KR101704810B1

KR101704810B1 - Refrigerator whit height adjustable shelf and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: KR101704810B1
Application number: KR1020090039155A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김명환; 조용범; 강병규; 안종욱
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2009-05-06
Filing date: 2009-05-06
Publication date: 2017-02-08
Also published as: KR20100120377A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include a cabinet forming a storage space; A shelf provided inside the cabinet; A driving device provided at one side of the cabinet and including a motor to move the shelf up and down; An operating portion for operating the driving device; A load sensing device for sensing a load applied to the height adjusting device; And a control unit electrically connected to the driving unit and the load sensing unit to control the driving unit. When the abnormal load is detected in the load sensing unit, the control unit stops the driving of the driving unit . According to the present invention having such a configuration, safety is improved.

Refrigerator, Shelf, Height, Adjustable, Control

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a height adjustable shelf,

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a height adjusting shelf and a control method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a refrigerator is a household appliance that allows food to be stored at a low temperature in an internal storage space that is shielded by a door. The refrigerator is stored by cooling the inside of the storage space using cool air generated through heat exchange with a refrigerant circulating in a refrigeration cycle It is configured to store foods in optimal condition.

Such a refrigerator is in a trend of becoming larger and multifunctional as the dietary change and user 's taste are diversified, and the shape of the refrigerator is also becoming various according to the configuration of the storage space.

The shelves, drawers, and baskets provided in the refrigerator can store various foods for refrigeration or freeze storage. The drawers, the shelves, and the baskets are divided into a high temperature storage room and a low temperature storage room .

On the other hand, the lathe dividing the inside space can be changed variously by changing the mounting position thereof, and the user can adjust the mounting position of the shelf so as to accommodate containers of various sizes of food or food, Thereby constituting an appropriate space.

The most typical mounting structure of such a shelf has a structure in which a forming step is formed on the right and left side wall surfaces of the hanger and a shelf is placed thereon. A guide having a plurality of holes formed in the rear wall surface of the hanger is provided, And a shelf having a coupling part is coupled to the shelf so as to mount the shelf in the form of a cantilever. However, in such a structure, it is necessary to separate and reassemble the shelf to adjust the height of the shelf, which is inconvenient to use.

To solve this problem, there has been developed a refrigerator which can easily adjust the height of the shelf while the shelf is mounted.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1999-0074676 discloses a control apparatus for a vehicle having a drive means for rotating forward and backward in accordance with an operation of an operation switch, a worm shaft rotated in normal and reverse directions according to the operation of the drive means, a support member having gears meshed with the worm shaft, A shelf lifting device of a refrigerator including a guide plate coupled to a support member and lifted and lowered according to a rotation operation of a gear and a shelf detachably coupled to the guide plate is disclosed.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1999-0074425 discloses a power transmission device including a drive means for rotating forward and backward according to an operation of an operation switch, a worm shaft rotated in normal and reverse directions in response to the operation of the motor, There is disclosed a shelf device of a refrigerator including a guide plate coupled and fixed to a steel plate and a shelf detachably coupled to the guide plate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a height adjusting shelf for detecting a load detected by an apparatus for detecting an abnormal load caused by an obstacle when the shelf is moved up and down to stop movement of the shelf.

A refrigerator including a height adjusting shelf according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet having a storage space formed therein and having guide rails formed on one side thereof; A housing vertically moved along the guide rails; A motor provided in the housing to provide a driving force for moving the housing up and down, A gear assembly connected to the motor and the guide rake to transmit driving force of the motor to the guide rake; An operation unit for operating normal and reverse rotation of the motor; A shelf mounted on the housing; A pressure sensor for detecting a pressure applied to the shelf; And a control unit electrically connected to the motor, the pressure sensor, and the operation unit and switching the rotation direction of the motor when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a set value when the operation unit is operated, An upper plate forming an upper surface of the shelf and being moved downward by a pressure applied from above; A lower plate which forms a lower surface of the shelf and which is moved upward by a pressure applied from below; The upper and lower edges of the upper and lower plates are folded to form a rim of the shelf. The edges of the upper and lower edges of the shelf are formed to be longer than the sum of the thicknesses of the upper and lower plates. A frame in which a space for movement is formed; And an elastic member provided between the upper plate and the lower plate such that the upper plate and the lower plate are vertically spaced from the inside of the frame, wherein the pressure sensor is provided between the upper plate and the lower plate, And the pressure applied to the lower plate can be detected.
The housing includes a front housing and a rear housing, each housing having a front surface and a rear surface, and a space for receiving the motor, the gear assembly, and the control unit is formed between the front housing and the rear housing. .
The gear assembly includes: a bevel gear connected to a rotating shaft of the motor; A shaft on which a shaft-side bevel gear to be gear-engaged with the bevel gear is formed; And a pinion provided at a position corresponding to the guide rail on the shaft, at least a part of the pinion is gear-engaged with the guide rail through the housing.
A mounting groove formed on a front surface of the housing and being longitudinally recessed so as to insert a rear end of the shelf; A housing side terminal portion formed inside the mounting groove and electrically connected to the control portion; And a shelf side terminal portion formed at a position corresponding to the housing side terminal portion at a rear end of the shelf and electrically connected to the pressure sensor. When the rear end of the shelf is inserted into the mounting recess, And the control unit and the pressure sensor are electrically connected to each other.
The upper plate and the lower plate are provided in the form of a quadrangular plate, and the elastic member and the pressure sensor are respectively provided in four corner regions between the upper plate and the lower plate.

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According to the refrigerator provided with the height adjusting shelf according to the embodiment of the present invention, when a load is generated by an obstacle when the food is housed in the shelf, the movement of the shelf is stopped.

Therefore, not only the food stored in the shelf but also the body of the user can be protected, thereby improving the safety.

In particular, when the food stored in the shelf or the user's body is caught between the shelves in which the user's body is moved up and down, the load sensing device and the control unit detect the abnormal load, move the shelf in the reverse direction, Or damage to the user's body can be prevented.

In addition, by stopping the driving of the motor that provides power for up and down movement of the shelf when an excessive load is supplied, damage to the motor and damage to the entire shelf height adjustment system can be prevented.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the scope of the present invention to the embodiment shown, and that other embodiments falling within the scope of the present invention may be easily devised by adding, Can be proposed.

1 is a perspective view of a door of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the refrigerator 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a cabinet 10 having a storage space therein and a door 20 for selectively shielding the opened front face of the cabinet 10 The outer shape is formed.

The interior of the cabinet 10 is divided into upper and lower portions by the barrier 12 to form the refrigerating chamber 30 and the freezing chamber 40, respectively. The door 20 includes a refrigerating chamber door 22 for blocking the refrigerating chamber 30 and a freezing chamber door 24 for blocking the freezing chamber 40. The refrigerator compartment door 22 is constituted by a pair of doors 20 and is configured to be opened and closed by pivoting to both the left and right sides. The freezer compartment door 24 is withdrawn forward and backward by a drawer type to open and close the freezer compartment 40 .

Meanwhile, a plurality of shelves and drawers for storing food are provided in the cabinet 10. Particularly, the shelves provided in the refrigerating chamber 30 are divided into left and right sides in the refrigerating chamber 30, and are detachably mounted on the inner rear wall in a cantilever manner, so that the respective shelves can be independently adjusted in height .

A plurality of shelves mounted in the furnace are equipped with a shelf capable of height adjustment by detachment like a general shelf and a shelf capable of height adjustment by a user's operation while being mounted on a driving device 300 to be described in detail below 100) is provided.

In addition, the height adjustable shelf in the mounted state can be configured to be mounted above or below a shelf that is height-adjustable by detachment. (The shelves described below refer to shelves that can be adjusted in height with the shelf mounted.)

The shelf 100 may be installed through a grill pan 200 forming at least a part of a rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 30. The grill pan 200 divides the refrigerating compartment 30 into a space for storing food and a space for supplying cool air, and a part of the shelf 100 may be inserted and mounted.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting state of a shelf according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a signal flow of a controller, a motor, and a load sensing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3, the grill pan 200 may be disposed on the right and left sides of the refrigerating compartment 30, and the left and right widths of the grill pan 200 correspond to the widths of the shelves 100 .

The grill pan 200 is formed with a passage for discharging cold air and a discharge port to supply cold air to various positions inside the refrigerating chamber 30. A duct (not shown) for forming a separate flow path may be provided in the space behind the grill pan 200 in the grill pan 200. Further, in the rear space of the grill pan 200 formed by the grill pan 200, a plurality of components constituting the driving device 300 can be arranged.

Mounting slots 210 and guide slots 220 for mounting a plurality of shelves 100 are formed on the right and left sides of the grill pan 200. The mounting slot 210 and the guide slot 220 are disposed at the left and right ends of the grill pan 200, respectively. At this time, a plurality of the mounting slots 210 are continuously arranged, and the mounting slots 210 may be formed above and below the guide slots 220 or both.

The mounting slot 210 is for mounting a shelf in which a position is fixed in a state of being mounted on the grill pan, and is formed by drilling so that a protruding part of the shelf 100 can be inserted.

The guide slot 220 is formed so that a hook (not shown) protruding in a hook shape from the rear end of the shelf 100 can pass through. One side of the shelf 100 passing through the guide slot 220 may be mounted on the mounting frame 310, which will be described below. The guide slot 220 may be formed on an extension of the mounting slot 210, and may be formed by vertically bending the guide slot 220 in the vertical direction. The guide slot 220 is formed to have a length corresponding to a distance by which the shelf 100 can be moved up and down. When the shelf 100 is moved up and down with the shelf 100 mounted, Thereby forming an up-and-down movement path.

The driving unit 300 is disposed behind the grill pan 200 to allow the shelf 100 to be moved up and down and includes a mounting frame 310, a motor 312, a gear assembly 320, a slider 330, a guide member 340, and a fixing member 350.

In detail, the mounting frame 310 is provided in a space formed behind the grill pan 200 by mounting the shelf 100. The shelf 100 may be detachably fixed to the mounting frame 310. The mounting frame 310 is configured to be movable up and down by the engagement of the pinion 322 and the ring gear 324, which will be described below.

A motor 312 is mounted on a substantially central portion of the rear surface of the mounting frame 310. The motor 312 provides rotational power for up-down movement of the shelf 100, and an electric motor can be used.

The motor 312 may be configured to rotate forward and backward by the operation of the operating unit 32 provided in the cabin. The operation of the motor 312 may be controlled by the control unit 410 to be described below, .

The control unit 410 is electrically connected to the load sensing device 400 that senses a load of the motor 312 to sense an abnormal load of the motor 312 generated during an abnormal operation of the shelf 100 .

In detail, the load sensing apparatus 400 senses the RPM of the motor, and it is possible to detect whether an abnormal load is generated in the motor 312 according to a change in the rotation speed of the motor 312 .

The control unit 410 and the load sensing device 400 may be mounted on the printed circuit board 314 provided on the mounting frame 310 and may be formed separately from the mounting frame 310, May be provided on one side of the bin 10.

Therefore, when the food stored in the upper part or the lower part of the shelf 100 or an obstacle such as the user's body is caught, the number of revolutions of the motor 312 is reduced, Lt; / RTI >

The rotation speed detected by the load sensing device 400 is transmitted to the controller 410 to stop the operation of the motor 312 or to temporarily rotate the motor 312 Respectively.

The mounting frame 310 is connected to the motor 312 by a gear assembly 320. The gear assembly 320 includes a pinion 322 connected to the rotation shaft of the motor 312 and a gear gear 324 mounted on the fixing member 350.

The motor 312 is mounted on the mounting frame 310 and the fixing member 350 is fixed to a rear side of the motor 312 so that the pinion 322 and the ring The mounting frame 310 can be moved up and down by driving the gear 324.

The gear assembly 320 may be composed of a plurality of spur gears or bevel gears if necessary. The gear assembly 320 may be configured to move the mounting frame 310 up and down.

Meanwhile, sliders 330 are provided on both left and right sides of the mounting frame 310. The slider 330 is configured to move upward and downward along the guide member 340 by smoothly moving the mounting frame 310 up and down.

The guide member 340 is vertically extended to limit the upward and downward movement distance of the mounting frame 310 and is fixedly mounted on one side of the inside corresponding to the right and left sides of the slider 330.

Hereinafter, the operation of the refrigerator having the height adjusting shelf according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, in a state where the shelf 100 is installed inside the refrigerator 1, the user can manipulate the operating unit 32 to adjust the height of the shelf 100.

That is, when the operation unit 32 is pressed to adjust the height of the shelf 100, the motor 312 is operated and the rotational power of the motor 312 is transmitted to the gear assembly 320 by the gear assembly 320 The mounting frame 310 is transferred to the mounting frame 310 so that the mounting frame 310 can be moved up and down.

When the mounting frame 310 is moved up and down, the slider 330 of the mounting frame 310 moves along the upper and lower sides of the guide member 340 and the up and down movement of the mounting frame 310 So that the slider 330 can be movably restrained from being detached.

The shelf 100 is moved in a direction in which the user operates it as long as an abnormal load is not detected by the controller 410. [ When the user stops the operation of the operation unit 32 or makes an operation for stopping the motor 312, the rotation of the motor 312 is stopped and the shelf 100 completes the vertical movement.

When the shelf 100 is moved up and down, the motor 312 rotates, and the RPM of the motor 312 is continuously counted by the load sensing device 400, Lt; / RTI >

When an abnormal operation of the shelf 100 occurs due to an obstacle such as interference of the food stored in the shelf 100 during the continuous operation of the motor 312 or the user's body being caught in the shelf 100, The rotation speed of the motor 312 is suddenly changed.

Meanwhile, when the abnormal load due to the abnormal AF is detected by the load sensing device 400, the rotation speed is transmitted to the controller 410, and the controller 410 sets the input rotation speed to the set rotation speed If the inputted number of revolutions is out of the range of the set number of revolutions after the comparison, it is judged as an abnormal load.

At this time, the controller 410 determines whether the driving time of the motor 312 has exceeded a set time (for example, 1 to 3 seconds) from the instant when the motor 312 starts to rotate for the first time. The motor 312 is instantaneously reversed and then the motor 312 is stopped to terminate the movement of the shelf 100.

In detail, since the motor 312 is initially driven, the rotation of the motor 312 is instantaneously delayed by the weight of the shelf 100 and the weight of the food stored in the shelf 100 and inertia, At this time, the control unit 410 does not recognize the number of rotations input from the load sensing apparatus 400. FIG.

When the predetermined time has elapsed after the initial operation of the motor 312 and the load is determined as an abnormal load by the rotation number transmitted from the load sensing device 400 to the control unit 410, And is momentarily reversed.

This is to prevent damage or injury when the food or the body stored in the shelf 100 is caught between the upper and lower shelves 100 or other constituents so that the food or the body is quickly reversed for about 1-2 seconds, (100) in the reverse direction. Then, the motor 312 is stopped and the movement of the shelf 100 is terminated.

Of course, in addition to the case where an obstacle is stuck in the shelf 100, the load sensing apparatus 400 can not move the shelf 100 even if the shelf 100 is positioned at the uppermost or lowermost position. Accordingly, the control unit 410 determines the number of rotations sensed by the load sensing apparatus 400, and stops the movement of the shelf 100 when it is determined that the load is abnormal.

The refrigerator having the height adjusting shelf according to the present invention can be variously modified in the above-described exemplary embodiment, and will be described with reference to the drawings.

The refrigerator having the height adjusting shelf according to another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the load surge device senses a change in the pressure of the shelf and transmits an abnormal load signal to the controller to adjust the driving device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a door of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a mounting structure of a shelf according to another embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A 'in FIG. 6;

5 to 7, the refrigerator 2 includes a cabinet 50 for forming a storage space and a door 60 mounted on the cabinet 50 for opening and closing the front surface of the storage space An outer shape is formed.

The storage space inside the cabinet 50 is divided into right and left by the barrier 52 to form the freezing chamber 54 and the refrigerating chamber 56, respectively. The door 60 includes a freezing compartment door 62 and a refrigerating compartment door 64 for opening and closing the freezing compartment 54 and the refrigerating compartment 56 and is rotatably mounted on the cabinet 50.

A plurality of shelves and drawers are provided on the inner side of the refrigerating chamber 56 and the freezing chamber 54 and a plurality of baskets are provided on the inner side of the door 60 so that food can be stored. These drawers, shelves, and baskets may be fixed in position, and may be configured to be removable and reattachable by a user as desired.

At least one of the plurality of shelves 500 mounted on the inside of the storage space is mounted on the driving device 600 to be described in detail below, Respectively.

The shelf 500 is composed of an upper plate 510, a lower plate 520 and a frame 530 and a load sensing device 540 is provided between the upper plate 510 and the lower plate 520.

In detail, an upper surface of the shelf 500 is formed by an upper plate 510, and a food for storage is seated on the upper plate 510. The upper plate 510 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape and is configured to form the entire upper surface or a part of the upper surface of the shelf 500.

The lower plate 520 is formed below the upper plate 510 and is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape. The lower plate 520 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the upper plate 510 and may be formed to form the entire lower surface of the shelf 500.

The frame 530 forms a periphery of the shelf 500 and is formed to have a predetermined thickness. The lower plate 520 is fixed to the frame 530, And can be moved up and down by the guidance of the frame 530.

That is, the upper plate 510 is vertically movable from the opened inside formed by the frame 530. When a load equal to or greater than a set magnitude is applied to the upper surface of the upper plate 510, 510 are moved downward.

An elastic member 550 and a load sensing device 540 are provided between the upper plate 510 and the lower plate 520. The elastic member 550 is disposed to be compressible when moved downward of the upper plate 510 and is able to move to the original position of the upper plate 510 by the restoring force of the elastic member 550 .

The elastic member 550 is provided at four corners of the shelf 500 so that the load can be stably dispersed even if a load is applied from one side of the top plate 510. If necessary, four or more elastic members 550 may be provided, and the elastic member 550 may be installed anywhere in the space between the top plate 510 and the bottom plate 520.

The elastic member 550 is formed in a coil shape so that the load sensing device 540 is disposed in the inner central space so that the local load is not transmitted to one side of the load sensing device 540, .

The elastic member 550 may be formed to have a predetermined modulus of elasticity so that the upper plate 510 may not be moved sensitively whenever the food is placed on the upper plate 510.

The load sensing device 540 is interposed between the upper plate 510 and the lower plate 520 and senses a pressure applied when the upper plate 510 is moved downward, and a pressure sensor can be used. The load sensing device 540 may be provided at four corners and / or at the center of the shelf 500, or may be provided with a plurality of load sensing devices 540.

Meanwhile, the load sensing device 540 is electrically connected to a control unit 650 described below. The control unit 650 compares the pressure value of the load sensing device 540, which is received, And the like.

An operation unit 560 is provided at one side of the shelf 500 for operation of the driving device 600 described below. The operation unit 560 may be provided on the frame 530 of the shelf 500 and may be constituted by a switch or a lever which can be operated by a user.

A protruding portion 570 protruding rearward is formed at the rear end of the shelf 500 and a shelf side terminal portion 572 is provided at the protruding portion 570. The shelf side terminal portion 572 is electrically connected to the operation portion 560 and the load sensing device 540. When the shelf 500 is mounted, Side terminal portion 628 of the housing 600 so that the driving device 600 and the shelf 500 can be electrically connected to each other.

The driving unit 600 includes a guide 610, a housing 620, a motor 630, a gear assembly 640 and a control unit 650. The driving unit 600 includes a shelf 500 Is detachably mounted. A plurality of the driving devices 600 may be provided, wherein the shelves 500 are also provided in corresponding numbers.

Specifically, the guide rails 610 guide the upward and downward movement of the housing 620 on which the shelf 500 is mounted, and are mounted on the rear wall surface of the internal storage space. The guide rails 610 are provided on both sides of the left and right sides and may have a gap corresponding to the width of the shelf 500. The guide rake 610 is continuously formed with a gear portion 612 which is engaged with a pinion 648 to be described below. Further, a guide portion 614 is formed on the outer side of the guide rake 610 so that one side of the housing 620 is inserted and the housing 620 can be restrained to be movable up and down.

The housing 620 forms an outer appearance of the driving unit 600 and a space for accommodating the motor 630, the gear assembly 640 and the control unit 650 is formed in the housing 620, So that the shelf 500 can be mounted.

The shelf 500 is composed of a front housing 622 and a rear housing 624 which form front and rear outer surfaces respectively and the motor 630 is interposed between the front housing 622 and the rear housing 624. [ A gear assembly 640, and a control unit 650 are mounted.

A mounting groove 626 is formed in a substantially central portion of the front housing 622 from the left end to the right end. The mounting groove 626 is elongated in the transverse direction so that the rear end of the shelf 500 can be fixedly mounted and the housing side terminal portion 628 is formed at one side corresponding to the shelf side terminal portion 572. Accordingly, when the shelf 500 is mounted, the shelf side terminal portion 572 and the housing side terminal portion 628 can be electrically connected to each other.

The left and right ends of the rear housing 624 are inserted into the guide portions 614 of the guide rails 610 so that the housing 620 can be vertically mounted. An opening 625 is formed at a position corresponding to the guide rail 610 so that the pinion 648 to be described below is mounted on the inner side of the housing 620, Lt; / RTI >

A motor 630 is mounted inside the housing 620. The motor 630 is connected to a control unit 650 provided inside the housing 620 and may be driven according to the operation of the operation unit 560 or the load value sensed by the load sensing apparatus 540 .

The rotational force of the motor 630 can be transmitted to the guide rake 610 by the gear assembly 640 and the housing 620 is moved up and down in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 630, To move up and down.

The gear assembly 640 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 630 and transmits rotational power to the housing 620 so that the housing 620 can be moved up and down. The motor-side bevel gear 642 and the shaft- 644, a shaft 646, and a pinion 648.

More specifically, the motor-side bevel gear 642 is mounted on the rotating shaft of the motor 630, and the shaft-side bevel gear 644 is mounted on the shaft 646. The motor-side bevel gear 642 and the shaft-side bevel gear 644 are configured so that the shaft 646 can be rotated by the rotation of the rotation shaft of the motor 630, which are in contact with each other in mutually intersecting directions.

A pinion 648 is mounted on both ends of the shaft 646 and the pinion 648 is configured to be capable of being engaged with the guide rake 610 through an opening 625 of the rear housing 624 . Accordingly, when the motor 630 rotates, the pinion 648 rotates along the guide rake 610 to move the housing 620 up and down, thereby adjusting the height of the shelf 500 .

A control unit 650 is provided inside the housing 620. The control unit 650 is formed of a printed circuit board and is electrically connected to the motor 630, the operation unit 560, and the load sensing unit 540. Therefore, the motor 630 can be driven according to the operation of the operation unit 560 and the load sensing apparatus 540. Of course, the control unit 650 may be provided outside the housing 620 or in the cabinet 50.

Although the upper plate 510 is moved downward according to another embodiment of the present invention, the lower plate 520 is moved up and down with respect to the frame 530, And the upper plate 510 and the lower plate 520 may be both vertically movable on the frame 530 to detect an abnormal load applied to the shelf 500. [

The shelf 500 may be configured in various forms depending on its mounting structure. In this case, there may be a change in the shape of the frame 530 or an additional configuration for mounting the shelf 500 .

In addition, the load sensing device 540 may be a piezoelectric device in addition to the pressure sensor. That is, the load sensing device 540 may be provided with a piezoelectric element on an upper surface or a lower surface of a general shelf 500 to measure a pressure applied to the shelf 500, and the pressure applied to the shelf 500 So that the abnormal load can be detected.

Hereinafter, the operation of the refrigerator having the height adjusting shelf according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The shelf side terminal portion 572 and the housing side terminal portion 628 are brought into contact with each other so that the operation portion 560 and the load sensing device 540 are connected to the control portion 650 And becomes electrically connected. On the other hand, when the shelf is detached, the operation unit and the load sensing apparatus are electrically disconnected from the control unit.

When the shelves 500 are mounted, the shelves 500 are electrically connected to each other for vertically moving, so that the shelves 500 can be immediately driven when the user operates the shelves 500. In this state, the user can adjust the height of the shelf 500 by operating the operation unit 560. [

That is, when the operating unit 560 is pressed to adjust the height of the shelf 500, the motor 630 is operated and the rotational power of the motor 630 is transmitted to the motor side bevel gear 642 And the shaft-side bevel gear 644, and is transmitted to the shaft 646.

The pinion 648 is rotated along the guide rake 610 by the rotation of the shaft 646 so that the housing 620 is moved so that the shelf 500 is moved upward or downward .

The shelf 500 is moved in a direction in which the user continuously operates as long as an abnormal load is not detected by the controller 650. [ When the user stops the operation of the operation unit 560 or makes an operation for stopping the motor 630, the rotation of the motor 630 stops and the shelf 500 completes the up and down movement.

On the other hand, when the food stored in the shelf 500 is interrupted during the continuous operation of the motor 630, or when an abnormal operation of the shelf 500 occurs due to an obstacle such as a user's body sticking to the shelf 500 The upper plate 510 or the lower plate 520 moves to transmit pressure to the load sensing device 540.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a pressure is applied to the upper plate 510 during the upward movement of the shelf 500. FIG. Of course, when both the upper plate 510 and the lower plate 520 are movable up and down, it is possible to detect an abnormal load both when the shelf 500 is moved upward and downward.

When an abnormal load due to an abnormal pressure is detected by the load sensing device 540, pressure is transmitted to the control unit 650, and the control unit 650 compares the input pressure with a normal pressure range And if it is out of the set pressure range, it is judged as an abnormal load.

At this time, the controller 650 determines whether the preset time (for example, 1 to 3 seconds) has elapsed from the moment when the motor 630 starts rotating for the first time. If an abnormal load is detected after the preset time, The motor 630 is stopped after the rotation is instantaneously reversed and the movement of the shelf 500 is terminated.

In detail, since the initial driving of the motor 630 can instantaneously apply pressure to the shelf 500 due to the weight of the shelf 500 and the weight and inertia of the food stored in the shelf 500, The pressure inputted from the apparatus 540 is not recognized by the controller 650. [

When the set time has elapsed after the initial operation of the motor 630 and it is determined that the load is an abnormal load due to a pressure change from the load sensing device 540 to the controller 650, Thereby instantaneously reversing.

This is to prevent damage or injury when the food or the body stored in the shelf 500 is caught between the upper and lower shelves 500 or other constituents so that the food or the body is quickly reversed for about 1-2 seconds, (500) is moved in the reverse direction. Then, the motor 630 is stopped and the movement of the shelf 500 is terminated.

Of course, in the load sensing apparatus 540, in addition to the case where an obstacle is stuck in the shelf 500, even when the shelf 500 is positioned at the uppermost or lowermost end, it is impossible to move further. Accordingly, even in such a case, the load sensing apparatus 540 can sense an abnormal load, and the shelf 500 is automatically stopped by the controller 650. [

2 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting state of a shelf according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a signal flow of a control unit, a motor, and a load sensing unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view of a door of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting structure of a shelf according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A 'of FIG. 6;

Claims

A cabinet forming a storage space and having guide rails formed on one side thereof;

A housing vertically moved along the guide rails;

A motor provided in the housing to provide a driving force for moving the housing up and down,

A gear assembly connected to the motor and the guide rake to transmit driving force of the motor to the guide rake;

An operation unit for operating normal and reverse rotation of the motor;

A shelf mounted on the housing;

A pressure sensor for detecting a pressure applied to the shelf;

And a control unit electrically connected to the motor, the pressure sensor, and the operation unit, and switching the rotation direction of the motor when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a set value,

The shelf,

An upper plate forming an upper surface of the shelf and being moved downward by a pressure applied from above;

A lower plate which forms a lower surface of the shelf and which is moved upward by a pressure applied from below;

The upper and lower edges of the upper and lower plates are folded to form a rim of the shelf. The edges of the upper and lower edges of the shelf are formed to be longer than the sum of the thicknesses of the upper and lower plates. A frame in which a space for movement is formed;

And an elastic member provided between the upper plate and the lower plate such that the upper plate and the lower plate are vertically spaced from each other inside the frame,

Wherein the pressure sensor is provided between the upper plate and the lower plate and is capable of detecting all the pressures applied to the upper plate and the lower plate.

The method according to claim 1,

The housing includes:

A front housing and a rear housing respectively forming front and rear outer surfaces,

And a space for accommodating the motor, the gear assembly, and the control unit is formed between the front housing and the rear housing.

3. The method of claim 2,

The gear assembly includes:

A bevel gear connected to a rotating shaft of the motor;

A shaft on which a shaft-side bevel gear to be gear-engaged with the bevel gear is formed;

And a pinion provided at a position corresponding to the guide rail on the shaft,

Wherein at least a portion of the pinion is gear-engaged with the guide rails through the housing.

3. The method of claim 2,

A mounting groove formed on a front surface of the housing and being longitudinally recessed to insert a rear end of the shelf;

A housing side terminal portion formed inside the mounting groove and electrically connected to the control portion;

And a shelf side terminal portion formed at a position corresponding to the housing side terminal portion at the rear end of the shelf and electrically connected to the pressure sensor,

Wherein when the rear end of the shelf is inserted into the mounting groove, the housing side terminal portion and the shelf side terminal portion are connected to each other so that the control portion and the pressure sensor are electrically connected to each other.

The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the upper plate and the lower plate are provided in the form of a rectangular plate,

Wherein the elastic member and the pressure sensor are provided in four corner regions between the top plate and the bottom plate, respectively.

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