the cooling chamber 100, a door switch 101 for detecting opening and closing of a door 102 is buried in a side wall 105 of the door 102 on a side where a hinge pin 104 is arranged. The push button 10 of the door switch 101
6 project from the side wall 105 into the cooling chamber 100 in parallel with the door 102 so as to operate in the left-right direction of the cooling chamber 100. The push button 106 is pushed in by a convex portion 108 provided on the rear portion of the door 102 to form the throat portion 107, thereby detecting that the door 102 is in a closed state, and When the pressing by the shape portion 108 is released, it is detected that the door 102 is in the open state.

In such a conventional structure, the door switch 10
Since the first push button 106 protrudes into the cooling chamber 100, there is a problem that a rear portion thereof becomes a dead space. In addition, since the convex portion 108 for pressing the push button 106 protrudes greatly into the cooling chamber 100, the convex portion 108 and the container 103 are connected to each other in FIG. There is a problem that the container 103 cannot be pulled out because it overlaps as indicated by x, or the container 103 must be made small in order to be able to be pulled out.

[0006]

In order to solve such a problem, as shown in FIG.
5 with the push button 1
16 is arranged forward so that it operates in the front and rear direction,
In some cases, the push button 116 is pushed rearward by a convex portion 118 provided on the back surface of the door 112 to form the throat portion 117.

In this case, although the above-described conventional problem is solved, the turning radius of the convex portion 118 for pressing the push button 116 is reduced by providing the door switch 111 on the side wall on the hinge pin 114 side. Therefore, when the door is closed, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
Is approached obliquely to the push button 116 that operates in the front-back direction. Thereby, the convex portion 118
Presses the push button 116 laterally on its side surface 118a, so that the push button 116 does not simply move back and forth, but instead pushes backward while being pushed leftward in FIG. Pushed. When the push button 116 is pressed in the lateral direction in this manner, the push button 116 is broken, and the door switch 111 is pressed.
May break down.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has been described in connection with a related art in which a door switch disposed in a cooling chamber is provided on a rear portion of a rotary door so that a push button operates in a front-rear direction. The purpose of detecting the open / closed state of the door by pushing it backward at the joint is to reduce the lateral force acting on the push button when the door is closed, and to prevent the failure of the door switch .

[0009]

A refrigerator according to the present invention is provided with a cooling chamber and a door for closing a front surface of the cooling chamber. The door is rotatably mounted on a hinge disposed on one side in the width direction of the cooling chamber. In a refrigerator including an attached door and a door switch that detects an open / closed state of the door by engaging with a rear surface of the door, the door switch includes a push button, and the push button operates in the front-rear direction. The door switch is disposed in the cooling chamber so that the push button is pushed rearward on a rear surface of the door, and the door switch first contacts the push button with the closing operation of the door. The first contact surface of the engaging portion is provided to be inclined with respect to a surface perpendicular to the operation direction of the push button.

According to the refrigerator of the present invention, when the door is closed, the engaging portion on the back of the door pushes the push button of the door switch backward, whereby the door switch detects that the door is in the closed state. I do. When the door is opened, the pressing of the push button by the engaging portion is released, so that the push button protrudes forward, whereby the door switch detects that the door is open. When the door is closed from this open state, in the case of the pivotable door, when the engaging portion that enters along the arc-shaped locus approaches the push button obliquely so as to apply a lateral force to the push button. There is. Even in such a case, according to the structure of the present invention, since the first contact surface of the engagement portion that first contacts the push button is inclined, the lateral force acting on the push button is reduced. It is possible to reduce the pressure and push it backward smoothly, thereby preventing the door switch from malfunctioning.

Here, it is preferable that the engaging portion of the door is provided on a convex portion projecting rearward from the rear surface of the door and forming a throat portion with the wall surface of the cooling chamber.

The above structure of the present invention is particularly effective when the door switch is provided on the side wall on the hinge side in the cooling room. In this case, the distance between the axis of the door rotation trajectory and the engagement portion of the door is short, and the radius of rotation of the engagement portion is small, so that the engagement portion comes closer to the push button from the lateral direction. Therefore, it is effective to first contact the push button with the inclined surface as described above to reduce the lateral force acting on the push button. By providing the door switch on the side wall on the hinge portion side, it is possible to make the door switch less visible to the user as compared with the case where the door switch is provided on the side wall on the side opposite to the hinge.

In this case, it is preferable that a recess is provided in the side wall on the hinge side, and a door switch is disposed in the recess. By adopting a structure in which the door switch is embedded in the side wall in this manner, a dead space caused by providing the door switch can be eliminated.

In the present invention, another cooling chamber may be provided above the cooling chamber via a partition member, and the door switch may be provided on a lower surface of the partition member.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a door switch arrangement portion of a freezer compartment 5 in the refrigerator of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator of this embodiment is a refrigerator having a freezing temperature zone 1 and a refrigeration temperature zone 2 provided on the left and right sides. In the freezing temperature zone 1 on the left side, an ice making room 3 is provided at the center in the vertical direction, a first freezing room 4 is provided above the ice making room 3, and a second freezing room 5 is provided below the ice making room 3. . In the refrigeration temperature zone 2 on the right side, a refrigeration room 6 provided with a plurality of shelves in an approximately upper half is provided, and a drawer-type storage in an upper and lower stage of an upper vegetable room 7 and a lower bottle storage room 8 in a substantially lower half. A room is provided. The freezing room 5 in FIG. 1 is a second freezing room provided below the ice making room 3.

In the freezer compartment 5, drawer-type storage containers 16 slidable in the front-rear direction are arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages, and the front surface thereof has a rectangular-shaped rotating door 1.
2 is closed. This door 12
Upper and lower hinge fittings fixed to the refrigerator body in front of the freezer compartment 5 so as to be rotatable around a vertical shaft (hinge pin) 14 disposed at one end in the width direction (left end in this case). (Not shown).

The freezer compartment 5 is provided with a door switch 18 for detecting the open / closed state of the door 12 by engaging with the rear surface of the door 12. The door switch 18 is disposed in the freezer compartment 5 with the push button 20 facing forward so that the push button 20 operates in the front-back direction.

The door switch 18 is provided on the hinge side of the freezer compartment 5 (here, the left side wall) so that the door switch 18 does not protrude into the compartment from the side of the inner compartment of the freezer compartment 5 and form a dead space behind the door. ) 22 buried inside. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a storage recess 24 is provided near the frontage of the freezer compartment 5 at the lower end of the side wall 22, and the door switch 18 is stored in the recess 24. The storage recess 24 is opened forward so that the push button 20 of the door switch 18 can be pushed in from the front. The door switch 18 is connected to a lead wire (not shown) and is covered by a switch cover 26.

If the position of the door switch 18 in the front-rear direction of the freezer compartment 5 is set at a rear position that is far away from the frontage of the freezer compartment 5, the length of the rearward engagement of a door engaging portion 32, which will be described later, is large. When the push button 20 is installed so as to protrude forward beyond the front surface of the opening of the freezing compartment, a throat portion 34 described later is not sufficiently secured, and Since heat leak increases, the two are compared and set at a position slightly behind the front of the opening of the freezing compartment.

The rear surface of the door 12 is formed of a door inner member 30 made of a thin resin. The door inner member 30 is provided with an engaging portion 32 for pushing the push button 20 of the door switch 18 backward. The engaging portion 32 is provided on a convex portion 36 that protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the door and forms a throat portion 34 with the wall surface of the freezer compartment 5. The throat portion 34 is provided to reduce heat leak from the gasket 13. As shown in FIG.
A slightly wider engaging portion 32 is provided at the edge of the back surface over the entire circumference and is opposed to the door switch 18.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the engaging portion 32 has a first contact surface 32a which first comes into contact with the push button 20 with the door closing operation, and a second contact surface which comes into contact with the push button 20 in the door closed state. It comprises a contact surface 32b. The second contact surface 32b is
It is a surface that forms the rear end surface of the engaging portion 32 that projects rearward, and is a surface that is perpendicular to the operation direction of the push button 20, that is, a surface that is parallel to the rear surface of the door 12. The first contact surface 32a is
b is a front inclined surface located on the hinge part side (left side) with respect to b. The first contact surface 32a is an inclined surface that smoothly connects between the second contact surface 32b of the engaging portion 32 and a side surface 32c substantially perpendicular to the second contact surface 32b, and has an inclination angle θ with respect to the second contact surface 32b. Is preferably 45 degrees or less.

In the freezer compartment 5 described above, when the door is closed as shown in FIG. 1, the engagement portion 32 on the back of the door pushes the push button 20 of the door switch 18 backward, whereby the door switch 18 is Detects the closed state of. When the door 12 is opened, the engaging portion 32 moves forward to release the pressing of the push button 20, so that the push button 20 protrudes forward, whereby the door switch 18 detects the open state of the door 12.

When the door 12 is closed from the opened state, the engaging portion 32 on the back of the door draws an arc-shaped trajectory along with the door closing operation in the freezer compartment 5 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. And approaches the push button 20 operating in the front-rear direction from an oblique direction inclined leftward. At this time, if the first contact surface 32a of the engaging portion 32 is not inclined, the push button 20 is pressed in the lateral direction by the side surface of the engaging portion 32. Since the first contact surface 32a that first contacts the push button 20 is inclined as described above, the lateral force acting on the push button 20 can be reduced and the push button 20 can be pushed smoothly rearward, so that the door switch 18 can be prevented.

Next, a structure for detecting the open / closed state of the door in the ice making chamber 3 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front of the ice making chamber 3 is opened and closed by a rectangular door 40.
0 is attached to the refrigerator main body so as to be rotatable about a vertical shaft 42 disposed at one end in the width direction (left end in this case), similarly to the door 12 of the freezer compartment 5. I have.

As shown in FIG. 2, inside the ice making chamber 3,
An ice tray 44 and a mechanical section 46 located in front of the ice tray 44 for operating the ice tray 44 are provided. A drawer-type ice storage container 48 for storing ice made by the ice tray 44 is disposed below the ice tray 44. ing.

In this ice making chamber 3, a door switch 50 for detecting the open / closed state of the door 40 by being engaged with the rear face of the door 40, as shown in FIG. It is attached to the lower surface of the partition member 52.
In the ice making chamber 3 as described above, since the upper part of the room, that is, the front of the mechanical part 46 is a dead space, the door switch 50 is attached to the lower surface of the partition member 52 to reduce the dead space in front of the mechanical part 46. Effective use can be achieved. Note that the door switch 50 is arranged closer to the hinge pin 42 side of the door 40 in the width direction of the ice making chamber 3.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the door switch 50 is disposed on the ceiling of the ice making room 3 with the push button 54 facing forward so that the push button 54 operates in the front-rear direction. Have been. More specifically, a switch housing cover 56 is attached to the lower surface of the partition member 52, and the door switch 50 housed inside the switch housing 56 is arranged with the push button 54 protruding outward from the front surface of the cover 56. A lead wire storage section 58 is provided on the rear surface of the partition member 52, and a lead wire 60 connected to the door switch 50 is stored in the storage section 58.

An engaging portion 62 provided on the back of the door 40 for pushing the push button 54 of the door switch 50
Is provided on the convex portion 64 forming the throat portion, similarly to the engaging portion 32 of the freezer compartment 5 (see FIG. 3), and the surface that first comes into contact with the push button 54 with the closing operation is similarly set. It is provided at an angle. Therefore, in the ice making room 3, similarly to the freezing room 5, when the door 40 is closed from the open state, the push button 54 of the door switch 50 can be smoothly pushed rearward by the engaging portion 62 on the back surface of the door. Can,
Therefore, the failure of the door switch 50 can be prevented.

[0031]

According to the refrigerator of the present invention, when the door is closed from the open state, even when the engaging portion entering along the arc-shaped locus approaches the push button from an oblique direction. Since the first contact surface of the engaging portion which first comes into contact with the push button is inclined, the lateral force acting on the push button can be reduced and the push button can be pushed smoothly backward, so that the door switch Can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a door switch arrangement portion of a freezer compartment in a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the refrigerator.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the freezer compartment in an open state.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a door of the freezing room.

FIG. 5A is a front view of a door switch arranging portion of an ice making room in the refrigerator, and FIG. 5B is a side sectional view thereof.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of a door switch mounting portion of a conventional refrigerator.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of another conventional door switch disposition portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 ... ice making room 5 ... freezing room 12, 40 ... door 14 ... hinge pin 18, 50 ... door switch 20, 54 ... push button 22 ... side wall of freezing room 24 ... storage recess 32 ... Joint portion 32a First contact surface 32b Second contact surface 34 Throat portion 36 Projecting portion 52 Partition member

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cooling chamber, a door for closing a front surface of the cooling chamber, the door being rotatably attached to a hinge disposed on one side in the width direction of the cooling chamber, and a back surface of the door. A door switch that detects the open / closed state of the door by engaging with the unit. The door switch includes a push button, and the door switch is moved to the cooling chamber so that the push button operates in the front-rear direction. And an engaging portion for pushing the push button rearward is provided on a rear portion of the door, and a first contact surface of the engaging portion that first contacts the push button with the closing operation of the door is provided. Refrigerator characterized in that it is provided to be inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the operation direction of the push button. 2. The door according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion of the door is provided on a convex portion projecting rearward from a rear surface of the door and forming a throat portion with a wall surface of the cooling chamber. Refrigerator. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door switch is provided on a side wall on the hinge side in the cooling chamber. 4. A recess is provided in the side wall on the hinge part side,
4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the door switch is disposed in the recess. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein another cooling chamber is provided above the cooling chamber via a partition member, and the door switch is provided on a lower surface of the partition member.