JPH05296647A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the convenience of a refrigerator having a plurality of vertically arranged storage chambers, enabling easily taking out food without the need of stooping even from a storage chamber, such as one for vegetables placed in the lower part of the refrigerator. CONSTITUTION:In a refrigerator having a plurality of vertically arranged storage chambers a movable supporting member 13 is provided to the front panel 5 of a vegetable chamber 1 placed in the lower part of the main body 3 of the refrigerator and a supporting member-driving motor, as a means for moving the movable supporting member 13 upward and downward. A vessel 9 for the vegetable chamber is mounted on the movable supporting member 13. At the moment that the front panel 5 for the vegetable chamber has been drawn out, bringing the vessel 9 for the vegetable chamber on the outer side of the front ends of the doors of storage chambers placed above the vegetable chamber, the supporting member-driving motor is started operating, thus automatically lifting the vessel 9 for the vegetable chamber.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More specifically, the present invention relates to a refrigerator having a function of automatically raising a food storage container disposed in a lower storage chamber among a plurality of storage chambers arranged in the vertical direction in association with opening of a door. ..

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, refrigerators have become a form having a large number of storage rooms and doors in response to the demand for multi-functionality and high added value. Usually, these plurality of storage chambers are arranged in the vertical direction, for example, from the top in the order of a freezing chamber, a chilled chamber, a refrigerating chamber, a vegetable chamber and the like.

Recently, for the purpose of improving the usability, there is a so-called mid-freezer type refrigerator in which a freezing room, a chilled room, a vegetable room and the like have a drawer type structure, and a frequently used refrigerating room is arranged above the freezing room. Since it was sold and received high praise in the market, each manufacturer has been manufacturing and selling a refrigerator having such a form.

[0004]

However, the basic structure of arranging a plurality of storage chambers in the vertical direction has not changed, and as long as the refrigerator has such a form, the storage located at the bottom of the refrigerator is not changed. There will always be a room. Normally, as the storage room arranged at the bottom, a vegetable room for storing vegetables and the like is allocated, but when taking out the food stored in this vegetable room, the user must bend down at every take-out. In addition, considering that relatively heavy food such as watermelon is stored in the vegetable compartment, users who repeat the extracting operation many times a day, especially women and old people, can take out food from the vegetable compartment. The work was quite a burden.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to easily take out food stored in a lower storage room such as a vegetable room without bending over. It is to provide a refrigerator that can.

[0006]

In the refrigerator of the present invention, a movable supporting member is provided on the door of the lower storage chamber of the plurality of storage chambers arranged in the vertical direction, and food or the like is provided on the supporting member. Is placed on the storage container, the supporting member driving means for moving the support member in the vertical direction, and the front end surface of the door of the other storage chamber disposed above the storage chamber in which the storage container is disposed, Door opening detection means for detecting that the door is opened until the storage container is located outside, and up and down direction of the support member by the support member driving means when the door opening detection means detects opening of the door. And the control means for permitting the movement of

[0007]

With the opening operation of the door of the storage chamber, the storage container, which is placed on the movable support member arranged on the door and stores the food or the like, moves to the outside of the storage chamber. When the storage chamber door is opened until the storage container moves to the outside of the front end surface of the door of another storage chamber located above it, the door opening detection means detects this. When the opening of the door is detected, the operation of the support member driving means for moving the movable support member in the vertical direction is permitted. As a result, the storage container moves upward, and the user can take out the food from the storage room arranged at the bottom even without bending over, so that the plurality of storage rooms arranged in the vertical direction can be opened. The usability of the refrigerator can be greatly improved.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a vegetable compartment is pulled out to a full open state in a refrigerator having a drawer type vegetable compartment at the bottom of the main body. The structure of the vegetable compartment is, for example, a two-stage rail type fully openable structure as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-20952 by the same applicant as the present application, that is, when the door is normally opened. The structure is such that the door can be pulled out further forward and the vegetable compartment container can be removed without removing the door.

In FIG. 1, the vegetable compartment 1 is disposed at the bottom of the refrigerator body 3, and a vegetable compartment door 5 is provided at the front opening thereof so as to be openable and closable. A pair of left and right movable rails 7, 7 are attached to the inner wall of the vegetable compartment door 5, the rear ends of which are connected to a rear frame for reinforcement (not shown) and are generally U-shaped. Is present. The vegetable compartment container 9 is detachably held between the movable rails 7, 7, and the movable rails 7, 7 are fixed to the vegetable compartment wall surface via the intermediate rails 11, 11. A fixed rail (not shown) is fitted and fixed so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. With this, the vegetable compartment container 9 can be pulled out and stored in cooperation with the movement of the door 5. On the bottom side of the vegetable compartment container 9, the vegetable compartment container 9 is lifted up and down by driving up and down when full open.
A supporting member 13 for lowering is provided. The details of the drive mechanism of the support member 13 are shown in FIG.

The supporting member 13 is a pair of left and right angle pieces 15 and 15 which come into contact with and support the bottom surface of the container 9 when the vegetable compartment container 9 is raised and lowered, and the angle pieces 15 and 15.
It is composed of a rising piece 17 which rises in a direction substantially perpendicular to 15, and has a substantially U shape. The support rail 19 vertically attached to the inner wall of the vegetable compartment door 5 is formed by bending a plate-like member into a substantially U-shape, and its inner surface serves as a guide surface. The support member 13 and the support rail 19 are
The guide rail of the support rail 19 is connected to the rising piece 17 of the support member 13 by screwing a connecting member (not shown) that slides in the vertical direction.

The drive motor 21 and the power transmission member 23 are arranged on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment door 5, like the support rail 19. The power transmission member 23 includes a cylindrical rail 25, a spiral sliding member 27 that slides in the rail, and a spiral sliding member 27.
And an auxiliary member for connection (not shown) which is attached to a part of the above and moves together with the sliding member 27. The tubular rail 25 has a rising portion located parallel to the support rail 19, and the auxiliary member for connection and the rising piece 17 of the supporting member 13 are fixed by screws at this rising portion.
The driving force of the driving motor 21 is transmitted to the spiral sliding member 27 of the power transmission member 23 via the gear 29.

With the above-mentioned structure, the drive motor 2
The rotational movement of No. 1 is converted into the vertical movement of the sliding member 27 on the inner surface of the rising portion of the tubular rail 25, and the supporting member 13 connected to the sliding member 27 via the auxiliary connecting member.
Is moved vertically along the support rail 19 by the drive motor 21.

3 to 7 show an energization control circuit for the drive motor 21. In this case, two drive motors 21 are used so that a sufficient rising torque can be supplied even if a heavy object such as a watermelon is stored in the vegetable compartment container 9.

3 to 6, the drive motor 2 is shown.
Both ends of 1 and 21 have a first relay 31 and a second relay-3.
3 common terminals and between the common terminals of the third relay 35 and the fourth relay 37, respectively. Relay
Each of the normal close terminals 31, 33, 35 and 37 is connected to the ground line, and each of the normal open terminals is connected to the power supply 41 through the current fuse 39. .. Here, if the current flows in the direction of arrow A, the vegetable compartment container 9 rises, and if the current flows in the direction of arrow B, the vegetable compartment container 9 descends.

In FIG. 7, one terminal of the full open detection switch 43 is connected to the power supply Vc via the resistor 45, and the other terminal is connected to the ground line. The full open detection switch 43 is
A micro switch which is arranged at an appropriate position on the front opening side in the vegetable compartment 1 and whose contacts are turned on by the rear frame after the movable rails 7, 7 are connected when the door 5 is in a full open state. Is. The connection point between the resistor 45 and the full open switch 43 is connected to the input terminal of the Schmitt trigger inverter 47, and the switch 4 is provided between the connection point and the ground.
A ceramic capacitor 49 is connected in parallel with 3. The output terminal of the Schmitt trigger inverter 47 is connected to one input terminal of the AND gate 51.

One terminal of the close detection switch 53 is connected to the power source Vc, and the other terminal is connected to the resistor 5
It is connected to the ground line via 5. The close detecting switch 53 is a micro switch which is arranged at an appropriate position on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 1 and whose contact is turned on by the rear frame when the door 5 is completely closed.

The connection point between the close detection switch 53 and the resistor 55 is connected to the input terminal of the Schmitt trigger inverter 57, and between the connection point and the power supply Vc, a ceramic capacitor is provided in parallel with the switch 53. 59 is connected. The output terminal of the Schmitt trigger inverter 57 is connected to the clock input terminal CK of the D-flip-flop (hereinafter referred to as D-FF) 61. D-FF61
The data input terminal D and the preset terminal bar PR are both connected to the power source Vc, and the non-inverting output terminal Q is connected to the other input terminal of the AND gate 51.
The output terminal of the AND gate 51 is connected to the clock input terminal CK of the D-FF 63, and its data input terminal D and preset terminal bar PR are both connected to the power supply Vc.

The non-inverting output terminal Q of the D-FF 63 is connected to a low input active Darlington driver (hereinafter simply referred to as a driver) via an inverter target 65.
It is connected to the input terminal of 67. The output terminal of the driver 67 is connected to the power source V via the drive coil 69 of the relay 33.
It is connected to a power supply Vd having a voltage higher than c.
The coil 69 has a diode 71 for preventing back electromotive force.
Are connected in parallel. The output terminal of the inverter target 65 is also connected to the input terminal of the driver 73, and the output terminal of the driver 73 is connected to the power supply Vd via the drive coil 75 of the relay 37. There is. Similarly to the above, the diode 77 is connected in parallel to the coil 75.

The descent / temporary stop instruction switch 79 is attached to an operation panel (not shown) arranged on the front surface of the refrigerator body, and is pressed by the user to instruct descent / temporary stop of the vegetable compartment container 9. You can do it. One terminal of the down / temporary stop instruction switch 79 is connected to the power supply Vc, and the other terminal is connected to the ground line via the resistor 81. A ceramic capacitor 83 is provided between the connection point of the switch 79 and the resistor 81 and the power supply Vc.
And are connected in parallel.

The connection point between the switch 79 and the resistor 81 is further connected to the Schmitt trigger inverter 85 and the inverter gate 8.
It is connected to the clock input terminal CK of the D-FF 89 via 7. The preset terminal bar PR of the D-FF 89 is connected to the power source Vc, the data input terminal D thereof is connected to the inverting output terminal bar Q, and each time the pulse rising signal is inputted to the clock input terminal. , The logic level of the output signal from the non-inverting output terminal Q is high / low-inverted.

The non-inverting output terminal Q of the D-FF 89 is connected to the input terminals of the drivers 93 and 95 via the inverter target 91. The output terminal of the driver 93 is connected to the power supply Vd via the drive coil 97 of the relay 31, and the diode 99 is connected in parallel to the coil 97. Similarly, the output terminal of the driver-95 is
Connected to the power supply Vd through the drive coil 101 of 35,
A diode 103 is connected to the coil 101 in parallel.

The upper limit switch 105 is mounted at an appropriate position on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment door 5, and when the vegetable compartment container 9 is raised to the upper limit position, that is, when the support member 13 is raised to the upper limit position, the support member is opened. The micro switch is turned on at 13. One terminal of the upper limit switch 105 is connected to the power supply Vc, and the other terminal is connected to the ground line via the resistor 107. A connection point between the switch 105 and the resistor 107 is connected to an input terminal of the Schmitt trigger inverter 109, and a ceramic capacitor 111 is connected in parallel with the switch 105 between the connection point and the power supply Vc. The output terminal of the Schmitt trigger inverter 109 is connected to one input terminal of the AND gates 113 and 115.

The reset circuit 117 is provided for each IC when the power is turned on.
Is reset to the initial state and is composed of four resistors, two NPN transistors, a Zener diode, and an electrolytic capacitor. In this reset circuit 117, a resistor 11 is provided between the power supply Vc and the ground line.
9, a series circuit of a Zener diode 121 and a resistor 123 is connected. Zener diode 121 and resistor 1
The connection point with 23 is connected to the base of the transistor 125, and the emitter of the transistor 125 is connected to the ground line. The collector of the transistor 125 is connected to the base of the transistor 127 and is also connected to the power supply Vc via the resistor 129. The emitter of the transistor 127 is connected to the ground line, and the collector of the transistor 127 is connected to the power supply Vc via the resistor 131. The collector of the transistor 127 is further connected to the output terminal of the reset circuit 117, and the electrolytic capacitor 133 is connected between the connection line and the ground line with the + terminal being the connection line side. The reset circuit 117 can be replaced with a reset IC. The output terminal of the reset circuit 117 is connected to the other input terminals of the AND gates 113 and 115, respectively, and is also connected to one input terminal of the AND gate 135. The output terminals of the AND gates 113 and 115 are connected to the clear terminal bars R of the D-FF 61 and D-FF 63, respectively.

The lower limit switch 137 is mounted at an appropriate position on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment door 5 and when the vegetable compartment container 9 is lowered to the lower limit position, that is, when the support member 13 is lowered to the lower limit position. The micro switch is turned on at 13.

One terminal of the lower limit switch 137 is connected to the power supply Vc, and the other terminal is connected to the ground line via the resistor 139. The connection point between the switch 137 and the resistor 139 is connected to the input terminal of the Schmitt trigger inverter 141, and the ceramic capacitor 143 is connected in parallel with the switch 137 between the connection point and the power supply Vc. The output terminal of the Schmitt trigger inverter 141 is connected to the other input terminal of the AND gate 135, and further, the AND gate 135.
The output terminal of is connected to the clear terminal bar R of the D-FF 89.

The operation and effect of the above structure will be described below.

Now, it is assumed that the door 5 of the vegetable compartment is closed with the vegetable container 9 in the lower limit position, and the contacts of the close detection switch 53 and the lower limit switch 137 are closed. ..

(At power-on)

First, when the power is turned on, the reset circuit 11
The rising edge of the output signal of 7 is more
1 and the electrolytic capacitor 133 delays by the time constant, and during that time, the AND gates 113, 115, 13
The output signal of 5 becomes L level, and accordingly, each D-FF6
1, 63 and 89 are reset to the initial state by receiving an L level signal at their clear terminal bars R. At this time, D
The output signals from the non-inverting output terminals Q of the FFs 63 and 89 become L level, are inverted to H level by the inverters 65 and 91, and then applied to the input terminals of the drivers 67, 73, 93 and 95. It The drivers 67, 73, 93, and 95 to which the H level signal is applied are in the inactive state, so that the relay drive coils 69, 75, 97, and 1 are inactivated.
01 is not energized and each relay 31, 33, 35, 37
The state of the contact is the initial state shown in FIG. Figure 3
As is clear from this, in this initial state, the drive motors 21 and 2 are
Both terminals 1 are connected to the ground side, and the drive motor is stopped. After that, when a predetermined time determined by the resistor 131 and the electrolytic capacitor 133 elapses, the output signal of the reset circuit 117 becomes H level, and the reset state is released.

(Begin rising)

When the user opens the vegetable compartment door 5, the contact of the close detection switch 53 is opened, and the rising edge from the L level signal to the H level signal is passed through the Schmitt trigger inverter 57. It is given to the clock input terminal CK of the D-FF 61. Data input terminal D of D-FF61
Is connected to the power supply Vc, the H level signal is output from the non-inverting output terminal Q to the other input terminal of the AND gate 51 in synchronization with the rising edge of the clock input terminal CK. When the user continues the pull-out operation and the vegetable compartment door 5 is pulled out to the full open position, the contact point of the full open detection switch 43 is closed and inverted by the Schmitt trigger inverter 47. The H level signal is applied to one input terminal of the AND gate 51. As a result, the H-level output signal from the AND gate 51 is D-
The data will be output to the clock input terminal CK of the FF 63. Since the data input terminal D of the D-FF 63 is connected to the power supply Vc, the data input terminal D from the non-inversion output terminal Q goes high in synchronization with the rising edge of the input signal to this clock input terminal CK.
Output level signal. The H level output signal is input to the inverter 65, the logical level is inverted, and the L level signal is input to the drivers 67 and 73.
As a result, the drivers 67 and 73 become active, and the current from the power supply Vd is drawn in, so that the relays 33 and 3 are released.
The energization of the drive coils 69 and 75 of No. 7 is started. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the contacts of the relays 33 and 37 are not contacted.
After moving to the round-open side, an electric current in the direction of arrow A flows through the drive motors 21 and 21, and the vegetable compartment container 9 starts to rise.

(Stop rising once)

While the vegetable compartment container 9 is being raised, the user can temporarily stop the raising by turning on the lowering / temporarily stopping instruction switch 79. This is, for example, the vegetable room 1
In order to prevent the vegetable compartment door from being accidentally full-opened while the door of the freezer compartment above it is pulled out and the vegetable compartment container 9 starts to rise and collide with the freezer compartment door and lock. Alternatively, it is a function provided for interrupting the raising of the vegetable compartment container 9 at the user's favorite position. The operation is as follows.

First, when the vegetable compartment container 9 starts to rise, the contact point of the lower limit switch 137 is opened, and the other input terminal of the AND gate 135 is inverted by the Schmitt trigger inverter 141 at the logic level. The H level signal thus generated is input. As a result, the output signal from the AND gate 135 to the clear terminal bar R of the D-FF 89 becomes the H level, the D-FF 89 is released from the clear state, and enters the clock input waiting state.

In this state, when the user turns on the down / temporarily stop instruction switch 79, the rising edge of the H level signal whose logic level has been inverted twice by the Schmitt trigger inverter 85 and the inverter 87 is D. -FF89
Is applied to the clock input terminal CK. A signal of H level is output from the non-inversion output terminal Q of the D-FF 89 in synchronization with this rising edge, the logic level is inverted by the inverter 91, and then the driver 93 as an L level input signal. 95 is applied. As a result, the drivers 93 and 95 are activated and the relays 31 and 3 are released.
The drive coils 97 and 101 of No. 5 are energized.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the contacts of the relays 31 and 35 are also connected to the normal open side like the contacts of the relays 33 and 37, so that the drive motors 21 and 21 are energized. It stops and the raising of the vegetable compartment container 9 stops.

Here again, the descending / temporarily stopping instruction switch 7
9 is turned on, the clock input terminal C of the D-FF 89
A rising edge to the H level signal is applied to K again, and in synchronization with this, the logical level of the output signal from the non-inverting output terminal Q changes from the H level to the L level. Therefore, the drivers 93 and 95 are inactive,
The energization of the drive coils 97 and 101 is stopped. As a result, the contacts of the relays 31 and 35 are again connected to the normal close side, that is, the state shown in FIG. 4, and the energization of the drive motors 21 and 21 in the direction of arrow A is restarted. Then, the vegetable compartment container 9 starts rising again.

(Stop rising)

When the vegetable compartment container 9 moves up to the upper limit position, the upper limit switch 105 is turned on by the support member 13. In synchronization with this, the Schmitt trigger inverter 10 is connected to one of the input terminals of the AND gates 113 and 115.
An L level signal whose logical level is inverted at 9 is applied, and an L level output signal is output from the AND gates 113 and 115 toward the clear input terminal bar R of the D-FFs 61 and 63. become. Clear input terminal bar R
The D-FF 63, to which the L level signal is applied, outputs an L level signal from its non-inverting output terminal Q, and as a result,
As described above, the power supply to the relay drive coils 69 and 75 is stopped. Therefore, the contacts of the relays 33 and 37 are connected to the normal close side, and the relays 31 and 37 are connected.
Since the contacts of 33, 35 and 37 return to the initial state shown in FIG. 3, the drive motors 21 and 21 are stopped and the vegetable compartment container 9
Stops at this upper limit position. In this state, the user can easily take out the necessary food from the vegetable compartment container 9 without bending over.

(Start of descending)

After taking out the necessary food from the vegetable compartment container 9, the user can lower the vegetable compartment container 9 by turning on the lower / temporary stop instruction switch 79. As described above, when the vegetable compartment container 9 is stopped at the upper limit position, the contact points of the relays 31, 33, 35 and 37 are in the state shown in FIG.

When the down / temporary stop instruction switch 79 is turned on, the rising edge from the L level signal to the H level signal is input to the clock input terminal CK of the D-FF 89. In synchronization with this, an H-level signal is output from the non-inverting output terminal Q of the D-FF 89, so that the relay drive coils 97 and 101 are energized. When the relay drive coils 97, 101 are energized, the contacts of the relays 31, 35 are connected to the normal open side, and the state of each relay contact changes to the state shown in FIG. Therefore, the drive mode
A current flows in the direction indicated by arrow B to the vegetables 21 and 21, and the vegetable compartment container 9 descends.

When the vegetable container 9 starts descending, the contact point of the upper limit switch 105 is opened.
The FFs 61 and 63 are released from the clear state, and shift to the clock input standby state.

(Stop descending once)

Similarly to the ascending operation, the user can suspend the descending operation of the vegetable compartment container 9 by turning on the descending / temporarily stopping instruction switch 79 during the descending operation. For example, after the lowering operation of the vegetable compartment container 9 is started,
This is a function provided so that when the user notices that he / she has forgotten to take out the food, the descending operation is interrupted and the food can be taken out again without bending the hip as much as possible. While the vegetable chamber container 9 is descending, the output signal from the non-inverting output terminal Q of the D-FF 89 is at H level, and the relays 31, 33, 35,
Each contact of 37 is in the state shown in FIG. When the down / temporary stop instruction switch 79 is turned on, the rising edge from the L level to the H level is input to the clock input terminal CK of the D-FF 89, and the logic of the output signal from the non-inverting output terminal Q of the D-FF 89 is input. The level changes to the L level. As a result, the energization of the relay drive coils 97 and 101 is stopped, and the contacts of the relays 31 and 35 are normally closed.
Connected to the side. Therefore, relays 31, 33, 3
The respective contacts of Nos. 5 and 37 are in the state shown in FIG. 3, the drive motors 21, 21 are de-energized, and the lowering operation of the vegetable compartment container 9 is interrupted.

Here, in order to resume the descending of the vegetable compartment container 9, the descending / temporary stop instruction switch 79 may be turned on again, as in the case of restarting after the temporary raising is stopped. By turning on the descending / stopping instruction switch 79, the output signal level from the non-inverting output terminal Q of the D-FF 89 changes from the L level to the H level again, and the energization to the relay coils 97 and 101 is restarted. The contacts of the relays 31 and 35 are again connected to the normal open side. Therefore, relays 31, 33, 3
Each contact of Nos. 5 and 37 changes to the state of FIG.
The energization in the direction of arrow B to Nos. 1 and 21 is restarted, and the vegetable compartment container 9 starts the descending operation again.

(Stop descending)

When the vegetable compartment container 9 is lowered to the lower limit position, the lower limit switch 137 is turned on by the support member 13. As a result, the Schmitt trigger inverter 141
The L level signal whose logic level is inverted at
Applied to the other input terminal of the switch 135. D-FF89
An L level input signal is applied to the clear terminal bar R of the AND gate 135, and the output signal from the non-inverted output terminal Q changes to the L level.
The power supply to the relays 31 and 35 is stopped, and the contacts of the relays 31 and 35 are connected to the normal close side. Therefore, relays 31, 3
Each contact point of 3, 35, 37 returns to the initial state shown in FIG. 3, and the vegetable compartment container 9 stops at the lower limit position. After that, the user pushes the vegetable compartment door 5 toward the inside of the vegetable compartment to close it, and the contact point of the close detection switch 105 is closed to complete a series of operations.

According to this embodiment as described above, the vegetable compartment container 9 automatically starts to rise and stops at the upper limit position only when the vegetable compartment door 5 is fully opened. Can easily take out the food in the vegetable compartment container 9 without bending over. In addition, after taking out the food, the vegetable compartment container 9 automatically starts descending and stops at the lower limit position only by turning on the switch 79 arranged on the front surface of the refrigerator, so hold the food in both hands. Even if there is, the vegetable compartment door 5 can be closed very easily. Further, since the switch 79 also has a function of temporarily stopping when moving up and down, the vegetable chamber container 9 can be stopped at an appropriate position desired by the user by a simple operation. The usability can be further improved.

Particularly, in this embodiment, since the D-FF 89 is held in the clear state when the contact of the lower limit switch 137 is closed, the circuit configuration is as follows.
Even if the switch 79 is erroneously operated, the downward driving force is not applied to the vegetable chamber container 9 which is already at the lower limit position, and the vegetable chamber container drive mechanism is damaged and burned by the drive motor lock. And the like can be reliably prevented. Also, a circuit configuration is adopted in which the vegetable compartment container raising instruction signal is generated only when the contact point of the full open detection switch 43 is closed after the contact point of the close detection switch 53 is opened. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently avoid the risk that the vegetable compartment container 9 starts to rise while being kept in the vegetable compartment 1.

In the above embodiment, the lowering / temporary stop instructing switch 97 is an independent dedicated switch.
The present invention is not limited to this, and the descent / temporary stop instruction switch 97 and various refrigerator operation control switches such as a forced cooling operation switch, which are usually arranged on the operation plate on the front of the refrigerator, may be combined. .. In this case, the microcomputer controlling the refrigerator operation control may detect the generation of the vegetable compartment container raising instruction signal, and only when this instruction signal is received, the dual-purpose switch may be determined as the down / temporarily stop instruction switch 97. For example, the switch can be used as a switch without adversely affecting the refrigerator operation control. Further, as a method of opening the vegetable compartment door 5, it is possible to adopt a rotary type.

[0051]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention is a refrigerator having a plurality of storage chambers arranged in the vertical direction, and a storage container for food or the like disposed in the storage chamber located at the bottom of the refrigerator main body is With the opening operation of the storage chamber door, when the storage container is moved to the outside of the front end face of the other storage chamber located above the storage chamber, the storage container is automatically raised. The user can surely ascend without being disturbed by the door of the upper storage room, and the user can take out food etc. from the storage room arranged at the lower part of the refrigerator body such as the vegetable room without bending over. The usability of the refrigerator can be greatly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

[Fig. 3] Energizing circuit diagram for drive motor (stopped state)

[Fig. 4] Schematic diagram of the energizing circuit to the drive motor (while rising)

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a power supply to the drive motor (a state in which the ascent is temporarily stopped)

FIG. 6 is an energization circuit diagram for the drive motor (during descending)

[Fig. 7] Overall control circuit diagram

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a vegetable compartment, 5 is a vegetable compartment door, 9 is a vegetable compartment storage container, 13
Is a support member, and 21 is a drive motor.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Takei 1-6 Ota-Toshiba-cho, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Prefecture Toshiba Osaka factory

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A support member provided on a door of a storage room located at a lower part of a refrigerator main body, a storage container for storing foods and the like placed on the support member, and a support for vertically moving the support member. Member driving means, and door opening detection means for detecting that the door is opened until the storage container is located outside the front end surface of another storage chamber door arranged above the storage chamber, A refrigerator provided with a control means for permitting a vertical movement of the support member by the support member driving means when the door opening detection means detects the opening of the door. 2. A support member provided on a door of a storage room located at the lower part of the refrigerator body, a storage container for storing foods and the like placed on the support member, and a support for moving the support member in the vertical direction. Member driving means, upper limit position detecting means for detecting that the supporting member has moved to the upper limit position, lower limit position detecting means for detecting that the supporting member has moved to the lower limit position, and moving the supporting member downward. Detecting that the door is opened until the lowering instruction means for instructing the support member driving means and the storage container is positioned outside the front end surface of the door of another storage room located above the storage room. And a supporting member driving means for moving the supporting member upward when the door opening detecting means detects opening of the door, and a supporting member when the upper limit position detecting means detects the upper limit position. To stop A refrigerator characterized in that when a lowering instruction is received from the lowering instruction means, the support member is moved downward, and when the lower limit position detection means detects the lower limit position, the support member is stopped. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, further comprising a temporary stop instruction means for temporarily stopping the support member driving means while the support member driving means is moving the support member. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the descending instruction means is provided on the front surface of the refrigerator main body.