JP2008196753A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent arbitrary operation of a door driving device even when a door opened amount is within a closing drive range when a power supply of a refrigerator is turned on, in regard to a refrigerator device which electrically opens a drawer door of a freezing compartment or a vegetable compartment, or automatically carries out closing when a half-closed state is detected. <P>SOLUTION: The refrigerator is provided with the drawer door movable in a fore and aft direction, and the door driving device energizing the drawer door in a closing direction when the drawer door is positioned within the closing drive range. It is characterized in that the door driving device is not driven even when the drawer door is positioned within the closing drive range when the power supply of the refrigerator is turned on. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

  Conventionally, as a device that automatically opens the refrigerator door, it has a short-distance operation section with a high gear ratio and a long-distance operation section with a low gear ratio, and generates a large force when peeling the packing, After that, it opens at high speed. The structure which provided the overload prevention clutch in the low gear part is disclosed (for example, refer patent document 1).

  Alternatively, a configuration is disclosed in which the pressing member is linearly moved by the worm gear and the rack, the drawer door is pushed out automatically by the pressing member to automatically open, and when the door has been opened, the return spring returns to the retracted position (for example, Patent Document 2).

  Alternatively, a timing belt is provided in a support frame that supports the drawer door, an automatic opening unit that slides on the timing belt is provided, and the automatic opening unit includes a slide pin that pushes the drawer case, and a roller that operates on the timing belt, The structure comprised by the drive means for driving a slide pin and a roller is disclosed (for example, refer patent document 3).

  Alternatively, it is provided at the output stage of the reduction gear using a worm gear, and the contact portion to the open / close door opens in an arc shape by projecting from the main body to the door side by rotating operation by energizing the drive motor for a certain time. A cam device having a flat plate shape is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 4).

  Alternatively, the drive device is a cam device that includes a rotatable cam and opens the door by projecting the long diameter end face of the cam forward by rotating the cam via a drive device in response to a signal from a door opening switch. A cam device is disclosed in which the cam has a combined shape of an ellipse or an ellipse (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

  Alternatively, an electric motor having a cam on the output shaft is provided behind the drawer door, and the frame is pushed out by rotating the cam. Furthermore, the structure provided with the micro switch for Kimi detection is disclosed (for example, refer patent document 6).

  Alternatively, the apparatus includes a door opening device that opens the door by a slide member that converts the rotation of the motor into a linear motion and moves forward and backward, and a control device that controls the operation of the opening device. The apparatus detects whether or not the slide member is in the reverse end position, and if the slide member is not in the reverse end position, a control is disclosed that includes means for retracting the slide member to the reverse end position ( For example, see Patent Document 7).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-157581 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-280827 JP 2000-220957 A JP 2002-257466 A JP 2001-317864 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-167590 JP 2006-046744 A

  In recent years, eating habits have changed, and daily foods are often purchased at nearby food stores and cooked, and food is purchased for a week at a suburban large supermarket, etc. Storage has become common. In response to the increase in the use of frozen foods, large refrigerators with a capacity exceeding 400 liters are generally spreading at home.

  However, as the size of the refrigerator increases, the amount of food stored increases, and for example, 20 kg or more of food is stored in the freezer compartment or vegetable compartment, so the force to open the doors of the vegetable compartment or freezer compartment increases. There is.

  In particular, at the beginning of the door opening, in addition to the load resistance of the drawer rail, the force to peel off the magnet packing adsorbed to the refrigerator body is added, so the opening force becomes particularly heavy. Opening the refrigerator is becoming a burden for weak people.

  In addition, in the refrigerator, when the door is closed in an inadequate manner, the so-called half-door state is reached, the cold air is released to the outside, the refrigeration function is lost, and the electricity bill is extra, saving energy. In addition to the reduction, the quality of the stored food is deteriorated, and the outside air outside the refrigerator enters into the refrigerator to cause condensation, and water droplets adhere to the inside of the refrigerator.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the opening force of the drawer door of the refrigerator can be reduced and the door can be easily opened, and the door can be automatically closed from a so-called half-door state to improve the energy saving effect. A drawer door driving device for a refrigerator is provided.

  In the refrigerator door, a magnet adsorption type packing is provided over the entire circumference of the door to prevent leakage of cold air when the door is closed, and when the door is closed, the magnet is opened to the main body. Adsorbed around the part. Further, when the door is closed, it is generally configured to include a closer mechanism that draws the door by a force such as a spring after the door is closed in the vicinity of the fully closed state, for example, after the remaining opening amount is about 50 mm. Because of this configuration, when opening the refrigerator door, it is initially stored in a storage container that is integrated with the door, and the attractive force of the magnetic packing, the pulling force of the spring of the closer mechanism, and the door. It is necessary to apply the total speed of the acceleration force necessary to accelerate the entire drawer including the foods from the stopped state, for example, to about 200 mm per second, especially when a large amount of food is stored. The force to open the door is the greatest first force. After the door is pulled about 10 mm, the magnet packing is peeled off from the main body, so the force to open the door is the sum of the pulling force by the spring of the closer mechanism and the accelerating force to accelerate the drawing. Second power. If the range in which the pulling force in the closing direction by the closer mechanism is applied is, for example, 50 mm from the closed state of the door, the second force is required in that range. Since the closer mechanism no longer works after the door is opened more than 50mm by continuing the opening operation, the force applied to the drawer is only the acceleration force and the frictional force generated by the slide rail for sliding the drawer. The third force, which is a slight force, is sufficient to open the drawer. Here, if the drawer reaches the opening speed when it is opened by about 50 mm, the third force is sufficient only to resist the frictional force generated by the slide rail. It is sufficient to perform the opening operation with a third force that is slightly smaller than the second force.

  When opening the drawer of the refrigerator, as described above, the opening is particularly heavy, and there is a characteristic that a slight force is sufficient after opening to some extent, for example, about 50 mm. In this invention, the refrigerator drawer door drive device suitable for the characteristic of the force applied when pulling out the drawer door of the above refrigerators is provided.

  On the other hand, regarding the speed of the door during the opening operation, since the movement starts from the stopped state at the time when the magnet packing is peeled off, the speed may be very small in that range, that is, the first force range. On the other hand, when the drawer door continues to open to the range of the second and third forces, if the door speed is accelerated to increase the speed, the action when the user pulls the drawer door by hand Therefore, it is suitable for natural operation. The present invention further provides a refrigerator drawer door driving device adapted to the speed characteristics when the drawer door of the refrigerator is pulled out as described above.

  Furthermore, when the drawer door is opened, the opening force continues to be applied until the door is fully opened.For example, if the user is standing immediately before the door or if an object is placed, the drawer door will hit it. It is dangerous because the opening force continues to be applied and does not stop. Therefore, when opening the drawer door, the driving force is not continuously applied, but the driving force is applied only for a short range at the beginning of opening, and then the initial speed obtained in the driving force range is gradually reduced by the frictional force of the slide rail. However, it is safer to use a so-called inertial operation that stops while stopping.

  Furthermore, in the situation where the door drive device does not operate such as a power failure, the drawer will be manually opened and closed, so even if a refrigerator drawer door drive device is provided, the manual opening and closing operation of the drawer door may be hindered, It is desirable to have a configuration that does not increase the operation due to an extra load.

  Also, it is safer that the door drive device of the refrigerator does not drive without permission even if the opening amount of the drawer door is within the predetermined closed drive range when the power is restored or when the power is turned on. It is desirable to prevent this.

  Here, in Patent Document 1, a short stroke door pushing means and a long stroke door pushing means are necessary, and the configuration is complicated.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration using a worm and a rack, but since the operation speed of the rack, which is the speed at which the drawer door is opened, is constant, it is possible to output the force necessary to push out the magnet packing. Thus, the reduction ratio needs to be large (that is, the speed is slow) and constant. Therefore, the operation speed is slow, and further, there is no function for closing the door.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which after the drawer case is opened, the driving means is reversed to reverse the gear and the gear is disengaged. However, the gear is disengaged with the drawer partially opened. The structure or operation is not described, and the function of closing the door is not provided.

  In Patent Document 4, Patent Document 5, and Patent Document 6, a cam having an arcuate shape or an elliptical shape is provided, and the cam has a long diameter by rotating the cam via a driving device in response to a signal from a door opening switch. Although a cam device is disclosed in which the end face protrudes forward and the door is opened, in such a configuration according to the prior art, the amount of pushing out the door when the cam rotates is the radius of the cam as the cam rotates. The speed given in the direction of pushing out the door is low because it is only the amount of change, and the opening amount of the door is approximately equal to the protruding amount by the cam, that is, the driving range for applying the driving force to the door, and the opening amount of the door is further increased. Has its limits.

  In Patent Document 7, when the slide member is not at the reverse end when the refrigerator is turned on, control is made to retract the slide member to the reverse end position. When the slide member is not at the reverse end, the slide is It is conceivable that the member moves backward and generates an unpredictable movement or an operation sound, which causes anxiety of the user.

  The present invention is safe and unpredictable by the user when the power is turned on such as when the refrigerator is installed or when a power failure is restored, even if the door opening amount is closed and within the driving range. An object is to provide a refrigerator capable of preventing movement.

  The refrigerator of the present invention is a refrigerator having a drawer door that is movable in the front-rear direction, and a door drive device that biases the drawer door in a closing direction when the drawer door is located in a closed drive range. When the refrigerator is turned on, the door driving device is not driven even when the drawer door is located in the closed driving range.

  Alternatively, even when the drawer door is located in the closing drive range, the door driving device is not driven for a predetermined time, and then the door driving device is driven.

  Alternatively, the notification unit notifies the user after the predetermined time has elapsed.

  Alternatively, when the door driving device is driven, notification is provided by a notification means.

  Alternatively, the refrigerator includes a drawer door movable in the front-rear direction, and a door driving device that urges the drawer door in a closing direction when the drawer door is located in a closed drive range. The apparatus has a connecting member provided on the drawer door side and a driving device provided on the main body side, the connecting member has a sliding portion, and the driving device has a guide for receiving the sliding portion. The sliding portion is provided with a magnet, and the guide guide is provided with two Hall ICs separated from each other.

  Alternatively, when the drawer door is closed, the two Hall ICs detect the magnet, and when the drawer door is closed and located in the driving range, only one of the two Hall ICs has the magnet. It is characterized by detecting.

  Alternatively, even when the drawer door is located in the closing drive range, the door driving device is not driven for a predetermined time, and then the door driving device is driven.

  Alternatively, the notification unit notifies the user after the predetermined time has elapsed.

  Alternatively, when the door driving device is driven, notification is provided by a notification means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the opening force of the drawer door of the refrigerator and open the door easily and electrically, or to automatically close the door electrically from a so-called half-door state to save energy. Can be improved. And when the power is turned on such as when installing a refrigerator or when a power failure is restored, even if the door opening amount is closed and within the drive range, the door drive device does not drive freely, and it is safe and unpredictable by the user. A refrigerator that can be prevented is provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration of refrigerator)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the refrigerator main body 1 is divided into a plurality of storage rooms, the uppermost part is a refrigerating room 2, and the door is a so-called French door that opens to the left and right sides as an example. The lower side of the refrigerator compartment 2 is a storage room divided into left and right, for example, one of which is a function switching room 3, and the other is an accumulator for taking out ice produced by an automatic ice making device (not shown). It is an ice making room 4.

  Furthermore, the lower part is a freezer compartment 5 provided with a drawer door that can be pulled out and opened to the front, and the lowermost stage is a vegetable compartment 6 provided with a drawer door.

  An operation display unit 7 is provided on the door of the refrigerator compartment, and an open switch 8a for the freezer compartment and an open switch 8b for the vegetable compartment are provided. The user presses the switch to instruct the opening operation of the drawer. It is a configuration that can. Here, if the freezer compartment 5 is provided above the vegetable compartment 6, the open switch 8a for the freezer compartment is provided above the open switch 8b for the vegetable compartment and provided in the same manner as the positional relationship of the doors. It is preferable because it is easy to understand which open switch 8 should be operated when the user operates.

(Implementation of opening and closing mechanism (1))
Hereinafter, the door driving device will be described taking the freezer compartment 5 as an example.

  The door 5a of the freezer compartment 5 and the container 12 for storing food are supported by a slide rail 11 so that they can be pulled out toward the front. A closer 13 that is a closing biasing means for pulling the freezer compartment 5 in the closing direction is provided on the back side of the slide rail 11. When the open freezer compartment 5 is once closed, the opening amount becomes, for example, 50 mm or less. Then, a force of pulling back is applied by a spring force (not shown), and the operation of closing the freezer compartment 5 is assisted to close the door until the magnet packing 14 provided on the entire circumference of the freezer compartment 5 adsorbs to the refrigerator body 1.

A door opening / closing mechanism 10 is provided inside the freezer compartment 5. The door drive device 10 is opened and closed together with a drive mechanism 15 provided fixedly on the refrigerator main body 1 side and provided with a motor as a drive source and a speed reduction mechanism for reducing the rotation of the motor, and the door 5a of the freezer compartment 5. In this embodiment, a connecting plate 16 which is a connecting member provided on the lower surface of the container 12 is provided, and a force is applied in the moving direction of the slide rail 11 from the driving mechanism 15 to the connecting plate 16 in the freezer compartment. 5 is configured to open and close. Detailed configurations and functions of the drive mechanism 15 and the connecting plate 16 will be described later. A door detection 17 is provided on the front side of the freezer compartment 5 and the freezer compartment 5 is closed, or the open amount of the freezer compartment 5 is, for example, a predetermined amount of about 30 mm (a closing drive amount described later). It is detected whether or not the opening amount is within 35), and the signal is sent to a control circuit to be described later.

(Configuration of three-stage acceleration link)
Next, the structure of the door drive device 10 provided with the drive mechanism 15 and the connecting plate 16 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Here, although the door drive device 10 is demonstrated below as what is provided in the freezer compartment 5, it is the same also about the vegetable compartment 6. FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view of the door drive device 10 including the drive mechanism 15 and the connecting plate 16 as seen from above in FIG. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing an example of the internal configuration of the drive mechanism 15. FIG.

  In the drive mechanism 15, a rotary plate 19 that is a rotary drive body is rotatably supported around a drive shaft 18 that is a rotary output shaft, and the rotary plate 19 includes a drive pin 20 that is a drive transmission member. It has been. In this embodiment, three drive pins 20 are provided, and according to the distance from the drive shaft 18, the first drive pin 20a is at a distance r1, the second drive pin 20b is at a distance r2, and the third is at a distance r3. The drive pins 20 c are provided, each drive pin 20 has a cylindrical shape, and the center axis of the drive pin 20 is parallel to the rotation center axis of the drive shaft 18. Here, it is assumed that r1 <r2 <r3.

  In the present embodiment, the rotating plate 19 rotates in the direction of the arrow CCW when the freezer compartment 5 is opened. Since the connecting plate 16 is provided on the drawer door of the freezer compartment 5 as described above, the connecting plate 16 is movable along the slide rail 11 in the direction of the arrow 23. In FIG. 3, the left direction in the figure is the front side of the refrigerator, and the freezer compartment 5 is opened when the connecting plate 16 moves leftward.

  The connecting plate 16 has a first receiving surface 21a with which the first driving pin 20a contacts when the freezer compartment 5 is opened, a second receiving surface 21b with which the second driving pin 20b contacts, and a third driving pin 20c. And a third receiving surface 21c in contact with each other. A detailed description of the operation of the drive pin 20 and the receiving surface 21 will be described later.

  4 and 5, a motor pinion 25 is provided on the rotating shaft of the motor 24 and meshes with the idler 26 to be decelerated. The idler 26 and the idler pinion 27 rotate as a unit, and the idler pinion 27 meshes with the idler 28. The idler 28 and the idler pinion 29 rotate as a unit, and the idler pinion 29 meshes with the drive gear 30 and is decelerated. The drive shaft 18 and the drive gear 30 are connected, and the rotational speed of the motor 24 is reduced to, for example, about 1/100 by such a gear configuration, and the rotating plate 16 provided on the drive shaft 18 is rotated. In this embodiment, a torque limiting means 31 is provided between the idler 28 and the idler pinion 29, and when an excessive external force is applied to the rotating plate 16, the torque limiting means 31 is interposed so that the idler 28 and the idler are interposed. Since the pinion 29 slides on each other, the drive mechanism 15 can be prevented from being damaged. Further, the drive shaft 18 is provided with a rotation detection means 32 so that the rotational position of the drive shaft 18 can be detected. An example of such rotation detection means 32 is a variable resistor whose resistance value changes with the rotation of the shaft.

(Opening operation)
Next, the detail of the operation | movement at the time of opening the freezer compartment door 5 with the door drive device 10 by this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 6 is a view showing an operation when the door driving device 10 according to the present invention opens the freezer compartment 5, and (a) shows a state where the freezer compartment 5 is closed as in FIG.
(B) The operation | movement which opens the freezer compartment 5 by operating in order of (c) (d) (e) is shown. The rotating plate 19 is rotatable around the drive shaft 18, the connecting plate 16 is supported so as to be movable in the horizontal direction in the figure, and the connecting plate 16 is provided in the freezer compartment 5. The leftward movement indicates the opening operation of the freezer compartment 5. Here, a reference line indicating the position of the illustrated left end of the connecting plate 16 in a state where the freezer compartment 5 is closed is represented as a drawing position 34.

  In the state of (b), the rotating plate 19 rotates in the direction of the arrow CCW, the first drive pin 20a comes into contact with the first receiving surface 21a, and a force in the direction of the arrow 23a is generated with respect to the connecting plate 16. At this time, since the first drive pin 20a is located at the distance r1 shown in FIG. 3 from the drive shaft 18, the force transmitted from the first drive pin 20a to the connecting plate 16 is the torque applied to the drive shaft 18. If T, then T / r1. This force is set to be larger than the resultant force of the force that peels off the magnet packing in the freezer compartment 5, the pull-in force of the closer 13, and the force that accelerates the weight of the freezer compartment 5 and the mass of the stored food. Thus, the adsorption of the magnet packing is peeled off, and the connecting plate 16 moves in the left direction in the figure together with the freezer compartment 5, and the freezer compartment 5 starts to open.

Further, in the state (c) in which the rotating plate 19 is rotated in the CCW direction, the second driving pin 20b is in contact with the second receiving surface 21b, and the first driving pin 20a is separated from the first receiving surface 21a. To do. That is, the second drive pin 20b is located at a distance r2 shown in FIG. 3 from the drive shaft 18 and r2> r1, and the second drive pin 20b is more than the first drive pin 20a. Since the distance from the drive shaft 18, which is the center of rotation, is longer, the peripheral speed of rotation is faster. For this reason, after the second drive pin 20b comes into contact with the second receiving surface 21b, the first drive pin 20a is separated from the first receiving surface 21a. In this state, the second drive pin 20b is in contact with the second receiving surface 21b and applies a force indicated by an arrow 23b. At this time, since the second drive pin 20b is located at the distance r2 shown in FIG. 3 from the drive shaft 18, the force transmitted from the second drive pin 20b to the connecting plate 16 via the second receiving surface 21b. Is T / r 2, where T is the torque applied to the drive shaft 18. This force is smaller than the force applied to the connecting plate 16 by the first drive pin 20a in the direction of the arrow 23a in the state of FIG. 6B, but the magnet packing has already been peeled off. The applied force may be set to be larger than the resultant force of the pull-in force of the closer 13 and the force of further accelerating the weight of the freezer compartment 5 and the mass of the stored food, and the connecting plate 16 is further illustrated together with the freezer compartment 5. Moving to the left direction, the opening operation of the freezer compartment 5 is continued.

Further, in the state (d) in which the rotating plate 19 is rotated in the CCW direction, the third driving pin 20c is in contact with the third receiving surface 21c, and the second driving pin 20b is separated from the second receiving surface 21b. To do.

That is, the third drive pin 20c is located at the distance r3 shown in FIG. 3 from the drive shaft 18 and r3> r2, and the third drive pin 20c is more than the second drive pin 20b. Since the distance from the drive shaft 18, which is the center of rotation, is longer, the peripheral speed of rotation is faster. Therefore, after the third drive pin 20c comes into contact with the third receiving surface 21c, the second drive pin 20b separates from the second receiving surface 21b. In this state, the third drive pin 20c is in contact with the third receiving surface 21c and applies a force indicated by an arrow 23c. At this time, since the third drive pin 20c is located at the distance r3 shown in FIG. 3 from the drive shaft 18, the force transmitted from the third drive pin 20c to the connecting plate 16 via the third receiving surface 21c. Is T / r3, where T is the torque applied to the drive shaft 18.

This force is even smaller than the force applied to the connecting plate 16 by the second drive pin 20b in the direction of the arrow 23b in the state of FIG. 6C, but the freezer compartment 5 has already been opened and the arrow 23c has been opened. Therefore, the freezer compartment 5 has a momentum corresponding to its own weight and speed including the container and the stored food, and the third receiving of the connecting plate 16 from the momentum and the third drive pin 20c. The opening operation can be further continued against the pulling force by the closer 13 by the force transmitted to the surface 21c.

Further, in the state (e) in which the rotating plate 19 is rotated in the CCW direction, the third drive pin 20c is substantially separated from the third receiving surface 21c. The range of the movement amount 33 of the connecting plate 16 from the state of FIG. 6A to the state of FIG. 6E is an open drive range in which the connecting plate 16 receives a force from the drive pin 20. become. Here, it is preferable that the amount of movement 33 of the connecting plate 16 is set to be larger than the closing urging range that is the amount of drawing by the closer 13. That is, if the retracting stroke by the closer, which is the closing urging range, is 40 mm and the moving amount 33 of the connecting plate 16 is 50 mm, the connecting plate 16 stops at the position shown in FIG. This is because even if the chamber 5 is stopped, the freezing chamber 5 just opened by the closer 13 is not closed. However, if the freezer compartment 5 is opened more than the state of FIG. 6 (e) and the connecting plate 16 moves to the left in the drawing, the connecting plate 16 does not receive the driving force from the drive pin 20, but the freezer compartment 5 Has a speed in the direction of the arrow 23d, so the opening operation is continued until it is gradually decelerated by the friction load of the slide rail 11 and stopped. Since it operates in this way, the opening amount of the freezer compartment 5 becomes larger than the moving amount 33 of the connecting plate 16.

  As described above, the driving force in the opening direction is not continuously applied during the opening operation of the freezer compartment 5, but the driving force is applied only in a short range at the beginning of opening, and thereafter, the moving speed obtained in the driving force range slides. Since the operation to stop while gradually decelerating by the frictional force of the rail can be realized, even if the freezer compartment 5 hits when the user is standing just before the door or when an object is placed, the opening direction It is safe because no driving force is applied.

As described above, when the freezer compartment 5 starts to be opened from the closed state, the first drive pin 20a disposed closest to the drive shaft 18 pushes and drives the connecting plate 16 to drive at a low speed. The magnet packing is peeled off by applying a large force, and the second drive pin 20b provided further away from the first drive pin 20a pushes the connecting plate 16 to generate a medium force at a medium speed. By driving, the freezing chamber 5 is accelerated against the pulling force of the closer 13 to accelerate the freezing chamber 5, and subsequently a third drive provided farther from the drive shaft 18 than the second drive pin 20b. The pin 20c pushes out the connecting plate 16, and although the force is small, the freezer compartment 5 can be further accelerated by being driven at a high speed, which is convenient for reliably performing the opening operation of the freezer compartment 5.

  In the configuration of the present invention, the position where the driving pin 20 contacts the connecting plate 16 and applies the driving force is substantially perpendicular to the opening direction 23 of the freezer compartment 5 when viewed from the driving shaft 18. The speed 23 is proportional to the rotational speed of the rotary plate 19 and the length of the arm to the drive pin 20. As a result, it is easy to increase the speed 23 for pushing out the door by using a rotating cam in the prior art, as compared with a configuration in which the door is pushed only by the change in radius to the contact point between the cam and the door. . With such a configuration, it is possible to realize an operation in which a driving force is applied only in a short range at which the opening starts, and thereafter the opening speed 23 obtained in the driving force range is gradually decelerated by the frictional force of the slide rail and stopped. This is preferable because it is possible.

  After the freezer compartment 5 is opened by the above operation, the rotating plate 19 further continues to rotate in the CCW direction, reaches the state of FIG. 6A and stops rotating. Needless to say, in this case, the connecting plate 16 is not at the position shown in FIG. 6A, and the freezer compartment 5 is open, so that it is moved to the left in the figure.

  As described above, in the door drive device according to the present invention, after the rotating plate 19 performs the opening operation of the freezer compartment 5 and then continues to rotate in the same direction and rotates once, the freezer compartment 5 is closed. Since the state can be returned to the origin range described in FIG. 8, it is convenient to return to the origin range at high speed. If the rotating plate 19 is not configured to rotate in one direction but opens the freezer compartment 5 and then stops once, rotates in the opposite direction and then returns to the origin range, the present invention. It is clear that it takes an extra time to return to the origin range as compared with the rotation in one direction.

(Calculation of opening amount)
The opening amount when the door 5a of the freezer compartment 5 is opened by the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the speed of the freezer compartment and the opening amount when the freezer compartment 5 is opened, and the freezing operation is performed in the range of the movement amount 33 by the opening operation of the freezer compartment door 5a explained in FIG. The chamber door 5a is opened by the door driving device 10 by applying a force in the opening direction from the driving pin 20 through the pressing surface 21. Here, since the freezer compartment door 5a has the speed V when it is opened by the movement amount 33 (5a '), it continues to open due to inertia, and further gradually decelerates without driving force during the inertia opening amount 74, and finally. Open to the position of the maximum opening amount 73 (5a ″) and stop.

Here, if the total mass of the freezer compartment door 5a including the contained food is m, the kinetic energy E at the position of the movement amount 33 is E = (m × V ^ 2) / 2 (Equation 1)
It is.

Here, if the friction coefficient of the slide rail 11 is μ and the gravitational acceleration is g, the frictional force F generated by the slide rail 11 is F = μ × m × g (Formula 2)
It becomes. The energy E2 consumed by the frictional force corresponds to the product of the frictional force F and the distance L moved while receiving the friction, that is, the inertia opening amount 74.
E2 = L × F = L × μ × m × g (Formula 3)
Here, if all of the kinetic energy that the freezer originally had was consumed by friction before stopping, E = E2,
(M × V ^ 2) / 2 = L × μ × m × g (Formula 4)
Divide both sides by m (V ^ 2) / 2 = L × μ × g (Formula 5)
Therefore, the inertia opening amount 74 (that is, L) transforms (Expression 5) to L = (V ^ 2) / (2 × μ × g) (Expression 6)
Represented as: That is, according to Equation 6, the inertia opening amount 74 (that is, L) is irrelevant to the mass m of the freezer compartment door 5a, and the friction coefficient μ of the slide rail and the speed V at the time of the movement amount 33, that is, the driving pin 20 and the pressing surface It can be seen that 21 is separated and the driving force in the opening direction transmitted from the rotating plate 19 to the connecting plate 16 is lost and depends only on the speed at which the opening starts due to inertia.

  Here, although the mass m of the freezer compartment door 5a naturally depends on the amount of food stored, the maximum opening 73 of the freezer compartment door 5a when the freezer compartment is opened electrically is generally constant regardless of the amount of food. It is desirable to be. That is, since the frictional resistance μ of the slide rail 11 is a constant value determined by the slide rail 11, it is desirable to reduce the fluctuation of the speed V due to the amount of food in order to make the maximum opening 73 substantially constant. Therefore, it is desirable that the reduction ratio of the drive mechanism 15 be sufficiently large to reduce the fluctuation of the load torque applied to the motor 24 to reduce the fluctuation of the rotational speed. For example, the reduction ratio is set to 1/100 or more. desirable. By increasing the reduction ratio, the output torque by the motor 24 has a margin, so that the fluctuation of the rotational speed of the motor 24 due to the amount of food can be reduced, and the maximum opening amount 73 due to the amount of food can be reduced. This is preferable because the fluctuation can be reduced.

(Contrast with cam configuration)
The speed V when the freezer compartment 5 is opened by the moving amount 33 and moved by inertia is the speed at which the third drive pin 20c moves in the opening direction 23d as described with reference to FIG. It is proportional to the rotational speed of the plate 19 and is proportional to the rotation radius r, which is the distance between the contact point 75 c between the third drive pin 21 c and the third push surface 21 c and the rotation center of the drive shaft 18. Here, as shown in FIGS. 6D to 6E, the position of the contact 75c (75d in FIG. 6E) opens when the drive shaft 18 that is the center of rotation is used as a reference. The third drive pin 20c rotates around the drive shaft 18 at a speed that the connecting plate 16 moves in the opening direction 23 because it is located in the upper part of the figure, which is a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction 23. It becomes substantially equal to the circumferential speed which is the speed in the circumferential direction.

  Next, in order to compare with the configuration described above, the opening speed in a configuration using a conventionally known cam will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 13, a cam 76 is pivotally supported around a rotation center 77 in a direction of rotation 80, and has a flat plate shape with an outer periphery 78 eccentric. A cam receiving plate 79 is provided in contact with the outer periphery 78 of the cam 76, and the cam receiving plate 79 is provided in the freezer compartment 5, and the cam receiving plate 79 rotates in the direction of the arrow 81 when the cam 76 rotates in the rotation direction 80. The freezer compartment 5 opens together with the cam receiving plate 79 to the left in the figure. At this time, when the cam 76 is at a position 76 ′ indicated by a broken line, the cam receiving plate 79 ′ is in contact with the contact 86. When the peripheral speed of the contact 86 at this time is represented by an arrow 83, the speed at which the cam receiving plate 79 ′ moves in the opening direction on the left side of the figure is the amount of the arrow 84 that is a projection component of the peripheral speed arrow 83 in the opening direction. The cam 76 and the cam plate 79 are slipped by the arrow 85 which is a projection component in the direction orthogonal to the opening direction. In this way, the speed in the opening direction in the case of the configuration using the cam is only a change in the radius of the contact point between the cam 76 and the cam receiving plate 79 generated by the rotation of the cam 76. Is less than the peripheral speed of the cam 76, and slip occurs between the cam 76 and the cam receiving plate 79, so that the cam 76 and the cam receiving plate 79 are worn and rubbed. Problems are likely to occur.

  Furthermore, in the structure using the cam shown in FIG. 13, it is a function only to push the door to the left, and there is no function to close the door.

(Closing action)
When the freezer compartment 5 is closed, the freezer compartment 5 is not closed until the magnet packing 14 is adsorbed for some reason, and a so-called half-door state is created in which a gap is formed between the magnet packing 14 and the refrigerator body 1. There is. The operation of the door drive device 10 when the door is in the half door state will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an operation when the door driving device 10 according to the present invention closes the freezer compartment 5,
In (a), the freezer compartment 5 is not closed, and the illustrated left end of the connecting plate 16 is moved from the retracted position 34 by an opening amount 35 that is a closing drive range in which the closing operation can be performed. It is shown that. If the freezer 5 is provided with a closer 13, the freezer is usually pulled in and closed by the pulling force generated by the closer 13, but a part of the food is caught or slides for some reason. There are rare cases where the operation of the rail 11 is temporarily awkward and cannot be pulled in.

  Here, when the rotary plate 19 is rotated around the drive shaft 18 in the direction of the arrow CW, the third drive pin 20c comes into contact with the return surface 22 on the left side in the figure facing the receiving surface 21 of the connecting plate 16. FIG. 7B shows a state in which the rotating plate 19 is further rotated in the direction of arrow CW, but the connecting plate 16 is pushed and moved in the direction of arrow 36 by the third drive pin 20c, so that the connecting plate 16 The left end of the figure moves to the retracted position 34. The position shown in FIG. 7B indicates that the freezer compartment 5 is completely closed until the magnet packing 14 is attracted to the refrigerator body 1. Thereafter, the rotating plate 19 is rotated in the direction of the arrow CCW to be in the state of FIG. 7C, and is rotated to the same position as shown in FIG. 3 and stopped.

  By operating as described above, even if the freezer compartment 5 is not completely closed and is in a so-called half-door state, by rotating the rotating plate 19 in the opposite direction to when the freezer compartment 5 is opened, Since it can close by applying the force of the direction which closes the freezer compartment 5 with respect to the connection plate 16, a half door can be prevented and it is suitable.

  As described above, the force for opening the freezer compartment 5 needs to be more than the total of the force for peeling the magnet packing 14 and the pulling force by the closer 13, but when closing the magnet packing 14 is pulled. Since the peeling force is unnecessary and the pulling force by the closer 13 is generated, the closing force applied by the door driving device 10 according to the present invention is sufficient as a weak force compared to the opening force.

  According to the present embodiment, when the freezer compartment 5 is closed, the third drive pin 20c farthest from the drive shaft 18 pushes the return surface 22 of the connecting plate 16, so that the drive torque applied to the drive shaft 18 is increased. Even if the opening force is the same as that at the time of opening, the closing force is preferably smaller by r1 / r3 than the opening force. Furthermore, even if a finger or the like is sandwiched between the freezer compartment 5 and the refrigerator main body 1, the force to be sandwiched is small and the safety is high.

  Furthermore, it is safer to perform the closing operation slowly at a lower closing speed. Therefore, it is desirable to make the closing operation slower than the opening operation of the freezer compartment 5.

  Here, the closing drive range that is the opening amount 35 that can close the freezer compartment 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The opening amount 35 is the door thickness that is the thickness of the door body 5 a that forms the front surface of the freezer compartment 5. It is desirable to make it smaller than 71. This is because if the opening amount 35 is larger than the door thickness 71, a finger or the like is put in the inter-door gap 72 generated between the freezer compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6 or the switching chamber 3 door when the freezer compartment 5 is started to be retracted. Although there is a risk of being pinched, if the opening amount 35 is set to be smaller than the door thickness 71, there is no possibility of fingers being pinched, so that safety is further enhanced.

(Manual operation)
Next, a suitable position of the rotating plate 19 when the freezer compartment 5 is closed will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the connecting plate 16 shown by a solid line is in a position where the left end in the drawing matches the drawing position 34 and the freezer compartment 5 is closed. In the refrigerator, even if the door driving device 10 according to the present invention is provided, the freezer compartment 5 may be manually pulled out by the user for some reason. Alternatively, when the door drive device 10 does not operate due to a failure, it is desirable that the user can manually open and close it freely. When manually opening and closing in this way, it is desirable that the door driving device 10 has a configuration that does not prevent a user from manually operating when the freezer compartment 5 is opened or closed, or that the operation becomes heavy.

  If the user manually pulls out and opens the freezer compartment 5 from the state in which the freezer compartment 5 is closed, the connecting plate 16 provided in the freezer compartment 5 moves to the left side in the figure and becomes the position of the broken line. In the position of the broken line, each symbol is indicated by adding '. Here, the rotary plate 19 is in the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8, and the second tip 37b, which is the tip of the second receiving surface 21b provided on the connecting plate 16 at that position, and the first drive pin 20a. If there is a positional relationship in which the second tip 37b and the first drive pin 20a do not come into contact with each other when the connecting plate 16 moves to the left in the drawing, the user manually enters the freezer compartment. Since the connecting plate 16 and the drive pin 20 are not in contact with each other when the 5 is pulled out, the freezer compartment 5 can be freely pulled out and opened.

  Next, the rotary plate 19 is at a broken line position 19 ′, and there is a gap 39 between the first tip 37a provided on the connecting plate 16 and the third drive pin 20c at that position, so that the connecting plate 16 If the first tip 37a and the third drive pin 20c ′ are in a positional relationship that does not come into contact with each other when moving to the left in the figure, when the user manually pulls out the freezer compartment 5, the connecting plate 16 and the drive pin 20 Can be freely pulled out and opened.

  As described above, when the user manually opens and closes the freezer compartment 5, the connection plate 16 and the drive pin 20 do not come into contact with each other so that the line connecting the drive shaft 18 and the first drive pin 20a is the origin. It suffices to be within the angle range of the range 40. Therefore, when the freezer compartment 5 is closed, it is desirable to set the rotating plate 19 to be within the above-described origin range 40, and it is convenient to use when manually opening and closing. Such an angle range of the rotating plate 19 is referred to as being in the origin range in the present invention.

(Control system configuration)
Next, the configuration of a control system for controlling the door driving device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system.

  The operation display unit 7 having the open switch 8 sends a signal to the control board 41 when the user presses the open switch 8. The motor 24 of the drive mechanism 15 provided in the freezer compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6, the rotation detection means 32 for detecting the rotational position of the drive shaft 18, and the door detection 17 for detecting the open / closed state of the door are control boards. 41.

  Reference numeral 92 denotes a switch body of an open switch that is operated by a user provided on the door body 5a of the freezer compartment 5 or the door body 6a of the vegetable compartment 6, and will be described in detail later.

Electric power necessary for driving the door driving device 10 and the control circuit 41 is supplied from a power source 42.
As an example, the rotation detection means 32 may be a variable resistor whose resistance value changes with rotation of the shaft, or may be detection means such as a microswitch for detecting a predetermined rotation position of the shaft.

  The door detection 17 detects the first door detection for detecting whether or not the door of the freezer compartment 5 is completely closed, and detects whether or not the opening amount of the freezer compartment 5 door is a predetermined opening amount 35 or less. For example, a magnet provided in the door and a hall element provided in the refrigerator main body 1 may be used, or a detecting means such as a microswitch may be used.

  The operation display unit 7 may be provided with notification means 70 for notifying the user that the door is in a half-door state. An example of the notification means 70 sounds a buzzer or lights or blinks a lamp.

(Opening control)
The procedure of opening control when opening the freezer compartment 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for opening control when the freezer compartment 5 is opened.

When the opening operation is started (block 43), the control circuit 41 energizes the motor 24 (block 47) to rotate the rotating plate 19 when the control circuit 41 detects that the opening switch 8 has been operated by the user. The rotating direction of the rotating plate 19 at this time is the arrow CCW direction in FIG. 3, and when the rotating plate 19 rotates, the connecting plate 16 is pushed by the drive pin 20 as described in FIG. 5 opens. When it is confirmed that the motor 24 continues to rotate and the rotational position of the rotating plate 19 detected by the rotation detecting means 32 has entered the origin range 40 (block 48), the motor is stopped (block 49). The opening operation is terminated (block 50).

(How to apply voltage)
Here, how to apply a voltage when energizing the motor (block 47) and starting to open the freezer compartment 5 will be described. When the rated voltage is suddenly applied when the motor is energized, an inrush current flows in the motor coil, and the motor starts to rotate rapidly from a stopped state with a maximum output torque. Therefore, when the freezer compartment 5 starts to open, maximum acceleration is performed, and the opening operation starts sharply and vigorously.

  Therefore, when the motor 24 is energized (block 47), the rated voltage is not sharply applied, but at the beginning of energization, for example, a low voltage of about 1/2 of the rated voltage is applied, and the door driving device 10 starts driving. Thereafter, as the freezer compartment 5 is opened, the voltage is gradually increased, and in the opening operation shown in FIG. 6, the opening direction is transmitted from the drive pin 20 to the connecting plate 16 in the states (c) to (d). It is desirable that energization is performed to change the voltage up to the rated voltage by increasing the voltage continuously or intermittently until the speed to 23 is maximized. By gradually increasing the voltage in such a manner, the operation when the freezer compartment 5 starts to open becomes slow, so that it is not opened vigorously, and a high-class feeling can be given to the way of opening.

Furthermore, after passing through the state of FIG. 6 (e), the rotating plate 19 continues to rotate in the direction of the arrow CCW and then stops after rotating to the position shown in FIG. 6 (a). After the freezer compartment 5 is opened, the rotating plate 19 is idled without being loaded. Therefore, after passing the state of FIG. 6 (e), the voltage applied to the motor 24 may be made lower than the rated voltage, and the rotational speed of the motor 24 may be made low. By reducing the rotation of the motor 24 as described above, there is an effect that noise and vibration generated from the motor 24 can be reduced and a quiet operation can be realized. Further, it is desirable to reliably stop the rotating plate 19 within the origin range 40 described with reference to FIG. 8. However, since the motor 24 does not go too far when stopped by rotating at a low speed, the stopping accuracy is improved, which is preferable. .

(Switch configuration)
Next, an example of the configuration of the switch when the user gives an opening instruction to the opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view of a refrigerator provided with a door opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention, and FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of an S portion shown in FIG. S part has shown the vicinity of the upper edge of the door body 5a which comprises the front surface of the freezer compartment 5, and the frame body 87 by the side of the main body 1 which contact | abuts a door when a door is closed.

  A push button 88 is provided at the upper end of the door body 5a and protrudes from the door body 5a. A push rod 89 is provided on the back side of the push button 88, and the push button 88 and the push rod 89 are slidably supported through the door body 5a. The push button 88 and the push rod 89 are applied with a leftward force in FIG. 20A due to the return force generated by the return sprink 90 and are held in position by a stopper (not shown).

A switch body 92 such as a micro switch is provided on the side of the frame body 87 that is in contact with the door body 5 a, and a wiring 94 extending from the switch body 92 to the control circuit 41 is provided inside the frame body 87.

  When the user pushes the push button 88 by hand, the push button 88 and the push rod 89 can be moved to the right side of the figure by the push amount 91 as shown in FIG. By pressing the plunger 93 provided on the switch body 92, a contact (not shown) provided in the switch body 92 is closed, and a signal indicating that the user has pressed the push button 88 can be transmitted to the control circuit 41.

  When the user releases the hand from the push button 88, the push button 88 and the push bar 89 are moved to the left in the figure by the leftward force generated by the return spring 90, so that the state shown in FIG. Returning, the plunger 93 returns and the contact inside the switch body 92 returns to the open state. With this configuration, the switch main body 92 and the wiring connecting the switch main body 92 to the control circuit 41 can be provided only within the frame body 87 on the main body side. There is an effect that it is not necessary to provide.

If the switch body 92 is provided on the door body 5a unlike the above configuration, the wiring 94 must be routed from the door body 5a to the refrigerator body 1 and connected to the control circuit 41, but the door body 5a is opened and closed as a drawer. Therefore, when the freezer compartment 5 is closed, the wiring 94 needs to be in a sagging state with an extra length greater than the maximum opening of the freezer compartment 5. In this configuration, when the freezer compartment 5 is pulled out, it is necessary to pull out the slack wiring 94 together. However, the wiring 94 may be tangled or caught by something when opening and closing.

(Normal closing control)
The control procedure when closing the freezer compartment 5 from a so-called half-door state in which the freezer compartment 5 is not completely closed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of closing control when closing the freezer compartment 5. After the control is started (block 51), the first door detection 17a cannot detect the closing of the door, and the second door detection 17b has an opening amount of the door and the refrigerator main body 1 being an opening amount of 35 or less. Is detected, the freezer compartment 5 is open with an opening amount of 35 or less. If the second door detection 17b cannot detect the door, the freezer compartment 5 is opened with an opening amount of 35 or more, and therefore cannot be closed with the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention. In this case, when the half door continues for a predetermined time (for example, about 1 minute), the notification means 70 is sounded to notify the user of an alarm that the half door is a half door (block 57).

  If the second door detection 17b can detect the door, the freezer compartment 5 is in a half-door state and can be closed by the door driving device 10, so the motor 24 is energized (block 58). The rotation direction at this time is the CW direction in FIG. Further, at this time, if the rotation speed of the rotating plate 16 is reduced by reducing the voltage applied to the motor 24 to, for example, about 1/2 to 1/3 of the rated voltage, Since the third drive pin 20c does not collide with the third receiving surface 21c of the connecting plate 19, the third drive pin 20c is preferable.

If the motor 24 is energized in the CW direction for a predetermined time, for example, 3 seconds (block 59), the rotating plate 19 reaches the state shown in FIG. 7B and the connecting plate 16 is moved in the direction of arrow 36, that is, in the direction of closing the freezer compartment 5. The freezer 5 is closed by moving. After a predetermined time has elapsed, this time, the motor 24 is energized so as to rotate in the CCW direction (block 60), and the rotating plate 19 rotates until it reaches the origin range 40 (shown in FIG. 8) as shown in FIG. 7C. If it is detected by the signal from the rotation detection means 32 that the position is within the origin range 40 (block 61), the rotation of the motor 24 is stopped (block 62). Here, if the first door detection 17a detects that the freezer compartment 5 is closed (block 63), it can be confirmed that the freezer compartment 5 has been completely closed, so the processing is terminated (block). 66). If the first door detection door detection 17a cannot detect the closing of the freezer compartment 5, it can be determined that the half-door state continues, so that the processing from block 58 to block 63, that is, the motor 24 is energized. Then, the operation of rotating the rotating plate 19 in the CW direction to close the freezer compartment 5 is repeated a plurality of times (block 64). If it is not possible to detect the closing of the first door detection 17a even after repeating this closing operation a predetermined number of times, for example, three times, it is determined that, for example, something is caught and the freezer compartment 5 cannot be closed. The means 70 is sounded to notify the user of an alarm that the door is half-door (block 65).

  Furthermore, for example, in order to prevent a phenomenon such as a child accidentally pressing the door opening switch 8 to open the freezer compartment 5 and hit the child's body, the opening operation of the freezer compartment 5 described with reference to FIG. 10 is not performed. Alternatively, the operation of the open switch may be disabled, and the user can select to perform only the closing operation shown in FIG.

(Stroke expansion with 4-stage configuration)
In the above description, a configuration in which three drive pins 20 are provided on the rotating plate 19 has been described. However, the drive pins 20 are not limited to three, and will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 12, the fourth drive pin 20d is provided on the rotary plate 19 at a position at a distance r4 (> r3) from the drive shaft 18. The coupling plate 16 is provided with a fourth receiving surface 21d on which the fourth drive pin 20d abuts.

  In the operation of opening the freezer compartment 5, the same operation as shown in FIG. 6 is performed, and in addition, the fourth drive pin 20 d pushes the fourth receiving surface 21 d to the left in the figure, so that the connecting plate 16 rotates. The range for receiving force from the plate 19 is expanded. In addition, since r4> r3, if the rotational speed of the drive shaft 18 is constant, the speed at which the fourth drive pin 20d pushes the fourth receiving surface 21d to the left in the figure is the case where there is no fourth drive pin 20d. It becomes larger by r4 / r3. As described above, since both the range of force and the speed are enlarged, when the freezer compartment 5 is opened, the opening amount of the freezer compartment 5 is enlarged, and from the user's point of view, after pressing the open switch 8 The response of the opening movement of the can be improved and a comfortable operation feeling can be obtained.

  Further, when the rotating plate 19 is rotated in the direction of arrow CW and the connecting plate 16 is moved in the direction of arrow 36 in the same manner as described in FIG. The fourth receiving surface 21d is pushed. Since the fourth drive pin 21d is farther away from the drive shaft 18 than the r4 and the third drive pin 21c, the opening 35 of the connecting plate 16 is set to about r4 /. Even if r3 is increased, the freezer compartment 5 can be closed. In this way, since the opening amount 35 that can be closed from the half-door state can be increased, the freezer compartment 5 can be more reliably closed even if a half-door is generated, energy saving can be realized, and the stored food can be removed from the outside air. Deterioration due to intrusion can be prevented.

(Mounting mechanism (2))
Next, with reference to FIG. 14 to FIG. 17, a description will be given of a rotation driving body and a connecting member when the door driving device 10 shown in FIG. 3 is incorporated in an actual refrigerator.

In the figure, 10 is a door drive device, 15 is a drive mechanism attached to the bottom wall side of the freezer compartment, 18 is a drive shaft, 19 is a rotating plate that is a rotating member that is rotated by the drive shaft 18, and this rotating plate 19 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the drive pin 20 is a drive transmission member that expands the stroke in a four-stage configuration.
(20a ... first drive pin, 20b ... second drive pin, 20c ... third drive pin, 20d ... fourth drive pin) are provided.

  The distance between the drive pins 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d and the drive shaft 18 is determined from the rotation center in order from the direction CW opposite to the direction CCW in which the rotation plate 19 is rotated when the drawer door is opened. It forms so that it may become a position where distance becomes long.

Further, the height dimension H of the drive pins 20a, 20d is formed approximately twice as high as the height dimension h of the drive pins 20b, 20c as shown in FIG. In other words, as shown in FIG. 15, the drive pins 20b and 20c have dimensions that do not come into contact with the receiving surfaces 21a and 21d of the connecting plate 16 with which the drive pins 20a and 20d come into contact due to the difference in the contact position in the height direction. Has been.

  As a result, even if an abnormality occurs between the rotating plate 19 and the connecting plate 16, the drive pin 20b is prevented from biting into the receiving surface 21a and the rotating plate 19 and the connecting plate 16 are prevented from locking. It is. Similarly, the drive pin 20c can be prevented from biting into the receiving surface 21d by the difference in the contact position in the height direction.

  Reference numeral 95 denotes a magnet provided on the rotary plate 19, and this magnet 95 is used to position the origin of the rotary plate 19 that is rotated by the drive shaft 18.

  That is, the rotating plate 19 driven by the drive shaft 18 is always stopped at the position shown in FIG. 15 after the rotation, as described above. For example, even when a power failure occurs, the rotating plate 19 is not interfered with the connecting plate 16 and is not interfered with the door. Open and close manually.

  For this purpose, it is stopped at the position of the magnet 95 (the position shown in Fig. 15 (the origin range 40 (see Fig. 8)). In other words, the Hall IC that detects whether or not the magnet 95 is located in the origin range 40. (Not shown) is attached to the base plate 15a on the back side of the rotary plate 19 to control the stop of the drive shaft 18.

  Needless to say, the rotation detecting means 32 may be a detecting means such as a variable resistor whose resistance value changes with rotation of the shaft or a micro switch for detecting a predetermined position of the shaft, as described above.

  Reference numeral 96 denotes a guide guide provided on the base plate 15 a forming the drive mechanism 15. This guide guide 96 is made by providing two projecting pieces 96a and 96b side by side, and the opening on the entrance side is formed wider as shown in FIG. This is because the sliding portion 16 a of the connecting plate 16 can easily enter the guide guide 96. That is, since the connecting plate 16 is attached to the drawer door side, not only the dimensional error on the refrigerator main body side but also the assembly error is affected, and the dimensional error and assembly error on the drawer door side on which the connecting plate 16 is assembled. to be influenced. For this reason, the position of the sliding portion 16a that slides in the previous guide guide 96 often shifts to the left and right. This is because the previous sliding portion 16a can easily enter the guide guide 96 even if there is this error.

The protrusion 96b is provided with two Hall ICs 97 and 98. The Hall ICs 97 and 98 operate by detecting the approach or separation of the magnet 99 provided on the sliding portion 16a of the connecting plate 16, and stop the drive shaft 18 that drives the rotating plate 19.

  Further, the Hall IC 97 detects whether or not the door of the freezer compartment 5 is completely closed, and the Hall IC 98 detects a predetermined opening amount (the opening degree of the door of the freezer compartment 5 is a driving range for closing the rotating plate 19). For example, it is detected with the magnet 99 on the connecting plate 16 side whether or not the opening amount is 35 or less.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 16, when the magnet 99 faces the Hall IC 97 and the Hall IC 98, the door is completely closed (for example, the opening amount is 35), and the magnet 99 is located between the Hall IC 97 and the Hall IC 98. When the door is in the half door state (for example, opening amount 35), the drawer door is in the closed drive range. Then, in this half door state, the control means shown in FIG. 9 controls to rotate the rotating plate 19 in the CW direction as shown in FIG. 12 and close the drawer door. Note that the door of the freezer compartment 5 is normally in a fully closed state and is waiting.

  The rotating plate 19 and the connecting plate 16 operate in the same manner as described above (in a four-stage configuration, stroke expansion).

  The difference from this (above-mentioned four-stage configuration and stroke expansion) is that only the first drive pin 20a can be brought into contact with the first receiving surface 21a.

That is, since the first drive pin 20a and the second drive pin 20b have different height dimensions, the second drive pin 20b has a structure that does not reach the first receiving surface 21a.
Another significant difference is that a guide guide 96 is formed, and two Hall ICs 97 and 98 are provided on a projecting piece 96b that forms the guide guide 96.

  That is, the two Hall ICs 97 and 98 surely perform the opening operation of the freezer compartment 5 due to the positional relationship with the magnet 99 provided on the connecting plate 16 side, and the so-called half-door state without the freezer compartment 5 being completely closed. Even if the rotation plate 19 is rotated, the rotating plate 19 can be closed by rotating the connecting plate 16 in the direction opposite to the case of opening the freezing chamber 5 by applying a force in the direction of closing the freezing chamber 5. By preventing the door, the cooling performance can be prevented from being lowered or an energy saving effect can be obtained.

  Of course, the return surface 22 of the connecting plate 16 is pushed in the direction of closing the door by the fourth drive pin 20d as described in FIG.

  At this time, the return surface 22 is preferably an inclined surface of 45 degrees or less from an angle perpendicular to the sliding portion 16a in order to improve the movement of the drive pin 20d.

  The driving device 15 is fixed to the box side constituting the freezer compartment 5 with a screw or the like. Accordingly, the rotating plate 19 is naturally left on the box side when the door of the freezer compartment is pulled out. On the other hand, the connecting plate 16 attached to the freezer compartment door side is pulled out together with the door. When the door is pulled out, the engagement relationship between the rotating plate 19 and the connecting plate 16 described above is canceled as a matter of course. In other words, the mounting structure of the rotating plate 19 and the connecting plate 16 occupies a very important weight.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, the base material 15a to which the rotating plate 19 is attached and the guide guide 96 are integrally formed to ensure the dimensions, and the guide groove width between the projecting pieces 96a and 96b forming the guide guide 96 is as follows. The dimension is made close to the thickness of the sliding portion 16a on the side of the connecting plate 16 to secure the mounting position of both the rotating plate 19 and the connecting plate 16, and the dimensional relationship is stabilized.

  Furthermore, the variation in the vertical dimension with respect to the box due to the attachment of the connecting plate 16 to the door side is taken by securing a sufficient wrap allowance between the projecting pieces 96a, 96b and the sliding portion 16a.

(Up / down movement)
Furthermore, the operation when the door driving device according to the present invention is provided in both the freezer compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6 will be described. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the vegetable compartment 6 is in the vicinity of the bottom of the lowermost stage, and the freezer compartment 5 is provided on the upper stage.

  When the user stands in front of the refrigerator 1 and opens the freezer 5, if the amount that the freezer 5 is electrically opened is, for example, about 15 cm to 20 cm, the inside of the freezer is looked over from the opening when opened. This is preferable. On the other hand, in the vegetable compartment 6, if the vegetable compartment 6 is opened in the same manner as the freezer compartment because the vegetable compartment 6 is in the vicinity of the floor surface, the lower end of the door of the vegetable compartment 6 may hit the user's toe when opened.

  In order to prevent the lower end of the door of the vegetable compartment 6 from hitting the user's toe when the door is opened, the vegetable compartment 6 in the lower stage has a lower opening speed when opening than the freezer compartment 5 in the upper stage. In addition, it is desirable for safety to further reduce the opening amount to within 10 cm, for example.

  In the above description, the vegetable room is described as being lower than the freezer room. However, when the freezer room is located lower than the vegetable room, the opening amount or opening speed of the freezer room is smaller than that of the vegetable room. It is desirable to do.

(Close control at power-on)
Next, a control procedure at the time of power-on and power failure recovery (hereinafter referred to as power-on) of the refrigerator body 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a control procedure when the refrigerator main body 1 is powered on. When the refrigerator main body 1 is turned on, control of the door driving device 10 is started (block 51), and the Hall IC 97 that is the first door detection cannot detect the closing of the door (block 54), and the second door detection. When the hall IC 98 detects that the opening amount of the door and the refrigerator main body 1 is a predetermined amount (for example, the opening amount 35 or less in the closing drive range) (block 56), the freezer compartment 5 is opened with the opening amount 35 or less. It is in the state. If the hall IC 98, which is the second door detection, cannot detect the door, the freezer compartment 5 is opened to an opening amount of 35 or more, and therefore cannot be closed by the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention. In this case, when the half door continues for a predetermined time (for example, about 1 minute), the notification means 70 is sounded to notify the user of an alarm that the half door is a half door (block 57).

  If the hall IC 98, which is the second door detection, can detect the door, the freezer compartment 5 is in a half-door state and can be closed by the door driving device 10. In this case, since the operation is not predicted by the user, it is determined whether the door is once closed or opened after the power is turned on (block 52). If it is determined that the door is already closed or opened, the motor 24 is energized ( Block 58). The rotation direction at this time is the CW direction in FIG. Furthermore, if the rotational speed of the rotating plate 16 is lowered by reducing the voltage applied to the motor 24 to, for example, about 1/2 to 1/3 of the rated voltage, the rotating plate 16 moves in the CW direction at a low speed. Since it rotates, the third drive pin 20c is suitable because it does not cause an impact that collides with the third receiving surface 21c of the connecting plate 19.

  If the motor 24 is energized in the CW direction for a predetermined time, for example, 3 seconds (block 59), the rotating plate 19 reaches the state shown in FIG. 7B and the connecting plate 16 is moved in the direction of arrow 36, that is, in the direction of closing the freezer compartment 5. The freezer 5 is closed by moving. Further, after a predetermined time has passed, the motor 24 is energized so as to rotate in the CCW direction (block 60), and the rotating plate 19 enters the origin range 40 (shown in FIG. 8) as shown in FIG. 7C. Rotation is detected by a Hall IC (not shown) attached to the rotating plate 19 and installed on the base plate 15a on the back side of the magnet 95 to determine whether or not the rotating plate 19 is located at the position shown in FIG. When it is detected by the signal from the detection means 32 that the position is within the origin range 40 (block 61), the rotation of the motor 24 is stopped (block 62). Here, if the Hall IC 97 which is the first door detection detects the closing of the freezer compartment 5 (block 63), it has been confirmed that the freezer compartment 5 has been completely closed, so the processing is terminated (block 66). ). If the first door detection 17a cannot detect the closing of the freezer compartment 5, it can be determined that the half-door state is continuing, so the processing from block 58 to block 63, that is, the motor 24 is energized and rotated. The operation of rotating the plate 19 in the CW direction to close the freezer compartment 5 is repeated a plurality of times (block 64). If it is not possible to detect the closing of the first door detection 17a even after repeating this closing operation a predetermined number of times, for example, three times, it is determined that, for example, something is caught and the freezer compartment 5 cannot be closed. The means 70 is sounded to notify the user of an alarm that the door is half-door (block 65).

  If it is determined that the door has not been closed or opened after the power is turned on (block 52), the control returns to the start of the control (block 51) again and restarts from the first door detection determination (block 54). The user's unexpected operation is prevented by not performing the closing control.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 22, when it is determined that the door is not closed or opened (block 52) after the power is turned on, the door is not closed or opened yet (block 52). (About 1 minute) If the half-door continues and notifies the half-door alarm, but the half-door state still continues, the user determines that it is not in the vicinity of the refrigerator, and the motor is operated in the same way as normal closing control. 24 is energized to control closing and prevent half-doors. Further, when the user determines that the user is not present in the vicinity of the refrigerator and then drives the door in the closing direction, the safety is enhanced by driving the door to close while warning using the door opening notification means.

  According to the present embodiment, it becomes possible to open the door lightly by reducing the opening force of the drawer door of the refrigerator, or to improve the energy saving effect by automatically closing the door from the so-called half-door state. Can do. When the power is turned on such as when the refrigerator is installed or when power is restored, the door drive device does not drive even if the door opening amount is within the drive range, and a half-door alarm notifies the user to close or open the door. Since the closing control is performed thereafter, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent a movement that is safe and not predicted by the user.

  That is, when the freezer compartment 5 starts to be opened from the closed state, the first drive pin 20a disposed closest to the drive shaft 18 pushes and drives the connecting plate 16, thereby generating a large force at a low speed. Then, the magnet packing is peeled off, and then the second drive pin 20b provided farther than the first drive pin 20a pushes the connecting plate 16 and drives it with a medium force at a medium speed. The opening operation is continued against the pulling force of the closer 13 to accelerate the freezer compartment 5, and further, a third drive pin 20c provided farther from the drive shaft 18 than the second drive pin 20b is connected. The freezing chamber 5 can be further accelerated by pushing out the plate 16 and driving at a high speed with a small force. Therefore, it is convenient to surely perform the opening operation of the freezing chamber 5, and the opening operation surely. Can be carried out, there is an effect that.

Furthermore, even if the freezer compartment 5 is not completely closed and is in a so-called half-door state, the rotating plate 19 is rotated in the opposite direction to the case where the freezer compartment 5 is opened, thereby freezing the connecting plate 16. Since the chamber 5 can be closed by applying a force in the closing direction, a half-door is prevented and an energy saving effect is obtained. By repeating the above closing operation a plurality of times, the effect of further ensuring the prevention of half-doors can be obtained.

  Further, if the opening amount 35 for starting to close the freezer compartment is made smaller than the door thickness 71, there is no risk that a finger or the like may be caught, so that there is an effect that safety is high.

  When manually opening and closing, the door opening and closing mechanism according to the present invention does not contact the drive mechanism provided in the refrigerator main body and the connecting plate provided integrally with the drawer door, so that the user manually opens and closes the drawer. There is an effect that it is easy to use because it does not hinder the operation or the opening / closing operation becomes heavy, and the user's usability is not impaired even in the event of a failure.

  In addition, there is no accident that the drive pin on the rotating plate side is caught when the drive mechanism (rotating plate) and connecting plate are engaged (sliding). Is something that can be done.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, even when the door opening amount is within the closed drive range when the power is turned on immediately after the refrigerator is installed or when the power is turned on after the power failure is restored, the door driving device is not driven once. By causing the user to open and close the door, the user is made conscious of opening and closing the door, and driving the door driving device from then on has the effect of preventing unintended movements that the user does not predict.

  Furthermore, when the power is turned on immediately after the refrigerator is installed, or when the power is turned on after a power failure, even if the door opening amount is closed and within the drive range, the door drive device is not driven and the user can open and close the door once. To close the door with consciousness to open / close the door, or monitor the passage of a predetermined time after the door has continued for a predetermined period of time and the half-door alarm sounded. If it is continued, it is determined that the user is not near the refrigerator and the door driving device is driven to close the drawer door, thereby preventing a half-door and obtaining an energy saving effect. Even if it is determined that there is not, it is possible to drive the door driving device while sounding an alarm so as to alert the user and enable safer control.

(Application to others)
In the present embodiment, the door driving device 10 is provided on the drawer door of the freezer compartment 5 or the vegetable compartment 6. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the refrigerating compartment door 2 is rotatable. It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even if it is provided on the door.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the refrigerator is provided with the door driving device has been described, but it is not limited to the refrigerator, for example, a file cabinet for storing documents or a sink built-in type that is used by pulling out toward the front. It is apparent that the present invention can be applied to a drawer-type device such as a dishwasher, and in that case, the same effect as described in the present invention can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the drive mechanism 15 is configured by only a spur gear is shown, but the drive mechanism 15 is not limited to a spur gear, and may be configured by using a worm gear.

  Furthermore, the drive pin 20 may be a rotary roller instead of the cylindrical pin as in the present embodiment.

  Further, in order to determine that the user is not near the refrigerator, a means (such as an area sensor) for directly sensing a person may be provided to determine that the user is not near the refrigerator.

The perspective view which shows the structure of the refrigerator by this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the refrigerator by this invention. The top view which shows the structure of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The perspective view which shows the structure of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The perspective view which shows the structure of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The figure explaining opening operation | movement of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The figure explaining closing operation | movement of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The figure explaining the position at the time of the stop of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The flowchart which shows the control procedure in the case of opening operation of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The flowchart which shows the control procedure in the case of the closing operation | movement of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The figure which shows another structure of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The figure explaining the structure by the conventional cam. The perspective view of the drive mechanism explaining the attachment state of each member centering on the rotation drive body shown in FIG. The top view for demonstrating operation | movement of a door drive device. The side view of the door drive device of FIG. The front view of the door drive device of FIG. The figure explaining opening operation | movement of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the open switch of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The enlarged view which shows the structure of the open switch of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The flowchart which shows the control procedure in the case of closing operation at the time of power activation of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention. The flowchart which shows the control procedure in the case of closing operation at the time of power activation of the drawer door drive device of the refrigerator by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Refrigerator body
2 Refrigeration room 2a Refrigeration room door 3 Switching room 3a Switching room door 4 Ice making room 5 Freezing room 5a Freezing room door 6 Vegetable room 6a Vegetable room door 7 Operation display part 8 Open switch 10 Door drive 11 Slide rail 12 Container 13 Closer 14 Magnet packing 15 Drive mechanism 15a Base plate 16 Connecting plate 16a Sliding part 17 Door detection 17a First door detection 17b Second door detection 18 Drive shaft 19 Rotating plate 20 Drive pin 20a First drive pin 20b Second drive Pin 20c Third drive pin 20d Fourth drive pin 21 Receiving surface 21a First receiving surface 21b Second receiving surface 21c Third receiving surface 21d Fourth receiving surface 22 Return surface 23 Opening direction 24 Motor 25 Motor Pinion 26 idler 27 idler pinion 28 idler 29 idler pinion 30 drive gear 31 torque limiting means
32 Rotation detection means 33 Movement amount 34 Retraction position 35 Opening amount 36 Arrow 37a First tip 37b Second tip 37c Third tip 38 Clearance 39 Clearance 40 Origin range 41 Control circuit 42 Power supply 70 Notification means 71 Door thickness 72 Clearance between doors 73 Maximum opening 74 Inertial opening 75 Contact 76 Cam 77 Center of rotation 78 Cam outer periphery 79 Cam receiving plate 80 Direction of rotation 81 Arrow 82 Cam radius 83 Peripheral speed 84 Opening speed 85 Sliding speed 86 Contact 87 Frame 88 Push button 89 Push rod 90 Return spring 91 Push amount 92 Switch body 93 Plunger 94 Wire 95 Magnet 96 Guide guide 96a, 96b Projection piece 97 Hall IC
98 Hall IC
99 magnet

Claims (9)

A refrigerator having a drawer door movable in the front-rear direction, and a door driving device that biases the drawer door in a closing direction when the drawer door is located in a closed drive range,
When the refrigerator is turned on, the door drive device is not driven even when the drawer door is located in the closed drive range.   2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door driving device is not driven for a predetermined time even when the drawer door is located in the closing drive range, and the door driving device is driven thereafter.   The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the notification is performed by the notification means after the predetermined time has elapsed.   4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein a notification means notifies when the door driving device is driven. A refrigerator having a drawer door movable in the front-rear direction, and a door driving device that biases the drawer door in a closing direction when the drawer door is located in a closed drive range,
The door driving device has a connecting member provided on the drawer door side and a driving device provided on the main body side, the connecting member has a sliding portion, and the driving device has the sliding portion. A refrigerator having a guide guide for entering, wherein the sliding portion includes a magnet, and two Hall ICs are provided apart from each other in the guide guide.   In Claim 5, when the drawer door is closed, the two Hall ICs detect the magnet, and when the drawer door is in the closed drive range, only one of the two Hall ICs is detected. A refrigerator that detects the magnet.   7. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the door driving device is not driven for a predetermined time even when the drawer door is positioned in the closed driving range, and the door driving device is driven thereafter.   8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the notification means notifies after the predetermined time has elapsed.   9. The refrigerator according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a notification means notifies when the door driving device is driven.

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