KR102218922B1 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and relates to a refrigerator through which a user can easily insert/withdraw stored items. More specifically, the present invention relates to a refrigerator that can easily use a drawer for accommodating storage.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A sensor for detecting the opening of the door, a drawer provided in the storage compartment, and provided to move from an initial position to an operation position spaced from an initial position by a predetermined distance when the door is detected; A drawer holder that elastically deforms when the drawer is moved from the initial position to the operation position, and provides an elastic restoring force so that the drawer moves from the operation position to the initial position; An electric drive unit for moving the drawer from the initial position to the operation position and elastically deforming the drawer holder; In addition, a refrigerator including a rail provided to move the drawer back and forth with respect to the storage compartment may be provided.

Description

Refrigerator{refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and relates to a refrigerator through which a user can easily insert/withdraw stored items. More specifically, the present invention relates to a refrigerator that can easily use a drawer for accommodating storage.

In general, a refrigerator is a device for freezing or refrigerating food or the like by discharging cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and the like to lower the temperature in a container.

A refrigerator generally includes a freezer for freezing and storing foods or beverages as a storage room, and a refrigerator for storing the food or beverages at a low temperature.

Refrigerators are a top mount type in which the freezer compartment is located at the top of the refrigerating compartment, a bottom freezer type in which the freezer compartment is located at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment, and a side-by-side type in which the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment are divided into left/right sides. It can be divided into (Side By Side Type). In this case, a door is provided in each of the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber, and the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber can be accessed through the door.

In addition to a refrigerator in which the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are separated from each other, there are also refrigerators that allow access to the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment through a single door. Most of these refrigerators are small and generally include a freezer in a certain space inside the refrigerator compartment.

In addition, among top-mount refrigerators, a French type refrigerator in which the upper refrigerating compartment is opened and closed through left and right doors is also provided. The freezer compartment of a French-type refrigerator can also be opened and closed through the left and right doors.

In general, the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are generally provided with shelves on which storage items are placed or storage boxes containing storage materials. Storage boxes are generally provided to form an independent storage space inside the storage compartment. That is, a storage box may be provided to store vegetables, fruits, etc. independently from other storage objects, or to store meat or fish wastes independently of other storage objects.

In recent years, the capacity of refrigerators is on the rise. Therefore, since the front and rear width of the storage compartment such as the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment is increased, it is not easy to withdraw the stored material stored deep inside. Therefore, most of the storage boxes are provided in the form of drawers. In other words, the user can pull out the storage box to take out the storage inside. In particular, such drawer-type storage boxes are mostly provided in a lower area of a refrigerator to enhance user convenience.

In addition, in recent years, a home-bar, ice maker, shelf, or door box is mounted on the back of the door of a refrigerator, and the back of the door is used as a separate storage space or as a separate functional space. have. That is, the function of the door goes beyond simply opening and closing the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber, and the door forms a separate storage space or performs an additional function such as generating and supplying ice or cold water. For this reason, the distance through which the rear of the door is drawn into the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment is getting longer. Accordingly, there may be a problem that the rear of the door and the front end of the shelf or storage box provided in the refrigerating or freezing compartment interfere with the rear of the door.

In order to reduce such interference, the front end portion of the shelf or storage box may be positioned so as to be spaced apart from the front of the main body of the refrigerator to the rear by a predetermined distance. That is, the front end of the shelf or the storage box may be further spaced apart from the rear of the freezing compartment or the refrigerating compartment. Therefore, when the storage box is provided in the form of a drawer, it may be difficult for a user to hold and take out the front end of the storage box. In other words, the user may have difficulty in pulling out the storage box after putting his hand deeper into the storage compartment. In particular, when the storage box is located under the refrigerator, it may not be inconvenient to reach out and take out the storage box in a crouched position.

When the user opens the door to withdraw the storage box, imagine that the front end of the storage box (i.e., the handle of the storage box) is not directly in front of the user and is located deep in the storage compartment, this inconvenience can be easily understood.

Meanwhile, drawers in conventional refrigerators, especially drawers in freezer compartments, are drawn in and out through rails. In general, a rail is provided on a side wall of a storage chamber, and a rail connection part is provided on the drawer. The rail connection portion is formed in a roller shape so that the drawer moves back and forth while inserted into the rail.

However, with this type of drawer, it is not easy to couple the drawer to the rail. In particular, in a state in which heavy storage items are stored in the drawer, it is not easy for the user to fit the roller into the rail while holding the drawer.

In addition, if necessary, the drawer may be removed from the refrigerator before use, rather than storing or removing the drawer after the drawer is withdrawn. In this case, it will not be cumbersome to separate the rail connection from the rail one by one and reconnect it. Therefore, it can be said that, unless there is a special situation, the user knows the necessity of separating the drawer and uses it without separating it.

The present invention basically aims to solve the problem of the conventional refrigerator.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator in which a drawer provided in a storage compartment is automatically drawn forward by a predetermined length when a user opens a door of the refrigerator. That is, to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer automatically moves from an initial position to an operation position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the drawer is automatically moved from the initial position to the operating position through an electric drive unit, thereby providing a refrigerator that does not require a user to apply additional force other than the force to open the door.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator in which a drawer automatically returns to an initial position from the operation position when the user closes the door of the refrigerator. In other words, it is intended to provide a refrigerator capable of reducing the user's effort to draw a drawer from an initial position to an initial position while reducing the user's effort to draw a drawer from an initial position to an initial position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator in which a drawer is automatically pulled out by an operation of an electric drive unit, and a drawer is automatically drawn in by an elastic restoring force of a spring.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator that can significantly reduce interference between drawers that automatically move when the door is opened or closed through a sensor that accurately detects a door opening (closed) angle. That is, when a door opening (closed) angle in which interference between a door and a drawer can be minimized is set, it is intended to provide a refrigerator capable of very accurately detecting the door opening (closed) at the set angle.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a door open detection sensor capable of responding flexibly even if a preset door open angle is changed according to a product model, and a refrigerator including the same.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator that can be easily applied to a conventional refrigerator, and can detect when a door open detection and a door close detection are at the same angle through a single sensor.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a storage compartment interior design that is convenient to use and has a beautiful interior design, which protects the electric drive by preventing the configuration for automatically drawing drawers from being exposed to the interior of the storage compartment. .

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of moving a plurality of drawers from an initial position to an operation position substantially simultaneously through one electric drive unit.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator in which automatic drawing in and drawing of a drawer can be performed with reliability and durability. In particular, to provide a refrigerator capable of minimizing damage to the electric drive unit due to an overload of the electric drive unit or long-term repeated use.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator that can easily assemble and repair when necessary, such as a drawer that is automatically drawn out and an electric drive unit for automatically drawing out the drawer. Want to provide.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator in which a plurality of drawers are automatically drawn in one piece and are easy to manufacture and maintain.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer can be easily connected to and removed from a rail supporting the drawer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of easily separating and combining only a basket for accommodating storage in a drawer. That is, it is intended to provide a refrigerator in which only the basket can be easily separated and recombined while maintaining the connection between the rail and the rail connection portion of the drawer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of minimizing visible exposure of a rail to a user through an embodiment of the present invention.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling a refrigerator that can minimize a load on a motor and flexibly respond to various usage environments for a drawer through an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A sensor for detecting the opening of the door, a drawer provided in the storage compartment, and provided to move from an initial position to an operation position spaced from an initial position by a predetermined distance when the door is detected; A drawer holder that elastically deforms when the drawer is moved from the initial position to the operation position, and provides an elastic restoring force so that the drawer moves from the operation position to the initial position; An electric drive unit for moving the drawer from the initial position to the operation position and elastically deforming the drawer holder; In addition, a refrigerator including a rail provided to move the drawer back and forth with respect to the storage compartment may be provided.

The drawer holder preferably includes a hanger member selectively connected to the drawer, and a spring that is elastically deformed or elastically restored according to a moving direction and distance of the hanger member. That is, when the drawer is moved forward while the hook member is connected to the drawer, the spring may be elastically deformed. In addition, when a force pushing the drawer is removed while the hook member is connected to the drawer, the drawer may be moved rearward by restoring elasticity of the spring. Accordingly, the forward movement (withdrawal) of the drawer is automatically performed by driving the electric drive unit, and the rearward movement (retraction) of the drawer may be performed automatically by the elastic force of the drawer holder.

It is preferable that the drawer is provided with a locking member selectively connected to the drawer holder.

The drawer holder may include a housing having a slot for accommodating the spring and guiding the movement of the hook member. The housing is provided in a fixed state, and the hook member moves with respect to the housing. Of course, the hook member may be provided to move together with the drawer.

The hook member may protrude in a horizontal direction with respect to the housing and may be selectively connected to the drawer.

The electric drive unit may include a motor assembly and a moving frame, and the moving frame may be provided to be moved back and forth by driving the motor assembly between the initial position and the operation position.

The moving frame includes a transmission member that transmits force to the drawer, and the transmission member pushes the drawer so that the drawer may be moved from the initial position to the operation position.

The electric drive unit may include a motor assembly and a transmission member that is moved back and forth by driving of the motor assembly, and the transmission member may be provided to move the engaging member of the drawer forward through the hook member. Accordingly, automatic withdrawal and automatic retraction are possible through one locking member provided in the drawer.

The hanger member may be provided to protrude from the housing of the drawer holder to be connected to the drawer's locking member, and the transfer member may be provided to push the hanger member in a direction perpendicular to the projection direction of the hanger member.

It is preferable that a seating portion is formed on one side of the hanging member to be seated by contacting the transfer member. Through this, it is possible to transmit a stable force and displacement from the transmission member to the hanging member.

As the transfer member is seated in the seating portion and moves forward, the movement of the transfer member is transmitted to the hook member, and when the transfer member is separated from the seating portion and moves backward, the transfer member and the hook member It is preferable that the connection of is released. That is, the transfer member is provided to push the hook member, but is not provided to pull.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A sensor that detects the opening of the door; A drawer provided in the storage chamber so as to move from an initial position to an operation position spaced from an initial position by a predetermined distance when the door is detected, and including a locking member; A drawer holder including a hanger member selectively connected to the locking member and a spring elastically deformed or elastically restored by the movement of the locking member; An electric drive unit including a transmission member for pushing the hook member to move the drawer from the initial position to an operation position and a motor assembly for electrically moving the transmission member; In addition, a refrigerator including a rail provided to move the drawer back and forth with respect to the storage compartment may be provided.

It is preferable that the connection between the locking member and the hanger member is maintained in a section between the initial position and the operation position. Accordingly, the spring of the drawer holder may be elastically deformed by the drawer withdrawn in the section.

As the drawer is further drawn forward in the operating position, the connection between the locking member and the hanger member is released, so that the drawer may be manually drawn out. That is, when the connection between the hooking member and the hooking member is released, the drawing of the drawer no longer elastically deforms the spring of the drawer holder. And, when the connection is released, it is preferable that the spring is maintained in an elastically deformed state.

In order to move the drawer from the operation position to the initial position, it is preferable that the electric drive unit is driven to move the transmission member backward. That is, it is preferable that the force pushing the drawer is no longer transmitted to the drawer. Accordingly, as the spring is elastically restored, the hook member moves the hook member backward so that the drawer can be returned from the operating position to the initial position.

It is preferable that the drawer holder includes a housing having a slot for accommodating the spring and guiding the movement of the hook member.

The hook member may protrude from the housing toward the drawer to be selectively connected to the drawer.

It is preferable that the transfer member is positioned between the housing and the locking member, and is provided to push the hanger member forward from the rear of the hanger member.

A plurality of drawers are provided vertically, the transfer member is provided in each of the plurality of drawers, and the electric drive unit is provided to integrally move the plurality of transfer members by driving the motor assembly. It may include a moving frame.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A magnet provided on the door and provided to rotate with a predetermined radius of rotation around a rotation axis of the door as the door is opened; It is provided above or below the magnet so as to be spaced apart from the magnet, and is provided to be fixed to the cabinet regardless of the rotation of the door, and when the opening angle of the door reaches a preset opening angle, the effective magnetic force strength for contact switching A refrigerator including a reed switch having a critical point of may be provided.

The magnet may be provided such that a vertical distance to the reed switch is maintained and only a horizontal distance is changed as the opening angle of the door is varied. Accordingly, when the horizontal distance between the reed switch and the magnet exceeds a critical point, the reed switch senses that the door is opened at a preset opening angle.

The magnet may be mounted inside a door decor forming a lower surface of the door, and the reed switch may be provided under the magnet.

The rotation axis of the door is formed as a vertical axis so that the door rotates left and right to open and close, and is preferably provided spaced apart from the left or right side of the cabinet to the front of the cabinet.

The reed switch may be provided to be spaced apart from the front of the cabinet, and may be provided to be offset from the rotation axis of the door toward the left and right centers of the cabinet.

The reed switch is preferably provided on a hinge cover that forms a rotation axis of the door and is formed horizontally with respect to the ground.

It is preferable that the magnet is provided so that the horizontal distance between the reed switch and the reed switch is increased as the opening angle of the door increases.

It is preferable that the opening or closing of the door is detected by switching the contact of the reed switch. In addition, it is preferable that the contact switching is performed at the same door opening angle. The door opening angle may be set to approximately 90 degrees. When the door is opened and opened to an angle of 90 degrees, the contact of the reed switch is switched to detect the door opening. Thereafter, the door may be further opened. When the door is closed to a 90 degree angle while the door is opened by more than 90 degrees, the contact of the reed switch is switched to detect the door being closed.

Preferably, the magnet includes a plurality of magnets having different horizontal angles with respect to the reed switch. Through this, errors and deviations between products can be significantly reduced compared to the case of using only one magnet.

It is preferable that the magnet includes a horizontal magnet provided so that the front and the length direction of the cabinet are parallel to each other and a vertical magnet provided in a length direction substantially perpendicular to the horizontal magnet based on a state in which the door is closed.

The magnet is a bar magnet, and it is preferable that the length is larger than the height of the magnet in the mounted state.

The reed switch may be provided to have a square shape having a horizontal side and a vertical side. In addition, it is preferable that the length of the horizontal side of the reed switch is larger than the length of the vertical side. In addition, it is preferable that the lengths of the horizontal magnet and the vertical magnet are larger than the horizontal side of the reed switch.

When the opening angle of the door is 90 degrees, it is preferable that the angle between the horizontal magnet and the horizontal side of the reed switch is substantially 90 degrees.

It is preferable that the rotation radius of the horizontal magnet with respect to the door rotation axis is smaller than that of the vertical magnet.

In order to increase the opening angle of the door corresponding to the critical point, the horizontal magnet is mounted so that the distance between the horizontal magnet and the door rotation axis decreases, and in order to reduce the opening angle of the door corresponding to the critical point, the horizontal The horizontal magnet may be mounted so that the distance between the magnet and the door rotation shaft increases.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A reed switch provided in the door and provided to be fixed to the magnet and the cabinet with a predetermined rotation radius around the rotation axis of the door as the door is opened, and the contact is switched at a critical point of the effective magnetic strength by the magnet. A sensor that detects that the door is opened when the door reaches a predetermined opening angle; An electric driving unit for moving the drawer from an initial position to an operation position separated by a preset distance from the initial position when the door is detected; In addition, a refrigerator including a rail provided to move the drawer back and forth with respect to the storage compartment may be provided.

It is preferable that the magnet is provided such that the vertical distance to the reed switch is maintained and only the horizontal distance is changed as the opening angle of the door is varied.

It is preferable that the magnet is mounted inside a door decor forming a lower surface of the door, and the reed switch is provided under the magnet.

Preferably, the magnet includes a plurality of magnets having different horizontal angles with respect to the reed switch.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A drawer provided to be movable back and forth in the storage compartment; And a rail supporting the drawer to be movable back and forth with respect to the storage compartment, wherein the drawer includes a basket for receiving a storage material; In addition, a refrigerator may be provided including a drawer frame including a basket seating portion on which the basket is seated and a rail coupling portion seated on the rail and coupled to the rail. Accordingly, the basket may be easily detachably provided on the drawer frame. In addition, the drawer frame may be easily attached to and detached from the rail through the rail coupling portion.

It is preferable that the basket is mounted on the basket seating portion vertically downward to be coupled to the drawer frame, and the basket is vertically moved upwardly to release the coupling with the drawer frame.

An opening may be formed in a central portion of the drawer frame, and the seating portion may be formed around the opening.

The basket may include a lower basket inserted into the opening and an upper basket seated on the seating portion, and the lower basket and the upper basket may be integrally formed.

The rail coupling portion is provided to extend back and forth on both left and right sides of the drawer frame, and the upper basket is preferably formed to have a larger left and right width than the lower basket so as to cover the rail coupling portion from above. Through this, it is possible to prevent the rail and the rail coupling portion from being visible to the user.

It is preferable that the rail includes a moving rail that moves back and forth integrally with the drawer.

The rail coupling portion may be formed in a channel-shaped cross section so that the rail coupling portion is seated while surrounding the moving rail.

It is preferable that the rear end of the rail coupling portion is formed at the rear of the moving rail to limit the rearward movement and upper movement of the rail coupling portion.

The locking portion may be formed such that the rear end of the rail coupling portion is inserted.

An elastic protrusion may be provided at a front end of the movable rail, and a mounting hole may be formed at a front end of the rail coupling portion to be elastically restored after the elastic protrusion is elastically deformed.

When the rear end of the rail coupling portion is inserted into the locking portion, as the front end of the rail coupling portion is moved downward, the elastic protrusion may be elastically deformed and then inserted into the mounting hole to be coupled.

That is, after the front of the rail coupling portion is positioned higher than the rear, the rear end of the rail coupling portion may be first inserted into the locking portion. Through this, the left and right positions of the rail coupling portion coupled to the rail may be temporarily determined. Thereafter, the front of the rail coupling part may be moved downward. When the front of the rail coupling portion is moved downward, the elastic protrusion is inserted into the mounting hole. Accordingly, the left and right support points of the rail coupling portion may be formed. Therefore, it is possible to very easily couple the rail coupling portion to the rail. Conversely, the user can press the elastic projections respectively located on the left and right. Further, while pressing the elastic protrusion, the front of the rail coupling portion can be lifted upward. Through this, the connection between the front of the rail coupling portion and the rail is released. Thereafter, the user may pull the rail coupling portion forward and then lift the entire rail coupling portion upward. Accordingly, the rail coupling portion can be completely separated from the rail.

Meanwhile, the drawer frame in which the rail coupling portion is formed may be easily separated from the basket as described above. Accordingly, the user may first couple the drawer frame to the rail coupling portion and then couple the drawer frame and the basket. Of course, the order of separation can be performed in reverse. When the storage material is stored in the basket, the weight of the drawer itself may be significant. Therefore, it is difficult to separate or combine the entire drawer from the rail at once. However, since the basket and the drawer frame can be easily separated and combined, it is very easy to couple the drawer to or from the rail.

It is preferable that the movable rail is provided on both sides of the drawer, and the drawer frame is fixed to the movable rail through four support points, front, rear, left and right by the elastic protrusion and the locking part.

The rail is provided below the moving rail and includes a fixed rail fixed in the storage chamber, and the moving rail is preferably provided to be slidable with respect to the fixed rail.

It is preferable that the drawer includes a drawer decor provided to extend left and right at the lower front of the basket so as to cover the rail coupling part from the front of the drawer. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the rail and the rail coupling portion from being visible to the user through the drawer decor.

Specifically, the basket covers the upper part of the rail and the rail coupling part, and the drawer decor covers the front.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A drawer provided to be movable back and forth in the storage compartment and including a drawer frame provided with a basket for accommodating storage and a rail coupling portion; And a rail coupled to the rail coupling portion to support the drawer to move back and forth with respect to the storage compartment, and the rail coupling portion is seated from the top to the bottom of the rail and formed in a channel shape to surround the rail. , A refrigerator, characterized in that a locking part into which the rear end of the rail coupling part is inserted is formed at the rear of the rail, and an elastic protrusion inserted into a mounting hole provided at a front end of the rail coupling part is formed in the front of the rail. have.

The rail includes a movable rail and a fixed rail slidably supporting the movable rail under the movable rail, and the rail coupling portion is preferably coupled to the movable rail.

The mounting hole is formed on a side flange covering the outer surface of the moving rail, and the elastic protrusion is elastically deformed in the left and right center direction of the drawer and then restored to be inserted into the mounting hole.

An elastic protrusion bracket for forming the elastic protrusion on the fixed rail is mounted at a front end of the fixed rail, and a cutout is preferably formed between the elastic protrusion bracket and the elastic protrusion to allow elastic deformation of the elastic protrusion. . Therefore, the structure of the elastic protrusion bracket or the elastic protrusion can be very simple because the elasticity of the configuration itself is used.

In order to be easily mounted in the mounting hole or easily separated from the mounting hole, the elastic protrusion is preferably formed in a round shape.

Preferably, the rail includes a rail bracket for fixing the fixing rail to a side wall of the storage chamber.

It is preferable that the rail bracket includes a front rail bracket and a rear rail bracket respectively provided at a predetermined distance between the front and rear of the fixed rail. Therefore, the rail can be stably supported. Through this, the drawer can also be stably supported.

The drawer frame is provided with a locking member protruding toward the side wall of the storage compartment, and a transfer member protruding toward the drawer frame from the side wall side of the storage compartment to push the locking member from the rear of the locking member is formed. Can be. That is, the transfer member may be provided to move back and forth.

An electric driving unit may be provided to move the locking member through the movement of the transfer member to move the drawer forward from the initial position to an operation position spaced apart by a predetermined distance. That is, the transmission member may be moved back and forth by the driving of the electric drive unit.

The forward and backward movement of the transmission member may be interfered with by the front rail bracket and the rear rail bracket. Accordingly, the transfer member and the locking member are preferably provided to move between the front rail bracket and the rear rail bracket in a section between the initial position and the operation position of the drawer.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A sensor that detects the opening of the door; A drawer provided to be movable back and forth in the storage compartment, and including a drawer frame including a basket for accommodating a storage material, a rail coupling part, and a locking member protruding toward a side wall of the storage compartment; A rail coupled to the rail coupling portion to support the drawer to be moved back and forth with respect to the storage compartment, and supported on a side wall of the storage compartment through a front rail bracket and a rear rail bracket; And a transfer member protruding toward the drawer frame from a sidewall of the storage compartment, and when the door is detected, the locking member is moved through movement of the transfer member, so that the drawer is moved forward from the initial position. It includes an electric drive unit that moves to an operation position spaced apart by a preset distance, and the transmission member comprises a section between the initial position and the operation position of the drawer in order to avoid interference between the front rail bracket and the rear rail bracket. In, a refrigerator may be provided, characterized in that it is provided to move between the front rail bracket and the rear rail bracket.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A drawer provided in the storage chamber and including a locking member; A sensor that detects the opening of the door; In addition, there may be provided a refrigerator including a moving assembly coupled to the drawer to support the drawer to be movable back and forth with respect to the storage compartment, and integrally coupled to and separated from the right or left sidewall of the storage compartment.

The moving assembly may include a support frame provided to be coupled to the sidewall; A motor assembly mounted on an inner surface of the support frame facing the side wall; A rail mounted on an outer surface of the support frame to support the drawer so as to move back and forth; And a transfer member mounted on the support frame to be moved back and forth by driving of the motor assembly in the space between the side wall and the support frame, and provided to push the locking member from the rear through the support frame. It may include a frame. Accordingly, the support frame, the motor assembly, the rail, and the entire moving frame may be integrally detachably provided on the sidewall through the support frame.

The sidewalls are partition walls each partitioning the storage compartment to the left and right, and the moving assembly may be mounted on at least one of a left side or a right side of the sidewall.

It is preferable that a through part through which at least a part of the motor assembly penetrates is formed in the partition wall.

When the moving assembly is mounted on the left and right sides of the partition wall, it is preferable that the through part is formed so that the motor assembly on one side and the motor assembly on the other side pass through the through part and are arranged vertically. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the partition wall from increasing due to the motor assembly. This means that it is possible to prevent the reduction of the storage compartment space due to the increase in the thickness of the partition wall.

It is preferable that the support frame is provided to cover the through part as it is coupled to the partition wall.

An opening may be formed in the partition wall to extend an electric wire through the partition wall.

It is preferable that a wire penetration part for extending the wire to the motor assembly is formed on the partition wall, and a connection part or a wire coupling part for connection to the motor assembly is provided at an end of the wire.

Accordingly, after the motor assembly is connected through the wire coupling portion, the moving assembly may be integrally coupled to the sidewall or the partition wall. Conversely, after the moving assembly is integrally separated from the side wall or the partition wall, the connection of the motor assembly may be separated through the wire coupling part. Thereafter, the moving assembly may be completely separated from the sidewall or the partition wall.

A plurality of fastening parts may be formed on the support frame, and a plurality of fastening parts corresponding to the support parts of the support frame may be formed on the sidewall.

A motor avoidance groove for accommodating at least a part of the motor of the motor assembly may be formed in the support frame. It is possible to prevent an increase in the thickness of the entire partition wall through the motor avoidance groove or an increase in a volume in which the entire support frame protrudes into the storage chamber. This means that the reduction of the space in the storage room can be minimized.

A plurality of drawers are provided up and down, and a plurality of rails are provided up and down to support the plurality of rails, and the motor avoidance groove is formed between a specific rail and a rail positioned above or below the specific rail. desirable.

It is preferable that the support frame has a slit formed back and forth to guide the movement of the transfer member, and the transfer member is provided to penetrate the slit from the inside to the outside of the support frame.

The rail is mounted to the support frame through a front rail bracket and a rear rail bracket, and the slit is preferably formed between the front rail bracket and the rear rail bracket.

The moving assembly includes a drawer holder that elastically deforms when the drawer is withdrawn and provides an elastic restoring force to the drawer when the drawer is retracted, and the drawer holder is mounted on the outer surface of the support frame. It is desirable to be.

The drawer holder includes: a housing having a slot formed in a length direction and provided with a spring; It is preferable to include a hook member that moves along the slot to cause elastic deformation and elastic restoration of the spring, and is selectively connected to the drawer.

The drawer includes a basket for accommodating a storage material; And it is preferable to include a rail coupling portion formed in a channel shape so as to be seated from the top to the bottom of the rail to surround the rail.

It is preferable that a locking portion into which the rear end of the rail coupling portion is inserted is formed at a rear of the rail, and an elastic protrusion inserted into a mounting hole provided at a front end of the rail coupling portion is formed in the front of the rail.

The drawer preferably includes a drawer frame provided with a basket seating portion on which the basket is seated and the rail coupling portion.

The locking member is preferably formed to protrude from the drawer frame toward a side wall of the storage chamber.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet is provided with a storage room; A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A drawer provided in the storage chamber and including a locking member; A sensor for detecting the opening of the door; And a moving assembly coupled to the drawer to support the drawer so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the storage compartment, and integrally coupled to and separated from the right or left sidewall of the storage compartment, wherein the moving assembly comprises: A support frame provided to be coupled to the sidewall and having a slit formed therein; A motor assembly mounted on an inner surface of the support frame facing the side wall; A rail mounted on an outer surface of the support frame to support the drawer so as to move back and forth; And a transfer member mounted on the support frame so as to be moved back and forth by driving of the motor assembly in the space between the side wall and the support frame, passing through the slit to push the locking member from the rear. A refrigerator including a may be provided.

It is preferable that a wire penetration part for extending the wire to the motor assembly is formed in the partition wall, and a connection part for connecting to the motor assembly is provided at an end of the wire.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a drawer is provided to be moved back and forth in a storage compartment provided in a motor and a cabinet, and the drawer is initialized by pushing the drawer by driving the motor. What is claimed is: 1. A method for controlling a refrigerator including a transfer member for automatically drawing out from a position to an operation position, the method comprising: determining a condition for automatically drawing out the drawer in a standby state; A drawing step of driving the motor in one direction to move the transfer member forward to perform drawing of the drawer to the operating position when the condition is satisfied in the determining step; A stopping step of stopping the drawing of the drawer by maintaining the one-way driving of the motor after the drawing step; In addition, after the stopping step, a method for controlling a refrigerator including a return step of returning the transfer member to the rear by driving the motor in a reverse direction may be provided.

In the stopping step, the drawer is in a stopped state at the operating position. However, the one-way drive of the motor is maintained. That is, the force pushing the drawer is maintained. That is, when the one-way drive of the motor is maintained, the drawer can be prevented from being automatically drawn in. In other words, it is possible to prevent the drawer from being automatically drawn in even though the user tries to withdraw the drawer further while the drawer is automatically drawn to the operating position.

When power is applied to the refrigerator, it is preferable to include an initial step of moving the transmission member to the initial position by driving the motor in a reverse direction to start the standby state. That is, it is preferable that the initializing step is performed. This is because the transmission member may be located in a different location from the initial position in a state in which the refrigerator is provided to the user.

In the initial stage, it is preferable that the motor is driven in the reverse direction until a signal is generated from the first Hall sensor that senses the initial position or a predetermined time is reached.

When the driving of the motor is stopped in the initial step, it is preferable that a standby state for performing the determination step is started.

In the initial step, when a signal is generated from the second hall sensor detecting the manipulation position or the motor is driven until reaching the predetermined time, a notification step notifying that the operation is abnormal is preferably performed.

In the withdrawal step, it is preferable that the motor is driven until a signal is generated from the second hall sensor that senses the manipulation position or until the predetermined time is reached.

The motor is a BLDC (Brushless DC) motor, and the duty ratio for driving the motor is varied according to the calculated FG by calculating a signal (FG, a frequency generator) generated when the motor rotates in the withdrawal step. Control is desirable. It is preferable that the calculation of the FG is performed every predetermined time. For example, it may be performed every 100 ms (milliseconds). In addition, it is preferable to control the duty ratio as the calculated FG increases.

During the withdrawal step, if the calculated FG is smaller than the obstacle FG corresponding to the obstacle preventing the drawer from being pulled out, it is preferable that the stop step is not performed and the return step is performed.

In the withdrawal step, when a signal is generated from the first Hall sensor detecting the initial position or the motor is driven until reaching the predetermined time, a notification step notifying that there is an operation abnormality is preferably performed. .

The stopping step is preferably performed for a predetermined time at a minimum duty ratio among the duty ratios for driving the motor.

The FG is calculated in the stopping step, and when the FG calculated during the stopping step is smaller than a predetermined FG, the return step is preferably performed.

Preferably, the returning step includes stopping the driving of the motor for a predetermined time.

In the returning step, it is preferable that the motor is driven in the reverse direction until a signal is generated from the first Hall sensor sensing the initial position or a predetermined time is reached, so that the driving of the motor is stopped.

In the returning step, when a signal is generated from the second Hall sensor detecting the manipulation position or the motor is driven until reaching the predetermined time, a notification step notifying that there is an abnormal operation is preferably performed.

It is preferable that the driving of the motor is stopped and it is converted to the standby state.

The refrigerator includes a door that opens and closes the storage compartment, and a sensor that detects the opening of the door when the opening angle of the door is a predetermined opening angle, and a condition for automatically drawing the drawer is a door opening through the sensor. It is desirable to include the generation of a signal.

The refrigerator includes a door switch that detects whether the door is opened or closed through whether the door and the cabinet are in close contact with each other,

It is preferable that the condition for automatically withdrawing the drawer further includes detecting the door opening through the door switch.

During the withdrawal step or the stop step, when the door is detected through the sensor, an emergency return step of stopping the withdrawal step or stopping step to be performed and driving the motor in a reverse direction to return the transfer member to the rear is performed. This is desirable.

When starting the emergency return step, when the motor is driven in one direction, it is preferable to stop driving the motor for a predetermined time and then drive in the reverse direction.

Features of each of the above-described embodiments may be implemented in combination in other embodiments.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which a drawer provided in a storage compartment is automatically drawn forward by a predetermined length when a user opens a door of the refrigerator. That is, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer automatically moves from an initial position to an operation position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the drawer is automatically moved from the initial position to the operation position through the electric drive, so that a refrigerator can be provided that does not require a user to apply additional force other than the force to open the door. .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of automatically returning a drawer to an initial position from the operation position when the user closes the door of the refrigerator. That is, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of reducing a user's effort to draw a drawer from an initial position to an initial position while reducing the user's effort to draw a drawer from an initial position to an initial position.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which a drawer is automatically pulled out by an operation of an electric drive unit and a drawer is automatically drawn in by an elastic restoring force of a spring.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can significantly reduce interference between drawers that automatically move when the door is opened or closed through a sensor that accurately detects a door opening (closed) angle. That is, when the door opening (closed) angle in which the interference between the door and the drawer can be minimized is set, a refrigerator capable of very accurately detecting the door opening (closing) at the set angle can be provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, even if a preset door opening angle is changed according to a product model, a door open detection sensor capable of responding flexibly to a product model and a refrigerator including the same can be provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator that can be easily applied to a conventional refrigerator, and can detect when a door open detection and a door close detection are at the same angle through a single sensor.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, the configuration for automatically drawing the drawer is not exposed to the inside of the storage room, so that the electric drive can be protected, and a refrigerator having a convenient and beautiful storage room interior design can be provided. have.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of moving a plurality of drawers from an initial position to an operating position substantially at the same time through one electric drive unit.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which automatic drawing in and drawing of a drawer can be performed with reliability and durability. In particular, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of minimizing damage to the electric drive unit due to overload of the electric drive unit or long-term repeated use.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator that can easily assemble and repair when necessary, such as a drawer that is automatically drawn out and an electric drive unit for automatically drawing out the drawer. Can provide.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which a plurality of drawers are automatically drawn out in one piece and are easily manufactured and maintained.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator capable of easily connecting and detaching the drawer to a rail supporting the drawer can be provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of easily separating and combining only a basket for receiving storage from a drawer. That is, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which only the basket can be easily separated and recombined while maintaining the connection between the rail and the rail connection portion of the drawer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator capable of minimizing visible exposure of a rail to a user may be provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for controlling a refrigerator that can minimize a load on a motor and flexibly respond to various usage environments for a drawer.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 shows a portion of a lower storage compartment of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1,
3 shows an embodiment of the sensor shown in FIG. 2 and a mounting state of the sensor,
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the sensor shown in FIG. 2 and a mounting state of the sensor,
5 shows an exploded view of the side wall and the moving assembly shown in FIG. 2,
6 is a view showing a state in which a rail and a drawer holder are mounted on a support frame in the moving assembly shown in FIG. 5,
FIG. 7 shows the initial positions of the motor assembly and the moving frame in the moving assembly shown in FIG. 5,
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating operation positions of the motor assembly and the moving frame in the moving assembly shown in FIG. 5,
9 shows an enlarged cross-section of a connection portion between a drawer and a moving assembly,
10 is a side view of the drawer, in particular, the connecting portion of the drawer frame and the moving assembly,
11 shows a connection relationship between the drawer and the drawer holder according to the draw-out (retraction) distance of the drawer,
12 shows another embodiment of a moving assembly,
13 shows the position and connection relationship of the drawer's hooking member, the drawer's hooking member, and the transfer member in the operation position in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12,
14 is a diagram showing the position and connection relationship of the locking member, the hook member, and the transmission member in a state in which the drawer is further withdrawn from the operation position in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12,
15 shows a drawer applicable to an embodiment of the present invention;
16 shows a rail applicable to an embodiment of the present invention,
17 shows a state in which the drawer shown in FIG. 15 is coupled with the rail shown in FIG. 16,
18 shows a state in which the front end of the drawer shown in FIG. 15 is combined with the front end of the rail shown in FIG. 16,
19 is a block diagram of a control configuration that can be applied to an embodiment of the present invention,
20 to 26 are flow charts for each step in a control method applicable to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. An example of a four-door refrigerator in which the refrigerating compartment 11 is provided in the upper part and the freezing compartments 12 and 13 in the lower part is shown. For convenience, the left and right doors of the upper refrigerating compartment are omitted, and the left door of the lower freezing compartment is omitted, and only the right door 20 of the lower freezing compartment is shown. Of course, the present embodiment can be applied not only to this type of refrigerator but also to a side-by-side type refrigerator. That is, the present embodiment may be applied to a refrigerator provided with a door for opening and closing a storage compartment and a drawer moving back and forth in the storage compartment.

The refrigerator includes a cabinet 10 including storage compartments 11, 12, and 13 and a door 20 that is rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment. As described above, if there are a plurality of storage rooms, a plurality of doors may be provided corresponding thereto.

The refrigerating chamber 11 and the freezing chambers 12 and 13 may be partitioned from each other through a horizontal partition wall 14. In addition, the left freezing chamber 12 and the right freezing chamber 13 may be partitioned from each other through separate sidewalls or partition walls 16. The partition wall 16 may be referred to as a vertical partition wall for convenience. The refrigerating chamber 11, the left freezing chamber 12, and the right freezing chamber 13 may be opened and closed by individual doors.

A drawer 30 including a basket 31 for accommodating the storage may be provided in the storage compartments 11, 12 and 13, particularly the freezing compartments 12 and 13. The drawer 30 may be provided in plural vertically. FIG. 1 shows an example in which three drawers 30a, 30b, and 30c are provided in a right freezer compartment and a left freezer compartment respectively. Of course, this embodiment may be applied to a case where a drawer is provided not only in the freezing chamber but also in the refrigerating chamber. In addition, one or two drawers may be automatically linked to one door, and four or more drawers may be automatically linked to one door.

In this embodiment, it is intended to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer 30 can automatically move for user convenience by interlocking with the opening and/or opening and closing of the door 20. For example, as the right freezer 13 is opened or closed through the door 20, the drawer 30 provided in the right freezer 13 may automatically move to a refrigerator. Of course, this automatic movement of the drawer can be applied to only one of the freezer compartments 12 and 13, and may be applied to both. In addition, it may be applied to a refrigerator compartment other than a freezer compartment.

FIG. 2 shows only the portions of the lower freezer compartments 12 and 13 in the refrigerator illustrated in FIG. 1, and the omitted left freezer door may be said to be closed, and the right freezer door 20 is open.

As shown, the drawer 30 provided in the left freezing compartment can be said to be in a state that is further drawn into the storage compartment than the drawer provided in the right freezing compartment. That is, based on the appearance shown in FIG. 2, the position of the drawer 30 provided in the left freezing chamber may be referred to as an initial position and the position of the drawer 30 provided in the right freezing chamber may be referred to as an operation position.

In other words, it can be said that the drawer 30 with the door 20 closed is located at the initial position, and the drawer 30 with the door 20 open is located at the operating position. .

As described above, storage boxes or baskets 25 are provided on the rear surface of the door 20, and a separate door storage area 21 may be formed through this. In order to eliminate interference between the door 20, particularly the basket 25 and the drawer 30 provided in the door, the drawer is retracted to the initial position when the door 20 is closed. When the user opens the door 20 to withdraw the storage, the drawer 30 moves from the initial position to the operation position moved forward so that the user can more easily withdraw the drawer. Therefore, since the front end of the drawer or the handle 35 is moved to a position closer to the user, the user can more easily withdraw the drawer.

That is, the initial position may be referred to as a drawer position in a state in which the drawer is substantially maximally moved to the inside of the storage chamber, and the operation position may be referred to as a position separated by a predetermined distance forward from the initial position. In this operating position, since the user does not have to put his hand deep into the storage compartment to hold the handle 35, it is possible to operate the drawer 30 very conveniently. Meanwhile, the operation position may also be referred to as a standby position. This is because, from the side of the drawer, it may be a position waiting to receive a user's manipulation.

As shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the drawer 30 does not deviate from the opening 17 of the storage compartment even in the operating position. That is, even if the door 20 is opened, it is preferable that the drawer 30, in particular, the front end or the handle 35 of the drawer is positioned behind the opening 17. That is, it is preferable that the drawer 30 is still located inside the storage chamber. This is because the user opening the door 20 may not necessarily be intended to use or withdraw the drawer 30. This is because, as an example, the door 20 may be opened to use the door storage area 21. In addition, when there are a plurality of drawers 30, since only a specific drawer can be withdrawn, the drawer 30, which is not to be drawn out, is drawn out of the storage room only to cause loss of cold air.

As will be described later, embodiments of the present invention can provide a refrigerator in which a drawer is automatically moved according to the user's door opening shape, particularly the door opening angle. Through this, it is possible to prevent the drawer from moving unnecessarily, thereby reducing cold air loss and energy loss. In addition, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which interference between the drawer and the door can be minimized.

Also, when the door is opened, cold air in the storage compartment is basically lost. And, as the drawer is withdrawn, the coolness inside the drawer's basket is also lost. That is, as the draw length of the drawer increases, the loss of cold air inside the basket is accelerated. In particular, when the drawer is drawn further forward than the opening, the loss of cold air may be further accelerated. Therefore, in order to minimize the loss of cold air inside the basket at the operation position, it is preferable that the drawer 30 does not leave the storage compartment at the operation position of the drawer.

The manipulation position may be, for example, a position moved by about 120 mm forward from the initial position. Of course, the interval between the operation position and the initial position may be set differently depending on the shape of the refrigerator, the position of the drawer, the distance the storage area 21 of the door is drawn into the storage compartment, and the capacity of the refrigerator. However, the operation position is preferably a position where the front end portion or the handle 35 of the drawer does not deviate from the opening 17 of the storage chamber. That is, it is preferable that the front end or the handle is positioned inside the opening without leaving the opening.

This embodiment can be said to relate to a refrigerator in which a drawer provided in the storage compartment is automatically moved (withdrawn) from an initial position to an operation position when the door 20 for opening and closing the storage compartment is opened. Accordingly, the refrigerator according to the present embodiment includes an electric drive unit 150 (refer to FIG. 5) for moving the drawer, and includes a sensor 40 (refer to FIG. 3) for detecting a condition in which the electric drive unit is driven. desirable.

Specifically, the sensor 40 is a sensor provided to detect the opening of the door 20, and when the sensor 40 detects the opening of the door 20, the electric drive unit 10 operates and the The lower 30 is moved from the initial position to the operating position.

The door 20 may be a swing-type door that is substantially rotated about a vertical axis to open and close. That is, if the state in which the door 20 completely blocks the opening 17 is defined as a 0 degree angle, the door 20 can be opened by rotating it to exceed 90 degrees.

Here, a case in which the door 20 slightly deviates from the opening 17 may be regarded as an open state when viewed in a broader manner. For example, when the close contact between the door 20 and the opening 17 is released, it may be said that the door is open. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when close contact between the gasket 22 provided on the rear surface of the door 20 and the cabinet 10 is released, the door 20 may be said to be open. Therefore, in this state, loss of cold air may inevitably occur.

A door switch to be described later may be provided in order to detect whether the door 20 and the cabinet 10 are in close contact with each other. The door switch may be provided to interlock with the operation of a lighting device provided in the storage compartment. That is, when it is determined that the close contact between the door 20 and the cabinet 10 is released through the door switch, the lighting device may be controlled to be turned on. In addition, after the lighting device is turned on, when close contact between the door 20 and the cabinet 10 is performed through the door switch, the lighting device may be controlled to increase. Accordingly, the door switch detects whether the door is opened or closed through a relatively very small opening angle. In general, the door switch may be formed to have a mechanically swinging structure according to the separation distance between the door and the cabinet.

Details of the door switch and lighting device will be described later.

However, it can be said that the opening of the door in this embodiment is based on the withdrawal of the drawer as described above. That is, when opening the door 20 on the premise that the user draws out and uses the drawer, it is preferable that the drawer is moved to the operating position. Therefore, it can be said that the opening angle of the door for detecting the opening of the door is very important. In addition, it can be said that the opening angle of the door for drawing out the drawer is relatively larger than the opening angle of the door detected by the door switch described above.

For example, when the user tries to withdraw only the storage material stored in the door storage area 21 on the rear of the door 20, the door may be opened only at an angle of 40 to 50 degrees. In this case, it will be desirable that the drawer continues to be in its initial position. Of course, it can be said that the door switch determines that the door is open.

When a user tries to use a drawer with a drawer, in general, the user knows empirically that the door must be opened by 90 degrees or more. This is because, at a door opening angle of 90 degrees or less, the drawer is caught in the basket 25 at the rear of the door before the drawer is completely withdrawn. In order for the drawer to be completely withdrawn without interference with the door, it is common that the door must be opened by more than 100 degrees, for example.

Therefore, it is preferable that the opening angle of the door for automatic movement of the drawer is substantially 80 degrees or more, more preferably approximately 90 degrees front and rear angle. That is, it is preferable to detect the opening of the door at such an angle to drive the electric drive unit. This is to consider that it takes a certain time for the drawer to move to the operating position. That is, it is preferable that the angle at which the opening of the door is detected is smaller than the opening angle of the door at which interference between the drawer and the door is completely excluded. Of course, it is preferable that the angle at which the door is opened and the drawer starts to move automatically is determined so that the door and the drawer at the operating position do not interfere with each other.

On the other hand, the opening angle of the door for automatic movement of the drawer may be an angle that does not interfere with the rear basket 25 of the door when the drawer is pulled out to the operating position. As shown in FIG. 2, the basket 25 may protrude in a direction perpendicular to the rear surface of the door. Accordingly, when the door is opened by 90 degrees, the basket 25 is located at a position outside the opening 17. This means that the drawer 30 does not interfere with the basket 25 until the drawer is drawn out to the opening 17. Of course, when the drawer is further withdrawn while the door is opened at 90 degrees, interference between the drawer 30 and the basket 25 may occur. Accordingly, it has been described above that the opening angle of the door must be further increased in order to completely withdraw the drawer.

For this reason, it is preferable that the sensor 40 is a sensor capable of accurately detecting a preset door opening angle for drawing out the drawer. To this end, it is preferable that the sensor 40 includes a magnet 42 and a reed switch 41. Of course, only the reed switch 41 may be referred to as a sensor, and the reed switch may be said to sense a preset door opening angle through the magnet 42.

As the distance between the reed switch 41 and the magnet 42 is varied, the strength of the magnetic force applied to the reed switch is varied. That is, the specific separation distance between the reed switch 41 and the magnet 42, that is, the distance at which the contact point of the reed switch 41 is changed, can be relatively accurately predicted by varying the magnetic force of the magnet 42 itself.

3 shows the positional relationship between the reed switch 41 and the magnet 42 in one embodiment for the sensor 40. Specifically, FIG. 3 shows the door 20 opened at an angle of 90 degrees. That is, it is shown that the door 20 is rotated 90 degrees and opened with respect to the hinge cover 45 located near the leg 2 fixed to the ground. 3 is a view from the ground toward the top.

The reed switch may be located on the hinge cover 45 and the magnet 42 may be provided under the door 20. Specifically, the magnet 42 may be provided on the cap deco 24 of the door 20. Of course, it is possible to place the reed switch on the door 20 and the magnet 42 on the hinge cover. However, since a contact is formed and a configuration for transmitting a door opening signal or a closing signal to the outside is a reed switch, the reed switch is preferably located in a fixed configuration, that is, the hinge cover 45.

Since the door 20 rotates based on the hinge axis 23, that is, the rotation axis of the door, the vertical separation distance between the reed switch 41 and the magnet 42 is the same regardless of the opening angle of the door 20. However, as the opening angle of the door 20 varies, the horizontal distance between the reed switch 41 and the magnet 42 varies. That is, the magnet 42 rotates with the same radius with respect to the hinge shaft 23, and the horizontal distance with the magnet 42 varies according to the rotation angle at this time.

When the door 20 is closed, the magnet 42 is located near the reed switch 41. Therefore, when the door 20 is closed, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 may affect the reed switch 41. In addition, as the opening angle of the door 20 increases, the magnet 42 approaches the reed switch maximally and then moves away from the reed switch again. That is, as the opening angle of the door 20 increases, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 does not affect the reed switch 42. Thus, for example, when the opening angle of the door 20 reaches a 90 degree angle, the contact point of the reed switch 41 may be changed. The change of the contact point of the reed switch 41 may be regarded as the generation of a door open on signal. That is, when the door is opened to a preset angle, it is possible to detect this as the door opening. In other words, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 affects the reed switch 42 in the section between the door 20 closed and less than the opening angle (eg, 90 degrees), so that the contact of the reed switch 41 Is maintained, and when the opening angle is reached, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 no longer affects the reed switch 42, and the contact point of the reed switch 41 is changed.

In other words, when the opening angle of the door reaches a preset opening angle, the reed switch has a critical point of the effective magnetic force strength for contact switching. That is, when the critical point is reached, the contact of the reed switch is switched, which can be regarded as detecting that the door is open.

Accordingly, by implementing a sensor that detects the opening of the door through the reed switch 41 and the magnet 42, it is possible to generate a door open-on signal at a desired door opening angle (a preset angle).

As described above, when the door is opened and the door opening angle is reached, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 does not affect the reed switch 41. In other words, it deviates from the critical point. Conversely, when the door is closed while the door is opened beyond the door opening angle, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 affects the reed switch 41 when the door opening angle is reached. Accordingly, the door opening angle detecting the opening of the door and the door closing angle detecting the closing of the door can be set equally. In addition, it is possible to detect the opening of the door and the closing of the door through the same angle through one sensor 40.

In other words, the sensor 40 may detect the door opening and the door closing through the same angle. For example, after the door opening is detected at the same angle, the subsequent detection of the same angle may be referred to as door closing detection. In addition, the same angle after detecting the door is closed can be referred to as detecting the door open.

This is because, as described above, not only when the door is opened but also when the door is closed, interference between the door and the drawer needs to be excluded. That is, as described later, even when the drawer is automatically pulled in, it can be said that the drawer is automatically pulled in before the door interferes with the drawer.

However, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when one magnet 42 is used, a problem may occur in that a deviation in the opening angle of a preset door for each product occurs. For example, when the door opening angle is set to 90 degrees and one magnet 42 and the reed switch 41 are mounted, a deviation of the door opening angle may occur for each product. That is, some products detect an 85 degree opening angle, some products detect a 90 degree opening angle, and some products a 95 degree opening angle, so that detection deviation may occur for each product. This deviation may be caused by various causes, such as a deviation in magnetic force of the magnet 42 and a deviation in mounting of the magnet 42 and the lease switch 41.

In addition, when one magnet 42 is used, it becomes difficult to change the opening angle of the door. This is because, for each product model, an opening angle of 90 degrees is desirable for a specific model, but an opening angle of 85 degrees may be desirable for other specific models.

Therefore, it can be said that it is desirable to provide a sensor 40 capable of elastically changing the opening angle of the door while reducing the deviation in the predetermined opening angle of the door. The present applicant intends to provide a sensor 40 using a plurality of magnets in order to solve the problem of the sensor 40 implemented through one magnet 42.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the sensor 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4. Basically, this embodiment is very similar to the above-described embodiment. However, in this embodiment, unlike the above-described embodiment, a plurality of magnets may be provided.

In this embodiment as well, the reed switch is located on the hinge cover 45, and a plurality of magnets 42 may be provided on the cap deco 24 of the door 20. The cap deco 24 may be referred to as a configuration for forming the lower surface of the door 20. Accordingly, the magnet 42 is located inside the door 20.

The reed switch 41 may be provided to be fixed with respect to the cabinet 10. For example, it may be provided on a hinge cover 45 protruding in front of the cabinet 10. In addition, the door 20, particularly the cap deco 24, has a predetermined upper and lower gap at the upper portion of the hinge cover 45 and is opened and closed based on the hinge shaft 23.

The magnet 42 may include a horizontal magnet 42a and a vertical magnet 42b. The horizontal magnet 42a is a magnet provided parallel to the front of the door 20 or the front of the cabinet 10, and the vertical magnet 42b is a magnet positioned substantially vertically with the horizontal magnet 42a. can do.

When the door 20 is closed, the horizontal magnet 42a may be positioned so as to be parallel to one surface of the reed switch 41. The reed switch 41 may be provided in a square shape, and the horizontal magnet 42a may be positioned parallel to a horizontal side of the reed switch 41. In addition, the vertical magnet 42b may be positioned parallel to the vertical side of the reed switch 41. A horizontal side of the reed switch may be formed larger than a vertical side of the reed switch.

Further, the horizontal magnet 42a and the vertical magnet 42b are bar-shaped magnets and may have a length greater than a height based on the vertical cross section shown in FIG. 4.

When the door 40 is closed, the horizontal magnet 42a may be positioned in a form extending from the rear of the reed switch 41 to the left and right. In addition, the vertical magnet 42b may be located in a form extending back and forth from the left or right side of the reed switch. That is, the two magnets 42a and 42b may be spaced apart from each other and positioned to surround the reed switch 41. Accordingly, the horizontal magnet and the vertical magnet may be provided at different horizontal angles with respect to the reed switch.

Accordingly, when the door 20 is closed, the two magnets 42a and 42b simultaneously provide effective magnetic force to the reed switch 41.

Further, the distance between the horizontal magnet 42a and the hinge shaft 23 is smaller than the distance between the vertical magnet 42b and the hinge shaft 24. That is, the turning radius of the horizontal magnet 42a is smaller than that of the vertical magnet 42b. In addition, the distance between the reed switch 41 and the hinge shaft 24 may be set to be similar to a radius of rotation of the horizontal magnet 42a.

Through this, the horizontal magnet 42a rotates near the reed switch 41 as the door 20 is opened, and the vertical magnet 42b rotates at a position relatively far from the reed switch 41 Is done. This means that an area where the horizontal magnet 42a can overlap with the reed switch 41 is relatively large.

Therefore, basically, the magnetic force sensed by the reed switch 41 is a magnetic force generated by the horizontal magnet 42a, and the magnetic force generated by the vertical magnet 42b auxiliaryly affects the reed switch 41. Go crazy.

Assuming that the strength of the magnetic force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, the strength of the magnetic force decreases very rapidly as the position of the magnet 42a from the reed switch 41 increases. This means that even if the magnet moves in a very short section, a very large change in magnetic strength may occur. For this reason, it is very difficult to accurately set a critical point, that is, a door opening angle, in which the magnetic force does not affect the position where the magnetic force is affected. In other words, when only one magnet, for example, the horizontal magnet 42a is provided, it is difficult to set the critical point because a sudden change in magnetic force intensity occurs before and after the critical point.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the magnetic force intensity changes smoothly to the critical point through the vertical magnet 42b, and then the magnetic force intensity changes rapidly after the critical point. That is, since the vertical magnet 42b continuously provides the auxiliary magnetic force up to the critical point, rapid magnetic force change up to the critical point may be limited.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the critical point, that is, the opening angle of the door can be easily set around 90 degrees. That is, it is possible to easily adjust the opening angle of the door detected by the reed switch 41.

Specifically, the position of the vertical magnet 42b may move the horizontal magnet 42a shown in FIG. 4 back and forth in a fixed state. That is, the vertical magnet 42b may be referred to as a fixed magnet and the horizontal magnet 42a may be referred to as a variable magnet.

When the horizontal magnet 42a is moved rearward, the distance between the horizontal magnet 42a and the hinge shaft 23 decreases. In other words, the distance between the horizontal magnet 42a and the reed switch 41 decreases based on the reference shown in FIG. 4 (ie, when the door is opened by 90 degrees). Therefore, in order to exclude the influence of the magnetic force on the reed switch 41 by the horizontal magnet 42a, the door 20 must be further opened. That is, the horizontal magnet 42a may be horizontally moved close to the hinge shaft 23 in order to preset the door opening angle by more than 90 degrees.

Conversely, the horizontal magnet 42a can be moved forward. That is, it can be moved horizontally away from the hinge shaft 23. In this case, the distance between the horizontal magnet 42a and the reed switch 41 is increased. Accordingly, the influence of the horizontal magnet 42a can be excluded when the door opening angle is less than 90 degrees.

As a result, it is possible to flexibly set the door opening angle through the fixed magnet 42b as the auxiliary magnet and the variable magnet 42a as the main magnet.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment of the sensor 40, an example in which a reed switch is provided under the magnet has been described. However, on the contrary, a reed switch may be provided on the top of the magnet. This is because, as an example, a magnet is provided on a door decor forming the upper surface of the door 40, and a reed switch may be mounted at a position facing the door decor. In either case, the vertical distance between the magnet and the reed switch is fixed irrespective of the opening angle of the door, and the horizontal distance between the magnet and the reed switch will vary as the opening angle of the door is changed.

Through this embodiment, it is possible to detect the opening of the door and the closing of the door at a predetermined door opening angle simply and accurately using a relatively very simple reed switch and magnet. In addition, the door opening angle may be set differently for each refrigerator model. In this case, the position of any one of the plurality of magnets can be varied and applied flexibly.

As described above, when opening of the door is detected through the sensor 40, the drawer 30 is moved from the initial position to the operating position. Accordingly, a structure for supporting the drawer 30 to be movable and a structure or configuration for automatically moving the drawer 30 are required. Hereinafter, the moving assembly 100 for supporting the drawer and moving the drawer will be described in detail. Hereinafter, specific configurations of the drawer associated with the moving assembly 100 will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 illustrates a moving assembly 100 that can be coupled to a sidewall of a freezer compartment of the refrigerator illustrated in FIG. 1. Specifically, it shows a partition wall 16, which is one of the side walls of the freezing chamber, and a moving assembly 100 positioned on the left and right sides of the freezing chamber partition wall 16, respectively. Of course, this is a case where a freezing chamber is provided on the left and right sides of the freezing compartment partition wall 16, and when there is one freezing compartment, the partition wall 16 may be a left insulating wall (left side wall) or a right insulating wall (right side wall) of the freezing compartment . In addition, when freezer compartments are provided on the left and right sides of the partition wall 16, the moving assembly 100 may be provided only in one of the freezer compartments, not in both freezer compartments. In either case, the moving assembly 100 is preferably mounted on a sidewall of the storage chamber.

However, when the left and right freezer compartments shown in FIG. 1 are separated, it is very disadvantageous in terms of thermal insulation performance to mount the moving assembly 100 on the left or right insulating wall. If the thickness of the conventional insulating wall is maintained, there is a concern that the internal space of the storage chamber of the moving assembly 100 becomes very small. Therefore, it is preferable to mount the moving assembly 100 on the freezing compartment partition wall 16 in which the thermal insulation performance is not prioritized among the side walls of the freezing compartment.

The partition wall 16 is a partition wall partitioning the left and right freezer compartments, and it is preferable that the left and right sides are symmetrically formed. That is, moving assemblies having the same shape may be mounted on the left and right sides of the partition wall 16 in the same shape. Accordingly, drawers that are automatically drawn out/retracted in both the left and right freezer compartments may be provided.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the moving assembly 100 is mounted on the left and right sides of the sidewalls forming the storage chamber, particularly the partition walls 16 that divide the left and right storage chambers will be described in detail.

The moving assembly 100 performs a function of supporting the drawer 30 so as to be movable back and forth. Then, the drawer 30 forms structures that can be automatically withdrawn. In addition, structures in which the drawer 30 can be automatically inserted may be formed.

It is preferable that the moving assembly 100 includes a support frame 110. The support frame 110 may be mounted on one side wall of the freezing chamber, particularly the partition wall 16. As will be described later, the support frame 110 may be provided to mount various components such as an electric drive unit, and the moving assembly 100 is a single assembly through the support frame 110. It may be mounted on the partition wall 16 or separated from the partition wall 16. That is, the moving assembly 100 may be integrally coupled to the sidewall of the storage chamber or may be separated from the sidewall. Therefore, manufacturing can be very simple, and maintenance can be performed very easily later. This is because, as will be described later, after separating the drawer 30 from the rail 120, the moving assembly 100 including the support frame 110 can be separated from the partition wall 16. . Conversely, after all the moving assemblies are formed and mounted on the partition wall 16, the drawer 30 may be coupled to the rail 120. Therefore, manufacturing and subsequent maintenance becomes very easy.

Rails 120 may be mounted on the support frame 110. The rail 120 may be provided to move the drawer back and forth in the storage chamber. That is, the drawer 30 may be supported so as to be movable back and forth in the storage chamber through the rail 120. The drawer 30 may be moved while sliding back and forth through the rail 120.

When there are a plurality of drawers 30, a plurality of rails 120 may be provided accordingly. Accordingly, a plurality of rails 120 may be mounted on a single support frame 110. Specifically, a plurality of rails 120 may be mounted vertically.

Meanwhile, the support frame 110 is mounted on the partition wall 16 to form a predetermined space 130 between the partition wall 16 and the partition wall 16. This predetermined space 130 may be referred to as a space that is not exposed inside the storage room. Accordingly, the configuration provided in the predetermined space 130 is not exposed to the interior of the storage chamber. For this reason, the predetermined space may be referred to as an isolation space, and as will be described later, it may be referred to as an electric drive unit mounting space for mounting the electric drive unit.

The predetermined space, isolation space, or electric drive unit mounting space 130 is provided between the inner side 112 and the partition wall 16 of the support frame 110, and the components mounted on the inner side 112 are the storage compartment It will not be exposed inside. On the other hand, components mounted on the outer surface 111 of the support frame 110 may be exposed into the storage compartment. For example, the rail 120 may be mounted on the outer surface 111 of the support frame 110, and thus, the rail 120 may be exposed inside the storage compartment.

An electric drive unit 150 may be provided on the inner side 112 of the support frame 110. That is, the electric drive unit 150 may be located in the predetermined space 130. Accordingly, the electric drive unit 150 is not substantially exposed into the storage chamber. This is because the support frame 110 covers the electric drive unit 150.

Specifically, the electric drive unit 150 may be mounted on the inner side of the support frame 110 instead of the partition wall 16. That is, when the support frame 110 is separated from the partition wall 16, it is preferable that the electric drive unit 150 is also separated from the partition wall 16.

As the electric drive unit 150 is driven, it can be said to be a configuration for moving the drawer 30 from an initial position to an operation position. Accordingly, the electric drive unit 150 includes a motor assembly 160 that generates a force to move the drawer 30 and a moving frame 170 that applies a force to the drawer so that the drawer 30 moves. It can be done by doing.

The moving frame 170 may be provided to be moved back and forth by driving of the motor assembly 160. Here, the back and forth movement may be referred to as the same direction as the back and forth movement of the drawer 30. That is, the moving frame 170 may be provided to move in the same direction as the drawer 30 by driving the motor assembly 160.

Specifically, the moving frame 170 may be movably mounted on the support frame 110. For example, the moving frame 170 may be mounted on the inner surface of the support frame 110 so as to be movable back and forth. Accordingly, since the entire moving frame 170 is substantially located in the predetermined space 130, the entire moving frame 170 and the moving state of the moving frame 170 cannot be seen inside the storage room. However, as will be described later, the movement of the moving frame 170 must be transmitted to the drawer 30 provided in the storage compartment. Therefore, it is preferable that the configuration for transmitting the force, for example, the transmission member to be described later is exposed to the outer surface of the support frame 110.

Accordingly, the moving frame 170 may be referred to as a configuration that transmits the force of the motor assembly 160 positioned in the predetermined space 130 to the drawer 30 positioned outside the predetermined space 130.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5, a through portion 16a may be formed in the partition wall 16. The through part 16a may be formed to penetrate the motor assembly 160. The motor assembly 160 may have left and right widths preset based on the reference shown in FIG. 5. Accordingly, when the motor assembly 160 is located in the predetermined space 130 and is isolated from the storage chamber, the left and right widths of the partition wall 16 or the left and right widths of the support frame 110 may be excessively large. This can be said to narrow the space inside the storage room. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the storage compartment space from being reduced due to the motor assembly 160 through the through part 16a.

Specifically, when the moving assembly 100 is positioned on the left and right sides of the partition wall 16, a part of the motor assembly on the left (the motor assembly for moving the drawer in the left freezing chamber) is provided with the through part 16a. It may penetrate and be located in the predetermined space 130 on the right side. Conversely, a part of the motor assembly on the right side (the motor assembly for moving the drawer in the right freezing chamber) may pass through the through part 16a and be located in the predetermined space 130 on the left. In addition, the two motor assemblies 150 may be positioned vertically and side by side. That is, the two motor assemblies 150 may be positioned vertically and side by side so that a part of the left and right widths overlap. Through this, it is possible to minimize the influence of the thickness due to the moving assembly than when the two motor assemblies 150 are positioned side by side.

Here, the through part 16a may be formed to correspond to the outer shape of the motor assembly 150. Accordingly, the motor assembly 150 may be fitted to the through part 16a to be fixed and supported. In addition, when a motor assembly is provided on each of the left and right sides of the partition wall 16, the through part 16a may be formed vertically. One motor assembly passes through the upper side and the other motor assembly passes through the lower side. That is, two motor assemblies may be arranged vertically through the through portion 16a. The through part 16a is preferably covered by the support frame 110 as the support frame 110 is coupled to the partition wall 16.

Meanwhile, the motor assembly 150 includes a motor 162 operating through electric energy. Accordingly, a wire for supplying electric energy must be connected to the motor assembly 150. That is, a wire must be connected from the power supply device (not shown) of the refrigerator to the motor assembly 150.

The partition wall 16 may have an upper opening 16b through which an electric wire is connected. The electric wire connected from the power supply device may extend through the inside of the horizontal partition 14 shown in FIG. 1 to the upper opening 16b of the vertical partition wall 16. A wire penetration part 16c may be formed in the horizontal partition wall 14. That is, the electric wire may further extend from the upper opening 16b to the electric wire penetrating portion 16b. After the wire 16d further extends to the right from the wire penetration part 16c, it may be closed with the wire coupling part 16e. The illustrated wire coupling part 16e may be referred to as a wire coupling part for connecting to the motor assembly 150 provided on the right. Likewise, a wire and wire coupling part may be provided on the left side of the wire penetration part 16c.

Before mounting the moving assembly 100 on the partition wall 16, the electric wire may be extended through the horizontal partition 14 and the vertical partition wall 16, and then the electric wire may pass through the wire penetrating portion 16c. And it is possible to form the wire coupling portion (16e) at the end of the wire.

The wire coupling part 16e is located in the predetermined space 130 described above. Therefore, before mounting the moving assembly 100 on the partition wall 14, first, the motor assembly 150 is connected through the wire coupling portion 16e. In addition, the moving assembly 100 may be fixed to the partition wall 16 through the fastening part 115 formed in the support frame and the fastening part 16f formed in the partition wall 16. The fastening portions 115 and 16f may be formed in a boss shape for screw coupling. Conversely, the moving assembly 100 may be separated from the partition wall 16 by removing the screws. Thereafter, by removing the connection between the wire coupling part 16e and the motor assembly 100, the moving assembly 100 may be completely separated from the partition wall 16. That is, the structural and electrical connection to the partition wall 16 can be eliminated.

Therefore, through the structure of the partition wall 16, the structure of the moving assembly 100, and the connection structure of wires through the partition wall, the coupling, separation, and connection of the moving assembly 100 can be performed very easily. .

As described above, the motor assembly 100 includes a motor 162. In general, the motor is formed in a cylindrical shape. The direction of the rotation axis of the motor may be a direction perpendicular to the partition wall 16. Accordingly, the left and right widths of the motor assembly 100 may increase due to the size of the motor itself (the height of the cylindrical motor).

As shown in FIG. 5, a motor avoidance groove 116 may be formed in the support frame 110. That is, a circular motor avoidance groove 116 may be formed according to the shape of the motor. In addition, the motor avoidance groove 116 may accommodate at least a portion of the motor. Accordingly, it is possible to expand only a portion corresponding to the motor without having to increase the left and right widths of the entire motor assembly 100. The motor avoidance groove 116 may be formed in the support frame 110 in order to exclude interference with such an extended portion.

The motor avoidance groove 116 protrudes to the right based on the right support frame. Other components mounted on the support frame may be interfered with by the protruding motor avoidance groove 116. To prevent this, the motor avoidance groove 116 is preferably formed at a position corresponding between the rail 120 and the rail 120.

Assuming that three rails 120 are mounted on the support frame 110, the motor avoidance groove 116 may be formed between the middle rail and the lower rail in the right support frame. Conversely, the motor avoidance groove 116 may be formed between the upper rail and the middle rail in the left support frame.

Through this motor avoidance groove 116, the motor assembly 160 may be more firmly coupled to the support frame 110. In addition, by forming the motor avoidance groove 116 between the rail and the rail, it is possible to minimize the reduction of the storage compartment space due to the total expansion of the predetermined space 130 described above.

If, in consideration of the size of the motor, the left and right widths of the entire motor assembly 100 are further increased, for example, when the left and right widths of the entire housing 16 of the motor assembly are further increased, the motor assembly 100 and the In order to avoid interference between rails, the space inside the storage compartment will inevitably be reduced.

Hereinafter, a structure for supporting the drawer and applying force to the drawer will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6. 6 shows a rail 120 corresponding to one drawer 30 on the support frame 110 and a structure for transmitting force to the drawer 30.

Although not shown in FIG. 6, the drawer 30 is supported to be movable back and forth through the rail 120. In general, a user pulls or pushes the drawer 30 to withdraw or retract the drawer. At this time, it can be said that the rail 120 is provided to facilitate the drawer in and out while minimizing the required force. Accordingly, the rail 120 may be mounted on an outer surface 111 of the support frame 110, that is, a surface facing the interior of the storage compartment.

As described above, the electric drive unit 150, in particular, the motor assembly 160 may be mounted on the inner side 112 of the support frame 110. Here, the inner surface 112 may be referred to as a surface facing the side wall or the partition wall 16. Accordingly, there is a need for a structure for transmitting the force generated in the inner side 112 portion of the support frame to the outer side 111 portion of the support frame.

To this end, it is preferable that a slit 113 is formed in the support frame 110. That is, it is preferable that a slit penetrating the support frame 110 is formed. It is possible to transmit the movement of the moving frame 170 to the drawer 30 through the slit 113.

Specifically, the moving frame 170 may include a transmission member 171 that transmits force to the drawer 30. The transmission member 171 may be provided to penetrate the slit 113. That is, substantially the whole of the moving frame 170 is moved at the inner side 112 of the support frame, but a part of the moving frame, that is, the transfer member 171 penetrates the slit 113 to support the It is preferable to move in the outer surface 111 portion of the frame. Accordingly, the transfer member 171 moves back and forth along the slit 113.

The transmission member 171 performs a function of transmitting the force of the electric drive, in particular, the movement of the moving frame 170 to the drawer 30. That is, the transfer member 171 may push the drawer 30 to move the drawer 30 through the rail. In other words, it is possible to automatically move the drawer 30 even if the user does not manually operate the drawer.

Meanwhile, a drawer holder 180 may be mounted on the support frame 110 in addition to the rail 120. Specifically, one drawer 30 may include a pair of rails 120, one slit 113, and one drawer holder 180 as a set. If there are a plurality of drawers 30, similarly, they may be provided in a plurality of sets.

The drawer holder 180 may be provided to provide an elastic restoring force to the drawer 30. In particular, when the drawer 30 is pulled out, it is elastically deformed, and when the drawer 30 is pulled in, it may be provided to provide an elastic restoring force to the drawer 30. That is, as described above, withdrawal of the drawer may be automatically performed by the electric drive unit, and the drawing in of the drawer may be automatically performed by the drawer holder 180. Details of the mechanism between the drawer holder 180 and the drawer 30 will be described later.

Hereinafter, a mechanism between the electric drive unit 150 and the drawer 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. 7 is a view of the moving assembly 100 at the initial position of the drawer as viewed from the inner side 112 of the support frame 110, and FIG. 8 is a frame supporting the moving assembly 100 at the drawer's operating position. It is a view seen from the inner side 112 of (110).

The motor assembly 160 may be provided in a predetermined space between the inner surface 112 of the support frame 110 and the partition wall 16 or in the electric drive unit mounting space 130. Specifically, the motor assembly 160 may be mounted on the inner surface 112 of the support frame 110.

The motor assembly 160 may include a housing 161, and a power configuration such as a motor 162 and a gear 162a may be accommodated in the housing 161. Accordingly, by fixing the housing 161 to the support frame 110, the motor assembly 160 may be stably supported by the support frame. As described above, according to the shape of the motor 162, the housing 161 of the portion corresponding to the motor 162 may be formed to protrude more than other portions, and this is in the motor avoidance groove 116 described above. Can be settled.

A plurality of gears 162a may be provided to reduce rotational speed and transmit torque.

The electric drive unit 150 may include a connection member 163. It may be said that the motor assembly 160 includes the connection member 163. The connecting member 163 may be provided between the motor assembly, particularly the housing 161 of the motor assembly 160 and the moving frame 170. That is, the connecting member 163 may be provided to connect the motor assembly 160 and the moving frame 170.

The connecting member 163 may be provided so that the motor assembly 160, particularly the housing 161, has a different lead distance. That is, it is possible to change the withdrawal distance of the connecting member 163. As the withdrawal distance of the connecting member 163 from the fixed housing 161 increases, the distance between the housing 161 and the moving frame 170 increases. Conversely, as the withdrawal distance of the connecting member 163 decreases, the distance between the housing 161 and the moving frame 170 decreases. Accordingly, the motor assembly 160 is driven so that the withdrawal distance of the connecting member 163 is variable, and as a result, the moving frame 170 is moved.

It is preferable that one side of the connecting member 163 is movably fixed with respect to the motor assembly 160 and the other side is fixed to move integrally with the moving frame 170. That is, the other side of the moving frame 170 may be coupled to the moving frame 170. A connecting member coupling portion 174 may be formed in the moving frame 170, and the moving frame 170 and the connecting member 163 are coupled through the connecting member coupling portion 174. Accordingly, the movement of the connecting member 163 may be transmitted by the movement of the moving frame 170.

Specifically, the connecting member 163 may be formed in a rack shape, and the motor assembly 160 may be provided in a pinion shape. That is, any one of the gears 162a may be connected to the connection member 163 as a pinion gear. For example, the clockwise rotation of the motor 162 may be converted to a forward movement of the connecting member 163 through the gear 162a, and the counterclockwise rotation of the motor 162 is the gear ( Through 163a), the connection member 163 may be moved backward. Of course, due to the gear configuration, the rotation direction of the motor and the movement direction of the connecting member may be formed in the opposite direction.

Accordingly, it is possible to increase or decrease the pull-out distance of the connecting member according to the forward and reverse driving of the motor assembly 160. The driving of the motor assembly 160 pushes or pulls the connecting member 163, and thus pushes or pulls the moving frame.

The moving frame 170 may be referred to as a configuration for transmitting the driving force of the motor assembly 160 to the drawer 30. Therefore, basically, the moving frame 170 is moved by the driving of the motor assembly 160. Specifically, the moving frame 170 is preferably provided to be movable on the inner side 113 of the support frame 110.

As described above, not only one drawer but also a plurality of drawers may be provided in the storage chamber, and it is preferable to move all of the plurality of drawers from the initial position to the operation position when the door is opened. It is preferable that the movement of the plurality of drawers is performed collectively. Accordingly, the moving frame 170 may be provided to transmit force to not only one drawer but also a plurality of drawers.

In order to transmit force to a plurality of drawers arranged vertically, the moving frame 170 is preferably formed to extend vertically. In addition, a plurality of transmission members 171 may be provided in the moving frame 170. Likewise, the transfer members may be vertically disposed on one moving frame 170. One delivery member 171 may be provided to correspond to one drawer 30.

7 and 8 illustrate an example in which three transmission members 171 are formed in one moving frame 170. This means that one moving frame 170 can move and move three drawers arranged vertically. That is, it means that the three drawers can be simultaneously moved from the initial position to the operation position through the movement of the single connecting member 163. Through this, it is possible to simultaneously move a plurality of drawers through one motor assembly 150, one connecting member 163, and one moving frame 170. That is, despite having only one electric drive unit 150 interlocking with one door 20, it is possible to easily move a plurality of drawers. Therefore, the configuration can be simple, and it becomes possible to implement an easy and easy control logic.

The moving frame 170 is preferably supported so as to be movable back and forth on the inner side 112 of the support frame 110. More specifically, the moving frame 170 is preferably supported to be slidable back and forth.

As described above, the moving frame 170 may be provided to move a plurality of drawers 30. Therefore, the moving frame 170 is provided in the form of a plate extending vertically, and therefore, it is preferable to minimize the movement deviation between the upper and lower portions when the moving frame 170 moves.

To this end, it is preferable that sliding support portions 172 are provided at the upper and lower portions of the moving frame 170, respectively. The sliding support part 172 may be formed in a pair on the upper part of the moving frame 170 and a pair in the lower part. Accordingly, the moving frame 170 may be moved with four support points on the top, bottom, left and right. Through this, it is possible to prevent the moving frame from being distorted when the moving frame 100 moves back and forth.

Left and right widths may be extended to form the support part 172 at the upper and lower portions of the moving frame 170. The transmission member 171 may be formed in this expanded portion. On the other hand, the extended portion may not be formed in the portion of the transmission member formed in the middle. Accordingly, there may be a problem that the transfer member 171 formed in the middle is separated from the moving frame 170 when used for a long time. That is, there is a concern that the connecting portion between the transmission member 171 and the moving frame 170 may be damaged. This is because the transfer member 171 may be formed in a protruding shape from the moving frame 170, and the transfer member 171 may be bent and damaged when used for a long time.

In order to solve this, in particular, it is preferable that a strength reinforcing rib (not shown) is formed between the transmission member provided in the middle and the moving frame 170. The strength reinforcing ribs may be formed parallel to the direction in which the force is received, and a plurality of strength reinforcing ribs may be formed.

In order to allow the moving frame 170 to move more smoothly, a guide bar 114 may be formed on the support frame 110. The guide bar 114 may be formed to correspond to the upper and lower portions of the moving frame 170, respectively. Accordingly, the guide bar may include an upper guide bar and a lower guide bar. In addition, the sliding support part 172 may be formed to surround the guide bar 114. Accordingly, the sliding support part 172 may be slid back and forth while surrounding the guide bar 114.

A liner 173 (refer to FIG. 9) made of a POM material may be interposed between the guide bar 114 and the sliding support part 172. That is, a liner made of engineering plastic such as polyacetal or polyoxymethylene may be interposed. POM material has very good mechanical strength, abrasion resistance, low friction resistance and self-lubricating property. Therefore, even if it is used for a long time, the moving frame 170 can be supported so that it can be moved smoothly. Of course, it will be preferable that the guide bar 114 is coated with a lubricant such as grease.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 7, the motor assembly 160 is mounted at a position lower than the upper and lower centers of the support frame 110. This is to allow the two motor assemblies 160 to be mounted vertically through the partition wall 16, as described with reference to FIG. 5. That is, the motor assembly 160 may be mounted at a position higher than the upper and lower centers of the support frame 110 on the opposite support frame 110.

Due to the position of the motor assembly 160, the connection member 163 pushes or pulls a portion skewed upward or a portion skewed downwards rather than the upper and lower center portions of the moving frame 170. Therefore, basically, the connecting member 163 has no choice but to apply a force to twist the moving frame. In order to minimize the force applied to an eccentric portion of the moving assembly 170 other than the upper and lower center portions, the connecting member 163 includes an extension portion 164. The extension part 164 may be formed to extend upward or downward from the end of the connecting member 163 (ie, the end connected to the moving frame). The extension part 164 is preferably formed to further pass the upper and lower centers of the moving assembly 170. That is, the extension part 164 shown in FIG. 7 further extends from the upper and lower centers of the moving assembly 170 to the upper part, and in the case of the extension part on the opposite side, it further extends from the upper and lower centers of the moving assembly 170 It is desirable to do so. Through this, even if the upper and lower centers of the connecting member 163 and the upper and lower centers of the moving frame do not coincide, distortion of the moving frame 170 can be minimized. In addition, the connecting member 163 may be coupled to the moving frame by coupling the extension portion 164 to the connecting member coupling portion 174. A plurality of connection member coupling portions 174 may be provided so that force and movement displacement applied through the connection member 163 are uniformly transmitted to the entire upper and lower portions of the moving frame 170.

As described above, a slit 113 is formed in the support frame 110. The number of slits 113 may be the same as the number of drawers 30. The slit 113 is formed to pass through the support frame 110 and is formed to be elongated to the left and right of the support frame 110 with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. The transmission member 171 moves left and right along the slit 113. When the refrigerator is used as a reference, the transfer member 171 moves back and forth along the slit 113. Since the transfer member passes through the support frame 110, it may be connected to the drawer 30 provided on the outer surface 111 of the support frame 110. That is, the transfer member 171 may be coupled to the drawer 30 or may be in contact with the drawer 30. The transfer member 171 is connected to the drawer and can directly apply force to the drawer 30.

As shown in FIG. 7, the distance between the motor assembly 150 and the moving frame 170 at the initial position is relatively small. In this state, the moving frame 170 is positioned lean to the left. In other words, it is located deeper into the storage compartment of the refrigerator.

When it is determined that the door 20 is opened through the sensor 40, that is, when a door open signal is generated, the motor assembly 150 is driven, and the distance between the motor assembly 150 and the moving frame 170 is It will increase relatively. That is, the connecting member 163 pushes the moving frame 170 to move the moving frame 170 forward. At this time, the transfer member 171 of the moving frame 170 pushes the drawer 30 to move the drawer 30 to the operating position. In other words, the appearance of the moving assembly 100 at the initial position shown in FIG. 7 changes to the appearance of the moving assembly 100 at the operating position shown in FIG. 7. In other words, the connecting member 163 and the moving frame 170 shown in FIG. 7 can be said to be located in the initial position, and the connecting member 163 and the moving frame 170 shown in FIG. 8 are located in the operating position. It can be said. On the other hand, the relative position change of the support frame 110 and the housing 161 of the motor assembly does not occur. Accordingly, it can be said that the moving frame 170 is provided to be movable back and forth by driving the motor assembly 160 between an initial position and an operation position. In addition, the moving frame 170 may be said to be connected to the drawer to apply a force to the drawer in a direction in which the drawer is withdrawn from the initial position to the operation position.

As will be described later, the connection between the drawer 30 and the moving frame, particularly the transfer member 171 may be referred to as a locking, and releasing the connection may be referred to as releasing the locking. In particular, when the moving frame 170 is moved from the operating position to the initial position on the contrary, it is preferable that the connection between the moving frame 170 and the drawer 30 is released. That is, it is preferable that the jam release is performed. For this reason, when the moving frame 170 is moved from the operating position to the initial position, it is preferable not to apply force to the drawer 30. In other words, the movement of the drawer 30 from the initial position to the operation position is performed by the driving of the electric drive unit 150, but on the contrary, the movement from the operation position to the initial position is driven by the electric driving unit 150 It is desirable to have nothing to do with it. Details on this will be described later.

Hereinafter, the automatic movement mechanism of the drawer 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the drawer 30 connected to the moving assembly 100.

The drawer 30 may include a basket 31 for accommodating a storage material and a drawer frame 32 provided outside the basket 31. The basket 31 may be movably supported on the rail 120 through the drawer frame 32. It is preferable that the basket 31 and the drawer frame 32 are provided to be integrally movable. The drawer frame 32 may be provided under the basket 31. Details of the structure of the drawer 30 and the coupling structure between the drawer 30 and the rail 120 will be described later.

The drawer frame 32 and the moving frame 170 are partitioned through the support frame 110. However, the transfer member 171 of the moving frame 170 may extend to the drawer frame 32 through the slit 113 formed in the support frame 110.

The moving frame 170 may be selectively connected to the drawer frame 32. Through the connection between the moving frame 170 and the drawer frame 32, the movement of the moving frame 170 may be converted to the movement of the drawer frame 32, that is, the drawer 30. Conversely, through disconnection between the moving frame 170 and the drawer frame 32, it is possible to prevent the movement of the moving frame 170 from being converted into the movement of the drawer 30.

Specifically, a locking member 33 may be formed on the drawer. The locking member 33 may be referred to as a first locking member 33 for convenience in order to distinguish it from other locking members to be described later. The first locking member 33 may be formed on the drawer frame 32 and may be formed to extend toward the moving frame 170.

As described above, the moving frame 170 may move forward from the initial position to the operation position. The movement of the moving frame 170 is switched from the initial position of the drawer 30 to the operation position. Further, the movement of the moving frame 170 from the initial position to the operating position may be generated by a force pushing the moving frame 170 from the rear. Therefore, it is preferable that the moving frame 170 moves the drawer 30 from the initial position to the operating position by pushing the drawer 30.

To this end, the first locking member 33 is preferably located in front of the transmission member 171. In addition, when both the moving frame 170 and the drawer 30 are in their initial positions, it is preferable that both are in contact with each other. Accordingly, as the transfer member 171 moves from the initial position to the operation position, the first locking member 33 can be pushed continuously. Due to this, the drawer 30 can also be moved from the initial position to the operating position.

Conversely, when the drawer 30 is in the operating position, the transfer member 171 may be returned to the initial position. That is, at this time, the connection or engagement between the transfer member 171 and the first locking member 33 is released. Accordingly, the drawer 30 maintains the operating position state, and the transmission member 171, in particular, the moving frame 170 can be returned to the initial position.

As described above, the initial position of the drawer 30 may be said to be a state in which the drawer 30 is still located inside the storage compartment. Therefore, when using the drawer 30, the user opens the door 20 and pulls the drawer 30 so that at least a portion of the drawer 30 leaves the storage room. Accordingly, the maximum withdrawal position of the drawer 30 may be defined. That is, the maximum withdrawal position may be referred to as a position in which the drawer 30 is withdrawn as far forward as possible while being supported by the rail 120. This maximum withdrawal position may be preset through the rail 120. That is, the separation distance between the operation position and the maximum withdrawal position may be preset.

Basically, the drawer 30 may be supported so as to be movable between an initial position and a maximum withdrawal position through the rail 120. As described above, the drawer 30 can be automatically moved from the initial position to the operation position by the driving of the electric drive unit 150.

Here, it is preferable that the drawer 30 is withdrawn manually from the operation position to the maximum withdrawal position (a position separated by a preset distance from the operation position to the front). That is, it is preferable that the connection between the moving frame 170 and the drawer 30 is released from the operation position to the maximum withdrawal position, so that the drawer 30 can be manually withdrawn.

When the door 20 is opened, the drawer 30 may be automatically moved to an operation position so that the user can easily withdraw the drawer 30. When the user uses the drawer 30, the drawer can be further manually withdrawn from the operating position. And, when the use of the drawer 30 is finished, the drawer 30 may be manually drawn in. For example, the user may manually draw the drawer 30 to the manipulation position or the vicinity of the manipulation position. Of course, it will be possible to manually draw the drawer 30 to the initial position.

That is, the automatic withdrawal of the drawer 30 linked with the opening of the door may be performed from the initial position to the operation position, and may be manually withdrawn from the operation position to the maximum withdrawal position.

On the other hand, when the drawer 30 is withdrawn to an operating position, the motor assembly 160 may operate to move the connecting member 163 to an initial position. Therefore, the drawer 30 can always be pulled in manually.

As an example, the user may directly push the drawer 30 from the maximum withdrawal position to the initial position to bring it in. In addition, after the user directly pushes the drawer 30 to the operating position from the maximum withdrawal position to the operating position, the drawer 30 can be pulled in to the initial position by closing the door 20. In this case, as the door is closed, the door basket provided on the rear surface of the door 20 may be said to push the drawer 30. Therefore, when the user manually closes the door 20, the user must close the door by applying a force greater than or equal to the force for retracting the drawer.

In the above, basically, the mechanism between the drawer 30 and the moving assembly 100 has been described from the viewpoint of automatic withdrawal of the drawer 30. However, it is desirable to minimize the user's effort not only when drawing in the drawer 30 but also when drawing in.

In this embodiment, in order to provide user convenience when the drawer 30 is inserted, a refrigerator in which the drawer 30 can be automatically inserted may be provided. In particular, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer 30 can be automatically drawn into the initial position from the operation position or a position near the operation position. That is, just as the user's force is not required for the automatic withdrawal of the drawer 30, the user's force is not required for the automatic drawing-in of the drawer 30. In addition, it is possible to prevent the drawer from exerting an impact by the door basket on the rear of the door 20, and there is no need for the user to apply a force for retracting the drawer other than the force for closing the door 20.

To this end, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8, a drawer holder 180 may be provided. That is, like the rail 120, the drawer holder 180 may be mounted on the outer surface 111 of the support frame 110.

Specifically, the rail 120 may be mounted on the lower portion of the slit 113 based on the slit 113, and the drawer holder 180 may be mounted on the upper portion of the slit 113.

The drawer holder 180 may be provided to provide an elastic restoring force to the drawer 30 when the drawer 30 returns to the initial position from the operation position or a position near the operation position. The drawer 30 may automatically return to the initial position through the elastic restoring force.

To this end, the drawer holder 180 may be provided to be selectively connected to the drawer 30. That is, it may be provided to selectively hold the drawer.

Specifically, the drawer holder 180 may include a hook member 181. The hanger member 181 may be provided to be selectively connected to the drawer 30. More specifically, the drawer may be provided with a second locking member 34. That is, a second locking member 34 connected to the hanging member 181 of the drawer holder 180 may be provided separately from the first locking member 33 connected to the transfer member 171 of the moving frame.

The second locking member 34 may be provided above the first locking member 33. Specifically, the second locking member 34 may be formed to protrude from the drawer frame 32 in the direction of the support frame 110.

As shown in FIG. 10, the hanger member 181 of the drawer holder 180 may be selectively connected to the second locking member 34 provided in the drawer 30. As an example, in the section from the initial position of the drawer 30 to the operation position (this may be referred to as an elastic section), the second locking member 34 may be connected to the drawer holder 180. I can.

When the drawer 30 is withdrawn from the elastic section, a spring (not shown) provided in the drawer holder 180 is elastically deformed. And, when the drawer 30 is retracted in the elastic section, the spring is elastically restored.

Specifically, in the elastic section, the drawer 30 is automatically drawn forward by the operation of the electric drive unit 150. That is, it is withdrawn to the operating position. As the drawer 30 is withdrawn, the second locking member 34 provided in the drawer 30 pushes the hanger member 181. The hook member 181 moves forward together with the second hook member 34, so that the spring may be elastically deformed. For example, the spring may be tensioned. The elastic restoring force generated at this time causes the drawer 30 to be automatically drawn in.

More specifically, the drawer 30 overcomes the elastic force of the drawer holder 180 by the operation of the electric drive unit 150 and can be automatically withdrawn. As described above, when the force pushing the drawer 30 through the electric drive unit 150 is removed, an elastic restoring force by the drawer holder 180 is applied to the drawer 30. Accordingly, the hook member 181 pulls the second hook member 34 of the drawer by the elastic restoring force. Therefore, even if the user does not apply a separate force to insert the drawer 30, the drawer 30 can be automatically drawn in.

Therefore, while the transfer member 171 is provided only to push the first locking member 33, the locking member 181 is pulled by the second locking member 34 and holds the second locking member 34 It can be said that it is equipped to pull. That is, the hanger member 181 is pulled by the second locking member 34 when the drawer 30 is withdrawn, and the second locking member 34 is pulled in when the drawer 30 is pulled in. Pull. In other words, it is preferable that the hook member 181 and the second hook member 34 are always connected to each other when the drawer 30 is pulled in and pulled out in the elastic section. Therefore, when the drawer is drawn in, it is possible to automatically draw in the drawer instead of manually, so that the user can operate the drawer very conveniently. Of course, it is preferable that the automatic retraction of the drawer 30 is performed from the above-described maximum withdrawal position to the initial position, not from the section to the initial position or from the operation position or near the operation position.

Hereinafter, a mechanism for automatically retracting a drawer by the drawer holder 180 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 10.

As described above, the drawer holder 180 is elastically deformed when the drawer 30 is moved from the initial position to the operation position, and when the drawer 30 is moved from the operation position to the initial position Elastic restoring force is provided to the drawer 30. Here, elastic deformation and elastic restoration may occur in the drawer holder 180 continuously from the initial position to the operation position.

In FIG. 10, an example is shown in which the elastic section starts further forward than the initial position and ends further forward than the operation position.

First, in FIG. 10, the second locking member 34 in the initial position is shown. In this initial position, the first locking member 33 and the transmission member 171 are connected.

When the door is opened, the electric drive unit 150 operates so that the transmission member 171 pushes the first locking member 33 forward. Accordingly, the drawer 30 is drawn forward, and the second engaging member 34 is also moved forward.

In FIG. 10, for convenience, one hook member 181 is shown in an elastic start position and an operation position respectively. And, for convenience, a state in which one transmission member 181 is positioned at an initial position and an operation position, respectively, is shown. It can be seen that the transmission member 181 is biased to the left of the slit 113 at the initial position, and is biased to the right of the slit 113 at the operating position.

When the second locking member 34 is moved forward from the initial position to the elastic start position, the second locking member 34 is connected to the hook member 181. The elastic start position may be preset between the initial position and the operation position, which is the shape of the slots 183 and 184 formed in the housing 182 of the drawer holder 180 and the hook member 181 It can be done by changing the connection relationship of.

For example, if the distance between the initial position and the operation position is 120 mm, the elastic start position may be set to be 30 mm away from the initial position in the front.

The spring of the drawer holder 180 is not elastically deformed because the coupling between the second locking member 34 and the hook member 181 is released from the drawer's initial position to the elastic start position. In addition, as the drawer reaches the elastic start position and is further withdrawn, the hook member 181 moves forward so that the spring is elastically deformed. And, when the drawer moves further forward and reaches the operating position, the elastic transition is further increased. That is, the second locking member 34 is caught on the hook member 181 shown on the right side of FIG. 10, and the drawer 30 is in the operating position.

As shown, it can be seen that the drawer holder 180 applies a force for retracting the drawer 30 at the operating position of the drawer 20. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the operation of the electric drive unit 150 can be maintained (for example, clockwise driving) at the operation position. That is, when the door 20 is open, it is preferable that the operating state of the electric drive unit 150 is maintained so that the drawer 20 is always pushed. In other words, the driving of the motor assembly 160 is maintained while the door is kept open, so that the moving frame 170 can be controlled to maintain the operating position. Of course, as will be described later, when the door 20 is closed, the motor assembly 160 may be driven in reverse (for example, counterclockwise driving) so that the moving frame 170 returns to the initial position.

On the other hand, the operation of the electric drive unit 150 is maintained in the operation position of the drawer 30 may cause an overload of the electric drive unit 150. This is because the connection member 163 is in a state in which it cannot move forward, so that the motor is idle. Accordingly, the electric drive unit 150 may move the drawer 30 to the operating position and maintain the operation for a predetermined time, and then return the moving frame 170 to the initial position by reverse driving. The predetermined time may be determined in consideration of a time required for the user to select a specific drawer and draw the specific drawer. For example, the electric drive unit 150 may be controlled to move the moving frame 170 to an operation position, maintain the operation position for about 5 seconds, and then operate in reverse.

As described above, the automatic withdrawal of the drawer 20 by the electric drive unit 150 is preferably from the initial position to the operation position. Thus, withdrawal from the operation position to the maximum withdrawal position can be performed manually. That is, the user can directly pull the drawer 20 and withdraw it.

When the drawer 20 is withdrawn from the operation position to the maximum withdrawal position, the drawer holder 180 may be elastically deformed in a direction that prevents withdrawal. Therefore, it is preferable that the connection between the drawer holder 180 and the drawer 30 is released during manual withdrawal.

To this end, it is preferable to form an inclined slot 185 in a slot formed in the housing 182 of the drawer holder. Specifically, it is preferable to form an inclined slot 185 in front of the lower slot 184 among the two slots 183 and 184 that are formed vertically and side by side. The inclined slot 185 may be referred to as a first inclined slot 185 for convenience in order to distinguish it from other inclined slots to be described later.

The first inclined slot 185 is located in front of the slot 184. When the user pulls the drawer 30 forward a little further from the operating position, the hook member 181 may be constrained to the first inclined slot 185. At this time, the hook member 181 rotates so that the coupling between the hook member 181 and the second hook member 34 is released. In addition, a position at which the coupling between the hook member 181 and the second hook member 34 is released may be referred to as an elastic end position. Accordingly, the elastic start position in this embodiment is in front of the initial position, and similarly, the elastic end position can be said to be in front of the operation position.

When the coupling between the hanger member 181 and the second locking member 34 is released, the user can easily manually withdraw the drawer to the maximum withdrawal position without being disturbed by the drawer holder 180. There will be.

According to the present embodiment, as described above, the moving frame 170 can maintain the operating position while the door is open. Accordingly, the user can manually draw the drawer 30 to the operating position after pulling out the drawer while the door is open.

In this case, the user may not bring the drawer 30 to the manipulation position. However, as described above, the distance between the elastic end position and the operation position in this embodiment is relatively very short. Accordingly, as the door is closed, the door can push the drawer 30. That is, by pushing the drawer 30, the second locking member 34 may be reconnected to the hanger member 181. When the door is closed, the moving frame 170 returns to its initial position, so that the force for drawing the drawer 30 is removed. Therefore, by the elastic restoring force of the drawer holder 180, the hanger member 181 pulls the second locking member 34, so that the drawer 30 can automatically return to the initial position. .

Unlike the above, it is possible to make the elastic start position and the initial position the same. However, in this case, when the drawer 30 returns to the initial position, an impact may be applied to the drawer 30. In this case, because the amount of elastic displacement of the spring is relatively large (that is, because the elastic section is increased), the elastic restoring force of the spring may decrease over time.

Therefore, by setting the elastic start position to be spaced forward from the initial position, the initial return speed of the drawer can be made relatively fast and the end return speed can be made relatively slow. Here, it can be said that this difference in return speed is very important.

The initial return speed is related to the closing speed of the door. For example, if the door closes very quickly, but the drawer's initial return speed is slower than the door closing speed, the drawer may be impacted by the door. Conversely, if the end return speed is high, this may cause a large impact to be applied to the rail 120 by the drawer 20 as described above. Therefore, it is preferable that the drawer returns quickly at the beginning and smoothly and slowly at the end. That is, it is desirable to return the drawer by inertia at the end.

On the other hand, when the drawer 30 is withdrawn, the second locking member 34 is connected to the hook member 181 at the elastic starting position, and conversely, at the elastic starting position when the drawer 30 is pulled in. The connection between the second locking member 34 and the locking member 181 is released. This can be performed in the same way as the structure at the elastic end position described above. Likewise at the rear end of the upper slot 183, the second inclined slot 186 is formed so that the hook member 181 rotates at the elastic start position. If the hook member 181 in the above-described first inclined slot rotates counterclockwise to release the connection, the hook member 181 in the second inclined slot 186 rotates clockwise to release the connection. can do.

According to the above-described embodiment, drawers may be automatically withdrawn and automatically inserted in the following order.

1) When the door is closed, the plurality of drawers are in the initial position.

2) When the door open signal is generated, the electric drive unit is driven to move the moving frame from the initial position to the operating position. Accordingly, a plurality of drawers are integrally moved from the initial position to the operating position and stopped.

3) At the drawer's operating position, the user can further manually withdraw the drawer.

4) When a predetermined time elapses after the door closing signal is generated or the drawer is moved to the operating position, the electric drive unit is driven in the reverse direction to return the moving frame to the initial position. As the door is closed, the door can push the drawer and return the drawer to its initial position.

5) When the drawer returns to its initial position, it can be automatically restored by the elastic restoring force. The elastic restoring force at this time is generated by the elastic deformation generated when the drawer is moved to the operating position. The elastic deformation and elastic restoration may be generated by a spring provided in the drawer holder.

Accordingly, according to the present embodiment, when the door is opened, the drawer can be automatically withdrawn to an operation position in which the user can easily withdraw the drawer. As the door is closed in the operating position, the door may push the drawer to be retracted to the initial position, and the drawer may be automatically retracted to the initial position using an elastic restoring force.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 11, steps of drawing and drawing a drawer will be described in detail. FIG. 11 sequentially shows the connection and disconnection of the drawer holder 180 according to the change in the position of the drawer 30.

11(a) shows a state in which the connection between the drawer holder 180 and the drawer 30 is released at the initial position of the drawer.

When the door open signal is generated, the electric drive unit operates to move the drawer to the operating position. 10(b) shows a point in time when the drawer holder 180 and the drawer 30 are connected while the drawer is moving from the initial position to the operation position. This position may be referred to as an elastic start position as described above.

The reaction force does not act from the initial position to the elastic start position except for the frictional force of the rail 120 which can be substantially neglected. In other words, no force is generated that interferes with the drawer withdrawal. Accordingly, during the initial operation of the electric drive unit, overload of the electric drive unit can be prevented in advance. And, from the elastic start position, the spring of the drawer holder 180 is elastically deformed. The elastic start position may be set to a position spaced 30mm forward from the initial position, for example.

As the drawer leaves the elastic start position and moves further forward, the spring of the drawer holder is continuously elastically deformed.

Fig. 10(c) shows a position where the spring of the drawer holder is elastically deformed.

10(d) shows a state in which the drawer moves further forward so that the connection between the drawer holder 180 and the drawer is released, that is, the elastic end position. Therefore, in the elastic end position, the elastic restoring force by the spring of the drawer holder is not applied to the drawer.

In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the operation position is a position between FIGS. 10(c) and 10(d). Therefore, the user must manually withdraw the drawer from the operation position to the elastic end position, and in this case, the user must overcome the elastic restoring force of the drawer holder spring for a very short distance. The user can manually further withdraw the drawer at the elastic end position of the drawer. In this case, the user does not take out the drawer while overcoming the elastic restoring force.

Conversely, when the drawer is retracted, the user can manually retract the drawer further rearward than the elastic end position shown in FIG. 10(d). That is, the drawer can be manually brought in to the operating position. In this operating position, the drawer holder 180 and the drawer are reconnected.

When a door closing signal is generated or when a predetermined time elapses from the operation position of the electric drive unit, the electric drive unit returns to the initial position. That is, the force pushing the drawer through the electric drive is no longer maintained. Thus, in the operating position, the drawer is provided with an elastic restoring force by the spring of the drawer holder. Because of this, the drawer is automatically pulled in.

As the drawer is retracted, elastic restoring force of the drawer holder is provided to the drawer up to the position shown in FIG. 10(b). Thus, the drawer can return with a very fast speed. In addition, when it approaches the initial position, that is, in the section between Figs. 10(b) and 10(a), the elastic restoring force is released. Therefore, at this time, the drawer can be returned to the initial position by the inertial force.

In the above, an embodiment for automatic withdrawal of a drawer and an embodiment for automatic drawing-in of a drawer have been described in detail. Specifically, an embodiment in which at least two drawers 33 and 34 are provided for automatic withdrawal and automatic draw-in of the drawer has been described in detail.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12, another embodiment capable of implementing automatic drawing-out and automatic drawing-in of a drawer through one locking member will be described in detail. The basic mechanism or configuration may be similar to or applied to the above-described embodiment. Accordingly, features different from the above-described embodiment will be described in detail.

Likewise in this embodiment, the motor assembly 160 and the moving frame 170 may be provided. The motor assembly 160 may be mounted on one side wall of the storage chamber, and the motor assembly 160 is connected to the moving frame 170. Similarly, as the motor assembly 160 operates, the moving frame 170 moves back and forth.

In addition, the draw holder 180 may also be provided in the present embodiment. The drawer holder may also be mounted on one side wall of the storage chamber. The drawer holder 180 may be the same drawer holder as in the above-described embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the drawer holder 180 may be provided so that the hook member 181 does not protrude downward or upward, but protrudes laterally. In other words, the hook member 181 may be provided to protrude toward the drawer 20.

The drawer 30 may be provided with a locking member 36. That is, the drawer 30 is moved forward by pushing the locking member 36. The locking member 36 may be provided to be selectively connected to the hanging member 181 of the drawer holder 180. Therefore, by the forward movement of the drawer 30, the locking member 36 moves the locking member 181 forward. That is, in that it is selectively connected to the hook member 181, the locking member 36 in this embodiment can be said to correspond to the second locking member 34 in the above-described embodiment.

However, the locking member 33 may be referred to as a configuration that is moved forward by the transfer member 171 provided in the moving frame 170. That is, it can be said that the locking member 36 in this embodiment corresponds to the first locking member 33 in the above-described embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, it can be said that one locking member 36 is connected to the drawer holder 180 and the moving frame 170.

Specifically, the transfer member 171 provided in the moving frame 170 may be provided to push the hook member 181 of the drawer holder 180. That is, the transfer member 171 pushes the hook member 181 connected to the hook member 36 and, as a result, pushes the hook member 36. In other words, the transfer member 171 may be provided to push the hook member 181 from a rear side of the hook member 181 protruding in the drawer direction.

The moving frame 170 in this embodiment may be provided with a connecting member coupling portion 174 coupled to the connecting member 180. Further, the moving frame 170 may be provided with a roller 176 so that the moving frame 170 can stably move back and forth.

The rollers 176 may be formed at two locations on the upper and two lower portions of the moving frame. Thus, the moving frame can be stably moved with four support points. Of course, the roller 176 may be provided to roll on one side wall of the storage chamber.

The moving frame 170 may be provided to be movable back and forth between the drawer holder 180 and the drawer 30. In particular, the transfer member 171 of the moving frame 170 may be provided to move back and forth within the gap between the drawer's locking member 36 and the drawer holder 180.

The moving frame 170 may be formed in a plate shape, and a plurality of slits 175 may be formed to reduce weight. In addition, when the moving frame 170 is provided to move three drawers arranged vertically, three transmission members 171 should also be provided. In this case, the two transmission members 171 may be provided at the upper and lower ends of the moving frame 170. In addition, the intermediate transmission member 171 may be formed through the slit 175. Specifically, it may be formed through the slit 177 formed in the middle. That is, a portion of the slit 177 where no slit is formed may be referred to as an intermediate transmission member.

Hereinafter, a drawer capable of automatic withdrawal and automatic withdrawal described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18. The drawers described would be similarly applicable to common manual withdrawal and manually drawn drawers.

The drawer 30 may include a basket 31 and a drawer frame 32. The basket 31 may be provided to accommodate storage. The drawer frame 32 may be provided to support the basket 31.

Specifically, the drawer frame 32 may include a basket seating portion 38 and a rail coupling portion 37 coupled to the rail 120.

The basket is seated on the basket seating portion 38 so that the basket 31 may be coupled to the drawer frame 32. In particular, the basket 31 may be mounted on the basket seating portion 38 vertically downward and coupled to the drawer frame. Conversely, while the basket 31 is moved vertically upward, the combination with the drawer frame may be released. Accordingly, it is very easy to combine and separate the drawer frame 32 and the basket 31.

An opening 38a may be formed in a central portion of the drawer frame. In addition, the seating portion 38 may be formed around the opening 38a.

The basket 31 may include an upper basket 31a and a lower basket 31b. The lower basket 31b may be inserted into the opening 38a, and the upper basket 31a may be seated on the seating portion 38. In addition, the upper basket 31a and the lower basket 31b may be integrally formed.

The rail coupling part 37 may be provided to extend back and forth on both left and right sides of the drawer frame 32. It is preferable that the rail coupling part 37 and the rail be hidden from the user's view as much as possible.

To this end, it is preferable that the upper basket has a larger left and right width than the lower basket so as to cover the rail coupling portion 37 from the upper side. In addition, the drawer frame 32 may include a drawer decor 39. The drawer decor may be provided in front of the drawer frame 32. In particular, the drawer decor 39 may be provided to extend left and right from the lower front of the basket 31. That is, it may be provided to cover the rail coupling portion 37 in front of the drawer 30.

Meanwhile, the drawer frame 32 may be provided with the above-described locking member 33. The drawer may be commonly used in the left and right freezer compartments. Accordingly, the locking members 33 may be formed on the left and right sides of the drawer frame 32, respectively. As described above, when the drawer 30 is formed in the right freezing chamber, only the locking member 33 provided on the left side may be used.

The drawer frame 32 may be provided with a locking member mounting portion 34a for mounting a locking member for coupling with the drawer holder. Likewise, the mounting portions 34a may be formed on both left and right sides of the drawer, respectively.

A locking member 34 coupled to the drawer holder is provided for automatic retraction. Therefore, when automatic retraction is not required, the locking member 34 may be omitted. Therefore, unlike the locking member 33 is integrally formed with the drawer frame 32, the locking member 34 is preferably provided to be detachably attached to the drawer frame.

Hereinafter, the rail 120 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 16.

The rail 120 is configured to support the drawer 30 so that it can move back and forth. Therefore, it is preferable that the rail 120 includes a moving rail 121 that moves back and forth integrally with the drawer 30.

In addition, the rail coupling part 37 may be provided to be coupled to the moving rail 121.

Specifically, the rail coupling portion 37 may be formed to have a channel-shaped cross section so as to be seated while surrounding the moving rail 121. That is, it is preferable that the rail coupling portion 37 is mounted and coupled to the movable rail 121.

A locking part 125 may be formed at a rear end of the moving rail 121. The locking part 125 may be formed such that the rear end of the rail coupling part 37 is inserted. Therefore, when the rail coupling part 37 is inserted into the locking part 125, the rearward movement and the upper movement at the rear end of the rail coupling part 37 may be restricted.

An elastic protrusion 128 may be formed at a front end of the moving rail 121. In addition, a mounting hole 37a for inserting the elastic protrusion 128 may be formed at a front end of the rail coupling part 37.

The moving rail 121 may be provided with an elastic protrusion bracket 126 coupled with the moving rail 121 to form the elastic protrusion 128. A mounting portion 126a may be provided on one side of the elastic protrusion bracket 126 and the elastic protrusion support portion 126b may be provided on the other side. Accordingly, the elastic protrusion bracket 126 may be coupled to the moving rail 121 through the mounting portion 126a.

A cutout portion 127 may be formed between the elastic protrusion support portion 126b and the mounting portion 126b. In addition, the elastic protrusion 128 may be formed in a form bent by the elastic protrusion support part 126b. Accordingly, the elastic protrusion 128 may be elastically deformed with respect to the elastic protrusion support part 126b through the cutout 9127.

Specifically, the elastic protrusion support part 126b may be formed horizontally, and the elastic protrusion 128 may be formed to be bent vertically downward from the elastic protrusion support part 126b. Accordingly, the elastic protrusion may be elastically deformed in a direction in which an angle with the elastic protrusion support part 126b is decreased. That is, it may be elastically deformed toward the left and right centers of the drawer.

Meanwhile, the rail 120 may include a fixed rail 122. The fixed rail 122 supports the fixed rail 122 to be slidably moved under the moving rail 121.

The rail 120 may be fixed to the side wall of the storage compartment or the support frame 110 through rail brackets 123 and 124. The rail bracket may include a front rail bracket 123 and a rear rail bracket 124. That is, at least two support points may be formed at the front and rear of one rail. These rails 120 are provided on both sides of the drawer 30, respectively.

The front rail bracket 123 and the rear rail bracket 124 are formed to be spaced a predetermined distance back and forth. The transfer member 171 may be provided to move between the front rail bracket 123 and the rear rail bracket 124. That is, the section between the initial position and the operation position of the transmission member 171 is located between the front rail bracket and the rear rail bracket. Accordingly, the transmission member 171 and the brackets 123 and 124 do not interfere. This means that the slit 113 of the support frame 110 is formed between the front rail bracket and the rear rail bracket.

Hereinafter, the coupling structure of the drawer 30 and the rail 120 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18.

In order to couple the drawer frame 32 to the rail 120, the user can set the drawer frame 32 with the drawer up front and the drawer back down, as shown in FIG. Can be moved rearward. At this time, the rear end of the rail coupling part 37 is inserted and caught in the locking part 125 provided in the rail.

As shown in FIG. 9, the rail coupling part 37 may be seated while surrounding the movable rail 121 on the rail 120, especially the movable rail 121. Therefore, when the rail coupling part 37 is seated on the moving rail 121, the left and right movement of the drawer is restricted.

Thereafter, in the state shown in FIG. 17, the user can lower the front of the drawer frame 32 downward. At this time, the elastic protrusion 128 is elastically deformed in the left and right center direction of the drawer, and when the rail coupling part 37 is completely seated on the moving rail 121, the elastic protrusion 128 is elastically restored and mounted. It is inserted into the hole 37a. The mounting hole 37a may be formed in a side flange 37b covering an outer surface of the moving rail. Therefore, even if the elastic protrusion 128 protrudes after being inserted into the mounting hole 37a

Accordingly, the drawer frame 32 may be fixed to the moving rail 121 by the locking part 125 and the elastic protrusion 128.

Meanwhile, the state illustrated in FIG. 17 may be referred to as an initial position of the drawer 30. As shown, it can be seen that the locking member 33 and the locking member mounting portion 34a are located between the front rail bracket 123 and the rear rail bracket 124 at the initial position of the drawer 30. In particular, it can be seen that the rear rail bracket 124 is positioned biased.

When the drawer 30 is moved to the operating position, the locking member 33 and the locking member mounting portion 34a may move forward and may be positioned to be biased to the front rail bracket 123. Therefore, the locking member 33 and the locking member mounting portion 34a are always located between the front rail bracket 123 and the rear rail bracket 124 in the section between the operating position and the initial position of the drawer 30 It is desirable to be.

Hereinafter, a relationship between control elements applicable to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 19.

First, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main control unit 200. The basic operation of the refrigerator may be controlled through the main control unit 200.

The refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a motor assembly 160. The motor assembly 160 may include a motor 162 and a motor control unit 160. The motor 162 may be driven in a forward or reverse direction. For example, the above-described transmission member 171 may be moved forward by driving in the forward direction (clockwise direction). Conversely, the transfer member 171 may be moved backward by driving in the reverse direction.

The driving direction of the motor 162, a duty ratio applied to the motor, and driving and stopping of the motor may be controlled through the motor controller 160.

The motor assembly 160 may include a connection member 163 that moves back and forth as described above. The maximum protrusion length of the connection member 163 corresponds to the operating position of the transfer member, and the minimum protrusion length of the connection member 163 corresponds to the initial position of the transfer member. Accordingly, the connecting member 163 moves between the maximum protruding length and the minimum protruding length.

Using this, in the motor assembly 160, it is possible to determine whether the connecting member 163 is in a position corresponding to the initial position of the drawer or a position corresponding to the operation position. That is, two Hall sensors 166 and 167 may be provided in the motor assembly 160.

7 and 8, a magnet 168 may be provided in the motor assembly 160. The magnet 168 may be provided to move inside the housing 161 according to the movement of the connecting member 163. Therefore, when the first Hall sensor 166 recognizes the magnet 168, it can be seen that the transmission member is in an initial position. In addition, when the second Hall sensor 167 recognizes the magnet 168, it can be seen that the transmission member is an operation position.

Using these Hall sensors 166 and 167, it is possible to determine whether the motor assembly 160 is operating normally. This will be described in detail in the control method described later.

The motor controller 165 basically operates the motor 162 when a door opening is detected through the sensor 40. Here, the sensor 40 may be referred to as a sensor that detects the opening of a door at a preset opening angle (eg, a 90 degree opening angle). That is, when the sensor 40 detects that the door is opened by 90 degrees, for example, the motor control unit 165 operates the motor 162 so that the drawer is drawn from the initial position to the operating position.

When the sensor 40 detects the door opening, a door opening signal may be generated and transmitted to the motor controller 165 through the main controller 200. Of course, the door opening signal may be directly transmitted to the motor control unit 165.

Meanwhile, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a door switch 50. The door switch 50 may be a component commonly used in refrigerators. When the door switch 50 detects the opening of the door, the lighting device 60 illuminating the storage room may be operated. Here, the door switch 50 may be referred to as a configuration separately provided with the sensor 40. That is, basically, it may be said to be a configuration provided only for controlling the lighting device 60. For example, the door switch 50 may determine that the door is opened at a relatively very small opening angle, so that the lighting device 60 is operated. Basically, it can be said that the state in which the close contact between the door and the cabinet is released can be detected as the door open.

As described above, on the assumption that the door is opened through the door switch 50, the door open detection through the sensor 40 should occur. This is because the door opening detection through the door switch 50 is performed at a very small opening angle, and the door opening detection through the sensor 40 is performed at an opening angle of approximately 90 degrees, for example. The control logic through the sensor 40 and the door switch 50 will be described later.

Hereinafter, a control method applicable to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 20 to 26.

First, an initial step (S10) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 20. The initial step may be referred to as a step in which the motor 162 is first driven when power is applied to the refrigerator. That is, it can be said that the motor 162 is initially driven to move the transmission member to the initial position to initialize the electric drawer system.

Therefore, when the initial step (S10) starts, the motor operates (S30). That is, it operates to return the transmission member 171 to the initial position. The motor driving direction at this time may be counterclockwise as an example. Hereinafter, a description will be made on the premise that the transmission member moves backward when the motor driving direction is counterclockwise and the transmission member moves forward when it is clockwise.

The operation of the motor may be controlled with a predetermined duty ratio. The operation of the motor is terminated when it is determined that the transmission member 171 has returned to the initial position through the first hall sensor 166. For example, when a signal from the first Hall sensor 166 is generated, the motor stops (S40).

In addition, the operation of the motor may be controlled to stop when a predetermined time elapses. For example, the predetermined time may be 5 seconds. Here, the predetermined time may be set larger than the maximum allowable motor operation time in consideration of the margin. Accordingly, it can be said that the motor is normally operated until the ON signal from the first Hall sensor 166 is generated before reaching the predetermined time.

Therefore, after the motor is stopped (S50), if it is detected that the operation time of the motor is longer than a predetermined time or that a signal from the second hall sensor 167 is generated (S50), an error has occurred in the electric drawer system. Can be judged. Therefore, when an error occurs, the notification step S100 may be performed. That is, the step of displaying an error may be started.

Here, it is normal that the on signal of the second Hall sensor 167 is generated at the operating position rather than the initial position of the transmission member 171. Accordingly, the generation of the ON signal of the second Hall sensor 167 in the initial step (S10) may be said to have occurred in the entire electric drawer system including the Hall sensors.

In addition, even when the motor operates for a predetermined time or longer, it can be said that an abnormality has occurred in the entire electric drawer system as described above. This is because a load by a drawer is not applied to the motor 162 when the transmission member returns to the initial position.

Meanwhile, when an error occurs, a notification step S100 may be performed as shown in FIG. 21. In the notification step (S100), whether or not there is an error is determined again (S110), and at this time, it may be determined from which drawer an error has occurred. That is, when an electric drawer is installed in each of the two freezer compartments, it is determined whether an error occurs in the left drawer or the right drawer. In the case of an error of the electric drawer, the step of displaying the error (S120) may be performed. In this case, an error code may be displayed through the display.

Then, after displaying an error or after it is determined that it is not an error, it is converted to a standby state (S200). The standby state S200 may be referred to as a state in which the motor is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 22, the determination steps S210 and S220 of determining a condition for automatically withdrawing the drawer in the standby state S200 may be performed. The condition for the automatic withdrawal of the drawer may be referred to as detecting the opening of the door through the sensor 40. Specifically, when the reed switch 41 detects the opening of the door (S210), it can be seen that the above condition is satisfied.

Therefore, the motor 162 always maintains the standby state (S200) until the opening of the door is detected through the sensor 40.

Meanwhile, as described above, the detection of the door opening through the sensor 40 is based on detection of the door opening through the door switch 50. Therefore, when the door opening through the door switch 50 is detected (S200), the withdrawal step (S300) may be performed.

In addition, if the opening of the door through the sensor 40 is detected and the door opening through the door switch 50 is not detected, it is possible to determine whether the sensor 40 has an error (S230) and display the corresponding error on the display. have. After that, it may be converted to the standby state (S200).

In the withdrawal step (S300), the motor 162 must be operated to push the drawer 30 forward. Therefore, a relatively large load is applied to the motor 162 in the withdrawal step. In particular, when there is a large amount of storage in the drawer 30, a larger load is applied. Therefore, in the withdrawal step (S300), it is preferable that the motor generates a large output according to the load. That is, it is desirable to control the duty ratio to increase as the load increases.

Specifically, the drawing step (S300) may include a step (S310) of calculating a signal (FG, a frequency generator) generated when the motor rotates. The FG can be calculated every 100 ms (millisecond) for a preset time, for example.

In addition, the withdrawal step (S300) may include a motor withdrawal driving step (S320) of driving the motor clockwise by varying the duty ratio according to the calculated FG. That is, after dividing into a plurality of load conditions according to the calculated FG, the motor may be driven with a preset duty ratio in each load condition.

For example, when the calculated FG is 0 to 50, the motor may be driven with a duty ratio of 180. In addition, when the calculated FG is 51 to 100, the motor may be driven with a duty ratio of 200. As the calculated FG increases, the duty ratio is increased. For example, when the calculated FG is 251 or more, the duty ratio may be controlled to 250.

In other words, the larger the calculated FG is, the larger the load is, the higher the output of the motor is determined.

The motor withdrawal driving step S320 may be performed until an ON signal from the second Hall sensor 167 is generated. In addition, the withdrawal driving step S320 of the motor may be performed until a preset time is reached. For example, the preset time may be 3 seconds.

On the other hand, during the drawing-out driving step S320 of the motor, a failure may occur that prevents the drawing of the drawer. That is, a very heavy object may block the front of the drawer, or foreign matter may enter the rail 120 so that the moving rail 121 may not move. Therefore, in this case, when the motor is continuously driven in a clockwise direction, a large load may be generated on the motor. That is, the motor may be damaged. Therefore, when a failure occurs, it is preferable that the motor driving step is no longer continued and the return step (S500) is performed.

Of course, it is preferable that the step (S350) of determining whether there is an obstacle before performing the return step (S500) is performed.

The obstacle determination step (S350) may be performed during the driving step of the motor, and the obstacle determination step (S350) is preferably performed when the FG calculation cycle reaches a predetermined number of times. For example, the obstacle determination step S350 may be performed from the fourth FG calculation. That is, the initial FG calculation up to, for example, the third may be excluded from the obstacle determination. This is because a relatively large load may be generated on the motor by the static friction force in the initial stage of the motor withdrawal driving step. Therefore, the obstacle determination step (S350) is performed from a predetermined number of times, and this may be performed until the withdrawal driving step (S320) of the motor is finished.

If the FG calculated in the determination step S350 is larger than the preset obstacle FG, it is determined that there is no obstacle, and the motor withdrawal driving step may be continued. However, when the calculated FG is equal to or smaller than the preset obstacle FG, it may be determined that the obstacle exists. That is, it may be determined that the motor is not normally driven due to an overload of the motor due to an obstacle. Therefore, when it is determined that an obstacle exists, the motor is terminated and the return step (S500) is performed.

On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no obstacle and the withdrawal driving of the motor is terminated, a step (S340) of determining whether there is an error may be performed. It may be determined whether or not the predetermined time, for example, 3 seconds or more is taken until the end of the withdrawal driving of the motor. The predetermined time may also be referred to as the maximum allowable time, and it may be determined that an error takes more than 3 seconds. In addition, it may be determined that it is an error even when the ON signal of the first Hall sensor 166 is generated. When the motor withdrawal driving step S340 ends, that is, the withdrawal step S300 is finished, a stop step S400 may be performed.

As shown in Fig. 24, the stop step (S400) is not a step of stopping the driving of the motor. In other words, it can be said to be a step of stopping the withdrawal of the drawer. In other words, the withdrawal driving step of the motor is a step of moving the transmission member forward, and it is determined that the transmission member moves to the operating position through the second hall sensor 167, and the forward movement of the transmission member is stopped. do. That is, the step of stopping the forward movement of the transfer member may be referred to as the stopping step (S400).

As described above, the motor is driven in a clockwise direction in the withdrawal step (S300). Likewise, clockwise driving of the motor may be maintained in the stopping step (S400). However, since the drawer is not pushed in the stopping step (S400), driving of the motor may be maintained with a minimum output.

In the stopping step (S400), the motor may be controlled to drive (S420) with a minimum duty ratio that can be applied to the motor. That is, in driving the motor associated with the automatic withdrawal of the drawer, the motor may be controlled to operate with the smallest duty ratio among the duty ratios applied to the motor. This is to prevent the drawer from being automatically inserted before the user even operates the drawer by the elastic force of the drawer holder in the stopping step (S400).

Meanwhile, the stopping step S400 may be performed for a predetermined time. For example, it may be performed for 3 seconds (S430). Then, when the predetermined time elapses, the return step (S500) may be performed.

In the stopping step (S400), the user may push the drawer 30 in a retracting direction. In this case, it is preferable that the return step (S500) is performed even during the stop step. To this end, the step (S410) of calculating the FG may also be performed in the stopping step (S400). In addition, a step S440 of determining whether the user has pushed the drawer in the direction in which the drawer is pushed through the calculated FG may be performed. For example, when the calculated FG is smaller than the predetermined FG, it may be determined that the user pushed the drawer.

In this case, it is preferable that the determination step S440 is performed after the predetermined number of FG calculations has elapsed.

As described above, the stop step S400 may be normally performed, for example, 3 seconds. Thereafter, the motor may be driven so that the transmission member 171 returns to the initial position. This may be referred to as a return step (S500). In the returning step, the force pushing the drawer is removed. Therefore, in the returning step, the drawer is automatically restored by the elastic restoring force of the drawer holder described above.

As shown in FIG. 25, the return step (S500) includes a step (S510) of stopping driving of the motor. That is, the step of temporarily stopping the driving of the motor may be performed in order to change the driving direction of the motor. The motor may be a BLDC (Blushless DC) motor, and a brake input may be applied to the motor to stop driving. The step S510 may be performed for 10 ms, for example. Through this step (S510), it is possible to prevent an impact on the motor itself due to the rapid rotational direction change of the motor.

On the other hand, the returning step (S500) may be performed similarly to the above-described initial step (S50).

That is, when a signal from the first Hall sensor 166 is generated or the motor operates in a counterclockwise direction (S530) until a preset time, the driving of the motor may be stopped (S540). Here, the preset time means the maximum allowable time and may be 5 seconds as an example. The driving of the motor for the 5 seconds may be determined as an error (S550). Of course, a case in which a signal from the second Hall sensor 167 is generated may also be determined as an error (S550). In case of an error, the notification step S100 may be performed.

In addition, when the driving of the motor is stopped (S540), the standby state (S200) is performed.

Here, the duty ratio in the return step (S500) is preferably larger than the duty ratio in the initial step (S10). However, when the FG sensed in the withdrawal step, that is, the total FG, is smaller than the predetermined FG, the motor may be driven with the same duty ratio as in the initial step S10. That is, in this case, this is because an obstacle is substantially excluded from the forward driving or reverse driving of the motor. Therefore, even if a relatively small duty ratio is applied, the transmission member can be smoothly returned.

On the other hand, when the door is closed rapidly, the drawer at the operating position may collide with the basket of the door. Therefore, it is preferable that the step of urgently returning the drawer is performed. For example, if the door closes rapidly while the drawer is being pulled out, the drawer is being pulled out, but the door is closed, so the drawer and the helper may collide.

Therefore, in this case, it is highly desirable that the control logic for urgently returning the drawer is performed.

That is, it is preferable to perform the step (S700) of urgently returning the drawer during the withdrawal step (S300) and the stop step (S400) described above. Of course, this emergency return step need not be performed naturally when the drawer is located in the initial position.

Therefore, first, the step of determining the emergency return condition (S600) may be performed, and when the emergency return condition is satisfied, the emergency return step (S700) may be performed.

As described above, the emergency return condition satisfies the execution of the withdrawal step or the stop step, and the sensor 40 detects the door is closed. That is, it can be said that the reed switch 41 detects the closing of the door.

The emergency return step may be performed in the same manner as the return step. That is, a step of driving the motor in a counterclockwise direction (S720), a step of stopping the motor (S740), and an error determination step (S750) may be included. Of course, if it is determined as an error, the notification step S100 may be performed.

Meanwhile, when starting the emergency return step, the motor may be driven in a clockwise direction. Therefore, it is preferable to stop driving the motor for 10 ms as an example for a predetermined time and then drive the motor counterclockwise.

Through the above-described control method, it is possible to minimize the load applied to the motor. In addition, when a large load is applied to the motor due to an obstacle, the motor may perform a return step or an emergency return step to prevent a large load from being continuously applied to the motor.

10: cabinet 20: door
30: drawer 31: basket
32: drawer frame 40: sensor
41: reed switch 42: magnet
100: moving assembly 110: support frame
120: rail 150: electric drive
160: motor assembly 170: moving frame
180: drawer holder

Claims (15)

A cabinet equipped with a storage room;
A door rotatably provided in the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment;
A drawer provided in the storage compartment and provided to move from an initial position to an operation position separated by a preset distance forward when the door is detected; And
A moving assembly configured to maintain and position a sidewall and a predetermined space of the storage chamber to move the drawer back and forth as one assembly to be mounted or separated from the sidewall,
The moving assembly,
An electric drive unit for automatically moving the drawer from the initial position to the operation position;
A support frame mounted and supported by the electric drive unit; And
And a rail provided outside the support frame so that the drawer slides back and forth with respect to the storage chamber,
Through the support frame, the moving assembly is mounted on the side wall as a single assembly, or configured to be separated from the side wall. The method of claim 1,
The electric drive unit,
Motor assembly; And
And a moving frame mounted on the support frame to be moved back and forth by driving of the motor assembly in the predetermined space, and including a transmission member passing through the support frame to transmit a force to the drawer. The method of claim 1,
The storage room is provided with a plurality in the cabinet,
The moving assembly is positioned on a partition wall corresponding to a side wall formed between the plurality of storage chambers among the side walls. The method of claim 3,
The electric drive unit is provided in the predetermined space, the refrigerator. The method of claim 4,
The electric drive unit is mounted on an inner surface of the support frame other than the partition wall, and is configured to separate the electric drive unit from the partition wall when the support frame is separated from the partition wall. The method of claim 4,
The partition wall includes a horizontal partition wall, a vertical partition wall having one side connected to the horizontal partition wall, and a wire penetration part formed on the other side of the vertical partition wall,
The motor of the electric drive unit receives power from a power supply unit by an electric wire connected through the horizontal partition wall, the vertical partition wall, and the wire penetration part. The method of claim 6,
A wire coupling part connected to the motor is formed at an end of the wire,
The wire coupling portion is formed in the predetermined space, the refrigerator. The method of claim 6,
The electric drive unit is mounted on the support frame in a state in which a connection with the power supply unit is made,
The electric drive unit is separated from the support frame in a state in which the connection with the power supply unit is removed. The method of claim 2,
A plurality of drawers are provided vertically, and the transfer member is provided for each of the plurality of drawers,
The moving frame is provided to integrally move the plurality of transmission members by driving the motor assembly. delete The method of claim 1,
The drawer,
A basket for receiving storage;
A basket seating portion on which the basket is seated; And
A drawer frame mounted on the rail and provided with a rail coupling portion coupled to the rail,
The drawer frame is provided to be detachable from the rail. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a sensor for detecting the opening angle of the door,
When the opening of the door is detected by the sensor, the electric drive unit moves the drawer from an initial position to an operation position spaced from an initial position by a preset distance through a forward movement of the moving frame. The method of claim 12,
As the drawer is withdrawn from the initial position, it is connected to the drawer and elastically deformed, and further comprising a drawer holder providing an elastic force for restoring the drawer from the operating position to the initial position. The method of claim 13,
When the sensor detects that the door is closed, the electric drive unit moves the transfer member backward to move the drawer from the operation position to the initial position at a first speed. The method of claim 14,
When the drawer is being pulled out from the initial position to the operation position or the drawer is located in front of the operation position or the operation position, and the sensor detects that the door is closed,
The electric drive unit is driven to return the drawer to the initial position at a second speed faster than the first speed.

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