JP2019027682A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator capable of preventing a user from feeling inconvenience caused by opening a door in a case where a touch open function works in a condition unintended by the user who performs putting-in/putting-out to/from another storage chamber right below a storage chamber with the touch open function.SOLUTION: A refrigerator comprises: a first storage chamber door provided at an upper part of a first storage chamber front face; an operation detection sensor provided at the first storage chamber door, and configured to detect predetermined operation from a user; an automatic door opening control unit configured to, when the operation detection sensor detects the predetermined operation from the user in a state where the first storage chamber door is closed, open the first storage chamber door; and a second storage chamber door provided on a second storage chamber front face below the first storage chamber. Further, the refrigerator includes an operation detection sensor control unit configured to, when a door opening detection sensor detects that the second storage chamber door is opened at preset first opening or wider, disable the operation detection sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  Embodiment of this invention is related with the refrigerator provided with the touch open sensor in the front plate of the door front surface.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a refrigerator having a touch-open function that automatically opens a door by sensing a touch operation on a switch installed at a specific location on a front plate on the front surface of the door. By having this function, even when the user has something to put in the refrigerator or his hands are dirty and it is difficult to open the door, only the body part touches the switch (touch open switch). Thus, the door can be easily opened without applying force.

JP 2006-329555 A

  However, when the touch-open function as described above is provided, if a part of the user's body unintentionally touches the touch-open switch, a malfunction occurs that opens the door even though the user does not intend to open the door. End up.

  In order to prevent such a malfunction, there is a technique in which a guard electrode is provided around the touch open switch so as to prevent detection except for an intended operation on the touch open switch. However, even if the guard electrode is installed, it is difficult to completely prevent malfunction.

  In particular, when the user is working while opening another storage door directly below the door with the touch-open function, if the touch-open function is activated unintentionally, the door may hit the user. There has been a problem that it may cause inconvenience by hindering the work in and out.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a touch open function is provided in a situation that is not intended by a user who opens and closes another storage room directly below the storage room door having a touch open function. It aims at providing the refrigerator which prevents giving a user a problem by working and opening a door.

  According to the embodiment for achieving the above object, the refrigerator is installed on the first storage chamber door provided on the front surface of the first storage chamber at the upper part of the refrigerator main body, the first storage chamber door, and is provided by the user. When the operation detection sensor for detecting a predetermined operation and the first storage chamber door are closed, and the operation detection sensor detects a predetermined operation by the user, the automatic door opening that opens the first storage chamber door is performed. A control part and the 2nd store room door provided in the 2nd store room front arranged at the lower part of the 1st store room are provided. Further, the second storage chamber door includes a door opening detection sensor that detects when the second storage chamber door is open at a preset first opening or more, and a door opening detection sensor. And an operation detection sensor control unit that disables the operation detection sensor when it is detected that the door is opened at the first opening or more.

The block diagram of the refrigerator by one Embodiment. (A)-(c) is sectional drawing which looked at the refrigerator by one Embodiment from the side. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus of the refrigerator by one Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process performed with the control apparatus of the refrigerator by one Embodiment. The graph which shows the relationship between the moving speed and opening degree of the predetermined location of the refrigerator compartment door when the refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator by one Embodiment is opened automatically.

<Structure of refrigerator according to one embodiment>
A configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigerator 1 by this embodiment has the refrigerator main body 2 comprised with the cabinet which has heat insulation. A refrigerator room 3 as a first storage room is provided at the upper stage of the refrigerator body 2, and a vegetable room 4 as a second storage room is provided at the lower stage of the refrigerator room 3.

  On the front side of the refrigerator compartment 3, a pair of left and right refrigerator compartment doors 30A and 30B that open and close the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 3 are provided as first storage compartment doors. The left refrigerator compartment door 30A and the right refrigerator compartment door 30B are double doors, and the left end of the left refrigerator compartment door 30A and the right end of the right refrigerator compartment door 30B are rotatably attached by hinges (not shown). In addition, a drawer-type vegetable compartment door 40 that opens and closes the front opening of the vegetable compartment 4 is provided as a second storage compartment door on the front surface of the vegetable compartment 4.

  A left touch open switch 31A is provided at a predetermined position (the right end near the lower side in FIG. 1) of the left refrigerator door 30A, and at a predetermined position (the left end near the lower side in FIG. 1) of the right refrigerator door 30B. A right touch open switch 31B is provided. Each of the left touch open switch 31 </ b> A and the right touch open switch 31 </ b> B includes an electrostatic capacitance type touch sensor, and is an operation detection sensor that detects a user's touch operation based on a capacitance change.

  Further, a left door opening device 32A is installed at a position corresponding to the upper part of the left refrigerator compartment door 30A of the refrigerator main body 2, and a right door opening device 32B is installed at a position corresponding to the upper part of the right refrigerator compartment door 30B. Each of the left door opening device 32A and the right door opening device 32B has a configuration in which the corresponding refrigerator compartment door is automatically opened by pushing the plunger forward by an electromagnet.

  Moreover, in the refrigerator main body 2, the door opening detection sensor 41 which detects this when the vegetable compartment door 40 is opening with the opening degree in the predetermined range is installed. The configuration of the door opening detection sensor 41 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  2A to 2C are cross-sectional views of the refrigerator main body 2 as viewed from the side, and a door opening detection sensor 41 is installed at a lower position on the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 4 in the refrigerator main body 2. Further, the vegetable compartment door 40 is detected on the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 4 by the door opening detection sensor 41 when the door is opened between the first opening degree to the second opening degree set in advance. As described above, the detected object 42 having a predetermined length in the opening and closing direction is installed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the vegetable compartment door 40 is closed, the detected object 42 is not detected by the door opening detection sensor 41. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), when the vegetable compartment door 40 is opened to the first opening degree x set in advance, the detection object 42 is detected by the door opening detection sensor 41. Become. Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, when the vegetable compartment door 40 is further pulled out and opened to the second opening degree y set in advance, the detected object 42 is detected by the door opening detection sensor 41. It will not be done.

  The door opening detection sensor 41 and the detected body 42 are configured by, for example, a magnet sensor. When the door opening detection sensor 41 approaches the detected body 42 configured by a magnet, a magnetic force is generated. Based on this, the door opening detection sensor 41 The detection information is wirelessly transmitted from 41 to the control device 50 described below.

  A control device 50 is installed in the refrigerator body 2 and connected to the left touch open switch 31A, the right touch open switch 31B, the left door open device 32A, the right door open device 32B, and the door open detection sensor 41. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the control device 50 includes an automatic door opening control unit 51 and an operation detection control unit 52.

  The automatic door opening control unit 51 drives the left door opening device 32A to drive the left refrigerator door 30A when the left touch open switch 31A detects a touch operation by the user when the left refrigerator door 30A is closed. Open the door. Further, when the right touch open switch 31B detects a touch operation by the user while the right refrigerator compartment door 30B is closed, the right door opener 32B is driven to open the right refrigerator compartment door 30B.

  When the detected object 42 is detected by the door opening detection sensor 41, the operation detection control unit 52 disables the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B. Further, after the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B are disabled, when the detected object 42 is not detected by the door open detection sensor 41, the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B are enabled. .

<Processing Performed in Refrigerator According to One Embodiment>
Next, in this embodiment, the process performed with the refrigerator 1 is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this embodiment, when the left refrigerator compartment door 30A, the right refrigerator compartment door 30B, and the vegetable compartment door 40 are closed, the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B are in an effective state (S1). .

  When the user touches the left touch open switch 31A while the left touch open switch 31A is in an effective state, the operation is recognized by the automatic door opening control unit 51, and the left door opening device 32A is driven to drive the left refrigerator compartment. The door 30A is opened. Similarly, when the user touches the right touch open switch 31B while the right touch open switch 31B is in an effective state, the operation is recognized by the automatic door opening control unit 51, and the right door opening device 32B is driven. The right refrigerator compartment door 30B is opened.

  Next, when the vegetable compartment door 40 is opened by the user while the left refrigerator compartment door 30A and the right refrigerator compartment door 30B are closed, and the opening degree is equal to or greater than a preset first opening x, the door opening detection sensor The to-be-detected body 42 installed on the bottom of the vegetable compartment 4 is detected by 41 (“YES” in S2).

  When the detection target 42 is detected by the door opening detection sensor 41, the detection information is transmitted to the control device 50. In the control device 50, the operation detection control unit 52 switches the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B to an invalid state (S3). The invalid state of the left touch open switch 31 </ b> A and the right touch open switch 31 </ b> B is continued while the detected object 42 is detected by the door open detection sensor 41.

  When the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B are disabled, the automatic door opening control unit 51 does not open the door even if the user touches these switches.

  Next, the door of the vegetable compartment door 40 is detected when the door is opened or closed at a second opening y or higher that is set in advance with a value larger than the first opening x. If the detected object 42 is no longer detected (“NO” in S4), the process returns to step S1, and the operation detection control unit 52 switches the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B to the enabled state.

  Here, the first opening degree x and the second opening degree y of the vegetable compartment door 40 that are set to switch between valid / invalid of the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B will be described. The left refrigerator compartment door 30A, the right refrigerator compartment door 30B, and the vegetable compartment door 40 are arranged side by side with a narrow gap of several mm to several tens mm. Therefore, when the user opens the vegetable compartment door 40 and puts it in or out of the vegetable compartment 4, a part of the body touches the touch open switch 31A or 31B, and the left refrigerator compartment door 30A or right If the refrigerator door 30B automatically opens the door against the user's intention, the user's finger may be caught in the gap between the vegetable compartment door 40 and the left refrigerator door 30A or the right refrigerator door 30B. is there.

  Such a situation may occur only when the opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 is within a predetermined range, and the opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 is small, and the user is not allowed to perform the work in and out. Possible state, the opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 is large, and the left refrigerator compartment door 30A or the right refrigerator compartment door 30B does not reach the vegetable compartment door 40 even if the door opens, or the left refrigerator compartment door 30A Alternatively, at a position where the moving speed when the right refrigerator compartment door 30B automatically opens is low, there is a low possibility that a finger will be pinched. If the left touch open switch 31 </ b> A and the right touch open switch 31 </ b> B are disabled until such time, user convenience may be reduced.

  Therefore, the first opening x and the second opening y of the vegetable compartment door 40, which are set to switch between enabling / disabling the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B, are as follows, for example: Can be determined.

[First opening x] (Lower limit of the opening range of the vegetable room that disables the touch open switch)
(A) The minimum opening of the vegetable compartment door 40 that allows the user to work in and out of the vegetable compartment 4.

  (B) When the left refrigerator compartment door 30A and the right refrigerator compartment door 30B are automatically opened, the moving speed of predetermined positions of these doors (for example, the right end of the left refrigerator compartment door 30A or the left end of the right refrigerator compartment door 30B). The minimum opening of the vegetable compartment door 40 that overlaps in the vertical direction at the position where the value becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  Here, as shown in the graph of FIG. 5, the moving speed (v) when the left refrigerator door 30A and the right refrigerator door 30B automatically opens is immediately after the start of the door opening operation (left door opening device 32A, right By the door opening device 32B, the opening of the refrigerator compartment doors 30A, 30B immediately after the left refrigerator compartment door 30A and the right refrigerator compartment door 30B is pushed out rapidly increases, and after reaching the maximum speed, the opening degree is reached. It gradually declines after becoming larger. In such a change, the minimum opening of the vegetable compartment door 40 that overlaps in the vertical direction at the position of the left refrigerator compartment door 30A and the right refrigerator compartment door 30B at the opening degree p1 when the moving speed increases to the predetermined value v1. The first opening can be set. By setting the first opening in this manner, the moving speed of the left refrigerator door 30A and the right refrigerator door 30B is increased, and the user is more likely to pinch his / her finger with the vegetable compartment door 40. Sometimes, the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B can be disabled to ensure the safety of the user.

[Second opening degree y] (Upper limit of vegetable room opening range for disabling the touch open switch)
(C) The maximum opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 that overlaps in the vertical direction with the left refrigerator compartment door 30A or the right refrigerator compartment door 30B fully opened.

  (D) When the left refrigerator compartment door 30A and the right refrigerator compartment door 30B are automatically opened, the moving speed of predetermined positions of these doors (for example, the right end of the left refrigerator compartment door 30A or the left end of the right refrigerator compartment door 30B). The maximum opening of the vegetable compartment door 40 that overlaps in the vertical direction at a position where the maximum speed is below a predetermined value.

  As shown in FIG. 5, while the moving speed of the refrigerator compartment doors 30A and 30B changes, the left refrigerator compartment door 30A or the right refrigerator compartment at the opening (p2) when the moving speed drops from the maximum value to the predetermined value v2. The maximum opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 overlapping in the vertical direction at the position of the door 30B can be set as the second opening degree. When the second opening is set in this way, the left touch open switch when the moving speed of the left refrigerator door 30A and the right refrigerator door 30B decreases and the user is less likely to pinch the finger. 31A and the right touch open switch 31B can be made effective and the convenience of the user can be improved.

  FIG. 5 shows a case where the moving speed v1 for determining the first opening degree x is faster than the moving speed v2 for determining the second opening degree y. May be equivalent, or v2 may be faster than v1.

  The moving speed (v) of the left refrigeration room door 30A and the right refrigeration room door 30B is determined by the magnitude of the force pushing the left refrigeration room door 30A and the right refrigeration room door 30B by the left door opening device 32A and the right door opening device 32B, It differs depending on the weight of the refrigerator compartment door 30A and the right refrigerator compartment door 30B.

  As described above, the first threshold value is determined by (a) or (b), and the second threshold value is determined by (c) or (d), whereby the door opening detection sensor 41 to be detected 42 is detected. A range can be set.

  While the to-be-detected body 42 installed in the bottom face of the vegetable compartment 4 is opened by the vegetable compartment 4 at an opening in a range determined by the first opening x and the second opening y described above, The door opening detection sensor 41 has a predetermined length in the opening / closing direction so as to be detected.

  According to the above embodiment, while the user moves into and out of the vegetable compartment 4, the left refrigeration compartment door 30A or the right refrigeration compartment door 30B opens unintentionally, and the vegetable compartment door 40 and the left refrigeration compartment door Generation | occurrence | production of the situation which pinches | interposes a finger between 30A or the right refrigerator compartment door 30B can be avoided efficiently.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator 2 ... Refrigerator main body 3 ... Refrigeration room 4 ... Vegetable room 30A ... Left refrigeration room door 30B ... Right refrigeration room door 31A ... Left touch open switch 31B ... Right touch open switch 32A ... Left door open device 32B ... Right door open Device 40 ... Vegetable room door 41 ... Door open detection sensor 42 ... Object to be detected 50 ... Control device 51 ... Automatic door open control unit 52 ... Operation detection control unit

Claims (7)

A first storage chamber door that is provided on the front surface of the first storage chamber at the top of the refrigerator body, and that opens and closes the front opening of the first storage chamber;
An operation detection sensor installed on the first storage room door for detecting a predetermined operation by a user;
When the first storage chamber door is in a closed state, when a predetermined operation by the user is detected by the operation detection sensor, an automatic door opening control unit that opens the first storage chamber door;
A second storage chamber door provided on a front surface of a second storage chamber disposed at a lower portion of the first storage chamber and opening and closing a front opening of the second storage chamber;
A door opening detection sensor for detecting the second storage chamber door when the door is opened at a preset first opening or more;
An operation detection sensor control unit that disables the operation detection sensor when the door opening detection sensor detects that the second storage chamber door is opened at the first opening or more. A refrigerator characterized by comprising. The door opening detection sensor detects the second storage compartment door when the door is opened with a value larger than the first opening and a second opening set in advance.
The operation detection sensor control unit activates the operation detection sensor when the door open detection sensor detects that the second storage chamber door is opened at the second opening or higher. The refrigerator according to claim 1. The first opening degree detected by the door opening detection sensor is set by a minimum opening degree of the second storage room door that allows a user to enter and exit the second storage room. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2. The first opening detected by the door opening detection sensor is a predetermined position of the first storage chamber door when the first storage chamber door is opened by the control of the automatic door opening control unit. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator is set with a minimum opening degree of the second storage chamber door that overlaps in a vertical direction at a position where the moving speed becomes a predetermined value or more. The second opening degree detected by the door opening detection sensor is set as the maximum opening degree of the second storage room door that overlaps in the vertical direction with the first storage room door fully opened. The refrigerator according to claim 2. The second opening detected by the door opening detection sensor is a predetermined position of the first storage chamber door when the first storage chamber door is opened by the control of the automatic door opening control unit. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the refrigerator is set at a maximum opening degree of the second storage chamber door that overlaps in a vertical direction at a position where the moving speed becomes a predetermined value or less from the maximum speed. The first storage room door is composed of a pair of left and right doors of a double door type,
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second storage compartment door is constituted by a drawer-type door.

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