JPH02197781A - Damper opening and closing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable provision of a damper opening and closing device which eliminates a heater serving as a heat source, increases the response speed of an on-off plate, and is decreased in thickness on the whole by a method wherein each of the both ends of a shape memory alloy wire formed on two oblique lines in the shape of a triangle is secured to the one end of the one oblique line, and the whole wire is returned at the one of the other oblique line, and the alloy wire is doubly formed on the two oblique lines in the shape of a triangle. CONSTITUTION:In a device, a fine shape memory alloy wire 109 shrunk when it is heated to a temperature higher than a given value is formed on two oblique lines in the shape of a triangle. The wire is secured at the end of the one oblique line by means of fixing terminals 110a and 110b, and is formed in an U-shape at the one end of the other oblique line, and hooked to a protrusion part 102a protruded from a base plate 102. The alloy wire 109 is brought into contact with a spindle 112, vertically driven through expansion and contraction of the alloy wire 10, at the apexes of the two oblique lines, and the other end of the spindle 112 is brought into contact with an on-off plate 105. When a command to close a damper is issued, the alloy line 109 is contracted, the on-off plate 105 is rotated against the energizing force of a leaf spring 107 through the spindle 112 to form an opening part 103.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a damper opening/closing device for adjusting the flow of cold air in a refrigerating compartment or a storage compartment of an electric refrigerator or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a refrigerator having a divided freezer compartment and refrigerator compartment, temperature control is performed by opening and closing a damper provided in a passage connecting the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment.

Conventionally, gas thermostatic bellows have been used as the drive source for opening and closing, but gas thermostatic bellows has problems such as slow response speed and increased device size.
Recently, drive sources using shape memory alloy coil springs have come into use. A conventional damper opening/closing device using a shape memory alloy coil spring as a drive source will be described below.

Conventional damper opening/closing devices are, for example,
There are some listed in 81.

This will be explained using FIGS. FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of a conventional damper opening/closing device.

1 is a conventional damper opening/closing device; 2 is a substrate of the damper device; an opening 3 is formed at one end thereof; and a support plate 4 is provided protruding from the upper surface of the midsection thereof. Reference numeral 6 denotes an operating plate rotatably supported on the support plate 4, and an opening/closing plate 6 for opening and closing the opening 3 of the substrate 2 is provided at the tip end thereof.
is installed. Further, a bias spring 7 is attached to the actuating plate 6, which always biases the opening 3 in a direction to close it. Reference numeral 8 denotes a coil spring made of a heat-treated shape memory alloy so that it contracts when heated above a predetermined temperature, and is attached to one end of the operating plate 6 on the side where the opening/closing plate 6 is not provided. , during normal operation, it is in an extended state and urges the actuating plate 6 in the direction of closing together with the biasing force of the bias spring 7, and when contracted, the actuating plate 6 is pushed against the urging force of the bias spring 7. They are now supporting the development of the area. 9 is a heater consisting of a positive temperature coefficient thermistor disposed in the hollow part of the coil spring 8;
It is connected in series to the coil spring 8, and the heater 9 is energized when the damper is commanded to open. When the heater 9 is energized, the coil springs 8 closest to the heater 9 begin to contract in order, and as a result, the contracting force of the coil springs 8 overcomes the biasing force of the bias spring 7 and moves the actuating plate 5 clockwise. , that is, it is rotated in the opening direction. Reference numeral 10 designates a storage portion for storing the coil spring 8 and heater 9.

The operation of the damper opening/closing device configured as described above will be explained below.

First, under normal conditions, that is, when there is no command to open the damper, the heater 9 is not energized, so the coil spring 8 is in an extended state, and the actuating plate 5 is urged in the opening direction by the biasing force of the bias spring 7. For this reason, the opening 3 is closed by the opening/closing plate 6 of the actuating plate 6.

When a command to open the damper is issued from a control circuit (not shown), the relay switch 11 is closed, current flows through the series circuit of the heater 9 and the coil spring 8, and the coil spring 8 is heated by the heater 9. Ru. Therefore, the coil spring 8 contracts, and the actuating plate 5 is rotated clockwise against the biasing force of the bias spring 7, thereby opening the opening 3.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, in order to generate a high output of the coil spring 8 made of a shape memory alloy, which is the driving source, the wire diameter is thicker, which lowers the resistance and increases the response speed of the opening/closing plate e. Therefore, a heater 9 consisting of a positive temperature coefficient thermistor as a heat source is required, which requires a large number of parts and increases costs. In addition, in order to increase the stroke of the coil spring 8, it is necessary to increase the number of coil turns, which increases the overall thickness of the damper opening/closing device 1, which reduces the internal volume when installed in a refrigerator. This was a factor in not meeting the needs.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide a damper opening/closing device that does not require a heater as a heat source, has a fast response speed of the opening/closing plate, and has a thin overall thickness.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, a damper opening/closing device of the present invention includes: a substrate having an opening; an opening/closing plate for opening and closing the opening;
A leaf spring that biases the opening/closing plate in the closing direction; and a drive source that is attached to the back side of the opening/closing plate, has both ends fixed, and is formed into both hypotenuses of a triangular shape, and expands and contracts as the temperature changes due to heat generated by electricity. It consists of a relatively thin shape memory alloy wire, and a spindle whose one end abuts the vertices of both hypotenuses of the shape memory alloy wire and whose other end penetrates the substrate and abuts the opening/closing plate. Fix each at one end of one hypotenuse,
The shape memory alloy wire is made to reciprocate at one end of the other oblique side, and is formed double on both triangular oblique sides.

Function: According to this configuration, when the shape memory alloy wire as a driving source is energized or cut off, the shape memory alloy wire expands and contracts as the heat generation temperature changes, and the opening/closing plate opens and closes by driving the spindle up and down. be done.

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 6, 101 is a damper opening/closing device, and 102 is a board of the damper device.
An opening 103 is formed at one end of 02, and bearings 104a and 104b are protruded from the other end. 1
Reference numeral 05 denotes an opening/closing plate rotatably supported by the bearings 104a and 104b, and a gasket 106, which is slightly larger than the opening 103 of the substrate 102, is provided at the tip of the opening/closing plate at a position corresponding to the opening 103 of the substrate 102. The closing portion 103 is always urged in the opening direction by a leaf spring 107 fixed to the opening. A protrusion 108 is formed in the midsection of the substrate 102, and on the back side of the protrusion 108, relatively thin shape memory alloy wires 109, which are heat-treated to shrink when heated to a predetermined temperature or higher, are formed on both hypotenuses of a triangular shape. are caulked and fixed at one end of the oblique side by fixed terminals 110a and 110b, respectively. Fixed terminals 110a and 110b are rivets 11
It is fixed to the substrate 102 by 1a and 111b.

Further, at one end of the other oblique side, a shape memory alloy edge 109 is formed in a U shape and is hooked onto a convex portion 102a protruding from the substrate 102. The shape memory alloy wire 109 is in contact with the recesses 113a and 113h of the spindle/l/112, which is driven in the vertical direction by the expansion and contraction of the shape memory alloy 109, at the vertices of both hypotenuses, and the other end of the spindle 112 is in contact with the substrate 102.
It penetrates through and comes into contact with the opening/closing plate 106.

Note that 114 is a cover for the protrusion 108 formed on the substrate 102 that houses the driving source.

The operation of the damper opening/closing device constructed as above will be explained below. First, under normal conditions, that is, when a damper opening command is not issued, the shape memory alloy wire 109 is not energized, so the shape memory alloy 109 is in an elongated state, and the opening/closing plate 105 is moved in the closing direction by the biasing force of the leaf spring 107. It is energized.

When a command to open the damper is issued from a control circuit (not shown), electricity is applied directly to the shape memory alloy wire 109, and the shape memory alloy wire 109 contracts υ due to self-heating. The opening/closing plate 105 is rotated clockwise against the biasing force of the leaf spring 107 to open the opening 103.

As described above, according to this embodiment, relatively thin shape memory alloy wires 109 are provided on both hypotenuses of a triangular shape and serve as a driving source that expands and contracts as the temperature changes due to energization. Both ends of the wire 109 are fixed by fixed terminals 110a and 110b at one end of one oblique side, and the shape memory alloy wire 109 is formed into a U-shape at one end of the other oblique side, and the two oblique sides of the triangular shape are reciprocated. By forming the shape memory alloy wire 109 thickly, the overall length of the shape memory alloy wire 109 becomes longer and the resistance value increases, so a heater or the like as a heat source is not required, and by directly applying electricity to the shape memory alloy wire 109, the opening direction can be changed. The response speed is fast in both the closing direction and the generated output is equivalent to that of two lines, which is twice as much as that of one line.

In addition, since a protrusion 108 is formed on the front side of the substrate 102 and a shape memory alloy wire 109 which is a driving source is housed inside the protrusion 108, the overall thickness is reduced and the internal capacity when installed in a refrigerator is increased. It can be used effectively.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention has a substrate having an opening, an opening/closing plate for opening and closing the opening, a leaf spring for biasing the opening/closing plate in the closing direction, and a leaf spring attached to the back side of the opening/closing plate. , a relatively thin shape memory alloy wire as a driving source that is fixed at both ends and formed on both oblique sides of a triangular shape and expands and contracts as the temperature changes due to heat generated by electricity; A spindle is provided, the other end of which penetrates the substrate and abuts the opening/closing plate, fixes both ends of the shape memory alloy wire at one end of one oblique side, and reciprocates the shape memory alloy wire at one end of the other oblique side. By forming double layers on both hypotenuses of a triangular shape, the overall length of the shape memory alloy wire becomes longer and the resistance value increases, so there is no need for a heater as a heat source, and the shape memory alloy wire is directly connected to the shape memory alloy wire. By applying electricity, the opening/closing plate can be opened by self-heating, and the number of parts can be reduced.

In addition, the generated output is equivalent to that of two dampers, which is twice as much as that of a single damper, resulting in a damper opening/closing device that is highly reliable even in the event of freezing. Since the shape memory alloy that is the drive source is used in the form of a wire rather than in the form of a coil as in the past, the overall thickness of the damper can be designed to be thinner, allowing us to create a low-cost, thin damper opening/closing device that meets customer needs. It can be configured, and its practical effects are great.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a damper opening/closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG.
BB sectional view, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the damper opening/closing device in the damper closed state, FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the damper opening/closing device in the damper open state, and FIG. 6 is a conventional damper opening/closing device. FIG. 7 is a control block diagram of the damper opening/closing device. 101... Damper opening/closing device, 102...
... Board, 103... Opening, 1o5, old...
Opening/closing plate, 107...Plate spring, 109...
・Shape memory alloy wire, 112... Spind AI. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano (1 person)
Figure 10/ - Damper opening/closing device lθZ - Board tos-11 Opening/closing handling l07 ゛- Handling spring toq - Shape memory alloy wire NZ-11 Sbintle 2 Figure 1θ2- Board 10.5-m- Opening/closing plate l07 --- Board Niko toq ゛-Shape memory-Synthesis line l12...Spindle No. 4rl! J rot-gunhar closure 1 10Z - board lθ3 - frontage tos-M closing plate 107... 1 anti-J Figure 3 Calyx Figure 5 //4

Claims (1)

[Claims] A board having an opening, an opening/closing plate for opening and closing the opening, a leaf spring for biasing the opening/closing plate in the closing direction, and a leaf spring attached to the back side of the opening/closing plate, fixing both ends to both hypotenuses of a triangular shape. A relatively thin shape memory alloy wire is used as a driving source that expands and contracts as the temperature changes due to heat generated by energization. The shape memory alloy wire is fixed at one end of one oblique side, the shape memory alloy wire is reciprocated at one end of the other oblique side, and the shape memory alloy wire is doubled at both triangular oblique sides. A damper opening/closing device characterized in that: