KR102393923B1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The refrigerator of the present invention comprises: a cabinet in which a storage room is formed; a door for opening and closing the storage compartment; a rack movable from an initial position to a door opening position in order to open the refrigerator door; a motor generating a driving force for rotating the rack; a power transmission unit that transmits the power of the motor to the rack, and includes a transmission gear that rotates by receiving the driving force of the motor; a rotation detection unit for detecting rotation of the transmission gear; and a controller for controlling the motor based on the information sensed by the rotation sensor.

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

This specification relates to a refrigerator.

A refrigerator is a home appliance that can store an object such as food at a low temperature in a storage room provided in a cabinet. Since the storage chamber is surrounded by an insulating wall, the interior of the storage chamber may be maintained at a temperature lower than the external temperature.

According to the temperature range of the storage compartment, the storage compartment may be divided into a refrigerating compartment or a freezing compartment.

The user opens and closes the storage room using the door. In order to put an object into or take out the storage room, the user opens the door. In general, the door is rotatably provided in a cabinet, and a gasket is provided between the door and the cabinet.

Accordingly, when the door is closed, the gasket is in close contact with the door and the cabinet to prevent leakage of cold air from the storage compartment. As the adhesion of the gasket increases, the effect of preventing leakage of cold air may be increased.

In order to increase the adhesion of the gasket, the gasket may be formed of a rubber magnet, and a magnet may be provided inside the gasket. However, when the adhesive force of the gasket increases, a large force is required to open the door.

Recently, refrigerators with an auto-closing function have been provided. The auto-closing function refers to a function of automatically closing the door of the refrigerator when the door of the refrigerator is slightly opened using the adhesive force, magnetic force, and spring force of the gasket.

Also, the auto-closing function refers to a function of preventing the door of the refrigerator from automatically opening even when the refrigerator is slightly tilted forward.

Therefore, the recently provided refrigerator requires a lot of force to open the door compared to the previous refrigerator. This is because, in order to open the door of the refrigerator, the user has to pull the door with a force greater than the adhesive force of the gasket, the magnetic force, and the elastic force of the spring.

Accordingly, in recent years, a door opening device for automatically opening a door has been proposed.

An opening device for opening a refrigerator door is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-55130, which is a prior document.

The opening device includes a first protruding part for pushing the first door, a second protruding part for pushing the second door, a motor rotatable in a forward and reverse direction, and the state of the first protruding part and the second protruding part and a plurality of detection means for sensing.

In this prior art, the states of the first protruding part and the second protruding part are determined based on the on or off states of the plurality of detection means.

However, according to the prior literature, since the state of the protruding parts is sensed using a plurality of detection means, the number of parts is increased, and since the plurality of detection means are installed without interfering with a motor or a gear, the installation structure is complicated.

In addition, in the case of the prior art, even if a plurality of detection means are used, only the state of the plurality of protruding parts can be known, but the actual position of the plurality of protruding parts is not known accurately, so precise control of the motor is impossible.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of grasping the rotational amount of a motor for opening a door with a simple structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator in which the door opening speed is constant regardless of the load on the door by determining the rotation speed of the motor during the door opening process.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of determining whether a motor is operating normally during a door opening process.

A refrigerator for solving the above problems may include a motor for opening a door, a rack operating to open the door, and a power transmission unit transmitting power of the motor to the rack.

The power transmission unit may include a transmission gear that rotates by receiving the rotational force of the motor. The refrigerator may include a rotation sensor for detecting rotation of the transmission gear.

The transmission gear may be directly connected to the shaft of the motor. In order for the rotation detection unit to sense the rotation of the transmission gear, the rotation detection unit may irradiate infrared rays onto the surface of the transmission gear.

Infrared rays irradiated to the transmission gear may be reflected from the surface of the transmission gear to be incident on the rotation sensor.

A plurality of depressions may be provided on the surface of the transmission gear and arranged to be spaced apart from each other at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

The distance between the rotation detection unit and each of the depressions is increased by the plurality of depressions than the distance between the rotation detection unit and the surface of the transmission gear, so that the rotation detection unit outputs a first signal and a second signal can be

The refrigerator may further include a comparison amplifier for amplifying at least one of the first signal and the second signal.

The controller may determine the rotational speed and/or turning direction of the motor based on the number of amplified signals output from the comparison amplifier.

The controller may increase the rotational speed of the motor when the number of amplified signals output from the comparison amplifier for a reference time is equal to or less than the increase reference number.

The controller may stop the motor when the number of amplified signals output from the comparison amplifier reaches a stop reference number stored in the memory while the motor is rotated in the first direction or the second direction.

The controller may control the motor to rotate in the second direction when the number of the amplified signals for a unit time is less than or equal to a preset limit while the motor is rotated in the first direction.

A refrigerator according to another aspect includes: a cabinet in which a storage compartment is formed; a door for opening and closing the storage compartment; a rack movable from an initial position to a door opening position to open the refrigerator door; a motor generating a driving force for rotating the rack; a power transmission unit that transmits the power of the motor to the rack, and includes a transmission gear that rotates by receiving the driving force of the motor; a rotation sensing unit having a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit to sense the rotation of the transmission gear; and a controller for controlling the motor based on the information sensed by the rotation sensor, wherein the transmission gear is spaced apart from each other at regular intervals in the circumferential direction in a plane section through which the rotation shaft of the transmission gear passes, A plurality of depressions having a depth are provided, and the rotation sensing unit is installed to be spaced apart from each other to face the flat section, and the depth of the depression is measured through the light receiving unit and the light emitting unit to detect the rotation of the transmission gear.
A motor assembly according to another aspect includes: a motor for generating a driving force; a transmission gear for transmitting the power of the motor to the operation unit; a rotation sensing unit having a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit to sense the rotation of the transmission gear; and a controller for controlling the motor based on the information sensed by the rotation detection unit, wherein the transmission gear is spaced apart from each other at regular intervals in the circumferential direction in a plane section through which the rotation shaft of the transmission gear passes, setting A plurality of depressions having a depth are provided, and the rotation sensing unit is installed to be spaced apart from each other to face the flat section, and the depth of the depression is measured through the light receiving unit and the light emitting unit to detect the rotation of the transmission gear.

According to the proposed invention, since the rotation sensor detects the rotation of the transmission gear, there is an advantage in that the structure for detecting the rotation of the motor is simplified.

In particular, since the rotation sensor detects the rotation of the transmission gear directly connected to the shaft of the motor, the calculation logic for determining the state of the motor can be simplified.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the rotation amount of the motor can be grasped, there is an advantage in that the state of the motor and the current position of the rack can be accurately grasped.

In addition, according to the present invention, the rotation speed of the motor can be grasped, and by varying the rotation speed of the motor in response to the load on the door during the door opening process, the door opening speed can be made constant.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a door opening device is provided on a door according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a perspective view of a door opening device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing the structure of a door opening device installed on the door.
5 is a view showing a structure of a transmission gear constituting a power transmission unit.
6 and 7 are views showing the arrangement of the transmission gear and the rotation sensor for detecting the rotation of the transmission gear.
8 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 (a) is a view showing a waveform output from the rotation sensor.
9 (b) is a view showing a waveform output from the comparison amplifier.
10 is a view illustrating a state in which a door of a first refrigerator compartment is opened by a reference angle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even though they are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing the embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the elements from other elements, and the essence, order, or order of the elements are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component is between each component. It will be understood that may also be "connected", "coupled" or "connected".

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a door opening device is provided on a door according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2 , a refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 11 forming a storage compartment and a door 12 for opening and closing the storage compartment.

The storage compartment may include, for example, a refrigerating compartment 20 and a freezing compartment 22 . Although not limited, the refrigerating compartment 20 may be located above the freezing compartment 22 . Depending on the shape of the refrigerator, the freezing compartment 22 and the refrigerating compartment 20 may be disposed left and right, and the freezing compartment 22 may be located above the refrigerating compartment 20 .

The door 12 may include a refrigerating compartment door 13 for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment 20 and a freezing compartment door 16 for opening and closing the freezing compartment 22 .

The refrigerator compartment door 13 may include a pair of doors 14 and 15 disposed left and right. The freezing compartment door 16 may be configured by a pair of doors 17 and 18 disposed left and right.

In addition, the door 12 may be rotatably connected to the cabinet 11 by a hinge 24 .

However, it should be noted that there is no limitation on the number and arrangement of the refrigerator compartment door 13 and the freezing compartment door 16 in the present invention.

The door 12 may include a door opening device 25 for automatically opening the door 12 without a user applying force.

The door opening device 25 may be installed in the door 12 that needs to be opened automatically. FIG. 2 shows, for example, that the door opening device 25 is provided on one refrigerating compartment door 14 of the refrigerating compartment doors 13 .

The door opening device 25 is driven under a preset condition or state, and the door is automatically opened by driving the door opening device 25 . Accordingly, the force required for the user to open the door is significantly reduced or no force is required.

For example, when the sensor recognizes the user's approach, the user presses a specific button, or inputs an opening command through a touch input unit, the door opening device 25 may operate.

Hereinafter, the door opening device 25 will be described in detail.

3 is a perspective view of a door opening device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view showing the structure of the door opening device installed on the door.

5 is a view showing the structure of the transmission gear constituting the power transmission unit, FIGS. 6 and 7 are views showing the arrangement of the transmission gear and the rotation sensor for detecting the rotation of the transmission gear, in FIG. A cross-sectional view of the transmission gear cut along is shown, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the transmission gear taken along line B-B of FIG. 5 .

3 to 7 , the door opening device 25 may be located at an upper portion of a door that needs to be opened.

FIG. 4 shows, for example, that the door opening device 25 is installed on the door 14 of the first refrigerator compartment.

A frame 141 forming a space for accommodating the door opening device 25 may be provided on an upper portion of the first refrigerator door 14 . The frame 141 may divide a space in which a heat insulating material (not shown) is accommodated in the door 14 of the first refrigerator compartment and a space in which the door opening device 25 is accommodated.

The door opening device 25 includes a housing 250 accommodated in the frame 141 , a motor 261 installed in the housing 250 and generating a driving force, and the motor 261 . It may include a rack 27 that operates by receiving the driving force of the, and a power transmission unit that transmits the driving force of the motor 261 to the rack 27 .

The housing 250 may include, but is not limited to, a first housing 251 and a second housing 252 coupled to the first housing 251 .

The power transmission unit may include one or more gears 262 , 263 , 264 , 265 , and 266 .

In the present invention, there is no limit to the number of gears as long as the power transmission unit can transmit the power of the motor 261 to the rack 27, and FIG. 4 shows that the power transmission unit includes a plurality of gears as an example. .

The rack 27 may include a rack gear 272 . The rack gear 272 may mesh with a last gear among the plurality of gears 262 , 263 , 264 , 265 , and 266 .

The rack gear 272 may be formed in a curved shape so that the length of the rack 27 is reduced. Of course, it is also possible that the rack 27 is formed in a straight shape. Alternatively, the rack 27 may be a multi-stage rack. That is, the rack 27 may include a first rack and a second rack that move in stages.

First guides 273 and 274 for movement of the rack 27 are formed on the rack 27 , and second guides interacting with the first guides 273 and 274 are formed on the housing 250 ( 257) may be provided. One of the first guides 273 and 274 and the second guide 257 may be a protrusion and the other may be a groove. FIG. 3 discloses that the first guides 273 and 274 are protrusions as an example.

The motor 261 is a motor rotatable in both directions.

By rotation of the motor 261 in the first direction, the plurality of gears 262 , 263 , 264 , 265 , 266 rotate in the forward direction, and accordingly, the rack 27 opens the door 12 . For this purpose, it can move in a direction to be drawn out from the door 12 .

On the other hand, by the second direction rotation of the motor 261 , the plurality of gears 262 , 263 , 264 , 265 , 266 rotate in the reverse direction, and the rack 27 is introduced into the door 12 . can

The door opening device 25 may further include a rotation detection unit 280 for detecting a rotation state of the motor 261 .

The rotation detection unit 280 may detect the rotation of the motor 261 by sensing the rotation of the transmission gear 262 connected to the shaft of the motor 261 . Since the rotational speed of the transmission gear 262 is the same as the rotational speed of the motor 261 , when the rotational state of the motor 26 is sensed, the rotational state (rotational speed and rotation amount, etc.) can be determined immediately, so that the calculation logic can be simplified.

Specifically, the transmission gear 262 may be, for example, a spur gear. The transmission gear 262 may have gear teeth 262a formed around the circumferential direction.

In addition, a plurality of recessed portions 262b arranged to be spaced apart from each other at regular intervals in the circumferential direction may be formed on a surface of the transmission gear 262 that intersects the surface on which the gear teeth 262a are formed. Each of the plurality of depressions may be formed by being depressed to a set depth in a plane section through which the rotational axis (or central axis) of the transmission gear 262 passes. The rotation axis is located substantially on the axis of the motor 261 .

An imaginary line connecting the plurality of depressions 262b forms a circle. The plurality of depressions 262b may be formed in a rectangular shape.

In addition, the rotation detection unit 280 may be disposed to face a surface (planar section) on which the plurality of depressions 262b are formed in the transmission gear 262 .

The rotation sensor 280 may be an infrared sensor that irradiates infrared rays to the surface of the transmission gear 262 .

The infrared sensor may receive infrared rays irradiated to the surface of the transmission gear 262 and reflected from the transmission gear 262 , convert it into a distance value, and output a signal.

For example, the rotation sensing unit 280 may include a light emitting unit 282 and a light receiving unit 284 .

The light irradiated from the light emitting part 282 may be reflected from the surface of the transmission gear 262 or reflected from the recessed part 262b while the transmission gear 262 is rotated.

At this time, since the distance between the surface of the rotation detection unit 280 and the transmission gear 262 and the distance between the rotation detection unit 280 and the recessed portion 262b are different, the rotation process of the transmission gear 262 The signal output from the rotation detection unit 280 may be repeatedly varied. In another aspect, the rotation detection unit 280 may be described as sensing the rotation of the transmission gear by measuring the depth of the depression portion 262b.

8 is a block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 (a) is a diagram showing a waveform output from the rotation sensor, and FIG. 9 (b) is a waveform output from the comparison amplifier , and FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which the door of the first refrigerator is opened by a reference angle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 to 10 , the refrigerator 10 of the present invention may include an input unit 31 for inputting a door open command. Of course, various commands for operating the refrigerator 10 and commands for changing settings may be input through the input unit 31 . Alternatively, the input unit 31 may be configured to input only the door open command.

The door opening device 25 of the present invention compares the value of the signal output from the controller 30 for controlling the motor 261 and the rotation detection unit 280 with a reference value, and exceeding the reference value. It may further include a comparison amplifier 290 for amplifying the value of the signal.

When the transmission gear 262 is rotated by the motor 261 , the signal output from the rotation detection unit 280 may include a first signal (high signal) and a second signal (low signal). .

The reference value may be set such that the value of the first signal is greater than the reference value and the value of the second signal is less than the reference value.

Since the plurality of recessed portions 262b are spaced apart from each other at regular intervals in the transmission gear 262 , the first signal and the second signal are alternately output from the rotation detecting unit 280 .

Since the value of the first signal is greater than the reference value, the comparison amplifier 290 amplifies the value of the first signal (outputs the first amplified signal).

Alternatively, the comparison amplifier 290 outputs a first signal greater than the reference value as a first amplification signal, and converts a second signal smaller than the reference value to an opposite value ((-) value) of the first amplification signal. The branch may output the second amplified signal.

The controller 30 may determine the rotation amount and rotation speed of the motor 261 based on the waveform of the signal output from the comparison amplifier 290 .

For example, the controller 30 may count the number of first amplified signals to determine the rotation amount of the motor 261 .

By determining the amount of rotation of the motor 261 , the controller 30 may accurately determine the current position of the rack 27 and determine a position at which the rack 27 should be stopped.

In addition, the controller 30 may count the number of the first amplified signals per unit time to determine the rotation speed of the motor 261 or whether the rack 27 or the power transmission unit is constrained.

By determining the rotation speed of the motor 261 , the controller 30 may change the rotation speed of the motor 261 .

Information on the waveform output from the comparison amplifier 290 and the rotation direction information of the motor 261 may be stored in the memory 32 .
Since the rack 27 operates by receiving the driving force of the motor 261, it may be called an operation unit. In this specification, the motor, the power transmission unit, the operation unit, the rotation sensing unit, and the controller may be referred to as a motor assembly.

Hereinafter, the operation of the door opening device will be described.

In the present invention, the position of the rack 27 at the position where the opening of the door 12 is completed may be referred to as a door opening position. In addition, a position at which the rack 27 is drawn into the door 12 may be referred to as an initial position.

Then, the number of first amplification signals (hereinafter referred to as "stop reference number") until the rack 27 moves from the initial position to the door open position or the first amplification until the rack 27 moves from the door open position to the initial position The number of signals is stored in the memory 32 .

When the refrigerator 10 is powered on, the controller 30 determines the current position of the rack 27 based on the information stored in the memory 32 and moves the rack 27 to the initial position. to control the motor 261.

For example, before the rack 27 returns to the initial position from the door open position, the operation of the motor 261 may be stopped due to a power failure or the like.

In this case, the controller 30 can determine the current position of the rack 27 by checking the waveform information stored in the memory 32, and when the rack 27 is not located at the initial position, It is possible to determine the number of first amplification signals required until the rack 27 moves from the current position to the initial position, and control the motor 261 based on the determined information.

On the other hand, when the controller 30 determines that the door open command is input through the input unit 31 , the controller 30 moves the rack 27 from the initial position to the door open position, the motor The motor 261 is controlled so that the 261 rotates in the first direction.

When the motor 261 rotates in the first direction, the plurality of gears 262 , 263 , 264 , 265 , and 266 rotate in the forward direction so that the rack 27 pushes the cabinet 11 and reacts thereto. This causes the door 12 to rotate.

When the motor 261 is rotated in the first direction, the transmission gear 262 is rotated by the motor, and in the process of the transmission gear 262 being rotated, a first signal and A second signal is output.

The signal output from the rotation detection unit 280 is input to the comparison amplifier 290 , and a first amplification signal (or first and second amplification signals) is output from the comparison amplifier 290 . The signal information output from the comparison amplifier 290 and the rotation direction information of the motor 261 are stored in the memory 26 in real time.

The controller 30 determines whether or not the number of first amplification signals reaches a stop reference number stored in the memory 32 in the first direction rotation process of the motor 261 .

While the transmission gear 262 is rotated, the number of the first amplified signals is increased, and when the number of the first amplified signals reaches the stop reference number, the controller 30 determines that the rack 27 is The rotation of the motor 261 may be stopped by determining that the door has moved to the open position.

The controller 30 determines whether the motor 261 is operating normally or whether the power transmission unit or the rack 27 is normally moved based on the number of the first amplified signals while the motor 261 is operating. can

For example, when the number of the first amplification signals for a unit time is less than or equal to a preset limit, the motor 261 is in an abnormal state or the power transmission unit or the rack 27 cannot move normally due to an obstacle or the like, or the rack (27) may be a case where an external load acts.

In this case, if the motor 261 continues to operate, the rack 27 or the power transmission unit may be damaged or the motor 261 may fail due to an overcurrent of the motor 261 .

Accordingly, when the number of the first amplified signals for a unit time is less than or equal to a preset limit, the controller 30 moves the motor 261 in the first direction so that the rack 27 returns to the initial position. It rotates in the second direction, which is the opposite direction.

In addition, the number of the first amplified signals at the time when the direction of the motor 261 is changed is stored in the memory 32 . The controller 30, when the number of first amplified signals output from the comparison amplifier 290 reaches the number of first amplified signals previously stored in the memory 32, the controller 30 It is determined that the rack 27 has returned to the initial position and the motor 261 may be stopped.

The controller 30 may determine the load of the door 12 using the number of first amplified signals during a reference time, and the rotation speed of the motor 261 in response to the load of the door 12 . can be changed.

For example, when the weight of the door 12 (including the load of food stored in the door) is heavy, the first amplification output from the comparison amplifier 290 for a reference time during the opening process of the door 12 is The number of signals may be referred to as a first number.

In addition, when the weight of the door 12 is light, the number of first amplification signals output from the comparison amplifier 290 for a reference time in the process of opening the door 12 may be referred to as the second number. In this case, the first number is smaller than the second number.

If the motor 261 rotates at the same rotation speed regardless of the weight of the door 12 , the opening speed of the door 12 when the weight of the door 12 is heavy is the door 12 . It is slower than the opening speed of the door 12 when the weight of is light. In this case, as the weight of the door 12 increases, the waiting time until the door 12 is opened increases.

Accordingly, the controller 30 may vary the rotation speed of the motor 261 so that the opening speed of the door 12 may be maintained substantially constant regardless of the weight of the door 12 .

A plurality of reference speeds of the motor 261 may be set and stored in the memory 32 .

The controller 30 may rotate the motor 261 at a first reference speed when a command to open the door 12 is input.

In addition, the controller 30 may determine whether to change the rotation speed of the motor 261 by determining the number of the first amplification signals output during the reference time.

For example, when the number of first amplification signals output during the reference time is less than the increase reference number, the controller 30 sets the motor 261 to a second reference speed ( It can be rotated at a speed faster than the first reference speed).

Conversely, when the number of first amplified signals output during the reference time is greater than the reduction reference number, the controller 30 sets the motor 261 to a third reference speed so that the rotation speed of the motor 261 is reduced. (Slower than the first reference speed) can be rotated.

As another example, the first reference speed may be a speed in which only the weight of the door 12 itself in which food is not accommodated in the door 12 is considered. In this case, the rotation speed of the motor 261 does not decrease in the process of opening the door 12 , and the rotation speed of the motor 261 may increase according to the weight of the food stored in the door 12 . .

A point in time when the rotation speed of the motor 261 is increased or decreased is a point in time when the rack 27 has not yet reached the door open position. When the rotation speed of the motor 261 is changed, the controller 30 may control the motor 261 to rotate at the changed rotation speed until the rack 27 reaches the door open position. .

10 , when the rack 27 reaches the door open position, at least a portion of the rear surface 14c of the first refrigerator compartment door 14 is greater than the front surface 15a of the second refrigerator compartment door 15 . It may be located in the front, and thus a gap of a certain distance is formed between one end of the rear surface 14c of the first refrigerating chamber door 14 and one end of the front surface 15a of the second refrigerating chamber door 15. can be

The gap may be set to such a degree that the user's elbow or foot can be inserted when the user's both hands are not free.

The opening angle of the first refrigerator compartment door 14 may be manually increased by inserting an elbow or a foot into the gap while the first refrigerator compartment door 14 is rotated by a predetermined angle θ1 .

Meanwhile, the controller 30 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed when the rack 27 moves to the door open position and the motor 261 stops.

When it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed when the motor 261 is stopped, the controller 30 causes the motor 261 to rotate in the second direction to return the rack 27 to its initial position. .

When the motor 261 rotates in the second direction while the rack 27 reaches the door open position, the load of the first door 12 itself, the door 12 and the cabinet 11 ) magnetic force of a magnet provided in a gasket (not shown) for close contact, a closing force generated by an automatic closing mechanism (not shown) provided in the hinge 24 of the door 12 to automatically close the door There is a problem in that the door 12 is immediately closed by at least one of them.

However, as in the present invention, when the motor 261 is rotated in the second direction after the predetermined time has elapsed in the state where the motor 261 is stopped, the door 12 is kept open for a predetermined time. can be maintained for a while, allowing the user to manually rotate the door 12 further.

In order to return the rack 27 to the initial position, the controller 30 may rotate the motor 261 at a first reference speed.

Since there is no external load acting as the rack 27 in the process of returning the rack 27 to the initial position, the controller 261 can rotate the motor 261 in the second direction at the first reference speed. there is.

While the motor 261 is rotating, a first amplification signal is output from the comparison amplification unit 290, and the controller 261 determines that when the number of the first amplification signals reaches the stop reference number, the motor (261) is stopped.

According to the present invention, since the rotation sensing unit detects the rotation of the transmission gear to determine the state of the motor as well as to determine the position of the rack, there is an advantage in that the number of parts is reduced and the restrictions on the installation position are reduced.

In addition, since the rotation amount of the motor is known, it is possible to change the opening angle of the door 12 by changing the reference number of stops to another value.

In the above embodiment, regardless of the rotation direction of the motor 261, the signal output from the rotation sensing unit is inputted to one comparison amplifier, but unlike this, two comparison amplifiers are provided, and the rotation according to the rotation direction is provided. It is also possible to change the comparison amplifier to which the signal output from the sensing unit is input.

Specifically, when the motor 261 is rotated in the first direction by using a switch, the signal output from the rotation sensing unit 280 may be input to the first comparison/amplifier unit. On the other hand, when the motor 261 is rotated in the second direction, the signal output from the rotation sensing unit 280 may be input to the second comparison/amplification unit.

The first comparison/amplifier unit outputs a first signal output from the rotation detection unit 280 as a first amplification signal, and the second comparison/amplifier unit outputs the first signal output from the rotation detection unit 280 as a second amplification signal. It can be output as an amplified signal.

In this case, the value of the first amplified signal and the value of the second amplified signal may be set differently. In addition, the waveform information of the first amplified signal and the waveform information of the second amplified signal may be stored in a memory.

Accordingly, based on the waveform information of the amplified signal stored in the memory, it is possible to determine not only the rotation amount and rotation speed of the motor 261 but also the rotation direction of the motor 261 .

1: Refrigerator 11: Cabinet
12: refrigerator 25: door opening device
27: rack 261: motor
262: transmission gear 280: rotation detection unit
290: comparative amplification unit

Claims (12)

cabinet in which the storage room is formed;
a door for opening and closing the storage compartment;
a rack movable from an initial position to a door opening position in order to open the refrigerator door;
a motor generating a driving force for rotating the rack;
a power transmission unit that transmits the power of the motor to the rack, and includes a transmission gear that rotates by receiving the driving force of the motor;
a rotation sensing unit having a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit to sense the rotation of the transmission gear; and
A controller for controlling the motor based on the information sensed by the rotation sensor,
The transmission gear is provided with a plurality of depressions spaced apart from each other at regular intervals in the circumferential direction in a plane section through which the rotation shaft of the transmission gear passes, and having a set depth,
The rotation detecting unit is installed to face the plane section and spaced apart from each other to measure the depth of the depression through the light receiving unit and the light emitting unit to detect the rotation of the transmission gear. The method of claim 1,
The transmission gear is connected to the shaft of the motor refrigerator. a motor generating a driving force;
a transmission gear for transmitting the power of the motor to the operation unit;
a rotation sensing unit having a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit to sense the rotation of the transmission gear; and
A controller for controlling the motor based on the information sensed by the rotation sensor,
The transmission gear is arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction in a plane section through which the rotation shaft of the transmission gear passes, and is provided with a plurality of depressions having a set depth,
The rotation detecting unit is installed to face the plane section and spaced apart from each other, and through the light receiving unit and the light emitting unit, the depth of the depression is measured to detect the rotation of the transmission gear. The method of claim 1,
The rotation sensor is an infrared sensor that irradiates infrared rays to the surface of the transmission gear refrigerator. The method of claim 1,
The controller causes the motor to rotate in the first direction when the door open command is input, and stops the motor when it is determined that the rack has reached the door open position,
The controller controls at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation speed of the motor based on information sensed by the rotation sensor while the motor is rotated in the first direction. 6. The method of claim 5,
The controller controls the motor so that the motor rotates at a first rotational speed in a first direction during the initial operation of the motor,
As a result of determination based on the information sensed by the rotation sensing unit, when the rotation speed of the motor needs to be increased, the refrigerator controls the motor so that the motor rotates at a second rotation speed faster than the first rotation speed. 7. The method of claim 6,
Refrigerator for controlling the motor to rotate at the first rotation speed in a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the rack returns to an initial position in a state in which the motor is stopped. 7. The method of claim 6,
Further comprising a comparison amplifier for amplifying the signal output from the rotation detection unit,
The controller determines whether or not an increase in the rotation speed of the motor is necessary based on the number of amplified signals output from the comparison amplifier. 9. The method of claim 8,
The refrigerator further comprising a memory for storing waveform information of the amplified signal output from the comparison amplifier. 9. The method of claim 8,
The comparison amplifier includes a first comparison amplifier to which a signal output from the rotation detection unit is input when the motor is rotated in a first direction;
and a second comparison/amplifier to which a signal output from the rotation detection unit is input when the motor rotates in a second direction. 9. The method of claim 8,
The controller stops the motor when the number of amplified signals output from the comparison amplification unit reaches a stop reference number stored in the memory while the motor is rotated in the first direction or the second direction. 9. The method of claim 8,
The controller is configured to control the motor to rotate in the second direction when the number of the amplified signals for a unit time is less than or equal to a preset limit while the motor is rotated in the first direction.

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