JP2006145055A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a hand from banging itself against a door in operation and to open the door in safety with high usability in electrically opening the door by operating an operation switch. <P>SOLUTION: An on-time from switch-on (S1) of the operation switch 3 to switch-off (S5) of the operation switch 3 are measured (S4), a delay time from the switch-off of the operation switch 3 is determined (S8-S10) in accordance with the measured on-time (S6, S7), and electricity is distributed (S12) to an electric motor 10 of a door opening device after the lapse of determined delay time (S11) from the switch-off of the operation switch 3, thus the door is opened. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator including a door opening device and a control device that controls the operation of the door opening device.

  Conventionally, as this type of door opening device, there is a device that uses an electric motor or an electromagnetic solenoid to advance and retract the slide member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a refrigerator provided with the conventional door opening device described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the door 1 is opened in the refrigerator 1, the door 52 for opening, the operation switch 3 provided on the front surface of the door 52 to convey the intention of the user to open the door, and a signal output in the door open state. A door opening switch 50 and a control device 5 for controlling them are provided. When the door opening device 2 is electrically energized from the control device 5, the slide member 11 is advanced by the electromagnetic solenoid 51 to open the door.

  The operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described below using the conventional control flowchart of FIG.

When the operation switch is turned on by the user in S91, the process proceeds to S92. If the door opening switch is on (door opening state) in S92, the operation switch is canceled and the process returns to S91. When the door opening switch is OFF (the door is closed) in S92, the process proceeds to S93, and the electromagnetic solenoid of the door opening device is energized for a predetermined time, and the door is opened.
JP 2001-59675 A

  However, in the above conventional refrigerator, an operation switch is provided on the front face of the door to be opened, so that in the case of a switch that turns on the operation switch by pushing the operation switch, the electromagnetic solenoid at the moment the user pushes the operation switch Since the door is opened when the power is turned on, there is a risk that the door that opens will hit the pushed hand. Similarly, in the case of a switch that turns on the operation switch by pulling the handle-shaped operation switch, the door opens when the user pulls the operation switch, so the door must be released before the pulled hand is released from the handle. There was a risk of hitting it.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a door opening operation that is safe and easy to use when the door is opened electrically.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the refrigerator of the present invention is operated by a user with a door opening device that opens a door provided with a magnet that is in close contact with the box body by a slide member that moves forward and backward electrically. In a refrigerator comprising an operation switch that outputs an operation signal in an on-state and a control device that controls the operation of the door opening device according to the input of the operation signal, the control device inputs the operation signal from on to off The door opening device is operated by detecting that it has become.

  As a result, when the user pushes the operation switch and the operation signal is turned on, the door opening device does not operate yet, and the door opening device operates by releasing the pushed hand and the operation signal is turned off. The door can be opened safely without hitting the door that opens to the hand.

  In the refrigerator of the present invention, even if an operation switch is provided on the front face of the door to be opened, the door opening operation is performed when the operation switch is released after the operation switch is released or after a delay time has elapsed since the release. The door can be safely opened and the door can be opened safely.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door opening device that opens a door provided with a magnet that is in close contact with the box body by means of a sliding member that is moved forward and backward by electric power, and an operation signal is turned on while being operated by a user. In a refrigerator including an operation switch for outputting and a control device for controlling the operation of the door opening device by the input of the operation signal, the control device detects that the input of the operation signal has been turned from on to off. When the user pushes the operation switch and the operation signal is turned on, the door opening device does not work yet, and the operation signal is turned off by releasing the pushed hand. Since the door opening device operates, the door can be opened safely without hitting the door that opens to the pushed-in hand.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the control device operates the door opening device after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the input of the operation signal was turned off from on. For example, when you operate the operation switch with the elbow while holding a cooking dish in your hand, even if the operated elbow can not be quickly released from the door, there is a delay time until the door opens after the operation switch is released. The door can be opened safely.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the control device includes on-time detection means for detecting a time from when the input of the operation signal is turned on until the operation signal is turned off. Controls the delay time for delaying the operation of the door opening device according to the time detected by the detecting means. For example, when the operation signal is on for a short time such as when the operation switch is operated with a fingertip, the delay time is shortened. Alternatively, the door can be opened quickly by setting it to zero, and conversely, if the operation switch is turned on for a longer time, the delay time will be longer, thus providing a safe and user-friendly door opening operation according to the user's situation. it can.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control device is provided with setting means for setting a delay time for delaying the operation of the door opening device to an arbitrary time. Since the control device can change the delay time due to differences in refrigerator specifications, such as the operation stroke of the operation switch, the control device can be shared.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising setting means for allowing the user to set a delay time for delaying the operation of the door opening device to an arbitrary time. By operating the setting means, the user can set a delay time that is safe and convenient for the user according to his / her preference.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a buzzer device that outputs a buzzer sound when the operation switch is operated is provided. Thus, since a buzzer sound is output when the operation switch is turned on, it is possible to know that the door opening operation has been performed before the door is opened, and it is possible to provide a safe and user-friendly door opening operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the conventional example or the embodiment described above, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. . The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator provided with a door opening device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 is provided with a door opening device 2, an operation switch 3, and a buzzer device 4 for outputting a buzzer sound when the operation switch is operated, and a control device 5 for controlling them. 2 is electrically energized from the control device 5, the slide member 11 is advanced by the electric motor 10 to open the door 1a. The operation switch 3 uses a touch sensor, and when touched, the operation signal is turned on, and when released, the operation signal is turned off.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, the control device 5 receives a signal from the microcomputer 12 that controls input and output, a buzzer output driver IC 13 that energizes the buzzer device 4 by receiving a signal from the microcomputer 12, and a signal from the microcomputer 12. A motor output driver IC 14 for supplying electricity to the electric motor 10 is mounted. The microcomputer 12 has a program for inputting an operation signal of the operation switch 3 and measuring an on time from when the operation signal is turned on until the operation signal is turned off. In the case of outputting a buzzer sound, the microcomputer 12 outputs a signal to the buzzer output driver IC 13 so that the buzzer device 4 is electrically energized and a buzzer sound is output. When the door 1a is opened, the microcomputer 12 outputs a signal to the motor output driver IC 14 so that the electric motor 10 is electrically energized and the door 1a is opened.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control program for the microcomputer according to the embodiment. When the user touches the operation switch 3 and the operation signal is turned on in S1, the process proceeds to S2. In S2, a buzzer sound is output for a certain time (for example, 0.2 seconds), and the process proceeds to S3. As a result, the user can obtain a sense of security that the operation has been accepted and a warning that the door 1a is then opened. In S3, the on-time is temporarily reset and the process proceeds to S4. In S4, the on-time is measured and the process proceeds to S5. In S5, when the operation signal is turned off, the process proceeds to S6, and while the operation signal is on, the process returns to S4 and the measurement of the on time is continued. In S6, if the measured on-time is, for example, 0.1 seconds or more, the process proceeds to S7. If it is less than 0.1 second, the delay time is set to, for example, 0 seconds (no delay) in S8, and the process proceeds to S11. If the on time is 0.5 seconds or more in S7, for example, the process proceeds to S10. If it is less than 0.5 seconds, the delay time is set to 0.1 seconds in S9 and the process proceeds to S11. In S10, the delay time is set to 0.4 seconds, for example, and the process proceeds to S11. In S11, it waits until the set delay time elapses, and when it elapses, the process proceeds to S12. In S12, the electric motor 10 is energized for a predetermined time (for example, 1.5 seconds), and the door 1a is opened. Thereby, when the on time of the operation switch 3 is less than 0.1 seconds, the door 1a is opened immediately when the operation switch 3 is turned off, and the on time of the operation switch 3 is 0.1 seconds or more and less than 0.5 seconds. In this case, the door 1a is opened 0.1 seconds after the operation switch 3 is turned off, and when the operation switch 3 is on for 0.5 seconds or more, the operation switch 3 is turned off. The door 1a opens after 2 seconds.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the door opening operation starts after the user releases the operation switch 3 by energizing the door opening device 2 after the operation signal is turned off. The door 1a can be opened safely. Further, by turning on the operation switch 3 for a long time, the door 1a is opened after being delayed for a predetermined time after the user releases the operation switch 3, so that it is safe and easy to use according to the situation of the user. The door opening operation can be provided. In addition, when the user touches the operation switch 3 (before the door opening operation), the buzzer sounds for a moment, and when the operation switch 3 is received and the door is opened, the door opening operation is performed more safely and easily. Can be provided.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The operation switch 3, the buzzer device 4, the control device 5, the electric motor 10, the microcomputer 12, the buzzer output driver IC 13, and the motor output driver IC 14 are implemented. The same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 4, the control device 5 is equipped with an EEPROM 15 as setting means for setting a delay time for delaying the operation of the door opening device 2 to an arbitrary time. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the delay time set in the EEPROM 15 is set as the set time. In addition to the input / output described in the first embodiment, the microcomputer 12 inputs a set time from the EEPROM 15. The setting time for the EEPROM 15 is set at the time of shipment from the factory according to the refrigerator specifications. Here, when the operation switch 3 is a sensor that is turned on simply by touching it like a touch sensor, the delay time is around 0.1 seconds (0.05 seconds to 0.15 seconds), for example. However, when the operation switch 3 is a mechanical switch using a tact switch, since the operation stroke is longer than that of the touch sensor, the delay time is increased, for example, around 0.3 seconds (0.1 to 0.5 seconds). Can be operated safely. As described above, for example, the delay time is required to be set individually depending on the specification of the operation switch 3. In the present embodiment, the operation switch 3 is a mechanical switch using a tact switch as an example, and the set time is 0.3 seconds. The operation switch 3 is turned on when the operation switch is depressed.

  About the refrigerator provided with the control apparatus comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  FIG. 5 is a control program flowchart of the microcomputer according to the first embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 3 according to the first embodiment. When the user turns on the operation switch 3 in S1 and outputs a buzzer sound in S2, the process proceeds to S2a. In S2a, a set time of 0.3 seconds is input from the EEPROM 15 as setting means. Hereinafter, S3 to S6 are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Also, when the on-time is less than 0.1 second in S6 (regardless of the set time), the delay time is set to 0 second in S8 as in the first embodiment. For example, if the on time is 0.5 seconds or more in S7, the process proceeds to S10a. If it is less than 0.5 seconds (0.1 seconds or more), the delay time is set to 0.3 seconds in S9a. Set and proceed to S11. In S10a, the delay time is set to 0.6 seconds obtained by adding 0.3 seconds to the set time 0.3 seconds input in S2a, and the process proceeds to S11. S11 and subsequent steps are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As a result, assuming that the setting time for the EEPROM 15 is 0.3 seconds, the delay time is 0.3 seconds when the ON time when the user turns on the operation switch 3 is 0.1 seconds or more and less than 0.5 seconds. When the ON time is 0.5 seconds or more, the delay time is 0.6 seconds. Also, when the operation switch 3 is a touch sensor and the setting time for the EEPROM 15 is 0.1 seconds, the delay time is 0.1 seconds when the ON time is 0.1 seconds or more and less than 0.5 seconds. If the ON time is 0.5 seconds or more, the delay time is 0.4 seconds.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the control device can be shared because the control device can change the delay time due to the difference in the refrigerator specifications such as the operation stroke of the operation switch 3.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a refrigerator provided with a door opening device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The refrigerator 1, the door opening device 2, the operation switch 3, the buzzer device 4, the control device 5, the electric motor 10, and the slide The member 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the refrigerator 1 is dialed as a setting means that allows the user to set a delay time from when the operation switch 3 is operated on the front surface of the door 1a to when the operation is output to the door opening device 2. A switch 16 is provided. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the delay time set by the dial switch 16 is set as the set time. Here, the dial switch 16 can be switched in three stages by turning the dial. For those who want to eliminate the delay time, the setting time is set to 0 seconds by setting it earlier in the first stage, and the standard setting is in the second stage. The setting time becomes 0.1 seconds, and those who want to increase the delay time set the delay time in the third stage to set the setting time to 0.3 seconds.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the control device of the embodiment. The operation switch 3, the buzzer device 4, the control device 5, the electric motor 10, the microcomputer 12, the buzzer output driver IC 13, and the motor output driver IC 14 are shown in the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 7, the microcomputer 12 inputs a set time from the dial switch 16 in addition to the input / output described in the first embodiment.

  About the refrigerator comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  The control program flowchart of the microcomputer 12 of the embodiment is the same as that in FIG. 5 and will be described with reference to FIG. In S2a, a set time is input from the dial switch 16 as setting means. At this time, if the user sets earlier in the first stage, the set time is 0 seconds, and if the user sets in the second stage standard, the set time is 0.1 seconds. For this reason, the setting time is 0.3 seconds. Thereafter, the same process as in the second embodiment is performed. Thereby, the delay time as shown in (Table 1) can be set by the ON time when the user turns on the operation switch 3 and the dial switch set by the user.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the user can set a delay time that is safe and convenient for the user according to his / her preference by operating the dial switch 16.

  As described above, in the refrigerator according to the present invention, when the operation switch provided on the front surface of the door to be opened is operated and the door is electrically opened, the door that opens to the hand operating the operation switch collides. Since it is possible to avoid danger and open the door safely and conveniently, it can be applied as door opening control for application equipment including a refrigerator equipped with a control device that opens the door electrically.

The perspective view of the refrigerator provided with the door opening apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The block diagram of the control apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention Control program flowchart of microcomputer in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block diagram of the control apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention Microcomputer control program flowchart in Embodiment 2 of the present invention The perspective view of the refrigerator provided with the door opening apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention. The block diagram of the control apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention A perspective view of a refrigerator equipped with a conventional door opening device Conventional control flowchart

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator 1a Door 2 Door opening apparatus 3 Operation switch 4 Buzzer apparatus 5 Control apparatus 10 Electric motor 11 Slide member 12 Microcomputer 13 Buzzer output driver IC
14 Motor output driver IC
15 EEPROM (setting means)
16 Dial switch (setting means)

Claims (6)

  A door opening device that opens a door provided with a magnet that is in close contact with the box body by means of a slide member that is electrically advanced and retracted, an operation switch that outputs an operation signal when being operated by a user, and the operation signal And a control device that controls the operation of the door opening device according to the input, the control device operates the door opening device by detecting that the input of the operation signal has been turned off from on. A refrigerator characterized by that.   2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the control device operates the door opening device after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the input of the operation signal is turned off from on.   The control device is provided with an on-time detecting means for detecting a time from when the input of the operation signal is turned on until it is turned off, and delays the operation of the door opening device according to the time detected by the on-time detecting means. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein time is controlled.   The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control device is provided with setting means for setting a delay time for delaying the operation of the door opening device to an arbitrary time.   The refrigerator according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising setting means for allowing a user to set a delay time for delaying the operation of the door opening device to an arbitrary time.   The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a buzzer device that outputs a buzzer sound when an operation switch is operated.

Images