JP7226770B2 - Shielding device and refrigerator with same - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shielding device and a refrigerator having the shielding device, and more particularly to a shielding device and a refrigerator including the shielding device that appropriately blocks an air passage leading from a cooling chamber to a storage compartment.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a refrigerator in which a single cooler appropriately cools a plurality of storage compartments, as described in Patent Document 1.

FIG. 19 schematically shows a refrigerator 100 described in this document. A refrigerator 100 shown in this figure has a refrigerator compartment 101, a freezer compartment 102 and a vegetable compartment 103 from above. A cooling chamber 104 in which a cooler 108 is housed is formed on the far side of the freezing chamber 102, and a partition wall 105 separating the cooling chamber 104 and the freezing chamber 102 supplies cold air to each storage chamber. An opening 106 is formed for this purpose. A blower fan 107 for blowing cold air is arranged in the opening 106 , and a blower cover 110 covering the blower fan 107 is arranged on the freezer compartment 102 side. A damper 114 is arranged in the middle of the air passage 109 through which cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 101 flows.

Referring to FIG. 20, the blower cover 110 described above will be described in detail. Blower cover 110 is formed with a recess 111 having a substantially rectangular shape, and an opening 113 is formed by partially notching the upper portion of recess 111 . Here, when the blower cover 110 covers the blower fan 107 described above, the opening 113 of the blower cover 110 communicates with the air passage 109 on the refrigerator main body side.

The refrigerator 100 configured as described above operates as follows. First, when cooling both the refrigerator compartment 101 and the freezer compartment 102, the blower cover 110 is separated from the blower fan 107, the damper 114 is opened, and the blower fan 107 is rotated in this state. Then, part of the cool air cooled by the cooler 108 inside the cooling chamber 104 is blown to the freezer compartment 102 by the blowing force of the blower fan 107 . Another part of this cold air is sent to refrigerator compartment 101 via air passage 109 , damper 114 and air passage 109 . Both the freezer compartment 102 and the refrigerator compartment 101 are thereby cooled.

On the other hand, when only refrigerating compartment 101 is cooled, blower fan 107 is covered with blower cover 110, damper 114 is opened, and cold air cooled by cooler 108 is blown by blower fan 107 in this state. When the fan cover 110 is closed, the opening 113 formed in the upper part of the fan cover 110 communicates with the air passage 109 . Therefore, cold air blown by the blower fan 107 is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 101 via the opening 113 , the damper 114 and the air passage 109 described above.

As described above, by using the blower cover 110 in which the opening 113 is formed, it is possible to appropriately cool a plurality of storage compartments with one cooler 108 .

JP 2013-2664 A

However, the blower cover 110 requires a space for opening and closing operations along the front-rear direction. Therefore, a large space is required inside refrigerator 100 for opening and closing operation of fan cover 110 . As a result, the internal volume of the freezer compartment 102 formed in front of the blower cover 110 is squeezed, and there is a problem that the amount of the stored material that can be stored in the freezer compartment 102 is limited. Furthermore, when the blower cover 110 is moved back and forth by the motor, driving noise is generated, and if the driving noise is loud, the user may feel uncomfortable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a shielding device capable of accurately controlling the rotation of a rotating shielding wall without compressing the internal volume of the refrigerator. to provide a refrigerator.

The present invention is a shielding device for blocking an air passage through which cold air is blown inside a refrigerator, comprising a plurality of rotating shielding walls surrounding a fan from the outside in the radial direction, and a shielding wall driving mechanism for driving the rotating shielding walls. , a control device for controlling the shielding wall drive mechanism, and a plate-shaped support base, wherein the shielding wall drive mechanism includes a rotating plate having an annular slide groove formed thereon, and the slide groove engaging the slide groove. and a cam rotatably connected to the rotation blocking wall formed with a moving shaft, and a motor for rotating the rotating plate, the position detecting device detecting the position of the rotating plate in the rotating direction a device , wherein the control device controls the shielding wall drive mechanism based on the output of the position detection device , and the support base has a first main surface and a second main surface facing the first main surface; The rotation shielding wall is provided on the side of the first main surface of the supporting base, and the rotating plate, the cam and the position detecting device are arranged on the first main surface of the supporting base. It is characterized by being provided on the side of two main surfaces .

Also, in the shielding device of the present invention, the position detection device detects a change in thickness of the rotating plate in the rotating direction.

Further, in the shielding device of the present invention, the position detection device detects changes in electrical characteristic values output by rotating together with the rotating plate.

Further, in the shielding device of the present invention, the position detection device is characterized by detecting a magnetic force that changes with the rotation of the rotating plate.

Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a refrigerating cycle cooler for cooling the air supplied to the storage compartment through the air passage, and an air outlet provided with the cooler and connected to the storage compartment. the air blower for blowing the air supplied from the air outlet toward the storage chamber; and the shielding device for at least partially blocking the air passage.

The present invention is a shielding device for blocking an air passage through which cold air is blown inside a refrigerator, comprising a plurality of rotating shielding walls surrounding a fan from the outside in the radial direction, and a shielding wall driving mechanism for driving the rotating shielding walls. , a control device for controlling the shielding wall drive mechanism, and a plate-shaped support base, wherein the shielding wall drive mechanism includes a rotating plate having an annular slide groove formed thereon, and the slide groove engaging the slide groove. and a cam rotatably connected to the rotation blocking wall formed with a moving shaft, and a motor for rotating the rotating plate, the position detecting device detecting the position of the rotating plate in the rotating direction a device , wherein the control device controls the shielding wall drive mechanism based on the output of the position detection device , and the support base has a first main surface and a second main surface facing the first main surface; The rotation shielding wall is provided on the side of the first main surface of the supporting base, and the rotating plate, the cam and the position detecting device are arranged on the first main surface of the supporting base. It is characterized by being provided on the side of two main surfaces . Thus, according to the shielding device of the present invention, the control device detects the position of the rotating plate in the direction of rotation by the position detecting device, and controls the shielding wall driving mechanism based on the detection result. The rotational movement of the rotational shielding wall can be accurately controlled. Therefore, it is possible to accurately control the opening and closing of the air passage inside the refrigerator. Furthermore, the control device can detect the initial position of the rotating plate based on the output of the position detecting device without forming a specific portion for detecting the initial position on the rotating plate. Furthermore, since there is no need to form an abutting portion for detecting the initial position, the configuration of the entire device can be simplified, and noise is not generated during the abutting operation.

Also, in the shielding device of the present invention, the position detection device detects a change in thickness of the rotating plate in the rotating direction. Thus, according to the shielding device of the present invention, the position of the rotating plate in the direction of rotation can be easily detected by detecting the change in the thickness of the rotating plate with the position detecting device.

Further, in the shielding device of the present invention, the position detection device detects changes in electrical characteristic values output by rotating together with the rotating plate. Thus, according to the shielding device of the present invention, the electric characteristic value output from the position detecting device changes as the rotating plate rotates, so that the control device can accurately determine the position of the rotating plate in the rotating direction. can be detected.

Further, in the shielding device of the present invention, the position detection device is characterized by detecting a magnetic force that changes with the rotation of the rotating plate. Thus, according to the shielding device of the present invention, it is possible to detect the position of the rotary plate in the direction of rotation with a simple configuration for detecting the magnetic field.

Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a refrigerating cycle cooler for cooling the air supplied to the storage compartment through the air passage, and an air outlet provided with the cooler and connected to the storage compartment. the air blower for blowing the air supplied from the air outlet toward the storage chamber; and the shielding device for at least partially blocking the air passage. Thus, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, it is possible to accurately control the rotation movement of the rotation blocking wall. Therefore, it is possible to accurately control the opening and closing of the air passage inside the refrigerator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing the structure around the cooling chamber of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the shielding apparatus and refrigerator which concern on embodiment of this invention, (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state with which the shielding apparatus was assembled|attached, (B) is a front view which shows a partition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the shielding apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) is an exploded perspective view which shows a shielding apparatus, (B) is a perspective view which shows a cam. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the shielding device which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) is an exploded perspective view which shows partially a shielding device, (B) is an exploded perspective view which shows the structure in which a cam is accommodated. It is a figure showing a shielding device concerning an embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a figure showing a rotation shielding wall of a shielding device seen from the back, and (B) shows the composition of a rotation plate seen from the back. It is a diagram. In the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention, a case where a distance sensor is adopted as a position detection device is shown, (A) is an exploded perspective view showing the shielding device, and (B) is an exploded perspective view showing the angle of the rotating plate with the distance sensor. It is a sectional view showing a method of detecting. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a case where a resistor is employed as a position detection device in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a case where a magnetic sensor is employed as a position detection device in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a block diagram which shows the connection structure of the refrigerator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2A is a view showing the pattern 1 in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention as seen from the rear, FIG. 1A is a view showing the shielding device, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the situation of the airflow path of pattern 1 in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the rear; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the pattern 6 in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention as seen from the rear, where (A) is a diagram showing the shielding device and (B) is a diagram showing the rotating plate. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the airflow path of Pattern 6 in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the rear. FIG. 2A is a view showing the pattern 12 in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention as seen from the rear, FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the airflow path of the pattern 12 in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear. It is an enlarged side view showing a refrigerator according to background art. It is a perspective view which shows the fan cover employ|adopted by the refrigerator which concerns on background art.

Shielding device 70 and refrigerator 10 according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same members in principle, and repeated descriptions will be omitted. Furthermore, in the following description, each direction of up, down, front, back, left, and right is appropriately used, and left and right indicate left and right when the refrigerator 10 is viewed from the rear. Furthermore, in the following description, the rotation directions are expressed as clockwise and counterclockwise, but these rotation directions indicate the directions when refrigerator 10 is viewed from the rear.

FIG. 1 is a front external view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator 10 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 10 has an insulating box body 11 as a main body, and the inside of the insulating box body 11 forms a storage chamber for storing food and the like. The storage compartments include a refrigerator compartment 15 at the top, an upper freezer compartment 18 at the bottom, a lower freezer compartment 19 at the bottom, and a vegetable compartment 20 at the bottom. Both the upper freezer compartment 18 and the lower freezer compartment 19 are storage compartments in the freezing temperature range, and may be collectively referred to as the freezer compartment 17 in the following description. Here, the upper freezer compartment 18 may be divided into left and right, and one side may be used as an ice making compartment.

The front surface of the heat insulating box 11 is open, and heat insulating doors 21 and the like are provided in openings corresponding to the respective storage compartments so as to be openable and closable. The heat-insulating door 21 divides the front surface of the refrigerating chamber 15 in the left-right direction and closes it. The heat insulating doors 23 , 24 , 25 are each integrally combined with the storage container and supported by the heat insulating box body 11 so as to be able to be pulled out to the front of the refrigerator 10 . Specifically, the heat insulation door 23 closes the upper freezer compartment 18 , the heat insulation door 24 closes the lower freezer compartment 19 , and the heat insulation door 25 closes the vegetable compartment 20 .

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a schematic structure of the refrigerator 10. As shown in FIG. A heat insulating box body 11, which is a main body of a refrigerator 10, is composed of an outer box 12 made of steel plate with an open front surface and an inner box 13 made of synthetic resin with an open front surface and arranged with a gap in the outer box 12. - 特許庁It consists of A gap between the outer box 12 and the inner box 13 is filled with a heat insulating material 14 made of foamed polyurethane. The heat insulating door 21 and the like described above also employ the same heat insulating structure as the heat insulating box body 11 .

The refrigerator compartment 15 and the freezer compartment 17 positioned below it are partitioned by a heat insulating partition wall 42 . Cool air, which is cooled air, communicates freely between the upper freezer compartment 18 and the lower freezer compartment 19 provided therebelow. The freezer compartment 17 and the vegetable compartment 20 are separated by a heat insulating partition wall 43 .

A refrigerating chamber supply air passage 29 is formed on the rear surface of the refrigerating chamber 15 as a supply air passage for supplying cool air to the refrigerating chamber 15 , which is partitioned by a synthetic resin partition 65 . An air outlet 33 for supplying cool air to the refrigerating chamber 15 is formed in the refrigerating chamber supply air passage 29 .

A freezer compartment supply air passage 31 is formed on the far side of the freezer compartment 17 to flow cold air cooled by the cooler 45 to the freezer compartment 17 . A cooling chamber 26 is formed on the farther side of the freezer compartment supply air passage 31, and a cooler 45, which is an evaporator for cooling the air circulating inside the refrigerator, is arranged inside the cooling chamber 26. . The freezer compartment supply air passage 31 is a space surrounded by the front cover 67 and the partition 66 in the front-rear direction.

The cooler 45 is connected to the compressor 44, a radiator (not shown), and a capillary tube (not shown) as an expansion means through refrigerant pipes, and constitutes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle circuit.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the structure around the cooling chamber 26 of the refrigerator 10. As shown in FIG. The cooling chamber 26 is provided inside the heat insulating box 11 and on the far side of the freezer compartment supply air passage 31 . The cooling chamber 26 and the freezing chamber 17 are separated by a synthetic resin partition 66 .

The freezer compartment supply air passage 31 formed in front of the cooling chamber 26 is a space formed between the cooling chamber 26 and a synthetic resin front cover 67 assembled in front thereof, and is cooled by the cooler 45. It becomes an air path for flowing cool air to the freezer compartment 17 . The front cover 67 is formed with a blowout port 34 that is an opening through which cold air is blown out to the freezer compartment 17 .

A return port 38 for returning air from the freezing chamber 17 to the cooling chamber 26 is formed in the lower back surface of the lower freezing chamber 19 . A return port 28 is formed in the lower part of the cooling chamber 26 to connect to the return port 38 and suck the return cold air from each storage chamber into the cooling chamber 26 . Cold air returning via a return port 39 (see FIG. 2) of the vegetable compartment 20 and a vegetable compartment return air passage 37 also flows into the return port 28 .

A defrosting heater 46 is provided below the cooler 45 as defrosting means for melting and removing frost adhering to the cooler 45 . The defrost heater 46 is an electric resistance heater.

At the top of the cooling chamber 26, a blower port 27, which is an opening leading to each storage chamber, is formed. Air blow port 27 is an opening through which cold air cooled by cooler 45 flows, and communicates cooling chamber 26 with refrigerating compartment supply air passage 29 and freezer compartment supply air passage 31 . A blower 47 is arranged in the blower port 27 to send out cool air from the front toward the freezer compartment 17 and the like.

Outside the blower port 27 of the cooling chamber 26 , a shielding device 70 is provided for appropriately blocking the air path leading from the blower port 27 . The shielding device 70 is covered with a front cover 67 from the front.

Here, although not shown in FIG. 3, a damper may be interposed in the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 29 . By doing so, the shielding device 70 and the damper can suitably blow cold air to each storage compartment.

4 is an exploded perspective view showing the front cover 67, the shielding device 70 and the partition 66. FIG. The shielding device 70 is arranged between the front cover 67 and the partition 66 .

The shielding device 70 is composed of a lid member 57 , a rotating plate 73 and a support base 63 . The lid member 57 is a member that closes the rotary plate 73 from the front, and has a substantially circular shape when viewed from the front. The rotating plate 73 is a substantially disc-shaped member that rotates to open and close the shielding device 70 , and is rotatably attached to the support base 63 . The supporting base 63 is made of a synthetic resin plate molded into a predetermined shape, and each member constituting the shielding device 70 is attached. Also, the support base 63 is fitted into an opening 35 formed in the upper portion of the front cover 67 . The configuration of the shielding device 70 will be described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the partition 66 and the front cover 67 where the shielding device 70 is incorporated. As described above, the freezer compartment supply air passage 31 is formed as a space surrounded by the partition 66 and the front cover 67 . The freezer compartment supply air passage 31 is divided into a plurality of air passages as described later. A shielding device 70 and a shielding wall driving mechanism 60 are arranged between the partition 66 and the front cover 67 . The shielding device 70 shields the blower 47 , and the shielding wall driving mechanism 60 drives the shielding device 70 . The configurations of the shielding device 70 and the shielding wall driving mechanism 60 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6 and the like.

FIG. 5B is a plan view of the partition 66 viewed from the front. The partition 66 is formed with outlets 341 to 346 as the outlets 34 described above. A blowout port 341 and a blowout port 342 are formed at the upper end of the partition 66 . The outlet 343 and the outlet 344 are formed in the center of the partition 66 in the vertical direction. A blowout port 345 and a blowout port 346 are formed at the lower end of the partition 66 .

Further, the partition 66 is formed with a rib-shaped air passage partition wall 56 extending forward. A front end of the air passage partition wall 56 is in contact with the front cover 67 . The air passage partition wall 56 subdivides the freezer compartment supply air passage 31 into a plurality of air passages.

The configuration of the shielding device 70 will be described with reference to FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of the shielding device 70, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing the cam 61. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6A, the shielding device 70 includes a rotating shielding wall 71, a support base 63, a lid member 57, and a shielding wall driving mechanism 60. As shown in FIG.

The shielding device 70 is a device that shields the air path of the cool air blown by the blower 47 . By opening the shielding device 70, air passages connecting the cooling chamber 26 and each storage chamber are communicated, and by closing the shielding device 70, the air passages are blocked.

The blower 47 is arranged at the center of the rear surface of the support base 63 via fastening means such as screws. The blower 47 includes, for example, a centrifugal fan such as a turbo fan and a blower motor that rotates the centrifugal fan, and blows cool air radially outward.

The rotation shielding wall 71 is a rectangular plate-like member made of synthetic resin, and has a long side along the tangential direction of the outer edge of the rotation plate 73 . The turn shielding wall 71 is attached near the periphery of the support base 63 so as to be able to turn rearward. A plurality of rotation shielding walls 71 are provided, and specifically, four rotation shielding walls 71 are provided. The rotating shielding wall 71 is arranged in a path through which cold air blown by the blower 47 flows, and appropriately shields the air passage.

A frame-shaped portion 83 that surrounds the rotation shielding wall 71 in the upright state is adjacent to the base end portion that is the center of rotation of the rotation shielding wall 71 . The frame-shaped portion 83 is made of a frame-shaped synthetic resin and is arranged on the rear surface of the support base 63 so as to surround the blower 47 . The frame-shaped portion 83 is arranged corresponding to the rotating shielding wall 71, and each rotating shielding wall 71 closes the opening of the frame-shaped portion 83, thereby closing the air passage.

The shielding wall drive mechanism 60 that opens and closes the rotating shielding wall 71 has a rotating plate 73 , a cam 61 , and a drive motor 74 that rotates the rotating plate 73 . The drive motor 74 is not shown here.

The rotary plate 73 has a substantially disk-like shape when viewed from the rear, and is rotatably arranged on the front side of the support base 63 . A slide groove 80 for rotating the rotation shielding wall 71 is formed in the rotation plate 73 . The slide groove 80 is formed on the rear surface of the rotary plate 73 as a bottomed groove surrounded by ribs. As will be described later, by driving the drive motor and rotating the rotating plate 73, the rotating shielding wall 71 opens and closes.

A gear groove 49 is formed around the rotating plate 73 to transmit the driving force from the motor. In this embodiment, a gear groove 49 is formed on the entire circumference of the rotating plate 73 .

The lid member 57 is a plate-like member that covers the rotary plate 73 from the front, is formed slightly larger than the rotary plate 73, and has a substantially circular shape when viewed from the front.

Inside the cover member 57, a distance sensor 72, which is a position detecting device for detecting the position of the rotating plate 73 in the rotating direction, is arranged. Distance sensor 72 will be described later with reference to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6B, cam 61 is a flat rectangular parallelepiped member made of synthetic resin. The left end of the cam 61 protrudes rearward to form the rotary connecting portion 48 . A hole through which a later-described pin 69 can be inserted is formed in the rotary connecting portion 48 . Further, a moving shaft 76 projecting in a substantially cylindrical shape is formed from the front surface of the cam 61 on the right end side. The moving shaft 76 engages with the slide groove 80 of the rotary plate 73 and slides along the slide groove 80 under the condition of use. To enable this sliding, the diameter of the moving shaft 76 is set to be about the same as or slightly shorter than the radial width of the slide groove 80 .

Referring to FIG. 7, related configurations of the rotation blocking wall 71, the support base 63 and the cam 61 will be described. FIG. 7(A) is an exploded perspective view of the turning shielding wall 71, the support base 63 and the cam 61 as seen from the rear left side, and FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view as seen; FIG.

With reference to FIG. 7(A), the rotation shielding wall 71 is formed with a rotation connecting portion 68 projecting at an angle from the base end portion of the rotation shielding wall 71 . A hole through which the pin 69 can be inserted is formed in the rotary connecting portion 68 . In addition, rotary connecting portions 64 projecting in a substantially cylindrical shape are formed at the front end portions of both upper and lower side surfaces of the rotary shielding wall 71 . The rotary connecting portion 64 is inserted into a cylindrical concave portion 85 formed on the inner wall of the frame portion 83 . With such a configuration, the rotatable shielding wall 71 is provided on the support base 63 in a rotatable state.

A through-hole 86 is formed by passing through the support base 63 in a rectangular shape. The rotary connection portion 68 of the rotary shielding wall 71 is inserted into the through hole 86 from behind. The rotary connecting portion 48 of the cam 61 is also inserted into the through hole 86 from the front. A pin 69 is inserted into the hole of the rotary connecting portion 68 of the rotary blocking wall 71 and the hole of the rotary connecting portion 48 of the cam 61 . With such a configuration, the rotation blocking wall 71 and the cam 61 are rotatably connected with the support base 63 interposed therebetween.

Referring to FIG. 7B, a cam housing portion 62 is formed on the front surface of the support base 63. As shown in FIG. The cam accommodating portion 62 is a rectangular area surrounded by ribs, and the above-described through hole 86 is formed inside the cam accommodating portion 62 . The cam 61 is housed inside the cam housing portion 62 and slides. The direction in which the cam 61 slides inside the cam accommodating portion 62 is the lateral direction here, in other words, the radial direction of the rotary plate 73 shown in FIG. 6(A).

By configuring as described above, the moving shaft 76 slides in the slide groove 80 by driving the drive motor to rotate the rotating plate 73 . As a result, the cam 61 slides inside the cam housing portion 62 . By sliding the cam 61 , the rotation blocking wall 71 can be rotated around the pin 69 . Specifically, when the cam 61 is slid toward the peripheral edge of the support base 63, the rotation shielding wall 71 rotates around the rotation connecting portion 64 so as to be in an upright state, thereby shielding the rotation. The wall 71 is perpendicular to the main surface of the support base 63 . On the other hand, when the cam 61 is slid toward the center of the support base 63, the rotation shielding wall 71 rotates around the rotation connecting portion 64 so as to be in a lying state, and the rotation shielding wall 71 is supported. It is in a state of being substantially parallel to the main surface of the base 63 .

Therefore, by forming the slide groove 80 on the peripheral edge side of the rotary plate 73, the rotation blocking wall 71 can be closed. On the contrary, if the slide groove 80 is formed on the center side of the rotating plate 73, the rotation shielding wall 71 can be opened. If the meandering shape of the slide groove 80 is selected using this principle, the opening/closing state of the rotation shielding wall 71 can be arbitrarily set. As a result, the rotation shielding wall 71 can be fully opened or fully closed without adopting a complicated configuration.

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing the rotating shielding wall 711 and the like of the shielding device 70 as viewed from the rear. The shielding device 70 has a rotating shielding wall 711 to a rotating shielding wall 714 as the rotating shielding wall 71 described above. The rotation shielding wall 711 to rotation shielding wall 714 have a rectangular shape having long sides substantially parallel to the tangential direction of the rotation plate 73 described above. Also, the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 are rotatably attached to the peripheral portion of the support base 63 shown in FIG. 7(A).

A proximal end portion of the rotation shielding wall 711 is rotatably connected to a cam 611 having a movement shaft 761 formed thereon. Similarly, the proximal end of the rotation shielding wall 712 is rotatably connected to the cam 612 on which the movement shaft 762 is formed. A proximal end portion of the rotation shielding wall 713 is rotatably connected to a cam 613 on which a moving shaft 763 is formed. Also, the proximal end portion of the rotation shielding wall 714 is rotatably connected to the cam 614 on which the movement shaft 764 is formed.

Referring to FIG. 8B, the rotary plate 73 is a steel plate or a synthetic resin plate molded into a substantially disk shape, and has a slide groove 80 for controlling the opening and closing operation of the above-described rotation shielding wall 711 and the like. formed.

A gear groove 49 is formed along the entire peripheral edge of the rotary plate 73 , and the gear 30 and the gear groove 49 mesh with each other, so that the torque of the drive motor 74 rotates the rotary plate 73 .

The slide groove 80 is formed in a substantially annular shape near the outer peripheral edge of the rotary plate 73 . Furthermore, the shape of the slide groove 80 when the rotary plate 73 is viewed from behind is not a perfect circle, but a meandering shape that meanders along the circumferential direction of the rotary plate 73 . Specifically, the slide groove 80 is composed of slide grooves 801 to 8012 along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 801 curves radially outward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 802 extends substantially parallel to the circumferential direction. The slide groove 803 curves radially inward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 804 curves radially outward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 805 curves radially inward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 806 curves radially outward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 807 curves radially inward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 808 curves radially outward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 809 curves radially inward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 8010 curves radially outward along the clockwise direction. The slide groove 8011 extends substantially parallel to the circumferential direction. The slide groove 8012 curves radially inward along the clockwise direction.

In the slide groove 80, a change point is set at which the curved shape of the groove changes. Specifically, a change point 812 is set between the slide grooves 801 and 802 , and a change point 813 is set between the slide grooves 802 and 803 . A change point 814 is set between the slide grooves 803 and 804 , and a change point 815 is set between the slide grooves 804 and 805 . A change point 816 is set between the slide grooves 805 and 806 , and a change point 817 is set between the slide grooves 806 and 807 . A change point 818 is set between the slide grooves 807 and 808 , and a change point 819 is set between the slide grooves 808 and 809 . A change point 8110 is set between the slide grooves 809 and 8010 , and a change point 8111 is set between the slide grooves 8010 and 8011 . A change point 8112 is set between the slide grooves 8011 and 8012 , and a change point 811 is set between the slide grooves 8012 and 801 .

The change point 812 , the change point 813 , the change point 815 , the change point 817 , the change point 819 , the change point 8111 and the change point 812 described above are arranged radially outside the rotary plate 73 . On the other hand, the change point 811 , the change point 814 , the change point 816 , the change point 818 and the change point 8110 are arranged radially inside the rotary plate 73 .

By arranging the movement shafts 761 to 764 at the change points 811 to 8112 described above, the rotation shielding walls 711 to 714 can be formed into a predetermined open/close pattern. Here, by setting the angular interval θ at which the respective changing points are separated from each other to 30 degrees, a total of 12 types of opening/closing patterns of the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 can be realized as described later.

A specific example of a position detecting device for detecting the position of the rotating plate 73 of the shielding device 70 in the rotating direction will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. FIG. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the distance sensor 72 is employed as the position detection device, FIG. 10 shows an example in which the resistor 52 is employed as the position detection device, and FIG. 11 shows the magnetic sensor 41 as the position detection device. Give an example.

9 shows an example in which a distance sensor 72 is employed as the position detection device. FIG. 9(A) shows a shielding device 70 employing a distance sensor 72, and FIG. 9(B) shows the annular convex portion 50 shown in FIG. It is a sectional view.

Referring to FIG. 9(A), an annular convex portion 50 is formed by annularly projecting the central portion of the front surface of rotary plate 73 forward. The annular convex portion 50 varies in height along the circumferential direction. A distance sensor 72 is arranged on the rear surface of the lid member 57 overlapping the annular convex portion 50 when viewed from the front. The distance sensor 72 emits electromagnetic waves and sound waves toward the front portion of the annular convex portion 50 and receives the electromagnetic waves and sound waves reflected from the front portion of the annular convex portion 50 . This makes it possible to detect the distance between the front portion of the annular convex portion 50 and the distance sensor 72, that is, the height of the annular convex portion 50, as described below.

Referring to FIG. 9B, annular convex portion 50 has a start point 501 and an end point 502 adjacent to each other, and the protrusion height of annular convex portion 50 gradually increases from start point 501 to end point 502. growing.

Further, the distance sensor 72 has a transmitter 721 and a receiver 722 . The transmitting portion 721 generates electromagnetic waves or sound waves toward the upper surface of the annular convex portion 50 . The receiving part 722 receives electromagnetic waves and sound waves reflected by the upper surface of the annular convex part 50 . Therefore, by measuring the time from transmission to reception of the distance sensor 72, the distance from the front surface of the annular convex portion 50 to the distance sensor 72 can be calculated, that is, the thickness of the annular convex portion 50 can be calculated. can do. Moreover, as described above, the thickness of the annular convex portion 50 is the thinnest at the starting point 501 and the thickest at the end point 502 . Therefore, by measuring the thickness of the annular convex portion 50, the position of the rotating plate 73 in the rotating direction, that is, the rotating angle of the rotating plate 73 can be detected.

A case where a resistor 52 is employed as the position detection device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a shielding device 70 employing a resistor 52 as a position detection device.

The resistor 52 has a rotatable rotating shaft 53 . The vicinity of the rear end of the rotary shaft 53 is inserted into an insertion hole 51 formed in the central portion of the rotary plate 73 . The insertion hole 51 has a substantially semicircular shape, and the rotating shaft 53 has a similar substantially semicircular shape. Therefore, when the rotating plate 73 rotates, the rotating shaft 53 also rotates at the same time. Also, the resistor 52 is a variable resistor whose resistance value changes as the rotating shaft 53 rotates. Therefore, by measuring the resistance value of the resistor 52, the position of the rotating plate 73 in the rotating direction can be detected.

Although the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 is detected from the resistance value detected by the resistor 52 here, the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 can also be detected from an electrical characteristic value other than the resistance value, such as a current value. can also

A case where the magnetic sensor 41 is employed as the position detection device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a shielding device 70 employing a magnetic sensor 41 as a position detection device.

A magnet 40 is arranged at the center of the rotating plate 73 . The magnet 40 is magnetized with N poles and S poles in a predetermined pattern along the circumferential direction. Magnet 40 rotates with rotating plate 73 .

Further, a magnetic sensor 41 is arranged on the rear surface of the lid member 57 at a location where it overlaps with the magnet 40 when viewed from the front or in the vicinity thereof. The magnetic sensor 41 detects the position of the magnet 40 in the direction of rotation by detecting the magnetic field generated by the magnet 40 .

When the shielding device 70 is in use, when the rotary plate 73 rotates, the magnets 40 also rotate. As the magnet 40 rotates, the magnetic field generated by the magnet 40 changes, and the position of the rotating plate 73 in the direction of rotation can be detected by detecting the change in the magnetic field with the magnetic sensor 41 .

The connection configuration of refrigerator 10 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 12 . The refrigerator 10 has a control device 54 , a temperature sensor 91 , a timer 92 , a distance sensor 72 , a compressor 44 , a blower 47 , a drive motor 74 and a defrosting heater 46 . The temperature sensor 91 , timer 92 and distance sensor 72 are connected to input terminals of the control device 54 . The compressor 44 , the blower 47 , the drive motor 74 and the defrosting heater 46 are connected to output terminals of the controller 54 .

The control device 54 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the cooling operation of the refrigerator 10 by controlling the compressor 44 and the like based on input information from the temperature sensor 91 and the like. As will be described later, the control device 54 controls the shielding wall driving mechanism 60 based on the input information from the distance sensor 72 to control the opening and closing of the rotating shielding wall 71 .

The temperature sensors 91 are arranged inside the refrigerator compartment 15, the freezer compartment 17 and the vegetable compartment 20, respectively, and transmit to the controller 54 information indicating the internal temperature of each of these storage compartments.

The timer 92 measures the cooling time for cooling the refrigerator compartment 15 , the freezer compartment 17 and the vegetable compartment 20 , the operation time of the defrosting heater 46 , and the like, and transmits information indicating the time to the control device 54 .

As shown in FIG. 9, the distance sensor 72 measures the distance between the rotating plate 73 and the annular convex portion 50 to detect the position of the rotating plate 73 in the rotating direction, that is, the rotation angle. Instead of the distance sensor 72, the resistor 52 shown in FIG. 10 and the magnetic sensor 41 shown in FIG. 11 can also be employed.

Compressor 44 compresses the refrigerant used in the refrigeration cycle according to instructions from control device 54 .

The blower 47 blows cold air cooled by the cooler 45 of the refrigeration cycle toward each storage compartment according to instructions from the control device 54 .

The driving motor 74 rotates the rotating plate 73 of the shielding device 70 by a predetermined angle according to the instruction from the control device 54 . A stepping motor, for example, is employed as the drive motor 74 .

The defrosting heater 46 warms the air inside the cooling chamber 26 by being energized in accordance with an instruction from the control device 54 .

13 to 18, by rotating the rotating plate 73 of the shielding device 70 in increments of 30 degrees, the rotating shielding wall 711 to the rotating shielding wall 714 are opened and closed to open/close and switch the air path. will be described. In the following description, the radial and circumferential directions of rotating plate 73 are simply referred to as radial and circumferential directions. Furthermore, in the following description, by rotating the rotary plate 73 clockwise in increments of 30 degrees, the open/closed state of the rotary shielding wall 711 and the like is changed from pattern 1 to pattern 12 . That is, in the present embodiment, the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 are controlled to open and close by rotating the rotation plate 73 in units of 30 degrees with the layout angle of the rotation plate 73 set to 30 degrees. Here, the allocation angle is a divisor of 360 degrees, and may be 60 degrees or 120 degrees, for example.

Among the patterns 1 to 12, pattern 1, pattern 6, and pattern 12 will be described below. Pattern 1 is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, pattern 6 is shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, and pattern 12 is shown in FIGS.

13 and 14 show pattern 1 in which all the turning shielding walls 71 and the like are in the open state. FIG. 13(A) is a rear view of the shielding device 70 in this state, FIG. 13(B) is a rear view of the rotary plate 73 in this state, and FIG. It is the figure which looked at the condition of the air course in a state from the back.

Referring to FIG. 13A, in pattern 1, all of the rotation shielding walls 711 to 714 are in the open state. Such an open/closed state allows blower 47 to blow cold air to refrigerator compartment 15 and freezer compartment 17 .

Referring to FIG. 13B, in this state, the moving shaft 761 and the like are arranged radially inward. Specifically, the moving shaft 761 is arranged at the transition point 814 of the slide groove 80 , and the movement shaft 762 is arranged at the transition point 816 of the slide groove 80 . Further, the moving shaft 763 is arranged at the transition point 818 of the slide groove 80 and the movement shaft 764 is arranged at the transition point 8110 of the slide groove 80 . As a result, the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 are opened.

Referring to FIG. 14, when shielding device 70 is in the state shown in FIG. Cold air is blown out from the outlet 346 to the entire freezer compartment 17 .

Here, the fact that the rotary plate 73 is in the pattern 1 state can be detected by the control device 54 based on the output of the distance sensor 72 shown in FIG. This matter also applies to pattern 6 and pattern 12, which will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 13A, when the pattern 1 shown in FIG. 13 is shifted to the pattern 6 shown in FIG. The rotating plate 73 is rotated. Further, the control device 54 accurately rotates the rotating plate 73 while measuring the position in the rotating direction, which is the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 , with the distance sensor 72 .

Referring to FIG. 13B, when pattern 1 shown in FIG. 13 is shifted to pattern 6 shown in FIG. Let Alternatively, the rotary plate 73 is rotated counterclockwise by 210 degrees, as indicated by the dotted arrow.

In this embodiment, a gear groove 49 is formed on the entire circumference of the outer edge of the rotating plate 73, and the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 is detected by the distance sensor 72 described above. Therefore, when the rotating plate 73 is rotated to change the opening/closing pattern of the rotating shielding wall 71, the rotating plate 73 can be accurately rotated both clockwise and counterclockwise.

15 and 16 show a pattern 6 in which only the rotating shielding wall 712 arranged on the lower right side is opened. 15(A) is a rear view of the shielding device 70 in this state, FIG. 15(B) is a rear view of the rotary plate 73 in this state, and FIG. It is the figure which looked at the condition of the air course in this state from the back.

15A, in pattern 6, rotation shielding wall 711, rotation shielding wall 713, and rotation shielding wall 714 are closed, and only rotation shielding wall 712 is open. . With such an open/closed state, the blower 47 can blow cool air to the lower right portion of the freezer compartment 17 .

Referring to FIG. 15B, in this state, movement shafts 761, 763 and 764 are arranged radially outward, and movement shaft 762 is arranged radially inward. Specifically, the moving shaft 761 is arranged at the transition point 8111 of the slide groove 80 , and the movement shaft 762 is arranged at the transition point 811 of the slide groove 80 . Further, the moving shaft 763 is arranged at the transition point 813 of the slide groove 80 and the movement shaft 764 is arranged at the transition point 815 of the slide groove 80 . As a result, only the rotation shielding wall 712 is opened, and the rotation shielding wall 711, the rotation shielding wall 713, and the rotation shielding wall 714 are closed.

16, when shielding device 70 is in pattern 6, rotating shielding wall 711, rotating shielding wall 713, and rotating shielding wall 714 block cold air, while rotating shielding wall 712 does not block cold air. Therefore, the cold air is blown downward on the right side, and more specifically, is blown out into the freezer compartment 17 after being blown toward the blower outlets 344 and 346 .

Referring to FIG. 15(B), when pattern 6 shown in FIG. 15 is shifted to pattern 12 shown in FIG. rotate. Alternatively, the rotating plate 73 is rotated 180 degrees clockwise as indicated by the dotted arrow.

17 and 18 show the pattern 12 in which all the turning shielding walls 714 and the like are closed. FIG. 17(A) is a rear view of the shielding device 70 in this state, FIG. 17(B) is a rear view of the rotary plate 73 in this state, and FIG. It is the figure which looked at the condition of the air course in a state from the back.

17A, in pattern 12, rotation shielding wall 711, rotation shielding wall 712, rotation shielding wall 713, and rotation shielding wall 714 are closed. Such an open/closed state closes the air blowing path from the air blower 47 and partitions the cooling chamber 26 and the freezing chamber 17 shown in FIG. 3 .

Referring to FIG. 17B, in this state, moving shaft 761, moving shaft 762, moving shaft 763 and moving shaft 764 are arranged radially outward. Specifically, the movement shaft 761 is arranged at the transition point 815 of the slide groove 80 and the movement shaft 762 is arranged at the transition point 817 of the slide groove 80 . Further, the moving shaft 763 is arranged at the changing point 819 of the slide groove 80 and the moving shaft 764 is arranged at the changing point 8111 of the slide groove 80 . As a result, the rotation shielding wall 711, the rotation shielding wall 712, the rotation shielding wall 713, and the rotation shielding wall 714 are closed.

Referring to FIG. 18, when shielding device 70 is in pattern 12, rotating shielding wall 711, rotating shielding wall 712, rotating shielding wall 713, and rotating shielding wall 714 block cold air. Therefore, cold air is not blown to the outlet 342 and the like.

Referring to FIG. 15B, when pattern 12 shown in FIG. 17 is shifted to pattern 1 shown in FIG. rotate it. Alternatively, the rotation plate 73 is rotated clockwise by 30 degrees as indicated by the dotted arrow.

Here, the rotation angle of the rotation plate 73 is detected by the distance sensor 72 or the like shown in FIG. 9(A). Therefore, the control device 54 rotates the rotating plate 73 in a direction with a smaller amount of rotation, here in the clockwise direction indicated by the dotted line, based on the detected angle of the rotating plate 73 and the like. As a result, the operating amount and operating time of the shielding device 70 when changing the opening/closing pattern can be reduced.

The above is the description of the operation of the shielding device 70 .

In the present embodiment, referring to FIG. 6, the rotating shielding wall 71 is opened and closed by the rotation of the rotary plate 73. Therefore, the shielding device 70 can be made thinner than the background art described above. can do. Therefore, referring to FIG. 2, the volume of freezer compartment 17 formed in front of shielding device 70 can be increased.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. are combined. By rotating the rotating plate 73 , the moving shafts 762 to 764 slide along the slide grooves 80 and slide along the radial direction of the rotating plate 73 . When the moving shafts 762 through 764 slide, the cams 611 through 614 also slide, and as a result, the rotation shielding walls 711 through 714 are opened and closed.

Therefore, since a plurality of moving shafts 761 to 764 are engaged and slid in one slide groove 80, the distance of the slide groove 80 in which the moving shafts 761 to 764 can slide can be increased. . Therefore, the slide groove 80 can be smoothly bent along the circumferential direction, and the pressure generated when the moving shafts 761 to 764 slide along the slide groove 80 is reduced, and the opening and closing operation of the rotation shielding wall 711 is performed. can be done smoothly.

Furthermore, according to the shielding device 70 according to the present embodiment, various opening/closing patterns of the rotating shielding wall 711 to the rotating shielding wall 714 can be realized by a simple control operation of rotating the shielding device 70 by a predetermined angle. can be done. Specifically, 12 types of opening/closing patterns can be realized in units of 30 degrees. Therefore, it is possible to realize a large number of cold air blowing modes, and it is possible to suitably blow cold air according to the cooling state inside the freezer compartment 17 .

Further, the shielding device 70 rotates the rotating plate 73 while detecting the position of the rotating plate 73 in the rotating direction by the position detecting device such as the distance sensor 72 shown in FIGS. Therefore, the opening/closing pattern of the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 can be accurately controlled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17(B), a gear groove 49 is formed along the entire outer edge of the rotary plate 73 . Therefore, the rotary plate 73 can be rotated both clockwise and counterclockwise in order to change the opening/closing pattern of the rotary shielding walls 711 to 714 . Therefore, when the rotating plate 73 is rotated, the time and amount of movement required for changing the opening/closing pattern can be reduced by selecting the one with the smaller rotation angle from clockwise and counterclockwise.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10 Refrigerator 11 Insulation box body 12 Outer box 13 Inner box 14 Insulation material 15 Refrigerator compartment 17 Freezer compartment 18 Upper freezer compartment 19 Lower freezer compartment 20 Vegetable compartment 21 Insulated door 23 Insulated door 24 Insulated door 25 Insulated door 26 Cooling compartment 27 Air outlet 28 return port 29 refrigerator compartment supply air passage 30 gear 31 freezer compartment supply air passage 33 air outlets 34, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346 outlet 35 opening 37 vegetable compartment return air passage 38 return port 39 return port 40 Magnet 41 Magnetic sensor 42 Insulation partition 43 Insulation partition 44 Compressor 45 Cooler 46 Defrost heater 47 Blower 48 Rotating connection part 49 Gear groove 50 Annular convex part 501 Start point 502 End point 51 Insertion hole 52 Resistor 53 Rotation Shaft 54 Control device 56 Air passage partition wall 57 Lid member 60 Shielding wall drive mechanism 61, 611, 612, 613, 614 Cam 62 Cam housing portion 63 Support base 64 Rotating connection portion 65 Partition 66 Partition 67 Front cover 68 times Dynamic connecting portion 69 Pin 70 Shielding device 71, 711, 712, 713, 714 Rotating shielding wall 72 Distance sensor 721 Transmitter 722 Receiver 73 Rotating plate 74 Drive motor 76, 761, 762, 763, 764 Moving shaft 80 Slide groove 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 8010, 8011, 8012 Slide grooves 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817, 818, 819, 8110, 8111, 8112 Change points 83 Frame-shaped portion 85 Recessed portion 86 Through hole 91 Temperature sensor 92 Timer 100 Refrigerator 101 Refrigerator compartment 102 Freezer compartment 103 Vegetable compartment 104 Cooling compartment 105 Partition wall 106 Opening 107 Blower fan 108 Cooler 109 Air passage 110 Blower cover 111 Recess 113 Opening 114 damper

Claims (5)

A shielding device for blocking an air passage through which cold air is blown inside a refrigerator,
a plurality of rotating shielding walls surrounding the blower from the outside in the radial direction;
a shielding wall driving mechanism for driving the rotating shielding wall;
a control device that controls the shielding wall drive mechanism;
a plate-shaped support base,
The shielding wall driving mechanism includes a rotating plate having an annular slide groove formed thereon, a cam having a moving shaft engaged with the slide groove formed thereon and rotatably connected to the rotating shielding wall, and the rotating plate. a motor that rotates a
further comprising a position detection device that detects the position of the rotating plate in the direction of rotation;
The control device controls the shield wall drive mechanism based on the output of the position detection device ,
The support base has a first main surface and a second main surface facing the first main surface,
The rotation shielding wall is provided on the first main surface side of the supporting base,
The shielding device, wherein the rotating plate, the cam, and the position detecting device are provided on the second main surface side of the supporting base . 2. A shielding device according to claim 1, wherein said position detecting device detects a change in thickness of said rotating plate in the direction of rotation. 2. The shielding device according to claim 1, wherein the position detection device detects changes in electrical characteristic values output by rotating together with the rotating plate. 2. The shielding device according to claim 1, wherein the position detection device detects a magnetic force that changes as the rotating plate rotates. a refrigeration cycle cooler that cools the air supplied to the storage chamber via the air passage;
a cooling chamber in which the cooler is disposed and an air outlet leading to the storage chamber is formed;
the air blower that blows the air supplied from the air blow port toward the storage chamber;
A refrigerator, comprising: the shielding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which at least partially blocks the air passage.

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