JPS587265Y2 - Door opening/closing detection device for refrigerators, etc. - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a door opening/closing detection device for detecting the half-open state or open/closed state of a door in a box body such as a refrigerator, and notifying the door with a buzzer, lamp, etc.

In conventional refrigerators, there are known ones that use a door switch to control an interior light or a blower fan, or an optical door opening/closing device that turns on and off an optical circuit on a single door.

However, in conventional devices using door switches, for example, the circuitry is complicated, and the switch itself requires a large number of contact groups.

Furthermore, a large number of light emitting and light receiving elements are required to detect the opening and closing of a single door, leading to a rise in manufacturing costs.

The present invention eliminates such drawbacks and enables a pair of light emitting/receiving elements to detect the opening of at least one of a plurality of doors, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. be.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention applied to a refrigerator will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of the refrigerator, which has a freezer compartment door 2 at the top and a refrigerator compartment door 3 at the bottom, which can be opened and closed.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a top table which forms a clay wall of the main body 1, and its tip portion extends to the upper end of the freezer compartment door 2.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a light-emitting and light-receiving unit that faces the upper surface of the freezer compartment door 2 and is disposed on the lower surface of the top table on the side opposite to the hinge.

6 is a light emitting element, and 7 is a light receiving element.

Reference numerals 8 and 8' designate a pair of first light guide members such as glass fibers that penetrate through the freezer compartment door 2 and are provided such that one end, which is the upper end thereof, faces the light emitting and light receiving elements 6 and 7.

9 is a substantially U-shaped second light guide member disposed inside the refrigerator compartment door 3, which receives light from the first light guide member 8 and
It sends light to the first light guide member 8', and both ends thereof are opposed to the first light guide members 8, 8'.

In this configuration, when both doors 2 and 3 are closed,
The light emitted from the light emitting element 6 is transmitted through the first light guide member 8 and the second light guide member 8.
The light receiving element 7 is transmitted through the light guide member 9 and the first light guide member 8'.
is reached, and, for example, an alarm buzzer (not shown) is not activated.

However, when one or both of the freezer compartment door 2 and the refrigerator compartment door 3 are opened, the light from the light emitting element 6 is emitted from the first. The light is not sent to the light receiving element 7 via the second light guide members 8, 8', 9, but instead activates an alarm buzzer or the like to notify the user of the open state of the door.

In addition, since the light emitting and light receiving unit 5 is arranged on the opposite side of the door from the hinge, even if the door is slightly opened, the optical path (optical axis) will be shifted and the open state can be detected.
Furthermore, by arranging the light emitting/light receiving unit 5 on the underside of the top table 4, there is no need to cut wires on the door side, the structure is simple, and malfunctions due to interference light from the outside are less likely to occur.

As described above, the present invention provides a main body of a refrigerator or the like having a plurality of doors, in which a part of the main body is provided with an optical element, which is a light emitting and light receiving element, and is provided so as to penetrate into the interior of one of the doors. It is composed of a first light guide member made of good quality glass fiber, etc., and a second light guide member that is provided on the other door and transmits the light from the first light guide member. It does not require a door switch or a large number of light-emitting and light-receiving elements, and has advantages such as cost advantages and a simpler circuit.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator body in which the present invention is applied to a refrigerator, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III' in Fig. 1. It is. 1... Body, 2... Freezer compartment door, 6.
...Light emitting element, 7... Light receiving element, 8.8
'...First light guide member, 9...Second light guide member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a main body such as a refrigerator having multiple doors, a part of the main body is provided with a light emitting and light receiving element called an optical element, and a glass fiber or the like with high light transmission efficiency is provided so as to penetrate inside one of the doors. A door opening/closing detection device for a refrigerator or the like, comprising one light guide member and a second light guide member provided on the other door and transmitting light from the first light guide member.