KR102620277B1 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator that allows a user to easily insert and withdraw stored items. More specifically, the present invention relates to a refrigerator that can easily use a drawer to accommodate stored items.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet in which a storage space is formed; A door rotatably coupled to the cabinet with a hinge to open and close the storage space; a first sensor that detects a rotation angle of the door; a storage member disposed in the storage compartment and starting to move linearly from a first position to a second position when the door rotates beyond a set rotation angle; A motor that provides driving force for the storage member to move in a straight line; a second sensor that detects the position of the storage member that moves in a straight line; And with the second sensor detecting the start of linear movement of the storage member, when the first sensor detects that the door rotates below a set rotation angle, the storage member moves to the first position. A refrigerator may be provided, including a motor control unit that controls the motor to move in a straight line toward .

Description

refrigerator{refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator that allows a user to easily insert and withdraw stored items. More specifically, the present invention relates to a refrigerator that can easily use a drawer to accommodate stored items.

In general, a refrigerator is a device that discharges cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle consisting of a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator, etc. to lower the temperature inside the refrigerator to freeze or refrigerate food, etc.

Refrigerators generally include a freezer compartment for storing frozen food or beverages as a storage compartment, and a refrigerating compartment for storing the food or beverages at low temperatures.

There are three types of refrigerators: Top Mount Type, where the freezer is located at the top of the refrigerator, Bottom Freezer Type, where the freezer is located at the bottom of the refrigerator, and Side-by-Side Type, where the freezer and refrigerator are divided into left and right sides. It can be divided into (Side By Side Type). In this case, a door is provided in each of the freezer and refrigerator compartments, and the freezer or refrigerator compartment can be accessed through the door.

In addition to refrigerators that have separate refrigerator and freezer compartments, there are also refrigerators that provide access to the freezer and refrigerator compartments through a single door. Most of these refrigerators are small, and a freezer is generally provided in a certain space inside the refrigerator.

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

Refrigerators and freezers are generally equipped with shelves for stored items or storage boxes containing stored items. Storage boxes are generally provided to form an independent storage space inside a storage room. That is, a storage box may be provided to store vegetables, fruits, etc. independently from other stored items, or to store meat, fish, etc. independently from other stored items.

Recently, the capacity of refrigerators has been increasing in size. Accordingly, the front-to-back width of the storage compartment, such as the refrigerator or freezer, increases, making it difficult to retrieve items stored deep inside. Therefore, most storage boxes are provided in the form of drawers. That is, the user can pull the storage box and take out the stored items inside. In particular, most of these drawer-type storage boxes are provided in the lower area of the refrigerator to improve user convenience.

In addition, recently, home bars, ice makers, shelves, or door boxes have been installed on the back of refrigerator doors, and there has been an increasing trend to use the back of the door as a separate storage space or as a separate functional space. there is. In other words, the function of the door goes beyond simply opening and closing the freezer or refrigerator compartment, and the door performs additional functions such as forming a separate storage space or generating and supplying ice or cold water. For this reason, the distance by which the back of the door enters the inside of the refrigerator or freezer is becoming longer. Therefore, a problem may occur where the back of the door and the front end of a shelf or storage box provided inside the refrigerating or freezing compartment interfere with the back of the door.

To reduce this interference, the front end of the shelf or storage box may be positioned to be spaced a predetermined distance back from the front of the main body of the refrigerator. That is, the front end of the shelf or storage box can be positioned to be further apart from the rear of the freezer or refrigerator compartment. Therefore, when the storage box is provided in the form of a drawer, it may be difficult for the user to hold the front end of the storage box and pull it out. In other words, the user may have difficulty withdrawing the storage box after inserting his/her hand deeper into the storage compartment. In particular, if the storage box is located at the bottom of the refrigerator, it may be quite inconvenient to reach out and retrieve the storage box from a crouching position.

This inconvenience can be easily understood if you imagine that when the user opens the door to take out the storage box, the front end of the storage box (i.e., the handle of the storage box) is located deep in the storage room rather than directly in front of the user.

Meanwhile, drawers in conventional refrigerators, especially drawers in the freezer, are brought in and out through rails. Typically, rails are provided on the side walls of the storage room, and the drawer is provided with a rail connection. The rail connection part is formed in the form of a roller, and the drawer moves back and forth while inserted into the rail.

However, with this type of drawer, it is not easy to couple the drawer to the rail. In particular, when heavy items are stored in the drawer, it is not an easy task to fit the roller to the rail while the user is holding the drawer.

Also, if necessary, there may be cases where the entire drawer is separated from the refrigerator and then used, rather than pulling out the drawer and storing or removing the stored items. In this case, it may be quite a hassle to separate the rail connections from the rail one by one and reconnect them. Therefore, unless there are special circumstances, it can be said that in most cases, users use the drawer without separating it even though they are aware of the need to separate it.

The present invention basically aims to solve problems with conventional refrigerators.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator in which a drawer provided in a storage compartment is automatically pulled forward a predetermined length when a user opens the door of the refrigerator. In other words, the goal is to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer automatically moves from the initial position to the operating position.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer automatically moves from the initial position to the operating position through an electric drive unit, so that the user does not need to apply additional force other than the force to open the door.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer can automatically return from the operation position to the initial position when the user closes the door of the refrigerator. In other words, the goal is to provide a refrigerator that can reduce the user's effort in withdrawing the drawer from the initial position to the operating position and at the same time reduce the user's effort in retracting the drawer from the operating position to the initial position.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator in which a drawer can be automatically withdrawn by the operation of an electric drive unit and the drawer can be automatically retracted by the elastic restoring force of a spring.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator that can significantly reduce interference between drawers that automatically move when the door is opened and closed through a sensor that very accurately detects the door opening (closing) angle. In other words, when a door opening (closing) angle that minimizes interference between the door and the drawer is set, the aim is to provide a refrigerator that can very accurately detect the door opening (closing) at the set angle.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, the object is to provide a door opening detection sensor that can flexibly respond even when a preset door opening angle changes depending on the product model, and a refrigerator including the same.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator that can be easily applied to a conventional refrigerator and can detect when the door opening and door closing are at the same angle through a single sensor.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator that can protect the electric drive unit by preventing the configuration for automatically withdrawing the drawer from being exposed to the inside of the storage compartment, and has an easy-to-use and beautiful interior design of the storage compartment. .

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator that can move a plurality of drawers from the initial position to the operating position substantially simultaneously through one electric drive unit.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator in which automatic drawer insertion and withdrawal can be performed with reliability and durability. In particular, it is intended to provide a refrigerator that can minimize damage to the electric drive unit due to overload or repeated use over a long period of time.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator that can be easily assembled with components related to these components, such as an automatically withdrawn drawer and an electric drive unit for automatically withdrawing the drawer, and at the same time can be easily repaired when necessary. We would like to provide.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator that can automatically withdraw a plurality of drawers as one unit and is easy to manufacture and maintain.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer can be easily connected to and separated from a rail supporting the drawer.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator that can easily separate and combine only the basket that accommodates stored items in the drawer. In other words, the goal is to provide a refrigerator in which only the basket can be easily separated and reassembled while maintaining the connection between the rail and the rail connection portion of the drawer.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator that can minimize visible exposure of the rail to the user.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, an object is to provide a refrigerator control method that minimizes the load on the motor and can flexibly respond to various usage environments for the drawer.

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet provided with a storage room; a door rotatably provided on the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A sensor for detecting the opening of the door, a drawer provided in the storage compartment and provided to move forward from the initial position to an operating position spaced a preset distance away when the opening of the door is detected; a drawer holder that is elastically deformed when the drawer is moved from the initial position to the operating position and provides an elastic restoring force so that the drawer moves from the operating position to the initial position; an electric drive unit that moves the drawer from the initial position to the operating position and elastically deforms the drawer holder; Additionally, a refrigerator may be provided that includes a rail that allows the drawer to move back and forth with respect to the storage compartment.

The drawer holder preferably includes a hanging member selectively connected to the drawer, and a spring that is elastically deformed or elastically restored depending on the moving direction and distance of the hanging member. That is, when the drawer is moved forward while the hanging member is connected to the drawer, the spring may be elastically deformed. Also, when the force pushing the drawer is removed while the hanging member is connected to the drawer, the drawer may be moved rearward by elastic restoration of the spring. Accordingly, the forward movement (pull-out) of the drawer can be automatically performed by driving the electric drive unit, and the backward movement (pull-out) of the drawer can be automatically performed by the elastic force of the drawer holder.

The drawer is preferably provided with a locking member that is selectively connected to the drawer holder.

The drawer holder may include a housing in which a slot is formed to accommodate the spring and guide the movement of the hanging member. The housing is provided in a fixed state, and the hanging member moves with respect to the housing. Of course, the hanging member may be provided to move together with the drawer.

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

The electric drive unit may include a motor assembly and a moving frame, and the moving frame may be capable of moving back and forth between the initial position and the operating position by driving the motor assembly.

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

The electric drive unit includes a motor assembly and a transmission member that moves forward and backward by driving the motor assembly, and the transmission member may be provided to move the locking member of the drawer forward through the hanging member. Therefore, automatic withdrawal and automatic retraction are possible through a single locking member provided in the drawer.

The hanging member may be provided to protrude from the housing of the drawer holder and be connected to the hanging member of the drawer, and the transmission member may be provided to push the hanging member in a direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the hanging member.

It is preferable that a seating portion on which the transmission member comes into contact and is seated is formed on one side of the hanging member. Through this, stable transmission of force and displacement from the transmission member to the hanging member is possible.

As the transmission member is seated on the seating portion and moves forward, the movement of the transmission member is transmitted to the hanging member, and when the transmission member is separated from the seating portion and moves backward, the transmission member and the hanging member It is desirable that the connection be disconnected. That is, the transmission member is provided to push the hanging member, but is not provided to pull the hook member.

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet provided with a storage room; a door rotatably provided on the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A sensor that detects opening of the door; A drawer provided in the storage compartment and including a locking member to move forward from the initial position to an operating position spaced apart by a preset distance when opening of the door is detected; A drawer holder including a hooking member selectively connected to the locking member and a spring that is elastically deformed or elastically restored by movement of the locking member; an electric drive unit including a transmission member that pushes the hanging member to move the drawer from the initial position to an operating position, and a motor assembly that electrically moves the transmission member; Additionally, a refrigerator may be provided that includes a rail that allows the drawer to move back and forth with respect to the storage compartment.

It is preferable that the connection between the locking member and the hooking member is maintained in the section between the initial position and the operating position. Therefore, the spring of the drawer holder may be elastically deformed when the drawer is pulled out of the section.

As the drawer is further pulled forward in the operating position, the connection between the locking member and the hanging member is released, and the drawer can be manually pulled out. That is, when the connection between the hanging member and the hanging member is released, the withdrawal of the drawer no longer elastically deforms the spring of the drawer holder. And, when the connection is released, the spring is preferably maintained in an elastically deformed state.

In order to move the drawer from the operating position to the initial position, the electric drive unit is preferably driven so that the transmission member moves rearward. That is, it is desirable that the force pushing the drawer is no longer transmitted to the drawer. Accordingly, as the spring is elastically restored, the hanging member moves backward so that the drawer can return from the operating position to the initial position.

The drawer holder preferably includes a housing in which a slot is formed to accommodate the spring and guide the movement of the hanging member.

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

The transmission member is preferably positioned between the housing and the locking member and is provided to push the hooking member forward from the rear of the hooking member.

A plurality of drawers are provided up and down, each of the plurality of drawers is provided with a transmission member, and the electric drive unit is provided to integrally move the plurality of transmission members by driving the motor assembly. Can contain moving frames.

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

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

The magnet may be mounted inside the door decoration that forms the lower surface of the door, and the reed switch may be provided below the magnet.

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

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

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

The magnet is preferably provided so that as the opening angle of the door increases, the horizontal distance from the reed switch increases beyond the vertical top of the reed switch.

It is preferable that the opening or closing of the door is detected by switching the contact point of the reed switch. Also, it is preferable that the contact point switching is performed at the same door opening angle. The door opening angle may be set to approximately 90 degrees. When the door is opened to an angle of 90 degrees, the contact point of the reed switch is switched so that the opening of the door can be detected. Afterwards, the door can be further opened. When the door is opened beyond 90 degrees and the door is closed to an angle of 90 degrees, the contact point of the reed switch is switched so that the closing of the door can be detected.

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

The magnet preferably includes a horizontal magnet whose length is parallel to the front of the cabinet when the door is closed, and a vertical magnet whose length is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal magnet.

The magnet is a bar magnet, and the length is preferably greater than the height of the magnet when installed.

The reed switch may be provided to have a square shape with horizontal and vertical sides. Also, it is preferable that the length of the horizontal side of the reed switch is greater than the length of the vertical side. Additionally, the length of the horizontal magnet and the vertical magnet is preferably greater than the horizontal side of the reed switch.

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

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

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

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet provided with a storage room; a door rotatably provided on the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A magnet is provided on the door and has a predetermined rotation radius around the rotation axis of the door as the door is opened, and a reed switch is fixed to the cabinet and whose contact point is switched at the critical point of the effective magnetic force intensity by the magnet. It includes a sensor that detects that the door is open when the door reaches a preset opening angle; an electric drive unit that moves the drawer from the initial position to an operating position spaced a preset distance forward when the opening of the door is detected; Additionally, a refrigerator may be provided that includes a rail that allows the drawer to move back and forth with respect to the storage compartment.

The magnet is preferably provided so that the vertical distance from the reed switch is maintained and only the horizontal distance is varied as the opening angle of the door changes.

Preferably, the magnet is mounted inside the door decoration that forms the lower surface of the door, and the reed switch is provided at the bottom of the magnet.

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

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet provided with a storage room; a door rotatably provided on the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A drawer provided in the storage compartment to be able to move back and forth; And it includes a rail that supports the drawer so that it can move back and forth with respect to the storage compartment, and the drawer includes: a basket for accommodating stored goods; Additionally, a refrigerator may be provided that includes a drawer frame including a basket mounting portion on which the basket is mounted and a rail coupling portion that is mounted on the rail and coupled to the rail. Accordingly, the basket can be easily attached and detached from the drawer frame. In addition, the drawer frame can be easily attached to and detached from the rail through the rail coupling portion.

The basket is seated vertically downward on the basket seating portion and coupled to the drawer frame, and the basket is preferably provided so that the coupling with the drawer frame is released while moving vertically upward.

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

The basket includes a lower basket inserted into the opening and an upper basket seated on the seating portion, and the lower basket and the upper basket may be formed as one piece.

The rail coupling portion is provided to extend forward and backward on both left and right sides of the drawer frame, and the upper basket is preferably formed to have a larger left and right width than the lower basket to cover the rail coupling portion at the top. Through this, it is possible to prevent the rail and the rail joint from being visibly exposed to the user.

The rail preferably includes a moving rail that moves back and forth integrally with the drawer.

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

It is preferable that a locking portion is formed at the rear of the movable rail to restrict rearward and upward movement of the rail coupling portion by engaging the rear end of the rail coupling portion.

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

An elastic protrusion may be provided at the front end of the moving rail, and a mounting hole may be formed at the front end of the rail coupling portion into which the elastic protrusion is elastically deformed and then elastically restored.

With the rear end of the rail coupling portion inserted into the locking portion, as the front end of the rail coupling portion moves downward, the elastic protrusion may be elastically deformed and then inserted into the mounting hole and coupled thereto.

That is, after the front of the rail coupling is positioned higher than the rear, the rear end of the rail coupling can be inserted into the locking part first. Through this, the left and right and front and rear positions of the rail coupling portion coupled to the rail can be tentatively determined. Afterwards, the front of the rail coupling portion can be moved downward. When the front of the rail coupling part moves downward, the elastic protrusion is inserted into the mounting hole. As a result, the left and right front and rear support points of the rail joint can be formed. Therefore, the rail coupling portion can be coupled to the rail very easily. Conversely, the user can press the elastic protrusions located on the left and right, respectively. Also, the front of the rail joint can be lifted upward while pressing the elastic protrusion. Through this, the combination between the front of the rail joint and the rail is released. Afterwards, the user can pull the rail joint unit forward and then lift the entire rail joint unit upward. As a result, the rail coupling portion can be completely separated from the rail.

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

The movable rails are provided on both sides of the drawer, and the drawer frame is preferably fixed to the movable rail through four support points at the front, rear, left, and right by the elastic protrusion and the locking portion.

The rail preferably includes a fixed rail provided below the movable rail and fixed within the storage compartment, and the movable rail is provided to be able to slide with respect to the fixed rail.

The drawer preferably includes a drawer decoration that extends left and right at the front lower part of the basket to cover the rail coupling portion at the front of the drawer. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rail and the rail joint from being visually exposed to the user through the drawer decoration.

Specifically, the basket covers the upper part of the rail-to-rail joint, and the drawer decor covers the front.

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet provided with a storage room; a door rotatably provided on the cabinet to open and close the storage room; A drawer that is movable back and forth in the storage compartment and includes a drawer frame including a basket for accommodating stored items and a rail joint; And it includes a rail that is coupled to the rail coupling part to support the drawer so that it can move back and forth with respect to the storage compartment, and the rail coupling part is seated from the upper part of the rail to the lower part and is formed in a channel shape to surround the rail. A refrigerator may be provided, wherein a locking portion into which the rear end of the rail coupling portion is inserted is formed at the rear of the rail, and an elastic protrusion is formed at the front of the rail to be inserted into a mounting hole provided at the front end of the rail coupling portion. there is.

The rail includes a movable rail and a fixed rail that slideably supports the movable rail at a lower portion of the movable rail, and the rail coupling portion is preferably coupled to the movable rail.

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

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

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

The rail preferably includes a rail bracket for fixing the fixed rail to the side wall of the storage compartment.

The rail bracket preferably includes a front rail bracket and a rear rail bracket that are respectively provided at a predetermined distance before and after the fixed rail. Therefore, the rail can be stably supported. Through this, the drawer can also be stably supported.

The drawer frame is provided with a locking member that protrudes toward the side wall of the storage compartment, and a transmission member is formed that protrudes toward the drawer frame from the side wall of the storage compartment and is provided to push the locking member from the rear of the locking member. It can be. That is, the transmission member may be provided to move back and forth.

An electric drive unit may be provided that moves the locking member through movement of the transmission member, thereby moving the drawer forward from the initial position to an operating position spaced apart by a preset distance. That is, the transmission member can be moved forward and backward by driving the electric drive unit.

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

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

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet provided with a storage room; a door rotatably provided on the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A drawer provided in the storage compartment and including a locking member; A sensor that detects opening of the door; In addition, a refrigerator may be provided that includes a moving assembly that is coupled to the drawer to support the drawer so that it can move back and forth with respect to the storage compartment, and is integrally coupled to and separated from the right or left side wall of the storage compartment.

The moving assembly includes a support frame coupled to the side wall; a motor assembly mounted on an inner surface of the support frame facing the side wall; a rail mounted on an outer surface of the support frame to support the drawer so that it can move forward and backward; And the moving member is mounted on the support frame to be moved back and forth by driving the motor assembly in the space between the side wall and the support frame, and includes a transmission member that penetrates the support frame and is provided to push the locking member from the rear. Can contain frames. Accordingly, the support frame, motor assembly, rail, and moving frame can be integrally and detachably provided on the side wall through the support frame.

The side wall is a partition wall that divides the storage compartments into left and right sides, and the moving assembly may be mounted on at least one of the left side and the right side of the side wall.

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

When moving assemblies are mounted on the left and right sides of the partition, the penetration portion is preferably formed such that the motor assembly on one side and the motor assembly on the other side are arranged vertically through the penetration portion. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the partition wall from increasing due to the motor assembly. This means that it is possible to prevent the storage space from being reduced due to an increase in the thickness of the partition wall.

The support frame is preferably provided to cover the penetration portion as it is combined with the partition wall.

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

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

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

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

A motor avoidance groove that accommodates at least a portion of the motor of the motor assembly may be formed in the support frame. The motor avoidance groove can prevent the overall thickness of the partition wall from increasing or the volume of the entire support frame protruding into the storage compartment from increasing. This means that the reduction of space in the storage compartment can be minimized.

The drawer is provided in plural numbers up and down, the rails are provided in plural numbers up and down to support the plurality of rails, and the motor avoidance groove is formed between a specific rail and a rail located above or below the specific rail. desirable.

A slit formed back and forth is formed in the support frame to guide the movement of the transmission member, and the transmission member is preferably provided to penetrate the slit from the inside to the outside of the support frame.

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

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

The drawer holder includes a housing having a slot formed in the longitudinal direction and provided with a spring; It moves along the slot to cause elastic deformation and elastic restoration of the spring, and preferably includes a hanging member selectively connected to the drawer.

The drawer includes a basket for storing stored material; In addition, it is preferable to include a rail coupling portion formed in a channel shape to be seated from the top to the bottom of the rail and surround the rail.

Preferably, a locking portion into which the rear end of the rail coupling portion is inserted is formed at the rear of the rail, and an elastic protrusion is formed at the front of the rail to be inserted into a mounting hole provided at the front end of the rail coupling portion.

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

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

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet provided with a storage room; a door rotatably provided on the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; A drawer provided in the storage compartment and including a locking member; A sensor that detects opening of the door; and a moving assembly coupled to the drawer to support the drawer so that it can move forward and backward with respect to the storage compartment, and integrally coupled to and separated from a right or left side wall of the storage compartment, the moving assembly comprising: A support frame provided to be coupled to the side wall and having slits formed front and rear; a motor assembly mounted on an inner surface of the support frame facing the side wall; a rail mounted on an outer surface of the support frame to support the drawer so that it can move forward and backward; And a moving frame that is mounted on the support frame to move back and forth by driving the motor assembly in the space between the side wall and the support frame, and includes a transmission member provided to push the locking member from the rear through the slit. A refrigerator containing a may be provided.

Preferably, a wire penetrating part for extending the electric wire to the motor assembly is formed in the partition wall, and a wiring part for connecting the electric wire to the motor assembly is provided at an end of the electric wire.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a motor, a drawer provided to move back and forth in a storage compartment provided in the cabinet, and the drawer is pushed by driving the motor to initialize the drawer. A control method of a refrigerator including a transmission member that automatically withdraws the drawer from a position to an operating position, comprising: determining conditions for automatically withdrawing the drawer in a standby state; If the condition is satisfied in the determination step, a drawing step of driving the motor in one direction to move the transmission member forward to withdraw the drawer to the operating position; A stop step of stopping the withdrawal of the drawer by maintaining one-way driving of the motor after the withdrawal step; And, after the stop step, a return step of driving the motor in the reverse direction to return the transmission member to the rear may be provided.

In the stop step, the drawer is stopped at the operating position. However, one-way drive of the motor is maintained. That is, the force pushing the drawer is maintained. That is, the drawer can be prevented from being automatically retracted while the one-way drive of the motor is maintained. In other words, it is possible to prevent the drawer from being automatically retracted even when the user attempts to further withdraw the drawer while the drawer has been automatically withdrawn to the operating position.

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

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

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

In the initial stage, when a signal is generated from the second Hall sensor that detects the manipulation position or the motor is driven until the predetermined time is reached, a notification step indicating an operation abnormality is preferably performed.

In the drawing step, the motor is preferably driven until a signal is generated from a second Hall sensor that detects the manipulation position or until the predetermined time is reached.

The motor is a BLDC (Brushless DC) motor, and in the withdrawal stage, a signal (FG, Frequency generator) generated when the motor rotates is calculated, and the duty ratio for driving the motor is varied according to the calculated FG. Control is desirable. It is preferable that the calculation of the FG is performed at regular intervals. For example, it may be performed every 100 ms (milliseconds). And, as the calculated FG increases, it is desirable to control the duty ratio to be greater.

During the retrieval step, if the calculated FG is smaller than the obstacle FG corresponding to the obstacle that prevents retrieval of the drawer, it is preferable that the stop step is not performed and the return step is performed.

In the withdrawal step, when a signal is generated from the first Hall sensor that detects the initial position of the motor or the motor is driven until the predetermined time is reached, a notification step indicating an operation abnormality is preferably performed. .

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

It is preferable that the FG is calculated in the stop step, and if the FG calculated during the stop step is less than a predetermined FG, the return step is performed.

Preferably, the return step includes stopping the operation of the motor for a predetermined period of time.

In the return step, the motor is preferably driven in the reverse direction until a signal is generated from the first Hall sensor that detects the initial position or until a predetermined time is reached and the driving of the motor is stopped.

In the return step, when a signal is generated from the second Hall sensor that detects the manipulation position or the motor is driven until the predetermined time is reached, a notification step indicating an operation abnormality is preferably performed.

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

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

The refrigerator includes a door switch that detects whether the door is open or closed based on whether the door and the cabinet are in close contact,

Preferably, the conditions for automatically withdrawing the drawer further include door opening detection through the door switch.

During the withdrawal step or the stop step, when the door is detected through the sensor, an emergency return step is performed to stop the withdrawal step or stop step and drive the motor in the reverse direction to return the transmission member to the rear. This is desirable.

When the emergency recovery step is started, if the motor is driving in one direction, it is preferable to stop driving the motor for a predetermined period of time and then drive it in the reverse direction.

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

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which a drawer provided in a storage compartment is automatically pulled forward a predetermined length when a user opens the door of the refrigerator. In other words, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer automatically moves from the initial position to the operating position.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator can be provided in which the drawer is automatically moved from the initial position to the operating position through an electric drive unit, so that the user does not need to apply additional force other than the force to open the door. .

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer can automatically return from the operating position to the initial position when the user closes the door of the refrigerator. In other words, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can reduce the user's effort to withdraw the drawer from the initial position to the operating position and at the same time reduce the user's effort to retract the drawer from the operating position to the initial position.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which a drawer can be automatically withdrawn by the operation of an electric drive unit and the drawer can be automatically retracted by the elastic restoring force of a spring.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can significantly reduce interference between drawers that automatically move when the door is opened and closed through a sensor that very accurately detects the door opening (closing) angle. In other words, if a door opening (closing) angle that minimizes interference between the door and the drawer is set, a refrigerator can be provided that can very accurately detect the door opening (closing) at the set angle.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, a door opening detection sensor that can flexibly respond even when a preset door opening angle changes depending on the product model and a refrigerator including the same can be provided.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is intended to provide a refrigerator that can be easily applied to a conventional refrigerator and can detect when the door opening and door closing are at the same angle through a single sensor.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, the electric drive unit can be protected by preventing the configuration for automatically withdrawing the drawer from being exposed to the inside of the storage compartment, and a refrigerator can be provided that is convenient to use and has an attractive interior design of the storage compartment. there is.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can move a plurality of drawers from the initial position to the operating position substantially simultaneously through one electric drive unit.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which automatic drawer insertion and withdrawal can be performed with reliability and durability. In particular, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can minimize damage to the electric drive unit due to overload or repeated use for a long period of time.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator that can be easily assembled with components related to these components, such as an automatically withdrawn drawer and an electric drive unit for automatically withdrawing the drawer, and at the same time can be easily repaired when necessary. can be provided.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that allows automatic withdrawal of a plurality of drawers and is easy to manufacture and maintain.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer can be easily connected to and separated from a rail supporting the drawer.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which only the basket that accommodates stored items in the drawer can be easily separated and combined. In other words, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which only the basket can be easily separated and reassembled while maintaining the connection between the rail and the rail connection portion of the drawer.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator that can minimize visible exposure of the rail to the user.

Through one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator control method that minimizes the load on the motor and can flexibly respond to various usage environments for the drawer.

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

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

Figure 1 shows the front of a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. An example of a four-door refrigerator is shown, which is provided with a refrigerating compartment 11 at the top and freezer compartments 12 and 13 at the bottom. For convenience, the left and right doors of the upper refrigerator are omitted, the left door of the lower freezer is omitted, and only the right door 20 of the lower freezer is shown. Of course, this embodiment can be applied not only to this type of refrigerator but also to a side-by-side type refrigerator. In other words, this embodiment can be applied to any refrigerator equipped with a door that opens and closes a storage compartment and a drawer that moves back and forth in the storage compartment.

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

The refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartments 12 and 13 may be partitioned from each other through a horizontal partition 14. Additionally, the left freezer compartment 12 and the right freezer compartment 13 may be partitioned from each other through separate side walls or partition walls 16. For convenience, the partition wall 16 may be referred to as a vertical partition wall. The refrigerating compartment 11, left freezer compartment 12, and right freezer compartment 13 can each be opened and closed by individual doors.

The storage compartments 11, 12, and 13, especially the freezer compartments 12 and 13, may be provided with a drawer 30 including a basket 31 for accommodating stored items. The drawers 30 may be provided in plural numbers up and down. Figure 1 shows an example in which three drawers 30a, 30b, and 30c are provided in the right and left freezers, respectively. Of course, this embodiment can be applied not only to the freezer but also to the case where the refrigerator is equipped with a drawer. In addition, it is possible to have one or two drawers automatically linked to one door, and it would also be possible to have four or more drawers automatically linked to one door.

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

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

As shown, the drawer 30 provided in the left freezer compartment can be said to be retracted further into the storage compartment than the drawer provided in the right freezer compartment. That is, based on the appearance shown in FIG. 2, the position of the drawer 30 provided in the left freezer can be referred to as the initial position, and the position of the drawer 30 provided in the right freezer can be referred to as the operating position.

In other words, the drawer 30 when the door 20 is closed is located in the initial position, and the drawer 30 when the door 20 is open is located in the operating position. .

As described above, storage boxes or baskets 25 are provided on the back of the door 20, and a separate door storage area 21 can be formed through these. In order to exclude interference between the door 20, especially the basket 25 provided on the door, and the drawer 30, the drawer is retracted to the initial position when the door 20 is closed. When the user opens the door 20 to retrieve the stored material, the drawer 30 moves from the initial position to the forward operating position so that the user can more easily retrieve the drawer. Accordingly, because the front end or handle 35 of the drawer is moved to a position closer to the user, the user can more easily withdraw the drawer.

In other words, the initial position can be said to be the position of the drawer when the drawer has been moved to the maximum inside the storage compartment, and the operating position can be said to be a position spaced a preset distance forward from the initial position. In this operating position, the user does not have to insert his hand deep into the storage compartment to grab the handle 35, so he can operate the drawer 30 very conveniently. Meanwhile, the operating position may also be referred to as a standby position. This is because, from the drawer's perspective, it may be a position waiting to receive user manipulation.

As shown in FIG. 2, it is desirable that the drawer 30 does not deviate from the opening 17 of the storage compartment even in the operating position. That is, even if the door 20 is opened, the drawer 30, especially the front end or handle 35 of the drawer, is preferably positioned rearward than the opening 17. That is, it is still desirable for the drawer 30 to be located inside the storage compartment. This is because the user opening the door 20 may not necessarily mean using or withdrawing the drawer 30. For example, the door 20 may be opened to use the door storage area 21. In addition, when there are a plurality of drawers 30, only specific drawers can be drawn out, so if a drawer 30 that is not to be drawn out is pulled out of the storage room, it only causes cold air loss.

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

Additionally, when the door is opened, the cold air in the storage room is basically lost. And, as the drawer is pulled out, the cold inside the drawer's basket is also lost. That is, as the draw-out length of the drawer increases, the loss of cold air inside the basket accelerates. In particular, if the drawer is drawn further forward than the opening, the loss of cold air may further accelerate. Therefore, in order to minimize the loss of cold air inside the basket at the operating position, it is desirable to prevent the drawer 30 from leaving the inside of the storage compartment even when the drawer is operated.

For example, the operating position can be said to be a position moved approximately 120 mm forward from the initial position. Of course, the distance between the operating position and the initial position may be set differently depending on the type of the refrigerator, the location of the drawer, the distance at which the storage area 21 of the door is inserted into the storage compartment, and the capacity of the refrigerator. However, the operating position is preferably such that the front end of the drawer or the handle 35 does not deviate from the opening 17 of the storage compartment. That is, it is desirable that the front end or handle be located inside the opening without leaving the opening.

This embodiment can be said to relate to a refrigerator in which a drawer provided inside the storage compartment is automatically moved (withdrawn) from the initial position to the operating position when the door 20 that opens and closes the storage compartment is opened. Therefore, the refrigerator according to this embodiment includes an electric drive unit 150 (see FIG. 5) that moves the drawer, and a sensor 40 (see FIG. 3) for detecting the conditions under which the electric drive unit is driven. desirable.

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

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

Here, even if the door 20 deviates slightly from the opening 17, broadly speaking, the door can be said to be in an open state. For example, when the tight contact between the door 20 and the opening 17 is released, the door can be said to be open. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when the tight contact between the gasket 22 provided on the back of the door 20 and the cabinet 10 is released, the door 20 can be said to be open. Therefore, in this condition, cold air loss may inevitably occur.

In order to detect whether the door 20 and the cabinet 10 are in close contact, a door switch described later may be provided. The door switch may be provided to be interlocked with the operation of a lighting device provided inside the storage room. That is, when it is determined that the tight contact between the door 20 and the cabinet 10 is released through the door switch, the lighting device can be controlled to turn on. Also, when the lighting device is turned on and close contact is made between the door 20 and the cabinet 10 through the door switch, the lighting device can be controlled to grow larger. Therefore, the door switch detects whether the door is open or closed through a relatively very small opening angle. In general, such a door switch may be formed to have a structure that swings mechanically according to the separation distance between the door and the cabinet.

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

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

For example, when the user wants to retrieve only the stored items stored in the door storage area 21 on the rear side of the door 20, the door can only be opened at an angle of 40 to 50 degrees. In this case, it would be desirable for the drawer to remain in its initial position. Of course, the door switch can be said to have determined that the door is open.

When a user attempts to withdraw and use a drawer, the user generally knows from experience that the door must be opened more than 90 degrees. This is because, at a door opening angle of 90 degrees or less, the drawer gets caught in the basket 25 on the back of the door before the drawer is completely pulled out. In practice, in order for the drawer to be completely pulled out without interfering with the door, the door generally needs to be opened, for example, by more than 100 degrees.

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

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

For this reason, it is preferable that the sensor 40 is a sensor that can accurately detect a preset door opening angle for the door 20 to withdraw the drawer. For this purpose, the sensor 40 preferably includes a magnet 42 and a reed switch 41. Of course, only the reed switch 41 may be considered a sensor, and the reed switch may be said to detect a preset door opening angle through the magnet 42.

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

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

The reed switch may be located on the hinge cover 45 and the magnet 42 may be provided at the bottom of the door 20. Specifically, the magnet 42 may be provided on the cap decoration 24 of the door 20. Of course, the reed switch can be placed on the door 20 and the magnet 42 can be placed on the hinge cover. However, since the contact point is formed and the component that transmits the door opening or closing signal to the outside is a reed switch, the reed switch is preferably located in a fixed configuration, that is, in the hinge cover 45.

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

When the door 20 is closed, the magnet 42 is located near the reed switch 41. Therefore, when the door 20 is closed, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 may affect the reed switch 41. As the opening angle of the door 20 increases, the magnet 42 approaches the reed switch as much as possible and then moves away from the reed switch. That is, as the opening angle of the door 20 increases, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 ceases to affect the reed switch 42. Therefore, for example, when the opening angle of the door 20 reaches 90 degrees, the contact point of the reed switch 41 can be changed. This change in contact point of the reed switch 41 can be said to be the generation of a door opening on signal. In other words, when the door is opened to a preset angle, it is possible to detect this as a door opening. In other words, in the section between the closed state of the door 20 and the opening angle (for example, 90 degrees), the magnetic force of the magnet 42 affects the reed switch 42, causing the contact point of the reed switch 41 to change. It is maintained, and when the opening angle is reached, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 can no longer affect the reed switch 42, and the contact point of the reed switch 41 is changed.

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

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

As described above, when the door is opened and the door opening angle is reached, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 does not affect the reed switch 41. In other words, it goes beyond the critical point. Conversely, this means that when the door is closed while the door is open exceeding the door opening angle, the magnetic force of the magnet 42 affects the reed switch 41 when the door opening angle is reached. Therefore, the door opening angle for detecting the opening of the door and the door closing angle for detecting the closing of the door can be set to be the same. In addition, the opening and closing of the door can be detected through the same angle through one sensor 40.

In other words, the sensor 40 can detect door opening and door closing through the same angle. For example, after a door opening is detected at the same angle, the next detection at the same angle may be referred to as a door closing detection. Additionally, the same angle after door closing detection can be referred to as door opening detection.

This is because, as described above, interference between the door and the drawer needs to be excluded not only when the door is opened but also when the door is closed. In other words, as will be described later, even when the drawer is automatically retracted, this can be said to be done to automatically retract the drawer in advance before the door interferes with the drawer.

However, as shown in FIG. 3, when using a single magnet 42, a problem may occur in which the preset door opening angle varies for each product. For example, when the door opening angle is set to 90 degrees and one magnet 42 and a reed switch 41 are installed, differences in the door opening angle may occur for each product. That is, some products detect an 85-degree opening angle, some products detect an 90-degree opening angle, and some products detect a 95-degree opening angle, which may result in detection deviations for each product. This deviation may be caused by various causes, such as deviation in the magnetic force of the magnet 42 and deviation in the installation of the magnet 42 and the lease switch 41.

Additionally, when using one magnet 42, it is not easy to change the opening angle of the door. This is because, depending on the product model, an opening angle of 90 degrees may be desirable for a specific model, but an opening angle of 85 degrees may be desirable for another specific model.

Therefore, it can be said that it is desirable to provide a sensor 40 that can flexibly change the door opening angle while reducing the deviation in the preset door opening angle. In order to solve the problem of the sensor 40 implemented using a single magnet 42, the present applicant seeks to provide a sensor 40 using a plurality of magnets.

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

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

The reed switch 41 may be provided to be fixed to the cabinet 10. For example, it may be provided on the hinge cover 45 protruding in front of the cabinet 10. In addition, the door 20, especially the cap deco 24, has a predetermined upper and lower gap at the top of the hinge cover 45 and opens and closes based on the hinge axis 23.

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

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

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

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

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

Additionally, the distance between the horizontal magnet 42a and the hinge axis 23 is smaller than the distance between the vertical magnet 42b and the hinge axis 24. That is, the rotation radius of the horizontal magnet 42a is smaller than the rotation radius of the vertical magnet 42b. Additionally, the distance between the reed switch 41 and the hinge axis 24 may be set to be similar to the rotation radius of the horizontal magnet 42a.

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

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

Assuming that the intensity of magnetic force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, as the position of the magnet 42a moves away from the reed switch 41, the intensity of magnetic force decreases very rapidly. This means that even if the magnet moves in a very short section, a very large change in magnetic force strength can occur. For this reason, it becomes very difficult to accurately set the critical point at which magnetic force has no effect at a location where magnetic force is affected, that is, the door opening angle. In other words, when only one magnet, for example, the horizontal magnet 42a, is provided, it becomes difficult to set the critical point because a sudden change in magnetic force intensity occurs before and after the critical point.

In this embodiment, the change in magnetic force intensity progresses gently up to the critical point through the vertical magnet 42b, and then the magnetic force intensity changes rapidly after the critical point. That is, since the vertical magnet 42b continuously provides auxiliary magnetic force until it reaches the critical point, rapid changes in magnetic force may be limited until it reaches the critical point.

Meanwhile, according to this embodiment, the critical point, that is, the opening angle of the door, can be easily set to around 90 degrees. That is, it becomes possible to easily adjust the door opening angle sensed by the reed switch 41.

Specifically, the horizontal magnet 42a shown in FIG. 4 can be moved back and forth while the position of the vertical magnet 42b is fixed. That is, the vertical magnet 42b can be said to be a fixed magnet and the horizontal magnet 42a can be said to be a variable magnet.

When the horizontal magnet 42a is moved rearward, the distance between the horizontal magnet 42a and the hinge axis 23 decreases. In other words, the distance between the horizontal magnet 42a and the reed switch 41 becomes small based on the standard shown in FIG. 4 (i.e., when the door is opened 90 degrees). Therefore, in order to exclude the magnetic influence of the horizontal magnet 42a on the reed switch 41, the door 20 must be opened further. That is, the horizontal magnet 42a can be horizontally moved closer to the hinge axis 23 in order to preset the door opening angle to exceed 90 degrees.

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

Ultimately, it is possible to flexibly set the door opening angle through the fixed magnet 42b, which is an auxiliary magnet, and the variable magnet 42a, which is the main magnet.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment of the sensor 40, an example in which a reed switch is provided at the bottom of the magnet has been described. However, conversely, a reed switch may be provided on top of the magnet. For example, a magnet is provided on the door decoration that forms the upper surface of the door 40, and a reed switch can be mounted at a position facing the door decoration. In either case, the vertical distance between the magnet and the reed switch is fixed regardless of the opening angle of the door, and the horizontal distance between the magnet and the reed switch will vary as the opening angle of the door changes.

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

As described above, when the opening of the door is detected through the sensor 40, the drawer 30 is moved from the initial position to the operating position. Accordingly, a structure to support the drawer 30 so that it can be moved and a structure or configuration to automatically move the drawer 30 are needed. Below, the moving assembly 100 for supporting and moving the drawer will be described in detail. Next, specific configurations of the drawer associated with the moving assembly 100 will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 shows a moving assembly 100 that can be coupled to the side wall of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, it shows a partition wall 16, which is one of the side walls of the freezer, and a moving assembly 100 located on the left and right sides of the partition wall 16 of the freezer. Of course, this is a case where freezer compartments are provided on the left and right sides of the freezer partition wall 16, and if there is only one freezer compartment, the partition wall 16 may be the left insulation wall (left side wall) or the right insulation wall (right side wall) of the freezer compartment. . In addition, when freezer compartments are provided on the left and right sides of the partition wall 16, the moving assembly 100 may be provided only in one freezer compartment rather than both freezer compartments. In either case, the moving assembly 100 is preferably mounted on the side wall of the storage compartment.

However, when the left and right freezer compartments shown in FIG. 1 are separated, mounting the moving assembly 100 on the left or right insulation wall is very disadvantageous in terms of insulation performance. If the conventional insulation wall thickness is maintained, there is a risk that the internal space of the storage compartment of the moving assembly 100 will become very small. Therefore, it is preferable to mount this moving assembly 100 on the freezer partition wall 16, where insulation performance is not a priority among the side walls of the freezer compartment.

The partition wall 16 is a partition wall that divides the left and right freezer compartments, and is preferably formed symmetrically on the left and right sides. That is, moving assemblies of the same type may be mounted on the left and right sides of the partition wall 16 in the same shape. Accordingly, drawers that are automatically withdrawn/retracted can be provided in both the left and right freezers.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the moving assembly 100 is mounted on the left and right sides of the side walls forming the storage compartment, particularly the partition wall 16 dividing the left and right storage compartments, will be described in detail.

The moving assembly 100 functions to support the drawer 30 so that it can move back and forth. And, the drawer 30 forms structures that can be automatically withdrawn. In addition, structures into which the drawer 30 can be automatically retracted can be formed.

The moving assembly 100 preferably includes a support frame 110. The support frame 110 may be mounted on one side wall of the freezer, especially the partition wall 16. As will be described later, the support frame 110 can be equipped with various components such as an electric drive unit, and the moving assembly 100 is formed as one assembly through the support frame 110 on one side wall of the freezer, especially the It may be mounted on the partition wall 16 or may be separated from the partition wall 16. That is, the moving assembly 100 may be integrally coupled to the side wall of the storage compartment or may be separated from the side wall. Therefore, manufacturing can be very simple, and future maintenance can also be performed very easily. This is because, as will be described later, after separating the drawer 30 from the rail 120, the entire moving assembly 100 including the support frame 110 can be separated from the partition wall 16. . Conversely, after forming the moving assembly and mounting it on the partition wall 16, the drawer 30 can be coupled to the rail 120. Therefore, manufacturing and subsequent maintenance become very easy.

A rail 120 may be mounted on the support frame 110. The rail 120 may be provided to allow the drawer to move back and forth in the storage compartment. That is, the drawer 30 can be supported to move back and forth in the storage compartment through the rail 120. The drawer 30 can be moved by sliding back and forth through the rail 120.

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

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

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

An electric drive unit 150 may be provided on the inner surface 112 of the support frame 110. That is, the electric drive unit 150 may be located within the predetermined space 130. Accordingly, the electric drive unit 150 is not substantially exposed to the inside of the storage compartment. This is because the support frame 110 covers the electric drive unit 150.

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

The electric drive unit 150 can be said to be a component that moves the drawer 30 from the initial position to the operating position as it is driven. Therefore, the electric drive unit 150 includes a motor assembly 160 that generates force to move the drawer 30 and a moving frame 170 that applies force to the drawer so that the drawer 30 moves. This can be done.

The moving frame 170 may be provided to move forward and backward by driving the motor assembly 160. Here, the forward and backward movement can be said to be in the same direction as the forward and backward movement of the drawer 30. That is, the moving frame 170 may be provided to move in the same direction as the movement direction of the drawer 30 by driving the motor assembly 160.

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

Accordingly, the moving frame 170 can be said to be a configuration that transmits the force of the motor assembly 160 located within the predetermined space 130 to the drawer 30 located outside the predetermined space 130.

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

Specifically, when the moving assembly 100 is located on the left and right sides of the partition wall 16, a part of the left motor assembly (motor assembly for moving the drawer of the left freezer) penetrates the penetration part 16a. It may pass through and be located within a predetermined space 130 on the right side. Conversely, a part of the motor assembly on the right (motor assembly for moving the drawer of the right freezer) may pass through the penetration part 16a and be located within a predetermined space 130 on the left. Additionally, the two motor assemblies 150 can be positioned side by side up and down. That is, the two motor assemblies 150 can be positioned side by side so that the left and right widths partially overlap. Through this, it is possible to minimize the effect of the thickness due to the moving assembly compared to the case where the two motor assemblies 150 are positioned side by side.

Here, the penetrating portion 16a may be formed to correspond to the outer shape of the motor assembly 150. Accordingly, the motor assembly 150 can be fixed and supported by fitting into the penetrating portion 16a. In addition, when motor assemblies are provided on the left and right sides of the partition wall 16, the penetrating portion 16a may be formed to be long up and down. One motor assembly passes through the upper side and the other motor assembly passes through the lower side. That is, two motor assemblies can be arranged vertically through the penetrating portion 16a. Preferably, the penetration portion 16a is covered by the support frame 110 as the support frame 110 is coupled to the partition wall 16.

Meanwhile, the motor assembly 150 includes a motor 162 that operates using electrical energy. Therefore, a wire that supplies electrical energy must be connected to the motor assembly 150. That is, a wire must be connected from the refrigerator's power supply (not shown) to the motor assembly 150.

An upper opening 16b for connecting electric wires may be formed in the partition wall 16. The wire connected from the power supply may extend through the inside of the horizontal partition 14 shown in FIG. 1 to the upper opening 16b of the vertical partition 16. A wire penetrating portion 16c may be formed in the horizontal partition wall 14. That is, the wire may extend further from the upper opening 16b to the wire penetrating part 16b. The wire 16d may be further extended to the right from the wire penetrating part 16c and then finished with the wire coupling part 16e. The illustrated wire coupling portion 16e can be said to be a wire coupling portion for connection with the motor assembly 150 provided on the right side. Likewise, an electric wire and an electric wire coupling part may be provided on the left side of the electric wire penetrating part 16c.

Before mounting the moving assembly 100 on the partition wall 16, the electric wire may be extended through the horizontal partition wall 14 and the vertical partition wall 16 and then allowed to pass through the wire penetrating portion 16c. And a wire coupling portion 16e can be formed at the end of the wire.

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

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

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

As shown in FIG. 5, a motor avoidance groove 116 may be formed in the support frame 110. That is, a circular motor avoidance groove 116 may be formed depending on the shape of the motor. And, the motor avoidance groove 116 can accommodate at least a portion of the motor. Accordingly, only the portion corresponding to the motor can be expanded without the need to increase the left and right width of the entire motor assembly 100. In order to exclude interference with such extended portions, the motor avoidance groove 116 may be formed in the support frame 110.

The motor avoidance groove 116 protrudes to the right based on the right support frame. There is a risk that other components mounted on the support frame may interfere with the protruding motor avoidance groove 116. In order to prevent this, the motor avoidance groove 116 is preferably formed at a corresponding position between the rails 120 and the rails 120 .

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

Through this motor avoidance groove 116, the motor assembly 160 can be more firmly coupled to the support frame 110. In addition, by forming the motor avoidance groove 116 between rails, it is possible to minimize the reduction of the storage room space due to the overall expansion of the above-described predetermined space 130.

If the left and right width of the entire motor assembly 100 is further increased in consideration of the size of the motor, for example, if the entire left and right width of the housing 16 of the motor assembly is further increased, the motor assembly 100 and the To avoid interference between rails, the space inside the storage compartment will inevitably be reduced.

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

Although not shown in FIG. 6, the drawer 30 is supported to be able to move back and forth through the rail 120. Generally, a user pulls or pushes the drawer 30 to pull out or retract the drawer 30. At this time, it can be said that the rail 120 is generally provided to facilitate insertion and withdrawal of the drawer while minimizing the required force. Accordingly, the rail 120 can be mounted on the outer surface 111 of the support frame 110, that is, the surface facing the inside of the storage compartment.

As described above, the electric drive unit 150, particularly the motor assembly 160, may be mounted on the inner surface 112 of the support frame 110. Here, the inner surface 112 may be said to be a surface facing the side wall or partition wall 16. Therefore, a structure is needed to transmit the force generated on the inner surface 112 of the support frame to the outer surface 111 of the support frame.

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

Specifically, the moving frame 170 may include a transmission member 171 that transmits force to the drawer 30. The transmission member 171 may be provided to penetrate the slit 113. That is, substantially the entire moving frame 170 moves on the inner surface 112 of the support frame, but a portion of the moving frame, that is, the transmission member 171, passes through the slit 113 to support the support frame. It is desirable to move it on the outer surface 111 of the frame. Accordingly, the transmission member 171 appears to move back and forth along the slit 113.

The transmission member 171 functions to transmit the power of the electric drive unit, particularly the movement of the moving frame 170, to the drawer 30. That is, the transmission member 171 can push the drawer 30 so that the drawer 30 moves through the rail. In other words, the drawer 30 can be moved automatically even if the user does not manually manipulate the drawer.

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

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

Below, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the mechanism between the electric drive unit 150 and the drawer 30 will be described in detail. Figure 7 is a view of the moving assembly 100 in the initial position of the drawer as seen from the inner surface 112 of the support frame 110, and Figure 8 shows the moving assembly 100 in the operating position of the drawer as seen from the support frame. This is a view from the inner side (112) of (110).

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

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

The gears 162a may be provided in plural numbers to reduce rotational speed and transmit torque.

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

The connecting member 163 may be provided to have a different withdrawal distance from the motor assembly 160, particularly the housing 161. That is, the draw-out distance of the connecting member 163 can be varied. As the extraction distance of the connecting member 163 from the fixed housing 161 increases, the distance between the housing 161 and the moving frame 170 increases. Conversely, as the lead-out distance of the connecting member 163 decreases, the distance between the housing 161 and the moving frame 170 decreases. Accordingly, the motor assembly 160 drives the connecting member 163 so that the withdrawal distance is varied, and as a result, moves the moving frame 170.

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

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

Accordingly, the draw-out distance of the connecting member can be increased or decreased depending on the forward/reverse driving of the motor assembly 160. Driving the motor assembly 160 pushes or pulls the connecting member 163, thereby pushing or pulling the moving frame.

The moving frame 170 can be said to be a configuration for transmitting the driving force of the motor assembly 160 to the drawer 30. Therefore, basically, the moving frame 170 moves by driving the motor assembly 160. Specifically, the moving frame 170 is preferably provided to be movable on the inner surface 113 of the support frame 110.

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

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

7 and 8 show an example in which three transmission members 171 are formed in one moving frame 170. This means that one moving frame 170 can move three drawers arranged up and down. In other words, this means that three drawers can be moved from the initial position to the operating position at the same time through the movement of the single connecting member 163. Through this, it is possible to move a plurality of drawers simultaneously through one motor assembly 150, one connecting member 163, and one moving frame 170. That is, even though there is only one electric drive unit 150 linked to one door 20, a plurality of drawers can be easily moved. Therefore, the configuration can be simple, and it becomes possible to implement easy and easy control logic.

The moving frame 170 is preferably supported on the inner surface 112 of the support frame 110 so that it can move back and forth. More specifically, the moving frame 170 is preferably supported so as to be able to slide back and forth.

As described above, the moving frame 170 may be provided to move a plurality of drawers 30. Accordingly, the moving frame 170 is provided in the form of a plate extending up and down, and therefore, it is desirable to minimize the movement difference between the upper and lower parts when the moving frame 170 moves.

For this purpose, it is preferable that sliding supports 172 are provided at the upper and lower parts of the moving frame 170, respectively. One pair of sliding supports 172 may be formed on the upper part and one pair on the lower part of the moving frame 170. Accordingly, the moving frame 170 can be moved with four support points on the top, bottom, left and right sides. Through this, it is possible to prevent the moving frame 100 from being distorted when it moves back and forth.

The left and right widths may be expanded to form the support portion 172 at the upper and lower portions of the moving frame 170. A transmission member 171 may be formed in this expanded portion. On the other hand, such an expanded portion may not be formed in the transmission member portion formed in the middle. Therefore, a problem may arise where the transmission member 171 formed in the middle becomes separated from the moving frame 170 when used for a long period of time. That is, there is a risk that the connection portion between the transmission member 171 and the moving frame 170 may be damaged. This is because the transmission member 171 may be formed to protrude from the moving frame 170, and when used for a long time, the transmission member 171 may be bent and damaged.

In order to solve this problem, it is particularly desirable that a strength reinforcing rib (not shown) be formed between the transmission member provided in the middle and the moving frame 170. These strength reinforcement ribs may be formed parallel to the direction in which force is applied, and a plurality of strength reinforcement ribs may be formed.

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

A liner 173 (see FIG. 9) made of POM material may be interposed between the guide bar 114 and the sliding support portion 172. That is, a liner formed of engineering plastic such as polyacetal or polyoxymethylene may be interposed. POM materials have very good mechanical strength, wear resistance, low friction resistance and self-lubricating properties. Therefore, even when used for a long period of time, the moving frame 170 can be supported to move smoothly. Of course, it would be desirable for the guide bar 114 to be coated with lubricant such as grease.

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

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

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

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

When the door 20 is determined to be open through the sensor 40, that is, when a door open signal is generated, the motor assembly 150 is driven, and the distance between the motor assembly 150 and the moving frame 170 is increases relatively. That is, the connecting member 163 pushes the moving frame 170 and moves the moving frame 170 forward. At this time, the transmission member 171 of the moving frame 170 pushes the drawer 30 and moves the drawer 30 to the operating position. In other words, the appearance of the moving assembly 100 in the initial position shown in FIG. 7 changes to the appearance of the moving assembly 100 in the operating position shown in FIG. 7. In other words, the connecting member 163 and the moving frame 170 shown in FIG. 7 can be said to be located at the initial position, and the connecting member 163 and the moving frame 170 shown in FIG. 8 are located at the operating position. It can be said that it is. On the other hand, no change in the relative positions of the support frame 110 and the housing 161 of the motor assembly occurs. Accordingly, the moving frame 170 can be said to be capable of moving back and forth between the initial position and the operating position by driving the motor assembly 160. In addition, the moving frame 170 can be said to be connected to the drawer to apply force to the drawer in the direction in which the drawer is pulled out from the initial position to the operating position.

As will be described later, the connection between the drawer 30 and the moving frame, especially the transmission member 171, may be referred to as a jamming, and the release of this connection may be referred to as a jamming release. In particular, when the moving frame 170 is moved from the operating position to the initial position, it is preferable that the connection between the moving frame 170 and the drawer 30 be disconnected. That is, it is desirable that jamming is performed. For this reason, it is desirable not to apply force to the drawer 30 when the moving frame 170 is moved from the operating position to the initial position. In other words, the movement of the drawer 30 from the initial position to the operating position is performed by driving the electric driving unit 150, but on the contrary, the movement from the operating position to the initial position is performed by driving the electric driving unit 150. It is desirable to be unrelated to . Details about this will be described later.

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

The drawer 30 may include a basket 31 that accommodates stored material and a drawer frame 32 provided outside the basket 31. The basket 31 may be movably supported on the rail 120 through the drawer frame 32. The basket 31 and the drawer frame 32 are preferably provided to be movable as one body. The drawer frame 32 may be provided at the lower part of the basket 31. Details about the structure of the drawer 30 and the coupling structure between the drawer 30 and the rail 120 will be described later.

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

The moving frame 170 may be selectively connected to the drawer frame 32. By connecting the moving frame 170 and the drawer frame 32, the movement of the moving frame 170 can be converted into the movement of the drawer frame 32, that is, the drawer 30. Conversely, by disconnecting the moving frame 170 and the drawer frame 32, it is possible to prevent the movement of the moving frame 170 from being converted into the movement of the drawer 30.

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

As described above, the moving frame 170 can be moved forward from the initial position to the operating position. This movement of the moving frame 170 is converted into movement from the initial position of the drawer 30 to the operating position. Additionally, movement of the moving frame 170 from the initial position to the operating position may be caused by a force pushing the moving frame 170 from the rear. Therefore, it is preferable that the moving frame 170 moves the drawer 30 from the initial position to the operating position by pushing the drawer 30.

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

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

As described above, the initial position of the drawer 30 can be said to be a state in which the drawer 30 is still located inside the storage compartment. Accordingly, when using the drawer 30, the user opens the door 20 and pulls the drawer 30 so that at least part of the drawer 30 leaves the storage compartment. Accordingly, the maximum withdrawal position of the drawer 30 can be defined. In other words, the maximum withdrawal position can be said to be a position in which the drawer 30 is pulled forward as much as possible while being supported on the rail 120. This maximum withdrawal position can be preset through the rail 120. That is, the separation distance between the operating position and the maximum withdrawal position may be preset.

Basically, the drawer 30 can be movably supported between the initial position and the maximum withdrawal position through the rail 120. As described above, the drawer 30 can be automatically moved from the initial position to the operating position by driving the electric drive unit 150.

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

When the door 20 is opened, the drawer 30 can be automatically moved to the operating position so that the user can easily withdraw the drawer 30. When the user uses the drawer 30, the drawer can be further withdrawn manually from the operating position. And, when use of the drawer 30 is finished, the drawer 30 can be inserted manually. For example, the user may manually insert the drawer 30 into the operating position or near the operating position. Of course, it would also be possible to manually retract the drawer 30 to its initial position.

That is, automatic withdrawal of the drawer 30 in conjunction with the opening of the door can be performed from the initial position to the operating position, and it can be manually withdrawn from the operating position to the maximum withdrawal position.

Meanwhile, when the drawer 30 is pulled out to the operating position, the motor assembly 160 may operate to move the connecting member 163 to the initial position. Therefore, retraction of the drawer 30 can always be performed manually.

For example, the user can directly push the drawer 30 from the maximum withdrawal position to the initial position to retract it. Additionally, the user can directly push the drawer 30 from the maximum withdrawal position to the operating position and then close the door 20 to retract the drawer 30 to the initial position. At this time, it can be said that the door basket provided on the back of the door 20 pushes the drawer 30 as the door is closed. Therefore, when the user manually closes the door 20, the user must close the door by applying a force greater than that used to retract the drawer.

In the above, the mechanism between the drawer 30 and the moving assembly 100 was basically explained from the perspective of automatic withdrawal of the drawer 30. However, it is desirable to minimize the user's effort not only when withdrawing but also putting in the drawer 30.

In this embodiment, in order to provide user convenience when the drawer 30 is inserted, a refrigerator in which the drawer 30 can be automatically inserted can be provided. In particular, it is possible to provide a refrigerator in which the drawer 30 can be automatically retracted from the operating position or a position near the operating position to the initial position. In other words, just as the user's force is not required to automatically withdraw the drawer 30, the user's force can be eliminated to automatically retract the drawer 30. In addition, it is possible to prevent the door basket on the back of the door 20 from applying impact to the drawer, and there is no need for the user to apply force to insert the drawer other than the force to close the door 20.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Specifically, in the elastic section, the drawer 30 is automatically pulled forward by the operation of the electric drive unit 150. In other words, it is drawn out to the operating position. As the drawer 30 is pulled out, the second locking member 34 provided on the drawer 30 pushes the hanging member 181. The hook member 181 moves forward together with the second lock member 34, and the spring may be elastically deformed accordingly. In one example, the spring may be tensioned. The elastic restoring force generated at this time causes the drawer 30 to be automatically retracted.

More specifically, by operating the electric drive unit 150, the drawer 30 can overcome the elastic force of the drawer holder 180 and be automatically pulled out. As described above, when the force pushing the drawer 30 through the electric drive unit 150 is removed, an elastic restoring force by the drawer holder 180 is applied to the drawer 30. Accordingly, the hook member 181 pulls the second lock member 34 of the drawer by the elastic restoring force. Accordingly, even if the user does not apply additional force to retract the drawer 30, the drawer 30 can be retracted automatically.

Accordingly, while the transmission member 171 is provided only to push the first locking member 33, the hooking member 181 is pulled by the second locking member 34 and holds the second locking member 34. It can be said that it is equipped to pull. That is, the hanging member 181 is pulled by the second locking member 34 when the drawer 30 is pulled out, and the second locking member 34 is pulled when the drawer 30 is pulled in. It gets pulled. In other words, it is preferable that the hook member 181 and the second lock member 34 are always connected to each other when the drawer 30 is pulled in and out in the elastic section. Therefore, when inserting the drawer, automatic insertion rather than manual insertion is possible, allowing the user to operate the drawer very conveniently. Of course, it is preferable that the automatic retraction of the drawer 30 is performed from the operation position or near the operation position to the initial position rather than in the section from the maximum withdrawal position to the initial position described above.

Hereinafter, the automatic retraction mechanism of the drawer by the drawer holder 180 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 10.

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

Figure 10 shows an example in which the elastic section starts further forward than the initial position and ends further forward than the operating position.

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

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

In Figure 10, for convenience, one hanging member 181 is shown positioned at the elastic starting position and the operating position, respectively. And, for convenience, one transmission member 181 is shown positioned at the initial position and the operating position, respectively. It can be seen that the transmission member 181 is biased to the left of the slit 113 in the initial position, and to the right of the slit 113 in the operating position.

When the second locking member 34 moves forward from the initial position and reaches the elastic starting position, the second locking member 34 is connected to the hooking member 181. The elastic starting position can be preset between the initial position and the operating position, which is determined by the shape of the slots 183 and 184 formed in the housing 182 of the drawer holder 180 and the hanging member 181. This can be performed by varying the connection relationships.

For example, if the separation distance between the initial position and the operating position is 120 mm, the elastic start position can be set to be 30 mm forward from the initial position.

Since the coupling between the second locking member 34 and the hanging member 181 is released until the drawer reaches the elastic starting position from the initial position, the spring of the drawer holder 180 is not elastically deformed. And, as the drawer reaches the elastic starting position and is further pulled out, the hanging member 181 moves forward and elastically deforms the spring. And, as the drawer moves further forward and reaches the operating position, the elastic variation further increases. That is, the second locking member 34 is hung on the hooking member 181 shown on the right side of FIG. 10, and the drawer 30 is in the operating position.

As shown, it can be seen that the drawer holder 180 applies force to retract the drawer 30 at the operating position of the drawer 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the operation of the electric drive unit 150 can be controlled to be maintained (for example, driven clockwise) at the operating position. That is, it is preferable that the electric drive unit 150 maintains an operating state so as to always push the drawer 20 when the door 20 is open. In other words, the driving of the motor assembly 160 is maintained while the door is maintained, and the moving frame 170 can be controlled to maintain the operating position. Of course, as will be described later, when the closing of the door 20 is sensed, the motor assembly 160 may be reverse driven (for example, driven counterclockwise) to return the moving frame 170 to its initial position.

Meanwhile, maintaining the operation of the electric drive unit 150 while the drawer 30 is in the operating position may cause overload of the electric drive unit 150. This is because the connecting member 163 cannot move forward any longer, so the motor spins. Accordingly, the electric drive unit 150 can move the drawer 30 to the operating position, maintain operation for a predetermined time, and then return the moving frame 170 to the initial position by reverse driving. The predetermined time can be determined by considering the time it takes for the user to select a specific drawer and retrieve the specific drawer. For example, the electric drive unit 150 may be controlled to move the moving frame 170 to the operating position, maintain the operating position for approximately 5 seconds, and then drive back.

As described above, it is preferable that the drawer 20 is automatically withdrawn by the electric drive unit 150 from the initial position to the operating position. Therefore, withdrawal from the operating position to the maximum withdrawal position can be performed manually. That is, the user can directly pull the drawer 20 to withdraw it.

When withdrawing the drawer 20 from the operating position to the maximum withdrawal position, the drawer holder 180 may be elastically deformed in a direction that prevents withdrawal. Therefore, it is desirable to disconnect the drawer holder 180 and the drawer 30 during manual withdrawal.

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

The first inclined slot 185 is located in front of the slot 184. If the user pulls the drawer 30 forward a little further from the operating position, the hanging member 181 may be restrained in the first inclined slot 185. At this time, the hanging member 181 rotates so that the coupling between the hanging member 181 and the second locking member 34 is released. And, the position at which the coupling between the hanging member 181 and the second locking member 34 is released can be referred to as the elastic end position. Therefore, the elastic start position in this embodiment can be said to be in front of the initial position, and similarly, the elastic end position can be said to be in front of the operating position.

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

According to this embodiment, as described above, the moving frame 170 can maintain the operating position while the door is open. Accordingly, with the door open, the user can withdraw the drawer and then manually insert the drawer 30 into the operating position.

At this time, the user may not bring the drawer 30 into the operating position. However, as described above, in this embodiment, the distance between the elastic end position and the operating position is relatively very short. Accordingly, as the door is closed, the door may push the drawer 30. That is, the drawer 30 can be pushed to allow the second locking member 34 to be reconnected to the hanging member 181. When the door is closed, the moving frame 170 returns to its initial position, so the force pulling out the drawer 30 is removed. Therefore, the hanging member 181 pulls the second hanging member 34 by the elastic restoring force of the drawer holder 180, allowing the drawer 30 to automatically return to its initial position. .

Unlike what was described above, the elastic start position and the initial position can be made to be the same. However, in this case, an impact may be applied to the drawer 30 when it returns to its initial position. In this case, because the elastic displacement of the spring becomes relatively large (i.e., the elastic section becomes large), the elastic restoring force of the spring may decrease over time.

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

The initial return speed is related to the closing speed of the door. For example, if the door closes very quickly, but the initial return speed of the drawer is slower than the closing speed of the door, the drawer may be impacted by the door. Conversely, if the final return speed is fast, a large impact may be applied to the rail 120 by the drawer 20, as described above. Therefore, it is desirable for the drawer to return quickly at the beginning and then return smoothly and slowly at the end. In other words, it is desirable to allow the drawer to return by inertia in the final stage.

Meanwhile, when the drawer 30 is withdrawn, the second locking member 34 is connected to the hanging member 181 at the elastic starting position, and conversely, when the drawer 30 is retracted, the second locking member 34 is connected to the elastic starting position. The connection between the second locking member 34 and the hooking member 181 is released. This can be performed in the same manner as the structure in the elastic end position described above. A second inclined slot 186 is formed at the rear end of the upper slot 183 to allow the hanging member 181 to rotate at the elastic starting position. If the hook member 181 in the above-described first inclined slot is rotated counterclockwise and disconnected, the hook member 181 in the second inclined slot 186 is rotated clockwise and disconnected. can do.

According to the above-described embodiment, the drawer can be automatically withdrawn and automatically retracted in the following order.

1) When the door is closed, the drawers are in their initial positions.

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

3) The user can further withdraw the drawer manually from the drawer's operating position.

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

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

Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the door is opened, the drawer can be automatically pulled out to an operating position where the user can easily withdraw the drawer. As the door is closed in the operating position, the door may push the drawer to be retracted to the initial position, and the drawer may be automatically retracted to the initial position using elastic restoring force.

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

Figure 11(a) shows the drawer holder 180 and the drawer 30 disconnected from the initial position of the drawer.

When a door open signal is generated, the electric drive unit operates and moves the drawer to the operating position. FIG. 10(b) shows the point at which the drawer holder 180 and the drawer 30 are connected while the drawer is moving from the initial position to the operating position. This position can be referred to as the elastic starting position as described above.

From the initial position to the elastic start position, no reaction force is applied except for the frictional force of the rail 120, which can be practically ignored. In other words, no force is generated that interferes with the withdrawal of the drawer. Therefore, it is possible to prevent overload of the electric drive unit during initial operation of the electric drive unit. And, from the elastic start position, the spring of the drawer holder 180 is elastically deformed. For example, the elastic start position may be set to a position spaced 30 mm forward from the initial position.

As the drawer leaves the elastic starting position and moves further forward, the spring of the drawer holder continues to elastically deform.

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

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

In the above-described embodiment, it has been explained that the operating position is between FIGS. 10(c) and 10(d). Therefore, the user must manually withdraw the drawer from the operating position to the elastic end position, and at this time, the user must overcome the elastic restoring force of the drawer holder spring for a very short distance. The user can manually withdraw the drawer further from the drawer's elastic end position. At this time, the user overcomes the elastic restoring force and does not pull out the drawer.

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

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

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

In the above, an embodiment for automatic withdrawal of a drawer and an embodiment for automatic retraction of a drawer have been described in detail. Specifically, an embodiment in which the drawer is provided with at least two locking members 33 and 34 for automatic withdrawal and automatic retraction of the drawer was described in detail.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12, another embodiment that can implement automatic withdrawal and automatic retraction of the drawer through one locking member will be described in detail. The basic mechanism or configuration may be similar or applied in the same way as the above-described embodiment. Accordingly, features different from the above-described embodiments will be described in detail.

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

In addition, the drawer holder 180 may be provided in this embodiment as well. The drawer holder may also be mounted on one side wall of the storage compartment. The drawer holder 180 may be the same drawer holder as in the above-described embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the drawer holder 180 may be provided so that the hanging member 181 protrudes laterally rather than protruding downward or upward. In other words, the hanging member 181 may be provided to protrude toward the drawer 20.

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

However, the locking member 33 can be said to be moved forward by the transmission member 171 provided on the moving frame 170. In other words, it can be said that the locking member 36 in this embodiment corresponds to the first locking member 33 in the above-described embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, it can be said that one locking member 36 is connected to the drawer holder 180 and the moving frame 170.

Specifically, the transmission member 171 provided on the moving frame 170 may be provided to push the hanging member 181 of the drawer holder 180. That is, the transmission member 171 pushes the hanging member 181 connected to the locking member 36 and consequently pushes the locking member 36. In other words, the transmission member 171 may be provided to push the hanging member 181 from a rear side of the hanging member 181 protruding in the drawer direction.

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

The rollers 176 may be formed at two locations at the top and at two locations at the bottom of the moving frame. Therefore, the moving frame can be moved stably with four support points. Of course, the roller 176 may be provided to roll on one side wall of the storage compartment.

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

The moving frame 170 may be formed in a plate shape, and a plurality of slits 175 may be formed to reduce weight. In addition, when the moving frame 170 is provided to move three drawers arranged vertically, three transmission members 171 must also be provided. At this time, two transmission members 171 may be provided at the top and bottom of the moving frame 170. And, the intermediate transmission member 171 may be formed through the slit 175. Specifically, it may be formed through a slit 177 formed in the middle. In other words, the part of the slit 177 where no slit is formed can be said to be an intermediate transmission member.

Hereinafter, the drawer capable of automatic withdrawal and automatic retraction described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18. The drawer described may also be applied to general manual withdrawal and manual retraction drawers.

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

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

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

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

The basket 31 may include an upper basket 31a and a lower basket 31b. The lower basket 31b may be inserted into the opening 38a, and the upper basket 31a may be seated on the seating portion 38. Additionally, the upper basket 31a and the lower basket 31b may be formed as one piece.

The rail coupling portion 37 may be provided to extend forward and backward on both left and right sides of the drawer frame 32. It is desirable that the rail coupling portion 37 and the rail are hidden from the user's view as much as possible.

For this purpose, the upper basket is preferably formed to have a larger left and right width than the lower basket so as to cover the rail coupling portion 37 from the top. Additionally, the drawer frame 32 may include a drawer decoration 39. The drawer decoration may be provided in the front of the drawer frame 32. In particular, the drawer decoration 39 may be provided to extend left and right from the front lower part of the basket 31. That is, it may be provided to cover the rail coupling portion 37 in front of the drawer 30.

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

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

The locking member 34 coupled with the drawer holder is provided for automatic retraction. Therefore, in cases where automatic retraction is not required, the locking member 34 can be omitted. Therefore, unlike the locking member 33 formed integrally with the drawer frame 32, the locking member 34 is preferably provided to be detachable from the drawer frame.

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

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

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

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

A locking portion 125 may be formed at the rear end of the moving rail 121. The locking portion 125 may be formed so that the rear end of the rail coupling portion 37 is inserted. Accordingly, when the rail coupling portion 37 is inserted into the locking portion 125, backward movement and upward movement at the rear end of the rail coupling portion 37 may be restricted.

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

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

A cutout portion 127 may be formed between the elastic protrusion support portion 126b and the mounting portion 126b. Additionally, the elastic protrusion 128 may be formed in a bent shape on the elastic protrusion support portion 126b. Accordingly, the elastic protrusion 128 may be elastically deformed relative to the elastic protrusion support portion 126b through the cutout 9127.

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

Meanwhile, the rail 120 may include a fixed rail 122. The fixed rail 122 supports the fixed rail 122 so that it can slide at the lower part of the movable rail 121.

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

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

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

In order to couple the drawer frame 32 to the rail 120, the user places the drawer frame 32 with the front of the drawer up and the back of the drawer down as shown in FIG. 17. It can be moved backwards. At this time, the rear end of the rail coupling portion 37 is inserted and caught in the locking portion 125 provided on the rail.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The driving direction of the motor 162, the duty ratio applied to the motor, and the driving and stopping of the motor can be controlled through the motor control unit 160.

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

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

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the motor assembly 160 may be provided with a magnet 168. The magnet 168 may be provided to move within the housing 161 according to the movement of the connecting member 163. Accordingly, when the first Hall sensor 166 recognizes the magnet 168, it can be known that the transmission member is in its initial position. And, when the second Hall sensor 167 recognizes the magnet 168, it can be seen that the transmission member is in an operating position.

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

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

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

Meanwhile, the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a door switch 50. The door switch 50 may have a configuration commonly used in refrigerators. When the door switch 50 detects the door being opened, the lighting device 60 that illuminates the storage room may be activated. Here, the door switch 50 can be said to be provided separately from the sensor 40. In other words, it can be said that it is basically a configuration provided only for controlling the lighting device 60. For example, the door switch 50 may determine that the door is open at a relatively small opening angle and enable the lighting device 60 to operate. Basically, it can be said to be a configuration that can detect the loss of adhesion between the door and the cabinet as the door is opened.

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

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

First, the initial step (S10) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 20. The initial stage can be said to be the stage in which the motor 162 is first driven when power is applied to the refrigerator. In other words, this can be said to be a step in which the motor 162 performs initial driving to move the transmission member to the initial position to initialize the electric drawer system.

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

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

Additionally, the operation of the motor may be controlled to stop when the operation time elapses for a predetermined period of time. For example, the predetermined time may be 5 seconds. Here, the predetermined time may be set to be greater than the maximum allowable motor operation time in consideration of margin. Therefore, it can be said that the operation of the motor is normally performed until an on signal is generated from the first Hall sensor 166 before the predetermined time is reached.

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

Here, it is normal for the on signal of the second Hall sensor 167 to be generated at the operating position of the transmission member 171, not at the initial position. Therefore, it can be said that the occurrence of the on signal of the second Hall sensor 167 in the initial stage (S10) is an abnormality occurring in the entire electric drawer system including the Hall sensors.

In addition, if the motor operates for more than a certain period of time, it can be said that an abnormality has occurred in the entire electric drawer system, as described above. This is because the load caused by the drawer is not applied to the motor 162 when the transmission member returns to its initial position.

Meanwhile, when an error occurs, a notification step (S100) may be performed as shown in FIG. 21. In the notification step (S100), the presence of an error is determined again (S110), and at this time, it is possible to determine which drawer the error occurred in. That is, when electric drawers are installed in both freezers, it is determined whether the error is in the left drawer or the right drawer. In the case of an error in the electric drawer, a step (S120) of displaying the error may be performed. At this time, an error code may be displayed on the display.

Then, after displaying an error or determining that it is not an error, the device switches to a standby state (S200). The standby state (S200) can be said to be a state in which driving of the motor is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 22, in the standby state (S200), determination steps (S210 and S220) may be performed to determine conditions for automatically withdrawing the drawer. The condition for automatic withdrawal of the drawer can be said to be detection of the door opening through the sensor 40. Specifically, when the reed switch 41 detects the opening of the door (S210), the above condition can be considered satisfied.

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

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

And, if the opening of the door is detected through the sensor 40 and the door opening through the door switch 50 is not detected, it is possible to determine whether there is an error in the sensor 40 (S230) and display the corresponding error on the display. there is. After this, it can be switched to the standby state (S200).

In the withdrawal step (S300), the motor 162 must operate to push the drawer 30 forward. Therefore, a relatively large load is applied to the motor 162 during the withdrawal step. In particular, if there are many items stored in the drawer 30, a greater load is applied. Therefore, in the withdrawal step (S300), it is preferable that the motor is controlled to generate a large output depending on the load. That is, it is desirable to control the duty ratio to increase as the load increases.

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

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

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

In other words, the larger the calculated FG, the larger the load is judged to be, and the output of the motor is increased.

The motor withdrawal drive step (S320) may be performed until a signal from the second Hall sensor 167 is generated. Additionally, the motor withdrawal driving step (S320) may be performed until a preset time is reached. For example, the preset time may be 3 seconds.

Meanwhile, during the motor withdrawal drive step (S320), a failure may occur that prevents the drawer from being pulled out. That is, a very heavy object may be blocking the front of the drawer, or foreign matter may intrude into the rail 120, preventing the movable rail 121 from moving. Therefore, in this case, if the motor continues to drive clockwise, a large load may be generated on the motor. That is, the motor may be damaged. Therefore, when a failure occurs, it is preferable that the motor driving step is no longer continued and the recovery step (S500) is performed.

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

The obstacle determination step (S350) may be performed during the driving phase of the motor, and the obstacle determination step (S350) is preferably performed when the FG calculation cycle reaches a predetermined number of times. For example, the obstacle determination step (S350) may be performed starting from the fourth FG calculation. In other words, for example, the FG calculation up to the 3rd time may be excluded from the obstacle determination. This is because a relatively large load may be generated on the motor due to the static friction force at the beginning of the motor's pull-out drive stage. Accordingly, the obstacle determination step (S350) is performed starting from a predetermined number of times, and this can be performed until the pull-out driving step (S320) of the motor is completed.

If the FG calculated in the determination step (S350) is greater than the preset obstacle FG, it is determined that there is no obstacle, and the motor pull-out driving step can continue. However, if the calculated FG is equal to or smaller than the preset obstacle FG, it may be determined that an obstacle exists. In other words, it may be determined that the motor cannot be driven normally because the motor is overloaded due to the obstacle. Accordingly, if it is determined that an obstacle exists, the driving of the motor is terminated and a return step (S500) is performed.

Meanwhile, when it is determined that there is no obstacle and the pull-out drive of the motor is terminated, a step (S340) of determining whether there is an error may be performed. It may be determined whether the predetermined time, for example, 3 seconds or more, was taken until the withdrawal operation of the motor was completed. The above predetermined time can also be considered the maximum allowable time, and anything that takes more than 3 seconds can be judged as an error. Additionally, even when an on signal is generated from the first Hall sensor 166, it may be determined to be an error. When the motor take-out drive step (S340) ends, that is, the take-out step (S300) ends, the stop step (S400) may be performed.

As shown in FIG. 24, the stopping step (S400) is not a step of stopping the driving of the motor. In other words, it can be said to be a step to stop drawer withdrawal. In other words, the pull-out drive step of the motor is a step of moving the transmission member forward, and the transmission member is determined to move to the operating position through the second Hall sensor 167, and the forward movement of the transmission member is stopped. do. In other words, the step in which the forward movement of the transmission member is stopped can be referred to as the stop step (S400).

As described above, in the withdrawal step (S300), the motor is driven clockwise. Likewise, clockwise driving of the motor may be maintained even in the stop step (S400). However, since the drawer is not pushed in the stop step (S400), the motor can be driven with minimal output.

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

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

In the stopping step (S400), the user can push the drawer 30 in the retracting direction. In this case, it is desirable to perform the return step (S500) even during the stop step. To this end, the step (S410) of calculating FG may be performed even in the stop step (S400). Then, a step (S440) of determining whether the user pushed the drawer in the retracting direction may be performed based on the calculated FG. For example, if the calculated FG is smaller than the predetermined FG, it may be determined that the user pushed the drawer.

In this case as well, it is preferable that the determination step (S440) is performed after a predetermined number of FG calculations have elapsed.

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

As shown in FIG. 25, the return step (S500) includes stopping the driving of the motor (S510). That is, a step of temporarily stopping the driving of the motor may be performed to change the driving direction of the motor. The motor may be a BLDC (Blushless DC) motor, and at this time, a brake input may be applied to the motor to stop driving. The step (S510) may be performed for 10 ms, for example. Through this step (S510), it is possible to prevent shock from being applied to the motor itself due to a sudden change in the rotation direction of the motor.

Meanwhile, the return step (S500) may be performed similarly to the initial step (S50) described above.

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

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

Here, the duty ratio in the return step (S500) is preferably greater than the duty ratio in the initial step (S10). However, if the FG detected in the withdrawal stage, that is, the total FG, is less than the predetermined FG, the motor may be driven at the same duty ratio as in the initial stage (S10). That is, in this case, obstacles are substantially excluded from the forward or reverse drive of the motor. Therefore, even if a relatively small duty ratio is applied, the transmission member can be returned smoothly.

Meanwhile, when the door is suddenly closed, the drawer at the operating position may collide with the basket of the door. Therefore, it is preferable that the drawer emergency return step is performed. For example, if the door is suddenly closed while the drawer is being pulled out, the drawer may be pulled out but the door is closed, causing the drawer and the door to collide.

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

That is, it is preferable that the step (S700) of causing the drawer to make an emergency return is performed while the above-described drawing step (S300) and stopping step (S400) are performed. Of course, this emergency return step does not need to be performed when the drawer is located in the initial position.

Accordingly, first, a step of determining emergency return conditions (S600) may be performed, and if the emergency return conditions are satisfied, an emergency return step (S700) may be performed.

As described above, the emergency return condition can be said to be satisfied during the withdrawal step or stop step, and the sensor 40 detects that the door is closed. In other words, it can be said that the reed switch 41 detects the closing of the door.

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

Meanwhile, when starting the emergency recovery phase, the motor may be driven clockwise. Therefore, it is also desirable to stop driving the motor for a predetermined period of time, for example, 10 ms, and then drive the motor in a counterclockwise direction.

Through the above-described control method, the load applied to the motor can be minimized. Additionally, when a large load is applied to the motor due to an obstacle, the motor can perform a return step or an emergency return step to prevent a large load from continuously being applied to the motor.

10: cabinet 20: door
30: Drawer 31: Basket
32: Drawer frame 40: Sensor
41: Reed switch 42: Magnet
100: moving assembly 110: support frame
120: Rail 150: Electric driving unit
160: motor assembly 170: moving frame
180: Drawer holder

Claims (18)

Cabinet with formed storage space;
a support frame forming a side of the storage space;
A rail mounted on the support frame;
a drawer that moves linearly on a path including a first position and a second position using the rail; and
A drawer holder that returns the drawer from the second position to the first position through elastic restoring force,
The rail is,
A rail bracket mounted on the support frame;
A fixed rail coupled to the rail bracket;
A moving rail that moves linearly above the fixed rail; and
It includes a locking portion formed on the moving rail,
The drawer is,
A drawer frame coupled to the locking portion;
A rail coupling portion formed on the drawer frame and seated on the upper surface of the moving rail;
a locking member protruding from the drawer frame toward the support frame;
Includes a basket detachably mounted on the upper part of the drawer frame,
The drawer holder is,
A housing formed with a slot and including a spring therein;
It includes a hook portion that is selectively coupled to the hook member of the drawer frame to generate elastic deformation and restoration of the spring,
The hook part,
When the drawer is further drawn forward to the second position, the engagement with the locking member is released,
When the drawer returns to the second position, the refrigerator is reengaged with the locking member. delete According to claim 1,
The hook part,
a first protrusion configured to be pulled by the locking member; and
A refrigerator, comprising a second protrusion configured to pull the locking member. According to claim 3,
The hook part,
When the drawer moves from the first position to the second position, the first protrusion is pulled by the locking member,
A refrigerator configured to pull the locking member through the second protrusion when the drawer moves from the second position to the first position. According to claim 1,
The drawer holder is,
A refrigerator further comprising an inclined slot formed in the housing. According to claim 5,
When the drawer is further pulled out to the front of the second position, the hanging portion is configured to be restrained in the inclined slot. According to claim 6,
When the hanger is restrained in the inclined slot, the combination of the hanger and the locking member is released through rotation due to the inclination of the inclined slot. Cabinet with formed storage space;
a support frame forming a side of the storage space;
A rail mounted on the support frame;
a drawer that moves linearly on a path including a first position and a second position using the rail; and
A drawer holder that returns the drawer from the second position to the first position through elastic restoring force,
The rail is,
A rail bracket mounted on the support frame;
A fixed rail coupled to the rail bracket;
A moving rail that moves linearly above the fixed rail; and
It includes a locking portion formed on the moving rail,
The drawer is,
A drawer frame coupled to the locking portion;
A rail coupling portion formed on the drawer frame and seated on the upper surface of the moving rail;
a locking member protruding from the drawer frame toward the support frame;
Includes a basket detachably mounted on the upper part of the drawer frame,
The drawer holder is,
A housing formed with a slot and including a spring therein;
It includes a hook portion that is selectively coupled to the hook member of the drawer frame to generate elastic deformation and restoration of the spring,
The refrigerator, wherein the locking portion of the rail is formed so that one end of the rail coupling portion of the drawer is inserted. According to claim 8,
An elastic protrusion is formed on the other end of the moving rail,
A refrigerator wherein a mounting hole into which the elastic protrusion is inserted is formed at the other end of the rail coupling portion. According to clause 9,
The moving rail further includes an elastic protrusion bracket for forming the elastic protrusion. According to claim 10,
A refrigerator including a mounting part on one side of the elastic protrusion bracket, and an elastic protrusion support part on the other side of the elastic protrusion bracket. According to claim 10,
When installing the drawer,
When the drawer frame is moved rearward with one side of the drawer tilted downward, one side of the rail coupling portion is configured to be inserted into the locking portion of the rail. According to claim 12,
When installing the drawer,
The refrigerator is configured to lower the other side of the drawer downward so that the drawer frame is fixed to the moving rail by the locking portion and the elastic protrusion. Cabinet with formed storage space;
a support frame forming a side of the storage space;
A rail mounted on the support frame;
a drawer that moves linearly on a path including a first position and a second position using the rail; and
A drawer holder that returns the drawer from the second position to the first position through elastic restoring force,
The rail is,
A rail bracket mounted on the support frame;
A fixed rail coupled to the rail bracket;
A moving rail that moves linearly above the fixed rail; and
It includes a locking portion formed on the moving rail,
The drawer is,
A drawer frame coupled to the locking portion;
A rail coupling portion formed on the drawer frame and seated on the upper surface of the moving rail;
a locking member protruding from the drawer frame toward the support frame;
Includes a basket detachably mounted on the upper part of the drawer frame,
The drawer holder is,
A housing formed with a slot and including a spring therein;
It includes a hook portion that is selectively coupled to the hook member of the drawer frame to generate elastic deformation and restoration of the spring,
A refrigerator, wherein the basket includes an upper basket and a lower basket and is formed as one piece. According to claim 14,
A refrigerator, wherein the space formed by the upper basket is wider than the space formed by the lower basket. According to claim 14,
The drawer holder is disposed in a space between the upper basket and the support frame. Cabinet with formed storage space;
a support frame forming a side of the storage space;
A rail mounted on the support frame;
a drawer that moves linearly on a path including a first position and a second position using the rail; and
A drawer holder that returns the drawer from the second position to the first position through elastic restoring force,
The rail is,
A rail bracket mounted on the support frame;
A fixed rail coupled to the rail bracket;
A moving rail that moves linearly above the fixed rail; and
It includes a locking portion formed on the moving rail,
The drawer is,
A drawer frame coupled to the locking portion;
A rail coupling portion formed on the drawer frame and seated on the upper surface of the moving rail;
a locking member protruding from the drawer frame toward the support frame;
Includes a basket detachably mounted on the upper part of the drawer frame,
The drawer holder is,
A housing formed with a slot and including a spring therein;
It includes a hook portion that is selectively coupled to the hook member of the drawer frame to generate elastic deformation and restoration of the spring,
A refrigerator, wherein the drawer frame is detachably mounted on a lower portion of a basket seating portion that forms a perimeter of the basket. Cabinet with formed storage space;
a support frame forming a side of the storage space;
A rail mounted on the support frame;
a drawer that moves linearly on a path including a first position and a second position using the rail; and
A drawer holder that returns the drawer from the second position to the first position through elastic restoring force,
The rail is,
A rail bracket mounted on the support frame;
A fixed rail coupled to the rail bracket;
A moving rail that moves linearly above the fixed rail; and
It includes a locking portion formed on the moving rail,
The drawer is,
A drawer frame coupled to the locking portion;
A rail coupling portion formed on the drawer frame and seated on the upper surface of the moving rail;
a locking member protruding from the drawer frame toward the support frame;
Includes a basket detachably mounted on the upper part of the drawer frame,
The drawer holder is,
A housing formed with a slot and including a spring therein;
It includes a hook portion that is selectively coupled to the hook member of the drawer frame to generate elastic deformation and restoration of the spring,
A refrigerator, wherein the drawer frame is movably disposed on both lower sides of the drawer frame while the moving rails support a load.

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