JP7122165B2 - Door opening mechanism and refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a door opening/closing mechanism that can be opened and closed from either the left or right side, and a refrigerator provided with a door having this door opening/closing mechanism.

2. Description of the Related Art Some refrigerator door opening/closing mechanisms have structures that can be opened and closed from both the left and right sides. For example, in Patent Document 1, a pair of slide cam members provided symmetrically with respect to the center line of the door at both left and right ends on the side of the door or on the side of the main body to which the door is attached, and the slide cams on the side of the main body or on the side of the door. A left-right door opening/closing mechanism is disclosed that includes a pair of lock cam members provided symmetrically at portions corresponding to the members, and a hinge pin attached to the lock cam members so as to pass through shaft holes provided in the lock cam members. . The slide cam member includes a first grooved cam that can be engaged and disengaged with the hinge pin in a horizontal direction, and a first grooved cam that is continuous with the first grooved cam and is guided by the first grooved cam to engage the hinge pin when the door is closed. a second grooved cam that can move from the locking position to a second locking position that serves as the rotation axis of the slide cam member when the door is opened; and a first cam projection provided on the outer circumference of the second grooved cam. The locking cam member has a second cam projection that engages the first cam projection in the first locked position.

In the door opening/closing mechanism of Patent Document 1, when the door starts to open from the right side, the door slides to the opening side (for example, right side), so that the hinge pin on the pivot side (for example, left side) slides the second grooved cam. The positional relationship is such that the door is not disengaged from the left rotating shaft by moving to the second locking position. As a result, even if the user pulls the door forward, the door does not come off from the main body.

Japanese Patent No. 3479410

In such a door opening/closing mechanism, when the user wants to open the door, it is necessary to slide the door to the side to be opened. However, it is natural for the user to pull the door forward when opening the door, and it tends to be difficult for the user to slide the door left and right.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of a handle that allows a user to open the door more easily, in a door that can be opened and closed from either the left or right side.

A door opening/closing mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention is a mechanism for opening and closing a door attached to a main body. This door opening/closing mechanism includes grips arranged at both left and right ends of the door, and two cams arranged symmetrically on both left and right sides of the door for engaging and disengaging the door and the main body. mechanism. In this door opening/closing mechanism, when the door is in a closed state, the cam mechanisms provided on both left and right sides take a symmetrical first locking position, and when opening either the left or right end of the door, the door is closed. slides toward the outside of the one side, and the cam mechanism on the other side opposite to the one shifts to the second locking position, so that the door is pivotally supported at the end on the other side. It is configured to be in a Further, in this door opening/closing mechanism, the grip portion has an opening provided at the end of the door and a recess recessed from the opening, and the recess extends from the opening to the recess. A finger contact portion having an inclined surface inclined forward of the door is provided.

In the door opening/closing mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention, the cam mechanism includes a pair of slide cam members provided symmetrically with respect to the center line of the door at both left and right ends of either one of the door and the main body. , a pair of lock cam members provided symmetrically at portions corresponding to the slide cam members on the other of the door and the main body, and hinge pins provided on the pair of lock cam members. . In this configuration, the slide cam member has a first grooved cam and a second grooved cam for slidingly guiding the hinge pin. In this configuration, when the door is closed, each of the hinge pins is in the first locking position of the second grooved cam, and when one of the left and right ends of the door is opened, the door is closed. and the hinge pin located on the opposite side moves the second grooved cam to move to the second locking position and is pivotally supported. It is configured. The angle of the inclined surface is such that the angle of the normal to the inclined surface of the finger contact portion is between the extension angle of the first grooved cam and the extension angle of the second grooved cam. may be specified.

In the door opening/closing mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention, the finger contact portion may have a gouged portion that is further gouged forward from the inclined surface.

In the door opening/closing mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention, the surface of the inclined surface may face downward.

A refrigerator according to another aspect of the present invention includes a door opening/closing mechanism having any one of the configurations described above.

In the refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention, the upper end of the grip may be positioned at a height of 130 cm or less from the lower end of the refrigerator.

The refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention includes contact detection units provided on both left and right sides of the door, and a control unit that controls the opening/closing operation of the door opening/closing mechanism based on the detection result of the contact detection unit. You may have more.

In the door opening/closing mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention, the grips on both the left and right sides are provided with finger contact portions having inclined surfaces inclined forward of the door, so that the user can open the door naturally. You can slide the door to the side where you want to open the door by motion. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, in a door that can be opened and closed from either the left or right side, it is possible to provide a configuration of a grip portion that makes it easier for a user to open the door.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a front view which shows the external appearance structure of the refrigerator which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the refrigerator compartment door portion of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line AA. 2A to 2C show how the refrigerating compartment door is opened from the left side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the refrigerator compartment door portion of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line AA. 2A to 2C show how the refrigerating compartment door is opened from the left side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the refrigerator compartment door portion of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line AA. 2A to 2C show how the refrigerating compartment door is opened from the left side. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing components around a grip portion of a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing components around a grip portion of a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the positional relationship of each grooved cam with which the refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 was equipped, and a holding part. 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the positional relationship of each grooved cam with which the refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 was equipped, and a holding part. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a door opening/closing device for electrically opening and closing a refrigerator compartment door; 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the arrangement|positioning position of a holding part and a touch sensor in the refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cam mechanism when the refrigerating compartment door is opened; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cam mechanism when the refrigerating compartment door is opened; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cam mechanism when the refrigerating compartment door is opened; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cam mechanism when the refrigerating compartment door is opened; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a gripping portion of a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a gripping portion of a refrigerating compartment door of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a grip portion of a refrigerator compartment door of a refrigerator according to a modification of the second embodiment;

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are given the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[First embodiment]
(Overall configuration of refrigerator)
In the present embodiment, a refrigerator 1 having refrigerating compartment doors that open on both sides will be described as an example. A refrigerator 1 includes a door opening/closing mechanism 10 of an example of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment. The refrigerator 1 mainly includes a main body 2 and various doors such as a refrigerator compartment door 11 . The outer shape of the main body 2 is formed by a heat insulating box. A refrigerator compartment is arranged in the upper part of the refrigerator 1 . A refrigerator compartment door 11 is attached to the front opening of the refrigerator compartment.

In addition to the refrigerating compartment, the refrigerator 1 includes a second refrigerating compartment (vegetable compartment), a freezing compartment, a second freezing compartment, an ice making compartment, and the like. A drawer-type refrigerator compartment door 13 is provided in the middle second refrigerator compartment (vegetable compartment). A drawer type freezer compartment door 14 is provided in the lower first freezer compartment. In addition, a drawer-type ice making compartment door 15 or a drawer type freezing compartment door 16 is provided in the middle ice making compartment and the second freezing compartment, respectively.

In addition, the configuration and arrangement of each storage compartment in the refrigerator 1 are not limited to those described above. The configuration and arrangement of each storage compartment can be appropriately changed according to the capacity of the refrigerator, the application, and the like.

In this embodiment, the surface on which the door is provided is the front surface (front surface) of the refrigerator 1 . Based on the position where the refrigerator 1 is installed in a normal state with the front surface as a reference, each surface of the body part 2 of the refrigerator 1 is defined as the top surface, the side surface, the back surface, and the bottom surface. When the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front side, the left side is called the left side of the refrigerator 1 (or the refrigerator compartment door 11), and the right side is called the right side of the refrigerator 1 (or the refrigerator compartment door 11). call.

The refrigerator compartment door 11 is a double door that can be opened and closed from either the left or right end. Therefore, grip portions 34 functioning as handles for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment door 11 are provided at both left and right ends of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . Specifically, the left grip portion 34 a is provided at the left end portion 11 a of the refrigerating compartment door 11 . The right grip portion 34b is provided on the right end portion 11b of the refrigerator compartment door 11. As shown in FIG. When the user opens the refrigerating compartment door 11 from the left side, the user puts his/her hand in the concave portion of the grip portion 34a and pulls the left end portion 11a of the refrigerating compartment door 11 forward. Similarly, when the user opens the refrigerating compartment door 11 from the right side, the user puts his/her hand in the concave portion of the grip portion 34b and pulls the right end portion 11b of the refrigerating compartment door 11 forward.

Further, the refrigerator compartment door 11 is provided with a touch sensor (contact detection unit) 91 (specifically, a left touch sensor 91a and a right touch sensor 91b). The left touch sensor 91a is arranged near the left end of the front face portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . The right touch sensor 91 b is arranged near the right end of the front face portion 11 c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . The touch sensor 91 detects contact with a human body or the like. When a user's hand or the like touches the left touch sensor 91a, the refrigerator compartment door 11 is controlled to open from the left end 11a. Further, when the user's hand or the like touches the right touch sensor 91b, the refrigerating compartment door 11 is controlled to open from the right end portion 11b.

A display device 50 is installed on the left side of the front portion 11 c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . The display device 50 can be configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like. The display device 50 can display, for example, refrigerator operation information and control information, refrigerator inventory information, calendar information, recipe information, message information, and the like.

(Regarding the door opening/closing mechanism)
Next, the door opening/closing mechanism 10 for the refrigerator compartment door 11 attached to the refrigerator 1 will be described. FIGS. 2A to 2C show the operation of each member when the refrigerating compartment door 11 attached to the main body 2 (specifically, the opening of the refrigerating compartment) is opened from the left side. These figures show the cam mechanism 20 (specifically, the left cam mechanism 20a and the right cam mechanism 20b) provided on the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11 (that is, the AA line portion in FIG. 1). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing; For the cam mechanisms 20a and 20b, for example, a configuration of a conventionally known cam mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 or another patent document (Japanese Patent No. 3761410) can be applied.

The cam mechanisms 20a and 20b are provided symmetrically on both left and right sides of the refrigerator compartment door 11, and perform engagement and disengagement between the refrigerator compartment door 11 and the main body 2. As shown in FIG. The cam mechanisms 20a and 20b have a slide cam member provided on the refrigerating compartment door 11 side and a lock cam member provided on the main body 2 side. In another aspect, a slide cam member may be provided on the body portion 2 side, and a lock cam member may be provided on the refrigerator compartment door 11 side.

The slide cam members are provided at both left and right ends of the bottom of the refrigerator compartment door 11, respectively. The slide cam member is composed of a first grooved cam 21, a second grooved cam 22, an outer slide cam 25, and the like. These members are provided symmetrically with respect to the center line X of the refrigerator compartment door 11 .

The first grooved cam 21 and the second grooved cam 22 are arranged near the left and right ends of the bottom of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . The first grooved cam 21 and the second grooved cam 22 relatively slide and guide a hinge pin 38 provided on the body portion 2 side. The first grooved cam 21 and the second grooved cam 22 have a concave shape that is continuous in a substantially L shape.

The slide outer cam 25 is arranged in a groove 27 formed slightly inside the first grooved cam 21 and the second grooved cam 22 . The slide outer cam 25 is arranged at a position corresponding to the lock outer cam 37 provided on the main body 2 side, and restricts the movement of the lock outer cam 37 during the door opening/closing operation.

Further, the refrigerating compartment door 11 is provided with a guide roller 28 as a member for assisting the opening/closing operation. The guide rollers 28 are provided symmetrically with respect to the center line X of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . Each guide roller 28 is arranged slightly inside the slide outer cam 25 .

The guide roller 28 rolls on the hinge angle 3 arranged at the front end of the partition wall that separates the upper refrigerating compartment from the second middle refrigerating compartment (vegetable compartment), etc., to open and close the refrigerating compartment door 11. assist. In addition, the hinge angle 3 is provided with an inclined surface that inclines downward toward the rear on the left and right sides. It has a mechanism (self-closing mechanism using gravity).

The lock cam member is provided on the body portion 2 side. The lock cam members are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective slide cam members. In this embodiment, the locking cam member is provided on hinge angle 3 . The lock cam member is composed of a hinge pin 38, an outer lock cam 37, a rib 39, and the like.

The hinge pin 38 serves as a pivot shaft for the refrigerator compartment door 11 . The rib 39 is an arcuate member concentric with the hinge pin 38 . The lock outer cam 37 is arranged at a predetermined distance from the hinge pin 38 and slides with the slide outer cam 25 on the refrigerator compartment door 11 side to guide the refrigerator compartment door 11 .

The slide cam member and the lock cam member configured as described above are engaged with each other to form a cam mechanism 20 that guides the opening and closing of the refrigerating compartment door 11 .

Next, the operation of the cam mechanism 20 when the refrigerator compartment door 11 is opened will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2C and FIGS. 9 to 12. FIG. 2A to 2C sequentially show how the refrigerator compartment door 11 is opened from the left end portion 11a. 9 to 12 show in order the operations of the cam mechanisms 20a and 20b when the refrigerator compartment door 11 is opened from the left end portion 11a.

When the refrigerating compartment door 11 is closed, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 9, the left and right cam mechanisms 20a and 20b near the inner ends of the second grooved cams 22 (near the boundaries with the first grooved cams 21). , the hinge pin 38 is located. At this time, the positional relationship between the left and right cam mechanisms 20a and 20b and each hinge pin 38 is substantially symmetrical. Let this state be the 1st locking position. Since the first grooved cam 21 is inclined toward the center of the refrigerating compartment door 11 toward the rear of the refrigerator 1, it is prevented from coming off when both sides of the refrigerating compartment door 11 are pulled.

Subsequently, when the user puts his/her hand on the grip portion 34a on the left end portion 11a of the refrigerator compartment door 11 and pulls the grip portion 34a forward, as will be described later, the grip portion 34a moves outward (in this case, , to the left). At this time, since the trajectory of the hinge pin 38 is restricted by the second grooved cam 22, the hinge pin 38 is relatively guided to the first grooved cam 21 in the left cam mechanism 20a, while the right cam mechanism 20b: The hinge pin 38 is relatively guided by the second grooved cam 22 toward the end portion (to the right in this case). Further, the lock outer cam 37 and the slide outer cam 25 slide (see FIGS. 2B and 10). As a result, the refrigerator compartment door 11 slides leftward.

When the grip portion 34a is further pulled, in the left cam mechanism 20a, the hinge pin 38 is relatively guided by the first grooved cam 21, and the lock outer cam 37 and the slide outer cam 25 slide. In the right cam mechanism 20b, the hinge pin 38 is arranged at the end of the second grooved cam 22, and the first cam projection provided on the outer circumference of the second grooved cam 22 starts sliding with the rib 39 of the lock cam member. As a result, the hinge pin 38 is restricted from sliding relative to each other and is rotatably supported (see FIG. 11). The state of the cam mechanism 20b at this time is referred to as a second locking position.

Further pulling of grip portion 34a disengages left cam mechanism 20a (see FIGS. 2C and 12). In the right cam mechanism 20b, the first cam projection slides on the rib 39 at the second locking position, and the slide outer cam 25 slides and guides the lock outer cam 37. As shown in FIG. Then, while the cam mechanism 20b on the right side maintains the second locking position and pivotally supports the refrigerator compartment door 11, the refrigerator compartment door 11 is opened from the left side.

As described above, in the refrigerator 1, when the refrigerator compartment door 11, which opens on both sides, is opened, the refrigerator compartment door 11 is slid outward on the opening side. In this embodiment, the structure of the gripping portions 34a and 34b is devised so that this sliding movement can be performed more easily.

(Structure of gripping portion)
A more specific configuration of the grips 34a and 34b will be described below. 3 and 4 show an exploded state of the end member 31 and the grip portion forming member 41 that constitute the left end portion 11a of the refrigerating compartment door 11. FIG.

The end members 31 are attached to the left and right ends of the refrigerator compartment door 11, respectively. FIG. 3 shows the end member 31 attached to the left end portion 11a of the refrigerator compartment door 11. As shown in FIG. The end member 31 is formed with an opening 32 to which the grip forming member 41 is attached. An opening 33 into which the display device 50 is inserted is also formed in the end member 31 . Although not shown, the end member 31 attached to the right end portion 11b of the refrigerating compartment door 11 has only an opening 32 to which the grip forming member 41 is attached. The opening 33 to be inserted is not formed. Moreover, the grip portion forming member 41 attached to the right end portion 11b of the refrigerating compartment door 11 has a symmetrical configuration with the grip portion forming member 41 attached to the left end portion 11a.

As shown in FIG. 4 , recesses 36 and locking portions 35 for fixing the gripping portion forming member 41 are formed at the attachment position of the gripping portion forming member 41 inside the end member 31 . A plate-like portion 36 a is formed on the rear side of the opening 32 . The plate-like portion 36a is inclined forward and inward, and partially overlaps the second inclined surface 46 on the rear side of the concave portion 43 of the grip portion forming member 41 (see FIG. 5).

The grip portion forming member 41 has a frame portion 42 and a concave portion 43 .

The rear side of the frame portion 42 is fitted into the recessed portion 36 of the end member 31 , and the front side of the frame portion 42 is engaged with the locking portion 35 of the end member 31 . Thereby, the grip portion forming member 41 is fixed to the opening portion 32 of the end member 31 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the recess 43 has a concave shape that is inclined forward from the opening 32 . The concave portion 43 constitutes the grip portion 34a. The recess 43 is mainly composed of a first inclined surface 44 , a front contact surface 45 and a second inclined surface 46 .

The first inclined surface 44 is located on the front side of the recess 43 . The first inclined surface 44 is inclined forward from the opening 32 toward the depth of the recess 43 . The first inclined surface 44 is provided at a position where it is assumed that the user's fingers will hit when the user opens the refrigerating compartment door 11 . That is, the first inclined surface 44 serves as a finger contact portion of the grip portion 34a.

The front contact surface 45 is formed so as to continue from the first inclined surface 44 and is located at the deepest part of the recess 43 . The front contact surface 45 contacts the rear surface of the front surface portion 11 c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . That is, the front contact surface 45 is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the front surface portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 .

The second inclined surface 46 is located on the rear side of the recess 43 . The second inclined surface 46 is inclined so as to be substantially parallel to the first inclined surface 44 . The second inclined surface 46 is formed so as to be continuous with the front contact surface 45 at the innermost portion of the recess 43 .

The gripping portion 34b on the right side of the refrigerating compartment door 11 has a symmetrical configuration with the gripping portion 34a on the left side described above.

A more preferable inclination angle of the first inclined surface 44 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 and 6 schematically show the positional relationship between the grooved cams 21 and 22 provided on the refrigerating compartment door 11 and the constituent members of the grip portion 34a. 5 and 6 show part of the cam mechanism 20a on the left end 11a side of the refrigerator 1. FIG. The cam mechanism 20b on the right end portion 11b side of the refrigerator 1 is not shown, but has a symmetrical structure with the cam mechanism 20a.

As described above, in the door opening/closing mechanism provided in the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, the recessed portion 43 of the grip portion 34a is formed with the first inclined surface 44 as a finger contact portion. Since the first inclined surface 44 faces outward of the refrigerator 1, when the user puts his or her finger on the grip portion 34a and applies a force forward, an outward stress is naturally applied. . As a result, the refrigerator compartment door 11 can be slid outward without the user being aware of it.

Here, the direction perpendicular to the extending direction Y (horizontal direction) of the front portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 in the closed state is defined as the X direction. This X direction is used as a reference (0 degree). The extending direction of the first grooved cam 21 is defined as A, and the extending direction of the second grooved cam 22 is defined as B (see FIG. 5). At this time, the extension angle of the first grooved cam 21 with respect to the reference position X is Ad, and the extension angle of the second grooved cam 22 is Bd.

At this time, assuming that the extension angle of the normal line C of the first inclined surface 44 with respect to the reference position X is Cd as shown in FIG. 6, the extension angle Cd preferably satisfies the following conditions.
Ad≦Cd≦Bd
By defining the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 44 so that the normal line C becomes such an angle, when the door is opened, the force to first move the hinge pin 38 along the second grooved cam 22, After that, both the force for moving the hinge pin 38 along the first grooved cam 21 and the force applied to the grasping portion 34 can be efficiently obtained.

More specifically, the extension angle Ad of the first grooved cam 21 can be set to 10 degrees, for example. Also, the extension angle Bd of the second grooved cam 22 can be set to, for example, 72 degrees. In this case, the extension angle Cd of the normal line C of the first inclined surface 44 can be defined as any angle within the range of 10 degrees or more and 72 degrees or less.

When the hinge pin 38 leaves the second grooved cam 22 and moves on the first grooved cam 21, if the self-closing mechanism of the door (for example, the self-closing mechanism using gravity) is effective, A user's finger force is also required to move the hinge pin 38 along the first grooved cam 21 . Further, compared with the distance that the hinge pin 38 moves on the second grooved cam 22 from the state of the first locking position and reaches the first grooved cam 21, it moves on the first grooved cam 21 to operate the self-closing mechanism. When the distance to exceed is long, the orientation of the first inclined surface 44 (the outward angle, specifically, the extension angle Cd) is set to be greater than the extending direction of the second grooved cam 22. If it is closer to the extension direction of 21, it becomes possible to rotate the door forward after the sliding movement and pass over the self-closing mechanism with less force as a whole.

Therefore, the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 44 is preferably defined such that the extension angle Cd is closer to the extension angle Ad of the first grooved cam 21 than the extension angle Bd of the second grooved cam 22 . For example, the extension angle Cd of the normal line C of the first inclined surface 44 is preferably 35 degrees. As a result, the main turning motion of the refrigerating compartment door 11 can be performed more smoothly after either the left or right cam mechanism 20a or 20b has reached the second locking position.

In addition, it is preferable that the surface of the first inclined surface 44 provided on the grip portion 34a faces downward. Here, that the surface of the first inclined surface 44 faces downward means that the lower side of the first inclined surface 44 is located further forward than the upper side of the first inclined surface 44 . Since the surface of the first inclined surface 44 faces downward, when the user bends his/her arm and pulls the refrigerating chamber door 11 forward, a stress for lifting the refrigerating chamber door 11 upward can be generated.

The pivot shafts (hinge pins 38, etc.) of the refrigerating compartment door 11 are located above and below the door, but if the grip portion 34 is positioned below the door, the movement of the hinge pin on the upper side may be delayed compared to that on the lower side. According to the above configuration, when the user puts his/her hand on the grip portion 34a or 34b to open the refrigerator compartment door 11, a stress is generated to lift the refrigerator compartment door 11 upward, thereby causing the upper hinge pin to move. You can move more smoothly. Further, as described above, even when a mechanism utilizing gravity is used for the self-closing mechanism of the door, by generating a stress that lifts the refrigerating compartment door 11 upward, a force that overcomes the self-closing mechanism can be directly applied to the door. Therefore, the door can be opened more easily.

(Regarding electric door opening/closing control)
Next, operations in the refrigerator 1 when the refrigerator compartment door 11 is opened and closed by a touch operation using the touch sensor 91 will be described. FIG. 7 shows the configuration of an electric door opening/closing device 90 provided inside the refrigerator 1 . The automatic open/close control of the refrigerating compartment door using the touch sensor can be performed by a conventionally known method. Therefore, detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the electric door opening/closing device 90 mainly includes a control section 92, a door opening/closing mechanism 10, a left touch sensor 91a, and a right touch sensor 91b. The configurations of the door opening/closing mechanism 10, the left touch sensor 91a, and the right touch sensor 91b are as described above.

The controller 92 may be provided inside the refrigerator compartment door 11 or may be provided in the main body 2 of the refrigerator 1 . The control unit 92 controls the opening/closing operation of the door opening/closing mechanism 10 based on the detection results of the left touch sensor 91a and the right touch sensor 91b. Specifically, when the user's hand or the like touches the left touch sensor 91a, the control unit 92 sends a command to the door opening/closing mechanism 10 to start the operations shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C. do. As a result, the refrigerator compartment door 11 opens from the left end 11a. When the user's hand or the like touches the right touch sensor 91b, the control unit 92 causes the cam mechanisms 20a and 20b to perform operations opposite to those shown in FIGS. The door opening/closing mechanism 10 is controlled to open from the

As a result, even a user who has difficulty applying sufficient force to the grip portion 34a or 34b, such as a child below the standard height, can easily open the refrigerating compartment door 11. FIG.

(Regarding the placement position of the grip part and touch sensor)
Next, the arrangement positions of the grips 34a and 34b in the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The arrangement positions of the touch sensors 91a and 91b will also be described.

In FIG. 8, the position of the concave portion 43 in the left grip portion 34a is indicated by a dashed line. Although not shown, the recessed portion 43 of the right grip portion 34b is provided at a symmetrical position.

Here, H1 is the height from the lower end of the refrigerator 1 to the upper end of the grip portion 34a. The height H1 is preferably 130 cm or less, more preferably 120 cm or less. By setting the height H1 to 130 cm or less, when an adult of standard height puts his hand on the grip part 34a and bends his arm to open the refrigerator compartment door 11, the stress to lift the refrigerator compartment door 11 upward. can be easily generated. In addition, by setting the height H1 to 120 cm or less, when a relatively short woman or child puts their hand on the grip part 34a and bends their arm to open the refrigerator compartment door 11, the refrigerator compartment door 11 cannot be opened. A lifting stress can be generated more easily.

Further, in FIG. 8, the contact detection range of the left touch sensor 91a is indicated by a dashed line. Although not shown, the right touch sensor 91b also has a similar contact detection range. Here, the distance from the left end of the contact detection range (the right end in the case of the right touch sensor 91b) to the left-right end of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is L1. Also, let L2 be the distance from the lower end of the contact detection range to the upper end of the grip portion 34a. The distances L1 and L21 are preferably 5 cm or less.

As a result, the touch sensor 91 and the grip portion 34 can be within reach of one finger of the same user at the same time. By arranging the touch sensor 91 and the grip portion 34 in such a positional relationship, for example, when the user puts his/her hand on the grip portion 34 and tries to manually open/close the refrigerating compartment door 11, the refrigerating compartment door 11 is opened and closed. When the user feels that it is difficult to open the room door 11, such as when a heavy object is stored in the room door 11, the user can touch the touch sensor 91 with the thumb or the like even with the hand on the grip part 34.例文帳に追加can be done. Therefore, the user can electrically open the door without changing the hand held on the grip portion 34, and the door can be quickly shifted to the open state.

(Summary of the first embodiment)
As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment includes the door opening/closing mechanism 10 . The door opening/closing mechanism 10 includes at least two grips 34 arranged at both left and right ends of the refrigerating compartment door 11, and symmetrically provided on both left and right sides of the refrigerating compartment door 11. It has two cam mechanisms 20a and 20b for engaging and disengaging.

The grip portion 34 is provided with a first inclined surface 44 that is inclined forward of the door as a finger contact portion. When the user opens the refrigerating compartment door 11, the user puts his/her hand in the concave portion 43 of the grip portion 34 and presses the first inclined surface 44 with his or her fingers, thereby exerting a force outward in the direction of opening the door. can be made Therefore, according to the above configuration, the refrigerator compartment door 11 can be slid outward more easily, and a door opening/closing mechanism with better operability can be obtained. Further, according to the above configuration, it is possible to obtain a door opening/closing mechanism with a simpler structure and excellent operability without providing a handle and a lever member for sliding the refrigerator compartment door 11 .

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the grip provided in the door opening/closing mechanism of the refrigerator compartment door. A configuration similar to that of the first embodiment can be applied to configurations other than the grip portion. Therefore, in this embodiment, the configuration of the gripping portion, which is different from that of the first embodiment, will be mainly described.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment. A refrigerating chamber door 11 that opens to the left and right is attached to the front opening of the refrigerating chamber. As in the first embodiment, the door opening/closing mechanism 10 of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is provided with a cam mechanism 20 (specifically, a left cam mechanism 20a and a right cam mechanism 20b).

Grips 34 functioning as handles for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment door 11 are provided at both left and right ends of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . Specifically, the left grip portion 34 a is provided at the left end portion 11 a of the refrigerating compartment door 11 . The right grip portion 34b is provided on the right end portion 11b of the refrigerator compartment door 11. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 shows the shape of the grip portion 34a provided on the left end portion 11a of the refrigerator compartment door 11 according to the second embodiment. The gripping portion 34 a is formed by attaching a gripping portion forming member 141 to the opening 32 of the end member 31 forming the left end portion 11 a of the refrigerator compartment door 11 .

The grip portion forming member 141 has a frame portion 142 and a recessed portion 143 .

The rear side of the frame portion 142 fits into the recessed portion 36 (see FIG. 4) of the end member 31, and the front side of the frame portion 142 engages with the locking portion 35 (see FIG. 4) of the end member 31. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the grip portion forming member 141 is fixed to the opening portion 32 of the end member 31 .

The concave portion 143 has a concave shape that is inclined forward from the opening portion 32 . That is, the concave portion 143 has a shape that extends forward from the horizontal extension line Y of the front end portion of the opening portion 32 .

The concave portion 143 is mainly composed of a first inclined surface 144 a , a gouged portion 144 b , a front contact surface 145 and a second inclined surface 146 .

The first inclined surface 144 a is located on the front side of the recess 143 . The first inclined surface 144 a is inclined forward from the opening 32 toward the depth of the recess 143 . The inclination angle of the first inclined surface 144a can be defined similarly to the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 44 described in the first embodiment. The first inclined surface 144a is provided at a position where it is assumed that the user's fingers will hit when the user opens the refrigerating compartment door 11. As shown in FIG. That is, the first inclined surface 144a serves as a finger contact portion for the grip portions 34a and 34b.

The gouged portion 144b is provided on the far side of the concave portion 143 relative to the first inclined surface 144a. The gouged portion 144b has a shape that is further gouged forward from the first inclined surface 144a.

The front contact surface 145 is formed so as to continue from the gouged portion 144 b and is positioned at the innermost portion of the recess 143 . The front contact surface 145 contacts the rear surface of the front surface portion 11 c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . That is, the front contact surface 145 is formed substantially parallel to the front surface portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 .

The second inclined surface 146 is located on the rear side of the recess 143 . The second inclined surface 146 is inclined so as to be substantially parallel to the first inclined surface 144a. The second inclined surface 146 is formed so as to be continuous with the front contact surface 145 at the innermost portion of the recess 143 .

In the concave portion 143 having the configuration described above, the gouged portion 144b is provided on the inner side of the concave portion 143 relative to the first inclined surface 144a. The tip of the finger can be put on the gouged portion 144b.

The angle of the normal to the surface forming the gouged portion 144b is greater than the angle of the normal to the first inclined surface 144a by the extension angle Bd of the second grooved cam 22 with respect to the extension angle Ad of the first grooved cam 21. It is at an angle towards the side. That is, when the angle of the normal to the surface forming the gouged portion 144b is Dd, the relationship Cd<Dd holds.

When a person puts his/her finger on the grip portion 34 and applies force, the force is first applied to the tip of the finger. At this time, if the gouged portion 144b is provided such that the angle of the normal line is closer to the extension direction of the second grooved cam 22 than the extension angle Ad of the first grooved cam 21, the user will , the finger can be naturally applied to the first inclined surface 144a and the gouged portion 144b so as to follow the joint of the finger. Then, a larger force is applied to the gouged portion 144b with which the tip of the finger abuts.

Therefore, when the user applies a force to the grip portion 34, a large force is first applied in the direction normal to the surface of the gouged portion 144b. Since the direction of the normal to the surface of the gouged portion 144b (that is, the direction of the surface of the gouged portion 144b) is closer to the extending direction of the second grooved cam 22, the force of the hinge pin 38 moving on the second grooved cam 22 can be efficiently given. As a result, the hinge pin 38 can be moved onto the first grooved cam 21 by efficiently sliding the refrigerating compartment door 11 with less force.

FIG. 15 shows the shape of a grip portion 34a according to a modification of this embodiment. The grip portion 34 a according to the modification is formed by attaching a grip portion forming member 141 A to the opening 32 of the end member 31 . 141 A of grip part formation members have the frame part 142 and the recessed part 143. As shown in FIG.

The concave portion 143 is mainly composed of a first inclined surface 144 a , a gouged portion 144 c , a front contact surface 145 and a second inclined surface 146 .

141 A of grip part formation members concerning a modification differ from the grip part formation member 141 in the shape of the gouge part 144c. Other than this, it is the same as the grip portion forming member 141 .

The gouged portion 144c is gouged outward (toward the edge of the refrigerator compartment door 11) from the gouged portion 144b. With this configuration, when a person puts his or her finger on the gripping portion 34, the tip of the finger can slip into the gouged portion 144c, so that the gripping portion 34 can be gripped more reliably. Therefore, when a finger is applied to the gripping portion 34 and a force is applied, the finger does not slip from the gripping portion 34, and the force from the tip of the finger can be more reliably directed to the outside of the door.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the invention will be described. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the grip provided in the door opening/closing mechanism of the refrigerator compartment door. A configuration similar to that of the first embodiment can be applied to configurations other than the grip portion. Therefore, in this embodiment, the configuration of the gripping portion, which is different from that of the first embodiment, will be mainly described.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a refrigerator 1 according to the third embodiment. A refrigerating chamber door 11 that opens to the left and right is attached to the front opening of the refrigerating chamber. As in the first embodiment, the door opening/closing mechanism 10 of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is provided with a cam mechanism 20 (specifically, a left cam mechanism 20a and a right cam mechanism 20b).

Grips 34 functioning as handles for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment door 11 are provided at both left and right ends of the refrigerator compartment door 11 . Specifically, the left grip portion 34 a is provided at the left end portion 11 a of the refrigerating compartment door 11 . The right grip portion 34b is provided on the right end portion 11b of the refrigerator compartment door 11. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 shows the shape of the grip portion 34a provided at the left end portion 11a of the refrigerator compartment door 11 according to the third embodiment. The gripping portion 34 a is formed by attaching a gripping portion forming member 241 to the opening 32 of the end member 31 forming the left end portion 11 a of the refrigerator compartment door 11 .

The grip portion forming member 241 has a frame portion 242 and a concave portion 243 . The frame portion 242 has the same configuration as the frame portion 42 described in the first embodiment.

The recess 243 is mainly composed of a first inclined curved surface 244 , a front contact surface 245 and a second inclined surface 246 . The front contact surface 145 and the second inclined surface 246 have the same configurations as the front contact surface 45 and the second inclined surface 46 described in the first embodiment.

The first inclined surface 44 described in the first embodiment is a flat inclined surface. On the other hand, the first inclined curved surface 244 has a curved surface shape that is inclined toward the front side of the door and slightly curved toward the rear side. That is, in the first inclined curved surface 244 , the inclined surface on the inner side of the recess 243 is oriented more toward the outside of the refrigerating compartment door 11 than the inclined surface on the opening 32 side.

The inclination angle of the first inclined curved surface 244 can be defined similarly to the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 44 described in the first embodiment. The first inclined curved surface 244 is provided at a position where it is assumed that the user's fingers will hit when the user opens the refrigerating compartment door 11 . That is, the first inclined curved surface 244 serves as a finger contact portion of the grip portions 34a and 34b.

In the first inclined curved surface 244, the relationship between the angle of the normal to the inclined surface on the side of the opening 32 and the angle of the normal to the inclined surface on the far side of the recess 243 has been described in the second embodiment. The relationship between the angle (Cd) normal to the first inclined surface 144a and the angle (Dd) normal to the surface forming the gouged portion 144b can be defined in the same manner.

With the above configuration, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the first inclined curved surface 244 has a gently curved curved surface shape, the user's finger size and the depth at which the fingers are inserted into the grip portion 34a can be The user can easily apply force to the first inclined curved surface 244 . In addition, since the first inclined curved surface 244 does not have a steep angle change surface, it is possible to reduce the discomfort felt when the user applies force to the first inclined curved surface 244 .

[Other embodiments]
In this specification, an example in which the door opening/closing mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention is applied to the refrigerator door has been described. However, the door structure described in this specification can be applied not only to refrigerators, but also to cabinets, heat-retaining cabinets, etc. that have doors that open on both sides.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and range of equivalents of the scope of the claims. Also, configurations obtained by combining configurations of different embodiments described herein are also included in the scope of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1: refrigerator 2: main body 10: door opening/closing mechanism 11: refrigerator compartment door 20a: cam mechanism 20b: cam mechanism 21: first grooved cam (slide cam member)
22: Second grooved cam (slide cam member)
32: Opening 34: Gripping portion 37: Outer lock cam (lock cam member)
38: Hinge pin (lock cam member)
41: gripping portion forming member 44: first inclined surface (inclined surface, finger contact portion)
90: Electric door opening/closing device 91: Touch sensor (contact detection unit)
92: control unit 141: gripping portion forming member 141A: gripping portion forming member 144a: first inclined surface (inclined surface, finger contact portion)
144b: gouged portion (finger contact portion)
144c: gouged portion (finger contact portion)
241: Grip portion forming member 244: First inclined curved surface (inclined surface, finger contact portion)

Claims (6)

A door opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing a door attached to a main body,
gripping portions arranged at both left and right ends of the door;
two cam mechanisms provided symmetrically on the left and right sides of the door for engaging and disengaging the door and the main body,
When the door is closed, the cam mechanisms provided on both left and right sides take symmetrical first locking positions,
When one of the left and right ends of the door is opened, the door slides toward the outside of the one, and the cam mechanism on the opposite side shifts to the second locking position. By doing so, the door is configured to be pivotally supported at the other end,
The grip portion has an opening provided at the end of the door and a recess recessed from the opening. A finger contact part having an inclined surface inclined from the part to the front side of the door is provided ,
The cam mechanism is
a pair of slide cam members provided symmetrically with respect to the center line of the door at the left and right ends of either one of the door and the main body;
a pair of lock cam members provided symmetrically at portions respectively corresponding to the slide cam members on the other of the door and the main body;
each hinge pin provided on the pair of lock cam members;
with
The slide cam member has a first grooved cam and a second grooved cam for slidingly guiding the hinge pin,
When the door is in the closed state, each of the hinge pins is in the first locking position of the second grooved cam,
When one of the left and right ends of the door is opened, the door slides toward the outside of the one, and the hinge pin located on the opposite side moves the second grooved cam. is configured to move to the second locking position at and to be in a state of being pivotally supported,
The angle of the inclined surface of the finger contact part is defined so that the angle of the normal to the inclined surface is between the extension angle of the first grooved cam and the extension angle of the second grooved cam. Door opening and closing mechanism. A door opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing a door attached to a main body,
gripping portions arranged at both left and right ends of the door;
two cam mechanisms provided symmetrically on the left and right sides of the door for engaging and disengaging the door and the main body;
with
When the door is closed, the cam mechanisms provided on both left and right sides take symmetrical first locking positions,
When one of the left and right ends of the door is opened, the door slides toward the outside of the one, and the cam mechanism on the opposite side shifts to the second locking position. By doing so, the door is configured to be pivotally supported at the other end,
The grip portion has an opening provided at the end of the door and a recess recessed from the opening. A finger contact part having an inclined surface inclined from the part to the front side of the door is provided,
The door opening/closing mechanism, wherein the finger contact portion has a gouged portion further forward from the inclined surface on the back side of the inclined surface . 3. The door opening/closing mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein said inclined surface faces downward . A refrigerator comprising the door opening/closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the upper end of said grip part is located at a height of 130 cm or less from the lower end of said refrigerator. contact detection units provided on both left and right sides of the door;
a control unit that controls the opening/closing operation of the door opening/closing mechanism based on the detection result of the contact detection unit;
6. A refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising:

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