JP2021127984A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator which prevents inconvenience from being given to a user, when a door opens by a touch open function operating in a situation which is not intended by a user who is performing work of putting in/taking out from another storage chamber right under a storage chamber door having the touch open function.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes: a first storage chamber door provided at a front surface opening part of a first storage chamber; an operation detector installed at the first storage chamber door, and detecting an operation from the outside; an opening door control part for opening the first storage chamber door when the operation from the outside is detected by the operation detector; a second storage chamber door provided at a front surface opening part of a second storage chamber arranged below the first storage chamber; and an opening door detector for detecting that the second storage chamber door is opened at a preset first opening or greater. The first opening is set at the opening of the second storage chamber door overlapping in the vertical direction, at the position in which a movement speed of the first storage chamber door when the first storage chamber door is opened by the control of the opening door control part becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with a touch-open sensor on a front plate on the front surface of a door.

Conventionally, there is a refrigerator equipped with a touch-open function that automatically opens the door by detecting a touch operation on a switch installed at a specific place on the front plate on the front of the door. By providing 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, he only touches a part of his body to the above switch (touch open switch). Therefore, the door can be easily opened without exerting any force.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-329555

However, when the touch-open function as described above is provided, if a part of the user's body unknowingly touches the touch-open switch, a malfunction occurs in which the door is opened even though the user has no intention of opening the door. It ends up.

In order to prevent such a malfunction, there is a technique of providing a guard electrode around the touch open switch so that only the intended operation of the touch open switch is detected as much as possible. However, even if the guard electrode is installed, it is still difficult to completely prevent the malfunction.

In particular, when the user is working by opening another storage door directly under the door provided with the touch open function, if the touch open function is unintentionally activated and the door is opened, the door may hit the user. However, there is a problem that it may interfere with the loading / unloading work and cause inconvenience.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the touch-open function is provided in a situation unintended by a user who opens another storage room directly under the storage room door having the touch-open function and puts it in and out. The purpose is to provide a refrigerator that prevents inconvenience to the user by working and opening the door.

According to the embodiment for achieving the above object, the refrigerator is installed in the first storage room door provided in the front opening of the first storage room and the first storage room door to be operated from the outside. An operation detector to detect, a door opening control unit that opens the first storage chamber door when an operation from the outside is detected by the operation detector, and a second storage chamber arranged under the first storage chamber. A second storage room door provided in the front opening of the storage room, and an open door detector that detects that the second storage room door is opened at a preset first opening or more. To be equipped with. The first opening degree is a position where the moving speed of the first storage chamber door becomes a predetermined value or more when the first storage chamber door is opened under the control of the door opening control unit, and the first storage chamber door overlaps in the vertical direction. It is set by the opening degree of the storage room door of 2.

The block diagram of the refrigerator by one Embodiment. (A) to (c) are cross-sectional views of the refrigerator according to one embodiment as viewed from the side. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control device of the refrigerator by one Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the process executed by the control device of the refrigerator by one Embodiment. The graph which shows the relationship between the moving speed and the opening degree of a predetermined place of the refrigerating room door when the refrigerating room door of the refrigerator by one Embodiment is automatically opened.

<Construction of refrigerator according to one embodiment>
The configuration of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment has a refrigerator main body 2 composed of a cabinet having heat insulating properties. A refrigerating room 3 which is a first storage room is provided in the upper part of the refrigerator main body 2, and a vegetable room 4 which is a second storage room is provided in the lower part of the refrigerating room 3.

On the front surface of the refrigerating chamber 3, a pair of left and right left refrigerating chamber doors 30A and a right refrigerating chamber door 30B are provided at the front opening of the refrigerating chamber 3 as a first storage chamber door. The left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 30B are double doors, and the left end of the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right end of the right refrigerating room door 30B are rotatably attached by hinges (not shown). Further, on the front surface of the vegetable compartment 4, a drawer-type vegetable compartment door 40 is provided at the front opening of the vegetable compartment 4 as a second storage chamber door.

A left touch open switch 31A is provided at a predetermined position of the left refrigerating room door 30A (the right end near the lower side in FIG. 1), and at a predetermined position of the right refrigerating room door 30B (the left end near the lower side in FIG. 1). , Right touch open switch 31B is provided. The left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B are each composed of a capacitance type touch sensor, and an operation detection sensor (operation detection) that detects a user's touch operation, which is an external operation, by changing the capacitance. (Vessel).

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

Further, in the refrigerator main body 2, a door opening detection sensor 41 for detecting that the vegetable compartment door 40 is opened within a predetermined range is installed. The configuration of the door opening detection sensor 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c).

2 (a) to 2 (c) are cross-sectional views of the refrigerator body 2 as viewed from the side, and a door opening detection sensor (door opening detector) 41 is located at a lower position on the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 4 in the refrigerator body 2. is set up. Further, on the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 4, the vegetable compartment door 40 is detected by the door opening detection sensor 41 when the door is opened between the preset first opening and the second opening. As described above, the detected body 42 having a predetermined length is installed in the opening / closing direction.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the vegetable compartment door 40 is closed, the detected body 42 is not detected by the door opening detection sensor 41. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the vegetable compartment door 40 is opened to the preset first opening degree x, the door opening detection sensor 41 detects the detected body 42. Become. Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, when the vegetable compartment door 40 is further pulled out and opened to the preset second opening degree y, the detected object 42 is detected by the door opening detection sensor 41. Will not be done.

The door opening detection sensor 41 and the detected body 42 are composed of, for example, a magnet sensor, and when the door opening detection sensor 41 approaches the detected body 42 composed of magnets, a magnetic force is generated, and the door opening detection sensor is based on this. The detection information is wirelessly transmitted from 41 to the control device 50 described below.

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

When the left touch open switch 31A detects a touch operation by the user when the left refrigerating room door 30A is closed, the automatic door opening control unit 51 drives the left door opening device 32A to drive the left refrigerating room door 30A. To open the door. Further, when the right touch open switch 31B detects a touch operation by the user when the right refrigerating room door 30B is closed, the right door opening device 32B is driven to open the right refrigerating room door 30B.

When the detected body 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 disabling the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B, when the detected object 42 is not detected by the door opening detection sensor 41, the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B are enabled. ..

<Processing performed in the refrigerator according to one embodiment>
Next, in the present embodiment, the process executed in the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the present embodiment, when the left refrigerating room door 30A, the right refrigerating room door 30B, and the vegetable room 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 enabled, 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 refrigerating room. 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 effect, the operation is recognized by the automatic door opening control unit 51, and the right door opening device 32B is driven. The right refrigerating room door 30B is opened.

Next, when the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 30B remain closed and the vegetable room door 40 is opened by the user and the first opening opening x or more set in advance is reached, the door opening detection sensor The detected body 42 installed on the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 4 is detected by 41 (“YES” in S2).

When the object to be detected 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 the invalid state (S3). The disabled state of the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B is continued as long as the detected object 42 is detected by the door opening detection sensor 41.

When the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B are in the invalid state, the automatic door opening control unit 51 does not open the door even if these switches are touch-operated by the user.

Next, when the vegetable compartment door 40 is opened or closed at a value larger than the first opening x and at least the second opening y set in advance, the door opening detection sensor 41 When the detected body 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, which are set to enable / disable the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B, will be described. The left refrigerating room door 30A, the right refrigerating room door 30B, and the vegetable room door 40 are arranged side by side with a narrow gap of several mm to several tens of mm. Therefore, when the user opens the vegetable room door 40 and puts it in and out of the vegetable room 4, a part of the body touches the touch open switch 31A or 31B, and the left refrigerating room door 30A or the right If the refrigerating room door 30B automatically opens against the user's intention, the user's finger may be caught in the gap between the vegetable room door 40 and the opened left refrigerating room door 30A or the right refrigerating room door 30B. be.

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, so that the user cannot perform the loading / unloading work. When it is possible, the opening of the vegetable room door 40 is large, and the left refrigerating room door 30A or the right refrigerating room door 30B does not reach the vegetable room door 40 even if the door is opened, or the left refrigerating room door 30A Alternatively, at a position where the moving speed of the right refrigerating room door 30B is slow when the door is automatically opened, the possibility of the finger being caught is low. If the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B are disabled until such a time, the convenience of the user may be reduced.

Therefore, the first opening degree x and the second opening degree y of the vegetable compartment door 40, which are set to enable / disable the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B, are set as follows, for example. Can be decided.

[First opening x] (lower limit of opening range of vegetable compartment for disabling touch open switch)
(A) The minimum opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 that allows the user to move in and out of the vegetable compartment 4.

(B) When the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 30B are automatically opened, the moving speed of a predetermined location of these doors (for example, the right end of the left refrigerating room door 30A or the left end of the right refrigerating room door 30B). Is the minimum opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 that overlaps in the vertical direction at a position where is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

Here, the moving speed (v) when the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 30B are automatically opened is immediately after the start of the door opening operation (left door opening device 32A, right), as shown in the graph of FIG. Immediately after the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 30B are pushed out by the door opening device 32B), the opening of the refrigerating room doors 30A and 30B rises rapidly at a low position, reaches the maximum speed, and then opens. After it becomes large, it gradually decreases. In this change, the minimum opening of the vegetable compartment door 40 that overlaps in the vertical direction at the positions of the left refrigerating chamber door 30A and the right refrigerating chamber door 30B at the opening p1 when the moving speed rises to the predetermined value v1 is set. , Can be set as the first opening degree. By setting the first opening degree in this way, the moving speed of the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 30B is increased, and the possibility that the user pinches the finger between the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 40 is increased. Occasionally, the left touch open switch 31A and the right touch open switch 31B can be disabled to ensure user safety.

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

(D) When the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 30B are automatically opened, the moving speed of a predetermined location of these doors (for example, the right end of the left refrigerating room door 30A or the left end of the right refrigerating room door 30B). Is the maximum opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 that overlaps in the vertical direction at a position where is less than or equal to a predetermined value from the maximum speed.

As shown in FIG. 5, while the moving speeds of the refrigerating room doors 30A and 30B change, the left refrigerating room door 30A or the right refrigerating room at the opening (p2) when the moving speed drops from the maximum value to a predetermined value v2. The maximum opening degree of the vegetable compartment door 40 that overlaps in the vertical direction at the position of the door 30B can be set as the second opening degree. By setting the second opening degree in this way, when the moving speed of the left refrigerating room door 30A and the right refrigerating room door 30B decreases and the possibility that the user pinches the finger becomes low, the left touch open switch The 31A and the right touch open switch 31B can be enabled to improve the convenience of the user.

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. Can be equivalent, and v2 may be faster than v1.

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

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

The body to be detected 42 installed on the bottom surface of the vegetable compartment 4 is provided while the vegetable compartment 4 is opened with an opening within a range determined by the first opening degree x and the second opening degree y described above. It is configured to have a predetermined length in the opening / closing direction so as to be detected by the door opening detection sensor 41.

According to the above embodiment, the left refrigerating room door 30A or the right refrigerating room door 30B is unintentionally opened while the user is moving in and out of the vegetable room 4, and the vegetable room door 40 and the left refrigerating room door 30 are opened. It is possible to efficiently avoid the occurrence of a situation in which a finger is caught between the 30A or the right refrigerating room door 30B.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 ... Refrigerator 2 ... Refrigerator body 3 ... Refrigerator room 4 ... Vegetable room 30A ... Left refrigerating room door 30B ... Right refrigerating room door 31A ... Left touch open switch 31B ... Right touch open switch 32A ... Left door opening device 32B ... Right opening door Device 40 ... Vegetable room door 41 ... Door opening detection sensor 42 ... Detected object 50 ... Control device 51 ... Automatic door opening control unit 52 ... Operation detection control unit

Claims (4)

The first storage room door provided in the front opening of the first storage room, and
An operation detector installed on the first storage room door to detect an operation from the outside,
When an operation from the outside is detected by the operation detector, the door opening control unit that opens the first storage room door and the door opening control unit.
A second storage room door provided in the front opening of the second storage room arranged below the first storage room, and a second storage room door.
The second storage room door is provided with a door opening detector that detects that the door is opened at a preset first opening degree or more.
The first opening degree detected by the door opening detector is determined by the moving speed of the first storage chamber door when the first storage chamber door is opened under the control of the door opening control unit. A refrigerator characterized in that it is set by the opening degree of the second storage chamber door that overlaps in the vertical direction at a position that exceeds the value. The door opening detector is characterized in that it detects that the second storage chamber door is opened at a value larger than the first opening and at least a preset second opening. The refrigerator according to claim 1. The second opening degree detected by the door opening detector is set by the opening degree of the second storage chamber door that overlaps in the vertical direction with the first storage chamber door fully opened. The refrigerator according to claim 2. The second opening degree detected by the door opening detector is the maximum moving speed of the first storage chamber door when the first storage chamber door is opened under the control of the door opening control unit. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the refrigerator is set at a position where the speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value and is set by the opening degree of the second storage chamber door which overlaps in the vertical direction.

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