KR102364484B1 - A Latch Module, a Controlling Method thereof and a Cooking Device Using the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a latch module in which an automatic opening function and a locking function are integrated, and a cooking appliance to which the same is applied, the latch module comprising: a bracket (40) serving as a foundation; a latch 50 rotatably installed on the bracket 40 about a pivot shaft 54 and having a hook part 51 for hooking the pin 22; an elastic body 90 which biases the latch 50 to rotate in a first direction; a driving unit 60 for providing power for the latch 50 to overcome the elastic force of the elastic body and to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and a power transmission unit 70 that transmits the power of the driving unit 60 to the latch 50 .
The hook part is opened toward the first direction, and a locking surface 52 for engaging the back surface of the pin is provided inside the hook part, and the locking surface 52 is a departure inclined surface disposed closer to the first direction. (521) and a locking surface 522 disposed closer to the second direction.

Description

A latch module, a control method thereof, and a cooking device to which the same is applied

The present invention relates to a latch module in which an automatic opening function and a locking function are integrated, a control method thereof, and a cooking appliance to which the same is applied.

A cooking appliance such as an oven or a microwave oven has an overall rectangular parallelepiped appearance, an inner cooking chamber is opened forward, and a door is provided in front of the cooking chamber.

Although there are various types of opening of the door, a method in which a hinged door is opened and closed by rotating it around a rotation axis is widely used. Most of these types of doors are provided with handles or grooves that can be gripped by a user.

Recently, in order to improve the quality of use, a function for automatically opening the cooking appliance door has been added. Of course, even if the automatic door opening function is applied, it should be designed to enable manual locking of the door manually for user convenience.

In addition, a self-cleaning function is added to the cooking appliance so that the cooking chamber can be easily cleaned. The self-cleaning is a function of heating the inside of the cooking chamber to a high temperature to burn the food adhering to the inner wall of the cooking chamber or call it with high-temperature steam so that it can be conveniently removed during cleaning. To prevent safety accidents, during the self-cleaning operation, the door of the cooking appliance must be firmly closed.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose an operating structure of a hook for maintaining the door firmly closed while the self-cleaning operation is performed. They rotate a driving part such as a motor and apply a link structure to operate a hook with a driving part to keep the hook hooked on the door while the door needs to be kept closed, and the door no longer keeps the closed state When it is not necessary, the drive unit activates the hook again to release the hook stuck in the door.

In the conventional door locking device, even after the hook is released from the door, the door remains closed, and the door does not automatically open. That is, the door lock device of the prior art has a structure independent of automatic opening of the door.

Conventionally, a secure lock (self-cleaning lock) device that securely locks the door during self-cleaning operation and an auto door open device that automatically opens the door were applied as separate structures. . That is, the conventional cooking appliance includes a drive source (motor) and a power transmission structure that provide power for automatically opening a door, and a drive source (motor) and a power transmission structure that provide power for firmly locking the door as in Patent Documents 1 and 2 was provided separately.

Undoubtedly, it was not easy to incorporate the function of locking the door firmly for self-cleaning because the automatic opening function of the door and the manual opening and closing function must also be implemented.

However, whenever a new function is added as described above, if modules for implementing the function are individually added, the number of parts and production cost increases, and the volume of the cooking appliance increases or the volume of the cooking chamber needs to be reduced. .

In a sense, integrating and modularizing various functions is a basic development goal. However, as described above, in order to integrate functions for preventing safety accidents, functions to prevent safety accidents while integrating functions must be ensured.

Therefore, there is a need for a latch module in which all functions are integrated while minimizing the number of parts, and a function to prevent safety accidents while integrating functions is assured.

On the other hand, when several functions are integrated into one door control module, the driving control also becomes complicated, and more switches for locating the parts driving the door control module need to be installed. An increase in the number of switches installed not only increases the volume of the door control module, but also increases the cost.

In addition, when functions are integrated in this way, a process of initializing the door control module is required when power is initially supplied to the cooking appliance. However, if an unintentional operation such as an unexpected automatic opening of a door is performed in the process of initializing the door control module, there is a fear that the user may mistake it for a malfunction or malfunction. Therefore, the door control module should not automatically open the door in the process of initializing the door control module.

US Registered Patent Publication US7726294 US Patent Publication US2007/0296224A1

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and provides a latch module in which a manual lock function of a door and a door lock function for self-cleaning operation of a cooking room are implemented in one latch, and a cooking appliance to which the same is applied aim to

Another object of the present invention is to provide a latch module that implements both a manual opening/closing function, an automatic opening function, and a secure lock function of a door by operating one latch, and a cooking appliance to which the same is applied.

In addition, the present invention provides a latch module that implements both a manual opening and closing function, an automatic opening function, and a secure lock function of a door by operating one latch with one driving source and a power transmission structure, and a cooking appliance to which the same is applied. intended to provide

Another object of the present invention is to provide a latch module capable of accurately locking and unlocking a door due to mechanical interference between parts while implementing two functions in one latch, and a cooking appliance to which the same is applied.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure capable of accurately controlling a latch module while minimizing the number of switches, a control method thereof, and a cooking appliance to which the same is applied.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure of a latch module and a method for controlling the latch module that do not cause a possibility that an operation that could be mistaken for a malfunction or failure occurs during an initial driving process of a cooking appliance.

The present invention provides a main body 10 having a cooking compartment (cavity) therein, a door 20 for opening and closing the open front of the cooking compartment (cavity), and an opening/closing rotation shaft 314 serving as a rotation center of opening/closing movement of the door. ) can be applied to cooking appliances (home appliances) including.

The opening/closing rotation shaft 314 is located in the front lower portion of the main body 10 and rotatably connects the door 20 to the main body about a horizontal rotation axis extending in the left and right direction. Accordingly, the door may have a pull-down structure in which the door is lowered and opened forward about the rotation shaft.

The door may be connected to the main body by a hinge module 300 including the opening/closing rotation shaft 314 . The hinge module 300 elastically biases the door in the opening direction (od; see FIGS. 1 and 10) in the initial opening angle range (0 to a1), and the opening angle of the door exceeds the initial opening angle a1. In (a1 to a3), the door can be elastically biased in the closing direction (cd; see FIGS. 1 and 12).

The door can be opened by its own weight at the initial opening angle a1 position, and starts to be damped by the damper 350 at the damping rush angle a2 greater than the initial opening angle a1, and the full opening angle ( The opening speed is controlled up to a3) and it can be opened slowly.

The cooking appliance may have a self-cleaning function for raising the temperature of the inside of the cooking chamber to a high temperature. Accordingly, a structure is applied that completely locks the door and prevents the door from being opened while performing the self-cleaning function.

The cooking appliance may further apply a structure such that the door is automatically opened in response to a user's command input. However, it is possible to maintain a state in which the door can be manually opened and closed during normal times.

According to the present invention, all these functions are implemented in one latch module 4 . The latch module 4 may be installed on the upper portion of the main body 10, and on the upper rear surface of the door 20, a pin having a locking structure to be caught by or released from the latch 50 of the latch module 4 22) may be provided.

The latch module 4 of the present invention for solving the above-described problems includes a bracket 40 that is a foundation of the latch module; a latch (50) installed on the bracket (40) to be rotatable (rotationally moved) about a pivot shaft part (54), and having a hook part (51) for hooking the pin (22); an elastic body 90 which biases the latch 50 to rotate in a first direction; a driving unit 60 for providing power for the latch 50 to overcome the elastic force of the elastic body and to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and a power transmission unit 70 that transmits the power of the driving unit 60 to the latch 50 .

The hook portion is opened toward the first direction, and a rear surface of the pin and a locking surface 52 are provided inside the hook portion. In addition, an insertion inclined surface 53 may be provided on a surface opposite to the engaging surface 52 in the hook portion.

The locking surface 52 includes a departure inclined surface 521 disposed closer to the first direction and a locking surface 522 disposed closer to the second direction. These two surfaces 521 and 522 are connected to each other by a smooth curved surface so that the sliding of the pin with respect to these two surfaces is made smoothly.

The portion of the locking surface 52 in contact with the pin varies according to the rotational position of the latch 50 . The pin 22 is in contact with the departure inclined surface 521 or the locking surface 522 according to the rotation position of the latch 50 .

In a normal state, that is, in a manually locked state in which a user can manually open and close the door, the rear surface of the pin of the door is in contact with the departure inclined surface 521 when the door is closed. In order to allow the user to manually open the door, in the rotation position of the latch where the release inclined surface 521 is in contact with the pin 22, the release inclined surface 521 is a surface that is inclined in the opening direction of the door as it goes in the first direction. have Then, when the user pulls the door in the opening direction, the latch 50 can be rotated in the second direction by overcoming the force of the elastic body by the force of the pin pressing the departure slope, and the door can be manually opened.

Also, when the door is to be closed while the door is open, the surface of the pin of the door is in contact with the insertion inclined surface 53 . In order for the user to manually close the door, in the rotation position of the latch where the insertion slope 53 is in contact with the pin 22, the insertion slope 53 is inclined toward the closing direction of the door as it goes in the first direction. have a surface

The insertion inclined surface 53 may be provided not only in the range opposite to the departure inclined surface 521 , but also in the range opposite to the locking surface 522 . That is, it is possible to close an open door regardless of which position the latch is in (manually locked position and hooked-locked position).

In a normal state, the elastic body participates in the operation of the latch for manual opening and closing operation.

In a fully locked state in which the user cannot manually open the door for self-cleaning, that is, in a locking state, the pin of the door is in contact with the locking surface 522 . This is a state in which the latch 50 is rotated further in the first direction than in the manually locked state, so that the pin of the door is relatively deeply moved into the hook part (actually, the pin remains as it is and the hook part rotates further).

In order for the hook to completely lock the door, the locking surface 522 may have a surface that is inclined in the closing direction of the door toward the first direction. Then, when the user pulls the door, the force applied to the hook by the pin of the door further rotates the hook in the first direction. That is, the more the user tries to open the door, the deeper the pin enters the hook portion relatively. In other words, the more the user tries to open the door, the more the hook part locks the pin.

Similar results are obtained if the locking surface 522 has a surface perpendicular to the opening direction of the door. That is, no matter how hard you try to open the door, such force does not lead to rotation of the latch.

The elasticity of the elastic body contributes to pivoting the latch from the manual locking position to the locked position.

As described above, the present invention implements a manual opening/closing part and a fully hooked locking part on the engaging surface 52 of the hook part of the latch for opening/closing operation of the door. By determining which part of the door will come into contact with, both the manual locking state and the latching locking state of the door can be implemented with a single latch.

Then, the automatic opening operation of the door and the locking operation of the door can be implemented with one latch, one driving unit for driving the door, and a power transmission unit.

The power transmission unit is a cam 70 that is in contact with a contact surface 55 provided on a side surface of the latch 50, and the rotation center 71 of the cam 70 is closer to the side of the latch 50 that the cam is in contact with. It can be positioned in one direction. Then, it is possible to determine the position of the latch by varying the radius of the cam in contact with the latch 50 according to the rotational displacement of the cam.

The elastic body is in a state of elastically supporting the latch to rotate in the first direction, and since the rotation center 71 of the cam 70 is located further in the first direction than the latch, the latch moves according to the radius of the cam in contact with the latch. A limit of movement in the direction may be determined. Of course, even in this state, the latch can overcome the elasticity of the elastic body and move in the second direction, and when the force against the elastic body disappears, the latch returns to a position in contact with the cam in the first direction by the elastic body again.

The combination of the elastic body 90 that pressurizes the latch in the first direction and the cam 70 that is located further in the first direction than the latch makes it very easy to adjust the basic position of the latch by adjusting the radius of the cam in contact with the latch. let there be The basic position adjustment of the latch is a method of determining whether the pin 22 of the door is in contact between the departure inclined surface 521 and the locking surface 522 on the engaging surface 52 of the hook part 51 of the latch. this can be

The cam 70 may include radial portions 731 , 732 , and 733 having at least three different radii in the circumferential direction from the outer periphery thereof. The first radius portion 731 allows the latch to be in the first default position, the second radius portion 732 allows the latch to be in the second default position, and the third radius portion 733 allows the latch to be in the third default position. to be in

When the latch is moved in the second direction w2 from the first basic position, the second basic position can be reached, and when the latch is moved in the first direction w1 from the first basic position, the third basic position is reached. can reach

The first radius portion 731 as a reference may allow the latch 50 to be in a normal basic position, that is, a position where a user can manually open and close the door (manually locked position). At a position where the first radius portion 731 is in contact with the contact surface of the latch 50 , the pin of the door is in contact with the departure inclined surface 521 of the hook portion 51 of the latch 50 .

The second radius portion 732 has a larger radius than the first radius portion 731 . And the second radius portion is connected to the first radius portion and the soft curved connection surface 734 . Therefore, when the cam rotates in the first rotational direction c1 so that the contact portion between the cam and the latch moves from the first radius to the second radius, the basic position of the latch 50 moves further in the second direction w2. do. In the state where the second radius portion and the latch are in contact, the hook portion of the latch moves to the open position, so that the pin 22 of the door is no longer hung. That is, the pin is relatively deviated from the hook part.

Therefore, when the cam rotates and the latch that was in contact with the first radius comes into contact with the second radius, the door is elastically biased by the hinge module 300 to open up to the initial opening angle a1, and is fully opened again by its own weight. .

The third radius portion 733 has a smaller radius than the first radius portion 731 . And the third radius portion is connected to the first radius portion and the soft curved connection surface 734 . Accordingly, when the cam rotates in the second rotational direction c2 (opposite to the first rotational direction) so that the contact portion between the cam and the latch moves from the first radius to the third radius, the basic position of the latch 50 is in the elastic body. By further moving in the first direction (w1) is moved to the lock position. In a state where the third radius part and the latch are in contact, the hook part hooks the pin of the door to a deeper position. That is, the pin of the door is in contact with the locking surface 522 of the hook portion 51 of the latch 50 .

According to the present invention, the operation of moving the latch 50 from the first basic position to the third basic position may be performed by the elastic body 90 . However, if the latch 50 is caught in the first basic position due to an unexpected situation, only the elastic force applied in the first direction w1 by the elastic body 90 causes the latch 50 to move from the first basic position to the third basic position. There is a fear that the position does not move to the position.

In order to dispel this concern, the present invention provides that, while the cam is rotating from the first mode to the third mode, the surface of the cam and the latch are mechanically interfered, so that the power of the driving part causes the latch to move from the first basic position to the third mode. It further provides a structure that is transmitted to the latch to act in the direction of movement to the default position.

In addition, a structure for preventing the latch from deviating from the third basic position toward the first basic position due to kinematic interference between the cam and the latch when the cam is in the third mode state and the latch is also located in the third basic position to provide.

To this end, the latch 50 of the present invention further provides an interference extension 58 capable of interfering with the cam kinematically. The interference extension portion 58 approaches the surface of the cam 70 as the latch 50 moves in the first direction, and the cam 70 as the latch 50 moves in the second direction. and an interference surface 59 away from the surface of

In the first mode state, in which the first radius portion 731 of the cam is in a position to abut the contact surface 55 of the latch 50, the interference extension The part 58 should not interfere with the manual opening/closing rotation of the latch 50 .

To this end, with the cam in the first mode, the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 is such that, even when the latch 50 moves from the first basic position to the second basic position, the interference surface ( 59) may have a radius rM1 that permits movement approaching the cam surface.

In other words, the distance dmp between the position mp of the interference surface 59 and the center of rotation 71 of the cam 70 with the latch 50 in the first basic position is The first radius portion 731 of the latch 50 may be larger than the radius rM1 of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 in a state in which it is in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 . And the distance (dop) between the position (op) of the interference surface (59) and the rotation center (71) of the cam (70) with the latch (50) in the second basic position is One radius portion 731 may be greater than or equal to the radius rM1 of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 in a state in which it is in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 .

In the first mode state, in which the first radius portion 731 of the cam is in a position in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 , the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 is the first radius portion 731 , it may be the third radius portion 733 or a connection surface 734 connecting the first radius portion 731 and the third radius portion 733 .

Next, in order for the latch to move by the cam from the first basic position to the second basic position (auto-open position), the cam is rotated in the first rotational direction c1 from the first mode position to the While reaching the mode position, the interference extension 58 moves in a direction approaching the cam. In the process, the interference extension 58 should not come into contact with or interfere with the cam.

That is, while the cam is rotated and the point of contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 moves from the first radius portion 731 to the second radius portion 732 , the interference surface 59 is the cam It does not interfere with the surface of (70).

And in the second state in which the second radius portion 732 of the cam is in a position in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 , the interference surface 59 is the first radius portion of the cam 70 ( 731 ), and the interference surface 59 may not come into contact with the surface of the cam 70 .

Also, with the latch 50 in the second basic position, the distance dop between the position op of the interference surface 59 and the center of rotation 71 of the cam 70 is In a state where the second radius portion 732 is in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 , it may be greater than or equal to the radius rM2 of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 .

Next, in order for the latch to move from the first basic position to the third basic position (hang lock position), the cam rotates from the first mode position in the second rotation direction c2 to the third mode position. During the operation, if the latch does not move smoothly in the first direction w1 despite the elastic biasing force of the elastic body 90 , the cam interferes with the interference extension 58 of the latch and moves the latch in the first direction w1 . must be forced to

To this end, while the cam is rotated so that the point of contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 moves from the first radius portion 731 to the third radius portion 733, the interference surface 59 The radius of the surface of the cam 70 facing the It can be set to exceed the distance (dmp) of

That is, the radius rM3 of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 in a state where the third radius portion 733 of the cam is in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 is The distance dmp between the position mp of the interference surface 59 and the rotation center 71 of the cam 70 may be greater than the distance dmp in the state where (50) is in the first basic position.

Then, even when the latch 50 is stopped, it is possible for the cam to move the latch by forcibly pressing the latch 50 .

In a state where the third radius portion 733 of the cam is in a position in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 , the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 is the second radius portion 732 . can

A radius rM3 of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 in a state where the third radius portion 733 of the cam is in a position in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 is, When 50) is substantially equal to the distance dlp between the position lp of the interference surface 59 and the center of rotation 71 of the cam 70 in a state where 50 is in the third basic position, the latch engages and locks In the state in which it is in the position, rotation of the latch in the second direction w2 by an unexpected external force can be fundamentally prevented by the interference between the interference surface 59 and the cam.

In the latch positioning profile 73 of the cam, the second radius portion is located on either side of the first radius portion 731 (manual locking contact surface), and the third radius portion is located on the other side of the first radius portion, and the cam By rotating in one direction or rotating in the other direction, the position of the latch is easily adjusted. In order to implement this more simply, the driving unit may be a motor 60 rotatable in both directions. And more simply, the cam may be directly connected to the rotation shaft 61 of the motor.

According to the present invention, both automatic opening and full locking of the door are implemented with one latch, which is determined by the basic position of the latch, and the basic position of the latch can be determined by the cam.

If the cam can rotate in only one direction, the latch contacts the cam in the following order: 1st radius → 2nd radius → 3rd radius → 1st radius, or 1st radius → 3rd radius → The second radius part → The first radius part has no choice but to contact the cam.

If the latch has no choice but to contact the cam in the following order: 1st radius part → 2nd radius part → 3rd radius part → 1st radius part, the door is automatically opened before locking the door. it's difficult. On the other hand, if the latch has no choice but to contact the cam in the following order: 1st radius part → 3rd radius part → 2nd radius part → 1st radius part, the door must be opened by automatic opening after performing the locking function by hooking the door . Therefore, if you want to use a motor that can rotate in only one direction, the latch is installed so that the motor rotates in the direction that can contact the cam in the order of the 1st radius → 3rd radius → 2nd radius → 1st radius. it is preferable

The rotational displacement of the cam may be controlled by pressing or releasing the switches 81 and 82 installed around the cam as the cam rotates. When the button of the switches 81 and 82 is pressed, the switch may be in an on state, and when the button of the switch is released, the switch may be in an off state.

Basically, in order to determine the rotational displacement of the cam corresponding to the three basic positions of the latch (the manually locked position of the first radius, the open position of the second radius, and the locking position of the third radius), the corresponding displacement is 3 It is conceivable to install two switches, and to have a single pressing protrusion for pressing the switch on the cam. That is, when the first switch is pressed, the first radius portion is in contact with the latch, the second radius portion is in contact with the latch when the second switch is pressed, and the third radius portion is in contact with the latch when the third switch is pressed. There will be. Then, the basic position of the latch can be adjusted through the control in which the motor continues to rotate in a state in which no switch is pressed and the rotation is stopped when the switch is pressed.

It is also possible to control the three basic positions of the latch by using two switches. The latch module may further include a first switch 81 and a second switch 82 installed on the bracket 40 .

In addition, the cam 70 has a first mode in which both the first switch 81 and the second switch 82 are pressed, and the first switch 81 is pressed and the second switch is pressed according to the rotational position of the cam. A second mode in which (82) is not pressed, a third mode in which the second switch (82) is pressed and the first switch (81) is not pressed, the first switch (81) and the second switch (82) It is possible to implement a fourth mode in which all of the keys are not pressed.

The cam 70 may further include a switch press profile 72 capable of implementing the four modes separately from the latch positioning profile 73 .

When the cam 70 rotates and any one of the first to fourth modes is implemented by the switch pressing profile 72 , the first radius portion 731 is in contact with the latch 50 and , when the cam 70 is rotated so that the switch pressing profile 72 is in the other one of the first to fourth modes, the second radius portion 732 is in contact with the latch 50, and the When the cam 70 rotates so that the switch pressing profile 72 is in another one of the first to fourth modes, the third radius portion 733 may contact the latch 50 . there is.

The first switch 81 and the second switch 82 may be located at substantially the same distance from the rotation center 71 of the cam 70 . And, the switch pressing profile 72 is, according to the rotation position of the cam, the first switch 81 is pressed, the second switch 82 is pressed, or the first switch 81 and the second switch 82 are pressed. ), the first pressing protrusion 721 that does not press all, and the first switch 81 or the second switch 82 or the first switch 81 and the second switch 82 depending on the rotation position of the cam. A second pressing protrusion 722 that does not press both switches 82 may be included.

The cam is positioned in a first mode range in which the first pressing protrusion 721 and the second pressing protrusion 722 simultaneously press the first switch 81 and the second switch 82, respectively, according to the rotation angle of the cam. Alternatively, the second pressing projection 722 presses the first switch 81 and the first pressing projection 721 is located in a second mode range in which the second switch 82 is not pressed, or the first The pressing projection 721 presses the second switch 82 and the second pressing projection 722 is located in the third mode range in which the first switch 81 is not pressed, or the first pressing projection 721 and the second pressing protrusion 722 may be located in the fourth mode range in which neither the first switch 81 nor the second switch 82 is pressed.

The button 811 of the first switch 81 and the button 821 of the second switch 82 have a predetermined angle b with respect to the rotation center 71 of the cam, and the first push of the cam The protrusion 721 and the second pressing protrusion 722 may also have a predetermined angle b with respect to the rotation center 71 of the cam. The angle b between the two switches 81 and 82 is such that the two switches 81 and 82 are not arranged on the same straight line passing through the rotation center 71 of the cam, and the two pressing protrusions 721 and 722 are the rotation centers 71 of the cam. It may be less than 180 degrees so as not to be disposed on the same straight line passing through. Preferably, the angle between the angles may be greater than or equal to 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees or an obtuse angle. More preferably, the angle between the angles may be about 120 degrees.

In the cam rotation range (first mode range) in which both the first switch and the second switch are pressed, the first radius portion 731 is in contact with the latch 50, the first switch is pressed and the second switch is not pressed In the cam rotation range (second mode range), the second radius portion 732 is in contact with the latch 50, and the cam rotation range in which the second switch is pressed without the first switch being pressed (the third mode range) ), the third radius portion 733 may contact the latch.

The latch module includes automatic door opening operation control, door lock operation control, and door lock unlock operation control.

In the automatic opening operation control of the door, the cam 70 is rotated in the first rotation direction c1 in the one mode to change the cam 70 to the other mode, and then the rotation of the cam 70 is controlled. After stopping and returning the cam 70 to the one mode by rotating the cam 70 in the second rotation direction c2 opposite to the first rotation direction c2 in the other mode, The door is automatically opened through the control to stop the rotation of the cam 70 .

In the locking operation control of the door, the cam 70 is rotated in the second rotation direction c2 in the one mode to change the cam 70 to the another mode, and then the cam 70 is rotated. It locks the door through the control that stops it, preventing the user from manually opening the door.

In the lock unlock operation control of the door, the cam 70 is rotated in the first rotation direction c1 in the other mode to change the cam 70 to the one mode, and then the Through the control that stops the rotation, the lock is unlocked by hanging the door, and the door returns to a state where it can be opened and closed manually.

In addition, the method for controlling a latch module according to the present invention further includes a position search and initialization control sequence of a cam of the latch module. Such search and initialization control may be executed when the cam is in the other mode (fourth mode) in the initial driving stage of the latch module.

First, the cam 70 is rotated in the second rotation direction c2. According to the present invention, if the initial search driving step of rotating the cam 70 in the second direction is executed in the fourth mode, there is no fear of an error in which the door is opened. Specifically, after the initial search driving step, the cam is changed from the other mode (the fourth mode) to the one mode (the first mode) or to the other mode (the third mode).

When the cam is changed from the other mode (the fourth mode) to the one mode (the first mode), driving of the cam is terminated.

When the cam is changed from the other mode (the fourth mode) to the other mode (the third mode), the cam is rotated in the first rotational direction c1. Then, the cam 70 goes through the other mode (the fourth mode) and then changes to one mode (the first mode). In this way, when the first mode is reached, the driving of the cam is terminated.

While the user uses the latch module installed in the cooking appliance, there is no fear that the cam will change to another mode (the second mode) in the initial search driving stage, but in the product production stage, for example, only once, in the initial search driving stage. It can be 2 mode. In this case, after the cam is changed to another mode in the initial search driving step, the cam 70 is further rotated in the second rotation direction c2, and accordingly, the cam 70 is operated in one mode (the first mode). ), the driving of the cam 70 may be terminated.

The present invention further provides a cooking appliance to which the latch module and its control method are applied. In addition, the present invention can be applied not only to a cooking appliance, but also to a home appliance including a body having a cavity and a door opening and closing the same.

According to the latch module structure applied to the cooking appliance of the present invention, the manual lock function of the door and the lock function for the self-cleaning operation can be implemented in one latch.

In addition, according to the latch module structure of the present invention, it is possible to implement both the automatic opening function of the door and the locking function of the door while applying one latch, one driving unit, and one power transmission unit.

In addition, according to the latch module structure of the present invention, manual opening and closing is possible by an elastic body and locking is possible by hooking by an elastic body. Even if an error occurs in operation, the door can be securely latched and locked by the cam.

In addition, according to the latch module structure of the present invention, it is possible to fundamentally prevent the latch in the locked state from being released due to an unexpected external force due to the interference between the cam and the latch. And all these operations can be implemented with one latch and one cam.

In addition, according to the latch module structure of the present invention, both automatic opening of the door and locking control of the door are possible through two switches and simple control.

In addition, according to the method for controlling the latch module of the present invention, the initial cam and latch position search is possible only with a simple control algorithm, and there is no fear that the door is unintentionally opened in the search process.

In addition to the above-described effects, the specific effects of the present invention will be described together while describing specific details for carrying out the invention below.

1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a cooking appliance to which a latch module according to the present invention is applied.
2 is a transparent perspective view of a hinge module connecting the door and the main body of the cooking appliance of the present invention.
3 is a side view of FIG. 2 ;
4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a latch module according to the present invention.
5 is an exploded perspective view of the latch module of FIG. 4 .
6 is a plan view of a latch of the latch module of FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a cam of the latch module of FIG. 4 .
8 is a graph illustrating a latch positioning profile for each angular position of the cam of FIG. 7 .
Fig. 9 (a) is a bottom view showing a portion of the cooking appliance in which the latch module of Fig. 4 is installed, and (b) is a plan view showing a cam and a part of the latch in contact with it. It is a diagram showing the pin and hanging state of
FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which the latch module of FIG. 9 is operated and the latch is moved to an open position.
11 is a view illustrating a state in which a door is opened to an initial opening angle due to a pin detachment from the latch module of FIG. 10 .
12 is a view showing a state in which the latch module of FIG. 11 operates and the latch is in the manually locked position in a state in which the pin is released.
13 is a view showing a state in which the latch module of FIG. 9 operates and the latch moves to a locking position.
14 is a graph showing a mode according to a change in the position of the cam profile and the latch positioning profile of the cam in contact with the latch.
Fig. 15 is a view showing the first case in which the cam is in the fourth mode.
Fig. 16 is a view showing the second case in which the cam is in the fourth mode.
Fig. 17 is a view showing a third case in which the cam is in the fourth mode.
18 is a diagram schematically illustrating an algorithm for searching an initial position of a cam.

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

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in a variety of different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete and to completely convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is provided to inform you.

[Overall structure of cooking equipment]

Hereinafter, the overall structure of the cooking appliance to which the automatic door opening control method according to the present invention is applied will be first described.

Referring to FIG. 1 , as an embodiment of the present invention, the home appliance is an oven, which is a cooking appliance. However, it will be clear that the home appliance of the present invention is not limited to a cooking appliance, and the cooking appliance is not limited to an oven.

The cooking appliance has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a main body 10 having an open front and an empty interior, and a door 20 installed in front of the main body 10 .

The main body 10 includes an outer housing (shown in FIG. 1 with the outer housing omitted to show the internal structure) forming the overall appearance of the cooking appliance, and a cavity installed in the outer housing and opened forward It includes an inner housing 11 provided with. The cavity constitutes a cooking chamber. Various parts necessary for the operation of the cooking appliance are provided on the upper, lower, rear, and side of the main body 10 .

The door 20 has a pull-down opening/closing structure having a horizontal hinge shaft 314 (refer to FIGS. 2 and 3) at the lower end of the door. That is, the door 20 is opened by rotating in the front lower part with respect to the main body, and is closed by pivoting in the rear upper part.

The area of the door 20 may be just an area for opening or closing the front of the cooking compartment, but may also be an area covering the entire front of the cooking compartment as well as the upper space of the cooking compartment as illustrated. In this case, a control unit such as a display and a touch panel may be installed on the front surface of the door 20 corresponding to the upper space of the cooking chamber.

On the upper side of the main body 10, the door 20 maintains a closed state, and the door 20 is manually opened and closed, the door 20 is automatically opened, or the door 20 is hung and grabbed by the door 20 ) is provided with a latch module 4 that locks it so that it cannot be opened manually. In addition, on the back side of the door 20, a pin 22 caught on or released from the hook portion 51 of the latch 50 of the latch module 4, and the pin 22 are provided and the hook portion An accommodating portion 21 providing a space capable of accommodating the 51 is provided (see FIGS. 9, 10 and 13 ).

The latch module 4 is installed on the upper portion of the main body 10, and the front end of the latch 50 of the latch module 4, that is, the hook portion 51, may protrude more forward than the front of the main body 10. can be (see FIGS. 9-13).

The latch module 4 may be installed on one upper side of the door or both sides of the upper part of the door, and the pin 22 and the receiving part 21 of the door may also be provided correspondingly.

A hinge module 300 in which a spring 323 , a damper 350 , and a sub spring 370 are installed is connected to the front lower part of the main body and the lower part of the door, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . The spring 323 biases the door in a direction in which the door 20 rotates upwardly, that is, in a direction to close the door. Accordingly, the spring 323 prevents the door from being opened hard when the door is opened and descends.

In addition, the damper 350 attenuates the rotational force of the door when the door is opened, thereby allowing the door to be opened slowly. If necessary, the damper 350 may provide a damping force only when the door is opened, or may provide a damping force in both the door opening and closing directions. In addition, the damping force may be provided in all rotation angle sections in which the door is opened and closed, or the damping force may be provided in some sections of the range of the rotation angle.

The damper 350 may attenuate the opening force of the door in a section of a predetermined opening angle of the door, and may not provide a damping force in a section out of the opening angle. In the present invention, a structure in which the damper 350 operates in the opening angle section corresponding to a2 to a3 of FIG. 1 is exemplified. The damping intrusion angle a2 at which damping starts while the door is opened may be 35 ± 5°.

The subspring 370 biases the door in a direction in which the door 20 is opened. An opening angle range at which the sub spring 370 opens and biases the door may be 0° to a1.

[Door automatic opening operation]

Hereinafter, an automatic opening operation of the door will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 . When the user inputs a door open command by touching a display installed on the front upper part of the door, the latch module 4 to be described later operates to release the jammed state of the closed door. Then, the door is opened by the subspring 370 up to the initial opening angle a1. The predetermined angle a1 may be set to such a degree that the door can be opened by itself by its own weight. The angle a1 may be, for example, about 10°.

The hinge module 300 connecting the main body 10 and the door 20 includes a door bar 340 part fixed to the door 20 and a housing 310 part fixed to the main body 10 by an opening/closing rotation shaft ( 314) as a reference.

An inner link housing 330 movable along the longitudinal direction of the housing 310 is provided inside the housing 310 . The front end of the inner link housing 330 is hingedly connected to the door bar 340 and the door bar connecting hinge 331 . Since the door bar connecting hinge 331 is eccentric by a distance of r from the opening/closing rotation shaft 314, when the door 20 (door bar 340) is opened, it pivots with respect to the opening/closing rotation shaft 314 and moves forward. Accordingly, the inner link housing 330 also moves forward in the housing 310 .

Since the door 20 or the door bar 340 is opened from a vertically standing state to a horizontally lying state in the front, the maximum opening angle a3 is 90 degrees. Accordingly, the connection hinge 331 also rotates 90 degrees about the opening/closing rotation shaft 314 . In addition, the inner link housing 330 also moves forward by the horizontal distance d3 at which the opening/closing rotation shaft 314 rotates by 90 degrees.

An interpolation pin 361 is installed in front of the inner link housing 330 . The slot pin 362 provided in front of the interpolation pin 361 is inserted into the interpolation pin guide slot 333 formed in the front and rear directions on both sides of the inner link housing 330 . Accordingly, the interpolation pin 361 is installed to be slidably movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the inner link housing 330 within the range allowed by the guide slot 333 . A subspring 370 is extrapolated to the interpolation pin 361 . The front of the sub spring 370 is supported by the slot pin 362 and the rear is supported by the inner link housing 330 . Accordingly, the sub spring 370 biases the slot pin 362 forward.

The contact surface 363 of the slot pin 362 presses the inclined surface provided at the rear of the lower end of the door bar 340 forward. Since the height at which the slot pin 362 presses the inclined surface forward is higher than the opening/closing rotation shaft 314, the door bar 340 stands vertically at the initial opening of the door, that is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . In this state, the sub spring 370 biases the door bar 340 in a direction to rotate the door bar 340 forward and downward. Accordingly, at the initial opening of the door, the door is opened up to the initial opening angle a1 by the sub spring 370 . After the slot pin 362 moves to the front of the interpolation pin guide slot 333 , the subspring 370 cannot press the door bar 340 any more.

Of course, in the section from the closed state of the door to the opening angle of the door reaching the initial opening angle a1, the force of the subspring 370 in the door opening direction rather than the biasing force in the door closing direction of the spring 323 is Since the force is greater, the door is biased in the opening direction in the section from the closed state to the opening angle of the door reaching the initial opening angle a1.

In addition, the pin 22 is transferred to the hook part 51 of the latch 50 to be described later by the opening force of the sub spring 370, which will be described later than the force to move the latch 50 in the second direction. Since the elastic body 90 has a greater force for biasing the latch 50 in the first direction w1, when the latch 50 is in the manually locked state, the door is opened despite the opening biasing force of the subspring of the hinge module. will remain closed.

After the door reaches the initial opening angle a1, the door automatically starts to open due to the weight of the door. Accordingly, the door bar 340 rotates with respect to the housing 310 , and a damping force and an opening-blocking force are transmitted to the door bar 340 by a damper 350 and a spring 323 , which will be described later.

A spring interpolation pin 320 is installed at the rear of the inner link housing 330 . The spring interpolation pin 320 is connected to the rear portion of the inner link housing 330 through the inner housing articulation pin 322 . And both ends of the inner housing articulation pin 322 is fitted in the articulation pin guide slot 315 provided in the housing 310 . The articulation pin guide slot 315 has the shape of a long hole extending along the longitudinal direction of the housing 310 .

In the spring interpolation pin 320, a compression coil spring 323 with strong elasticity is extrapolated in an already compressed state. The spring interpolation pin 320 may slide through the spring stopping plate 311 fixed to the housing 310 and slide along the longitudinal direction of the housing 310, but the tip of the compression coil spring 323 is the It is caught on the spring stopping plate 311 of the housing 310 . In order to support the biasing force of the compression coil spring 323 , a support pin 312 for additionally supporting the spring stopping plate 311 may be further installed in the housing 310 .

A spring support pin 321 for fixing the rear end of the spring 323 is installed at the rear end of the spring interpolation pin 320 . The spring support pin 321 does not interfere with the housing 310 .

Therefore, when the door bar 340 is opened, the inner housing articulation pin 322 is guided by the guide slot 315 of the housing 310 and the inner link housing 330 and the spring interpolation pin 320 move forward. . Accordingly, the spring 323 is compressed between the spring holding plate 311 and the spring support pin 321 and the elastic force gradually increases. The compression length of the spring 323 corresponds to the horizontal movement distance d3 of the opening and closing rotation shaft 314, and when the opening angle of the door is small, the elastic force of the spring 323 is small, but the opening angle of the door is large. Accordingly, the elastic force of the spring 323 also increases. The elastic force acts in a direction that prevents the door from being opened.

The biasing force that the spring 323 pushes in the direction of closing the door gradually increases from the opening angle a1 to a3 of the door. And the biasing force that the spring 323 has at the door opening angle a1 is smaller than the automatic opening force (opening force) of the door due to the weight of the door at the opening angle a1, so that the subspring 370 has the opening angle a1. The door is set to open by itself.

A damper 350 is installed inside the inner link housing 330 . The piston 351 of the damper 350 is supported by the damper pressing surface 332 integrally fixed to the inner link housing 330 . A cylinder 352 is extrapolated to the piston 351 . A slot 353 into which the damper support pin 313 fixed to the housing 310 is fitted is provided at an upper portion of the cylinder 352 . That is, the cylinder 352 may move forward and backward by the length of the slot 353 . 3 , the position between the slot 353 of the damper 350 and the damper support pin 313 of the housing 310 is disclosed in a state in which the door is closed.

As the door is opened and rotated by a predetermined angle a2, the inner link housing 330 moves horizontally forward by d2, and accordingly, the damper 350 is also the damper pressing surface 332 of the inner link housing 330. ) is pushed forward and moves together. As the damper is pushed forward, the damper pressing surface 332 pushes the piston 351 of the damper 350 forward, but the slot 353 of the cylinder 352 is not caught on the damper support pin 313 yet. Therefore, the damper 350 moves forward together with the inner link housing 330, but does not generate any damping force.

When the opening angle of the door exceeds a2, the slot 353 of the damper 350 moving forward is caught by the damper support pin 313, and accordingly, the damper 350 starts to be compressed. The damping force generated when the damper 350 is compressed allows the door to be opened while being damped in the opening angle a2 to a3 section.

For reference, the intrinsic maximum damping distance (Lmax) of the damper 350, that is, the maximum stroke that can generate damping force when the damper is reduced, is the distance (d3) that the inner link housing 330 moves while the damping force is applied to the door. -d2) or higher.

While the closed door is opened up to a2, the door bar connecting hinge 331 also rotates by a2, and accordingly, the inner link housing 330 and the spring interpolation pin 320 move forward by d2. While moving by a distance of d2, the slot 353 of the damper 350 moves on the damper support pin 313, so the damper is not pressed. That is, in the section where the opening angle of the door ranges from 0 to a2, the elastic force of the spring 323 acts in the opposite direction to the opening force of the door to control the opening speed of the door.

While the closed door is opened up to a3, the door bar connecting hinge 331 also rotates by a3, and accordingly, the inner link housing 330 and the spring interpolation pin 320 move forward by d3. That is, according to this, the spring 323 is compressed by d3. That is, the elastic force of the spring 323 acts in the opposite direction to the opening force of the door until the opening angle of the door ranges from 0 degrees to a3 to control the opening speed of the door.

The maximum opening angle a3 may be regulated by the joint pin guide slot 315 of the housing 310 which regulates the sliding movement distance of the inner housing articulation pin 322 .

The angular range in which the damper 350 damps the opening force of the door may be started when the door is about 30° to 40°, for example, and may be continued until it reaches about 90°. Then, after the door is opened by the sub spring 370 up to the initial opening angle a1, the door is opened slowly by its own weight and accelerated by its own weight. can be This opening method of the door makes the user feel a sense of stability.

If the damping starts too early while the door is opened, the waiting time for the door to be opened is too long, causing inconvenience. On the other hand, if the damping of the door starts too late, the door opens too quickly to the extent that the door opens to a considerable extent, which may surprise or feel uncomfortable to the user, and may cause injury by hitting the door that opens quickly.

In this regard, the damping intrusion angle a2 at which the damper 350 starts to damp the opening force of the door is preferably 35±5°.

In addition, the damping force may last until 90° when the door is fully opened, or up to 85°, which is about 5° smaller than that. If the damping force is applied to the section where the door is fully opened, it may be considered that the damping force does not act after 85° in order to dispel the fear that the door does not open completely and opens by 1~2° less.

As such, the damping rush angle a2 is set to be larger than the forced opening angle a1. And the section between the forced opening angle a1 and the damping rush angle a2, that is, 10° or more and 30-40° or less, is a section in which the door is not damped by any damper 350 and automatically opens by its own weight. Of course, even in this section, since the elastic force of the above-described spring 323 acts in a direction that prevents the door from being opened, a phenomenon in which the door is rapidly accelerated in the section open by its own weight is sufficiently prevented.

If such an automatic door opening structure is applied, user anxiety can be reduced, quality sensibility can be increased, and the handle protruding from the front of the door can be removed, which can provide an excellent aesthetic feeling, especially during built-in installation.

[Latch module]

Hereinafter, a latch module capable of automatically opening or completely locking the door of the cooking appliance according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 13 .

The latch module 4 of the present invention includes a bracket 40 that serves as an overall foundation. The bracket 40 may be made of sheet metal. The edge portion of the metal plate in the form of a rectangular flat plate is bent downward or upward, and accordingly, a structure capable of fixing the latch module 4 to other parts, and various parts (drive part 60) in the bracket 40 ), the elastic body 90, etc.} is provided with a structure that can be installed.

The bracket 40 has a cam accommodating hole 42 that provides a space in which the cam 70, which is a power transmission unit, is accommodated, and a section in which the latch 50 rotatably installed in the bracket 40 rotates can be regulated. An arc hole 41 is provided.

A latch 50 is rotatably installed on the bracket 40 . The latch 50 has a structure in which a long metal plate is bent, and a pivot shaft portion 54 serving as a center of rotation of the latch 50 with respect to the bracket 40 is provided at the rear end of the latch 50 . As a pivot shaft (not shown) is installed on the pivot shaft part 54 , the latch 50 is rotatably installed with respect to the bracket 40 .

The second half of the latch 50 including the pivot shaft portion 54 is disposed above the bracket 40 . And on one side of the latch 50 disposed on the top of the bracket 40, a contact surface 55 in contact with the latch positioning profile 73 of the cam 70, and in some cases, the latch 50 by interfering with the cam ) is provided with an interference extension unit 58 that mechanically compensates for the operation error. The interference extension portion 58 extends laterally from the contact surface 55 , and accordingly, the contact surface 55 and the interference extension portion 58 have an L-shape as a whole.

An insertion part 56 is provided in the middle portion of the latch 50, which is bent downward and passes through the arc hole 41 of the bracket 40. As shown in FIG. The arc hole 41 has a size capable of accommodating the trajectory of the rotation of the latch 50 in a state where the insertion part 56 is inserted into the arc hole 41 .

An arc-shaped sliding bead surface 43 supporting the rotation of the latch 50 is provided at a position closer to the pivot shaft portion 54 than the arc hole 41 in the bracket 40 . The sliding bead surface 43 has a shape protruding convexly from the surface of the bracket 40 , and by making contact with the bottom surface of the latch 50 , the surface of the bracket 40 and the latch 50 directly contact and friction prevent this from happening

The front end of the insertion part 56 is extended forward in the horizontal direction by being bent forward again, and a hook part 51 is provided at the front end of the latch 50 . The hook portion 51 is engaged with or released from the pin 22 of the door.

The latch 50 is provided with a hole 57 through which the end of the spring 90, which is an elastic body, can be hung. One end of the spring 90 is fixed to the hole 57 , and the other end is fixed to the bracket 40 . Accordingly, the spring 90 pulls the latch 50 toward the spring. The spring 90 is disposed in the first direction of the rotation direction of the latch 50 rather than the latch 50 , and biases the latch 50 to rotate in the first direction.

A cam 70 is rotatably installed in the first direction than the latch 50 . The shaft hole 71, which is the rotation center of the cam 70, penetrates up and down, and thus the cam 70 has a vertical rotation shaft. The cam 70 is installed at a position penetrating the cam accommodating hole 42 of the bracket 40 . Accordingly, the upper portion of the cam 70 is exposed to the upper portion of the bracket 40 and the lower portion of the cam 70 is exposed.

The cam 70 includes a latch positioning profile 73 that adjusts the position in the rotation direction of the latch 50 in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 described above, and switches 81 and 82 to be described later. ) and a switch press profile 72 for pressing or releasing the press.

The latch positioning profile 73 is provided on the upper part of the cam, and the switch pressing profile 72 is provided on the lower part of the cam. And when the cam 70 is installed on the bracket 40, the latch positioning profile 73 is exposed to the upper part of the bracket 40 and comes into contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50, and the switch The pressing profile 72 is exposed to the lower part of the bracket 40 to press or release the switches 81 and 82 to be described later installed in the lower part of the bracket 40 .

For reference, the material of the cam 70 may be a synthetic resin having good strength and heat resistance, for example, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) material. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize sliding wear of the cam and secure stability in a high-temperature cooking appliance environment.

The cam 70 is rotationally driven by a motor 60 serving as a driving unit. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cam 70 may be directly connected to the rotation shaft 61 of the motor 60 . The motor 60 may be a bidirectional rotating motor capable of both forward rotation and reverse rotation. The motor 60 is fixed to the upper portion of the bracket 40 so that the rotating shaft 61 is downward, and the rotating shaft 61 is inserted into the shaft hole 71 of the cam 70 .

A first switch 81 and a second switch 82 are installed under the bracket 40 . The first switch and the second switch may be micro switches having buttons 811 and 812 . The buttons 811 and 812 of the switches installed on the bracket protrude toward the center of the cam. The buttons 811 and 812 are arranged to have an angle b between 90° and more than 180° with respect to the rotation center 71 of the cam, and may be arranged at the same distance from the rotation center of the cam. . Preferably, the angle between the angles (b) may be 110° to 160°, and about 120° is appropriate.

<Latch>

Referring to FIG. 6 , the hook part 51 provided at the front end, that is, at the front end of the latch 50 is opened laterally, specifically, in the first direction w1 of rotation of the latch 50 . Inside the hook part 51, the back surface of the pin 22 of the door and the engaging surface 52 are provided. The locking surface 52 includes a departure inclined surface 521 and a locking surface 522 . The departure inclined surface 521 is disposed closer to the first direction from the engaging surface 52 , and the locking surface 522 is arranged closer to the second direction from the engaging surface 52 . That is, the locking surface 522 is disposed in a deeper part of the hook part 51 than the departure inclined surface 521 .

When the latch 50 is rotated about the pivot shaft portion 54 and the rear surface of the pin 22 is positioned in the passively locked position in contact with the departure inclined surface 521, the departure inclined surface 521 moves in the first direction. It has a surface that is inclined toward the opening direction of the door toward the

And when the latch 50 rotates about the pivot shaft part 54 and the back surface of the pin 22 is positioned in a locking position in contact with the locking surface 522, the locking surface 522 is It has a surface that is inclined in the closing direction of the door or perpendicular to the opening direction of the door toward the first direction.

The part where the departure inclined surface 521 and the locking surface 522 are connected is connected in a soft curved shape, so that the rear surface of the pin 22 that is in contact with the departure inclined surface 521 is rotated by the latch 50 Thus, when sliding toward the locking surface 522, the sliding can be made smoothly. In particular, since the movement of the latch is made by the elastic force of the spring, which is an elastic body, as the sliding becomes smoother, the movement of the latch can be made more reliably.

On the other hand, an insertion inclined surface 53 is provided on the opposite surface of the hook part 51 opposite to the departure inclined surface 521 . The insertion inclined surface 53 has a surface inclined in the closing direction of the door toward the first direction when the latch 50 is positioned in the manually locked position. And this insertion inclined surface 53 comes into contact with the surface of the pin 22 of the door when the latch is in the manually locked position. That is, by the departure inclined surface 521 and the insertion inclined surface 53, the hook portion 51 has a shape that gradually becomes thinner toward the end, that is, a shape that becomes sharp.

A contact surface 55 in contact with the cam is provided on a side surface of the latch 50 . The contact surface 55 is disposed on the side of the second direction w2 from the rotation center of the cam. An interference extension 58 extending outwardly from the contact surface 55 is further provided at one end of the contact surface 55 . The extended interference portion 58 and the contact surface 55 form an L-shape as a whole, and the contact surface 55 and the interference extension portion 58 are disposed to surround the cam 70 .

An interference surface 59 facing the cam and, in some cases, contacting and interfering with the surface of the cam is provided in a lateral direction with respect to the extending direction of the interference extension portion 58 . The interference surface 59 is formed to protrude further from the interference extension portion 58, so that portions of the interference extension portion 58 other than the interference surface 59 do not interfere with the cam.

The interference surface 59 approaches the surface of the cam 70 when the latch 50 rotates in the first direction. And when the latch 50 rotates in the second direction, the interference surface 59 moves in a direction away from the cam.

The interference extension part 58 is not necessarily manufactured integrally with the body part of the latch 50, but may be manufactured as a separate part and then assembled. and the interference extension 58 does not have to behave as one rigid body with the body portion of the latch 50, while the latch moves from the first default position to the third default position, and It is sufficient that such force is transmitted to the body portion of the latch 50 when the cam pushes the interference extension 58 to rotate in the first direction while the latch is in the third basic position.

When the contact surface 55 of the latch receives a force in the second direction by the cam, that is, when the latch rotates from the first basic position to the second basic position by the cam, the interference extension does not interfere with the cam. No.

Conversely, the radius of the cam portion in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch is reduced, and in a state in which the latch can be rotated in the first direction, the radius of the cam portion facing the interference surface 59 of the latch increases. do. In addition, when the radius of the cam portion in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch is reduced and the latch does not rotate in the first direction even in a state in which the latch can be rotated in the first direction, the interference surface 59 and An opposing cam portion may interfere with the interference surface and push the interference surface away from the cam, so that the latch may be forcibly rotated in the first direction.

The distance between the center of rotation of the cam and the interference surface when the latch is in the first default position (dmp) and the distance between the center of rotation of the cam and the interference surface when the latch is in the second default position (dop) and the distance dlp between the rotation center of the cam and the interference surface when the latch is in the third basic position has a relationship of dop < dmp < dlp.

<cam>

5, 7 and 8, the latch positioning profile 73 of the cam 70 has three surfaces having different radii, namely, a manual locking contact surface 731, an automatic opening contact surface 732, and A locking contact surface (733) is provided. These three faces have different radii, and are interconnected between them by connecting faces 734 with gradually increasing or decreasing radii.

The passive locking contact surface 731 includes a first radius portion. The first radius portion has a radius such that the latch 50 is positioned at a position where the door can be manually opened and closed while in contact with the latch 50 . In this state, the pin 22 of the door comes into contact with the departure inclined surface 521 or the insertion inclined surface 53 of the hook part 51 . Accordingly, in a state in which the spring 90 pulls the latch 50 in the first direction and the manual locking surface of the cam contacts the latch 50 (see FIG. 9 or FIG. 12 ), the user opens the door in the opening direction. The door may be opened by pulling, and the door may be closed when the user closes the door.

The automatically open contact surface 732 includes a second radius portion. The second radius portion has a radius at which the latch 50 can be rotated in the second direction to a position where the latch 50 does not interfere with the pin 22 of the door while in contact with the latch 50 . The second radius portion has a larger radius than the first radius portion. That is, in a state in which the spring 90 pulls the latch 50 in the first direction and the automatically open contact surface of the cam contacts the latch 50 (see FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 ), the pin 22 of the door 20 ) does not interfere with the latch 20 .

The locking contact surface 733 includes a third radius. The third radius portion has a radius such that the latch 50 completely locks and locks the door while the door is in contact with the latch 50 so that the door is not opened even when the door is pulled. In this state, the pin 22 of the door comes into contact with the locking surface 522 of the hook part 51 . Accordingly, in a state in which the spring 90 pulls the latch 50 in the first direction and the locking contact surface of the cam contacts the latch 50 (see FIG. 13 ), even if the user pulls the door in the opening direction The door does not open. That is, such a state may be referred to as a fully locked state for self-cleaning.

In the first mode state in which the first radius portion is in contact with the contact surface of the latch, the diameter rM1 of the portion of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 and the second radius portion are in contact with the contact surface of the latch the diameter rM2 of the portion of the cam surface facing the interfering surface 59 in the second mode state in the position, and the interfering surface in the third mode state in the position where the third radius portion is in contact with the contact surface of the latch. A diameter rM3 of the portion of the cam surface facing (59) has a relationship of rM2 &amp;le; rM1 &lt; rM3.

The portion of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 in the first mode state in which the first radius portion is in a position in contact with the contact surface of the latch is the first radius portion 731 , the third radius portion 733 or It may be a connection surface 734 connecting the first radius portion 731 and the third radius portion 733 . In the drawings of the present invention, it is exemplified that the portion of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 is the first radius portion 731 (see FIGS. 9 and 12 ).

Next, the portion of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 in the second mode state in which the second radius portion is in contact with the contact surface of the latch may be the first radius portion 731 (Fig. 10, 11).

Next, in the third mode state in which the third radius portion is in contact with the contact surface of the latch, the portion of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 may be the second radius portion 732 (refer to FIG. 13 ). ).

As shown in FIG. 9 , the cam facing the interference surface 59 in the first mode state in which the first radius portion 731 of the cam is in a position in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 . The radius rM1 of the surface is the distance dmp between the position mp of the interference surface 59 and the center of rotation 71 of the cam 70 with the latch 50 in the first basic position ) and equal to or equal to the distance dop between the position op of the interference surface 59 and the center of rotation 71 of the cam 70 with the latch 50 in the second basic position or smaller than that That is, it has a relationship of rM1 ≤ dop < dmp.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the cam facing the interference surface 59 in the second mode state in which the second radius portion 732 of the cam is in a position in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 . The radius rM2 of the surface is the distance dop between the position op of the interference surface 59 and the center of rotation 71 of the cam 70 with the latch 50 in the second basic position ) equal to or less than That is, it has a relationship of rM2 ≤ dop.

When the conditions of FIGS. 9 and 10 are expressed together, rM1 ≤ rM2 ≤ dop < dmp.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13 , in the third mode state where the third radius portion 733 of the cam is in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 , it faces the interference surface 59 . The radius rM3 of the cam surface to The distance dlp between the position lp of the interference surface 59 and the center of rotation 71 of the cam 70 with the latch 50 in the third basic position greater than the distance dmp equal to or less than That is, it has a relationship of dmp < rM3 ≤ dlp.

If all of the above conditions are expressed together, it can be expressed as follows.

rM1 ≤ rM2 ≤ dop < dmp < rM3 ≤ dlp

Meanwhile, the switch pressing profile 72 of the cam 70 includes two pressing protrusions having substantially the same radius. The first pressing protrusion 721 and the second pressing protrusion 722 are not arranged on a straight line, but are positioned with an obtuse angle between them. The angle between the two pressing projections may correspond to the angle between the buttons 811 and 812 of the first switch and the second switch, and the radius of the two pressing projections is that the pressing projection presses or releases the button as the cam rotates. have a range that can be done.

The first pusher may press the first switch, press the second switch, or not press both switches, depending on the rotational position of the first pusher, and the second pusher may press the first switch or press the second switch depending on the rotational position. Neither switch can be pressed.

And since the angle between the two push protrusions corresponds to the angle between the buttons of the two switches, depending on the rotational position of the cam, the first push protrusion presses the first switch and the second push protrusion presses the second switch, that is, the two push protrusions press the two switches. 1st mode state in which both are pressed, the 2nd pusher projection presses the 1st switch, the 1st pusher projection does not press the switch, the 2nd mode state, the 1st pusher projection presses the 2nd switch state, a fourth mode state in which both pushers do not press both switches may be implemented.

In addition, each mode of the switch press profile 72 and the latch positioning profile 73 may be correlated with each other. That is, in the first mode, the manual locking contact surface 731 is in contact with the latch so that the latch is in the manually locked state, and in the second mode, the automatic opening contact surface 732 is in contact with the latch so that the latch is in the open position, , in the third mode, the lock contact surface 733 may be in contact with the latch so that the latch is in the lock position.

[Operation of the latch module]

Hereinafter, an operation of the latch module will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13 .

<Manual Locked State>

In a normal state, the latch module exists as shown in FIG. 9 . That is, in a state where the two pressing protrusions 721 and 722 are pressing the buttons 811 and 812 of the two switches, respectively, the manual locking contact surface 731, which is the first radius of the latch positioning profile 73, of the latch 50 It is in contact with the contact surface 55 . The spring 90 pulls the latch 50 in the first direction (the direction in which the hook part is to rotate to the left in the drawing).

When the user pulls the door 20 in such a manually locked state, the back surface of the pin 22 presses the departure inclined surface 521 of the hook part 51 . Since the departure inclined surface 521 is inclined outward in the first direction, the hook portion 51 receives a force in the second direction by the force of the pin 22 pressing the departure inclined surface, and accordingly, the latch 50 is a spring 90 ) overcomes elasticity and rotates in the second direction (as the latch 50 rotates in the second direction, the contact surface 55 of the latch is briefly separated from the manual lock contact surface 731 ). Then, the interference of the hook part 51 on which the pin 22 was hung is released, and accordingly the door is opened.

As described above, since rM1 ≤ dop < dmp, the interference extension 58 does not interfere with the cam, and the latch does not interfere with the cam while the latch briefly rotates in the second direction for manual opening of the door. It can freely rotate in the second direction.

When the door is opened and the pin 22 escapes from the hook part, the force that the pin 22 pushes the hook part in the second direction disappears, and the latch 50 has the contact surface 55 of the latch on the manual lock contact surface 731. By rotating again in the first direction by the spring until abutment, it returns to the manually locked position shown in FIG. 13 .

In this state, as shown in FIG. 13 , when the user closes the door, the surface of the pin 22 presses the insertion inclined surface 53 of the hook part 51 . Since the insertion inclined surface 53 is inclined toward the closing direction of the door in the first direction, by the force pressing the insertion inclined surface 53 in the closing direction on the surface of the pin 22, the hook portion 51 is You will receive a force that rotates in two directions. Then, the latch 50 overcomes the elasticity of the spring 90 and rotates in the second direction. Then, the interference of the hook part 51 is released from the trajectory of the pin 22 that moves as the door is closed, and the door is closed. When the door is closed, due to the elasticity of the spring 90, the latch is rotated again in the first direction by the spring until the contact surface 55 of the latch comes into contact with the manual lock contact surface 731 again. becomes

Similarly, since rM1 ≤ dop < dmp, the interfering extension 58 does not interfere with the cam while the latch temporarily rotates in the second direction for manual closing of the door, and the latch operates in the second direction. It can rotate freely in any direction.

As described above, according to the latch module of the present invention, the latch can be operated such that the user manually pulls the door to open the door or pushes the door toward the body to close the door.

<Auto open operation>

In the normal state as shown in FIG. 9, when the user inputs an automatic door opening command, the bidirectional rotary motor 60 rotates in any one direction, that is, in the first rotation direction, and the cam 70 moves in the first rotation direction c1. will rotate to Then, the pressed state of the two switches is released, and the cam 70 continues to rotate. The rotation of the cam 70 continues until the second pressing protrusion 722 presses the first switch 81 as shown in FIG. 10 . When the second pressing protrusion 722 presses the first switch 81, the bidirectional rotation motor 60 is stopped, and accordingly, the rotation of the cam in the first rotation direction c1 is also stopped. That is, the cam 70 is stopped after rotating in the first rotation direction c1 by the angle b between the two pressing protrusions.

Since the first pressing projection and the second pressing projection are not on a straight line passing through the center of rotation of the cam and have an obtuse angle, the second pressing projection 722 presses the first switch 81 as shown in FIG. In this state, the first pressing protrusion 721 is at a position where the second switch 82 is not pressed.

Since the latch is elastically supported by the spring in the direction in contact with the cam, the latch rotates corresponding to the radius of the latch positioning profile 73 while in contact with the latch positioning profile 73 of the cam while the cam rotates. . As the cam rotates by the angle b in the first rotation direction c1, the position of the latch positioning profile 73 in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 is changed from the manual lock contact surface 731 to the automatic open contact surface. It moves to 732 (it gradually increases from the vicinity of 250 degrees in FIG. 8 and moves to the vicinity of 20 degrees). As a result, the radius of the cam in contact with the latch varies from the first radius to the second radius, so the cam overcomes the elasticity of the spring and moves the contact surface 55 of the latch in the second direction (w2) as shown in FIG. ) is pushed out. Thereby, the interference of the hook part which has interfered with the pin 22 of the door is canceled.

As described above, rM1 ≤ rM2 ≤ dop < dmp. Also, while the cam is moving from the first mode to the second mode, the radius (rM1~2) of the cam surface facing the interference surface 59 is the distance between the interference surface 59 and the rotation center of the cam (dmp). The condition less than ~op) is continuously satisfied. Therefore, in the process of rotating the cam in the first rotational direction c1 for automatic opening of the door, and the latch rotating in the second direction w2, the interference extension 58 does not interfere with the cam. , the latch can freely rotate in the second direction.

In a state in which the door is closed, that is, when the opening angle is 0 degrees, the subspring 370 of the hinge module 300 elastically biases the door in the direction of opening the door. In a state in which the hook part 51 does not interfere with the pin 22 by rotating to w2, the door moves in the opening direction od. Since the subspring 370 of the hinge module 300 is elastically biased in the direction of opening the door in a state where the opening angle is 0 degrees, the operation of opening the door releases the interference of the hook part 51 with the pins. It happens instantly in an instant.

For reference, as the latch 50 receives the force of the driving unit 60 and moves in the second direction, the elastic force of the sub spring 370 of the hinge module is transmitted to the hook unit 51 and the latch ( At a position where the sum of the force to move 50 in the second direction and the force of the driving unit 60 is greater than the force that the elastic body 90 urges the latch 50 in the first direction w1, the You could say the door is open.

Accordingly, when the door is opened by the initial opening angle a1, the door is automatically opened by its own weight.

Then, the bidirectional rotary motor 60 rotates in another direction, that is, in the second rotation direction, so that the cam 70 rotates in the second rotation direction c2 as shown in FIG. 11 . Then, the press of the second pressing protrusion 722 on the first switch 81 is released. The rotation of the cam 70 in the second rotation direction c2 continues until the two pressing protrusions 721 and 722 press the two switches 81 and 82 as shown in FIG. 12 . That is, the cam 70 is stopped after rotating in the second rotation direction c2 by the angle b between the two pressing protrusions.

The automatic opening operation as described above may be continuously performed. That is, when an automatic door opening command is input in the state shown in FIG. 9, the cam rotates in the first rotation direction c1 by the angle b between the positions shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and accordingly, the second pressing protrusion When the first switch is pressed, the cam immediately reverses again in the second rotation direction c2 and returns to the state of FIG. 9 . As such, the automatic door opening command rotates the cam 70 in the first mode by the angle b1 in the first rotation direction c1 to move it to the second mode, and then immediately returns to the first mode. . That is, according to the automatic door opening command, the cam operates in the following order: 1st mode → 1st rotational direction (4th mode) → 2nd mode → 2nd rotational direction (4th mode) → 1st mode .

<walk lock operation>

When the user inputs a self-cleaning command in a normal state as shown in FIG. 9 , the control unit checks whether the door is in a closed state through a sensor, and when it is confirmed that the door is in a closed state, the bidirectional rotary motor 60 rotates the second direction to rotate the cam 70 in the second rotation direction c2. Then, the pressed state of the two switches is released, and the cam 70 continues to rotate. The rotation of the cam 70 continues until the first pressing protrusion 721 presses the second switch 82 as shown in FIG. 13 . When the first pressing protrusion 721 presses the second switch 82, the bidirectional rotation motor 60 is stopped, and accordingly, the rotation of the cam in the second rotation direction c2 is also stopped. That is, the cam 70 is stopped after rotating in the second rotation direction c2 by the angle b between the two pressing protrusions.

Since the first pressing projection and the second pressing projection are not on a straight line passing through the center of rotation of the cam and have an obtuse angle, the first pressing projection 721 presses the second switch 82 as shown in FIG. In this state, the second pressing protrusion 722 is at a position where the first switch 81 is not pressed.

Since the latch is elastically supported by the spring in the direction in contact with the cam, the latch rotates corresponding to the radius of the latch positioning profile 73 while in contact with the latch positioning profile 73 of the cam while the cam rotates. . As the cam rotates by the angle b in the second rotation direction c2, the position of the latch positioning profile 73 in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 is moved from the manual lock contact surface 731 to the lock contact surface. It moves to (733) (it gradually decreases in the vicinity of 250 degrees in FIG. 8 and moves to 110 degrees). Accordingly, since the radius of the cam in contact with the latch changes smaller from the first radius to the third radius, the spring 90 further holds the latch 50 in the first direction w1 as shown in FIG. 13 . pull Accordingly, the pin 22 of the door enters more deeply into the hook portion 51 so that the back surface of the pin 22 comes into contact with the locking surface 522 . When the pin 22 of the door relatively moves from the departure slope 521 to the lock surface 522, the boundary portion between the departure slope 521 and the lock surface 522 forms a smooth curve, so the spring 90 ) pulls the latch 50 , and accordingly, the pin 22 also naturally moves relatively from the departure inclined surface 521 to the locking surface 522 .

The movement of the latch in the first direction is made by the elasticity of the spring (90). Therefore, if the door pin does not completely enter the hook part and is caught at the end of the hook part, or if the rotation of the latch becomes stiff or jammed due to foreign substances, the cam rotates in the second rotation direction (c2) and stops. Even when moving from the first mode to the third mode, there is a risk that the latch cannot reach the third basic position from the first basic position.

However, as described above, it has a relationship of dop < dmp < rM3 ≤ dlp. That is, while the cam is rotated so that the point in contact with the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 moves from the first radius portion 731 to the third radius portion 733 , it faces the interference surface 59 . The radius of the surface of the cam 70 is the distance between the position mp of the interference surface 59 and the rotation center 71 of the cam 70 with the latch 50 in the first basic position. (dmp) will be exceeded.

Thus, even if the latch is engaged in the first default position, or more distantly therebetween the first and second default positions, the interfering surface 59 of the latch and the A kinematic interference occurs so that an opposing cam surface is in contact with the interference surface 59 and is pushed away from the cam so that the latch can be forcibly rotated in the first direction. Accordingly, the latch is definitely moved to the third basic position.

13, since the locking surface 522 is inclined in the closing direction rather in the first direction, the more the user pulls the door, the more the hook receives a force to rotate in the first direction. Therefore, no matter how much the user pulls the door, the door does not open.

In particular, if the relationship of rM3 = dlp is satisfied, not only can the latch reach the third basic position, but also, even if the latch located at the third basic position tries to rotate in the second direction w2 by receiving an external force, Since the cam is already in contact with the interfering surface 59 of the latch, rotation of the latch in the second direction is reliably prevented by kinematic interference.

In such a state, the self-cleaning operation proceeds. The cavity is heated to about 400 degrees Celsius and remains there for several minutes. And even after the self-cleaning operation is completed, the internal temperature of the cavity is continuously monitored until the internal temperature drops.

When it is confirmed that the internal temperature is lowered to a safe level, the control unit rotates the bidirectional rotary motor 60 in the first rotational direction to rotate the cam 70 in the first rotational direction c1 . Then, the press of the second switch 82 of the first pressing protrusion 721 is released. The rotation of the cam 70 in the first rotational direction c1 continues until the two pressing protrusions 721 and 722 press the two switches 81 and 82 as shown in FIG. 9 . That is, the cam 70 is stopped after rotating in the first rotation direction c1 by the angle b between the two pressing protrusions.

When a self-cleaning command is input in the state as shown in FIG. 9, the cam rotates in the second rotation direction c2 by the angle b to the position shown in FIG. 13, and accordingly, when the first pusher presses the second switch, The rotation of the bidirectional rotary motor and the cam is stopped. And the self-cleaning work is in progress. After the self-cleaning operation is completed, the cam rotates in the first rotation direction c1 and returns to the state of FIG. 9 .

As such, the self-cleaning command rotates the cam 70 in the first mode by the angle b in the second rotation direction c2 to move it to the third mode, and then returns to the first mode after the self-cleaning operation is completed. will return That is, according to the door self-cleaning command, the cam operates in the following order: 1st mode → 2nd rotational direction (4th mode) → 3rd mode → → 1st rotational direction (4th mode) → 1st mode do.

As described above, according to the present invention, with only one latch, one driving unit, and one power transmission unit, both the manual locking state of the door, the automatic opening operation of the door, and the locking operation of the door can be implemented.

[Latch module initial position search control]

The latch module has a manual winding position, an automatic open position, a manual winding position, an automatic opening position, depending on which radius portion 731 , 732 , 733 of the latch positioning profile 73 of the cam 70 abuts the contact surface 55 of the latch 50 . There are three basic positions of the hang lock position.

And the rotational displacement of the cam 70 as described above is controlled by the switch pressing profile 72 of the two switches 81 and 82 and the cam 70 . The control unit controls four modes of the two switches 81 and 82 (the first mode in the position range in which both switches are pressed, the second mode in the position range where only the first switch is pressed, the third mode in the position range in which only the second switch is pressed, and Based on the fourth mode of the position range in which both switches are not pressed), the rotation direction and whether the bidirectional rotation motor is rotated are determined to control the rotation angle and whether the cam is rotated.

14, in the first mode (M1) in which the switch press profile 72 presses both switches, the first radius portion 731 of the latch positioning profile is in a manual locking state in contact with the latch (Fig. 10, Fig. 12) can be confirmed.

In this state, when the cam rotates in the first rotational direction C1, the position of the latch positioning profile in contact with the latch moves to the right on the graph of FIG. 14, and in this process, the first pressing protrusion 721 of the cam moves in FIG. It moves between the angles between the two switches shown in Fig. 15.

When the switch press profile 72 moves to the second mode (M2) in which only the first switch is pressed and stops, the second radius portion 732 of the latch positioning profile automatically opens in contact with the latch (Fig. 10, Fig. 11) can be confirmed. The cam that has reached the second mode rotates again in the second rotation direction c2 and moves from the second mode M1 to the first mode M1.

Next, when the cam rotates in the second rotation direction C2 in the first mode M1, the position of the latch positioning profile in contact with the latch moves to the left on the graph of FIG. 14, and in this process, the cam's second The pressing protrusion 722 moves between the angles between the two switches shown in FIG. 16 .

When the switch press profile 72 moves to the third mode (M3) in which only the second switch is pressed and stops, the third radius portion 733 of the latch positioning profile is in contact with the latch, and the locking state (state of FIG. 13) ) can be confirmed. After the self-cleaning operation is completed, the cam that has reached the third mode rotates again in the first rotation direction c1 and moves from the third mode M3 to the first mode M1.

The above control grasps the position of the cam based on the state in which at least one switch is pressed, that is, the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode, and controls the rotation of the cam.

When the power of the cooking appliance is turned off due to a power failure or the like and then turned on again, the controller determines whether the current cam position is in any of the first to fourth modes.

As a result of the check, if the current cam is any one of the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode from the pressed state of the switch, the position of the current cam is clearly grasped. Therefore, it is possible to accurately control the status of the latch module (manual locking, automatic opening, hook locking) through the control of the drive unit and the cam.

However, as a result of checking, if the switch is in the fourth mode state in which all switches are not pressed, it is not possible to clearly determine the current position of the cam. For example, in FIG. 14 , all ranges except for the first mode M1 , the second mode M2 , and the third mode M4 become the fourth mode.

In the present invention, when the current state of the cam and the latch cannot be determined in the initial operation stage of the cooking appliance, the process of initializing the position is performed. This may be a location search and initial location setting process,

When the cam starts in the fourth mode, the initial position can be searched for by rotating the cam in any one direction and grasping the switch that is first pressed during the position search and initial position setting process. For example, when the switch in the fourth mode is rotated in any one direction to reach any one of the first mode (M1), the second mode (M2), and the third mode (M3), the positioning of the cam and latch is completed. do.

However, in the present invention, since the door automatic opening function is also integrated into the latch module, there is a problem in that the door is automatically opened when the control unit reaches the second mode M2 while searching for the initial position of the cam. That is, the second mode M2 should not be reached while the cam is rotated in order to grasp the initial position of the cam.

Accordingly, in the present invention, the switches 81 and 82 are arranged to have a predetermined angle b so that the buttons 811 and 812 are not arranged on a straight line with respect to the rotation center of the cam, and the cam 70 also corresponds to this. A switch pressing profile 72 having two pressing protrusions 721 and 722 having an angle between them is provided, and a bidirectional rotating motor 60 is used as the driving unit 60 .

And, based on the first mode (M1), which is in the manual lock state, when the automatic opening function is performed, the motor is driven in the first rotation direction (c1) to switch the cam to the second mode (M2), and then the motor is closed again. It returns to the first mode M1 by driving in the second rotation direction c2.

Also, based on the first mode (M1), which is in the manual lock state, when the locking function is performed, the motor is driven in the second rotation direction (c2) to switch the cam to the third mode (M3), and then the motor is closed again. It returns to the first mode M1 by driving in one rotation direction c1.

According to the above control method, the position of the latch positioning profile in contact with the contact surface of the latch exists only within the contact range R of FIG. 14 . In view of this, in the present invention, when the position of the cam is in the fourth mode because both switches are not pressed during the initial operation of the cooking appliance, the cam 70 is removed to determine the initial positions of the cam and the latch. It rotates in the second rotation direction (c2).

When the cam is in the fourth mode within the normal operation range R, the position of the cam in contact with the latch is between the third mode and the first mode (between about 120 and 240 degrees) in FIG. 14, and the first mode and the third mode (about 260 to 370 degrees (10 degrees)). Accordingly, when the cam 70 is rotated in the second rotation direction c2, the cam 70 only reaches the third mode or the first mode, but does not reach the second mode. Therefore, when the cam 70 is rotated in the second rotation direction, the door is not opened during the initial position search process.

Geometrically, the position range in which the cam does not press both switches is as shown in FIG. 16 when the second pressing protrusion 722 is between the angle b between the two switches, as shown in FIG. There are three cases: a case in which the first pressing protrusion 721 is between the angles between the two switches, and a case in which both of the pressing protrusions 721 and 722 are in a position outside the angle between the two switches as shown in FIG. 17 . .

Among these, the state of FIG. 15 is a case in which the cam is between the third mode and the first mode of FIG. 14 (between about 120 degrees and 240 degrees), and the state of FIG. 16 shows that the cam is in the first mode and the third mode. It can be said that it is between modes (about 260 to 370 degrees (10 degrees)).

Specifically, if the cam is initially at the position shown in FIG. 15 , when the cam is rotated in the second rotation direction c2 to search for the initial position of the cam, the first mode M1 is reached. When it is confirmed that both switches 81 and 82 are pressed, the control unit stops the driving of the motor 60 . The cam and latch are then placed in the manually locked state.

Next, if the cam is initially at the position shown in FIG. 16 , when the cam is rotated in the second rotation direction c2 to search for the initial position of the cam, the third mode M3 is reached. Since the third mode is a locking position, the door is not automatically opened. When it is confirmed that only the second switch 82 is pressed and the first switch 81 is not pressed, the control unit reversely drives the motor 60 to rotate the cam in the first rotation direction c1. Then, the cam reaches the first mode M1. When it is confirmed that both switches 81 and 82 are pressed, the control unit stops the driving of the motor 60 . The cam and latch are then placed in the manually locked state.

That is, within the normal driving range R, the initial position search of the cam exists only in case 1 and case 2 of FIG. 18 . Therefore, there is no risk of the door being automatically opened in the initial position search process of the cam.

However, the state shown in FIG. 17 may not exist at all. For example, in the manufacturing process of the latch module, the initial position of the cam may be in the state shown in FIG. 17 . The controller of the present invention rotates the cam in the second rotation direction c2 when the cam is in the fourth mode during the initial driving process of the cooking appliance. If the cam rotates in the second rotation direction c2 and reaches the second mode M2, that is, when only the first switch 81 is pressed and the second switch 82 is not pressed, in case 3 of FIG. As shown, the cam is further rotated in the second rotation direction c2. Then, eventually, the cam enters the first mode M1. When it is confirmed that both switches 81 and 82 are pressed, the control unit stops the driving of the motor 60 . The cam and latch are then placed in the manually locked state.

In such a situation, the door may be opened. However, when power is supplied to the latch module before the latch module is installed in the cooking appliance during the manufacturing process, the cam and the latch enter the first mode M1 through the above initial search procedure. In addition, even when power is supplied to the cooking device for inspection of the cooking device after the latch module is installed in the cooking device during the manufacturing process, the cam and the latch are in the first mode (M1) through the above initial search procedure. ) becomes Therefore, there is no fear that the cam will be in the state shown in FIG. 17 when the consumer purchases and uses the cooking appliance for the first time.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrated drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed in this specification, and various methods can be obtained by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention. It is obvious that variations can be made. For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, a structure in which a cam is applied as a power transmission unit is exemplified, but a power transmission structure for adjusting the basic position of the latch is implemented through a combination of various other kinematic structures, such as a long hole, a hinge, and a link. it is possible to do

In addition, although the effects according to the configuration of the present invention have not been explicitly described and described while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects predictable by the configuration should also be recognized.

10: body
11: Inner housing
20: door
21: receptacle
22: pin
300: hinge module
310: housing
311: spring stop plate
312: spring stop plate support pin
313: damper support pin
314: opening and closing rotation shaft
315: joint pin guide slot
320: spring interpolation pin
321: spring support pin
322: inner housing joint pin
323: spring
330: inner link housing
331: door bar connection hinge
332: damper pressure surface
333: interpolation pin guide slot
340: door bar
341: pressure surface
350: damper
351: piston
352: cylinder
353: slot
361: interpolation pin
362: slot pin
363: contact surface portion
370: sub spring
4: Latch module
40: bracket
41: circular hole
42: cam receiving hole
43: sliding bead surface
50: latch
51: hook part
52: locking surface
521: departure slope
522: lock screen
53: insertion slope
54: pivot shaft part
55: contact surface
56: insertion part
57: Hall
58: interference extension
59: interference surface
60: driving unit (motor, bi-directional rotating motor)
61: axis of rotation
70: power transmission unit (cam)
71: shaft hole (center of rotation)
72: switch press profile
721: first pressing projection
722: second pressing protrusion
73: latch positioning profile
731: 1st radius part (manual locking interface)
732: second radius portion (automatic open contact surface)
733: 3rd radius part (walk lock contact surface)
81: first switch
811: button
82: second switch
821: button
90: elastic body (spring)
w1: first direction
w2: second direction
c1: first rotation direction
c2: second rotation direction
b: angle between
c: rotational displacement
p: cam radius

Claims (17)

A main body 10 having a cavity therein, a door 20 for opening and closing the front of the cavity, and a control unit for controlling opening and closing of the door 20,
The door 20 is provided with a locking structure 22,
As a cooking appliance, the main body 10 is provided with a latch 50 that is movably installed in a first direction (w1) and a second direction (w2) opposite to each other to be caught in or released from the locking structure. The device is:
a driving unit 60 providing power for the latch 50 to move in the second direction w2;
a power transmission unit 70 for transmitting the power of the driving unit 60 to the latch 50; and
It further includes; an elastic body 90 for biasing the latch 50 in the first direction w1;
Positions to which the latch 50 can move include a first basic position, a second basic position, and a third basic position,
The position of the latch 50 is controlled by the control unit,
In the first basic position, the latch 50 is caught by the locking structure 22 to maintain the closed state of the door 20, but an external force is applied to the door 20 in the direction in which the door 20 is opened. The ground latch 50 is released from the locking structure 22 and is a position where the door can be opened,
The second basic position is a position where the latch 50 is not caught by the locking structure 22,
The third basic position is a position in which the latch 50 maintains the latching state with the latching structure 22 even if an external force is applied to the door 20 in the direction in which the door 20 is opened,
The control unit controls the driving unit 60 to move the latch 50 from any one of the first basic position, the second basic position, and the third basic position to the first basic position, the second basic position, and the second basic position. A cooking appliance that stops the latch (50) at the corresponding position after moving it to another one of the 3 basic positions.
The method according to claim 1,
When the latch 50 moves in the first direction w1 from the first basic position, the latch 50 may reach the third basic position,
When the latch 50 moves in a second direction w2 different from the first direction from the first basic position, the latch 50 can reach the second basic position.
delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The driving unit 60 includes a bidirectional rotating motor,
The power transmission unit 70 includes a cam 70 rotated by the bidirectional rotary motor,
wherein the cam comprises a latch positioning profile (73) abutting the latch.
cooking equipment.
6. The method of claim 5,
The latch positioning profile 73 in the circumferential direction from its outer periphery,
a first radius portion 731 having a radius for positioning the latch 50 in the first basic position in a state of being in contact with the contact surface of the latch 50;
a second radius portion (732) having a radius for positioning the latch (50) in the second basic position in a state of being in contact with the contact surface of the latch (50);
and a third radius portion (733) having a radius for positioning the latch (50) in the third basic position while in contact with the contact surface of the latch (50).
cooking equipment.
7. The method of claim 6,
The rotation center 71 of the cam 70 is located in the first direction more than the contact surface of the latch 50 in contact with the cam,
The radius of the second radius portion 732 is greater than the radius of the first radius portion 731,
The radius of the third radius portion 733 is smaller than the radius of the first radius portion 731 .
cooking equipment.
6. The method of claim 5,
The cam further has a switch press profile (72).
The switch pressed or released by the switch press profile 72 is connected to the control unit.
cooking equipment.
9. The method of claim 8,
The switch includes a first switch (81) and a second switch (82),
The cam 70 has a first mode in which both the first switch 81 and the second switch 82 are pressed, and the second switch 81 by pressing the first switch 81 according to the rotational position of the cam. A second mode not to press , a third mode in which the second switch 82 is pressed and the first switch is not pressed, and a fourth mode in which neither the first switch 81 nor the second switch 82 is pressed comprising a switch press profile 72 having a mode
cooking equipment.
10. The method of claim 9,
The switch pressing profile 72 may include pressing the first switch 81 or pressing the second switch 82 or the first switch 81 and the second switch 82 according to the rotational position of the cam. A first pressing protrusion 721 that does not press all of them, and the first switch 81 or the second switch 82, or the first switch 81 and the second and a second pressing protrusion 722 that does not press all of the switches 82,
The rotation range of the cam 70 corresponds to a first mode in which the first pressing protrusion 721 and the second pressing protrusion 722 simultaneously press the first switch 81 and the second switch 82, respectively. and a range corresponding to a second mode in which the second pressing projection 722 presses the first switch 81 and the first pressing projection 721 does not press the second switch 82; Cooking appliance including a range corresponding to a third mode in which the first pressing protrusion 721 presses the second switch 82 and the second pressing protrusion 722 does not press the first switch 81 .
10. The method of claim 9,
The button 811 of the first switch 81 and the button 821 of the second switch 82 have a first angle with respect to the rotation center 71 of the cam,
The cam 70 includes a first pressing protrusion 721 capable of pressing the first switch 81 and pressing the second switch 82, and a first switch 81 capable of pressing the and a second pressing protrusion 722 capable of pressing the second switch 82;
The second angle between the first pressing protrusion 721 and the second pressing protrusion 722 corresponds to the first intervening angle,
The first angle between the angle and the second angle between the cooking appliance is less than 180 degrees.
10. The method of claim 9,
When the cam 70 is rotated and the switch pressing profile 72 is in the first selection mode among the first to fourth modes, the latch 50 is released in a state in which the cam is in contact with the latch 50 . 1Located in the default position,
When the cam 70 is rotated and the switch pressing profile 72 is in the second selection mode among the first to fourth modes, the latch 50 is released in a state in which the cam is in contact with the latch 50 . 2Located in the default position,
When the cam 70 is rotated and the switch pressing profile 72 is in the third selection mode among the first to fourth modes, the latch 50 is released in a state in which the cam is in contact with the latch 50 . 3Located in the default position,
cooking equipment.
The method according to claim 1,
The latch 50 is provided with a hook portion 51 for hooking the locking structure 22,
The hook part is opened toward the first direction,
On the inside of the hook part, the back surface of the engaging structure 22 and the engaging surface 52 are provided,
The locking surface 52 includes a departure inclined surface 521 disposed closer to the tip of the hook, and a locking surface 522 disposed farther from the tip of the hook than the departure inclined surface 521,
The departure inclined surface 521 has a first inclined surface,
The locking surface 522 has a second inclined surface,
The inclination angles of the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are different from each other,
When the latch 50 is in the first basic position, the locking structure 22 is in contact with the departure inclined surface 521,
When the latch (50) is in the third basic position, the locking structure (22) is in contact with the locking surface (522).
14. The method of claim 13,
The first inclined surface includes a surface inclined in the opening direction of the door toward the first direction,
The second inclined surface may include a surface inclined in a closing direction of the door or perpendicular to an opening direction of the door as it goes in the first direction.
14. The method of claim 13,
The hook portion (51) further comprises an insertion inclined surface (53) having a third inclined surface opposite to the engaging surface (52) of the hook portion (51).
16. The method of claim 15,
The third inclined surface includes a surface inclined in the closing direction of the door toward the first direction.
The method according to claim 1,
and a hinge module 300 for rotatably connecting the door 20 with respect to the body 10;
The hinge module 300 includes a sub spring 370 that biases the door 20 in the opening direction from the closed position of the door 20, so that when the latch 50 is in the second basic position, the door A cooking appliance that opens up to the initial opening angle a1.

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