JP2003262457A - Door opening/closing apparatus for refrigerator or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a door opening/closing apparatus for a refrigerator or the like improving usability by reducing door opening force and applicable to constitution openable/closable from either right or left side and a mechanism capable of automatically opening with switch operation. <P>SOLUTION: This door opening/closing apparatus for the refrigerator or the like comprises guide rollers 15 rotated by driving of a motor 31 provided at the lower face of a door for opening/closing a front opening part of a body storage chamber 2, and a door receiving plate 13, on which the lower faces of the guide rollers abut, for holding the door from below when closing the door. The motor is driven by door opening operation to rotate the guide rollers to thereby impart door opening force to the door on the door receiving plate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a door opening / closing device for a refrigerator or the like, and more particularly to a door opening / closing mechanism with reduced door opening force.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, refrigerators have been diversified in their eating habits and the storage capacity has been increasing. Especially in household refrigerators, the storage capacity of more than 400 liters has become the mainstream, and the height and width of the refrigerator body are high. The size also tends to increase.

Along with this, the doors of the refrigerating room, the freezing room and the vegetable storage room are also becoming larger. Especially, the storage pocket inside the door of the refrigerating room having a large storage volume is increased in height and width and is also deep. There is a problem that a large amount of food tends to be stored and the door itself is large, so a large amount of force is required to open the door, and the burden is large for weak women and the elderly. .

In recent years, as a structure for addressing the above problem, a user operates a lever handle to actuate a lever mechanism to reduce the opening force of the door, or a user operates a switch to operate the door body. Refrigerators equipped with a door opening mechanism that automatically opens the door by pushing a knock pin from the door and pressing the door surface are put on the market, and are evaluated as products that do not require a burden to open the door.

On the other hand, when a large refrigerator is installed in a kitchen or the like where the installation space is small, if the opening and closing door is fixed in one direction, it may be difficult to open and close the door, or traffic may be obstructed. However, there is a refrigerator having a door opening / closing mechanism that can open and close the door from either the left or right side in order to improve this.

[0006]

However, the door opening mechanism and the opening / closing mechanism described above have restrictions such as a complicated external appearance and structure, so that further improvement is required as a mechanism for reducing the door opening force. Further, in the case of a door opening / closing device such as a refrigerator having the left and right opening mechanism, unlike the normal left or right single-opening door structure, the door load has an opening angle of 10
Up to a certain degree, it is supported not by the hinge seat surface but by the door support plate protruding from the refrigerator body at the position facing the guide roller attached to the bottom surface of the door. Since the state is released and the pivot side is in the axial support state, it has a bearing structure that shifts the door main body to the door opening side.Therefore, the friction of this shift mechanism part and the gasket part adsorbed to the main body side Due to the frictional force, etc., the door opening force in the state where food is stored in the door inner pocket is increased 3 to 4 times as much as the maximum value 30N in the case of a normal single-opening door. When the door automatic opening mechanism is used to automatically open the door, the generated force of the solenoid or the like in the drive unit is extremely increased, and it is necessary to further improve it.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above points, and improves the door opening and closing device of a refrigerator or the like to reduce the door opening force and improve the usability, and the structure which can be opened and closed from either left or right, An object is to provide a door opening / closing device that can be applied to a mechanism that can be automatically opened by operating a switch.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention of a door opening / closing device for a refrigerator or the like according to claim 1 is a motor provided on a lower surface of a door for opening / closing a front opening of a main body storage chamber. It consists of a guide roller that rotates by driving and a door receiving plate that contacts the lower surface of this guide roller and holds the door from below when the door is closed. When the door is opened, the motor is driven to rotate the guide roller, It is characterized in that a door opening force is applied to the door on the backing plate.

With this configuration, the initial force required to open the gasket for peeling the gasket from the main body side at the time of opening the door can be greatly reduced by the rotating action of the guide roller, so that the door can be opened with a light force. It can be opened.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door opening mechanism which is provided at a front opening of the main body storage chamber, and which causes the projecting member to be pushed out by a switch operation to press the door surface to open the door, and a lower surface of the door. A guide roller that rotates with a motor drive,
The guide roller comprises a door receiving plate that abuts against the lower surface of the guide roller and holds the door from below when the door is closed. The motor is driven to rotate the guide roller to apply a door opening force to the door on the door receiving plate. It is characterized in that the door is opened by pressing the protruding member of the door opening mechanism. With this configuration, the door can be automatically opened by a touch operation on the door opening switch. Since the generated force for peeling off the gasket at the initial stage of opening the door from the main body side is obtained by the guide roller, the solenoid generated force of the door opening unit does not have to be increased.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, hinge pins provided on the front opening of the main body storage chamber and provided on both left and right sides of the front opening are retained in cam grooves formed on the upper and lower surfaces of both ends of the door, and the hinge pin is located on one side. When the cam groove engages with the hinge pin and moves by the door opening operation from the above, the door is displaced in the width direction toward the opening side, and by the displacement, the hinge pin on the other side is pivotally supported in the cam groove. It is characterized by having a door that can be opened from both left and right directions, and according to this configuration,
In a refrigerator door equipped with a door opening / closing mechanism that can open and close the door from either the left or right side, the stage in which the initial opening gasket that requires the largest opening force is peeled from the main body side, and the door moves in the width direction Since the step of causing the rotation can be performed by the rotating action of the roller, the door opening force can be reduced and the door can be easily opened and closed.

According to the present invention, the guide roller rotates in the door opening direction by the operation of the door opening switch when the door is opened, and reversely rotates in the door closing direction by the operation of the door switch when the door is closed. The door can be automatically opened by touching the door open switch, and when the door is closed, the guide roller is rotated in reverse to move the door to the closed state. It can be closed without fail.

The guide roller according to the present invention is characterized in that it rotates in synchronization with the operation of the door opening mechanism. With this construction, the solenoid generating force of the door opening unit can be increased. The door can be opened, and the stroke of the plunger does not need to be lengthened, so that cost increase can be prevented and the mechanical device can be downsized by efficient operation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when the door is closed, the sliding surface of the door receiving plate with which the lower surface of the guide roller abuts is formed into a non-slip member or shape, and the guide roller slides. By making it harder and the engagement between the sliding surface of the door receiving plate and the roller is strengthened, a reliable opening / closing operation can be performed.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are front views showing the appearance of a refrigerator according to the present invention in a closed state and a refrigerator compartment door opened, and an outer box, an inner box, and an insulating box body in which a heat insulating material is foam-filled between these inner and outer boxes. Refrigerator body formed of (1)
Is a refrigerating room (2) at the top as a storage space inside the inner box,
Below that, there is a vegetable compartment (3), an ice making storage compartment (4) and a temperature switching compartment (5) are placed side by side through a heat insulating partition wall, and the freezing compartment ( 6) is independently arranged, and a dedicated door is provided at the front opening of each storage chamber so as to be opened and closed.

Refrigerating room (2) having the largest storage volume
A refrigerator compartment door (7) is installed on the front of the opening of the refrigerator to open and close it.

A magnet gasket made of a soft synthetic resin is attached to a portion of the refrigerating compartment door (7) corresponding to the opening portion, and when the door is closed, the gasket is opened by the magnetic force of the magnet in the refrigerating compartment (2). By adsorbing to the peripheral edge of the part, the inside of the refrigerating compartment (2) and the outside are hermetically sealed, and heat leakage is prevented.

The vegetable compartment (3), the ice making storage compartment (4), the temperature switching compartment (5), and the freezing compartment (6), which are arranged in the lower part of the refrigerating compartment (2), are attached to the doors in the inner direction of the storage compartment. By a rail mechanism of a frame body (not shown) extending to the inside and a wall surface inside the refrigerator, with each storage container placed on the frame body, a drawer door system is drawn out in the front-rear direction to the outside of the refrigerator.

The refrigerating compartment door (7) has a structure in which one side is pivotally moved in the horizontal direction to open and close the front opening, and further, a door opening / closing mechanism (8) that can be opened or closed from either the left or right side is provided. In addition to the above, the door opening switch (9) provided in the vicinity of the display panel portion on the door surface is configured to be automatically opened by touch operation. The details will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 showing the positional relationship between the refrigerator body (1) and the refrigerating compartment door (7), and FIG. 5 and FIG. In the upper and lower parts of the front opening of 2), on the door receiving plate (12), which faces the upper and lower surfaces of the refrigerating compartment door (7), and hinge pins (11) for pivotally supporting the door are provided at left and right ends. A lower door support plate (13) is provided, and hinge cams (14), which serve as rotation bearing portions facing the hinge pins (11), are attached to the left and right ends on the upper and lower surfaces of the door. A guide roller (15) is arranged on the lower surface and is brought into contact with the lower portion of the door receiving plate (13) to support the door (7).

As the door (7) rotates, the hinge cam (14) acts so as to shift the entire door (7) in the width direction on the opening side by the hinge pin (11) located inside. The cam groove (1) is formed by forming a shaft support (16) that bends outward at the end of the door and opening the main body side.
7) is provided. Then, on the inside of the cam groove (17) in the door width direction, this also faces the protruding ribs (18) provided symmetrically from the center line on the door receiving plate (12) and below the door receiving plate (13). To form a guide groove (19), and a guide rib (20) is provided at the inner end of the guide groove (19) so as to project.

The guide roller (15) is provided with a drive motor in the recesses (7a) formed on the left and right of the lower surface of the door (7), as shown in the detailed sectional view from the front in FIG. 7 and the exploded perspective view in FIG. Connected with the gear mechanism (32) along with (31),
The case (33) for storing these is pivotally supported (34). Reference numeral (35) is an auxiliary roller, which is axially supported and arranged on the other side of the case (33).

On the other side of the lower surface of the door (7), the same structure as described above is arranged, and the peripheral edge of the lower surface of this guide roller (15) is projected slightly downward from the lower end surface of the case (33) and held. The motor (31) on the instructed side is driven by a touch operation on the door opening switch (9) to rotate the corresponding guide roller (15).

In the closed state, the lower surface of the guide roller (15) is in contact with the lower surface of the door receiving plate (13),
When the user touches the door opening switch (9) to open the door, either the left or right guide roller (15) is selected and rotated by driving the motor (31), as shown in FIG. First, the door (7) is opened by sliding on the inclined surface under the door receiving plate (13).

The drive motor (31) installed on the door
Is contactlessly supplied with power between the main body (1) and the door (7) at the central portion of the front opening, and is driven by the power of a storage battery (not shown) provided in a heat insulating material charged during the door closing time. To be done. Electric power is supplied from the main body (1) to the door (7) by receiving a direct current power from the main body control unit and performing a oscillating operation. By discharging a magnetic flux and obtaining a constant voltage from an alternating current induced in a coil on the door side that causes electromagnetic induction coupling with the coil, a storage battery is charged as a power source on the door side while the door is closed. In this case, power is supplied to the drive motor (31) not only by the storage battery but also by a door structure that can be opened to the left and right, either of which is supplied to the door side, for example, via both hinge pins. The non-contact power supply configuration may be directly arranged to supply power.

The rotation speed and rotation force of the guide roller (15) are set to values that are effective for peeling off the suction force of the gasket that is in close contact with the main body, so that the greatest force is required. The original door opening force can be obtained, and the user can open the door smoothly with an extremely light force.

Further, when the door is closed, the operation of the door light (not shown) and the opening / closing door of the cooling fan (not shown) are controlled, and the ON operation is performed immediately before the door is closed.
The guide roller (15) is configured to rotate in the reverse direction in the door closing direction, and the guide roller (15) and the bottom plate of the door receiving plate ( 13) The surfaces are engaged to give a moving force to the opening of the main body, so that the gasket of the door (7) can be firmly closed by closely adhering to the main body (1), resulting in a semi-closed door state. It is possible to prevent the cold air inside the refrigerator from leaking to the outside by leaving it alone.

(21) is a door opening unit installed symmetrically with respect to the center line of the refrigerator main body (1) on both sides of the upper surface, and as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, on the outer periphery of the cylindrical bobbin. The door opening unit (21) consists of a solenoid (23) wound with a coil and molded with resin, and a plunger (24) made of a magnetic material that moves in the axial direction when the solenoid is energized. ) Is housed and fixed in the recess (22) via a rubber bush (25), and a part of the recess is provided in the recess (22) provided in the upper part of the refrigerator body.

A knock pin (26) toward the door is attached to one end of the plunger (24), and when the solenoid (23) is energized, the knock pin (26) is moved by the movement of the plunger (24). The tip end of the knock pin is configured to project toward the door, and the projecting knock pin contacts the left side or the right side of the back side of the upper edge of the door (7), which is the open side, and the pressing force rotates the door to open it. The part is opened.

A coil spring (27) is provided at the other end of the plunger (24) to constantly urge the plunger in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the solenoid.
After the power supply to the unit is stopped, the knock pin (26) is housed in the unit again by the coil spring (27).

The knock pin (26) has its tip constantly pressed against the abutting portion on the rear surface of the door (7) so that no knocking sound is generated by the protrusion of the door opening unit (21) during operation. However, a rubber cap (28) for shock absorption is attached to the tip, and a shock absorber (29) is also attached to the surface of the door (7) side that abuts when the knock pin protrudes. Prevents the generation of impact noise when the abutment contacts the door surface.

The surface of the door opening unit (21) provided in the recess (22) on the upper surface of the refrigerator body (1) has a unit cover (3).
It is covered and protected by 0).

The basic structure of the door opening unit (21) is as described above, and when the refrigerating room door (7) is opened by this structure, the door opening side provided on the left and right of the display panel section on the door surface is opened. By touching the door open switch (9), the solenoid (23) on the corresponding side is energized and the plunger (2)
By the movement of 4), the knock pin (26) projects toward the door side and opens to the left or the right.

The door opening switch (9) is interlocked with a door switch which detects the opening and closing of the door and controls the driving of an internal light and a cooling fan (not shown). When the door is open, the door opening switch (9) is opened. The door opening unit (21) is not operated even if is touched. This is because when the unit operates in the door open state, the knock pin projects vigorously with a strong force in a state where there is no door to be pressed, and a large impact sound is generated and danger is prevented.

Further, as a drive device for the door opening unit (21), not only the amount of movement of the solenoid but also a method in which the rotational force of the stepping motor is converted into a linear motion by a cam mechanism and used.

Therefore, when the door opening operation is started, the guide roller (15) is rotated to move the roller under the door receiving plate (1).
3) By sliding on the door, the cam groove (17) of the hinge cam (14) provided on the door (7) has the upper and lower door receiving plates (12).
By engaging the hinge pin (11) of (13) and moving it, the door (7) is displaced outward, which is the opening side. At the same time as this operation, the upper and lower door receiving plate surfaces The protruding rib (18) enters the inside of the guide rib (20) that moves forward and outward when the door is opened, and presses the guide rib (20) to open the door (7) to the open side. The width is shifted outward.

As a result of the deviation of the door (7) toward the door opening side, the shaft support portion (16b) formed by bending at the tip of the cam groove (17b) on the other end side engages with the hinge pin (11b) and the door is opened. It is held as a rotation spindle of the door, and the guide roller (15) slides to push the door (7) in the opening direction, and at the same time, the knock pin (26) of the door opening mechanism pushes the door in the opening direction. It is pushed away and the door opening force of the guide roller (15) and the force generated by the knock pin (26) combine to overcome the inclined surface under the door receiving plate (13) to open the door (7). is there.

In this way, by synchronizing the guide roller (15) with the operation of the door opening unit (21), the magnet at the beginning of the door opening, which requires the largest door opening force when the guide roller (15) rotates. If the door (7) is peeled off from the suction force of the gasket, the door is further moved in the width direction, and then the door is opened with the knock pin (26), the door opening force generated by the rotation of the guide roller works effectively. As a result, the door can be opened without increasing the force generated by the solenoid (23) of the door opening unit, and the stroke of the plunger (24) does not need to be lengthened. Can be miniaturized.

The door is opened by the door opening units (21) provided on both sides of the front opening of the main body, and the guide rollers (15) provided on the left and right sides of the door are rotated. You may allow it. With this configuration, both the left and right guide rollers (15) are placed under the door receiving plate (1
3) By sliding on the surface, a larger door opening force can be obtained at the beginning of the door opening.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the sliding surface under the door receiving plate (13) with which the lower surface of the guide roller (15) abuts is formed of a member made of a material which is hard to slip, or has unevenness such as unevenness. If formed into a large shape, guide rollers (15)
The sliding surface under the door receiving plate (13) and the guide roller (15) are strengthened by eliminating the slippage of the door, and a reliable opening and closing door operation can be performed. Under board (13)
If the level (36) is attached to the center of the surface in the width direction, the installed state can be easily visually checked, the door receiving plate can be attached horizontally without tilting, and a smooth opening / closing operation can be provided.

The opening of the other side of the door is performed by a touch operation on the door opening switch (9) on the corresponding side, which is the reverse of the above operation, and the operation is the same. Omit it.

The control of the door opening unit (21) provided on the left and right of the upper surface of the main body (1) can be performed in various patterns as described above, and the automatic opening function can be selected according to the user's request. Can be selected arbitrarily and at any time, such as a mode that does not operate, a mode that is limited to either right opening or left opening, and a mode that can be opened and closed from either left or right. In this case, it is provided on the door surface. If the selection mode is displayed on the display panel of the control specification of the refrigerator, the user can easily recognize it.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of a refrigerator provided with an automatic door opening device including a motor driven guide roller (15) type and a knock pin type door opening unit (21) such as a solenoid has been described. Without adopting the door opening method (21) with a knock pin, only at the stage of peeling the initial opening gasket that requires the largest opening force from the main body side, and at the stage of moving the door in the width direction when opening left and right The motor driven guide roller (1
It may be performed in step 5) and then the door may be opened normally by hand.

Further, even if the door opening / closing mechanism (8) which can be opened and closed from either the left or right side is used, the guide roller (1
5) and the opening / closing device by the drive motor (31) can effectively reduce the door opening force.

Further, in the above embodiment, the example of the refrigerating room door of the lateral opening type has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also easy to apply the same door opening / closing mechanism by the guide roller to the drawer type door structure. Therefore, there is no problem in using it for other doors such as the freezer door.

[0046]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the initial force required to open the gasket for peeling the gasket from the main body side is set to the initial opening force of the guide roller. The door can be opened with a light force with a small load because it can be reduced significantly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the door can be automatically opened by a touch operation on the door opening switch, and the force required for peeling the gasket at the beginning of the door opening from the main body side is the guide roller. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the solenoid generating force of the door opening unit.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the door of the refrigerator having the door opening / closing mechanism that can open and close the door from either the left or right side, the gasket at the initial door opening which requires the largest door opening force is provided on the main body side. Since the step of peeling from the door and the step of moving the door in the width direction can be performed by the rotating action of the roller, the door opening force can be reduced and the door can be easily opened and closed.

According to the invention of claim 4, the door can be automatically opened by a touch operation on the door opening switch, and when the door is closed, the guide roller is rotated in the reverse direction so that the door is closed. Since it is moved to, the door can be securely closed without being in the half-closed state.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the door can be opened without increasing the solenoid generating force of the door opening unit, and the stroke of the plunger does not need to be lengthened to prevent cost increase and efficient operation. Thus, the mechanical device can be downsized.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the guide roller is made less slippery and the sliding surface of the door receiving plate and the engagement of the roller are strengthened, so that a reliable opening / closing door operation can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 2 is opened.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a relationship between a refrigerator compartment opening and a door in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a door portion showing the left-right double-opening configuration of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an initial state of opening the door of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a detailed cross-sectional view showing a guide roller portion.

8 is an exploded perspective view of the guide roller portion shown in FIG.

9 is a top view of the refrigerator in FIG. 1. FIG.

10 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the door opening device in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a modified example of the door receiving plate.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing still another modification of the door receiving plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Refrigerator main body 2 ... Refrigerator compartment 3 ... Vegetable compartment 4 ... Ice making storage compartment 5 ... Temperature switching compartment 6 ... Freezer compartment 7 ... Refrigerator compartment door 8 ... Door opening / closing mechanism 9 ... Door opening switch 11, 11b ... Hinge pin 12 ... Door support Plate top 13 ... Door receiving plate bottom 14 ... Hinge cam 15 ... Guide rollers 16, 16b
... Shaft support 17, 17b ... Cam groove 18 ... Projection rib 19 ... Guide groove 20 ... Guide ribs 21, 21a, 21b ... Door opening unit 22 ... Recess 23 ... Solenoid 24 ... Plunger 25 ... Rubber bush 26, 26a ... Knock pin 27 ... Coil spring 28 ... Rubber cap 29 ... Buffer 30 ... Unit cover 31 ... Drive motor 32 ... Gear mechanism 33 ... Case 34 ... Spindle 35 ... Auxiliary roller 36 ... Level

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Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A guide roller, which is provided on a lower surface of a door for opening and closing a front opening of a main body storage chamber, and which is rotated by a motor, and a lower surface of the guide roller are in contact with each other to hold a door from below when the door is closed. A door opening / closing device for a refrigerator or the like, characterized in that the door opening / closing device is configured to drive the motor by a door opening operation to rotate the guide roller to apply a door opening force to the door on the door receiving plate. 2. A door opening mechanism which is provided at a front opening of the main body storage chamber and which pushes out a projecting member by a switch operation to press the door surface to open the door and a motor which is provided on a lower surface of the door to rotate. It consists of a guide roller and a door receiving plate that contacts the lower surface of the guide roller and holds the door from below when the door is closed.The motor is driven to rotate the guide roller, and the door opening force is applied to the door on the door receiving plate. And a door opening / closing device for a refrigerator or the like, characterized in that the door is opened by pressing the protruding member of the door opening mechanism. 3. A hinge pin provided on the front opening of the main body storage chamber and provided on both left and right sides of the front opening is held in cam grooves formed on the upper and lower surfaces of both ends of the door, and the door is opened from one side. When the cam groove engages with the hinge pin and moves, the door is displaced in the width direction toward the opening side, and the hinge pin on the other side is pivotally supported in the cam groove by the displacement, thereby opening the door from both left and right directions. A door opening / closing device for a refrigerator or the like according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the door opening / closing device is provided. 4. The guide roller is rotated in the door opening direction by the operation of the door opening switch when the door is opened, and is reversely rotated in the door closing direction by the operation of the door switch when the door is closed. 3. A door opening / closing device for a refrigerator or the like according to any one of 3 above. 5. The door opening / closing device for a refrigerator or the like according to claim 2, wherein the guide roller rotates in synchronization with the operation of the door opening mechanism. 6. The refrigerator or the like according to claim 1, wherein the sliding surface of the door receiving plate with which the lower surface of the guide roller abuts when the door is closed is formed into a non-slip member or shape. Door opening and closing device.