JP6706734B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with means for automatically opening and closing a door of a storage room.

In recent years, due to changes in eating habits and the increase in suburban large-scale supermarkets, the habit of shopping every day has been waning. For example, a tendency to collectively buy food items for one week and store them in the refrigerator. Is getting stronger. In addition, the number of elderly people who use relatively large refrigerators is increasing, and the total weight of food items and doors bought in bulk for such users is heavy, and opening and closing the storage room is becoming a burden. It was

On the other hand, forgetting to close the refrigerator may occur unintentionally, and if the door is left open even for a while, the storage performance will deteriorate due to the entry of warm air, the power consumption will increase due to the increase in the cooling amount, and the outside Condensation and frost will be generated in the storage room due to the ingress of moisture, and the function of the refrigerator will be impaired.

Among such problems, there is a refrigerator that automatically opens a door using an actuator that uses a solenoid as a refrigerator that reduces the burden of opening the storage chamber. (See Patent Document 1)
FIG. 14 is a side sectional view around the drawer freezer compartment of the conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1.

The door opening unit 115 of the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 is driven by Hall IC and microcomputer control by a touch operation on a touch switch 116 formed of a magnetic lever formed on a handle 109a on the surface of the freezer compartment door 109. A solenoid 118 which is provided in the yoke 117 and has a coil wound around the bobbin and is molded with resin; and a push rod 123 which is attracted by energizing the solenoid 118 and fixed to the tip of the pipe. This door opening unit 115 is screwed to a solenoid case attached to the front and rear of the partition wall 113 via a cushioning material such as a rubber bush.

Then, when the solenoid 118 is energized, the tip of the push rod 123 extends forward due to the forward horizontal movement of the plunger 122 and presses the engaging piece 127a that is erected at the rear of the knock member 127 to knock the knock. The tip of the member 127 is configured to project toward the rear surface side of the freezer compartment door 109.

In this way, by energizing the solenoid, the push rod provided at the tip of the plunger 122 is projected forward to perform the door opening operation.

Japanese Patent No. 4444330

However, in the above-mentioned configuration, the plunger driven by the solenoid is ejected and the door is opened by the momentum.Since the subsequent door operation is almost inertial, the plunger output at the time of ejection and the freezing The door opening amount and the door opening speed become unstable under the influence of the weight of the food in the room or the inclination of the refrigerator body. Therefore, for example, under the condition that the refrigerator is tilted toward the front or the weight of the food in the storage chamber is light, the door may open too much and collide with the user. Further, the door opening speed may be too fast, which may make the user feel uneasy.

Further, for example, under the condition that the refrigerator is tilted toward the front or the weight of the food in the storage chamber is light, the door may not open well and a sufficient opening/closing amount may not be obtained, which may cause the user to feel inconvenience. Further, the door opening speed may be too slow, and may cause the user to wait for a while.

Furthermore, with the configuration of Patent Document 1, the door cannot be automatically closed, and the user cannot cope with forgetting to close the door.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and, regardless of the load applied to the door or the storage chamber, stabilizes the opening amount of the door and of the refrigerator having an automatic door opening/closing function capable of accelerating/decelerating the opening/closing speed arbitrarily. For the purpose of provision.

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a housing formed of a heat insulating wall, a storage chamber provided in the housing, and a door that openably and closably closes the storage chamber, An automatic door opening means for opening a door, wherein the automatic door opening means has an actuator provided in the storage chamber, a guide provided in the actuator, and a concave link that operates along the guide. And a protrusion provided on the frame of the door, the door moves by operating the link in a state where the link and the protrusion are engaged, and further, at a predetermined position, the link and the The feature is that the door moves by inertia after the protrusion is disengaged .

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The refrigerator according to the present invention enables stable and high-quality automatic door opening/closing regardless of installation conditions and use conditions, and thus the usability of the refrigerator can be improved.

Front view of the refrigerator according to Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention Embodiment 1 of this invention The AA sectional view of the vegetable compartment in the state which the door of the refrigerator closed in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Sectional view AA of the vegetable compartment during automatic opening and closing of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention Sectional view of the vegetable compartment taken along the line AA of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention with the door of the refrigerator substantially opened. Sectional view AA of the vegetable compartment during the manual opening of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention (A) A relational diagram of the opening amount and the opening speed during the automatic door opening operation of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention, (b) The door opening during the automatic door opening operation of the conventional protruding type door opening mechanism Relationship between volume and opening speed FIG. 3 is a relational diagram of the door opening amount and the door opening speed during the automatic door closing operation of the refrigerator in the first embodiment of the present invention. Embodiment 2 of this invention The AA sectional view of the vegetable compartment in the state where the door of the refrigerator is closed in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Sectional view AA of the vegetable compartment during automatic opening and closing of the refrigerator in the second embodiment of the present invention Sectional view of the vegetable compartment taken along the line AA of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention with the door of the refrigerator substantially opened. Sectional view AA of the vegetable compartment during the manual opening of the refrigerator in the second embodiment of the present invention BB sectional view of the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Detailed drawing of the actuator periphery of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Side sectional view of the conventional drawer freezer compartment described in Patent Document 1

A first aspect of the present invention includes a housing formed of a heat insulating wall, a storage chamber provided in the housing, a door that opens and closes the storage chamber, and a door opening and closing unit that automatically opens and closes the door. The door opening/closing means operates so as to keep the automatic opening/closing amount of the door related to the opening/closing operation of the door constant.

As a result, the refrigerator can be opened to an appropriate size even under the condition that the refrigerator is tilted toward the front or the weight of food in the storage chamber is light, and the amount of doors that can be opened tends to increase.For example, the door may collide with the user. It is possible to open and close high-quality automatic doors without the need for Further, even if the refrigerator is inclined inward, or the weight of food in the storage chamber is heavy and the amount of opening the door tends to be narrow, the door can be opened over a suitable amount.

In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the door opening/closing means is capable of accelerating/decelerating an automatic opening/closing speed of the door.

As a result, the refrigerator can be opened at an appropriate speed even under the condition that the refrigerator is tilted toward the front or the weight of the food in the storage chamber is light and the door opening speed tends to be high. It is possible to open and close the high-quality automatic door without giving up. In addition, the refrigerator can be opened at an appropriate speed even when the refrigerator is tilted in the depth direction or the weight of food in the storage compartment is heavy and the door opening speed tends to be slow, so the user can wait for a long time when opening the door. Absent.

In a third aspect based on the first or second aspect, the door opening/closing means engages with the door or a portion connected to and operated with the door in a predetermined section of a movable range of the door. Is.

Accordingly, when the door is opened, the speed can be reduced immediately before the engagement between the door opening/closing means and the door is disengaged, so that the door can be adjusted not to open too much by inertia. Further, when the door is closed, deceleration is performed immediately before the door is completely closed, so that it is possible to prevent injury when the user puts his/her finger in the gap between the door and the housing.

In a fourth aspect based on any one of the first to third aspects, the door opening/closing means is an electric actuator using a motor or a solenoid as a drive source.

This facilitates the adjustment of the door opening amount and the door opening speed by adjusting the input voltage or the like.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, further comprising a sealing maintaining means that pulls the door in a closing direction, and engages the door opening/closing means with the door when the door is closed. And the sealed state of the storage chamber is maintained by the sealed maintaining means.

Accordingly, when the door is closed, the door opening/closing means and the door are disengaged from each other, so that the door opening/closing means does not place a load on the user and the door can be opened/closed manually. Furthermore, the closed state can be maintained by retracting the door with a strength that does not prevent the manual opening of the door by the airtight maintenance means.

In a sixth aspect based on any one of the first to fifth aspects, the storage chamber is a drawer type and is always connected to the door, and is configured to slide on a rail to open and close the door. The means is for engaging and operating a movable member of the rail.

As a result, the door opening/closing means can be arranged in the invalid space around the rail where food cannot be stored, so that the system can be realized without reducing the actual storage volume for the user.

In a seventh aspect based on the sixth aspect, the door opening/closing means is fixed on a fixing member for fixing the rail.

As a result, when the door opening/closing means and the rail are assembled into the fixing member, the engagement positional relationship between them can be adjusted, so that the difficult step of adjusting the engagement position after assembling the refrigerator in the factory can be eliminated.

In an eighth aspect based on the seventh aspect, the door and the door opening/closing means are engaged by a first engaging member below the door opening/closing means and a second engaging member above the rail. is there.

As a result, the frame of the electric actuator is positioned above the first engaging member that is the movable portion, so that it is possible to prevent water or dust from splashing from the upper portion.

In a ninth invention according to any one of the first to eighth inventions, the drive source of the door opening/closing means is arranged on the back side of 1/3 of the depth dimension of the storage chamber.

As a result, the mechanism around the drive source, which tends to be relatively large in size, is located on the inner side of the storage chamber, so that the reduction of the storage chamber volume due to the arrangement of the door opening/closing means can be minimized.

In a tenth aspect based on any one of the first to ninth aspects, the door opening/closing means includes a transmission section that transmits power to the door and a drive section that includes the drive source, and the transmission section and the drive section. Are L-shaped or T-shaped.

As a result, the volume of the transmission portion can be suppressed to a minimum and the transmission portion can be moved along the rail.

An eleventh invention is the invention according to any one of the first to tenth inventions, wherein the door opening/closing means includes a shock absorbing means.

Thus, when an external force is applied to the door, it is possible to prevent a failure of the electric actuator due to the stress transmitted to the drive source via the rail and the engaging portion.

In a twelfth aspect based on any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the door opening/closing means operates by moving a predetermined distance in a direction in which the door closes.

As a result, the user can surely close the door by simply moving the door in the closing direction.

In a thirteenth invention according to any one of the first to twelfth inventions, the door is selectable between an automatic opening/closing mode by the door opening/closing means and a manual opening/closing mode in which a user can manually open/close the door. It is a thing.

As a result, the automatic opening and closing is possible, and the door is opened and closed with a light force without the load of the electric actuator applied when the user manually operates the door.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a vegetable compartment with the refrigerator door closed in the same embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an automatic opening/closing of the refrigerator in the same embodiment. Sectional drawing of the vegetable compartment in the inside, FIG. 4 is sectional drawing of the vegetable compartment in the state which the door of the refrigerator in the same embodiment is substantially open, and FIG. 5 is sectional drawing of the vegetable compartment in the manual opening of the refrigerator in the same embodiment. It is a figure.

1 to 5, the heat insulating box body that is the housing 11 is an outer box mainly made of a steel plate, an inner box formed of a resin such as ABS, and heat insulation injected between the outer box and the inner box. It is made of wood.

The heat-insulating box that is the housing 11 is heat-insulated and divided into a plurality of storage chambers. A refrigerating chamber 12 is provided at the top, and an ice making chamber 13 or a switching chamber 14 is provided side by side below the refrigerating chamber 12. A freezing compartment 15 is arranged below the chamber 13 and the switching compartment 14, and a vegetable compartment 16 is arranged at the bottom, and a heat insulating door for partitioning with the outside air is formed at the front opening of the housing 11 at the front of each storage compartment. Has been done. An operation unit 17 is provided near the center of the refrigerating compartment door 12a, which is an adiabatic door of the refrigerating compartment 12, so that the temperature inside the compartments and the settings such as ice making and rapid cooling can be set.

A refrigeration cycle component such as a compressor and a dryer for removing water is housed in a machine room formed in the uppermost rear area of the refrigerating room 12.

A cooling chamber that generates cold air is provided on the back surface of the freezing chamber 15. Inside the cooling chamber, the cooler and the cooling air that is the cooling means cooled by the cooler are a refrigerating chamber 12, a switching chamber 14, an ice making chamber 13, A cooling fan for blowing air to the vegetable compartment 16 and the freezing compartment 15 is arranged. Furthermore, an air volume adjustment damper that adjusts the air volume from the cooling fan is installed in the air passage. Further, a radiant heater, a drain pan, a drain tube evaporation tray, and the like are configured to defrost frost and ice that adhere to the cooler and its surroundings.

The refrigerating compartment 12 is usually set at 1°C to 5°C with a lower limit of freezing temperature for refrigerating storage, and the lowermost vegetable compartment 16 is set to a temperature equal to or slightly higher than the refrigerating compartment 12 at 2°C to 7°C. Further, the freezer compartment 15 is set to a freezing temperature zone and is normally set to -22°C to -15°C for frozen storage, but for improving the frozen storage state, for example, -30°C or -. It may be set at a low temperature of 25°C.

The ice making chamber 13 makes ice with the water sent from the water storage tank in the refrigerating chamber 12 by the automatic ice making machine provided in the upper part of the room and stores it in the ice storage container arranged in the lower part of the room.

The switching chamber 14 has a refrigerating temperature range of 1°C to 5°C, a vegetable temperature of 2°C to 7°C, and a freezing temperature range of normally -22°C to -15°C. It is possible to switch to a preset temperature zone between the freezing temperature zones. The switching chamber 14 is a storage chamber provided with an independent door arranged in parallel with the ice making chamber 13, and often has a drawer type door.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the switching chamber 14 is a storage chamber including a temperature range of refrigeration and freezing. However, refrigeration is left to the refrigerating chamber 12 and the vegetable chamber 16, and freezing to the freezing chamber 15 to refrigerate. It may be a storage room specialized for switching only the above temperature zone between the freezing and the freezing. In addition, as the demand for frozen food in a specific temperature range, for example, frozen foods has increased in recent years, a storage room fixed in freezing may be used.

A storage case 20 supported by a frame 19a is attached to the door 16a of the vegetable compartment. The drawer rail 21a is fixed to the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 16, and the frame 19a is configured to slide on the drawer rail 21a. Further, since the frame 19a and the door 16a have a structure in which they are combined with each other, the frame 19a and the storage case 20 operate as the door 16a is opened and closed.

Further, an actuator 23a, which is a door opening/closing means, is provided on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 16 near the drawer rail 21a. The actuator 23a includes a motor, a gear mechanism, and the like, and transmits the power of the motor to the link 24a. The link 24a has a concave shape and operates along the guide 25a. The frame 19a is provided with a protrusion 26a, and when the protrusion 26a enters and engages with the recess of the link 24a, the frame 19a operates in accordance with the operation of the link 24a. As described above, since the frame 19a, the door 16a, and the storage case 20 are connected and operate in conjunction with each other, the actuator 23a can automatically open and close the door 16a.

The automatic door opening operation of the door 16a is executed by a touch operation on the door 16a or other switch system operation unit, a gesture by an optical system sensor, or voice recognition as a trigger.

Further, the guide 25a is not a simple linear shape, and is angled slightly downward so that the link 24a and the protrusion 26a are disengaged when the door 16a is closed as shown in FIG. This is because when the link 24a and the protrusion 26a are always engaged, when the user manually opens the door 16a instead of automatically, the gear mechanism and the motor in the actuator 23a become a load, and the door is normally opened. This is because a stronger force is needed.

After the door opening operation is started, the link 24a and the protrusion 26a engage with each other in the engagement section Xj as shown in FIG. 3, and the door 16a opens along with the operation of the link 24a. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, after the door 16a is opened by a certain amount, the engagement between the guide 25a and the protrusion 26a is released, and the door 16a is further opened by inertia.

In the case of closing the door, it is a reverse operation of the above automatic door opening operation, and the automatic closing operation is started when the user closes the door 16a to a position where the protrusion 26a can engage with the link 24a. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the link 24a and the projection 26a are engaged with each other, and the door 16a is operated in the closing direction. After the door is closed, the link 24a and the protrusion 26a are disengaged from each other as shown in FIG. 2, and both the automatic door opening and the manual door opening are possible.

In order to enhance the airtightness of the vegetable compartment 16 in the state in which the door is closed, the airtight holding mechanism 27 that uses a spring, an inclination of a rail, or the like is provided, and the frame 19a is closed in a closing direction with a force that does not prevent the door from opening. Have been pulled into. The hermetically holding mechanism 27 may be built in the actuator 23a.

When the user manually opens and closes the door 16a from the closed state, the link 24a and the protrusion 26a do not engage with each other as shown in FIG. 5, and the door 16a can be opened and closed without a load on the user. At this time, the actuator 23a does not operate and the link 24a is in the initial position.

The power source of the actuator 23a may be another drive source such as using a solenoid instead of the motor.

The operation of the refrigerator configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6A is a relationship diagram between the door opening amount and the door opening speed during the automatic door opening operation of the refrigerator in the present embodiment.

When the actuator 23a is operated, the link 24a and the protrusion 26a are engaged at the origin position in the figure, and the door opening speed V1 is set to the vegetable compartment 16 at a light load when almost no food is contained in the vegetable compartment 16. The door opening speed V2 is obtained when there is a heavy load such as about 20 kg of food contained therein. The load is not only the weight of the food but also the front and rear of the refrigerator housing. When it is tilted in the front direction, the load is easy to open and the load is light, and when it is tilted in the back direction, it is difficult to open and the load is heavy.

However, since the actuator 23a of the present embodiment estimates the load from the motor current at the time of start-up and the time from when the motor is energized until it operates for a while, V1 and V2 have almost the same speed. Further, even if such load estimation is not performed, since the drawer rail 21a has a low friction structure using a bearing or the like, the difference between V1 and V2 is small.

After that, during the engagement section Xj, since the door 16a operates while being engaged with the actuator 23a, the door can be opened up to X1 at a constant speed such as V1 or V2.

After the door opening amount reaches X1, the engagement between the link 24a and the protrusion 26a is released, and the door 16a is given the initial speed V1 or V2, so it is opened until it reaches X2 or X3 by inertia. As described above, since the drawer rail 21a has a low friction structure using a bearing or the like, the difference between X2 and X3 is small.

It is desirable that the opening amount of the door 16a be as wide as possible within a range that does not collide with a user standing in front of the refrigerator under any load condition. Specifically, when a child with a height of 1 m opens and closes the door of the refrigerator, the distance from the door 16a to the child's body is about 300 mm to 350 mm, so the opening amount X2 or X3 is set according to this distance. Is good.

In addition, according to the above load estimation, it is possible with this configuration to shorten the interval for opening the door by inertia, such as reducing the speed immediately before X1. Of course, it is also possible to increase the speed immediately before X1 and extend the section where the door is opened by inertia.

Here, in order to explain the features of the present embodiment, a comparison is made with a general protruding type automatic door opening mechanism as shown in Patent Document 1.

FIG. 6B is a relationship diagram between the door opening amount and the door opening speed during the automatic door opening operation of the conventional protruding type door opening mechanism.

In a general stick-out type door opening mechanism, when the door opening device operates, a door opening speed V3 is obtained at a light load and a door opening speed V4 is obtained at a heavy load. Although there is a large difference between V3 and V4, this difference may be reduced if there is a load detection function.

After that, in the contact section Xp, the door opening mechanism and the door are brought into contact with each other for a short period of time, a door opening force is given, and the door is ejected. When the door opening/closing amount reaches X4, the door opening/closing mechanism pushes the door out, and the initial speed V3 or V4 at this time causes the door to open by inertia. At this time, if the load is light, the door is widely opened and reaches X5. Further, when the load is heavy, the door is opened narrowly and stopped at the opening amount of X6.

Since there is a large difference between X5 and X6 as described above, a general door opening mechanism gives a faster initial speed V3 or V4 to stick out, so that the dimension to be opened by inertia in the section from X4 to X5 or X6 is dominant. The cause is that the contact section Xp where the controllable door opening mechanism and the door contact each other is as short as about 100 mm. That is, the amount of opening the door opened by inertia is easily influenced by the weight of the food and the inclination of the refrigerator housing, and direct control is impossible, so that the amount of opening the door greatly varies.

The appropriate amount of door opening described above is around 300 mm to 350 mm, but in the general configuration,
When the load is light, the door will open vigorously up to about 400 mm, and if the user of the refrigerator is a child, there is a risk of pushing it down. Further, when the load is heavy, there is a concern that the door opening amount will be insufficient and the door opening speed will be slow, making it uncomfortable to use.

On the other hand, in the refrigerator of the present embodiment, the engagement section Xj (the engagement section between the link 24a and the protrusion 26a) capable of direct door opening/closing control is relatively long, and the appropriate opening/closing amount of 300 mm to 350 mm described above. Since it occupies 40% to 50% or more, the section in which the door is opened by inertia is shortened, and the opening/closing amount and opening/closing speed do not vary and it is easy to freely adjust.

Further, the refrigerator according to the present embodiment can also perform an automatic door closing operation as described below.

FIG. 7 is a relationship diagram between the door opening amount and the door opening speed during the automatic door closing operation of the refrigerator in the present embodiment.

For example, it is assumed that the door opening amount is X11 when the door 16a is opened. The user manually closes the door 16a a little to close the door 16a, and when the opening amount becomes X12, the link 24a and the protrusion 26a engage with each other, and the actuator 23a starts the automatic door closing operation. From this point onward, no user operation is required and the door is automatically closed. The door closing section by the actuator 23a is an engaging section from X12 to the origin, and it is possible to automatically close a relatively long dimension.

After the automatic door closing is started, the link 24a is closed at the speed of V11. Next, when the door is closed until the opening amount becomes X13, the link 24a is decelerated to the speed of V12, and the door is slowly closed. The purpose of this deceleration is to avoid the risk of the user pinching a finger between the door 16a and the housing 11, and at the same time, to give a quiet and elegant impression. If the user actually catches his/her finger after deceleration, it is also possible to stop the door closing by detecting it from the motor current or the slow change of the position of the link 24a.

The actuator 23a can detect the position of the link 24a, which makes it easier to adjust the opening/closing amount and the opening/closing speed of the door 16a.

Further, since the speed of the actuator 23a can be freely adjusted in the engagement section Xj, it is possible to accelerate and decelerate in an appropriately opened state.

In addition, although an example of opening and closing the door of the vegetable compartment 16 has been described in the present embodiment, the invention can be applied to other storage compartments including a freezing compartment. Further, by devising the shape of the guide 25a and the like, the guide 25a can be applied to a double door such as a refrigerator compartment.

Since the relationship diagrams of the opening/closing door amount and the opening/closing door speed in FIGS. 6 and 7 are simply shown, some speed fluctuations that actually occur are omitted.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, not only can the door be opened and closed automatically, the amount of opening and closing of the door can be stabilized regardless of the load applied to the storage chamber, and the opening and closing speed of the door can be arbitrarily adjusted. It is possible to provide a refrigerator that can be decelerated and is elegant and easy to use.

(Embodiment 2)
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13. Since the basic configuration of the refrigerator is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted, and the configuration related to opening and closing the door will be described.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the vegetable compartment in the state where the refrigerator door according to the second embodiment of the present invention is closed, and FIG. 9 is an A-section of the vegetable compartment during the automatic opening and closing of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention. A sectional view, FIG. 10 is an AA sectional view of the vegetable compartment in a state where the refrigerator door according to the second embodiment of the present invention is substantially open, and FIG. 11 is a manual refrigerator door opening according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of the vegetable compartment of FIG. 12, FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a detailed view of the actuator periphery of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention. is there.

A storage case 20 supported by a frame 19b is attached to the door 16a of the vegetable compartment. The drawer rail 21b is fixed to the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 16, and the frame 19b is configured to slide on the drawer rail 21b. Further, since the frame 19b and the door 16a are combined with each other, the frame 19b and the storage case 20 operate as the door 16a is opened and closed.

Further, an actuator 23b, which is a door opening/closing means, is provided on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 16 near the drawer rail 21b. The actuator 23b includes a vertically-long drive mechanism unit 28 including a motor and a gear mechanism, and a horizontally-long transmission unit 29 that transmits the power of the motor to the link 24b to drive it back and forth in the depth direction of the vegetable compartment 16. The transmission portion 29 is thinner than the drive mechanism portion 28 when the respective lateral dimensions are compared. This is achieved by consolidating thick motors and gears in the drive mechanism unit 28, and forming the transmission unit 29 with components that can be made relatively thin. Thereby, the transmission part 29 can be accommodated in the space 30 between the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 16 and the storage case 20 and arranged along the drawer rail 21b.

A drive source such as a motor in the drive mechanism unit 28 is arranged on the back side of 1/3 of the depth D of the vegetable compartment 16 shown in FIG. For example, when the drive source, which tends to be large in size, and its peripheral components interfere with the storage case 20, a means of slightly recessing the case to prevent the components from contacting each other can be considered, but the storage volume of the storage case 20 is reduced. Must be kept to a minimum. At this time, the case volume decreases by “Dc×Wc×D” (see FIGS. 8 and 12), but the closer the drive source is to the vegetable compartment 16, the larger the value of “Dc” and the larger the internal volume. Decrease. However, if the drive source is installed at the back as in the second embodiment, the value of “Dc” becomes small, and the decrease in the internal volume due to the depression can be suppressed to the minimum. Moreover, since the frequency of use is generally less on the back side than 1/3 of the depth D, the user does not feel inconvenient even if the case is slightly recessed.

The link 24b has a concave shape, is configured to face downward below the transmission portion 29, and operates along the guide 25b. In this way, since the outer portion of the transmission portion 29 covers the upper portion of the link 24b, it is possible to prevent water from splashing onto the link 24b from above. Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent a trouble such that the water droplets attached to the link 24b are frozen due to the influence of cold air and become immobile.

The frame 19b is provided with a protrusion 26b, and when the protrusion 26b enters and engages with the recess of the link 24b, the frame 19b operates in accordance with the operation of the link 24b. As described above, since the frame 19b, the door 16a, and the storage case 20 are connected and operate in conjunction with each other, the actuator 23b can automatically open and close the door 16a.

The protrusion 26b may be provided on the drawer rail 21b instead of the frame 19b.

Like the first embodiment, the automatic opening operation of the door 16a is executed by a touch operation on the door 16a and other switch system operation parts, a gesture by an optical system sensor, a voice recognition or the like as a trigger. is there.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the drawer rail 21b, the frame 19b, and the actuator 23b are fixed on the same fixing member 31. If the pull-out rail 21b, the frame 19b, and the actuator are separate components, and they are to be attached to the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 16, there will be a deviation due to screwing of each component, and a heat insulating material such as urethane inside the inner wall. Due to a variation factor such as distortion of the inner wall surface due to foaming, there is a possibility that a problem such as the link 24b not engaging with the protrusion 26b may occur. At this time, it is necessary to remove parts and readjust the position optimally in the process of assembling the refrigerator, but this involves a complicated work, which causes a large loss. However, in the second embodiment, since the positional relationship between the drawer rail 21b, the frame 19b, and the actuator 23b can be adjusted in advance on the fixing member 31, it is possible to greatly suppress the loss in the position adjustment of each component. is there.

Further, the guide 25b is not a simple linear shape, but is angled slightly upward so that the link 24b and the protrusion 26b are disengaged when the door 16a is closed as shown in FIG. This is because when the link 24b and the protrusion 26b are constantly engaged, when the user manually opens the door 16a instead of automatically, the gear mechanism and the motor in the actuator 23b become a load, and the door is normally opened. This is because a stronger force is needed.

After the door opening operation is started, the link 24b and the protrusion 26b engage with each other in the engagement section Xj as shown in FIG. 9, and the door 16a opens as the link 24b operates. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, after the door 16a is opened by a certain amount, the engagement between the guide 25b and the protrusion 26b is released, and the door 16a is further opened by inertia.

In the case of closing the door, it is a reverse operation of the above automatic door opening operation, and the automatic closing operation is started when the user closes the door 16a to a position where the protrusion 26b can engage with the link 24b. Alternatively, the automatic door closing may be started immediately after the protrusion 26b and the link 24b are engaged with each other and when the door 16a is further pushed slightly in the closing direction. After the automatic door closing is started, the door 16a is operated in the closing direction with the link 24b and the protrusion 26b engaged as shown in FIG. After the door is closed, the link 24b and the protrusion 26b are disengaged from each other as shown in FIG. 8, and both the automatic door opening and the manual door opening are possible.

In order to enhance the airtightness of the vegetable compartment 16 in the state in which the door is closed, the airtight holding mechanism 27 using a spring or the inclination of the rail is provided, and the frame 19b is closed in the direction of closing with a force that does not hinder the door opening. Have been pulled into. The hermetically holding mechanism 27 may be built in the actuator 23b.

When the user manually opens and closes the door from the closed state, the link 24b and the protrusion 26b do not engage with each other as shown in FIG. 11, and the door 16a can be opened and closed without a load on the user. At this time, the actuator 23b does not operate and the link 24b is in the initial position. Thus, the user can easily select either the manual operation or the automatic operation.

The selection between the manual operation and the automatic operation can be realized by a mechanism using a micromotor or a solenoid, instead of the structure in which the engagement is naturally disengaged as in the second embodiment.

Further, the actuator 23b according to the second embodiment receives an external force applied to the door 16a when the link 24b and the protrusion 26b are engaged, and therefore, for example, a user applies an impact to the door 16a during automatic opening and closing. A heavy load is applied when In order to prevent this, a gear mechanism that idles when overloaded, a cushion by a spring, or a mechanism that disengages the link 24b and the protrusion 26b from each other with a predetermined stress is provided.

The power source of the actuator 23b may be another drive source such as using a solenoid instead of the motor.

Since the characteristics of the operation of the refrigerator configured as described above are the same as the contents described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the opening/closing speed of the door can be arbitrarily accelerated/decreased, and a refrigerator having an automatic opening/closing mechanism that is elegant and easy to use can be provided, and at the same time, the assemblability can be improved and water and dust can be prevented. It is possible to prevent the internal volume from being reduced by the actuator, improve the operational feeling, and so on.

The refrigerator according to the present invention is provided with an automatic door opening/closing function that can stabilize the opening amount of the door and can accelerate/decelerate the opening/closing speed arbitrarily regardless of the load applied to the door or the storage room. It can also be applied to storage boxes that do not require adjustment.

11 Case 12 Refrigerator 12a Refrigerator door (insulation door)
13 Ice Making Room 14 Switching Room 15 Freezing Room 16 Vegetable Room 16a Door 17 Operating Section 19a, 19b Frame 20 Storage Case 21a, 21b Drawer Rail 23a, 23b Actuator 24a, 24b Link 25a, 25b Guide 26a, 26b Projection 27 Sealing Holding Mechanism 28 Drive mechanism part 29 Transmission part 30 Gap space 31 Fixing member

Claims (9)

And composed of a heat insulating wall casing, wherein the casing accommodating chamber provided in the body, a door for closing the storage chamber openably, and an automatic door-opening means for opening the door the door, said automatic opening The door means has an actuator provided in the storage chamber, a guide provided on the actuator, a concave link that operates along the guide, and a protrusion provided on the frame of the door. , The door moves by operating the link in a state where the link and the protrusion are engaged, and further the door moves by inertia after the engagement between the link and the protrusion is disengaged at a predetermined position. A refrigerator characterized in that. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the guide is angled so that the link and the protrusion are disengaged from each other. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein an end portion of the guide is more angled than a central portion of the guide . A sealing maintaining means for pulling the door in the closing direction is provided, and when the door is closed, the automatic opening means is disengaged from the door, and the sealing maintaining means seals the door and the storage chamber. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the state is maintained. The drive source of the automatic door opening means is arranged on the rear side of the one third of the distance from the back surface of the storage chamber to the door when the door is closed, with respect to the back surface of the storage chamber. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The automatic door opening means includes a transmission part for transmitting power to the door and a drive part including the drive source, and the transmission part and the drive part are combined in an L shape or a T shape. The refrigerator according to claim 5 . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the automatic door opening means is provided on each of both side surfaces of the storage chamber . The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the automatic door opening unit includes a shock absorbing unit. 9. The door according to claim 1, wherein an automatic door opening mode by the automatic door opening means and a manual door opening mode by which a user can open the door by means are selectable. Refrigerator according to item.

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