JP6892414B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The embodiment relates to a refrigerator having a touch-open sensor on the front plate on the front of the door.

In recent years, refrigerators having a front plate made of glass or plastic on the door have appeared. In such a refrigerator, the operation input unit is a capacitive touch button and is placed on the front plate, and when the user touches the part corresponding to the operation button on the front of the front plate, the operation input is caused by the change in capacitance. Is detected and the corresponding operation signal is transmitted to the refrigerator control unit. Even in such a refrigerator, it is desirable to provide a door opening device that automatically opens the door by detecting a touch operation of the front plate of the user to a specific place.

However, if the door is automatically opened when the front plate is touched to a specific place, the user may inadvertently touch the place for a moment even though he / she does not intend to open the door, or the user's body Even if a part of the door unknowingly touches the place, there is a risk of malfunction that the door will open.

In order to avoid such a malfunction, a technique of operating the door opening device by a touch detecting means can be considered, but the malfunction is unavoidable.

JP-A-2009-257627 Japanese Patent No. 4347234 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-17865 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-17866

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and provides a refrigerator that does not malfunction even when the user touches the corresponding place for a long time without the intention of opening the door or when an object touches the place for a long time. The purpose is to provide.

The refrigerator of the embodiment has a refrigerator main body having an open front surface, a heat insulating door attached to the front opening of the refrigerator main body, and an opening which is attached to the refrigerator main body and forcibly opens the door. It is characterized by being provided with a door device.

The refrigerator of the embodiment is provided with a refrigerator main body having an opening having an opening on the front surface, a heat insulating door having a front plate and attached to the opening, and a rear portion of the front plate of the door. A substrate having a capacitance type operation unit capable of outputting a refrigerator operation signal, and a control unit that inputs the operation signal from the operation unit and controls the opening operation of the door in response to the operation signal. , A control operation unit provided on the door for performing an operation of changing the cooling control content of the refrigerator, and a portion on the surface of the substrate on which the operation unit is arranged and a portion on which electronic components are mounted. And are arranged separately, and a mesh ground pattern is arranged at a position corresponding to the back surface of the portion of the substrate on which the operation portion is arranged, and the back surface of the portion of the substrate on which the electronic component is mounted. The electronic component is projected and arranged at the position corresponding to the above.

The front view of the refrigerator of the 1st Embodiment. The perspective view of the open door state of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. An enlarged perspective view of a refrigerator compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment. The block diagram of the door opening control in the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. The flowchart of the door opening control in the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. The explanatory view of the attachment operation of the door opening operation part in the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. The cross-sectional view which shows the attachment state of the door opening operation part in the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. The front view which shows the door opening operation part and the door opening operation display part in the refrigerator of 7th Embodiment. The front view which shows the door opening operation part and the door opening operation display part in the refrigerator of 8th Embodiment. The explanatory view which shows the installation example of the door opening operation part in the refrigerator of 9th Embodiment. The explanatory view which shows the arrangement example of the touch detection electrode of the door opening operation part in the refrigerator of 10th Embodiment. The explanatory view which shows the arrangement example of the touch detection electrode of the door opening operation part in the refrigerator of 11th Embodiment. The explanatory view which shows another arrangement example of the touch detection electrode of the door opening operation part in the refrigerator of 11th Embodiment. The front view which shows the door opening operation part and the door opening operation display part in the refrigerator of the twelfth embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the fifteenth embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 17th Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of 18th Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 16th Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the fifteenth embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the twentieth embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 19th Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 22nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 24th Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 16th Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 25th Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 26th Embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of another embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of another embodiment. The figure which shows the refrigerator of the 27th Embodiment. FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the refrigerator in the open door state of FIG. Enlarged perspective view of the refrigerator compartment. Block diagram of door opening control in a refrigerator. A flow chart showing how the left and right doors of the refrigerator compartment are automatically opened by the user instead of manually. For example, the figure which shows the schematic of the cross section of a right door. Block diagram of door opening control in a refrigerator. The flow chart which shows the operation example of the door opening operation part which provided the function of a proximity sensor. The front view of the refrigerator of the 28th Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the open door state of the refrigerator of the 28th Embodiment. An enlarged perspective view of a refrigerator compartment portion of the refrigerator according to the 28th embodiment. The block diagram of the door opening control in the refrigerator of the 28th Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which the door opening operation unit shown in FIGS. 37 to 39 functions as a human body detecting means for detecting a human body of a user of a refrigerator. The front view which shows the refrigerator of the 29th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 42 is a block diagram of a door opening control including a human body detecting means of the refrigerator shown in FIG. Sectional view along the front-back direction showing the top of the refrigerator. Another cross-sectional view along the front-back direction showing the top of the refrigerator. Yet another cross-sectional view along the front-back direction showing the top of the refrigerator. Yet another cross-sectional view along the front-back direction showing the top of the refrigerator. It is a front view of the refrigerator 1 which shows the 30th Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 48. It is a side view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 48. An example of the structure of the substrate of the door opening operation unit is shown. It is a figure which shows the proximity sensor and the guard electrode arranged on the substrate of the door opening operation part shown in FIG. 51. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the structural example of the opening / closing operation part. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical connection of a control part, an opening / closing operation part, a door opening drive part which is a door opening device, and the like. It is a figure which shows the example of the storage structure of the substrate in the left door and the right door. It is a front view of the refrigerator 1 which shows the 31st Embodiment of this invention. Cross section in line V1-V1 showing a structural example of the vicinity of the door opening operation unit 651 including the proximity sensor 607 in the left door 21 (or the vicinity of the door opening operation unit 652 including the proximity sensor 608 in the right door 22) shown in FIG. It is a figure. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V2-V2 of the control operation unit 650 shown in FIG. 56. It is a block diagram which shows the electric connection of a control part, a control operation part, a door opening operation part, and a door opening drive part which is a door opening device. After the proximity sensor of the left door shown in FIG. 56 detects the approach of the user's finger, when the finger touches the electrode of the touch button of the door opening operation unit, the control operation unit and the door opening operation unit of the left door are lit. It is a figure which shows the example of the state of doing. It is a front view of the refrigerator which shows the 32nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a side view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 61. A structural example of the substrate of the door opening operation unit shown in FIG. 61 is shown. It is a figure which shows the proximity sensor and the guard electrode arranged on the substrate of the door opening operation part shown in FIG. 64. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the structural example of the door opening operation part. It is a block diagram which shows the electric connection of a control part, a door opening operation part, a door opening drive part which is a door opening device, and the like. It is a figure which shows the example of the storage structure of the substrate in the left door and the right door. It is a front view of the refrigerator 1 which shows the 33rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the operation detection part in the ZR-ZR line shown in FIG. 69. It is a block diagram which shows the electric connection of a control part, an operation detection part, a door opening drive part which is a door opening device, and the like. It is a figure which shows the example which a user performs approach operation (gesture) of a palm, a side of a hand, elbow, etc. to a proximity sensor in a predetermined specific order. It is a figure which shows the example of approaching a proximity sensor in another predetermined specific order. It is a figure which shows the other embodiment of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the principle that a proximity sensor detects a finger touch. It is a figure which shows the basic structure of a proximity sensor. It is a figure explaining the switching of the proximity mode and the electrostatic touch mode in the proximity sensor. It is a figure explaining the change of the proximity range in the proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the figures. The same or similar constituent members will be described with reference to the same or similar reference numerals.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 of the embodiment includes a cabinet 11 which is a refrigerator main body. The cabinet 11 is composed of a refrigerating room 12, a vegetable room 13, a switching room 14 capable of switching the set temperature inside the cabinet, and a freezing room 15 from the upper stage. An ice making chamber 16 is provided on the left side of the switching chamber 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in order to cover the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12, a pair of left and right left doors 21 and right doors 22 open and close at the left end and the upper and lower sides of the right end in a double-door manner with hinges, respectively. It is installed so that it can be used. Further, the vegetable compartment 13, the switching chamber 14, the freezing chamber 15, and the ice making chamber 16 are provided with drawer-type doors 23, 24, 25, and 26, respectively. Although not shown on the back surface of the vegetable compartment 13, a refrigerating evaporator for cooling the refrigerating chamber 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 is arranged, and the same applies to the back surfaces of the switching chamber 14 and the freezing chamber 15. Although not shown, a refrigerating evaporator for cooling the switching chamber 14, the freezing chamber 15, and the ice making chamber 16 is arranged. Further, on the back surface of the vegetable compartment 13, a control unit 56 including a microcomputer for controlling the refrigerator 1 is also arranged.

For both the left door 21 and the right door 22, the front plates 21A and 22A made of colored transparent glass are attached to the opening of the flat inner plate that opens to the front, and the vacuum heat insulating material is placed in the internal cavity to provide vacuum heat insulation. It has a structure in which a polyurethane foam heat insulating material (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a urethane heat insulating material) or a pre-molded solid heat insulating material (for example, EPC) is arranged in a cavity that cannot be filled with the material. The degree of coloring of the front plates 21A and 22A is such that the filling material such as the heat insulating material on the back side of the front plates 21A and 22A cannot be seen from the outside in a state of receiving external light. Moreover, light is transmitted from the front side when the operation button name, cooling function name, cooling intensity, etc., which will be described later, are transmitted through the LED indicator lamp, and the 7-segment LED display device, which transmits and displays changing numerical values such as temperature values, are lit. It is also a visible density. The LED is not limited to the 7-segment LED, and may be an LCD or an EL.

The right end of the left door 21, that is, the open side portion that is close to and faces the left end portion of the right door 22 in the closed state, is the left end portion of the right door 22, that is, the open side portion in the closed state. A rotary partition 31 is provided to maintain the sealed state of the door. A dew condensation prevention heater for preventing dew condensation is built in the rotary partition body 31.

On the back side of the front plate 22A of the right door 22, a capacitance type control operation unit 50 for operating the refrigerator by touch operation from the front of the front plate 22A is installed. The control operation unit 50 is an LED that detects an infrared light receiving unit for detecting the environmental state around the refrigerator, a home button, and a touch to the home button, and transmits and displays an operation button name, a cooling function name, a cooling intensity, and the like. An indicator lamp, a 7-segment LED display device that transparently displays a changing numerical value such as a temperature value, and the like are provided.

The front side plate 21A of the left door 21 and the back side near the lower side of the front plate 22A of the right door 22 are provided with elongated door opening operation portions 51 and 52 in the left-right and lateral directions, respectively. Further, on the surfaces of the front plates 21A and 22A, door opening operation display units 51A and 52A are provided, which are door opening operation units and indicate the door opening operation direction. Here, the door opening operation display unit 51A of the left door 21 is provided with a left-pointing arrow mark for recognizing that the door opening operation is performed by sliding the left door 21 while touching the finger. The door opening operation display unit 52A of the right door 22 is provided with an arrow mark pointing to the right to recognize that the door opening operation is performed by sliding the door opening operation display unit 52A while touching the finger in the right direction.

Door opening drive units 54 and 55 are installed at two locations on the left and right near the front end of the upper surface of the top plate of the cabinet 11, respectively, at positions corresponding to the vicinity of the open side end of the upper side of each of the left door 21 and the right door 22. is there. These door opening drive units 54 and 55 push the plungers 54A and 55A forward by an electromagnet to push the upper side near the open side end of each of the left door 21 and the right door 22 forward and automatically open each door. be able to. As will be described in detail later, in order to open the left door 21, the door opening operation can be performed by sliding the finger to the left while touching the right end or the arrow mark near the right end of the left door opening operation display unit 51A. The unit 51 senses the continuous touch and sends a touch detection signal to the control unit 56, and if the control unit 56 determines that the door opening operation command is issued, the door opening drive unit 54 of the left door 21 is operated to the left. The door 21 is automatically opened. On the other hand, in order to open the right door 22, if the finger is slid to the right while touching the left end or the arrow mark near the left end of the right door opening operation display unit 52A, the door opening operation unit 52 continues. Touch is detected and a touch detection signal is sent to the control unit 56. If the control unit 56 determines that it is a door opening operation command, the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door 22 is operated to automatically open the right door 22. Door.

The cooling control performed by the control unit 56 in the refrigerator of the present embodiment is general and is not particularly limited, but for example, a compressor, an operation panel, a dew condensation prevention heater, and ice making in the ice making chamber. An apparatus, a refrigerator fan, a freezer fan, and a defrost heater are connected to and controlled by the control unit 56.

The arrow marks on the door opening operation display units 51A and 52A are not limited to this display, and it is a display that can be easily recognized as a door opening operation by touching it and sliding it to the right or left. If there is, the shape and form of the mark are not limited.

In the left door 21 and the right door 22, the left door 21 and the right door 22 are operated by inserting a finger into the lower end surface portion below each of the door opening operation display units 51A and 52A with the palm facing upward and pulling it toward the front side. Handles 61 and 62 are installed so that each can be manually opened individually.

Next, the automatic door opening operation in the refrigerator of the above embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 faces the door opening operation display units 51A and 52A with the front plates 21A and 22A sandwiched between the five arrow marks arranged in the left-right lateral direction, respectively. As described above, the capacitive touch sensors 51-1 to 51-5 and 52-1 to 52-5 are arranged in a row. Each of these capacitive touch sensors 51-1 to 51-5 and 52-1 to 52-5 detects a change in capacitance due to a user's touch and transmits a touch detection signal to the control unit 56. It has been set.

Therefore, when the user touches the arrow mark at the left end of the door opening operation display unit 52A in an attempt to open the right door 22 and slides the finger to the right while touching the arrow mark, the capacitive touch sensor 52 Of -1 to 52-5, each sensor that detects a change in capacitance transmits a touch detection signal to the control unit 56 in the order of touch. Therefore, the control unit 56 determines whether or not the door opening operation is performed based on the logic of the flowchart of FIG. 5, and if it is determined that the door opening operation is normal, the control unit 56 outputs a door opening drive signal to the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door. Then, the right door 22 is automatically opened. In the case of the door opening operation of the left door 21, the operation of sliding the finger to the left while touching the arrow mark at the right end or near the right end with respect to the door opening operation display unit 51A of the left door 21 The same door opening operation of the left door 21 is determined.

The logic of the door opening judgment here is as follows. If at least three of the five sensors on the left and right are touch-detected within a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds or 1 second) and in the order in which they are arranged, the door is judged to be an opening operation and the corresponding door is applicable. Is to open the door automatically. Here, the door opening operation of the right door 22 will be described.

When any one of the arrow marks on the door opening operation display unit 52A of the right door 22 is touched, the corresponding capacitive touch sensor (usually the arrow mark on the left end or near the left end) on the door opening operation unit 52 side is displayed. Since it is touched, the sensor 52-1 at the left end is used here) to detect the touch and transmit the touch detection signal to the control unit 56. Upon receiving this signal, the control unit 56 starts the door opening operation determination process (step S0). Then, first, the timer count is started (step S1).

When the capacitive touch sensors 52-2 and 52-3 on the right and right sides continuously detect the touch and transmit the detection signals until the timer counts up, the control unit 56 receives those signals. , The number of touched sensors becomes three in succession in the right direction, and it is determined that the opening operation direction of the right door 22 from left to right is a forward slide operation. That is, NO is determined in step S2, YES is determined in step S3, YES is determined in step S4, and YES is determined in step S5. As a result, the control unit 56 determines that the right door 22 is a normal door opening operation, outputs a door opening drive command to the right door opening drive unit 55, and operates the door opening drive unit 54. The right door 22 is automatically opened (step S6).

If the slide is stopped in the middle, the slide speed is slow, or the slide length is short, three or more arrow marks will be placed within a certain period of time (for example, 0.5 seconds or 1 second). Since it is not possible to determine that the door has been touched in the forward direction, the determination process of this door opening operation is temporarily stopped and waits for the next touch detection (branches to NO in step S2 and jumps to step S7). And stop the judgment process). Further, even if the door opening operation display unit 52A is slid from the right end side to the left, the right door is not opened (in step S5, the door branches to NO and jumps to step S7 to stop the determination process).

The same applies to the determination process of the opening operation of the left door 21. However, in the case of the left door 21, the direction is opposite to that of the right door 22, and it is determined that the door opening operation is performed when the door opening operation display unit 51A touches the arrow mark near the right end or the right end and then slides to the left. Will be done. Therefore, the left door is not opened even if the left end or the arrow mark near the left end is slid to the right.

In the above automatic door opening control, the control unit 56 determines the door opening operation and drives the door opening driving units 54 and 55. Instead of this, the door opening operation unit 51, A microcomputer is mounted on the side of the 52, and the capacitance type touch sensors 51-1 to 51-5 and 52-1 to 52-5 detect the change in capacitance due to the user's touch and transmit the touch detection signal to the micro. When input to the computer and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 determine that there is a slide operation in a certain direction within a predetermined time, it is finally determined that there is a door opening operation and the left door is opened or the right door is opened. The command signal of the above is transmitted to the control unit 56, and when the control unit 56 receives the door opening command, the procedure of driving the door opening drive unit 54 or the door opening drive unit 55 to open the door can be adopted.

Next, how to incorporate the door opening operation units 51 and 52 into the left door 21 and the right door 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In the following, the door opening operation unit 52 of the right door 22 will be described, but the same applies to the door opening operation unit 51 of the left door 21.

First, the door opening operation unit 52 has a structure in which capacitive touch sensors 52-1 to 52-5 are arranged in a row so as to be arranged in the longitudinal direction L on an elongated substrate 52P having a short W direction and a long L direction. is there. Then, the door opening operation portion 52 is installed inside the lower end of the right door 22 in a posture of being in close contact with the back surface of the front plate 22A with the longitudinal direction L direction being the left-right direction.

Therefore, an operation unit installation space 64 that opens downward is formed near the left end of the lower end of the right door 22. The width of the operation unit installation space 64 in the left-right lateral direction is slightly longer than the length of the door opening operation unit 52 in the longitudinal direction L, and the door opening operation unit 52 is in a state where the longitudinal direction L is sideways. It is designed so that it can be slid upward from the opening on the bottom surface. Then, the door opening operation unit 52 is inserted upward from the lower surface opening of the operation unit installation space 64 with its longitudinal direction L aligned in the left-right direction, and is slid and fixed until it reaches the upper end of the operation unit installation space 64. To do. Then, the door opening operation unit 52 is temporarily fixed with tape or the like in a state of being in close contact with the back surface of the front plate 22A. After that, the door opening operation unit 52 is fixed in the operation unit installation space 64 by injecting liquid urethane as a heat insulating material 22B into the internal cavity of the right door 22 to foam and solidify it. The door opening operation unit 51 for the left door 21 is also attached in the same procedure.

By adopting such an installation procedure, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are installed and fixed in the operation unit installation space 64 in a posture of being long in the left-right lateral direction L direction and short in the vertical direction W direction. , Even if the capacitive touch sensor 52-5 on the right side is in close contact with the back surface of the front plate 22A, the capacitive touch sensor 52-1 on the left side is on the front plate 22A. It is fixed in a floating state without sticking to the back surface, or conversely, even if the capacitive touch sensor 52-1 on the left side is in close contact with the back surface of the front plate 22A, the capacitive touch sensor 52- on the right side It is possible to prevent the 5 from being fixed in a floating state without being in close contact with the back surface of the front plate 22A, and as shown in FIG. 7, all the capacitive touch sensors 52 arranged side by side side by side. -1 to 52-5 can be securely fixed in a state of being equally in close contact with the back surface of the front plate 22A.

[Other embodiments]
The simplest door structure of a refrigerator is to place a single door that opens left or right in front of the refrigerator compartment, and this door structure is a non-colored transparent door on the front of the heat insulating door body. It is also possible to attach a conductive front plate and provide a control operation unit for operating the cooling control content of the refrigerator and a door opening operation unit for operating the door opening operation of the door opening device. That is, the configuration of the right door 22 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 can be configured so that the single door is provided (second embodiment).

Further, the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are not limited to the capacitance type touch sensor, and the user's surface side of the front plates 21A and 22A of the pressure sensitive sensor, the infrared sensor and the like is not uneven. It is not limited as long as the corresponding operation can be performed in response to the operation (third embodiment).

Further, it is preferable that the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are set to be sensitive to the operation input for different operation methods. For example, the control operation unit 50 accepts one operation input in response to a point touch to the relevant location, but the door opening operation units 51 and 52 slide the relevant location while touching it for a certain distance or more. If it does not exist, it can be set so as not to be recognized as the door opening operation input (fourth embodiment).

Further, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 may detect an operation of touching a plurality of locations in a predetermined order or in a predetermined direction instead of the operation of touching and sliding with a finger (fifth). Embodiment). Further, as another modification, the door opening operation unit can be provided at the upper end portion instead of the lower end portion of the door (sixth embodiment).

Further, as another embodiment, the following modification example is possible. As shown in FIG. 8, in a refrigerator in which the left and right doors 21 and 22 are double doors, the door opening operation display units 51A-1 and 52A-1 with respect to the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are placed on the ground surface of the front plates 21A and 22A. The left door 21 can be opened by setting the same height position from the door 21 and sliding the left door 21 from near the left end to near the right end while touching the user on the door opening operation display unit 51A-1. The door opening operation display unit 52A-1 of the right door 22 can also be set so that the right door 22 can be opened by sliding the user from near the left end to near the right end while touching the finger. In this case, as shown by arrow A1 in FIG. 8, in one direction from near the left end of the door opening operation display unit 51A-1 of the left door 21 to near the right end of the door opening operation display unit 52A-1 of the right door 22. The left and right doors 21 and 22 can be opened at the same time by continuously sliding the fingers (seventh embodiment).

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in a refrigerator in which the left and right doors 21 and 22 are double doors, the door opening operation display units 51A-2 and 52A-2 are placed in front of the doors 21 and 22 with respect to the door opening operation units 51 and 52. It is also possible to install the face plates 21A and 22A near the open ends and set the doors 21 and 22 to be able to be opened by sliding the doors 21 and 22 in the direction opposite to the open side. In this case, since the right end of the left door 21 is the open end, the door opening operation display unit 51A-2 is set to slide from the right end side to the left. Further, the left end of the right door 22 is an open end, and the door opening operation display unit 52A-2 is displayed so as to slide to the right from the left end side. With this setting, the user slides his / her fingers in the direction in which the open end of the door is opened by the door opening operation, so that the user's fingers are less likely to interfere with the open end of the door that has begun to open, and are smooth. The opening operation becomes possible (eighth embodiment).

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, even if the refrigerator door is a single door or a double door with a double door, it is near any of the four corners of the door (here, the door 22). The door opening operation unit 52 is installed horizontally or vertically, or diagonally toward the corner, and the door opening operation display unit 52A-3 is also installed at a position corresponding to that of the front plate 22A of the door 22. It is possible to set the door opening operation when the door opening operation direction is the direction toward the outside of the door (the ninth embodiment).

For example, in FIG. 10A, the door opening operation unit 52 and the door opening operation display unit 52A-31 are installed horizontally at the lower end portion of the door 22 on the open end side, and the door opening operation display unit 52A-31 is installed in the right direction toward the open end side of the door 22. A setting example in which the door can be opened by sliding the door is shown. In the case of this modification, the door opening operation unit 52 and the door opening operation display unit 52A-31 can be similarly installed at the upper end portion of the door 22 on the open end side. In FIG. 10B, the door opening operation unit 52 and the door opening operation display unit 52A-32 are installed vertically at the lower end of the door 22 on the open end side, and slide operation is performed from top to bottom toward the lower end of the door 22. A setting example in which the door can be opened is shown. In FIG. 10 (c), the door opening operation unit 52 and the door opening operation display unit 52A-33 are installed vertically at the upper end of the door 22 on the open end side, and slide operation is performed from bottom to top toward the upper end of the door 22. A setting example in which the door can be opened is shown. In FIG. 10D, a door opening operation unit 52 and a door opening operation display unit 52A-34 are installed vertically at the lower end of the door 22 on the end side of the rotary hinge, and a sliding operation is performed from top to bottom toward the lower end of the door 22. An example of setting that can open the door by doing so is shown. In the case of this modification, the door opening operation unit 52 and the door opening operation display unit 52A-31 are installed at the upper end of the door 22 on the rotary hinge end side, and the door is set to be opened by sliding from the bottom to the top. You can also do it. Further, in FIG. 10E, one of the four corners of the door 22, the door opening operation unit 52 and the door opening operation display unit 52A-35 are installed diagonally diagonally in the lower corner portion on the open end side, and the door opening operation display unit 52A-35 is installed in the lower corner of the door 22. An example of setting that the door can be opened by sliding from diagonally above to diagonally downward is shown. In the case of this modification, the door opening operation unit 52 and the door opening operation display unit 52A-35 are installed in any of the other three corners of the four corners of the door 22, and the door opening operation unit 52 and the door opening operation display unit 52A-35 are installed diagonally from the bottom to the top toward each corner. It is also possible to set the door to open by sliding it diagonally from top to bottom.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, even if the refrigerator door has a single door opening or a double door opening, the door opening operation unit 52 installed on the back surface side of the front plate 22A of the door 22 is provided. The capacitive touch sensors 52-1 to 52-5 can be configured such that adjacent sensors partially overlap each other in the direction A3 different from the slide operation direction A2. With this sensor overlap configuration, there is no shortage of touch during slide operation, and even if adjacent sensors are touched at the same time, the change in capacitance becomes larger in the sensor with a larger area, and there is an effect that simultaneous detection is not possible ( 10th embodiment).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, even if the refrigerator door has a single door opening or a double door opening type, the door opening operation unit incorporated into the door (also referred to as the door 22) is incorporated. Reference numeral 52 denotes a door opening operation detected by a slide operation, in which a plurality of slide detection touch sensors are arranged in an annular shape or in a matrix shape on the top, bottom, left and right, and the plurality of electrodes are constant. It is possible to detect the door opening operation with respect to the slide operation for drawing the pattern of (11th embodiment).

In the example of FIG. 12, a plurality of slide detection touch sensors 52-1 to 52-8 in the door opening operation unit 52 incorporated in the door 22 are arranged in an annular shape with respect to such a door opening operation unit 52. The door is opened when three or more adjacent touch sensors are continuously touched in a circular motion. Therefore, the door can be opened by any of the slide operations of the arrows A4 to A6, or by the slide operation in the opposite direction. Further, in the example of FIG. 13, a plurality of slide detection electrodes 5211 to 5244 in the door opening operation unit 52 incorporated in the door 22 are arranged vertically and horizontally in a matrix, with respect to such a door opening operation unit 52. As shown by arrows A7 to A13, the door is opened when three or more adjacent electrodes in the upward direction, the downward direction, the diagonally upward direction, and the diagonally downward direction are continuously touched.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, whether the refrigerator door has a single door opening or a double door opening type (here, the double door opening type is shown), the doors 21 and 22 are opened. The operation units 51 and 52 both detect a door opening operation by sliding in a predetermined direction, and the left door 21 is slid from the left to the right from the rotating hinge side toward the open end side. The door opening is detected when the door is opened, and even if the right door 22 is located, the door opening is detected when the door is slid from the right to the left from the rotating hinge side toward the open end side. In this case, each of the door opening operation display units 51A and 52A is provided with arrow marks toward the open end in order to indicate the slide operation direction (12th embodiment). In the door opening operation by the slide operation toward the open end, the user usually comes to the center of the refrigerator from the outside of the refrigerator to open the door, so that the flow line direction and the slide operation direction match. , Has the effect of making it easy to open the door.

As yet another example of modification, the following configuration is possible. A human sensation detecting means (for example, an infrared sensor, a camera that recognizes a person, etc.) for detecting that a person stands in front of the refrigerator door is provided on the door, and the door opening operation is activated after the human sensation detecting means detects the person. The control unit may perform the control to be performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the refrigerator door from opening due to water, static electricity, or the like (the thirteenth embodiment).

Further, instead of the rotary hinged doors 21 and 22 in front of the refrigerator compartment 12, the drawer doors 23 and 24 of the vegetable compartment 13 and the switching chamber 14 and the like are provided with the door opening operation units 51 and 52 of the refrigerator compartment doors 21 and 22. It can also be provided (14th embodiment). In this case, the electrical wiring is connected to the control unit 56 along the slide rail of the drawer type door.

Further, the refrigerator 1 of the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as described below in sequence.

[Fifteenth Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 15, the control operation unit (also referred to as a control operation board) 50 is formed on the door caps constituting the left, right, upper and lower side surfaces of the door supporting the door front plate which is the vertical side surface portion of the right door 22. It can be inserted and stored in the G direction from the insertion port 50V into the storage unit 50R. The door opening operation unit (also referred to as a touch-open switch board) 52 can be inserted into the storage unit 52R from the insertion port 52V of the vertical side surface portion of the right door 22 in the G direction and stored. Further, the door opening operation unit (touch open switch board) 51 can be inserted into the storage unit 51R from the insertion port 51V of the vertical side surface portion of the left door 21 in the H direction and stored.

As shown in FIG. 15, the handles 61 and 62 are arranged on the lower surface (lower side) of the left door 21 and the lower surface (lower side) of the right door 22, respectively, and the handles 61 and 62 and the door opening operation are performed. The portions 51 and 52 are arranged at the lower corners of the left door 21 and the lower corners of the right door 22, respectively, and are arranged on different sides of the door. Further, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 and the handles 61 and 62 may be located at different positions in the vertical direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 19 described later, the right door 22 is composed of, for example, a front plate 22A which is a glass plate, an inner plate 22C, and a door cap 72, and the insertion port 50V is used as the door cap 72. It is good to provide it. Then, a storage portion 50R may be provided so as to extend from the door cap 72 in the direction of the front plate 22A continuously with the insertion port 50V, and the substrate may be inserted into the storage portion 50R.

It is preferable that the space between the outer front plate 22A, the inner plate 22C, and the door cap 72 of the storage portion 50R is filled with a foam heat insulating material such as urethane or a vacuum heat insulating material to insulate.

Further, the inserted control operation unit 50 and door opening operation unit 51 may be brought into close contact with the front plate 22A by an elastic means that presses against the front plate 22A from behind after insertion, but if the substrate has a long width (door opening). The operation unit 51 and the like) may be directly adhered to the back surface of the front plate 22A with an adhesive or the like. Then, the operation sensitivity can be improved.

LEDs 51M and 52M can be used for the door opening operation display units 51A and 52A, which are arrow marks indicating the positions of the door opening operation units 51 and 52. Further, the arrow mark may be one printed directly on the glass, or one printed on the film may be provided on the back surface of the glass so that it can be seen by light.

The door opening operation units 51 and 52 for opening the left door 21 and the right door 22 shown in FIG. 15 use an electrostatic switch. In the revolving doors 21 and right 22, the electrostatic switch can be electrically connected to the control unit on the cabinet 11 side using electrical wiring, so that the revolving door of the refrigerating room with a relatively small temperature difference Therefore, an electrostatic switch can be used as the door opening operation units 51 and 52. The electrostatic switch is used for parts that are sensitive to humidity and have a small temperature difference.

On the other hand, the drawer door, for example, the door opening operation unit 71 for opening the drawer door 25 of the freezer compartment 15, and the door opening operation unit 77 for opening the drawer door 23 use a Hall IC switch. Since the drawer door has a structure that can be pulled out from the cabinet 11 (refrigerator body) and removed, it is not possible to connect the door opening operation unit 77 and the control unit on the cabinet 11 side using electrical wiring. Therefore, for example, as the door opening operation units 71 and 77, when a magnet is arranged on the drawer door and the drawer door is pushed, the position of the magnet changes, and the position of this magnet changes without contacting the Hall IC switch. To be able to detect. The control unit can open the drawer door by operating the pushing means for pushing out the drawer door by the signal indicating that the position of the magnet has changed from the Hall IC.

FIG. 19 shows a horizontal cross section of the right door 22 shown in FIG. For example, the right door 22 has a front plate 22A, an inner plate 22C, a reinforcing plate 71, a door cap 72, and a substrate 74 of the door opening operation unit 52, which are glass plates. Inside the right door 22, a urethane member for heat insulation or a vacuum heat insulating material 73 having a thickness of 20 mm is arranged. The gap between the substrate 74 and the glass plate 22G is zero. The door cap 72 covers the end of the front plate 22A, which is a glass plate, and enters. The front plate 22A, which is a glass plate, is tempered glass, but if the end of the glass plate is exposed, the glass plate is exposed in order to protect the exposed end of the glass plate. A C-face cut is provided at the end.

By doing so, the door opening operation unit 52 is operated to automatically open the door, so that there is a risk that the end of the front plate 22A may come into contact with another kitchen furniture placed next to the refrigerator or the wall. It is possible to prevent the end face from cracking. Further, the end portion of the front plate 22A may be provided with a preventive means for protecting the end portion by covering the end portion for preventing contact. Further, the substrate 74 of the door opening operation unit 52 is arranged so that there is no gap with respect to the inner surface of the front plate 22A. Although the shape is symmetrical, the left door 21 has the same structure. Further, the sizes of the boards of the left and right door opening operation units 52 may be different. For example, the substrate on the large door side may be larger than the substrate on the small door.

[16th Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 18, the door opening operation unit 51 is arranged below the position LL of the lower end line of the meat plate ceiling plate inside the left door 21. That is, FIG. 24 shows a vertical cross section of the refrigerator body. As shown in FIG. 24, in the cabinet 11, there is a cold air duct through which cold air from the cooler passes on the back surface, and an outlet is provided from the duct toward the door side, and the cold air flows in the direction of the arrow as shown in the figure. Flow to.

A meat plate 99T is arranged in the cabinet 11, and an outlet is provided on the back side of the meat plate 99T. In the left door 21, the door opening operation unit 51 is arranged below the position LL of the lower end line of the meat plate ceiling plate. As a result, the cold air that has passed through the meat plate 99T does not reach the door opening operation portion 51 in the left door 21 due to windbreak means such as the front wall forming the front surface of the meat plate. Therefore, since the cold air does not reach the door opening operation unit 51 (52) in the left door 21, the door opening operation unit 51 (52) is cooled and the dew phenomenon does not occur.

As shown in FIG. 24, the cold air does not hit the back surface of the door when the upper end of the pocket frame is above the upper end of the meat plate 99T. As a result, in order to accommodate the door opening operation unit 51 (52), cold air directly hits the part of the door opening operation unit 51 (52) where dew condensation is likely to occur due to the thin heat insulating material. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the door opening operation unit 51 from inadvertently operating and the left door 21 from opening without permission without operating due to this dew and sending a signal to the control unit. This also applies to the door opening operation unit 52 of the right door 22 shown in FIG.

The meat dish 99T can also be used as a chilled chamber, has a door and a drawer container, and can be pulled out forward. The chilled chamber may be composed of a reinforced storage case that can store a drawer container and a closed space that can be sealed by a door, and the space inside the closed storage space is decompressed by a vacuum pump that is a decompression means. It may be configured. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the cold air from the cold air outlet provided on the back surface of the storage case of the meat plate 99T from directly reaching the door, and the cold temperature zone of the outlet is a decompressed heat insulating layer in a closed space. It is possible to insulate and prevent heat transfer. In this case, it is advisable to provide the storage case so as to cover the outlet. Further, the cold air from the outlet provided on the back surface of the sealed storage unit may be controlled by a damper which is an air volume adjusting means, and the temperature is lowered by a temperature sensor which measures the temperature inside the refrigerator to prevent dew. It is advisable to detect that the temperature has increased and control the damper so that it is difficult for cold air to hit the door.

Further, a vacuum heat insulating material arranged inside the door is arranged behind the substrate provided with the door opening operation unit 52 between the substrate and the outlet arranged behind the meat plate 99T. It is good to insulate it so that it does not condense. In addition, this substrate is housed in a resin storage part having an air layer formed inside the door. In this case, dew condensation is particularly likely to occur, but a vacuum heat insulating material should be provided to insulate the cold heat inside the door. This can prevent dew condensation and prevent the detection that the door is opened unexpectedly. Further, a metal member having excellent heat transfer may be arranged around the storage portion to transfer the heat of the outside air to the storage portion to warm it, thereby preventing dew condensation.

Further, a vertical partition which is arranged between the right door and the left door and opens and closes in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of one door may be provided, and a heat source may be stored inside the vertical partition. By arranging the substrate and the storage portion in the vicinity of the heat source of the storage, heat can be transferred to the substrate and the storage portion, and dew condensation can be further prevented. This heat source extends in the vertical direction together with the vertical partition, and it is preferable to increase the amount of heat transfer by increasing the heater density at the position of the substrate or the storage portion. The heater density is such that the heater wires are arranged twice, bent, or a metal with good thermal conductivity (for example, aluminum) is extended from the heater to the substrate side so that heat is transferred to the substrate side in the vertical partition. It may be placed in.

Further, by attaching the door opening operation unit 51 (52) to a position different from the position of the outlet 79R in the cabinet 11 shown in FIG. 18, the cold air from the outlet 79R can be operated to open the door in the left door 21. It is possible to prevent the portion 51 (52) from being reached. Therefore, since the cold air does not reach the door opening operation unit 51 (52) in the left door 21, the door opening operation unit 51 (52) is cooled and does not cause the dew phenomenon, and operates by this dew. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the door opening operation unit 51 (52) from inadvertently operating and the left door 21 (right door 22) from opening without permission without sending a signal to the control unit.

[17th Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 16, the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation unit 51 can be arranged on one substrate 99 at the left door 21. The detection unit and the detection signal processing unit of the door opening operation unit 51 (52) can be composed of one board 99. The detection unit and the detection signal processing unit are housed together in the storage unit 50R. The microcomputer MC may be arranged on the same substrate.

The control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation unit 52 can be arranged on separate boards in the right door 22, and the control operation unit 50 and the microcomputer MC are arranged on one board 99A, and the door opening operation unit 52 Can also be arranged on 99B of another substrate. As a result, by using the microcomputer MC, which may generate noise, as a separate substrate, it is possible to prevent a malfunction in which the door opening operation unit 52 erroneously detects and opens the door without permission. Further, when the storage portion 50R has different storage portions in which the substrate 99A and the substrate 99B are separately stored, the electric signal line of the substrate 99B is stored in a storage portion in another place (for example, the storage portion in which the substrate 99A is stored). It may be connected to the control means (MC) of the unit). In particular, if the connection connector extends from the storage part of another place to the storage part of the board 99B in advance and the connection line of the board 99B and the connection connector are connected when the board 99B is stored in the storage part, the door can be assembled. Easy to manufacture.

The microcomputer MC may be arranged on the same substrate 99B or on another substrate 99C arranged at a different position. The substrate 99 may have a vertically long shape or a horizontally long shape.

The control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 shown in FIG. 18 are not directly connected by lead wires. That is, the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are connected to each other via the power supply board of the control unit 56 by using separate electric wirings LA and LB. This is done in order to surely prevent the noise generated from the control operation unit 50 from inadvertently causing the door opening / closing operation of the door opening operation units 51 and 52.

The handles of the drawer doors 23, 24, 25, 26 shown in FIG. 15 can be arranged on the left or right side surfaces of the drawer doors 23, 24, 25, 26. The handle is not arranged on the front portion of the drawer door. For example, the door opening operation portion 77 of the drawer door 23 and the door opening operation portion 71 of the drawer door 25 are arranged on the front portion, respectively. Only. As a result, since there is no handle on the front portion of the drawer door, the appearance is improved.

[18th Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 17, in the right door 22, the arrangement positions of the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation unit 52 are different in the left and right lateral directions. That is, the control operation unit 50 is located near the right side surface of the right door 22, and the door opening operation unit 52 is located near the right side surface of the right door 22. As a result, the control operation unit 50 is not arranged above the door opening operation unit 52, so that even if water drips from the control operation unit 50 due to the user touching it with a wet hand, for example. This water does not reach the lower door opening operation unit 52. Further, the distance Wb between the storage unit of the control operation unit 50 and the storage unit of the door opening operation unit 52 is smaller than the distance Wa between the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation unit 52, and the distance Wb is the lowest. This is the distance that must be separated.

Further, the control operation unit 50 may be arranged so that the storage unit for accommodating the substrate of the door opening operation unit 52 is shifted in the vertical direction and wrapped so as to overlap in the horizontal direction. The control operation unit 50 may be arranged so that the substrates of the door opening operation unit 52 also overlap in the left-right direction. If the capacitance type switch SA and the switch 52A on the respective boards do not overlap, water does not drip from the capacitance type SW arranged above to the switch of the door opening operation unit arranged below. By wrapping the storage part and the board, the degree of freedom in layout is increased by arranging them in the left-right direction in a small area of the door. It should be noted that the arrangement of the respective substrates in the left-right direction can be applied even when the substrates are arranged in the same storage portion.

The electrodes of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 may have different detection sensitivities when operated by the user than the electrodes of the control operation unit 50. For example, by increasing the detection sensitivity of the electrodes of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 as compared with the electrodes of the control operation unit 50, the operation sensitivity of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 can be improved. The electrodes of 52 may have different capacities of the electrodes of the control operation unit 50, or may be different by changing the area of the electrodes. The electrodes of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 may be configured by one electrode instead of a plurality of electrodes.

The operation for the control operation unit 50 and the operation for the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are different from each other. As a different operation method, the control operation unit 50 is, for example, a long press operation for 0.5 seconds. The door opening operation units 51 and 52 detect the operation by, for example, performing a long press operation for 1 second.

[19th Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 21, all the LEDs of the control operation unit 50 are turned off, and when a switch somewhere in the control operation unit 50 is pressed, a plurality of LEDs or all the LEDs of the control operation unit 50 are turned on. During the lighting period, the switches of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 have a control to invalidate the door opening operation even if the operation is detected, and the door opening operation is invalidated without accepting the user's operation. Good (may be valid and operable). During the lighting, the LEDs of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are OFF and are not lit during that time. Instead, while all the LEDs of the control operation unit 50 are off, the switches of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are valid and can be operated (may be invalid and cannot be operated). While all the LEDs of the control operation unit 50 are off, the LEDs of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are ON and turn on.

By configuring the control switch to be effective and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 to be disabled as described above, the elbow suddenly hits the door opening operation units 51 and 52 when the control operation unit 50 is pressed with a finger. It has the effect of preventing the door from being opened unexpectedly.

Further, in the configuration in which the LED of the control switch is turned on and the LEDs of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are turned off, for example, when the LEDs are turned on at the same time, a child wants to press the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 at the same time. The door may be opened due to the urge, but this configuration can solve the problem.

Even if both the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are enabled and it is detected that the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are pressed at the same time, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are notified by display or voice. You can call attention with.

The switch SA and the switch SB having different shapes of the control operation unit 50 shown in FIG. 17 can be turned on for a predetermined time with the same operation sensitivity and the same operation method. The switch SA and the switch SB of the same operation method are on one surface of the substrate. Further, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 may also have the same operation method as the switch SA, and this configuration can be adopted in each embodiment.

The bundled wire of the electric wiring LA of the control operation unit 50 and the bundled wire of the electric wiring LB of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 and the heater wire shown in FIG. 18 are not grouped together. That is, it is advisable to arrange them apart from each other in the door and bring them closer to each other at the door hinges leading to the cabinet. Moreover, the AC line and the DC line may be bundled separately. This prevents noise.

Although the front plate 22A, which is the glass plate shown in FIG. 19 of the right door 22 shown in FIG. 15, is tempered glass, a reinforcing plate 71 may be added and a shatterproof film may be arranged. In order to protect the end portion of the glass plate 22A, the cap 72 is arranged so as to cover the end portion of the glass plate 22A.

However, unlike FIG. 19, when the door cap does not cover the end portion of the glass plate 22A and the end portion of the glass plate 22G is exposed, the C surface which is a cut surface is formed on the end portion of the glass plate 22G. It is good to form a cut or R surface. The front plate 22A, which is a glass plate, is tempered glass, but if the end of the glass plate is exposed, the glass plate is provided with a C-plane cut to protect the end of the glass plate. By providing the opening / closing door operation unit, even if the door is unexpectedly opened, it is possible to prevent the end portion from being chipped by hitting somewhere. Although the shape is symmetrical, the left door 21 has the same structure.

Since it is necessary to prevent the door opening operation units 51 and 52 shown in FIG. 17 from failing, the vacuum heat insulating material 73 is arranged as shown in FIG. 19, and the heat insulating thickness of the vacuum heat insulating material 78 is 20 mm. As described above, since the vacuum heat insulating material 78 is arranged by the vertical partition, the vacuum heat insulating material 78 is not exposed to dew. Although not shown, the heater is arranged near the door opening operation units 51 and 52, and the vacuum heat insulating material 78 is arranged behind the door opening operation units 51 and 52. As a result, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 are prevented from condensing due to the influence of the low temperature portion.

The switches SA and SB of the control operation unit 50 shown in FIG. 17 have a function of adjusting the operation sensitivity, and have a setting means for changing the sensitivity and a predetermined time. Thereby, by using the setting means, the operation sensitivity when the switches SA, SB or 51A, 51B are operated can be set to be different.

[20th Embodiment]
FIG. 20 is a plan view showing, for example, drawer doors 23 and 25 shown in FIG. For example, the drawer doors 23 and 25 shown in FIG. 15 have door opening operation units 77 and 71, respectively. When the substrate 82 of the door opening operation units 77 and 71 is configured so that it can be inserted and stored in the storage unit 81 downward from the upper surface of the drawer doors 13 and 15, a gap is generated in the front surface of the drawer doors 13 and 15. It is clean because there is no such thing, and the glass surface on the front of the drawer doors 13 and 15 looks good.

The door opening operation units 77 and 71 of FIG. 20 have a substrate 82, a battery 83, and an elastic means 84 for pressing the substrate 82 against the inner surface of the front surface portion, and the battery 83 is attached to the door opening operation units 77 and 71. Power is supplied. Then, as compared with the case where the following electric wiring is guided to the door along the metal rail, noise enters the door opening operation units 77 and 71, and it is possible to prevent the door from being opened without permission.

In the case of the power supply type in which the power source is taken from another place using the electric wiring instead of the battery 83 of FIG. 20, the electric wiring is guided to the door along the metal rail and the maximum is pulled out according to the opening / closing operation of the door. It is preferable to arrange the wiring lengths for the distances of the above in a movable and deformable manner.

In that case, noise may be placed on the electrical wiring along the metal rail that guides the drawer door, so the door opening operation units 77 and 71 are entered, or the door opening operation units 77 and 71 enter the microcomputer that instructs the opening operation. It is advisable to provide a noise filter which is a noise removing means for removing noise. Further, noise may be removed by providing insulating means (noise removing means) around the electrical wiring arranged along the metal rail so as not to come into direct contact with the metal (the 21st embodiment).
As shown in FIG. 16, among the drawer doors 23, 24, 25, and 26 having a glass plate, for example, the drawer door 25 is a door cap (a door cap made of a different material) other than the glass front portion of the drawer door 25. (For example, made of resin) is provided with a push button 100. The drawer door 15 can be opened by pressing the resin push button 100.

[22nd Embodiment]
FIG. 22 is a horizontal sectional view showing the drawer door 23 (24, 25, 26) and the refrigerator cabinet 11, and the pressing member 120 is located between the drawer door 23 (24, 25, 26) and the refrigerator cabinet 11. Is placed. The pressing member 120 sets a gap DH between the drawer door 23 (24, 25, 26) and the refrigerator cabinet 11. When the user pushes the drawer door 23 (24, 25, 26) against the force of the pressing member 120 in the pressing direction indicated by the arrow, the transmitting unit 131 of the non-contact distance sensor 130 becomes the receiving unit 132. Get closer. As a result, the distance sensor 130 detects the distance, and when the detected distance becomes smaller than the predetermined distance, the door opening operation unit 77 (71) gives a command to the control unit and pulls out by the pushing means. You can open the door.

As shown in FIG. 17, the door opening operation units 102, 102, 103, 104 for opening the drawer doors 23, 24, 25, 26 may be arranged, for example, in the left door 21. The door opening operation units 102, 102, 103, 104 are designed according to the arrangement shape of the drawer doors 23, 24, 25, 26. This makes it easy for the user to visually grasp and can easily open the necessary drawer door without changing the posture.

The left door 21, the right door 22, and the drawer doors 23, 24, 25, and 26 can be formed all-flat without providing any handles on their front surfaces.

[23rd Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 15, for the gaps X and Y between the drawer doors 23, 24, 25 and 26, the gap X> the gap Y. That is, the gap Y between the drawer door 23 having the door opening operation unit 77 and the drawer door 25 having the door opening operation unit 72 is set smaller than the gap X between the drawer doors 24 and 26 without the door opening operation unit. There is. That is, the gap X between the drawer doors 24 and 26 having the handle 140 and having no door opening operation unit is the drawer having the drawer door 23 having the door opening operation unit 77 and the door opening operation unit 72 for inserting a hand. It is larger than the gap Y of the door 25. The drawer door 23 having the door opening operation unit 77 and the drawer door 25 having the door opening operation unit 72 may be provided with handles on the left and right side surface portions of the drawer door. At this time, this handle can be formed by providing a recess in the cap supporting the glass plate.

Since the non-contact distance sensor 130 is used as a means for detecting the displacement amount of the door shown in FIG. 22 in order to open and close the drawer door having a glass plate, if the drawer door having a glass plate is pushed slightly in the direction of the arrow, The drawer door can be opened.

As shown in FIG. 16, the control operation unit 50 can be arranged on one or both of the left door 21 and the right door 22.

[24th Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 23, a cap 150, which is a door frame and a decorative portion, is arranged above the glass plates (front plates 21A, 22A) of the left door 21 and the right door 22. The cap 150 has a protrusion 151 that is provided so as to project outward (upward), and the protrusion 151 abuts on the pushing member 161 of the pushing means 160. The protrusion 151 is provided at a position away from the front plates 21A and 22A, which are glass plates, and when the pushing member 161 of the pushing means 160 pushes the protrusion 151 to open the left door 21 or the right door 22. In addition, the front plates 21A and 22A are not affected by the force. Reinforcing ribs 162, 163, 164, 165 are formed inside the cap 150, glass plates (front plates 21A, 22A) are fitted in the reinforcing ribs 162, 163, and cross sections are formed in the reinforcing ribs 163, 164. A U-shaped reinforcing plate 169 is fixed. An inner plate 170 is arranged on the reinforcing rib 165. Urethane is embedded between the front plate 21A (22A), which is a glass plate, and the inner plate 170 for reinforcement.

Each of the above-described embodiments can be applied not only to the refrigerator having the double door shown in the figure but also to the refrigerator having a single door.

[25th Embodiment]
FIG. 25A shows a plane of, for example, a drawer door 25 of a refrigerator, and there are building walls 200 on both sides of the drawer door 25. A concave handle 201 is provided on the left and right side surface portions 25S of the drawer door 25. In FIG. 25B, concave handles 202 are provided on the left and right side surface portions of the drawer door 25, but the left and right side surface portions are inclined surfaces 25G that are inclined to the front side. As a result, even if there are wall 200s of the building on the left and right, since the inclined surface 25G is formed, a gap is created, and the user can easily put his / her finger into the handle 202. At this time, the handle 202 may have a shape that makes it easy to grip as shown on the right side of the drawing.

[26th Embodiment]
FIG. 26 shows an example of the drawer doors 210, 220, 230, and a concave handle 240 is provided on the upper surface of the drawer door 220. The drawer door 230 is provided with a door opening operation unit 77 on the front surface portion thereof. Since the drawer door 230 is provided with the door opening operation unit 77 on the front surface portion thereof, the front surface of the front surface portion can be made a glass surface. The gap C between the drawer door 230 and the drawer door 220 can be made smaller than the gap B between the drawer door 210 and the drawer door 220, and the appearance is improved.

Further, the left door 21 or the right door 22 is opened when the user releases the finger, not when the user touches the hand from the touch switch type door opening operation unit 51 or the door opening operation unit 52 shown in FIG. 15, for example. You should open it. Further, the left door 21 or the right door 22 may be opened when a predetermined time elapses after the user touches the door opening operation unit 51 or the door opening operation unit 52 with a finger.

That is, the control unit controls to instruct the door opening at a timing different from when the user presses the door opening operation unit 51, and when the user releases the door opening operation unit 51 instead of pressing it. May be detected and the door opening may be instructed, or the door opening may be instructed after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the door opening operation unit 51 is pressed. Further, the door opening may be instructed after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time when the door opening operation unit 51 is released.

This means that the control unit also controls the door opening control after the touch sensor detects the touch operation and then becomes non-detection when the door opening control is performed. The touch sensor also controls the door opening control. It is also configured to control the door opening after a predetermined time has elapsed from the detection of the touch operation (for example, it is not 1 second, preferably 0.3 seconds).

By doing so, the door opening operation unit 51 or opening is performed as compared with the case where the left door 21 or the right door 22 is immediately opened when the user touches the door opening operation unit 51 or the door opening operation unit 52 with a finger. It is possible to prevent the hand touching the door operation unit 52 from hitting the open left door 21 or the right door 22.

In particular, when the user presses and holds the door opening operation unit 51 or the door opening operation unit 52 with his / her fingers, the hand touching the door opening operation unit 51 or the door opening operation unit 52 opens the left door 21 or Although it hits the right door 22, as described above, when the user touches the door opening operation unit 51 or the door opening operation unit 52 with a finger and a predetermined time elapses, the left door 21 or the right door By opening 22, it is possible to prevent the touched hand from hitting the opened left door 21 or right door 22.

Further, the structure of the door described above may be described in detail as follows.

FIG. 27 is a schematic view of an exploded perspective view showing only one door of the double door of the refrigerator 1 of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 1 in an exploded manner. The left door 21, the right door 22, the vegetable compartment 13, the ice making chamber 16, the upper freezing chamber 14, and the pull-out doors 23 to 15 which form the double door of the refrigerator 1 refrigerating chamber 12 shown in FIG. The structure of 25 is basically the same as that of the door shown in FIG. 27, and a structural example will be described as the door 103b as a representative.

The door 103b of the refrigerator compartment 12 shown in FIG. 27 has a glass plate 121 on the outer surface provided so as to completely cover the front surface of the door 103b. In FIG. 27, the side on which the glass plate 121 is provided is the front side of the door 103b, and the rear side opposite to the glass plate 121 is the rear side of the door 103b facing the inside of the refrigerator compartment 12.

An upper door cap 131, a lower door cap 133, a left door cap 135, and a right door cap 137 are provided on the upper, lower, left, and right outer peripheral portions of the glass plate 121, respectively. These four door caps on the top, bottom, left, and right hold and fix the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the glass plate 121 from the outside on the top, bottom, left, and right. These upper door cap 131, lower door cap 133, left door cap 135, and right door cap 137 are fixed to the four side portions of the glass plate 121 and are decorated on the four side portions of the glass plate 121. Functions as.

Inside the glass plate 121 shown in FIG. 27, the door inner component 125 constituting the inner plate of the door is attached to the door cap to assemble the door 103b as a whole and integrally. A gasket 127, which is a rectangular sealing means for sealing the door and the cabinet, is provided inside the door inner structure 125 and inside the refrigerating chamber 12 toward the inside. Then, the space between the glass plate 121, the door cap, and the door inner structure 125 is filled with a foamed heat insulating material made of urethane foam or the like to improve the heat insulating performance and the foamed heat insulating material adheres to the inner surface of the glass plate 121. Then, the glass plate 121 is fixed so that the glass plate 121 does not come off or warp. A paint is applied to the glass plate 121, and a shatterproof sheet for preventing the glass from breaking and scattering is provided on the back side thereof, and a protective member for preventing the shatterproof sheet and urethane from coming into contact with each other may be provided.

Next, with reference to FIG. 28, a structural example of the relationship between the substrate having the capacitance type switch and the door will be described.

FIG. 28 shows doors (doors 21, 22 and the like) having capacitance type switches (corresponding to switches SA, SB, 51A, 52A and the like) constituting the control operation unit 50 and door opening operation units 51 and 52 described above. ) Is a schematic view of a cross-sectional view.

The left door cap 135 shown in FIG. 28 is a decorative portion on the left side provided in the vertical direction of the door 103b (vertical direction on the paper surface in FIG. 28), and the right door cap 137 is a right side provided in the vertical direction of the door 103b. It is a decoration part of. The vertical direction of the door 103b is the Z direction shown in FIG. 27.

As shown in FIG. 28, one end (left end) 150 of the glass plate 121 is not completely covered by the left door cap 135, and is substantially exposed from the left door cap 135. The end of the state. On the other hand, the other end (right end) 121f of the glass plate 121 is an end that is not exposed because it is covered with the holding portion 137a.

The R surface 151 is formed on the front side portion of the side surface 152 of the one end portion 150 of the glass plate 121, and does not have a right-angled shape. The R surface 151 is, for example, a 1/4 circumferential R surface. For example, the R surface 151 can be formed by cutting a part of one end portion 150 and then polishing it to give it a rounded shape, and the R surface 151 is continuously formed in the Z direction.

As shown in FIG. 28, the side surface 152 of one end 150 of the glass plate 121 does not protrude outward as compared with the side surface 153 of the left door cap 135. As a result, since the side surface 152 of the glass plate 121 does not protrude from the side surface 153 of the left door cap 135, the end portion 152 of the glass plate 121 can be protected.

As shown in FIG. 28, a substrate insertion portion 154 is provided on the side surface 153 of the left door cap 135. The board insertion portion 154 is a through hole, and is provided for inserting the board 110 into the storage member 105 from the outside of the left door cap 135. The substrate 110 is equipped with a capacitance type switch 101 and a communication means 102 for communicating information on the refrigerator to the outside and receiving other information from the outside. The storage member 105 is fixed to the inner surface 121M of the glass plate 121 and the inner surface 135M of the left door cap 135, respectively. The storage member 105 is a member that constitutes a storage unit that can store the substrate 110. A lid is provided on the substrate insertion portion 154, and the storage portion can be sealed by closing the lid.

As described above, dew condensation can be prevented by providing a metal such as aluminum having good thermal conductivity around the storage portion or by arranging a reinforcing metal 65 inside.

The substrate 110 is pressed against the inner surface 121M of the glass plate 121 from the storage member 105 side by using an elastic means 103 such as a spring, so that the substrate 110 is held in close contact with the inner surface 121M. The substrate 110 is fixed at a position P1 different from the support portion P2 of the left side cap 135. As a result, the substrate 110 having the capacitance type switch 101 can be fixed in close contact with the inner surface 121M of the glass plate 121 while avoiding the support portion P2 of the left side cap 135. Therefore, the capacitance type switch 101 can be arranged by pressing it against the inner surface 121M of the glass plate 121 without leaving a gap, so that the user can turn on / off the capacitance type switch 101 from the surface of the glass plate 121. Can be done reliably.

Further, as a method of pressing the capacitance type switch 101 against the inner surface 121M of the glass plate 121 without leaving a gap, a guide means for moving the substrate 110 from the rear to the front may be provided instead of the elastic means, for example, storage. The portion may be inclined so as to be narrowed toward the insertion direction of the substrate, or the protrusion provided on the substrate 110 may be inserted into the guide groove provided in the storage portion and guided by being pushed.

Further, the substrate may be arranged in a support container that supports the substrate, and an LED that is a light emitting means may be arranged in the support container so that the LED emits light from the back surface of the substrate.

The capacitance type switch may be integrated by arranging electrodes on the front surface of the LED substrate arranged on the back surface of 101, and is provided on another substrate separately from the substrate on which the LED is arranged. You may. The substrate may be an elastic film-like transparent film provided with capacitance type switch electrodes. Then, the LED can be arranged on the back surface of the transparent electrode, and light can be emitted from the back side of the electrode.

[27th Embodiment]
29 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the 27th embodiment, FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the refrigerator in an open door state, and FIG. 31 is an enlarged perspective view of a refrigerator compartment portion of the refrigerator. is there.

As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, in the refrigerator 1 of the 27th embodiment, the cabinet 11 which is the main body of the refrigerator is a switching chamber capable of switching the refrigerating chamber 12, the vegetable compartment 13, and the set temperature in the refrigerator from the upper stage. It is composed of 14 and a freezer compartment 15. An ice making chamber 16 is provided on the left side of the switching chamber 14.

As shown in FIGS. 29 to 31, in order to cover the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12, a pair of left and right left doors 21 and right doors 22 open and close at the left end and the upper and lower sides of the right end in a double-door manner with hinges, respectively. It is installed so that it can be used. The vegetable compartment 13, the switching chamber 14, the freezing chamber 15, and the ice making chamber 16 are provided with drawer-type doors 23, 24, 25, and 26, respectively.

For both the left door 21 and the right door 22, the front plates 21A and 22A made of colored transparent glass are attached to the opening of the flat inner plate that opens to the front, and the vacuum heat insulating material is placed in the internal cavity to provide vacuum heat insulation. It is a structure in which a urethane heat insulating material or a solid heat insulating material is placed in a cavity that cannot be filled with the material. The degree of coloring of the front plates 21A and 22A is such that the filling material such as the heat insulating material on the back side of the front plates 21A and 22A cannot be seen from the outside in a state of receiving external light. Moreover, the degree of coloring of the front plates 21A and 22A is the name of the operation button, the name of the cooling function, the LED indicator lamp that transparently displays the cooling intensity, etc., and the 7-segment LED display device that transparently displays the changing numerical value such as the temperature value. It is also the density that light can be seen from the front side when it is lit.

On the back side of the front plate 22A of the right door 22, a capacitance type control operation unit 50 for operating the refrigerator by touch operation from the front of the front plate 22A is installed. The control operation unit 50 is an LED that detects an infrared light receiving unit for detecting the environmental state around the refrigerator, a home button, and a touch to the home button, and transmits and displays an operation button name, a cooling function name, a cooling intensity, and the like. An indicator lamp, a 7-segment LED display device that transparently displays a changing numerical value such as a temperature value, and the like are provided.

On the front surface plate 21A of the left door 21 and the back surface side near the lower side of the front plate 22A of the right door 22, elongated door opening operation portions 51 and 52 are installed in the left-right lateral direction, respectively. Further, on the surfaces of the front plates 21A and 22A, door opening operation display units 51A and 52A are provided, which are door opening operation units and indicate the door opening operation direction. Here, the door opening operation display unit 51A of the left door 21 is provided with a left-pointing arrow mark for recognizing that the door opening operation is performed by sliding the left door 21 while touching the finger. The door opening operation display unit 52A of the right door 22 is provided with an arrow mark pointing to the right to recognize that the door opening operation is performed by sliding the door opening operation display unit 52A while touching the finger in the right direction.

Door opening drive units 54 and 55 are installed at two locations on the left and right near the front end of the upper surface of the top plate of the cabinet 11, respectively, at positions corresponding to the vicinity of the open side ends of the upper sides of the left door 21 and the right door 22, respectively. There is. These door opening drive units 54 and 55 push the plungers 54A and 55A forward by an electromagnet to push the upper side near the open side end of each of the left door 21 and the right door 22 forward and automatically open each door. can do. Then, in order to open the left door 21, the door opening operation unit 51 can be continuously operated by sliding the finger to the left while touching the right end or the arrow mark near the right end of the left door opening operation display unit 51A. Touch is detected and a touch detection signal is sent to the control unit 56. If the control unit 56 determines that it is a door opening operation command, the door opening drive unit 54 of the left door 21 is operated to automatically open the left door 21. Door. On the other hand, in order to open the right door 22, if the finger is slid to the right while touching the left end or the arrow mark near the left end of the right door opening operation display unit 52A, the door opening operation unit 52 continues. Touch is detected and a touch detection signal is sent to the control unit 56. If the control unit 56 determines that it is a door opening operation command, the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door 22 is operated to automatically open the right door 22. Door.

The cooling control performed by the control unit 56 in the refrigerator of the present embodiment is general and is not particularly limited, but for example, a compressor, an operation panel, a dew condensation prevention heater, and ice making in the ice making chamber. An apparatus, a refrigerator fan, a freezer fan, and a defrost heater are connected to and controlled by the control unit 56.

The arrow marks on the door opening operation display units 51A and 52A are not limited to this display, and it is a display that can be easily recognized as a door opening operation by touching it and sliding it to the right or left. If there is, the shape and form of the mark are not limited.

In the left door 21 and the right door 22, the left door 21 and the right door 22 are operated by inserting a finger into the lower end surface portion below each of the door opening operation display units 51A and 52A with the palm facing upward and pulling it toward the front side. Handles 61 and 62 are installed so that each can be manually opened individually.

Next, the automatic door opening operation in the refrigerator of the above embodiment will be described. FIG. 32 is a block diagram of door opening control in the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 32, each of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 faces the door opening operation display units 51A and 52A with the front plates 21A and 22A sandwiched between the five arrow marks arranged in the left-right lateral direction, respectively. Capacitive touch sensors 51-1 to 51-5 and 52-1 to 52-5 are arranged in a row so as to do so. Each of these capacitive touch sensors 51-1 to 51-5 and 52-1 to 52-5 detects a change in capacitance due to a user's touch and transmits a touch detection signal to the control unit 56. It has been set.

Therefore, when the user touches the arrow mark at the left end of the door opening operation display unit 52A in an attempt to open the right door 22 and slides the finger to the right while touching the arrow mark, the capacitive touch sensor 52 Of -1 to 52-5, each sensor that detects a change in capacitance transmits a touch detection signal to the control unit 56 in the order of touch. Therefore, the control unit 56 determines whether or not the door opening operation is performed, and if it is determined that the door opening operation is normal, the control unit 56 outputs a door opening drive signal to the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door to automatically operate the right door 22. Open the door. In the case of the door opening operation of the left door 21, the operation of sliding the finger to the left while touching the arrow mark at the right end or near the right end with respect to the door opening operation display unit 51A of the left door 21 The same door opening operation of the left door 21 is determined.

The logic of the door opening judgment here is as follows. If at least three of the five sensors on the left and right are touch-detected within a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds or 1 second) and in the order in which they are arranged, the door is judged to be an opening operation and the corresponding door is applicable. Is to open the door automatically. Here, the door opening operation of the right door 22 will be described.

When any one of the arrow marks on the door opening operation display unit 52A of the right door 22 is touched, the corresponding capacitive touch sensor (usually the arrow mark on the left end or near the left end) on the door opening operation unit 52 side is displayed. Since it is touched, the sensor 52-1 at the left end is used here) to detect the touch and transmit the touch detection signal to the control unit 56. The control unit 56 receives this signal and starts the door opening operation determination process. As a result, the control unit 56 determines that the right door 22 is a normal door opening operation, outputs a door opening drive command to the right door opening drive unit 55, and operates the door opening drive unit 54. The right door 22 is automatically opened. The same applies to the determination process of the opening operation of the left door 21. However, in the case of the left door 21, the direction is opposite to that of the right door 22, and it is determined that the door opening operation is performed when the door opening operation display unit 51A touches the arrow mark near the right end or the right end and then slides to the left. Will be done.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 29 to 31, two voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2, a motion sensor HS, and an illuminance sensor LS, which are voice recognition means, will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, one voice recognition sensor NS1, a motion sensor HS, and an illuminance sensor LS are arranged on the upper surface of the cabinet 11 of the refrigerator 1. The other voice recognition sensor NS2 is arranged, for example, at the lower part of the right door 22 at a distance from one voice recognition sensor NS1. As these voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2, for example, a condenser microphone can be used, but the present invention is not particularly limited.

As shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the upper voice recognition sensor NS1 is arranged on the upper surface of the cabinet 11 of the refrigerator 1, while the lower voice recognition sensor NS2 is arranged, for example, in the lower end of the right door 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only one of the two voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2 may be arranged.

As the motion sensor HS shown in FIG. 31, for example, an infrared sensor can be used. The upper voice recognition sensor NS1, the motion sensor HS, and the illuminance sensor LS shown in FIG. 31 are housed in storage cases CS1, CS2, and CS3, respectively. As a result, the voice recognition sensor NS1, the motion sensor HS, and the illuminance sensor LS can be arranged on top of each other on the upper surface of the cabinet 11 or arranged side by side, and can be protected from dust and the like. The storage cases C1, C2, and C3 are arranged on the upper surface of the cabinet 11 at positions between, for example, the door opening operation units 51 and 52, but the arrangement position of each sensor is not limited to this.

These sensors may be housed in the cases of the door opening drive units 54 and 55, or may be housed in a case for covering the hinge of the fulcrum for opening and closing the door.

FIG. 32 is a block diagram of door opening control in the refrigerator. The flow chart of FIG. 33 shows a case where the left door 21 and the right door 22 of the refrigerator compartment are automatically opened.

As shown in FIG. 32, the two voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2, the motion sensor HS, and the illuminance sensor LS are electrically connected to the control unit 56 described above. As a result, the voice signal when the two voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2 receive the sound can be sent to the control unit 56. The detection signal of the motion sensor HS can be sent to the control unit 56. The illuminance signal of the illuminance sensor LS can be sent to the control unit 56.

In this way, by providing the two voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2, which will be described later, as shown in the flow chart shown in FIG. 33, the user speaks by voice to the left door 21 of the refrigerating room. The right door 22 can be opened automatically by a different detection (operation) method such as detecting sound or voice, in addition to opening the door manually by the user, that is, by holding the handle (handle) by the user. You can do it.

Further, as shown in FIG. 32, the storage unit 300 and the relevance input registration means 310 are connected to the control unit 56. In the relevance input registration means 310, the user uses the "name of the food or the like contained in the container", for example, the "name of the storage pocket of the left door 21", the "name of the storage pocket of the right door 22", and the "refrigerator 1". It is possible to register by entering the "name of the storage place in the refrigerator". Examples of the "name of the food or the like contained in the container" include "milk", "egg", "butter", "juice", "wasabi", "tofu" and the like. Examples of the "name of the storage place in the refrigerator 1" include the refrigerating room 12, the vegetable room 13, the switching room 14, the freezing room 15, and the ice making room 16 shown in FIG. 29.

The control unit 56 shown in FIG. 32 provides the storage unit 300 with information related to the above-mentioned "name of the food or the like contained in the refrigerator 1" in the "name of the storage location in the refrigerator 1". It is designed to be remembered. As an example, the user sets (stores), for example, "milk", "egg", and "butter" in the storage pocket on the left door 21 side in the storage unit 300, and in step S12, the right door 22 For example, "juice", "wasabi", and "tofu" can be set (memorized) in the storage pocket on the side.

Here, with reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 33 showing the case where the left door 21 and the right door 22 of the refrigerator compartment are automatically opened, the case where the user automatically opens the left door 21 and the right door 22 by voice. This will be described in detail.

In FIG. 33, in step S11, the user operates the relevance input registration means 310, for example, a keyboard or a touch panel in advance, and in connection with the storage pocket on the left door 21 side, for example, “milk”, “egg”, Enter "butter" to register, and enter, for example, "juice", "wasabi", and "tofu" in the storage pocket on the right door 22 side to register. As a result, the control unit 56 shown in FIG. 32 sets, for example, “milk”, “egg”, and “butter” in relation to the storage pocket on the left door 21 side with respect to the storage unit 300 shown in FIG. 32 ( In step S12, for example, "juice", "wasabi", and "tofu" are set (memorized) in the storage pocket on the right door 22 side.

In step S13 of FIG. 33, by detecting that the user has approached the refrigerator with, for example, the motion sensor HS or the illuminance sensor LS, is the detection signal sent from the motion sensor HS to the control unit 56? Alternatively, an illuminance signal is sent from the illuminance sensor LS. Therefore, in the control unit 56, the detection signal or the illuminance signal triggers the start of the voice recognition function of the control unit 56, that is, the control unit 56 generates a timing for exerting the voice recognition function, so that the control unit 56 can perform the voice recognition function. The voice recognition function starts working.

As described above, the trigger for starting the voice recognition function is when the motion sensor H detects a user approaching the refrigerator, when the motion sensor HS gives a detection signal to the control unit 56, or when the illuminance sensor LS detects a user. This is when the illuminance sensor LS gives an illuminance signal to the control unit 56 when it is detected that the user has turned on the lighting of the kitchen where the refrigerator is placed.

Then, in step S14 of FIG. 33, when the user says at least one of "milk", "egg", and "butter" by voice, the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2 shown in FIG. 32 receive this voice. Then, since the voice signal is sent to the control unit 56, the control unit 56 recognizes the voice. As a result, in step S15, the control unit 56 drives the door opening drive unit 54 of the left door 21 shown in FIG. 32 in which at least one of "milk", "egg", and "butter" is housed. A command is output to operate the door opening drive unit 54. Therefore, in step S16, the storage pocket of the left door 21 can be automatically opened by the operation of the door opening drive unit 54.

Similarly, in step S14, when the user says at least one of "juice", "wasabi", and "tofu" by voice, the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2 shown in FIG. 32 receive this voice. Since the voice signal is sent to the control unit 56, the control unit 56 recognizes the voice. As a result, in step S17, the control unit 56 outputs a door opening drive command to the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door 22 in which at least one of "juice", "wasabi", and "tofu" is stored. The door opening drive unit 54 is operated. Therefore, in step S18, the storage pocket of the right door 22 can be automatically opened by the operation of the door opening drive unit 54.

In the storage unit 310, for example, by registering the storage pocket on the left door 21 side containing "milk" in advance, even a person who does not know the location in the refrigerator containing "milk" can "milk". Speaking of, the left door 21 side can be opened automatically. This prevents a person who does not know the location in the refrigerator containing "milk" from accidentally opening the right door 22 containing no "milk". Therefore, the number of times the door is opened and closed is reduced, and the energy saving effect is enhanced.

When the water storage tank for ice making is arranged in the refrigerator, the door on the side where the water storage tank is stored, for example, the left door 21, opens when the user utters, for example, "water storage". Therefore, the user can store the water storage tank in a predetermined storage position in the refrigerator while holding the water storage tank. As a result, even when the user holds the water storage tank with both hands and both hands are occupied, for example, the left door 21 to be opened to accommodate the water storage tank is opened by using the handle 61 shown in FIG. 29. It can be opened automatically without it.

The drawer-type doors 23, 24, 25, and 26 shown in FIG. 29 can also be automatically opened by voice in the same manner as the left door 21 and the right door 22 by providing the door opening drive units, respectively. it can.

In this way, unlike the manual operation in which the user grasps the handle and manually opens the left door 21, the right door 22, and the pull-out doors 23, 24, 25, 26, the door can be opened automatically. This is very convenient, for example, when the user is holding food or the like with both hands.

When the voices for opening different doors are recognized at the same time, the doors may be opened at different timings to prevent the doors from colliding with the user.

Further, in step S13 shown in FIG. 33 described above, as an example of giving a trigger for starting voice recognition to the control unit 56, words (words) uttered by the user are recognized by the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2. It is a voice signal from the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2 obtained by the above. As a predetermined word (word) uttered by the user, for example, "plus open sesame" or the like can be adopted. That is, a preferable example for giving a trigger for starting voice recognition to the control unit 56 is a word that does not appear in normal conversation, such as "open sesame" or "plus open sesame". Is desirable.

That is, when the example of giving a trigger for starting voice recognition to the control unit 56 is a human voice, the harmful effect that the control unit 56 starts the voice recognition operation due to a word generated in a normal conversation content is prevented. Therefore, it is desirable to use words that do not appear in normal conversation. As a result, it is possible to prevent the control unit 56 from accidentally starting the voice recognition operation. The sound that triggers the control unit 56 to start voice recognition is an abnormal sound generated in the refrigerator, for example, a sound of a compressor, an alarm sound for notifying when the door is opened, a door opening / closing sound, or a sound used in a room. It is advisable to set the sound different from the sound of music played in a vacuum cleaner or a room. When the sound to be recognized is set to a non-voice sound, if the sound of clapping the hand multiple times (for example, twice) is set to be recognized, the sound is different from the sound generated from the refrigerator, so that the sound is not opened and closed erroneously.

Next, with reference to FIG. 34, an arrangement example of the voice recognition sensor NS2 arranged under the right door 22 shown in FIG. 30 will be described. FIG. 34 is a schematic cross-sectional view of, for example, the right door 22.

As shown in FIG. 34, the voice recognition sensor NS2 is, for example, a condenser microphone, and is arranged below the right door 22. The voice recognition sensor NS2 is arranged in the storage member 105. The storage member 105 is fixed to the inner surface 121M of the glass plate 121 and the inner surface 135M of the left door cap 135, respectively. The storage member 105 is a member that constitutes a storage unit that can store the substrate 110. The hole portion (the above-mentioned substrate insertion portion) 154 is provided, for example, in the lower part of the left door cap 135 of the right door 22. The voice generated by the user reaches the voice recognition sensor NS2 through the hole 154. The hole portion 154 may be a single hole or may be composed of a plurality of holes. As a result, the voice recognition sensor NS2 can be arranged so as to be built in the lower part of the right door 22, and can reliably pick up external voice or the like through the hole 154. The voice recognition sensor NS2 may be mounted on the substrate 110, may be provided with a lid covering the hole 154, and a small hole may be formed in the lid.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 32, the control unit 56 is connected to the light emitting unit 330, the sound generating unit 340, and the voice generating unit 350. When the light emitting unit 330, the sound generating unit 340, and the voice generating unit 350 open the door by the sound (voice) detected by the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2, the light emitting unit 330, the sound generating unit 340, and the voice generating unit 350 warn the user that the door will open. It is a notification means for notifying the user.

The light emitting unit 330 is, for example, an LED light emitting unit, and the sound generating unit 340 is, for example, a buzzer. The voice generation unit 350 is, for example, a speaker. As described above, when at least one of the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2 shown in FIG. 32 detects the user's voice and the control unit 56 issues a command to open, for example, the left door 21 or the right door 22, control is performed. The unit 56 causes the light emitting unit 330 shown in FIG. 32 to emit light in, for example, "red", the sound generating unit 340 generates an alarm sound, or the voice generating unit 350 gives a voice warning such as "the door opens". The content can be notified to the user. As a result, the user can be notified that the door will be opened by at least one of light, sound, and voice, so that it is possible to prevent the user from accidentally hitting the door.

Further, as shown in FIG. 32, a motion sensor HS is connected to the control unit 56. When the motion sensor HS detects that the user has approached the refrigerator, the motion sensor HS issues a detection signal to the control unit 56 to notify that the person has been detected. When the control unit 56 detects that the user has approached the refrigerator in this way, the control unit 56 shown in FIG. 32 asks the inquiry content of "Do you want to open the door?" Through the voice generation unit 350. You can ask the user with voice guidance. In this case, if the user answers "YES", for example, the "YES" is recognized by the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2, and the control unit 56 is notified of the voice signal. As a result, the control unit 56 can open the right door 22 by outputting a door opening drive command to, for example, the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door 22. Similarly, the control unit 56 can open the left door 21 by outputting a door opening drive command to, for example, the door opening drive unit 54 of the left door 21.

Further, the left door 21 and the right door 22 can be opened at different speeds. The left door 21 and the right door 22 are usually prevented from opening suddenly by setting the opening speed slowly and slowly by driving the door opening drive units 54 and 55.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 35, the height measurement sensor 410 is connected to the control unit 56. As the height measurement sensor 410, an optical sensor such as a photocoupler can be used, and the approximate height of the user is measured. For example, the height measurement sensor 410 may be able to distinguish whether the height value of the user reaches the left door 21 and the right door 22 on the upper stage side or does not reach the value. As a result, the control unit 56 can make the opening speeds of the left door 21 and the right door 22 on the upper stage side different based on the height value of the user measured by the height measurement sensor 410.

For example, when the height value of the user measured by the height measurement sensor 410 is a value until the left door 21 and the right door 22 on the upper stage side are reached, the control unit 56 may use the door opening drive unit 54, By further slowing down the operation of 55, the door opening drive units 54 and 55 open the left door 21 and the right door 22 on the upper stage side at a speed even slower than the normal opening speed, respectively.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the left door 21 and the right door 22 from hitting the user's head or body. If the height value of the user measured by the height measurement sensor 410 does not reach the left door 21 and the right door 22 on the upper stage side, the door opening drive units 54 and 55 are on the left side on the upper stage side. The door 21 and the right door 22 are opened at normal opening speeds.

When the control unit 56 shown in FIG. 32 or FIG. 35 uses the voice generation unit 350 to notify the user of, for example, the warning content of "opening the right door", this user again warns the user. When you want to check the contents, you can do it as follows. When the user says a repetitive reminder content such as "again" or "repeat", the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2 output a voice signal of the repetitive reminder content such as "again" or "repeat". Send to. The control unit 56 notifies the user of the warning content of "opening the right door" at least once again by using the voice generation unit 350 by the voice signals from the voice recognition sensors NS1 and NS2. As a result, the user can easily check again even if he / she misses the warning content issued by the refrigerator.

Further, the control unit 56 does not accept an operation in which, for example, another door, the left door 21, is automatically opened when the user opens the right door 22 of the upper refrigerating room and looks into the refrigerator. It has become like. As a result, when the user opens the right door 22 and looks into the refrigerator and the user mutters, for example, "I have to produce milk", the left side of the side containing "milk" by mistake. It is possible to prevent the door 21 from opening automatically and to prevent the left door 21 from hitting the user's face, for example.

Similarly, when the user opens the right door 22 of the upper refrigerating room and looks into the refrigerator, for example, when he mutters another door, "I have to put out vegetables," he mistakenly says " The door of the vegetable compartment containing "vegetables" automatically opens to prevent it from hitting the user's lower abdomen or knees.

In addition to disabling acceptance as described above, it is also possible to set the opening speed of another door to be slower than the normal speed when one door is open.

Also, if there is an abnormal sound (compressor sound, buzzer sound) from the refrigerator and the voice recognition cannot be recognized well, the voice of the instruction to the user such as "Please speak again" is played. It may be played from a speaker.

As shown in FIG. 35, the proximity sensor 400 is connected to the control unit 56. The proximity sensor 400 is arranged, for example, on the left door 21 and the right door 22, and when the user brings his / her hand close to the left door 21 or the right door 22, the door opening operation units 51 and 52, which are touch switches, and control operations are performed. The unit 50 shines using, for example, an LED lamp or the like. As a result, even if the place where the refrigerator is placed is a dark place, the user can visually confirm the positions of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 and the control operation unit 50.

Further, the function of the proximity sensor and the functions of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 can be combined. In this case, it is not necessary to separately provide the proximity sensor 400 as shown in FIG. 35.

FIG. 36 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the door opening operation unit having the function of the proximity sensor. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 36, in step S21, the control unit 56 of FIG. 35 increases and holds the sensitivity of the electrostatic switches of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 that also serve as proximity sensors by software. By setting it, the function is maintained as a proximity sensor.

Then, in step S22 of FIG. 36, when the door opening operation units 51 and 52 also serving as the proximity sensor detect the approach of the user's fingers, in step S23, the door opening operation also serving as the proximity sensor is performed by the command of the control unit 56. The door opening operation units 51 and 52, which also serve as proximity sensors, function only as the door opening operation units by lowering the sensitivity of the door opening operation units 51 and 52, which also serve as proximity sensors, to the original state while the units 51 and 52 illuminate. .. Here, if the sensitivity of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 that also serve as the proximity sensor is not lowered, it will be detected before the touch input to the door opening operation units 51 and 52 that also serves as the proximity sensor, and accurate input will not be possible. Because it will end up.

In this way, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 that also serve as the proximity sensor detect the approach of the user's fingers, and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 that also serve as the proximity sensor illuminate to open the door that also serves as the proximity sensor. The positions of the units 51 and 52 can be clearly known, and the user can be notified that the door opening operation units 51 and 52, which also serve as a proximity sensor, can be used for input. Since it is not necessary to separately provide a proximity sensor, the number of parts can be reduced.

On the contrary, before the door opening operation units 51 and 52 that also serve as proximity sensors illuminate, the control unit 56 prevents input by using the door opening operation units 51 and 52 that also serve as proximity sensors, and the user inputs. This prevents erroneous input when the user's finger touches the door opening operation units 51 and 52, which also serve as a proximity sensor, unintentionally.

[28th Embodiment]
FIG. 37 is a front view of the refrigerator 1 according to the 28th embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the refrigerator 1 in an open state. FIG. 39 is an enlarged perspective view of the refrigerator compartment portion of the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIGS. 37 and 38, the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 11 which is a refrigerator main body. The cabinet 11 is composed of a refrigerating room 12, a vegetable room 13, a switching room 14 capable of switching the set temperature inside the cabinet, and a freezing room 15 from the upper stage. An ice making chamber 16 is provided on the left side of the switching chamber 14.

As shown in FIGS. 37 to 39, in order to cover the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12, a pair of left and right left doors 21 and right doors 22 open and close at the left end and the upper and lower sides of the right end in a double-door manner with hinges, respectively. It is installed so that it can be used.

Further, the vegetable compartment 13, the switching chamber 14, the freezing chamber 15, and the ice making chamber 16 are provided with drawer-type doors 23, 24, 25, and 26, respectively.

Although not shown on the back surface of the vegetable compartment 13, a refrigerating evaporator for cooling the refrigerating chamber 12 and the vegetable compartment 13 is arranged, and the same applies to the back surfaces of the switching chamber 14 and the freezing chamber 15. Although not shown, a refrigerating evaporator for cooling the switching chamber 14, the freezing chamber 15, and the ice making chamber 16 is arranged.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 37 and 38, a control unit 56 including a microcomputer for controlling the refrigerator 1 is arranged on the back surface of the vegetable compartment 13.

As shown in FIG. 37, both the left door 21 and the right door 22 have the front plates 21A and 22A made of colored transparent glass attached to the opening of the flat inner plate that opens to the front, and the internal cavity is evacuated. It is a structure in which a heat insulating material is arranged and a urethane heat insulating material or a solid heat insulating material is arranged in a cavity that cannot be filled with the vacuum heat insulating material.

The degree of coloring of the glass front plates 21A and 22A is such that the filling material such as the heat insulating material on the back side of the front plates 21A and 22A cannot be seen from the outside in a state of receiving external light. Moreover, the degree of coloring of the glass front plates 21A and 22A is, for example, an LED indicator that transparently displays the name of the operation button, the name of the cooling function, the cooling intensity, etc. in the control operation unit 50, and the transparent display of changing numerical values such as the temperature value. It is also the density that light can be seen from the front side when the 7-segment LED display device is lit.

As shown in FIG. 38, the right end portion of the left door 21, that is, the open side portion facing the left end portion of the right door 22 in the closed state, is a left end portion of the right door 22 in the closed state. That is, the rotary partition 31 for maintaining the sealed state with the open side portion is provided. A dew condensation prevention heater for preventing dew condensation is built in the rotary partition body 31.

On the back side of the front plate 22A of the right door 22, a capacitance type control operation unit 50 for operating the refrigerator by touch operation from the front of the front plate 22A is installed. The control operation unit 50 is an LED that detects an infrared light receiving unit for detecting the environmental state around the refrigerator, a home button, and a touch to the home button, and transmits and displays an operation button name, a cooling function name, a cooling intensity, and the like. An indicator lamp, a 7-segment LED display device that transparently displays a changing numerical value such as a temperature value, and the like are provided. The control operation unit 50 is arranged, for example, on the right door 22 in order to perform an operation of changing the cooling control content of the refrigerator 1. The home button of the control operation unit 50 is a menu button that allows a user (user) to command various operations to the control unit 56 of the refrigerator 1 by touching it with a finger of a hand.

As shown in FIG. 37, elongated door opening operation portions 51 and 52 are installed on the front surface side of the left door 21 and the back surface side of the front plate 22A of the right door 22 near the lower side, respectively, along the left and right lateral directions. Has been done. The door opening operation units 51 and 52 are also referred to as door open buttons. Door opening operation display units 51B and 52B indicating the door opening operation direction are provided on the surfaces of the front plates 21A and 22A. The door opening operation display unit 51B of the left door 21 is provided with a left-pointing arrow mark for recognizing that the user slides the door while touching it to the left with his / her finger to perform the door opening operation. The door opening operation display unit 52B of the right door 22 is provided with an arrow mark pointing to the right to recognize that the user slides the door while touching it to the right with his / her finger to perform the door opening operation.

As shown in FIGS. 37 and 38, the door opening drive units 54 and 55 are located at two positions on the left and right near the front end of the upper surface of the top plate of the cabinet 11, that is, the open side ends of the upper sides of the left door 21 and the right door 22. Each is installed at a position corresponding to the vicinity.

These door opening drive units 54 and 55 push the plungers 54B and 55B forward by an electromagnet to push the upper side of the left door 21 and the right door 22 near the open side end forward, and push the left door 21 and the right side forward. Each of the doors 22 can be automatically opened. To open the left door 21, slide the finger to the left while touching the arrow mark on the right end or near the right end of the left door opening operation display unit 51B, and the door opening operation unit 51 continuously opens the door. Touch is detected and a touch detection signal is sent to the control unit 56. Then, if the control unit 56 determines that the door opening operation command is issued, the door opening driving unit 54 of the left door 21 can be operated to automatically open the left door 21.

Similarly, in order to open the right door 22, the door opening operation unit 52 can be opened by sliding the finger to the right while touching the left end or the arrow mark near the left end of the right door opening operation display unit 52B. Detects the continuous touch and sends a touch detection signal to the control unit 56. Then, if the control unit 56 determines that the door opening operation command is issued, the door opening driving unit 55 of the right door 22 can be operated to automatically open the right door 22.

As shown in FIG. 37, a control operation unit 50 for performing an operation of changing the cooling control content of the refrigerator 1 is provided, for example, on the right door 22, and the user operates the control operation unit 50. The contents of the cooling control of the refrigerator 1 are changed.

In the right door 22, the door opening operation unit 52 is arranged below the control operation unit 50, and the door opening operation unit 52 is not located directly below the control operation unit 50, but is left and right with respect to the control operation unit 50. It is placed in a position shifted in the direction. In other words, in the right door 22, the door opening operation unit 52 is arranged at a position below the control operation unit 50 having the menu button, and the door opening operation unit 52 is the control operation unit having the menu button. It is arranged at different positions in the right direction along the QR direction of the arrow with respect to the position of 50.

As a result, when the user touches the menu button of the control operation unit 50 with his / her finger, even if the user's finger is wet and the water drips from the finger, the water dripping from the finger is discharged. It does not adhere to the door opening operation unit 52. Therefore, the electrostatic touch type door opening operation unit 52 does not react with water dripping from the finger, and the door opening operation unit 52 is selfish even though the user does not touch it with the finger. By reacting to, it is possible to prevent a malfunction such as the control unit 56 operating the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door 22. Therefore, it is possible to surely prevent the door 22 from being automatically opened without permission.

Further, by pressing the menu button (menu key) of the control operation unit 50, another operation button in the control operation unit 50 may be illuminated and the operation of the operation button may be effective. Even in such a case, since the door opening operation unit 52 (open switch) is located at a different location (shifted position) from the control operation unit 50, the user can operate the control operation unit 50 with a finger. Even if you touch another operation button for which is enabled, the water dripping from your finger does not adhere to the door opening operation unit 52. Therefore, it is possible to surely prevent the door 22 from being automatically opened without permission.

Further, only the door opening operation unit 52 and the menu button (menu key) of the control operation unit 50 are printed on the glass front plate 22A, and the other elements other than the menu button of the control operation unit 50 are LED-lit. The right door 22 of the refrigerator 1 has a neat appearance.

The cooling control performed by the control unit 56 in the refrigerator of the present embodiment is general and is not particularly limited, but for example, a compressor, an operation panel, a dew condensation prevention heater, and ice making in the ice making chamber. An apparatus, a refrigerator fan, a freezer fan, and a defrost heater are connected to and controlled by the control unit 56.

The arrow marks on the door opening operation display units 51B and 52B shown in FIGS. 37 and 39 are not limited to this display, and the door opening operation can be performed by touching the arrow marks and sliding them to the right or left. The shape and form of the mark are not limited as long as the display can be easily recognized.

As shown in FIG. 37, handles 61 and 62 are provided on the left door 21 and the right door 22. The handles 61 and 62 are provided on the lower lower end surface portions of the door opening operation display units 51B and 52B, and the left door is operated by inserting a finger into the handles 61 and 62 with the palm facing upward and pulling the handle toward the front side. 21 and the right door 22 can be manually opened individually.

Next, the automatic door opening operation in the refrigerator of the above embodiment will be described.

FIG. 40 is a block diagram of door opening control in the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 40, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 have door opening operation display units 51B and 52B, respectively. The door opening operation display units 51B and 52B each have five arrow marks arranged along the left and right lateral directions. Capacitive touch sensors 51-1 to 51-5 and 52-1 to 52-5 are arranged in rows on the door opening operation display units 51B and 52B, respectively. These capacitive touch sensors 51-1 to 51-5 and 52-1 to 52-5 each detect a change in capacitance due to a user's touch and transmit a touch detection signal to the control unit 56. It is set to.

Therefore, when the user touches the arrow mark at the left end of the door opening operation display unit 52B in an attempt to open the right door 22 and slides the finger to the right while touching the arrow mark, the capacitive touch sensor 52 The sensor that detects the change in capacitance among -1 to 52-5 transmits the touch detection signal to the control unit 56 in the order of touch. Therefore, the control unit 56 determines whether or not the door opening operation is performed, and if it is determined that the door opening operation is normal, the control unit 56 outputs a door opening drive signal to the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door to open the right door 22. Automatically open the door. In the case of the door opening operation of the left door 21, the operation of sliding the finger to the left while touching the arrow mark at the right end or near the right end with respect to the door opening operation display unit 51B of the left door 21 The control unit 56 determines the same door opening operation of the left door 21.

FIG. 41 shows an example in which the door opening operation unit 51 of the left door 21 and the door opening operation unit 52 of the right door 22 shown in FIGS. 37 to 39 function as human body detecting means for detecting the human body of the user of the refrigerator 1. Is shown.

When the door opening operation unit 51 and the door opening operation unit 52 detect the human body of the user, the door opening operation unit 51 sends a human body detection signal to the control unit 56. As a result, the control unit 56 enables the input of the operation signal from the door opening operation unit 51, performs the door opening control of the corresponding left door 21, and enables the input of the operation signal from the door opening operation unit 52. The opening control of the corresponding right door 22 is performed.

Taking the door opening operation unit 52, which is a human body detecting means, as an example, the control unit 56 turns on the display of the door opening operation unit 52 when the door opening operation unit 52 detects the user's human body. The control unit 56 can switch the display by lighting the door opening operation unit 52 depending on the method of opening the right door 22.

The door opening operation unit 52, which is a human body detecting means, is an electrostatic switch as described above, and when the electrostatic switch detects the human body of the user, the control unit 56 increases the sensitivity of the electrostatic switch. It can be switched and implemented. The door opening operation unit 52, which is a human body detecting means, is a proximity sensor that detects when a human body approaches, and the control unit 56 switches the sensitivity of the door opening operation unit 52, which is the proximity sensor, to contact the door opening operation unit 52. When the user functions as a sensor to enable the door opening operation of the right door 22 and detects that the user touches the door opening operation unit 52 as a contact sensor, the control unit 56 opens the right door 22. Actually operate the door.

As described above, switching the sensitivity of the door opening operation unit 52 to make the door opening operation unit 52 function as a contact sensor from the proximity sensor will be described more specifically below with reference to the example of FIG. 41. To do.

In FIG. 41 (A), in order for the control unit 56 to make the door opening operation unit 52, which is an electrostatic switch, function as a “proximity sensor”, the control unit 56 sets the sensitivity of the door opening operation unit 52 to “large”. By doing so, the function as a "proximity sensor" is "effective". Therefore, the control unit 56 disables the opening (door opening operation) of the right door 22, which is the original function of the door opening operation unit 52. Moreover, the control unit 56 is in the off state as shown by the broken line in the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 52.

Next, in FIG. 41 (B), when the user brings the finger HT of the hand closer to the door opening operation unit 52 as the "proximity sensor", the door opening operation unit 52 turns on the hand approach as the "proximity sensor". Detect. When the door opening operation unit 52 detects the approach of the hand, the control unit 56 sets the sensitivity of the door opening operation unit 52 as a "proximity sensor" by switching from "large" to "small". Therefore, since the control unit 56 functions as a "contact sensor" which is the original function of the door opening operation unit 52, the right door 22 can be opened (door opening operation) by touching the door opening operation unit 52 with a finger HT. ) Becomes "valid". Moreover, the control unit 56 changes the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 52 from the off state to the on state as shown by the solid line, and lights the door opening operation unit 52 by, for example, an LED.

Next, in FIG. 41 (C), when the user directly touches (touches) the door opening operation unit 52 as the "contact sensor" of the finger HT of the hand, the control unit 56 causes the "contact sensor" of the door opening operation unit 52. It is maintained in the "small" state, which is the sensitivity as "", and is allowed to function as a "contact sensor" as it is. Then, the control unit 56 remains "effective" for opening the right door 22 (door opening operation), which is the original function of the door opening operation unit 52. Moreover, in the control unit 56, the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 52 is in the ON state as shown by the solid line, and the door opening operation unit 52 is lit by, for example, an LED.

After that, in FIG. 41 (D), the control unit 56 indicates that the finger HT of the user's hand has left the state of being in direct contact (touch) with the door opening operation unit 52 functioning as a "contact sensor (touch sensor)". Recognizes this, the control unit 56 validates the input of the operation signal from the door opening operation unit 52 and operates the door opening drive unit 55 to control the opening of the corresponding right door 22. As a result, the right door 22 can be opened automatically.

As a result, the control unit 56 erroneously detects the door opening instruction in a state in which it is difficult for the user to directly touch (touch) the door opening operation unit 52, for example, in a state where the user is approaching the refrigerator 1. In order to prevent it, it is possible to judge whether the direct contact (touch) is valid or invalid.

Further, the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 52 can be turned on as shown by a solid line, and the door opening operation unit 52 can be lit by, for example, an LED. Therefore, for the user, for example, the LED lighting display of the door opening operation unit 52 is used. The visibility of the door opening operation unit 52 can be improved.

Further, when the control unit 56 recognizes that the finger HT of the user's hand has left the state of being in direct contact (touch) with the door opening operation unit 52 functioning as a "contact sensor (touch sensor)", the control unit 56 Enables the input of the operation signal from the door opening operation unit 52 to control the opening of the corresponding right door 22. From this, since the right door 22 actually opens after the user's hand is separated from the door opening operation unit 52 of the right door 22, it is possible to prevent the user from pointing his / her finger due to the opening operation of the right door 22. ..

As a method of lighting display in the door opening operation units 51 and 52, for example, it is displayed forward from the gap of the capacitive touch sensor (electrode) 51-1 to 51-5 and 52-1 to 52-5 shown in FIG. 40. A light emitting element such as an LED (light emitting diode) may be arranged so that the light emitting element can be arranged. Further, a cutout portion such as a character or a mark is formed in the capacitive touch sensor (electrode) 51-1 to 51-5, 52-1 to 52-5, and the light of the light emitting element is emitted from the electrode. You may illuminate the front from the back side through the cutout portion. Alternatively, the light of the light emitting element may be illuminated forward from the back surface of the electrode by using a light guide plate.

The opening operation of the right door 22 described with reference to FIG. 41 can be similarly performed with respect to the opening operation of the left door 21 using the door opening operation unit 51 arranged with the left door 21 in FIG. 37.

The color of the lighting display on the left and right door opening operation units 51 and 52 may be the same color or different colors on the left and right door opening operation units 51 and 52.

When the left door 21 and the right door 22 open slowly and when the right door 22 opens quickly, the colors of the lighting indications on the left and right door opening operation units 51 and 52 may be displayed differently.

When only one of the left door 21 and the right door 22 is opened, and when the left door 21 and the right door 22 are opened at the same time, the color of the lighting display on the left and right door opening operation units 51 and 52 can be changed. In particular, when the specification is such that both the left door 21 and the right door 22 are opened by the user operating only one of the door opening operation units 51 and 52, the inside of the left door 21 and the right door 22 is used. Different display colors may be used, as opposed to the case where only one is open.

In this case, for example, when the sensitivity of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 is set to "large" and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 function as the "proximity sensor", when it is detected that the human body is in close proximity for a predetermined time or longer. Not only can one of the left door 21 and the right door 22 be opened, but the specifications can be changed so that the left door 21 and the right door 22 are opened at the same time. Further, at the same time as changing the specifications so that the left door 21 and the right door 22 open at the same time, the door opening operation units 51 and 52 can be lit and displayed, and the colors of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 can be changed. it can. The lighting method of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 such as the blinking display of the door opening operation units 51 and 52 can be arbitrarily changed.

In the refrigerator 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a user (user) from making a false detection during the operation of going to touch, and to prevent a malfunction of opening the door. it can.

[29th Embodiment]
FIG. 42 is a front view showing the refrigerator 1 according to the 29th embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 43 is a block diagram of door opening control including the human body detecting means of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 42.

The human body detecting means 500 includes, for example, a remote detection sensor 97 and a door opening operation unit 52 that also functions as a proximity sensor. The remote detection sensor 97 and the door opening operation unit 52 that also functions as a proximity sensor are arranged on, for example, the right door 22. The remote detection sensor 97 is located above the door opening operation unit 52 that also functions as a proximity sensor.

The remote detection sensor 97 is, for example, an infrared sensor for detecting the human body when the user's body is far from the refrigerator 1. On the other hand, the door opening operation unit 52, which also functions as a proximity sensor, is an electrostatic detection sensor that detects the human body when the user's human body approaches the refrigerator 1.

As shown in FIG. 43, the remote detection sensor 97 and the door opening operation unit 52 that also functions as a proximity sensor (electrostatic detection sensor) are connected to the control unit 56. A switching means 98 is preferably connected to the control unit 56. When the user operates the switching means 98, a selection signal is sent from the switching means 98 to the control unit 56, so that the remote detection sensor 97 and the proximity sensor (electrostatic detection sensor) are used to detect the human body. The user can select which of the door opening operation unit 52, which also functions as a door opening operation unit 52, is used to detect the human body.

Further, as shown in FIG. 43, the door opening operation unit 52, which also functions as a proximity sensor, has an electrostatic detection sensor, and includes a sensitivity adjusting means 199 for adjusting the sensitivity of the electrostatic detection sensor by arbitrarily changing it. You may. The sensitivity adjusting means 199 is connected to the control unit 56, and when the user operates the sensitivity adjusting means 199, a sensitivity adjusting signal is sent to the control unit 56. As a result, the control unit 56 can adjust the sensitivity of the door opening operation unit 52, which is an electrostatic detection sensor, from “large” to “small”.

As a method of changing the sensitivity of the door opening operation unit 52, which is an electrostatic detection sensor, the electrostatic detection sensor has a cycle of repeating charging and discharging of the capacitance (capacitor capacity) several tens of times per second, for example. There is. It utilizes the fact that the capacitor capacity changes when the user brings or touches the door opening operation unit 52, which is an electrostatic detection sensor, with a finger. As a result, when the user brings or touches the door opening operation unit 52 with his or her finger, the charge / discharge cycle changes. The control unit 56 checks the degree of change in the charge / discharge cycle, and by setting a threshold value in advance, it is determined whether the user brings a finger close to or touches the door opening operation unit 52 with reference to this threshold value. , The control unit 56 can determine.

Further, even when the user releases the finger from the door opening operation unit 52, the control unit 56 can determine that the normal state has been restored from the time when the charge / discharge cycle has changed.

As described above, the user can change and adjust the sensitivity of the door opening operation unit 52, which is an electrostatic detection sensor. If the refrigerator 1 is installed, for example, on the back side of the kitchen sink, the remote detection sensor 97 will always detect the human body when the user is near the sink. In such a case, when the user operates the switching means 98, a selection signal is sent from the switching means 98 to the control unit 56, and the door opens which functions as a proximity sensor instead of the remote detection sensor 97. The operation unit 52 can be selected as a means for detecting the human body. As a result, the door opening operation unit 52 does not detect the human body only when the user is near the sink. Then, the door opening operation unit 52 can detect the human body only when the finger of the user's hand approaches the door opening operation unit 52 that functions as the proximity detection sensor of the refrigerator 1. This makes it possible to prevent erroneous detection when the user is relatively far from the refrigerator 1.

Since the remote detection sensor 97 is used, printing on the back surface of the glass front plate 22A shown in FIG. 42 is colored by adopting printing that transmits infrared rays, or on the back surface of the glass front plate 22A where infrared rays are transmitted. It is better not to print.

In the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a user (user) from making a false detection during the operation of going to touch, and to prevent a malfunction of opening the door. it can.

By the way, the case arranged on the ceiling of the refrigerator 1 has a voice recognition means, and this case has a hole through which voice is transmitted. The control board case is arranged so that it is equal to or less than the height of the solenoid case. The control board is arranged in a concave portion behind the ceiling wall, and the support portion of the board is buried in urethane. The solenoid is also buried. The vacuum heat insulating material is folded and the buried parts are arranged apart from each other, and the parts are arranged so as to cover the lower side of the solenoid and the lower side of the substrate, and are bent to cover the whole. In addition, the ceiling lighting is buried in the urethane recess of the ceiling. The vacuum heat insulating material is arranged apart from the ceiling lighting.

The vacuum heat insulating material is arranged in contact with the inner wall of the ceiling, and the LED is arranged outside the ceiling wall. In addition, it is placed at the bent part of the inner wall.

The vacuum heat insulating material is divided, placed under the solenoid and the substrate, and wrapped. The LED is separated from the vacuum heat insulating material, and the vacuum heat insulating material under the substrate is in contact with the inner wall.

It is inclined to the bent part of the ceiling wall, and the LED is embedded in the inclined part to prevent it from coming into contact with the vacuum heat insulating material.

FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view of the upper portion of the refrigerator 1 having the above-mentioned structure along the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 44, a case 700 is arranged on the ceiling portion 11A of the cabinet (main body) 11. A recess 11C is provided in the rear portion 11B of the ceiling portion 11A, and the case 700 is arranged in the recess 11C. The case 700 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a control board 710 is arranged in an inclined manner in the internal space of the case 700. The control board 710 is arranged so as to be inclined so that the front side of the control board 710 is higher than the rear side. A voice recognition means 720 is mounted on the front side of the control board 710.

For example, a microphone as a voice recognition means 720. The front portion of the case 700 has a hole 700H so that the voice can be transmitted to the voice recognition means 720. As a result, even though the voice recognition means 720 is arranged in the case 700, for example, the voice uttered by the user is surely transmitted to the voice recognition means 720 through the hole 700H of the case 700. Can recognize the voice and sound of.

As shown in FIG. 44, a door opening driving unit 54 (55) is provided on the front side of the ceiling portion 11A. The door open drive unit 54 (55) is preferably a solenoid, and the closed drive unit 54 (55) has a case 762 and a telescopic rod 761, respectively. By driving the door opening drive unit 54 (55) and ejecting the rod 761, the door opening drive unit 54 (55) can be opened by pushing the inside of the left door 21 (or the right door 22). ..

Is the height of the case 700 the same as the height of the case 762 of the door opening drive unit 54 (55), or the height of the case 700 is different from the height of the case 762 of the door opening drive unit 54 (55). Only DF is low. As a result, even if the case 700 is arranged on the ceiling portion 11A, the total height of the refrigerator is prevented from being larger than that of the case 762 of the door opening drive portion 54 (55).

As shown in FIG. 44, the control board 710 has a plurality of support portions 719, and is supported by being embedded in a heat insulating material 730 such as urethane in an inclined state by using the support portions 719. There is. As a result, the control board 710 is supported by the heat insulating material 730 so as not to move. Further, the door opening drive unit 54 (55) has a plurality of support portions 763, and is embedded and supported in the heat insulating material 730 by using the support portion 763. As a result, the door opening drive unit 54 (55) is supported by the heat insulating material 730 so as not to move.

As shown in FIG. 44, the heat insulating material 730 such as urethane and the vacuum heat insulating material 340 are arranged on the inside of the ceiling portion 11A in an overlapping manner. The vacuum heat insulating material 740 is located below the heat insulating material 730, and the middle portion of the vacuum heat insulating material 740 is arranged by being bent at a substantially right angle. In this way, since the middle portion of the vacuum heat insulating material 740 is bent and arranged at a substantially right angle, the vacuum heat insulating material 740 is placed under the lower region portion of the door opening drive portion 54 (55) and the control board 710. The vacuum heat insulating material 740 can be arranged so as to cover the side region portion, and the vacuum heat insulating material 740 is separated from the support portion 763 of the door opening drive portion 54 (55) and the support portion 719 of the control board 710.

The ceiling illumination 750 of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 44 has, for example, an LED (light emitting diode) lamp, and is arranged by being embedded in a recess 731 of a heat insulating material 730 such as urethane on the ceiling. Therefore, the ceiling lighting 750 does not project downward from the inner wall 755 of the ceiling. The vacuum heat insulating material 740 is separated from the ceiling lighting 750 by an inner wall 755.

Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 45 to 47, but the portion of the refrigerator of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 45 to 47 is the refrigerator of the embodiment shown in FIG. 44. If it is substantially the same as the part, the same reference numerals are given and the description is used.

45 to 47 are cross-sectional views taken along the front-rear direction showing the upper part of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, respectively, as in FIG. 44.

First, in the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 45, the ceiling lighting 750 is arranged in contact with the inner wall 755 of the ceiling, and the LED lamp 750a of the ceiling lighting 750 is arranged outside (inside the refrigerator) of the inner wall 755 of the ceiling. By being there, it is exposed in the refrigerating room. Moreover, the ceiling lighting 750 is arranged at the bent portion 756 of the inner wall 755 of the ceiling.

Then, since the bent portion of the inner wall 755 of the ceiling is positioned on the front side with respect to the bent portion of the concave portion 11C of the ceiling portion 11A of the cabinet (main body) 11, the bent portion of the outer wall of the cabinet and the bent portion of the inner wall 755 are located in the front-rear direction. Since a space can be created in the gap, the vacuum heat insulating material can be arranged in the vertical direction between the spaces. Therefore, the bent portion of the middle portion of the vacuum heat insulating material 740 can be arranged in the space. The vacuum heat insulating material arranged in the vertical direction may be a separate body. Further, the vacuum heat insulating material arranged in the vertical direction may be thinner than the vacuum heat insulating material extending in the front-rear direction at another place. By doing so, the space can be reduced in the front-rear gap between the bent portion of the outer wall of the cabinet and the bent portion of the inner wall 755, so that the bent portion of the inner wall 755 can be retracted rearward and the capacity inside the cabinet can be increased. it can.

The front side corner of the bottom of the concave portion 11C of the bent portion of the outer wall and the angle and distance dimension of the upper side (recessed portion 11C side) of the bent portion of the inner wall 755 are the same as those of the ceiling portion 11A having no other bent portion. Since it is smaller than the thickness dimension, the heat insulating property may be deteriorated if only the urethane heat insulating material is used, but the heat insulating property can be significantly improved by the configuration including the vacuum heat insulating material.

In the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 46, the vacuum heat insulating material 770 is divided into a plurality of portions, and the vacuum heat insulating material 770 is divided into a first portion 771 and a second portion 772. The first portion 771 covers the lower region portion of the door opening drive unit 54 (55), and the second portion 772 covers the lower region portion of the control board 710. The LED lamp 750a of the ceiling lighting 750 is separated from the first portion 771 of the vacuum heat insulating material 770, and the second portion 772 of the vacuum heat insulating material 770 on the control substrate 710 side is in contact with the inner wall portion 777.

Further, the vacuum heat insulating materials of the first portion 771 and the second portion 772 are arranged so as to wrap in the front-rear direction. This is because the bent part of the inner wall 755 of the ceiling is located on the front side with respect to the bent part of the concave portion 11C of the ceiling part 11A of the cabinet (main body) 11, so that the bent part of the outer wall of the cabinet and the bent part of the inner wall 755 are before and after. Since a space is created in the gap in the direction, it is configured so that it can be stacked.

The dimensions of the front side corner of the bottom of the concave portion 11C of the bent portion of the outer wall and the corner on the upper side (recessed portion 11C side) of the bent portion of the inner wall 755 are the dimensions of the ceiling portion 11A having no other bent portion. If it is smaller than the thickness dimension, urethane, which is a foam heat insulating material, may not flow easily during manufacturing. Therefore, by not arranging a vacuum heat insulating material between them, a space for urethane to flow is secured and urethane filling is ensured. And the filling speed can be improved.

In the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 47, the bent portion 780 of the inner wall 755 of the ceiling is formed to be inclined. The ceiling lighting 750 is made, for example, in a right-angled triangular shape according to the shape of the inclined bent portion 780, and the ceiling lighting 750 is embedded and arranged in the bent portion 780. The vacuum heat insulating material 740 is not divided and is an integral part. As described above, the LED lamp 750a of the ceiling lighting 750 is arranged in the bent portion 780, and the ceiling lighting 750 is separated from the vacuum heat insulating material 740 without being in contact with the vacuum heat insulating material 740.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the door opening device may be operated by the user continuously touching the door opening operation units 51 and 52 shown in FIG. 1 with a finger for a certain period of time or longer.

For example, the remote detection sensor 97 shown in FIG. 42 is, for example, an infrared sensor for detecting the human body when the human body of the user (user) is far from the refrigerator 1, but the infrared rays of the remote detection sensor A hole (opening) in which the printing paint of the front plate is cut out for transmitting the image to the front of the door may be arranged by attaching an infrared transmitting member having a color similar to that of the printing paint to the hole. In addition, it is advisable to apply paint to the portion so that a plurality of small holes (openings) are formed so that the cutout of the paint is inconspicuous. This also makes it difficult for the remote detection sensor, which is an infrared sensor arranged on the back surface of the glass plate, to be visually recognized from the front. Further, the paint may be a paint that transmits infrared rays, or may be provided with a semitransparent means that transmits infrared wavelengths by sputtering, etching, or the like to make it difficult for a part of visible light to be transmitted. In that case, as the semitransparent means, it is preferable to use one that transmits a color having a long wavelength. For example, if it is configured to transmit a red wavelength (for example, 620-750 nm) that is longer than the blue wavelength (450-495 nm), the infrared wavelength (for example, 760 to 830 nm or more) is longer than that. Becomes more transparent. In that case, the color of the display means in the vicinity of the infrared sensor is also a semi-transmissive means by using a light emitting means (green, yellow, red light emitting diode, etc.) having a long wavelength. Can be transmitted through, and can be made visible to the user, and the infrared sensor and the parts inside the door can be made difficult to see.

Further, the remote detection sensor, which is an infrared sensor, may be arranged on the substrate and inserted together with the control operation unit 50 or the door opening operation units 51 and 52. In that case, it is preferable to cut out a part of the electrodes of the control operation unit 50 or the door opening operation units 51 and 52 or provide a slit so that infrared rays can be transmitted from the back side of the electrodes to the door side. By doing so, the remote detection sensor can easily detect the operating user. Further, the remote detection sensor may be provided between the control operation unit 50 and the door opening operation units 51 and 52 of the touch open SW.

[30th Embodiment]
FIG. 48 is a front view of the refrigerator 1 showing the thirtieth embodiment of the present invention. 49 is a plan view of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 48, and FIG. 50 is a side view of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 48.

As shown in FIGS. 48 to 50, a pair of left door 21 and right door 22 cover the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 of the refrigerator 1. For this purpose, the left door 21 and the right door 22 are attached so as to open and close the left end portion and the right end portion of the cabinet 11, which is the main body of the refrigerator, by hinges in a double-door manner.

Both the left door 21 and the right door 22 have the front plates 21A and 22A made of colored transparent glass attached to the opening of the flat inner plate that opens to the front, and the vacuum heat insulating material is arranged in the internal cavity to provide vacuum heat insulation. It is a heat insulating structure member in which a polyurethane foam heat insulating material (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a urethane heat insulating material) or a pre-molded solid heat insulating material (for example, EPC) is arranged in a cavity that cannot be filled with the material.

As shown in FIGS. 48 to 50, the door opening operation units 551 and 552 are installed near the lower side of the front plate 21A of the left door 21 and the front plate 22A of the right door 22, respectively. The door opening drive units 54 and 55 are installed at the left and right positions near the front end of the upper surface of the top plate of the cabinet 11, respectively, at positions corresponding to the vicinity of the open side end on the upper side of the left door 21 and the right door 22. There is.

These door opening drive units 54 and 55 are door opening devices for forcibly opening the left door 21 and the right door 22 separately. The door opening drive units 54 and 55 push the plungers 54A and 55A forward by an electromagnet to push forward the upper sides of the left door 21 and the right door 22 near the open side ends of the left door 21 and the right door 22. The right door 22 is forcibly and automatically opened.

One door opening operation unit 551 is arranged at a lower right position of the left door 21, and the other door opening operation unit 552 is arranged at a lower left position of the right door 22. The door opening operation unit 551 is arranged inside the glass front plate 21A of the left door 21, and the door opening operation unit 552 is arranged inside the glass front plate 22A of the right door 22.

FIG. 51 shows a structural example of the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 shown in FIG. 48. FIG. 52 is a diagram showing a proximity sensor 560 and a guard electrode 570 arranged on the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 shown in FIG. 51. FIG. 53 is an exploded perspective view showing a structural example of the door opening operation unit 551.

The door opening operation unit 551 and the door opening operation unit 552 shown in FIG. 48 have the same structure, but may have a symmetrical shape or may have the same shape on the left and right sides. FIG. 51 shows an example of the shape of the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551. However, since the door opening operation unit 552 and the door opening operation unit 551 have substantially the same shape, see FIGS. 51 to 53. Then, the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 will be described as a representative.

First, referring to FIG. 53, the door opening operation unit 551 includes a substrate assembly 500M, a plastic storage space member 585 called an open box for accommodating the substrate assembly 500M, and a plastic lid member 590. Have. The back surface 585R of the plastic storage space member 585 is preferably covered with, for example, aluminum foil, which is a metal body. A metal body 591 such as aluminum foil is attached to the inner surface of the plastic lid member 590. As a result, the electromagnetic waves generated on the main body side of the refrigerator 1 do not affect the substrate assembly 500M side.

The substrate assembly 500M is composed of a plastic shielding plate 599, a substrate 553, an operation name plate 597, and an LED substrate 598 on which an LED 577 for display is mounted. The substrate 553 is an electrostatic touch switch substrate, which is supported and fixed to the front surface side of the shielding plate 599. An operation name plate 597 is arranged on the front side of the substrate 553. An LED substrate 598 for display is supported and fixed on the back side of the shielding plate 599. A plurality of LEDs 577 are mounted on the LED substrate 598. The shielding plate 599 functions as a supporting means for supporting the two substrates 535 and the LED substrate 598 and a separating means for separating the LED light.

Left and right slits 574,575 (translucent means) are formed at the corresponding positions of the substrate 553 and the operation name plate 597. The positions of the slits 574 and 575 are between the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589. The substrate assembly 500M is housed in the storage space member 585 through the rectangular opening 586 of the storage space member 585. The opening portion 586 of the storage space member 585 is covered with a lid member 590.

As shown in FIGS. 51 (A) and 52, the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 is a vertically long rectangle or a square, and the substrate 553 is shown on the surfaces 553A and 51 (B) shown in FIG. 51 (A). It has the indicated back surface 553B. The substrate 553 is provided with a mounting portion 571 for electronic components and an arranging portion 572 for the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570. The electronic component mounting portions 571 shown in FIGS. 51 (A) and 52 are mounted with necessary electronic components, connector components, and the like so as to project to the back surface and be housed in the recess of the shielding plate 599 of the separating means. Further, by forming the metal electric connection portion 571b on the surface of the substrate 553 in a substantially flat state without protruding, the substrate 553 can be brought into contact with the back surface of the glass door.

Further, it is a covering means, and by covering it with an operation name plate 597 for hiding the substrate 553, it is possible to prevent a malfunction when the user comes into contact with the electrical connection portion 571b and noise when static electricity is accumulated on the glass door. Further, the operation name plate 597 may be colored or vapor-deposited.

In the arrangement portion 572 on the surface 553A side shown in FIG. 51 (A), a proximity sensor 560 as a first electrode, a guard electrode 570 as a third electrode, and an intermediate region portion 589 as a second electrode are provided. Have been placed. The intermediate region portion 589 is provided between the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570. The proximity sensor 560, the guard electrode 570, and the intermediate region portion 589 are metal electrodes, but are electrically insulated from each other. The intermediate region portion 589, which is the second electrode, assists the proximity sensor 560 and has a function as a proximity sensor. The guard electrode 570 changes the effective range of detection of the proximity sensor 560.

Further, as shown in FIG. 51 (B), a mesh ground pattern 573, which is a fourth electrode, is arranged on the back surface 553B corresponding to the arrangement portion 572 of the substrate 553. As a result, the ground pattern 573 prevents noise from the refrigerator body from affecting the electromagnetic field generated by the proximity sensor 560 and the electromagnetic field generated by the guard electrode 570.

As shown in FIGS. 51 (A) and 52, a through hole 560C is formed at the center position of the proximity sensor 560, and the through hole 560C has a conductor pattern as shown in FIG. 51 (B). 560H is connected. Since the action of the user pushing (contacting) the proximity sensor 560 with a finger is usually performed aiming at the center of the proximity sensor 560, the through hole 560C is formed so that the through hole 560C is located at the center of the proximity sensor 560. There is.

The reason why the through hole 560C is formed at a position substantially in the center of the proximity sensor 560 in this way is as follows. That is, in the proximity sensor 560, the central region where the through hole 560C is formed has the highest switch sensitivity as compared with the other regions. For this reason, the user's finger presses the center of the proximity switch 560 having the through hole 560C so that the finger can be brought into contact with the most sensitive place.

The proximity sensor 560 shown in FIGS. 51 and 52 is an electrode for electrostatic touch (contact), and is, for example, about 100 mm in the front (front) direction of the left door 21 and the right door 22 shown in FIGS. 49 and 50. It is a capacitance type detection means for detecting that a human body or an object is approaching. The proximity sensor 560 detects the approach of a part of the user's human body, specifically, for example, when a finger of a hand approaches. The proximity sensor 560 is a capacitance type touch sensor, but a mutual capacitance type touch sensor or a self-capacitance type touch sensor can be used.

In the mutual capacitance method, it is composed of one transmitting electrode and one receiving electrode, and when a current is supplied to the transmitting electrode, an electromagnetic field is generated and the electromagnetic field is received by the receiving electrode. For example, when a human finger approaches the detection region of the proximity sensor 560, a part of the electromagnetic field is absorbed and received by the receiving electrode, so that the amount of detected energy is reduced, so that the proximity sensor 560 approaches the finger. Can be detected.

The self-capacitance method requires one electrode (proximity sensor 560) having stray capacitance. The stray capacitance of the electrode (proximity sensor 560) is affected by the parasitic capacitance between the electrode (proximity sensor 560) and the conductor (fingers of the human body) around it. When the finger of the human body approaches the proximity sensor 560, the value of the stray capacitance increases due to the influence of the parasitic capacitance, and by measuring this increased stray capacitance, the proximity sensor 560 can detect the approach of the finger.

As illustrated in FIGS. 51 and 52, the proximity sensor 560 is, for example, a rectangular switch formed long in the vertical direction, and slits 574 and 575 are formed so as to surround the electrodes around the proximity sensor 560. Has been done. As shown in FIG. 53, the slits 574 and 575 are covered with an LED substrate 598 from the back, and a plurality of LEDs 577 functioning as lighting devices are arranged at intervals.

However, the four LED577s corresponding to the four corners 576R of the slits 574 and 575 in the plurality of LED577s are arranged at positions outside the slit 576 that is out of the slit 576.

As shown in FIG. 52, one end of the proximity sensor 560 is connected to the arrangement portion 572 by the connecting portion 560A, and the other end of the proximity sensor 560 is connected to the arrangement portion 572 by the connecting portion 560B. A through hole 560C for electrical connection is formed in the central portion of the proximity sensor 560. As described above, the reason why the through hole 560C is formed in the central portion of the proximity sensor 560 is that the region portion of the proximity sensor 560 provided with the through hole 560C has a higher detection sensitivity than the other region portions. high. Since the region portion where the user's finger comes into close contact is the central portion of the proximity sensor 560, the through hole 560C is provided in the central portion of the proximity sensor 560. The proximity sensor 560 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape by forming electrodes in the dotted line region in the region 572a of the slits 574 and 575 in the substrate arrangement portion. Further, the slits 574 and 575 do not surround the entire proximity sensor 560 and are formed in a U shape. By creating a bridge 572ab that connects to the peripheral portion 572b around the slit, the inside and the outside are connected and the substrate is not divided and is kept as one substrate.

The guard electrodes 570 shown in FIGS. 51 and 52 are formed in a rectangular frame shape around the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 in the arrangement portion 572. The guard electrode 570 is a metal body, and is composed of a pair of short side electrode portions 570A and a pair of long side electrode portions 570B. The guard electrode 570 generates an electromagnetic field in the direction opposite to the electromagnetic field generated by the proximity sensor 560.

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 is suppressed from spreading by the electromagnetic field generated by the guard electrode 570 in the opposite direction. Therefore, the electromagnetic field generated by the guard electrode 570 suppresses the spread of the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560, so that the guard electrode 570 changes the effective range of the detection range of the human body. It acts as a means of change.

The guard electrode 570 changes the effective range of the detection range of the proximity sensor 560 by narrowing and changing the detection range of the proximity sensor 560 when detecting the approach of a human body, for example, a finger. Specifically, as a result of the guard electrode 570 changing the effective range of the detection range of the proximity sensor 560, as shown in FIG. 49, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 551 of the left door 21 Is guided only in the front-front direction of the proximity sensor 560. Similarly, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 552 of the right door 22 is guided only in the front front direction of the proximity sensor 560.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 49, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 is narrowed down so as not to spread in the X direction, which is the left-right direction.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 50, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 551 of the left door 21 is guided only in the front front direction of the proximity sensor 560. Similarly, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 552 of the right door 22 is guided only in the front front direction of the proximity sensor 560. Therefore, in FIG. 50, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 is narrowed down so as not to spread in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction.

That is, the electromagnetic field 560P of the proximity sensor 560 shown in FIGS. 49 and 50 indicates the effective range of the detection range of the human body, and the effective range of the detection range of the human body is in a direction different from the front of the proximity sensor 560. It corresponds to a range different from the range (range that extends vertically and horizontally). That is, the effective range of the detection range of the human body is such that the operation direction of the user of the proximity sensor 560 is at least the effective range, and the effective range is limited by changing the range in a direction different from the operation direction. Specifically, it is a range excluding at least a part of a range in a direction different from the front (at least a part of a range extending up and down, left and right, and backward).

FIG. 54 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection between the control unit 556, the door opening operation unit 551, 552, and the door opening drive units 54, 55, which are door opening devices.

As shown in FIG. 54, the control unit 556 is electrically connected to the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 of the door opening operation unit 551 and 552, the door opening drive units 54 and 55, and the LED 577 as a plurality of lighting devices. Has been done.

The proximity sensor 560 is controlled by the control unit 556, and the control unit 556 holds the proximity sensor 560 in the “high sensitivity” state. When the finger enters the electromagnetic field 560P shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, which is the detection region of the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 of FIG. 54 sends a signal SG indicating that the finger is approaching the proximity sensor 560 from the proximity sensor 560. It is supposed to receive.

Then, when the control unit 556 of FIG. 54 receives the signal SG from the proximity sensor 560, it determines that the finger has approached the proximity sensor 560, stops the energization of the guard electrode 570, and stops the energization of the proximity sensor 560. The sensitivity of is changed from "high sensitivity" to "low sensitivity" to lower it. Moreover, when the control unit 556 receives the signal SG from the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 lights the LED 575 to illuminate the surroundings of the proximity switch 560, so that the position of the proximity switch 560 is highlighted by the illumination. Therefore, the user can visually confirm the position of the proximity switch 560.

Further, as an effect of lighting the LED 577, since the LED 577 lights and displays, the operation location can be visually recognized by the user, and the operation position of the operation unit is relative to the front plate 21A (or 22A) of the glass plate. There is no need to print to indicate.

Then, when the finger touches the proximity sensor 560 from the state where the finger approaches the proximity sensor 560, the proximity sensor 560 functions as a contact switch, and the proximity sensor 560 contacts the control unit 556 with the finger touching the proximity sensor 560. Send the signal SH. As a result, the control unit 556 makes the proximity sensor 560 function as a contact sensor to enable, for example, the door opening operation of the left door 21, and the control unit 56 operates the door opening drive unit 54 to operate the left door 21. The door opening operation can be actually performed. The above-mentioned operation procedure is the same for the right door 22.

As a result, the user can visually check and touch the position of the proximity switch 560 arranged inside the glass surface of the left door 21 or the right door 22 with the help of the illumination by the LED 577, and touch the left door 21 or the right. The door 22 can be opened.

As described above, the control unit 556 switches the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 from "high sensitivity" to "low sensitivity" when the finger approaches, so that the proximity sensor 560 functions as a contact sensor. There is. When the finger approaches the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 sets the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 to "large" in order to make the proximity sensor 560, which is an electrostatic switch, function as the "proximity sensor". By doing so, the function as a "proximity sensor" is "effective". Therefore, since the control unit 556 does not make the proximity sensor 560 function as a "contact sensor", the proximity sensor 560 opens (opens) the left door 21 and the right door 22, which are the original functions of the door opening operation units 551 and 552. Door operation) is "invalid".

As described above, when the user's finger is brought close to the proximity sensor 560 and the finger enters the electromagnetic field 560P as the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560, the proximity sensor 560 controls the approach of the finger of the hand. Notify 556. Then, when the proximity sensor 560 notifies the control unit 556 of the approach of the finger of the hand, the control unit 556 switches the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 from "large" to "small" and sets it. Moreover, the control unit 556 changes the lighting display of the proximity sensor 560 from the off state to the on state, and the position of the proximity sensor 560 can be clearly indicated by the LED 577. Therefore, the user can surely touch the proximity sensor 560 with his / her finger while visually confirming the position of the proximity sensor 560. Since the control unit 56 causes the proximity sensor 560 to function as a "contact sensor" which is an original function, the opening operation (door opening operation) of the left door 21 or the right door 22 can be performed by touching the proximity sensor 560 with a finger. "validate.

Since the opening operation of the left door 21 (door opening operation) described above is the same as the opening operation of the right door 22 (door opening operation), the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 51 and 52, by arranging the guard electrode 570 around the proximity sensor 560, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560, is the left door 21 and the right. It detects that a person's hand or finger approaches, for example, within a range of about 100 mm in the front direction (forward direction) of the door 22. At this time, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560, is restricted so as not to expand in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by arranging the guard electrode 570.

As shown in FIG. 49, by limiting the expansion of the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 in the left-right direction (X direction), the left door 21 is made into the locus indicated by the arrow 21K as shown in FIG. When the finger is brought close to the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21 in an attempt to open along the line, the proximity sensor 560 of the closed right door 22 can prevent the finger from being detected. Similarly, when the right door 22 is opened along the trajectory indicated by the arrow 22K and the finger is brought close to the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22, the finger is not detected by the proximity sensor 560 of the closed left door 21. can do.

Therefore, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22, does not enter the locus when the left door 21 as a means of transportation is opened. Similarly, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21, is prevented from entering the locus when the right door 22 as a means of transportation is opened.

As a result, when the left door 21 or the right door 22 is opened, the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22 or the left door 21 on the closed side without opening carelessly prepares the user's finger or the left door 21 or the right door 22. It is possible to prevent accidental detection.

Further, as shown in FIG. 50, when the pull-out type door 23 as a means of transportation is pulled out in the arrow direction by limiting the expansion of the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 in the vertical direction (Z direction). In addition, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the human body detection range of the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21, and the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the human body detection range of the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22, are the pull-out door 23. Do not enter the trajectory when opening.

As a result, when the pull-out door 23 is opened, the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21 and the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22 inadvertently and erroneously detect the user's finger or the pull-out door 23. Can be prevented.

By the way, the size of the guard electrode 570 shown in FIGS. 51 and 52 can have a vertical and horizontal size of, for example, 30 mm × 30 mm or more. By setting the size of the guard electrode 570 in this way, when the user tries to open the left door 21 or the right door 22 by contacting the proximity sensor 560 with the elbow instead of the finger, for example, the elbow is in close proximity. It is possible to prevent both the sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 from being touched at the same time. As a result, the user can open the left door 21 or the right door 22 with either a finger or an elbow.

Next, an example of a storage structure of the substrate 553 in the left door 21 and the right door 22 will be described with reference to FIG. 55. FIG. 55 is a diagram showing an example of a storage structure of the substrate 553 in the left door 21 and the right door 22. FIG. 55 (A) is a front view of the left door 21 and the right door 22, and FIG. 55 (B) is an inner end surface portion 21T of the left door 21 (inner end surface portion of the right door 22) showing a storage structure of the substrate 553. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of 22T). FIG. 55 (C) is a diagram showing an example of the lid member 590.

As shown in FIG. 55 (A), when the left door 21 and the right door 22 are closed, the inner end surface portion 21T of the left door 21 and the inner end surface portion 22T of the right door 22 face each other. In each inner end surface portion 21T, a rectangular opening portion 586 of the storage space member 585 is located, and inside the left door 21 and the right door 22, the storage space member 585 of the substrate assembly 500M is located. The board assembly 500M is inserted into the storage space member 585 from the opening portion 586 and stored.

The opening portion 586 is closed by the lid member 590 after accommodating the substrate assembly 500M. A metal body 591 such as an aluminum foil tape or an iron plate is arranged on the inner surface of the lid member 590. The metal body 591 is a changing means for changing the effective range of the detection range of the proximity sensor 560 by limiting the electromagnetic field as the effective range of the detection range of the human body generated by the proximity sensor 560. The metal body 591 as a means for changing the effective range of the detection range is arranged between the left door 21 and the right door 22 which are adjacent moving means.

By arranging the metal body 591 on the lid member 590 in this way, the metal body 591 blocks the electromagnetic field between the left door 21 and the right door 22. Therefore, the electromagnetic field of the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21 and the electromagnetic field of the guard electrode 570 do not affect the electromagnetic field side of the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 of the right door 22. Further, the electromagnetic field from the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22 and the electromagnetic field of the guard electrode 570 do not affect the electromagnetic field side of the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 on the left side 21.

Next, an operation example when the user opens, for example, the left door 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 48 to 50 and 54.

When the user brings his finger close to the proximity sensor 560 on the left door 21 side shown in FIGS. 49 and 50 and enters the electromagnetic field 560P as an effective range of the detection range of the human body shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, the high sensitivity state is obtained. Proximity sensor 560 detects that the finger is approaching the proximity sensor 560. As a result, the control unit 556 of FIG. 54 receives the signal SG indicating that the finger is approaching the proximity sensor 560.

Then, the control unit 556 of FIG. 54 stops the energization of the guard electrode 570 by the signal SG from the proximity sensor 560, and the control unit 556 lowers the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 from "high sensitivity" to "low sensitivity". Change to "Sensitivity". Moreover, the control unit 556 lights the LED 557 and illuminates the proximity switch 560 to clearly indicate the position of the proximity switch 560 so that the user can visually confirm the position of the proximity switch 560.

Then, when a finger touches the proximity sensor 560, the low-sensitivity proximity sensor 560 functions as a touch switch (contact switch) for opening the left door 21, and the finger touches the proximity sensor 560 on the control unit 556 of FIG. The contact signal SH is sent. As a result, the control unit 556 enables the opening operation of the left door 21, and the control unit 556 operates the door opening driving unit 54, so that the left door 21 can be opened.

The operation example when the user opens the right door 22 is the same as the operation example when the left door 21 is opened, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

In this way, when the user touches the proximity sensor 560 that functions as a contact sensor with a finger, the control unit 556 can automatically open the left door 21 or the right door 22.

When the user touches only the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 makes the proximity sensor 560 function as a touch sensor (contact sensor) to "enable" the opening operation of the left door 21 so that the left door 21 To open the door. This also applies to the right door 22.

By the way, when the user carelessly touches both the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 shown in FIG. 51, the control unit 556 opens the left door 21 without causing the proximity sensor 560 to function as a contact sensor. By disabling the door operation, the left door 21 is not opened. As a result, when the user, for example, the elbow, carelessly touches both the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570, the control unit 556 disables the opening operation of the left door 21 and disables the left door 21. Door opening operation can be prohibited. Moreover, even when water droplets adhere to both the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 shown in FIGS. 54 and 51, the control unit 556 does not make the proximity sensor 560 function as a contact sensor, and opens the left door 21. By disabling the operation, the left door 21 is not opened. The above-mentioned prohibition of the door opening operation is the same for the right door 22.

Further, when the guard electrode 570 and the intermediate region portion 589 shown in FIGS. 54 and 51 are touched at the same time by, for example, the user's elbow, the door opening operation of the door 21 is set to "valid" and the left door 21 is operated. The door can be opened. This also applies to the right door 22.

As described above, the double door type left door 21 and the right door 22 having the glass front plates 21A and 22A each have an electrostatic touch type contact sensor, and this electrostatic touch type contact sensor is , Used as a proximity sensor 560 that detects the approach of a finger or the like of a human body. As shown in FIG. 51, on the substrate 553, guard electrodes 570 are arranged around the proximity sensor 560, which is an electrode for electrostatic touch, so as to surround the proximity sensor 560 at intervals.

The guard electrode 570 is a means for changing the effective range of the detection range for changing the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 when the human body approaches. The guard electrode 570 generates an electromagnetic field in the direction opposite to the electromagnetic field generated when the proximity sensor 560 detects the proximity of the human body.

As a result, the guard electrode 570 limits the electromagnetic field generated when the proximity sensor 560 detects the proximity of the human body in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and as shown in FIGS. 49 and 50, the proximity sensor The spread range of the electromagnetic field for proximity detection in which 560 is generated is limited. Therefore, the electromagnetic field 560P (proximity detection range) generated by the proximity sensor 560 can be limited only to the front front direction of the proximity sensor 560.

Therefore, in the case of a double door type refrigerator provided with the left door 21 and the right door 22, for example, by opening and closing the door of the left door 21, the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22 is prevented from being erroneously detected, and the right By opening and closing the door 22, it is possible to prevent the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21 from erroneously detecting.

Also, in the case of a single-door refrigerator instead of a double-door refrigerator, if a human body or object comes to the side of the refrigerator, the proximity sensor of the door will inadvertently falsely detect the human body or object. You can prevent it from getting stuck.

[31st Embodiment]
FIG. 56 is a front view of the refrigerator 1 showing the 31st embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 56, a pair of left door 21 and right door 22 cover the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 of the refrigerator 1 so as to be openable and closable. For this purpose, the left door 21 and the right door 22 are attached so as to open and close the left end portion and the right end portion of the cabinet 11, which is the main body of the refrigerator, by hinges in a double-door manner.

Both the left door 21 and the right door 22 have the front plates 21A and 22A made of colored transparent glass attached to the opening of the flat inner plate that opens to the front, and the vacuum heat insulating material is arranged in the internal cavity to provide vacuum heat insulation. It is a heat insulating structural member in which a polyurethane foam heat insulating material (hereinafter, simply referred to as a urethane heat insulating material) or a pre-molded solid heat insulating material (for example, EPC) is arranged in a cavity that cannot be filled with the material.

As shown in FIG. 56, a pair of door opening operation units 651 and 652 are installed near the lower side of the back side of the front plate 21A of the left door 21 and the front plate 22A of the right door 22, respectively. The door opening operation units 651 and 652 can be touch-operated from the front surface of the front plate 21A by the user's fingers. The door opening operation unit 651 has a capacitance type proximity sensor 607 and a capacitance type touch button electrode 633. The door opening operation unit 652 has a capacitance type proximity sensor 608 and a capacitance type touch button electrode 633. The proximity sensor 607 is located above the touch button electrode 633, and the proximity sensor 608 is located above the touch button electrode 633.

Further, on the back side of the front plate 21A of the left door 21, a capacitance type control operation unit 650 for operating the refrigerator by a touch operation from the front of the front plate 21A by the user's finger is installed.

The control operation unit 650 detects, for example, an infrared light receiving unit for detecting the environmental state around the refrigerator, a control button (control switch) 650CS and a home button (home switch) 650HS, and a touch to the home button 650HS, and operates the control operation unit 650. An LED indicator lamp that transparently displays a button name, a cooling function name, cooling intensity, etc., a 7-segment LED display device that transparently displays a changing numerical value such as a temperature value, and the like are provided.

As shown in FIG. 56, the door opening drive units 54 and 55 are left and right locations near the front end of the upper surface of the top plate of the cabinet 11, and correspond to the vicinity of the open side end portion of the upper side of the left door 21 and the right door 22. It is installed at each position.

These door opening drive units 54 and 55 are door opening devices for forcibly opening the left door 21 and the right door 22 separately. The door opening drive units 54 and 55 push the plungers 54A and 55A forward by an electromagnet to push forward the upper sides of the left door 21 and the right door 22 near the open side ends of the left door 21 and the right door 22. The right door 22 is forcibly and automatically opened.

As shown in FIG. 56, the door opening operation unit 651 including one proximity sensor 607 is arranged at the lower right position of the left door 21, and the door opening operation unit 652 including the other proximity sensor 608 is the right door 22. It is located at the lower left position of. The door opening operation unit 651 including the proximity sensor 607 is arranged inside the glass front plate 21A of the left door 21, and the door opening operation unit 652 including the proximity sensor 608 is the glass front plate 22A of the right door 22. It is located inside the door.

FIG. 57 shows a structural example of the vicinity of the door opening operation unit 651 including the proximity sensor 607 in the left door 21 shown in FIG. 56 (or the vicinity of the door opening operation unit 652 including the proximity sensor 608 in the right door 22). It is sectional drawing in V1 line. The structural example in the vicinity of the door opening operation unit 652 shown in FIG. 56 is the same as the structural example in the vicinity of the door opening operation unit 651 shown in FIG. 56.

As shown in FIG. 57, a shielding sheet material 621 is arranged on the inner surface side of the glass front plates 21A and 22A by printing or the like. The sheet material 621 is arranged to prevent the inside from being seen through the front plates 21A and 22A.

As shown in FIG. 57, on the inner surface side of the front plates 21A and 22A, the first substrate 631 and the second substrate 632 are arranged parallel to the front plates 21A and 22A at intervals.

A proximity sensor 607 (or proximity sensor 608) and a connector 629 are arranged on the back surface of the first substrate 631 arranged on the front side, and a plurality of capacitive touch buttons (electrodes) are arranged on the front surface of the first substrate 631. ) 633 is arranged. A plurality of through holes 634 are formed in the first substrate 631, and each hole 634 is arranged at a position behind the touch button 633. The proximity sensors 607 and 608 are microcomputers having a proximity sensor function.

As shown in FIG. 57, a plurality of LEDs 635 and connectors 636 are arranged on the surface of the second substrate 632 arranged on the rear side of the first substrate 631. The connector 636 of the second board 632 is connected to the connector 629 of the first board 631 by a relay bundle line 628.

Each LED 635 is arranged at a position facing each hole 634 of the first substrate 631. As a result, the illumination light LLT generated by each LED 635 can illuminate the touch button 633 from behind toward the front plate 21A (22A) side through each hole 634. Thereby, the user can visually confirm the position of the proximity sensor 607 (608) and the position of each touch button 633 through the front plate 21A (or the front plate 22A) and the sheet material 621.

FIG. 58 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V2-V2 of the control operation unit 650 shown in FIG. 56.

As shown in FIG. 58, a shielding sheet material 621 is arranged on the inner surface side of the glass front plate 21A by printing or the like. The sheet material 621 is arranged to prevent the inside from being seen through the front plate 21A. Inside the front plate 21A, an operation name plate 661, a diffusion film 662, a transparent electrode 663, and a substrate 664 are arranged. The operation name plate 661, the diffusion film 662, and the transparent electrode 663 are arranged in parallel at intervals from the front plate 21A to the substrate 664 in this order. The diffusion film 662 diffuses the illumination light LLS generated by the plurality of LEDs 665 mounted on the substrate 664 toward the front plate 21A.

On the surface of the substrate 664, a plurality of LEDs 665, a shielding plate 666 for guiding light, and a connector 667 of a flexible printed circuit board are mounted. The connector 667 is connected to the transparent electrode 663 by a flexible printed circuit board 668. Each LED 665 is arranged between the shielding plates 666 on both sides, and the light LLS for illumination of each LED 665 is irradiated to the transparent electrode 663 side by the shielding plate 666, passes through the transparent electrode 663, and then is a diffusion film. It is diffused to the front plate 21A by 662. Thereby, the user can visually confirm the position of the electrode of the transparent electrode 663 through the front plate 21A and the sheet material 621.

FIG. 59 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection between a control unit 656, a control operation unit 650, a door opening operation unit 651, 652, and a door opening drive unit 54, 55, which is a door opening device.

As shown in FIG. 59, the control unit 656 is electrically connected to the control operation unit 650, the first substrate 631 and the second substrate 632, and the door opening drive units 54 and 55.

In the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 56, when the user opens the left door 21 (or the right door 22) of the refrigerator 1, in a dark environment, the position of the proximity switch 607 (608) of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 is determined. , It is difficult to visually recognize the position of the touch button 633. As shown in FIG. 57, the back surface of the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651 and 652 and the proximity sensor 607 (608) are used to improve the difficulty of operating the door opening operation unit 651 and 652. An LED 635 as a lighting means for supplying illumination light is mounted on the back surface of the door.

Therefore, when the user wants to touch the touch buttons 633 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 with his / her finger, the capacitance type proximity sensor 607 (or proximity sensor 608) detects that a person is approaching. To do. Since the control unit 656 receives a signal from the proximity sensor 607 (or the proximity sensor 608) notifying that a person is approaching, the LED 635 for lighting is turned on by the command of the control unit 656.

As a result, the user can easily recognize the position of the proximity switch 607 (608) of the door opening operation unit 651 and 652 and the position of the touch button 633 even in a dark environment, and easily operate the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651,652. The left door 21 (or the right door 22) can be opened.

Further, when the proximity sensor 607 (or the proximity sensor 608) detects that a person is approaching, the control unit 656 receives a signal from the proximity sensor 607 (or the proximity sensor 608) notifying that the person is approaching. According to the command of the unit 656, the lighting LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 shown in FIG. 58 is turned on.

As a result, the user can easily operate the control operation unit 650 by visually recognizing the position of the control operation unit 650 even in a dark environment.

When the user wants to touch the touch buttons 633 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 from above the glass front plates 21A and 22A with a finger, preferably, the control unit 656 of FIG. 59 is the LED 635. The brightness at the time of lighting can be set to multiple levels.

That is, when the proximity sensor 607 (or the proximity sensor 608) detects that a person is approaching, the control unit 656 of FIG. 59 slightly lights the LED 635. Then, when the user touches the touch buttons 633 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 with a finger in a non-contact manner to open the left door 21 (or the right door 22), the control unit of FIG. 59. The 656 completely turns on the LED 635 to increase the amount of light.

After that, when the user releases the finger from the touch button 633, the control unit 656 operates the door opening drive unit 54 (or the door opening drive unit 55) to open the left door 21 (right door 22). There is.

As a result, when the user touches the touch buttons 633 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 with a finger to open the left door 21 (or the right door 22), the LED 635 is slightly lit to completely lit. Therefore, the user can visually confirm that the door opening operation has been established by changing the light amount, that is, preferably increasing the light amount.

The control operation unit 650 shown in FIG. 59 is operated, for example, for the user to change the cooling control content. In the control unit 656, the operation start time (lighting timing) for lighting the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 shown in FIG. 58 is the operation start time (lighting timing) for lighting the LED 635 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 shown in FIG. 57. It can be set to be delayed by a predetermined delay time. That is, the timing of the lighting of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 and the timing of the lighting of the LED 635 of the door opening operation unit 651 and 652 can be changed.

For example, the lighting timing of the LED 635 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 can be made earlier than the lighting timing of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650. However, conversely, the lighting timing of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 may be earlier than the lighting timing of the LED 635 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652.

As a result, when the proximity sensor 607 (or the proximity sensor 608) detects that a person is approaching, not only the LED 635 of the door opening operation unit 651 and 652 but also the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 can be turned on.

As shown in FIG. 56, in the left door 21 and the right door 22, the positions of the proximity sensors 607 and 608 are arranged below the position of the control operation unit 650, and the proximity sensors 607 and 608 are operated to open the door. The portions 651 and 652 are arranged in the vicinity of the touch buttons 633, respectively.

As a result, the user brings the finger of the hand close to the proximity sensor 607 (or proximity sensor 608), contacts the proximity sensor 607 (or proximity sensor 608), and then slightly lowers the finger as it is, thereby opening the door opening operation unit 651. , 652 touch buttons 633 are touchable, so that it is easy for the user to use.

Next, FIG. 60 shows control of the left door 21 when the proximity sensor 607 of the left door 21 shown in FIG. 56 detects the approach of the user's finger and then the finger touches the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651. An example of how the operation unit 650 and the door opening operation unit 651 are lit is shown.

In FIG. 60 (A), the user's finger is not yet at all close to the proximity sensor 607. In this state, in order for the control unit 656 to make the proximity sensor 607, which is an electrostatic switch, function as a "proximity sensor", the control unit 656 sets the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 607 to "large" to increase the sensitivity. Therefore, the function as a "proximity sensor" is "effective".

In this case, the control unit 656 disables the opening (door opening operation) of the left door 21, which is a function of the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651. Moreover, the control unit 656 sets the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 651 to the "off state" as shown by the broken line. The operation (door opening operation) function of the control switch (control button) 650CS and the home switch (home button) 650HS of the control operation unit 650 is "invalid".

Next, FIG. 60B shows a state in which the finger HT is approaching the proximity sensor 607. In this state, the proximity sensor 607 detects the approach of the finger HT, so that the control unit 656 switches the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 607 as a "proximity sensor" from "large" to "small" to reduce the sensitivity and reduce the proximity sensor. Reduce the function of.

Therefore, since the control unit 656 functions the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651, the left door 21 can be opened (door opening operation) by the finger HT touching the touch button 633 from the front surface of the front plate. ) The function changes from "disabled" to "enabled".

Moreover, in the control unit 656, the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 651 of the proximity sensor 607 are in the "on state" as shown by the solid line, and the LED 635 and the LED 635 shown in FIG. 57 are shown. The LED 665 shown in 58 is slightly lit, for example. That is, when the LED 665 shown in FIG. 58 is slightly lit, the control operation unit 650 is illuminated from behind to illuminate, and when the LED 635 shown in FIG. 57 is lit, the door opening operation unit 651 is illuminated from behind to illuminate. ..

Preferably, this lighting display time is set to light for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds, and if the finger HT does not touch the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651 during this 10 seconds, the LED 635, The 665 may be turned off.

However, in the control unit 656, the operation start time (lighting timing) for lighting the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 shown in FIG. 58 is the operation start time (lighting timing) for lighting the LED 635 of the door opening operation unit 651 shown in FIG. 57. It can be set to be delayed by a predetermined delay time. That is, the control unit 656 can change the timing of the lighting of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 and the timing of the lighting of the LED 635 of the door opening operation unit 651.

For example, the lighting timing of the LED 635 of the door opening operation unit 651 can be made earlier than the lighting timing of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650. However, conversely, the lighting timing of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 may be earlier than the lighting timing of the LED 635 of the door opening operation unit 651. By making the lighting timings different in this way, the position of the control operation unit 650 and the position of the door opening operation unit 651 can be displayed separately to the user.

Then, the operation functions of the control switch 650CS and the home switch 650HS of the control operation unit 650 are turned on and changed from "invalid" to "enabled".

Next, FIG. 60C shows a state in which the finger HT is in contact with the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651. In this state, the control unit 656 keeps the proximity sensor 607 in a “small” state, which is the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 607 as a “contact sensor”. The control unit 656 keeps the open operation (door opening operation) function of the left door 21, which is the function of the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651, as "enabled".

Then, since the operation functions of the control button (control switch) 650CS and the home button (home switch) 650HS of the control operation unit 650 are turned on and "effective", they can be operated.

Moreover, the control unit 656 maintains the "on state" of the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 651 of the proximity sensor 607 as shown by the solid line.

In this case, preferably, the light amount of the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the light amount of the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 651 of the proximity sensor 607 in FIG. However, at the time of contact with the finger HT in FIG. 60C, the light amount of the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the light amount of the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 651 are increased from the slight lighting to the complete lighting with a larger light amount. Make it shine with.

As a result, when the user touches the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651 with a finger to open the left door 21, the LED 635 is changed from slightly lit to completely lit to increase the amount of light. The user can visually confirm that the door opening operation has been established by increasing the lighting amount. Moreover, the user can more reliably visually recognize the display of the control operation unit 650 and the display of the door opening operation unit 651, and can improve the energy saving effect of power consumption.

As described above, the control unit 656 sets the control unit 656 when the finger HT is brought close to the proximity sensor 607 as shown in FIG. 60 (B) and when the finger HT is brought into contact with the touch button 633 shown in FIG. 60 (C). In order to illuminate the control operation unit 650 and the door opening operation unit 651, the amount of light at the time of lighting can be changed and increased as described above.

After that, FIG. 60 (D) shows a state in which the finger HT of the user's hand is separated from the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 52. In this state, the control unit 656 enables the input of the operation signal from the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651 and operates the door opening drive unit 54 to control the opening of the corresponding left door 21. .. As a result, the left door 21 can be opened automatically.

Moreover, the control unit 656 maintains the "on state" of the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the lighting display of the door opening operation unit 651 of the proximity sensor 607 as shown by the solid line. Then, the operation functions of the control switch 650CS and the home switch 650HS of the control operation unit 650 are turned off and changed from "enabled" to "disabled".

As described above, in the same manner as the opening operation of the left door 21 described with reference to FIG. 60, the opening operation of the right door 22 using the door opening operation unit 652 of the right door 22 shown in FIG. 56 is also performed. Can be done.

When the left door 21 is opened by the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651 of the left door 21, the function of the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 652 of the right door 22 is switched, and the switch of the door opening operation unit 652 is switched. The function can be disabled to prevent the right door 22 from opening. The same is true in the opposite case.

By the way, when the user wants to touch the touch buttons 633 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 with a finger in a non-contact manner, the control unit 656 of FIG. 59 preferably changes the lighting color when the LED 635 is lit. it can. That is, when the proximity sensor 607 (or the proximity sensor 608) detects that a person is approaching, the control unit 656 of FIG. 59 lights the LED 635 in the first emission color, for example, blue. Then, when the user touches the touch buttons 633 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 with a finger to open the left door 21 (or the right door 22), the control unit 656 of FIG. 59 determines. The LED 635 is lit in a second emission color, for example red.

After that, when the user releases the finger from the touch button 633, the control unit 656 operates the door opening drive unit 54 (or the door opening drive unit 55) to open the left door 21 (right door 22).

As a result, when the user touches the touch buttons 633 of the door opening operation units 651 and 652 with a finger to open the left door 21 (or the right door 22), the LED 635 lights from red to blue. Therefore, the user can visually confirm that the door opening operation has been established by changing the lighting color. The types of the first emission color and the second emission color can be arbitrarily selected.

Further, as shown in FIG. 60 (B), when the finger HT is brought close to the proximity sensor 607, the LEDs 635 and 665 are blinked, and when the finger HT is brought into contact with the touch button 633 shown in FIG. 60 (C), the LED 635 is displayed. , 665 may be turned on at all times. The user can visually confirm that the door opening operation has been established.

Further, the left door 21 and the right door 22 shown in FIG. 56 are provided in a double door type, and while the left door 21 is open, the control unit 656 is a touch button of the door opening operation unit 652 in the right door 22. The LED 635 of the 633 may be turned on at all times. Similarly, while the right door 22 is open, the control unit 656 may set the LED 635 of the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651 of the left door 21 to be constantly lit. As a result, even in a dark environment, the user can visually confirm the position of the door opening operation unit of the right door 22 (or the left door 21 on the non-open side) on the non-open side, and easily operate the door opening operation unit. Can be operated.

The contents described in each of the above-described embodiments can be adopted for home appliances other than refrigerators, such as laundry utensils and cooking utensils, and are also effective as an invention as an operation unit.

[32nd Embodiment]
FIG. 61 is a front view of the refrigerator 1 showing the 32nd embodiment of the present invention. 62 is a plan view of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 61, and FIG. 63 is a side view of the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 61.

As shown in FIGS. 61 to 63, a pair of left doors 21 and right doors 22 cover the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12 of the refrigerator 1. For this purpose, the left door 21 and the right door 22 are attached so as to open and close the left end portion and the right end portion of the cabinet 11, which is the main body of the refrigerator, by hinges in a double-door manner.

Both the left door 21 and the right door 22 have the front plates 21A and 22A made of colored transparent glass attached to the opening of the flat inner plate that opens to the front, and the vacuum heat insulating material is arranged in the internal cavity to provide vacuum heat insulation. It is a heat insulating structure member in which a polyurethane foam heat insulating material (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a urethane heat insulating material) or a pre-molded solid heat insulating material (for example, EPC) is arranged in a cavity that cannot be filled with the material.

As shown in FIGS. 61 to 63, the door opening operation units 551 and 552 are installed near the lower side of the front plate 21A of the left door 21 and the front plate 22A of the right door 22, respectively. The door opening drive units 54 and 55 are installed at the left and right positions near the front end of the upper surface of the top plate of the cabinet 11, respectively, at positions corresponding to the vicinity of the open side end on the upper side of the left door 21 and the right door 22. There is.

These door opening drive units 54 and 55 are door opening devices for forcibly opening the left door 21 and the right door 22 separately. The door opening drive units 54 and 55 push the plungers 54A and 55A forward by an electromagnet to push forward the upper sides of the left door 21 and the right door 22 near the open side ends of the left door 21 and the right door 22. The right door 22 is forcibly and automatically opened.

As shown in FIG. 61, one door opening operation unit 551 is arranged at a lower right position of the left door 21, and the other door opening operation unit 552 is arranged at a lower left position of the right door 22. The door opening operation unit 551 is arranged inside the glass front plate 21A of the left door 21, and the door opening operation unit 552 is arranged inside the glass front plate 22A of the right door 22.

Further, inside the front plate 21A of the left door 21, a capacitance type control operation unit 650 for operating the refrigerator by a touch operation from the front of the front plate 21A by the user's finger is installed. The control operation unit 650 is arranged at a position above the door opening operation unit 551 on the left door 21.

The control operation unit 650 detects, for example, an infrared light receiving unit for detecting the environmental state around the refrigerator, a control button (control switch) 650CS and a home button (home switch) 650HS, and a touch to the home button 650HS, and operates the control operation unit 650. An LED indicator lamp that transparently displays a button name, a cooling function name, cooling intensity, etc., a 7-segment LED display device that transparently displays a changing numerical value such as a temperature value, and the like are provided.

FIG. 64 shows a structural example of the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 shown in FIG. 61. FIG. 65 is a diagram showing a proximity sensor 560 and a guard electrode 570 arranged on the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 shown in FIG. 64. FIG. 66 is an exploded perspective view showing a structural example of the door opening operation unit 551.

The door opening operation unit 551 and the door opening operation unit 552 shown in FIG. 61 have the same structure, but have a symmetrical shape. FIG. 64 shows an example of the shape of the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551. However, since the door opening operation unit 552 and the door opening operation unit 551 have substantially the same shape, see FIGS. 64 to 66. Then, the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 will be described as a representative.

First, referring to FIG. 66, the door opening operation unit 551 includes a substrate assembly 500M, a plastic storage space member 585 called an open box for accommodating the substrate assembly 500M, and a plastic lid member 590. Have. The back surface 585R of the plastic storage space member 585 is preferably covered with, for example, aluminum foil, which is a metal body. A metal body 591 such as aluminum foil is attached to the inner surface of the plastic lid member 590. As a result, the electromagnetic waves generated on the main body side of the refrigerator 1 do not affect the substrate assembly 500M side.

The substrate assembly 500M is composed of a plastic shielding plate 599, a substrate 553, an operation name plate 597, and an LED substrate 598 on which an LED 577 for display is mounted. The substrate 553 is an electrostatic touch switch substrate, and is fixed to the front side of the shielding plate 599. An operation name plate 597 is arranged on the front side of the substrate 553. An LED substrate 598 for display is fixed to the back side of the shielding plate 599. A plurality of LEDs 577 are mounted on the LED substrate 598.

Left and right slits 574 and 575 are formed at the corresponding positions of the substrate 553 and the operation name plate 597. The substrate assembly 500M is accommodated in the storage space member 585 through an opening portion 586 which is a rectangular insertion port of the storage space member 585. The opening portion 586 of the storage space member 585 is covered with a lid member 590.

As shown in FIGS. 64 (A) and 65, the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 is rectangular or square, and the substrate 553 is the front surface 553A shown in FIG. 64 (A) and the back surface shown in FIG. 64 (B). It has 553B. The substrate 553 is provided with a mounting portion 571 for electronic components and an arranging portion 572 for the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570. The substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 551 and the substrate 553 of the door opening operation unit 552 shown in FIG. 1 can preferably have a symmetrical shape and can be used as a common component.

The mounting portion 571 of the electronic component on the back surface 553B side shown in FIG. 64B has a first-stage portion 553M and a second-stage portion 553N at the lower end portion. The lower end portion of the mounting portion 571 of the electronic component on the back surface 553B side is formed in a stepped shape.

Moreover, two connector parts CC1 and CC2 and electronic parts such as a microcomputer (not shown) are mounted on the mounting portion 571 of the electronic parts on the back surface 553B side. The connector component CC1 is arranged in the first stage portion 553M, and the connector component CC2 is arranged in the second stage portion 553N.

That is, the connector component CC1 and the connector component CC2 are not arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and the position where the connector component CC1 is attached to the back surface 553B of the substrate 553 is attached to the back surface 553B of the substrate 553 of the connector component CC2. It is a lower position in the Z direction (vertical direction) than the position where it is set. The connector component CC1 is arranged along the first stage portion 553M, and the connector component CC2 is arranged along the second stage portion 553N.

As a result, the positions of the connector parts CC1 and CC2 are displaced in the vertical direction, so that when the connector parts CC1 and CC2 are removed or attached during maintenance, they can be easily attached and detached using a tool.

Further, since the positions of the connector parts CC1 and CC2 are shifted in the vertical direction, the water due to dew condensation easily flows down from between the connector parts CC1 and CC2. Therefore, the water due to dew condensation occurs at the connector parts CC1 and CC2. Can be prevented from accumulating. Further, since the connector parts CC1 and CC2 are separated from the back surface of the substrate, the connector parts CC1 and CC2 do not get wet even when water collects in the storage portion.

Further, two connector parts CC1 and CC2 and an electronic component (not shown) are mounted on the mounting portion 571 of the electronic component on the back surface 553B side of the board 553 so that the electronic component is not mounted on the front surface 553A of the board 553. It has become. Examples of electronic components include noise reduction capacitors, signal processing capacitors, transistors, microcomputers, and the like. Since the electronic components are arranged not on the front surface 553A of the substrate 553 but on the back surface 553B side in this way, as shown in FIG. 66, the inner surface of the operation name plate 597 is not affected by the electronic components and is the surface of the substrate 553. It can be placed in close contact with the 553A.

Moreover, although the two connector parts CC1 and CC2 are arranged on the mounting portion 571 of the electronic component on the back surface 553B side of the substrate 553, the connector parts CC1 and CC2, the proximity sensor 560, and the guard electrode 570 are arranged apart from each other. This prevents noise from the connector components CC1 and CC2 from affecting the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570.

In the arrangement portion 572 on the surface 553A side of the substrate 533 shown in FIG. 64 (A), the proximity sensor 560 which is the first electrode, the guard electrode 570 which is the third electrode, and the intermediate region which is the second electrode Part 589 is arranged. The proximity sensor 560 is located at the center of the placement portion 572, and the guard electrode 570 is located at the outermost side of the placement portion 572. The intermediate region portion 589 is provided between the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570. The proximity sensor 560, the guard electrode 570, and the intermediate region portion 589 are metal electrodes, but are electrically insulated from each other. The intermediate region portion 589, which is the second electrode, assists the proximity sensor 560 and has a function as a proximity sensor. The guard electrode 570 changes the effective range of detection of the proximity sensor 560. The proximity sensor 560 is not composed of a plurality of electrodes, but is composed of one rectangular electrode. As a result, the user can adopt a shape that is easy to touch with fingers.

Further, as shown in FIG. 64 (B), a mesh ground pattern 573, which is a fourth electrode, is arranged on the back surface 553B corresponding to the arrangement portion 572 of the substrate 553. As a result, the ground pattern 573 prevents noise from the refrigerator body from affecting the electromagnetic field generated by the proximity sensor 560 and the electromagnetic field generated by the guard electrode 570.

As shown in FIGS. 64 (A) and 65, a through hole 560C is formed at the center position of the proximity sensor 560. As shown in FIG. 64 (B), a conductor pattern 560H is connected to the through hole 560C. The conductor pattern 560H is connected to the through hole 560C through a portion of the connecting portion 560A. The conductor pattern 560H is arranged through the back side portion of the connecting portion 560A which is a place other than the slits 574 and 575. This connecting portion 560A will be described later.

Since the action of the user pushing (contacting) the proximity sensor 560 with a finger is usually performed aiming at the center of the proximity sensor 560, the through hole 560C is formed so that the through hole 560C is located at the center of the proximity sensor 560. There is.

The reason why the through hole 560C is formed at the center position of the proximity sensor 560 in this way is as follows. That is, in the proximity sensor 560, the central region where the through hole 560C is formed has the highest switch sensitivity as compared with the other regions. For this reason, the user's finger presses the center of the proximity switch 560 having the through hole 560C so that the finger can be brought into contact with the most sensitive place.

The proximity sensor 560 shown in FIGS. 64 and 65 is an electrode for electrostatic touch (contact), and is, for example, about 100 mm in the front (front) direction of the left door 21 and the right door 22 shown in FIGS. 62 and 63. It is a capacitance type detection means for detecting that a human body or an object is approaching. The proximity sensor 560 detects the approach of a part of the user's human body, specifically, for example, when a finger of a hand approaches. The proximity sensor 560 is a capacitance type touch sensor, but a mutual capacitance type touch sensor or a self-capacitance type touch sensor can be used.

In the mutual capacitance method, it is composed of one transmitting electrode and one receiving electrode, and when a current is supplied to the transmitting electrode, an electromagnetic field is generated and the electromagnetic field is received by the receiving electrode. For example, when a human finger approaches the detection region of the proximity sensor 560, a part of the electromagnetic field is absorbed and received by the receiving electrode, so that the amount of detected energy is reduced, so that the proximity sensor 560 approaches the finger. Can be detected.

The self-capacitance method requires one electrode (proximity sensor 560) having stray capacitance. The stray capacitance of the electrode (proximity sensor 560) is affected by the parasitic capacitance between the electrode (proximity sensor 560) and the conductor (fingers of the human body) around it. When the finger of the human body approaches the proximity sensor 560, the value of the stray capacitance increases due to the influence of the parasitic capacitance, and by measuring this increased stray capacitance, the proximity sensor 560 can detect the approach of the finger.

As illustrated in FIGS. 64 and 65, the proximity sensor 560 is, for example, a rectangular switch formed long in the vertical direction, and slits 574 and 575 are formed so as to surround the electrodes around the proximity sensor 560. Has been done. That is, the slits 574 and 575 are formed along the Z direction so as to surround the proximity sensor 560. As a result, the position of the proximity sensor 560 can be easily understood by providing the slits 574 and 575. As shown in FIG. 65, the slits 574 and 575 are covered with, for example, a transparent film body 576, and the transparent film body 576 is spaced by a plurality of LEDs 577, which are light emitting elements functioning as lighting devices. Have been placed.

However, as shown in FIG. 65, the four LED577s corresponding to the four corners 576R of the slits 574 and 575 in the plurality of LED577s are arranged at positions outside the slits 574 and 575. .. By doing so, the illumination light generated by the four LEDs 577 corresponding to the four corners 576R can be irradiated to the slits 574 and 575 without causing shadows.

As shown in FIG. 65, one end of the proximity sensor 560 is connected to the arrangement portion 572 by the connecting portion 560A, and the other end of the proximity sensor 560 is connected to the arrangement portion 572 by the connecting portion 560B. These connecting portions 560A and 560B are connected so as to connect the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 which is a peripheral portion thereof, and are also referred to as a “bridge”. The connecting portions 560A and 560B are provided at positions other than the above-mentioned location where the LED 577 is arranged, avoiding the connection portions 560A and 560B. As a result, the connecting portions 560A and 560B do not interfere with the illumination light of the LED 577.

A through hole 560C for electrical connection is formed in the central portion of the proximity sensor 560. As described above, the reason why the through hole 560C is formed in the central portion of the proximity sensor 560 is that the region portion of the proximity sensor 560 provided with the through hole 560C has a higher detection sensitivity than the other region portions. high. Since the region portion where the user's finger comes into close contact is the central portion of the proximity sensor 560, the through hole 560C is provided in the central portion of the proximity sensor 560.

Next, the guard electrode 570 shown in FIGS. 64 and 65 will be described.

The guard electrode 570 is formed in a rectangular frame shape around the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 in the arrangement portion 572. The guard electrode 570 is a metal body, and is composed of a pair of short side electrode portions 570A and a pair of long side electrode portions 570B. The guard electrode 570 generates an electromagnetic field in the direction opposite to the electromagnetic field generated by the proximity sensor 560.

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 62 and 63, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 is suppressed from spreading by the electromagnetic field generated by the guard electrode 570 in the opposite direction. Therefore, the electromagnetic field generated by the guard electrode 570 suppresses the spread of the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560, so that the guard electrode 570 changes the effective range of the detection range of the human body. It acts as a means of change.

The guard electrode 570 changes the effective range of the detection range of the proximity sensor 560 by narrowing and changing the detection range of the proximity sensor 560 when detecting the approach of a human body, for example, a finger. Specifically, as a result of the guard electrode 570 changing the effective range of the detection range of the proximity sensor 560, as shown in FIG. 62, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 551 of the left door 21 Is guided only in the front-front direction of the proximity sensor 560. Similarly, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 552 of the right door 22 is guided only in the front front direction of the proximity sensor 560.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 62, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 is narrowed down so as not to spread in the X direction, which is the left-right direction.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 63, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 551 of the left door 21 is guided only in the front front direction of the proximity sensor 560. Similarly, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 552 of the right door 22 is guided only in the front front direction of the proximity sensor 560. Therefore, in FIG. 63, the electromagnetic field 560P generated by the proximity sensor 560 is narrowed down so as not to spread in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction.

That is, the electromagnetic field 560P of the proximity sensor 560 shown in FIGS. 62 and 63 indicates the effective range of the detection range of the human body, and the effective range of the detection range of the human body is in a direction different from the front of the proximity sensor 560. It corresponds to a range different from the range (range that extends vertically and horizontally).

Next, FIG. 67 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection between the control unit 556, the door opening operation unit 551, 552, and the door opening drive units 54, 55, which are door opening devices.

As shown in FIG. 67, the control unit 556 is electrically connected to the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 of the door opening operation unit 551 and 552, the door opening drive units 54 and 55, and the LED 577 as a plurality of lighting devices. Has been done.

The proximity sensor 560 is held in the "high sensitivity" state by the control of the control unit 556. When the finger enters the electromagnetic field 560P shown in FIGS. 62 and 63, which is the detection region of the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 of FIG. 67 sends a signal SG indicating that the finger is approaching the proximity sensor 560 from the proximity sensor 560. It is supposed to receive.

Then, when the control unit 556 of FIG. 67 receives the signal SG from the proximity sensor 560, it determines that the finger has approached the proximity sensor 560, stops the energization of the guard electrode 570, and stops the energization of the proximity sensor 560. The sensitivity of is changed from "high sensitivity" to "low sensitivity" to lower it. Moreover, when the control unit 556 receives the signal SG from the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 lights the LED 575 to illuminate the surroundings of the proximity switch 560, so that the position of the proximity switch 560 is highlighted by the illumination. Therefore, the user can visually confirm the position of the proximity switch 560.

Then, when the finger touches the proximity sensor 560 from the state where the finger approaches the proximity sensor 560, the proximity sensor 560 functions as a contact switch, and the proximity sensor 560 contacts the control unit 556 with the finger touching the proximity sensor 560. Send the signal SH. As a result, the control unit 556 makes the proximity sensor 560 function as a contact sensor to enable, for example, the door opening operation of the left door 21, and the control unit 56 operates the door opening drive unit 54 to operate the left door 21. The door opening operation can be actually performed. The above-mentioned operation procedure is the same for the right door 22.

As a result, the user can visually check and touch the position of the proximity switch 560 arranged inside the glass surface of the left door 21 or the right door 22 with the help of the illumination by the LED 577, and touch the left door 21 or the right. The door 22 can be opened.

As described above, the control unit 556 switches the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 from "high sensitivity" to "low sensitivity" when the finger approaches, so that the proximity sensor 560 functions as a contact sensor. There is. When the finger approaches the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 sets the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 to "large" in order to make the proximity sensor 560, which is an electrostatic switch, function as the "proximity sensor". By doing so, the function as a "proximity sensor" is "effective". Therefore, since the control unit 556 does not make the proximity sensor 560 function as a "contact sensor", the proximity sensor 560 opens (opens) the left door 21 and the right door 22, which are the original functions of the door opening operation units 551 and 552. Door operation) is "invalid".

As described above, when the user's finger is brought close to the proximity sensor 560 and the finger enters the electromagnetic field 560P as the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560, the proximity sensor 560 controls the approach of the finger of the hand. Notify 556. Then, when the proximity sensor 560 notifies the control unit 556 of the approach of the finger of the hand, the control unit 556 switches the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 from "large" to "small" and sets it. Moreover, the control unit 556 changes the lighting display of the proximity sensor 560 from the off state to the on state, and the position of the proximity sensor 560 can be clearly indicated by the LED 577. Therefore, the user can surely touch the proximity sensor 560 with his / her finger while visually confirming the position of the proximity sensor 560. Since the control unit 56 causes the proximity sensor 560 to function as a "contact sensor" which is an original function, the opening operation (door opening operation) of the left door 21 or the right door 22 can be performed by touching the proximity sensor 560 with a finger. "validate.

Since the opening operation of the left door 21 (door opening operation) described above is the same as the opening operation of the right door 22 (door opening operation), the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 64 and 65, by arranging the guard electrode 570 around the proximity sensor 560, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560, is the left door 21 and the right. It detects that a person's hand or finger approaches, for example, within a range of about 100 mm in the front direction (forward direction) of the door 22. At this time, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560, is restricted so as not to expand in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by arranging the guard electrode 570.

As shown in FIG. 62, by limiting the expansion of the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 in the left-right direction (X direction), the left door 21 is made into the locus indicated by the arrow 21K as shown in FIG. When the finger is brought close to the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21 in an attempt to open along the line, the proximity sensor 560 of the closed right door 22 can prevent the finger from being detected. Similarly, when the right door 22 is opened along the trajectory indicated by the arrow 22K and the finger is brought close to the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22, the finger is not detected by the proximity sensor 560 of the closed left door 21. can do.

Therefore, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22, does not enter the locus when the left door 21 as a means of transportation is opened. Similarly, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21, is prevented from entering the locus when the right door 22 as a means of transportation is opened.

As a result, when the left door 21 or the right door 22 is opened, the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22 or the left door 21 on the closed side without opening carelessly prepares the user's finger or the left door 21 or the right door 22. It is possible to prevent accidental detection.

Further, as shown in FIG. 63, when the pull-out door 23 as a means of transportation is pulled out in the arrow direction by limiting the expansion of the effective range of the detection range of the human body of the proximity sensor 560 in the vertical direction (Z direction). In addition, the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the human body detection range of the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21, and the electromagnetic field 560P, which is the effective range of the human body detection range of the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22, are the pull-out door 23. Do not enter the trajectory when opening.

As a result, when the pull-out door 23 is opened, the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21 and the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22 inadvertently and erroneously detect the user's finger or the pull-out door 23. Can be prevented.

As described above, the guard electrode 570 shown in FIGS. 64 (A) and 65 is a metal body, and is composed of a pair of short side electrode portions 570A and a pair of long side electrode portions 570B. For example, moisture adheres to the front plate 21A of the left door 21 shown in FIG. 61, and the moisture adheres to the front plate 21A at the position of the guard electrode 570, and the guard electrode 570 detects a change in capacitance due to moisture. Then, the control unit 556 shown in FIG. 67 disables the door opening operation of the door opening drive units (door opening devices) 54 and 55 by the proximity sensor 560.

Specifically, for example, when the user wipes the surface of the front plate 21A of the left door 21 or the surface of the front plate 22A of the right door 22 with a wet cloth, when the guard electrode 570 detects moisture, the proximity sensor Even if the 560 senses a wet cloth and is turned on, the control unit 556 shown in FIG. 67 "invalidates" the door opening operation of the door opening drive units (door opening devices) 54 and 55 by the proximity sensor 560. By setting "", the left door 21 or the right door 22 is prevented from opening without permission. This prevents the left door 21 or the right door 22 from being inadvertently opened.

Further, when the user touches the guard electrode 570 with a finger and then touches the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 disables the door opening operation of the door opening drive units (door opening devices) 54 and 55 by the proximity sensor 560. To do. Further, when the user touches the guard electrode 570 and the proximity sensor 560 with a finger, the control unit 556 disables the door opening operation of the door opening drive units (door opening devices) 54 and 55 by the proximity sensor 560. To do.

As a result, when the guard electrode 570 mistakenly detects the human body, the left door 21 or the right door 22 is prevented from being inadvertently opened.

As shown in FIG. 61, a control operation unit 650 is provided inside the front plate 21A of the left door 21, and a door opening operation unit 551 is provided below the control operation unit 650. Therefore, the short side electrode portion 570A of the guard electrode 570 of the door opening operation unit 551 is arranged at a position between the control operation unit 650 and the proximity sensor 560 of the door opening operation unit 551. The short side electrode portion 570A is also shown in FIGS. 64 and 65.

As a result, for example, when the user wipes the control operation unit 650 on the surface of the front plate 21A of the left door 21 with a wet cloth, the water drips along the front plate 21A and reaches the guard electrode 570. In this case, when the short side electrode portion 570A of the guard electrode 570 detects moisture, even if the proximity sensor 560 detects the wet cloth and is turned on, the control unit 556 shown in FIG. 67 is in close proximity. By disabling the door opening operation of the door opening drive unit (door opening device) 54 by the sensor 560, the left door 21 is prevented from opening without permission. This prevents the left door 21 from being inadvertently opened.

By the way, the lateral electrode gap spacing DF and the vertical electrode gap spacing RF of the guard electrode 570 shown in FIG. 65 are larger than the width MF of the finger HT of the human body. The lateral electrode gap spacing DF and the vertical electrode gap spacing RF of the guard electrode 570 can be selected preferably in the range of 15 mm to 75 mm. This makes it possible to prevent the finger HT from inadvertently touching the guard electrode 570 when the user touches the finger HT close to the proximity sensor 560.

Further, the lateral electrode gap spacing DF and the vertical electrode gap spacing RF of the guard electrode 570 are of a size that does not touch the guard electrode 570 even if the bent elbow of the human body hits it. The lateral electrode gap spacing DF and the vertical electrode gap spacing RF of these guard electrodes 570 can be selected, for example, in the range of 30 mm to 75 mm. By setting the size of the guard electrode 570 in this way, the user holds a pot, a plate, etc. with both hands and contacts the proximity sensor 560 with a bent elbow instead of a finger, and the left door 21 or the right Even when the door 22 is to be opened, it is possible to prevent the elbow from touching both the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 at the same time. As a result, the user can open the left door 21 or the right door 22 with either a finger or an elbow.

Next, an example of a storage structure of the substrate 553 in the left door 21 and the right door 22 will be described with reference to FIG. 68. FIG. 68 is a diagram showing an example of a storage structure of the substrate 553 in the left door 21 and the right door 22. FIG. 68A is a front view of the left door 21 and the right door 22, and FIG. 68B is an inner end surface portion 21T of the left door 21 (inner end surface portion of the right door 22) showing a storage structure of the substrate 553. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of 22T). FIG. 68C is a diagram showing an example of the lid member 590.

As shown in FIG. 68A, when the left door 21 and the right door 22 are closed, the inner end surface portion 21T of the left door 21 and the inner end surface portion 22T of the right door 22 face each other. In each inner end surface portion 21T, a rectangular opening portion 586 of the storage space member 585 is located, and inside the left door 21 and the right door 22, the storage space member 585 of the substrate assembly 500M is located. The board assembly 500M is inserted into the storage space member 585 from the opening portion 586 and stored.

However, when the board assembly 500M is inserted into the storage space member 585 and stored in this way, as shown in FIG. 66, the arrangement portion 572 side of the board 553 is placed on the lid member 590 side. It is inserted from the mounting portion 571 side of the electronic component into the opening portion 586 so that the mounting portion 571 side of the electronic component reaches the back side of the storage space member 585.

As described above, the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 are arranged on the front surface of the substrate 553, the component mounting portion 571 is provided on the back surface of the substrate 553, and the components are in a state where the substrate 553 is held in the left door 21. The mounting portion 571 is located on the side opposite to the arranging portion 572 of the substrate 553 located on the opening portion 586 side which is the insertion port.

As a result, when the board assembly 500M is inserted into the storage space member 585 and stored, the operator visually confirms the positions of the first stage portion 553M and the second stage portion 553N of the component mounting portion 571. However, since the board assembly 500M can be inserted into the storage space member 585, it is possible to prevent the board assembly 500M from being inserted in the wrong insertion direction.

The opening portion 586 is closed by the lid member 590 after accommodating the substrate assembly 500M. A metal body 591 such as an aluminum foil tape or an iron plate is arranged on the inner surface of the lid member 590. The metal body 591 is a changing means for changing the effective range of the detection range of the proximity sensor 560 by limiting the electromagnetic field as the effective range of the detection range of the human body generated by the proximity sensor 560. The metal body 591 as a means for changing the effective range of the detection range is arranged between the left door 21 and the right door 22 which are adjacent moving means.

By arranging the metal body 591 on the lid member 590 in this way, the metal body 591 blocks the electromagnetic field between the left door 21 and the right door 22. Therefore, the electromagnetic field of the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21 and the electromagnetic field of the guard electrode 570 do not affect the electromagnetic field side of the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 of the right door 22. Further, the electromagnetic field from the proximity sensor 560 of the right door 22 and the electromagnetic field of the guard electrode 570 do not affect the electromagnetic field side of the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 on the left side 21.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 61 to 63 and 67, an operation example when the user opens the left door 21, for example, will be described.

When the user brings his finger close to the proximity sensor 560 on the left door 21 side shown in FIGS. 62 and 63 and enters the electromagnetic field 560P as an effective range of the detection range of the human body shown in FIGS. 62 and 63, the high sensitivity state is obtained. Proximity sensor 560 detects that the finger is approaching the proximity sensor 560. As a result, the control unit 556 of FIG. 67 receives the signal SG indicating that the finger is approaching the proximity sensor 560.

Then, the control unit 556 of FIG. 67 stops the energization of the guard electrode 570 by the signal SG from the proximity sensor 560, and the control unit 556 lowers the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 from "high sensitivity" to "low sensitivity". Change to "Sensitivity". Moreover, the control unit 556 lights the LED 557 and illuminates the proximity switch 560 to clearly indicate the position of the proximity switch 560 so that the user can visually confirm the position of the proximity switch 560.

Then, when the finger touches the proximity sensor 560, the low-sensitivity proximity sensor 560 functions as a touch switch (contact switch) for opening the left door 21, and the finger touches the proximity sensor 560 on the control unit 556 of FIG. The contact signal SH is sent. As a result, the control unit 556 enables the opening operation of the left door 21, and the control unit 556 operates the door opening driving unit 54, so that the left door 21 can be opened.

The operation example when the user opens the right door 22 is the same as the operation example when the left door 21 is opened, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

In this way, when the user touches the proximity sensor 560 that functions as a contact sensor with a finger, the control unit 556 can automatically open the left door 21 or the right door 22.

When the user touches only the proximity sensor 560, the control unit 556 makes the proximity sensor 560 function as a touch sensor (contact sensor) to "enable" the opening operation of the left door 21 so that the left door 21 To open the door. This also applies to the right door 22.

By the way, when the user carelessly touches both the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 shown in FIG. 64, the control unit 556 opens the left door 21 without causing the proximity sensor 560 to function as a contact sensor. By disabling the door operation, the left door 21 is not opened. As a result, when the user, for example, the elbow, carelessly touches both the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570, the control unit 556 disables the opening operation of the left door 21 and disables the left door 21. Door opening operation can be prohibited.

Moreover, even when both the proximity sensor 560 and the guard electrode 570 shown in FIG. 64 detect due to the adhesion of water droplets, the control unit 556 does not make the proximity sensor 560 function as a contact sensor, and opens the left door 21. By disabling the operation, the left door 21 is not opened. The above-mentioned prohibition of the door opening operation is the same for the right door 22.

Also, in the case of a single-door refrigerator instead of a double-door refrigerator, if a human body or object comes to the side of the refrigerator, the proximity sensor of the door will inadvertently falsely detect the human body or object. You can prevent it from getting stuck.

By the way, the proximity sensor 560 shown in FIG. 64 functions as a "proximity detection mode" for detecting the proximity of the user's finger HT, and the proximity sensor 560 functions as a contact sensor for detecting the contact of the user's finger HT. The "mode" can be switched as follows.

As illustrated in FIG. 64, the proximity sensor 560 as the first electrode and the intermediate region portion 589 as the second electrode are connected to the microcomputer 599C of the control unit 556.

The mode may be switched from the above-mentioned "proximity detection mode" to the "electrostatic touch mode" or from the "electrostatic touch mode" to the "proximity detection mode".

When switching from the "proximity detection mode" to the "electrostatic touch mode", if the proximity sensor 560 detects the proximity of the finger HT, the microcomputer 599C is intermediate between the proximity sensor 560 as the first electrode and the second electrode. By disconnecting the internal connection with the region portion 589, only the proximity sensor 560 functions as an electrostatic touch sensor in the "electrostatic touch mode".

On the contrary, when switching from the "electrostatic touch mode" to the "proximity detection mode", the finger HT moves away from the proximity sensor 560 and a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds elapses from the "electrostatic touch mode", or the door When reset from opening to closing the door or the like, the microcomputer 599C makes an internal connection between the proximity sensor 560 as the first electrode and the intermediate region portion 589 as the second electrode.

Next, FIG. 74 shows a case where the finger HT is brought into contact with the proximity sensor 560 as the first electrode shown in FIGS. 51 and 52 in the embodiment of the present invention to open the left door 21 as the first electrode. An example is shown in which the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 as the second electrode are switched, and the control operation unit 650 and the proximity sensor 560 of the left door 21 are lit. This situation is the same for the door 22 on the right side.

In FIG. 74 (A), the user's finger is not yet at all close to the proximity sensor 560. In this state, in order for the control unit 556 to make the proximity sensor 560, which is an electrostatic switch, function as a "proximity sensor", the control unit 556 turns on the proximity sensor 560 to increase the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 to "large". By setting and increasing the sensitivity, the function as a "proximity sensor" is "effective". Moreover, the control unit 556 turns on the intermediate region portion 589 and sets the sensitivity of the intermediate region portion 589 to "large" to increase the sensitivity, so that the function as the "proximity sensor" is "effective". ..

In this case, the control unit 556 disables the opening (door opening operation) of the left door 21, which is a function of the touch button 633 of the door opening operation unit 651. Moreover, the control unit 556 sets the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the lighting display of the proximity sensor 560 to the "off state". The operation (door opening operation) function of the control switch (control button) 650CS and the home switch (home button) 650HS of the control operation unit 650 is "invalid".

Next, FIG. 74 (B) shows a state in which the finger HT is approaching the proximity sensor 560. In this state, the proximity sensor 560 detects the approach of the finger HT, so that the control unit 556 turns on the proximity sensor 560 and changes the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 as a "proximity sensor" from "large" to "small". It switches to reduce the sensitivity and lower the function of the proximity sensor, but turns off the intermediate region portion 589.

Therefore, since the control unit 556 causes the proximity sensor 560 to function as a contact sensor, the left door 21 can be opened (opened) by touching the proximity sensor 560, in which the finger HT functions as a contact sensor, from the front surface of the front plate. Door operation) function changes from "disabled" to "enabled".

Moreover, in the control unit 556, the lighting display of the LED of the control operation unit 650 and the lighting display of the LED of the proximity sensor 560 are in the "on state", and the lighting state of both LEDs is, for example, slightly lit. That is, when the LED 665 shown in FIG. 58 is slightly lit, the control operation unit 650 is illuminated from behind to illuminate, and when the LED 577 shown in FIG. 52 is slightly lit, the proximity sensor 560 functioning as a contact sensor is slit. Illuminate from behind through 574,575. In this case, preferably, this lighting display time is set to light for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds, and when the finger HT does not come into contact with the proximity sensor 560 functioning as a contact sensor during this 10 seconds, The LEDs 635 and 577 may be turned off again.

However, in the control unit 556, the operation start time (lighting timing) for lighting the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 shown in FIG. 58 is compared with the operation start time (lighting timing) for lighting the LED 557 of the proximity sensor 560 shown in FIG. Differently, it can be set to be delayed by a predetermined delay time. That is, the control unit 556 can change the timing of the lighting of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 and the timing of the lighting of the LED 577 of the proximity sensor 560. For example, the lighting timing of the LED 577 of the proximity sensor 560 can be made earlier than the lighting timing of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650. However, conversely, the lighting timing of the LED 665 of the control operation unit 650 may be earlier than the lighting timing of the LED 577 of the proximity sensor 560. By making the lighting timings different in this way, the position of the control operation unit 650 and the position of the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 can be displayed separately to the user.

Then, the operation functions of the control switch 650CS and the home switch 650HS of the control operation unit 650 are turned on and changed from "invalid" to "enabled".

Next, FIG. 74 (C) shows a state in which the finger HT is in contact with the proximity sensor 560 that functions as a contact sensor. In this state, the control unit 556 maintains the proximity sensor 560 in a “small” state, which is the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 as a “contact sensor”. The control unit 556 keeps the open operation (door opening operation) function of the left door 21, which is a function of the proximity sensor 560 that functions as a contact sensor, as "enabled". Moreover, the control unit 556 changes the lighting state of the LED lighting display of the proximity sensor 560 from the slight lighting to the normal lighting.

That is, when the LED 665 shown in FIG. 58 is normally lit, the control operation unit 650 is illuminated and illuminated from behind so as to be brighter, and the LED 577 shown in FIG. 52 is normally lit to serve as a contact sensor. The functioning proximity sensor 560 is illuminated and illuminated from behind through slits 574 and 575. That is, at the time of contact with the finger HT in FIG. 74 (C), the light amount of the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the light amount of the lighting display of the proximity sensor 560 are completely increased by increasing the light amount from the slight lighting to the normal lighting. By illuminating with lighting, the lighting display of the proximity sensor 560 becomes brighter. The control unit 556 also changes the lighting state of the LED of the control operation unit 650 from a slight lighting to a normal lighting.

Then, since the operation functions of the control button (control switch) 650CS and the home button (home switch) 650HS of the control operation unit 650 are turned on and "effective", they can be operated.

As a result, when the user touches the proximity sensor 560 with a finger to open the left door 21, the LED 577 is turned from slightly lit to completely lit to increase the amount of light, so that the user can increase the amount of lighting. Due to the increase, it can be visually confirmed that the door opening operation has been established. Moreover, the user can more reliably visually recognize the display of the control operation unit 650 and the display of the LED 577, and can improve the energy saving effect of power consumption.

As described above, the control unit 556 sets the control unit 556 when the finger HT is brought close to the proximity sensor 560 as shown in FIG. 74 (B) and when the finger HT is brought into contact with the touch button 633 shown in FIG. 74 (C). In order to illuminate the control operation unit 650 and the proximity sensor 560, the amount of light at the time of lighting can be changed and increased as described above.

After that, FIG. 74 (D) shows a state in which the finger HT of the user's hand is separated from the proximity sensor 560 that functions as a contact sensor. In this state, the control unit 556 enables the input of the operation signal from the proximity sensor 560 and operates the door opening drive unit 54 to control the opening of the corresponding left door 21. As a result, the left door 21 can be opened automatically. Then, the control unit 556 "disables" the function of the proximity sensor 560 that functions as a contact sensor.

Moreover, the control unit 556 maintains the "on state" of the lighting display of the control operation unit 650 and the lighting display of the LED 575 in the slits 574 and 575 of the proximity sensor 560 as shown by the solid line. Then, the operation functions of the control switch 650CS and the home switch 650HS of the control operation unit 650 are turned off and changed from "enabled" to "disabled".

As described above, in the same manner as the opening operation of the left door 21 described with reference to FIG. 74, the opening operation of the right door 22 using the door opening operation unit 652 of the right door 22 shown in FIG. 56 is also performed. Can be done.

Next, with reference to FIG. 75, the principle that the proximity sensor 560 detects finger contact will be described. FIG. 75 is a circuit diagram showing the principle that the proximity sensor 560 detects the contact of the finger HT.

The contact detection circuit 888 shown in FIG. 75 includes a proximity sensor 560 as a contact sensor (Cx), an adjustment capacitor (Cmod) 889, a clock generation source 890, an IDAC (current output digital-to-analog converter) 891, and a latch 892. , A timer 893, an AND circuit 894, and a counter 895. The IDAC891 applies the same current to the proximity sensor (Cx) 560 and the adjustment capacitor (Cmod) 889 as contact sensors multiple times in a pulsed manner each time, and causes the proximity sensor (Cx) 560 and the adjustment capacitor (Cmod) as contact sensors to flow multiple times. ) The electric charge is accumulated in 889 little by little. The proximity sensor 560 as the contact sensor (Cx) and the adjusting capacitor (Cmod) 889 continuously accumulate electric charges until they reach the same potential, and the counter 895 pulses until the specified charge is accumulated in the adjusting capacitor (Cmod) 889. Count the number of times.

When the finger HT touches the proximity sensor 560 as the contact sensor (Cx), the capacitance of the proximity sensor (Cx) 560 as the contact sensor increases, so that the electric charge flowing through the adjusting capacitor (Cmod) 889 is small. Therefore, since it takes time for the charge to finish accumulating in the adjusting capacitor (Cmod) 889, the number of pulses counted by the counter 895 becomes large (the inclination is gentle), and as a result, the displacement of the inclination changes. The presence or absence of a finger is determined by the difference in the displacement of this inclination. That is, when the count number of the pulse counted by the counter 895 exceeds a certain threshold value from the normal count number (base count), the control unit 556 uses the finger HT as a contact sensor (Cx). It is determined that the proximity sensor 560 has been touched.

Next, a method of changing the sensitivity of the proximity sensor 560 in which the finger HT acts as a contact sensor (Cx) will be described.

As a method of changing the sensitivity, when the current value of the IDAC 891 is reduced, if the amount of electric charge accumulated in the proximity sensor (Cx) 560 is the same, the charging end time becomes longer and becomes slower. If it becomes gradual, the sensitivity becomes higher when judging with the same threshold value.

In a state where the inclination is gentle (the current value is small), when the state where the finger is in contact is detected from the state where the finger is not in contact, the change in the inclination is large, and the threshold value is easily exceeded and the sensitivity is high. Further, in a state where the inclination is not gentle (the current value is large), when the state where the finger is in contact is detected from the state where the finger is not in contact, the change in the inclination is small, the threshold value is not easily exceeded, and the sensitivity is small.

That is, by reducing the current value, it is possible to detect even if the contact is made only with the tip of the finger, and the sensitivity is increased, as compared with the state where the threshold value is exceeded for the first time when the entire finger of the hand is touched. be able to. Further, although the sensitivity is increased by reducing the threshold value, there is a problem that noise is also detected, so the sensitivity is changed by the above-mentioned sensitivity changing method.

Next, FIG. 76 is a diagram showing the basic structure of the proximity sensor.

As shown in FIG. 76, the proximity sensor 560 and the copper gland 569 are located between the coating layer 560R and the die electric layer 560D, and have the capacitance CP of the proximity sensor 560 itself and the capacitance CF of the finger HT. Is added to the capacitance CX of the proximity sensor 560 when the finger touches it.

In the operation of electrostatically touching the proximity sensor 560 with the finger HT, a change in the capacitance CX of the proximity sensor 560 when the finger HT touches is detected. Further, in the operation of detecting that the finger HT is close to the proximity sensor 560, the change in the capacitance CP of the proximity sensor 560 itself when the finger approaches is detected. When the finger is in close proximity, the proximity distance (sensitivity) is changed by changing the capacitance CP of the proximity sensor 560 itself. At the time of proximity, a slight change in capacitance CP due to the proximity of a finger is detected. The capacitance CP is an electric field in the three-dimensional direction, and when there is a finger in the electric field, it changes slightly. Therefore, the capacitance CX of the entire proximity sensor changes, and the finger can be detected by the above-mentioned detection. ..

Next, FIG. 77 shows switching between the proximity mode and the electrostatic touch mode with respect to the proximity sensor 560 functioning as the contact sensor, which is the first electrode shown in FIG. 74, and the intermediate region portion 589, which is the second electrode. It is a figure explaining operation.

As shown in FIG. 77, the proximity sensor 560 functioning as the contact sensor, which is the first electrode, and the intermediate region portion 589, which is the second electrode, are connected to the multiplexer 556R. The multiplexer 556R is capable of internally connecting the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 or disconnecting the internal connection by a command of the microcomputer 556M of the control unit 556.

(1) Switching operation from proximity mode to electrostatic touch mode When switching operation from proximity mode to electrostatic touch mode is performed, as shown in FIGS. 74 (A) to 74 (B), the finger HT Approaches the proximity sensor 560, and when the proximity sensor 56 detects the finger HT, the proximity mode is switched to the electrostatic touch mode. That is, according to the command of the microcomputer 556M of FIG. 77, the multiplexer 556R changes the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 from the internal connection state to the internal connection release state, and disconnects the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589. .. As a result, only the proximity sensor 560 functions as an electrostatic contact sensor and is used, and the intermediate region portion 589 is turned off and not used.

(2) Switching operation from electrostatic touch mode to proximity mode On the contrary, when switching operation from electrostatic touch mode to proximity mode, for example, 10 seconds have passed from electrostatic touch mode, or the door This is the case when the door is reset from open to closed. In this case, according to the command of the microcomputer 556M, the multiplexer 556R returns from the internal connection state of the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 to the internal connection state, and connects the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589. be able to.

Further, reference to FIGS. 48 to 50. FIGS. 48 to 50 show an example of changing the proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor 560, which is the first electrode, and the intermediate region portion 589, which is the second electrode.

The proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor 560 is the range of a small circle HC1 when only the proximity sensor 560, which is the first electrode, is used. By using the intermediate region portion 589, which is the second electrode, in addition to the proximity sensor 560, the proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor 560 can be expanded from the small circle HC1 to the large circle HC2. ..

However, when the proximity detection effective range is expanded in this way, the proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor of the large circle HC2 enters the adjacent door 21 (or 22), which is a means of transportation, or the door pocket on the back side of the door. There is a possibility that a PET bottle or the like reacts to the proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor 560, a command to open the door is issued, and the door on the side that does not try to open is inadvertently opened.

Therefore, in order to change the proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor 560, as means for changing the proximity detection effective range, the ground pattern 573, which is the fourth electrode shown in FIGS. 78 and 51 (B), and FIG. 51 ( A guard electrode 570, which is the third electrode shown in A), is provided.

FIG. 78 is a diagram illustrating a change in the proximity range in the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589.

As shown in FIG. 78, as shown in FIG. 51 (B), a mesh ground pattern 573, which is a fourth electrode, is arranged on the back surface 553B corresponding to the arrangement portion 572 of the substrate 553. The ground pattern (mesh electrode) 573 covers the proximity sensor 560 and the substrate 553 on the back surface side of the intermediate region portion 589. By setting the ground pattern 573 and the proximity sensor 560 to the same voltage, an electric field is not formed from the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 to the ground pattern 573. As a result, the electric field range can be changed to exclude the range that the proximity sensor 560 does not want to detect. The electric field from the ground pattern 573 is set so that the electric field is generated only in the direction of the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589, and the electric field from the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589 toward the ground pattern 573 is canceled to cancel the substrate. The electric field in the back direction of the 553 is eliminated (cancelled).

As a result, as shown in FIG. 78 (A), when the ground pattern 573, which is the fourth electrode, is arranged on the back surface of the substrate 553, the proximity sensor 560 and the proximity detection range DL1 of the intermediate region portion 589 are set in FIG. 78. It can be made larger than the proximity detection range DL2 shown in (B). The ground pattern 573 is a mesh metal shield electrode. Comparing FIGS. 78 (A) and 78 (B), due to the arrangement of the ground pattern 573, in FIG. 78 (A), only the range A shown in FIG. 49 is reached. The electric field in the backward direction decreases or disappears.

Further, as shown in FIG. 51 (A), the frame-shaped guard electrode 570 is arranged on the substrate 553, and the guard electrode 570 surrounds the proximity sensor 560 and the intermediate region portion 589, whereby the range B shown in FIG. The electric field in the left-right direction is reduced by the amount of. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 48 to 50, the proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor 560 can be changed from the large circle HC2 to the small shape HC3, and as shown in FIG. 50, the range C in the vertical direction. It is reduced by the amount of.

Then, as shown by the small shape HC3 in FIG. 50, the proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor 560 extends only in the front direction of the proximity sensor 560 and the proximity detection range DL1 of the intermediate region portion 589, and the distance is long. Proximity detection is possible within the range. Further, by providing the metal body 591 shown in FIG. 53, there is also a function of applying an electric field to prevent the proximity detection effective range of the proximity sensor from exceeding the metal body 591, thereby further preventing false detection by the proximity sensor. it can.

[Thirty-third Embodiment]
FIG. 69 is a front view of the refrigerator 1 showing the 33rd embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 69, the refrigerator 1 has a refrigerating room 12, a vegetable room 13, a switching room 14, a freezing room 15, and an ice making room 16. A pair of left doors 21 and right doors 22 cover the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 12. For this purpose, the left door 21 and the right door 22 are attached so as to open and close the left end portion and the right end portion of the cabinet 11, which is the main body of the refrigerator, by hinges in a double-door manner. In this example, the width of the right door 22 is larger than the width of the left door 21.

Both the left door 21 and the right door 22 have the front plates 21A and 22A made of colored transparent glass attached to the opening of the flat inner plate that opens to the front, and the vacuum heat insulating material is arranged in the internal cavity to provide vacuum heat insulation. It is a heat insulating structure member in which a polyurethane foam heat insulating material (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a urethane heat insulating material) or a pre-molded solid heat insulating material (for example, EPC) is arranged in a cavity that cannot be filled with the material.

As shown in FIG. 69, one operation detection unit 701 is installed at a position below the front plate 22A of the right door 22, which is larger in size than the left door 21, for example.

The door opening drive units 54 and 55 are installed at the left and right positions near the front end of the upper surface of the top plate of the cabinet 11, respectively, at positions corresponding to the vicinity of the open side end on the upper side of the left door 21 and the right door 22. There is.

These door opening drive units 54 and 55 are door opening / closing devices (door opening devices) for forcibly opening the left door 21 and the right door 22 separately. The door opening drive units 54 and 55 push the plungers 54A and 55A forward by an electromagnet to push forward the upper sides of the left door 21 and the right door 22 near the open side ends of the left door 21 and the right door 22. The right door 22 is forcibly and automatically opened.

FIG. 70 is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of the operation detection unit 701 on the ZR-ZR line shown in FIG. 69.

As shown in FIG. 70, in the operation detection unit 701 shown in FIG. 69, a sheet material 721 for shielding is arranged on the inner surface side of the glass front plate 22A by printing or the like. The sheet material 721 is arranged to prevent the inside from being seen through the front plate 22A.

The first substrate 731 and the second substrate 732 are arranged on the inner surface side of the front plate 22A. The first substrate 731 and the second substrate 732 are arranged parallel to the front plate 22A at intervals.

For example, four capacitive proximity sensors 711,712,713,714 as non-contact sensors are arranged on the front surface of the first substrate 631, and a connector 729 is arranged on the back surface. These proximity sensors 711, 712, 713, 714 are arranged two-dimensionally (on a plane) on the first substrate 631 in the right door 22, for example.

As shown in FIG. 69, the proximity sensors 711, 712, 713, 714 are arranged at each corner of the square, the proximity sensor 711 is arranged at the upper left corner, and the proximity sensor 712 is arranged. The proximity sensor 713 is located in the upper right corner, the proximity sensor 713 is located in the lower right corner, and the proximity sensor 714 is located in the lower left corner.

These proximity sensors 711,712,713,714 do not contact the state in which the user's (human body) fingers, as well as the palm (the folds, the back of the hand), the sides of the hand, the elbows, etc. are moved. Can be detected with. As a result, the left door 21 or the right door 22 is opened by driving the door opening drive unit 54 or the door opening drive unit 55.

The proximity sensors 711, 712, 713, 714 are electrodes for electrostatic touch (contact), and the user's hand, elbow, etc. approached in the front (front) direction of the right door 22 through the front plate 22A. It is a non-contact detection means, for example, a capacitance type detection means. The proximity sensors 711 to 714 detect the approach when a part of the user's human body, specifically, for example, the palm (such as the back of the hand), the side of the hand, or the elbow, approaches. The proximity sensors 711 to 714 are capacitance type touch sensors, and a mutual capacitance type touch sensor or a self-capacitance type touch sensor can be used.

As shown in FIG. 70, a plurality of LEDs 735 and connectors 736 are arranged on the surface of the second substrate 732. The connector 736 of the second substrate 732 is connected to the connector 729 of the first substrate 731 by a relay bundle wire 728.

Each LED 735 is arranged at a position corresponding to each hole 734 of the first substrate 731. As a result, the light generated by each LED 635 can illuminate the proximity sensors 711 to 714 from behind through each hole 734. Thereby, even in a dark environment, the user can visually confirm the positions of the proximity sensors 711 to 714 through the front plate 22A and the sheet material 721.

FIG. 71 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection between the control unit 756, the operation detection unit 701, and the door opening drive units 54, 55, which are door opening devices.

As shown in FIG. 71, the control unit 756 is electrically connected to the operation detection unit 701, the door opening drive units 54 and 55, the plurality of LEDs 735, and the distance measuring means 777.

In the refrigerator 1 shown in FIG. 69, when the user opens the left door 21 (or the right door 22) of the refrigerator 1, in a dark environment, the user performs a non-contact operation of the operation detection unit 701 with a finger. Is difficult to see the positions of the proximity sensors 711 to 714 of the operation detection unit 701. As described above, in order to improve the difficulty of operating the proximity sensors 711 to 714, LEDs 735 are mounted on the back surfaces of the proximity sensors 711 to 714.

When the proximity sensors 711 to 714, which are non-contact sensors, detect the approach of the palm (door, back of the hand), the side of the hand, and the elbow as well as the fingers in a predetermined specific order, the control unit Since the 756 receives a signal from each proximity sensor 711,712,713,714 to notify that a person is approaching, the control unit 756 is left by the door opening drive unit 54 or the door opening drive unit 55, which is a door opening device. The door 21 or the right door 22 is opened.

At this time, since the control unit 756 receives a signal from each proximity sensor 711,712,713,714 to notify that a person is approaching, the LED 735 can be turned on by the command of the control unit 756. ..

As a result, the user can visually confirm the position of each proximity sensor 711,712,713,714 of the operation detection unit 701 even in a dark environment, and can easily operate each proximity sensor 711,712,713,714, left. The door 21 (or the right door 22) can be opened.

As described above, the operation detection unit 701 of the present embodiment does not detect the operation of a person by the contact detection, but opens the left door 21 or the right door 22 by the non-contact detection. When opening the door by contact detection, it is necessary to touch the contact detection portion with a finger, and when the user holds something in his hand, it is difficult to open the door or it is necessary to open it with his elbow. On the other hand, since the operation detection unit 701 employs a non-contact operation that does not require touching the contact detection portion, it is possible to suppress the user's operation and the operation of opening the door unintentionally due to changes in the surrounding environment. ..

Each proximity sensor 711, 712, 713, 714 of the operation detection unit 701 shown in FIGS. 69 and 70 includes not only the user's fingers, but also the palm (door, back of the hand), the side of the hand, the elbow, and the like. The left door 21 or the right door 22 can be opened non-contactly by performing a so-called gesture, which is an operation of moving the sensor, and the user's movement can be performed by a non-contact operation that does not require touching the contact detection portion. It is possible to suppress the user's unintended door opening operation due to changes in the surrounding environment.

As shown in FIG. 69, the proximity sensors 711, 712, 713, 714 of the operation detection unit 701 are two-dimensionally arranged in the vertical direction (VT direction) and the horizontal direction (HL direction) at the same interval. It is preferably located at each of the four corners of the square. By moving the user's hand, elbow, etc. in a specific order (vertical direction, horizontal direction, diagonal direction) without contacting each proximity sensor 711, 712, 713, 714 of the operation detection unit 701. The control unit 756 of FIG. 71 recognizes not only the fingers detected by the proximity sensors 711, 712, 713, 714, but also the movements of the palm (the fold, the back of the hand), the side of the hand, and the elbow. .. As a result, the control unit 756 drives, for example, the door opening drive unit 54 of the left door 21 to open the left door 21, and the control unit 756 drives the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door 22 to open the right door 22. It is designed to exert the function of opening the door.

The operation detection unit 701 can be attached to any partition portion of the right door 22. As a result, the operation detection unit 701 can be arranged regardless of the presence or absence of the glass front plate, and regardless of the door design or various operation displays.

Since each proximity sensor 711, 712, 713, 714 of the operation detection unit 701 has a structure provided on one first substrate 731, it can be easily manufactured. Further, each proximity sensor 711, 712, 713, 714 of the operation detection unit 701 may be provided not on one first substrate 731 but on a plurality of substrates. As a result, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the proximity sensors 711, 712, 713, 714 of the operation detection unit 701 is further improved.

Next, an example of using the refrigerator 1 described above will be described.

In the usage example described below, the proximity sensor 711 to 714 shown in FIG. 69 is used in a state where the user holds an article, for example, a plate or a pot, and both hands are closed by using the fingers of both hands. The case where the left door 21 (or the right door 22) cannot be opened, for example, will be described when the left door 21 (or the right door 22) cannot be opened by touching the door.

In this case, the parts of the user's human body that can operate the proximity sensors 711 to 714 in a non-contact manner include the palm (the fold, the back of the hand), the side of the hand, the elbow, and the like.

As described above, when the user uses the palm, the side of the hand, the elbow, or the like to detect the proximity sensors 711 to 714 in a predetermined specific order, the control unit 756 opens, for example, the left door 21. The door drive unit 54 can be driven to open the left door 21, or the control unit 756 can drive the door opening drive unit 55 of the right door 22 to open the right door 22.

FIG. 72 shows an example in which the user operates the proximity sensors 711 to 714 in a predetermined specific order by the movement (gesture) of the palm, the side of the hand, the elbow, or the like.

This specific order refers to a path by which the user's palm, the side of the hand, or the elbow moves in close proximity to at least two or more proximity sensors among the proximity sensors 711 to 714, which is predetermined. ..

In the specific order shown in FIG. 72 (A), the two non-contact sensors 711 and 712 move along the first direction DD1 indicated by the right direction arrow of the user's palm or hand, or the elbow to the human body. Two non-contact sensors 712,711 by sequentially detecting (palm, side of hand, or elbow) and moving along the second direction (opposite direction) DD2 indicated by the left direction arrow different from the first direction DD1. Is obtained by sequentially detecting the human body (palm, side of hand, or elbow).

In this case, the first direction DD1 and the second direction DD2 constitute the first specific direction F1, and the specific order of the first specific direction F1 is, for example, a door opening drive for the control unit 756. The unit 54 instructs the function of opening the left door 21.

In another specific order shown in FIG. 72 (B), two non-contact sensors 711,712 are moved along the side of the user's palm or hand, or along the first direction DD1 indicated by the right arrow of the elbow. Detects the human body (palm, side of hand, or elbow) in sequence, and two non-contact sensors 712 and 713 move along the third direction DD3 indicated by a downward arrow different from the first direction DD1. It is obtained by sequentially detecting (palm, side of hand, or elbow).

In this case, the first direction DD1 and the third direction DD3 constitute the second specific direction F2, and the specific order of the second specific direction F2 is, for example, the storage chamber of the refrigerator 1, for example, FIG. The control unit 756 is instructed to perform a so-called "quick freezing" function of rapidly freezing the inside of the switching chamber 14 capable of switching the set temperature in the refrigerator shown in 69. This "quick freezing" function is a function of suppressing cell damage during freezing and maintaining umami by passing through a temperature range of -1 ° C to -5 ° C where the water content of food freezes at once.

As described above, the user makes a predetermined order for at least two of the proximity sensors 711 to 714 by the movement (gesture) of the palm, the side of the hand, the elbow, or the like. By the close operation, for example, the left door 21 or the right door 22 can be opened as a predetermined function.

As a result, even if the proximity sensors 711 to 714 are arranged on the left door 21 or the right door 22, it is possible to prevent the left door 21 or the right door 22 from opening when the user simply passes in front of the refrigerator 1. Can be done.

Further, FIG. 73 is a diagram showing an example in which the proximity sensor is approached in another predetermined specific order.

As illustrated in FIG. 73, when the user holds a plate, a pot, or the like with the fingers of both hands and both hands are closed, and the fingers of both hands cannot be used for proximity operation to the proximity sensors 711 to 714. By using the palm of the hand (the back of the hand, the back of the hand), the side of the hand, the elbow, etc., to detect the proximity sensors 711 to 714 in a predetermined specific order in a non-contact manner, a predetermined arbitrary The function of the above can be instructed to the control unit 756.

The palm (the back of the hand), the side of the hand, and the elbow can be gestured and moved in any combination of two or three or more in the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions. ..

For example, FIG. 73 (A) shows a combination of the first direction (right direction) DD1 and the fourth direction (diagonally downward direction) DD4, and FIG. 73 (B) shows the fifth direction (downward) DD5 and the sixth. The combination of the direction (upward) DD6 is shown.

FIG. 73 (C) shows a combination of the third direction (downward) DD3 and the seventh direction (upward) DD7, and FIG. 73 (D) shows the eighth direction (right direction) DD8 and the ninth direction (left). Direction) The combination of DD9 is shown.

By combining these gestures in a plurality of directions, the control unit 756 can exert various functions such as opening the left door 21 and opening the right door 22.

By the way, in the illustrated example, the operation detection unit 701 is composed of four proximity sensors 711, 712, 713, 714. However, the operation detection unit 701 is not limited to this, and may be composed of two proximity sensors, three proximity sensors, and five or more proximity sensors. These proximity sensors can be arranged two-dimensionally (on a plane) at the door.

The refrigerator 1 described above includes a left door 21 and a right door 22 that can be opened and closed by Kannon, and front plates 21A and 22A of glass plates are arranged on the front side of the left door 21 and the right door 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the front side of the left door 21 and the right door 22 may be a metal plate such as a steel plate instead of a glass plate. Further, the refrigerator may have a single door that opens on one side.

Each proximity sensor 711, 712, 713, 714 of the operation detection unit 701 is a capacitance type, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a method of detecting a user's finger by infrared rays in a non-contact manner may be adopted.

Further, in the refrigerator, for example, the distance measuring means 777 illustrated in FIGS. 69 and 71 is used on the back side of the glass front plate 21A of the left door 21 or the back side of the glass front plate 22A of the right door 22, and the frame of the refrigerator. Alternatively, it can be arranged in a partition portion or the like that divides each storage room.

The distance measuring means 777 measures the distance from the refrigerator 1 to the user's human body. For example, the distance of the human body measured by the distance measuring means 777 may be changed depending on the size of the room in which the refrigerator is installed. If the refrigerator is installed in a large room, the distance between the refrigerator 1 and the human body is large, and if the refrigerator is installed in a small room, the distance between the refrigerator 1 and the human body is small.

Therefore, based on the change in the distance to the human body measured by the distance measuring means 777, the control unit 756 effectively operates the proximity sensor 711, 712, 713, 714, which is a non-contact sensor, to detect the human body. The range can be configured to be changeable. That is, the sensitivity at the time of detection of the proximity sensors 711, 712, 713, 714 can be adjusted between high sensitivity and medium sensitivity.

Each proximity sensor 711, 712, 713, 714 of the operation detection unit 701 can be fitted into, for example, the right door 22 made of a steel plate having a normal structure and does not have a glass front plate. By adopting such a structure, the operation detection unit 701 can be arranged at an arbitrary position on the door.

The operation detection unit 701 is inside the front plate 22A shown in FIG. 70 and can be installed in the urethane heat insulating material. As a result, the operation detection unit 701 can be arranged at an arbitrary position on the door.

The operation detection unit 701 can be attached on or under the plastic cap arranged at the edge portion of the right door 22. As a result, the operation detection unit 701 can be arranged regardless of the presence or absence of the glass front plate, and regardless of the design of the door or the arrangement of various operation display portions.

Although some 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. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, can be combined with various embodiments, and can be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention. It can be carried out. These embodiments and modifications thereof 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.

It should be noted that printing or the like indicating the operation position may be performed according to the LED display. For this printing, semi-transparent printing through which LED light is transmitted is preferable.

1 Refrigerator 11 Cabinet 12 Refrigerator room 21 Left door 21A Front plate 22 Right door (door)
22A Front plate 31 Rotating partition 50 Control operation unit 51, 52 Door opening operation unit 51A, 52A Arrow mark (door opening operation display unit)
52-1 to 52-8, 521 to 5244 Touch sensor 54,55 Door opening drive unit 56 Control unit 61, 62 Handle NS1, NS2 Voice recognition sensor (voice recognition means)
HS Motion sensor LS Illuminance sensor 97 Remote detection sensor (infrared sensor)
300 Storage unit 310 Relevance input registration means 330 Light emitting unit 340 Sound generating unit 350 Voice generating unit 410 Height measurement sensor 500 Human body detecting means 700 Case 700H Hole 710 Control board 719 Supporting unit 720 Voice recognition means 740 Vacuum heat insulating material 750 Ceiling lighting 750a LED
755 Inner wall 763 Support part 770 Vacuum heat insulating material 771 First part 772 Second part 777 Inner wall part 780 Bent part

Claims (5)

A refrigerator body with an opening on the front and
With a heat insulating door that has a front plate and is attached to the opening,
A substrate provided adjacent to the rear of the front plate of the door and having a capacitance type operation unit capable of outputting a refrigerator operation signal, and a substrate.
A control unit that inputs the operation signal from the operation unit and controls the door opening operation in response to the operation signal.
The door is provided with a control operation unit for changing the cooling control content of the refrigerator.
On the surface of the substrate, a portion for arranging the operation unit and a portion for mounting an electronic component are separately arranged.
A mesh ground pattern is arranged at a position corresponding to the back surface of the portion of the substrate on which the operation portion is arranged.
An electronic component formed in a flat state so as not to protrude from the substrate is arranged on a portion of the substrate on which the electronic component is mounted.
A protruding electronic component is arranged at a position corresponding to the back surface of the portion of the board on which the electronic component is mounted, and
A separate substrate different from the substrate is further provided behind the substrate.
A refrigerator characterized in that a support member is provided between the substrate and the separate substrate, the substrate is arranged on the front side of the support member, and the separate substrate is arranged on the back side of the support member. Multiple doors are provided,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of doors is provided with the operation unit having the same shape. The door is provided with a double door type right door and a left door.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is arranged symmetrically on the right door and the left door. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ground pattern is a mesh metal shield electrode. According to any one of claims 1 to 4, the protruding electronic component is mounted so as to be housed in a recess formed in the support member provided on the back surface side of the substrate. The listed refrigerator.

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