JPH0725587Y2 - Automatic door opening mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention relates to a mechanism for automatically opening a door in a refrigerator or the like.

<Prior Art> FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a main part of an automatic door opening mechanism of a conventional refrigerator, in which FIG. 1 is a door, 2 is an abutting portion provided on the door 1 side, 3 ₀ body, 4 _O is provided in the body 3 _O side, a moving member that is driven back and forth direction. When the door 1 is automatically opened, for example, by operating a switch for opening provided in the refrigerator, the moving member 4 _O
Is driven in the direction (arrow direction) in which the door 1 is pushed and opened by abutting against the abutting portion 2 of the door 1 by the power of a solenoid (not shown) or a motor, whereby the door 1 is automatically opened. ing.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an automatic door opening mechanism of another conventional refrigerator. In this refrigerator, a permanent magnet 15 is provided in the door 1 _O , and the corresponding position of the main body 3 _O is provided. When the door 1 is automatically opened, electricity is supplied so that the opposite poles have the same polarity, and the door 1 _O is opened by the repulsive force of the magnets 15 and 16.

However, in order to open the door, a large force is momentarily required. Therefore, in the case of driving the moving member 4 _O with a solenoid or using the electromagnet 16 as shown in FIG. 9, a large size is required. It consumes a lot of electric energy and requires a large-capacity dedicated power source.In addition, in the case of driving the moving member 4 _O with a motor, the power of the motor is reduced through a gear to reduce the rotation speed. There is a drawback that the opening speed of the door is slowed down because of transmission to the moving member 4 _O.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application submitted the utility model registration application “Automatic Door Opening Mechanism” submitted on November 9, 1989 to
The automatic door opening mechanism shown in Fig. 11 is proposed.

In this automatic door opening mechanism, the abutting portion 2 provided on one side of the door 1 or the main body 3 and the other side of the door 1 or the main body 3 are
A movable member 4 provided so as to be movable, and the movable member 4
A spring member 5 that abuts against the abutting portion 2 to urge the door 1 in the opening direction, and the moving member 4 resists the urging force of the spring member 5 in the closed state of the door 1. And a holding means for releasing the holding in response to a predetermined operation and permitting the movement of the moving member 4 by the biasing force, as shown in FIG. In the closed state, the moving member 4 biased by the spring member 5 in the direction of opening the door is held at a predetermined position against the biasing force, and when the door is opened,
The holding is released and the moving member 4 moves to come into contact with the contact portion 2 and automatically open the door 1 as shown in FIG.

That is, when the holding is released, the door 1 is opened all at once by the urging force of the spring member 5, so that a large-capacity power source for driving the opening mechanism is not necessary and the opening speed is not slowed down.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> However, in the previously proposed automatic door opening mechanism, the door 1
When manually closing the door 1, it is necessary to close the door 1 against the biasing force of the spring member 5, and there is a drawback that a considerable force is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides an automatic door opening mechanism that does not require a large-capacity dedicated power source, has a high opening speed, and can easily close the door. With the goal.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an abutting portion provided on one side of the door or the main body and the other side of the door or the main body, and A movable member movable between a first position close to the contact portion and a second position separated from the contact portion with respect to the first position; and within a certain distance from the movable member. A movable opening member, a spring member that biases the opening member in a direction in which the opening member is separated from the moving member, and in a direction in which the abutting portion abuts on the abutting portion to open the door; The opening member prevents the opening of the door due to the first position where the opening member comes into contact with the contact portion by the biasing force of the spring member to open the door, and the opening of the door due to the contact of the opening member with the contact portion. A driving means for moving the second position and the moving member, When moving from the first position to the second position, the opening member is locked to hold the opening member at a predetermined position against the biasing force of the spring member, and a predetermined operation is performed. Correspondingly, a holding means for releasing the holding and allowing the movement of the opening member by the biasing force, and a state in which the door is closed, the moving member is held at the first position and the door is opened. And the control means for controlling the drive means so as to move the moving member from the first position to the second position and then return it to the first position again. .

<Operation> According to the above configuration, in the state where the door is closed, the moving member is at the first position where the opening member comes into contact with the contact portion by the biasing force of the spring member to open the door. At the same time, the opening member is held at a predetermined position by the holding means against the biasing force of the spring member, and when the holding member is released from this closed state by a predetermined operation, the opening member is released. The door is opened by abutting the abutting portion by the force, and thus the door is opened at once by the urging force of the spring member, so that a large-capacity power source for driving the opening mechanism is unnecessary. In addition, the opening speed does not slow down.

Further, after the door is opened, the moving member retreats from the first position to the second position and then returns to the first position again, and the moving member moves from the first position to the second position. When the door is closed, the opening member is locked by the holding means at a predetermined position against the biasing force of the spring member. Is not affected, and therefore it does not require a considerable force to close the door.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 are sectional views showing a main part of an automatic door opening mechanism of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a door closed state, and FIG. 2 shows a moment when the door is opened. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the state after being opened, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line I-I of Fig. 3.

In the automatic door opening mechanism of the refrigerator of this embodiment, the door 10 has:
An abutting portion 11 is provided, while the main body 12 is separated from the abutting portion 11 by a first position shown in FIG. And a movable member 13 movable over a second position shown in FIG.
The opening member 14 that can move linearly within a certain distance with respect to the moving member 13, and the opening member 14 in a direction away from the moving member 13 and by contacting the contact portion 11 to open the door 10. Spring member 15 for urging in the opening direction (arrow A direction in FIG. 2)
And driving means shown in FIG. 5 for moving the moving member 13 between the first position and the second position, and the moving member 13 moves from the first position to the second position. At this time, the opening member 14 is retained by the opening member 14 at the predetermined position shown in FIG. 1 against the biasing force of the spring member 15, and the opening member 14 is held in response to a predetermined operation. There is provided a locking claw 16 as a holding means for releasing the opening and allowing the movement of the opening member 14 by the biasing force.

The opening member 14 for opening the door 10 by contacting the contact portion 11 of the door 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and one end side of the moving member 13 is housed in the opening member 14, and the moving member 13 The above-mentioned spring member 15 is interposed between the support portion 13a of 13 and the inner peripheral surface of the opening member 14, and the opening member 14 has a moving member 13 as shown in FIG. A restricting portion 14a that abuts on the supporting portion 13a and restricts the movement amount of the opening member 14 with respect to the moving member 13 is formed. That is, the opening member 14
Are allowed to move with respect to the moving member 13 within a certain distance. Further, the opening member 14 is formed with a locking hole 14b for locking the locking claw 16 as a holding means. As shown in FIG. 4, the opening member 14 is linearly movable along a pair of upper and lower guide grooves 17a, 17b formed in the main body 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, the driving means for moving the moving member 13 is composed of a motor 18, a worm gear 19, a worm wheel 20, and a rack 21, and the rotational power of the motor 18 is moved by the moving member 13. Has been converted into a linear motion. A moving member detection switch (not shown) for detecting whether or not the moving member 13 is in the first position shown in FIG. 1 is provided in the vicinity of the moving member 13.

The locking claw 16 is formed by forming a part of the cabinet of the main body 12 into a claw shape, and the locking by the locking claw 16 is released by the moving member 13 as shown in FIG. By moving in the direction of the arrow A, the tip portion 13b of the moving member 13 is brought into sliding contact with the locking claw 16 to move the locking claw 16 into the locking hole 14 of the opening member 14.
It is done by evacuating from b. A locking claw detection switch (not shown) for detecting locking or unlocking by the locking claw 16 is provided.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of this embodiment.

In this embodiment, in the closed state of the door shown in FIG. 1, the moving member 13 is in the first position close to the contact portion 11, and in this first position, the spring member 15 is compressed. The opening member 14 is urged by the urging force of the spring member 15.
Although it is at a position sufficient to abut the abutting portion 11 of the door 10 to open the door 10, a locking claw 16 is locked to the opening member 14,
It is held in place.

In order to automatically open the door 10 from this closed state, when a predetermined operation, for example, a switch of the operation unit 22 provided on the door 10 is operated, the control unit (microcomputer) 23 having a timer circuit In response to the motor drive 24
The motor 18 is rotated in the forward direction to move the moving member 13 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, whereby the tip portion 13a of the moving member 13 slides on the locking claw 16 to lock the locking claw 16. 16, release member 1
The lock is released from the locking hole 14b of 4 and the locking is released. When the release of the lock is detected by the lock claw detection switch 25 described above, the control unit 23 stops the motor 18.

By releasing the locking of the release member 14, the release member
The movement of 14 is permitted, and as shown in FIG. 2, the opening member 14 abuts the abutting portion 11 of the door 10 by the biasing force of the spring member 15 to press and open the door 10.

When the door 10 is opened, it is detected by the door switch 26, whereby the control unit 23 reverses the motor 18 to move the moving member 13 in the direction opposite to the arrow A direction. As the moving member 13 moves, the opening member 14 also moves in the same direction, and when the locking hole 14b of the opening member 14 reaches the position corresponding to the locking claw 16, it is shown in FIG. Thus, the locking claw 16 is locked and the opening member 14 is held at a predetermined position.

When the locking by the locking claw 16 is detected by the locking claw detection switch 25, the control unit 23 causes the motor 18 to rotate forward again to detect the moving member 13 in the arrow A direction by the moving member detection switch 27. The spring member 15 is compressed to the first position shown in FIG. In this state, the door 10
Since the urging force of the spring member 15 has no effect on the manual closing of the device, it can be easily closed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart corresponding to the above operation.

When the switch of the operation unit 22 is operated and a door opening request signal is given (step n1), the motor 18 is rotated in the forward direction to move the moving member.
While moving 13 in the direction of arrow A (step n
2) Start the protection timer (step n
3).

It is determined whether or not the locking by the locking claw 16 is released by the movement of the moving member 13 (step n4), and when it is released, the motor 18 is stopped (step n6), and when it is not released, the protection is performed. It is determined whether or not the timer for counting has counted up (step n5), and when it counts up, it is considered that the locking claw 16 has been released for protection, and the process proceeds to the next step n6.

At step n6, the motor 18 is stopped, and further, a protection timer is started (step n7), and it is judged by the door switch 26 whether or not the door 10 is opened (step n8).
When opened, the motor 18 is rotated in the reverse direction to move the moving member 13 in the opposite direction (step n10). When the door 10 is not opened, it is determined whether or not the protection timer has counted up (step n9). ), When the count is up, proceed to the next step n10 for protection.

In step n10, the motor 18 is rotated in the reverse direction, and further, the timer for protection is started (step n11), and it is determined whether or not the locking claw 16 is locked by the movement of the opening member 14 accompanying the movement of the moving member 13. If it is locked (step n12), the motor 18 is normally rotated again to move the moving member 13 in the direction of arrow A (step n14). If it is not locked, the protection timer counts up. If it is determined that the count is up (step n13), the process proceeds to the next step n14 for the purpose of protection.

In step n14, the motor is rotated in the normal direction, and further, the protection timer is started (step n15), and the moving member 13
Determine whether the first position has been reached (step n16),
When it reaches, it ends and moves to the next process. When it does not reach, it judges whether or not the timer for protection has counted up. When it counts up, it moves to trouble processing and stops the motor 18.

Thus, the opening of the door 10 is performed by bringing the opening member 14 into contact with the contact portion 11 by the urging force of the spring member 15. Therefore, unlike the conventional example, a large capacity power source is not required, and ,
After the door 10 is opened, the opening member 14 is retracted and held at a predetermined position, so that when the door 10 is manually closed, it can be easily closed without being affected by the biasing force of the spring member 15. become.

In the above-described embodiment, the locking by the locking claw 16 is released by the movement of the moving member 13 accompanying the rotation of the motor 18, but as another embodiment of the present invention, a solenoid or the like is used. It is also possible to do so.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the present invention, the door is opened all at once by the urging force of the spring member, so that a large-capacity power source for driving the opening mechanism is not necessary and the door is opened. After that, since the opening member is retracted and locked by the holding means at a predetermined position against the biasing force of the spring member, when the door is manually closed, the spring member is not attached. The door will not be affected by the influence, and the door can be easily closed.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
The drawing is a cross-sectional view showing a closed state, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state at the moment of opening, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after opening, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional line I- of FIG. Sectional view seen from I,
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a driving means, FIG. 6 is a control block diagram,
FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the operation, FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a conventional example, FIG. 9 is a sectional view of another conventional example, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are previously proposed by the applicant of the present application. It is sectional drawing of an Example. 10 …… door, 11 …… contact part, 12 …… main body, 13 …… moving member, 14 …… opening member, 15 …… spring member, 16 …… locking claw (holding means), 23 …… control Department.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A contact portion provided on one side of a door or a main body, and a first position provided on the other side of the door or the main body and close to the contact portion, and a first position from the first position. A movable member that is movable over a second position away from the abutting portion, an opening member that can move within a certain distance with respect to the moving member, and the opening member that is separated from the moving member. And a spring member for urging the contact member in the direction of opening the door by contacting the contact portion, and the moving member, the opening member contacting the contact portion by the urging force of the spring member. Driving means for moving the door to the first position for opening the door and the second position for blocking the opening of the door due to the contact of the opening member with the contact portion, and the moving member. , The opening when moving from the first position to the second position The release member is held at a predetermined position against the biasing force of the spring member by being locked to the material, and the holding member is released in response to a predetermined operation to move the release member by the biasing force. And a holding means for allowing the moving member to move to the first position when the door is closed.
After the door is opened and the moving member is moved from the first position to the second position, the drive means is returned to the first position again. An automatic door opening mechanism comprising: control means for controlling.