JPH028572A - Damper open and close device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the whole of a damper open and close device thin by causing a spindle to come in contact with the back of an open and close plate, and hooking a fine shape memory alloy wire to the spindle. CONSTITUTION:The ends of spindles 112a an 112b are made in contact with the back of open and close plates 105a and 105b for a damper open and close device, and fine shape memory alloy wires 109a and 109b are hooked to the other ends of the spindles 112a and 112b. According to the aforesaid construction, it is possible to keep the open and close plates 105a and 105b open simply by applying electric power to the shape memory alloy wires 109a and 109b, and no heater is required. Consequently, it is possible to make the whole of the damper open and close device small in thickness.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a damper opening/closing device for adjusting the flow rate of cold air in an electric refrigerator or the like having two or more switching chambers.

BACKGROUND ART For example, in a refrigerator equipped with a divided freezing compartment, refrigerating compartment, and switching compartment, temperature control is performed by opening and closing a damper provided in a passage connecting the freezing compartment, refrigeration compartment, and switching compartment. Conventionally, gas thermostatic bellows have been used as the driving source for opening and closing, but gas thermostatic bellows has problems such as slow response speed (and increases the size of the device), so recently shape memory alloy coil springs have been used as the driving source. A conventional damper opening/closing device using a shape memory alloy boiled 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. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 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, and an opening 3 is formed at one end thereof;
A support plate 4 is provided protruding from the upper surface of the midsection. Reference numeral 5 designates an operating plate rotatably supported by the support plate 4, and an opening/closing plate 6 for opening and closing the opening 3 of the substrate 2 is attached to the tip end thereof. Further, the operating plate 5 has a permanent opening 3.
A bias spring 7 is attached to bias the spring in the direction of closing. 8 is a coil spring made of a heat-treated shape memory alloy so that it contracts when heated to a predetermined temperature or higher, and is attached to one end of the operating plate 5 on the side where the opening/closing plate 6 is not provided; Normally, it is in an extended state and urges the actuating plate 5 in the direction of closing together with the biasing force of the bias spring 7, and when contracted, the actuating plate 5 closes against the urging force of the bias spring 7. It is designed to support the direction of achieving this goal. 9 is a heater consisting of a positive temperature coefficient thermistor disposed inside the inner shell 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 close. When the outer heater 9 is energized, the coil springs 8 near the second heater 9 begin to contract in order, and as a result, the contractile 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 closing direction. Note that 10 indicates a housing portion for housing 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 close 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 closing direction by the biasing force of the bias spring 7. Therefore, the opening 3 is closed by the opening/closing plate 6 of the actuating plate 5.

When a command to close 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. be done. Therefore, the coil spring 8 contracts, and the actuating plate 5 is rotated clockwise against the biasing force of the bias spring 7, thereby closing the opening 3.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above conventional configuration, the coil spring 8 made of a shape memory alloy that is the driving source has a coil shape, so the wire diameter has to be thick in order to generate high output, which results in low resistance. Therefore, in order to increase the response speed of the opening/closing plate 6, 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 cost.
Since the coil spring 8 has a coil shape, the overall thickness of the damper opening/closing device 1 becomes thicker, and therefore, when it is attached to a refrigerator, the internal volume tends to become smaller. In addition, in order to independently control two or more switching chambers, it is necessary to use two or more of the damper opening/closing devices 1, and the cost of installation also increases in terms of man-hours.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems and does not require a heater as a heat source, and the response speed of the opening/closing plate is fast (also, since the overall thickness is thin and multiple openings are provided on one board, two or more openings are provided). The purpose of the present invention is to provide a damper opening/closing device that can independently control the temperature of a switching chamber.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above objects, the damper opening/closing device of the present invention includes a substrate having a plurality of openings, an opening/closing plate for opening and closing each opening, and an opening/closing plate that moves the opening/closing plate in a closing direction. It is attached to the back side of the energizing leaf spring and each of the opening and closing plates,
A relatively fine shape memory alloy wire is fixed at both ends and serves as a driving source that expands and contracts as the temperature changes due to heat generated by electricity, and a recess is formed in which one end abuts near the center of each of the shape memory alloy wires, and the other end is connected to a substrate. A spindle that penetrates through the substrate and comes into contact with the opening/closing plate is provided, and a plurality of openings are provided on the two substrates, and a driving source corresponding to the openings is provided.

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 is opened and closed by driving the spindle up and down. Ru.

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

1 to 4, 101 is a damper opening/closing device, 102 is a board of a damper device, and openings 103a and 103b are formed at one end of the board 102, and openings 103a and 103b are formed at the other end. bearings 104a, 104b, 104
c and 104d are provided in a protruding manner. 105a, 105b
are the above bearings 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d
The opening/closing plate is rotatably supported by the opening/closing plate, and the tip thereof has openings 103a and 103 formed in the substrate 102.
The opening 10 is provided with springs 106a and 106b that are slightly larger than the openings 106a and 106b at positions corresponding to
3a and 103b are always energized in the closing direction. Board 1
A protrusion 108 is formed in the middle part of 02, and on the back side thereof, relatively thin shape memory alloy wires 109a and 109b, which are heat-treated so as to shrink when heated to a predetermined temperature or higher, have fixed terminals 110a, 110b, and 110C at both ends. It is caulked and fixed. Fixed terminals 110a, 110
b and 110c are rivets 1lla, 1llb and 11
1c, each is fixed to the substrate 102. Shape memory alloy wires 109a and 109b have recesses 113 in spindles 112a and 112b, which are driven in the vertical direction by expansion and contraction of shape memory alloy wires 109a and 109b, approximately in the center.
a and 113b, and the spindle 112
The other end portions of a and 112b respectively pass through the substrate 102 and abut on the opening/closing plates 105a and 105b. Nao 114
is a protrusion 108 formed on the substrate 102 that houses the driving source.
It is the cover of

The operation of the damper opening/closing device configured as above will be described below. First, under normal conditions, that is, when a damper closing command is not issued, the shape memory alloy wire 109a is not energized through the fixed terminals 110a and 1lob, and the fixed terminals 110b and 110 are
The shape memory alloy wire 109b is also not energized through c, so the shape memory alloy wires U109a and 109b are both in an extended state, and the opening/closing plates 105a and 105b are moved in the closing direction by the biasing force of the corresponding leaf springs 107a and 107b. It is energized and closes the openings 103a and 10b, respectively.

When a command to close the opening/closing plate 105a is issued from a control circuit (not shown), the fixed terminals 110a and 110
The shape memory alloy wire 109a is directly energized through the wire b, and the shape memory alloy wire 109a contracts due to self-heating, and moves the opening and closing plate 105a clockwise through the spindle 112a against the biasing force of the leaf spring 107a. The opening 103a is closed. Further, when a command to close 105b is issued in the same way as above, fixed terminal 110b is shared and fixed terminal 11
Electricity is applied directly to the shape memory alloy wire 109b via 0b and 110C, and the shape memory alloy 1109b contracts due to self-heating, and the shape memory alloy wire 109b contracts via the spindle 112b to the leaf spring 107b.
Rotate the opening/closing plate 105b clockwise against the applied force of
The opening 103b is closed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by providing the relatively thin shape memory alloy wires 109a and 109b as driving sources, which are fixed at both ends and expand and contract as the temperature changes due to heat generation, the heater etc. as a heat source can be used. By directly energizing the shape memory alloy wires 109a and 109b, the response speed is fast in both the closing direction and the closing direction.Also, the protrusion 108 is formed on the front side of the substrate 102, and a driving source is provided inside the protrusion 108. Since certain shape memory alloy wires 109a and 109b are housed, the overall thickness is reduced, and when installed in a refrigerator, the internal capacity is increased and it can be used effectively.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention includes a substrate having a plurality of openings, an opening/closing plate for opening and closing each opening, a leaf spring for biasing the opening/closing plate in the closing direction, and a spring for biasing each opening/closing plate in the closing direction. A relatively thin shape memory alloy wire is attached to the back side, has both ends fixed, and is a driving source that expands and contracts as the temperature changes due to heat generated by electricity, and a recess is formed in which one end is in equal contact with the center of each of the shape memory alloy wires. , and a spindle whose other end passes through the substrate and is in equal contact with the opening/closing plate, and by providing a plurality of openings on the two substrates and a starting source corresponding to the openings, the shape memory alloy wire is directly connected to the spindle. The opening/closing plate can be closed by self-heating just by turning on electricity, eliminating the need for a conventional heat source, a heater, and reducing the number of parts. Since the damper opening/closing device is used in a linear form rather than in a coil, the overall thickness of the damper opening/closing device can be designed to be thin.Also, since multiple openings are provided on one board, one damper opening/closing device can be used in multiple locations. It is possible to construct a low-cost, thin damper opening/closing device that can control the temperature of the switching chamber and meets the needs of customers, and its practical effects are significant.

[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 sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 1. A cross-sectional view showing the damper closed state,
4 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional damper opening/closing device, and FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of FIG. 5. 101... Damper opening/closing device, 102...
...Substrate, 103a, 103b--...Opening, 10
5a. 105b...Opening/closing plate, 107a, 107b...
... Itabane, 109a, 109b ... Shape memory alloy wire, 113a, 113b ... - Concavity, 11
2a, 112b...Spindle. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person Substrate OQB

Claims (1)

[Claims] A substrate having a plurality of opening holes, an opening/closing plate for opening and closing each opening, a spring for biasing the opening/closing plate in the closing direction, and a spring attached to the back side of each opening/closing plate, fixing both ends and energizing the opening/closing plate. A relatively thin shape memory alloy wire is used as a driving source that expands and contracts as the temperature changes due to heat generation, and a recess is formed in which one end abuts near the center of each of the shape memory alloy wires, and the other end penetrates through the substrate to form an opening/closing plate. A damper opening/closing device comprising: a spindle that comes into contact with the substrate; and a plurality of openings on the one substrate, and a driving source corresponding to the opening.