KR20010077231A - Device for adjusting mounting angle of liquid crystal display in refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus is provided to achieve an improved use convenience and allow users to enjoy clear screen by allowing users to adjust installation angle of an LCD. CONSTITUTION: An apparatus comprises a liquid crystal display(10) arranged at the front surface of the refrigerator door in a manner as to be rotatable centering from a hinge axis; a motor(30) arranged at the rear surface of the refrigerator door; and a motion converting unit coupled between the liquid crystal display and the motor so as to convert the rotating motion of the motor into a linear motion. The motion converting unit includes a driving gear(40) coupled to the shaft of the motor; and a converting gear(50) engaged with the driving gear, and which converts the rotating motion of the motor into a linear motion. The driving gear and the converting gear are installed in such a manner that shafts of gears are arranged to be parallel or perpendicular with each other.

Description

Device for adjusting mounting angle of liquid crystal display in refrigerator

The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the installation angle of a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly, a liquid crystal display that can improve the convenience of use by adjusting the installation angle of the liquid crystal display device, that is, the inclination angle of the liquid crystal display device with respect to the door of the refrigerator. The installation angle adjustment device of the appliance.

Display devices used as output devices in computers and the like include a brown tube using an electron gun, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a plasma display panel (PDP). In addition, in recent years, not only computers but also various electronic products such as refrigerators and cooking appliances are equipped with image display devices, so that information on electronic products or other information may be displayed.

By the way, CRT is the most widely used image display device up to now, but there is a limit in reducing the thickness, and in recent years, the use of thinner liquid crystal display devices is increasing. In particular, it is essential to use a video display device having a thin thickness, such as a liquid crystal display device, for the image display device used in electronic products due to the limitation of installation conditions.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, recently, a liquid crystal display device 10 is installed in a door 5 of a refrigerator 1, and various types of information such as an operation state of a refrigerator are provided in the liquid crystal display device 10. The refrigerator 1 which displays the to a user is proposed.

However, conventional liquid crystal display devices installed in electronic products such as refrigerators have had the following problems.

First, in the related art, the installation angle of the liquid crystal display device 10 cannot be adjusted according to the user's convenience. However, in some cases, it is difficult for the liquid crystal display device 10 to identify the screen according to the angle at which the user views the liquid crystal display device 10. This is because the liquid crystal display device 10 is thin, but only when viewed at an angle perpendicular to the screen, the clearest screen can be seen.

In order to solve this problem, the liquid crystal display device 10 may be installed in accordance with the user's field of view, but it is impossible to make it suitable for the field of view of all users having different physical conditions. In addition, depending on the electronic product in which the liquid crystal display device 10 is installed, the installation position of the liquid crystal display device 10 is often limited.

Second, when installing an input device together with a liquid crystal display device as an output device in an electronic product, a touch panel is generally used due to an installation position and a space constraint. In this case, since the touch panel is usually installed on the upper surface of the liquid crystal display device 10, there is a problem in that ease of use is reduced similarly to the above description if the installation angle of the liquid crystal display device 10 cannot be adjusted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an installation angle adjusting device of a liquid crystal display device which can arbitrarily adjust the installation angle of the liquid crystal display device so that a user can see the clearest screen.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an installation angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device which can adjust the installation angle of the liquid crystal display device in order to maximize the convenience of use.

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional refrigerator equipped with a liquid crystal display device

2 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator to which a first embodiment of an installation angle adjusting device of a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention is applied;

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a second embodiment of the installation angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention.

5 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator to which a second embodiment of an installation angle adjusting device of a liquid crystal display according to the present invention is applied.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A of FIG.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a third embodiment of the installation angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

1: refrigerator 10: liquid crystal display device

7: operation switch 12: hinge shaft

30: motor 40: drive gear

50: conversion gear 60: guide member

70: link

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a liquid crystal display device rotatably installed by a hinge shaft on the front of the refrigerator door, a motor installed on the rear of the door, between the liquid crystal display device and the motor. It is coupled to provide an installation angle control device for a liquid crystal display device for a refrigerator comprising a motion conversion means for converting the rotational motion of the motor into a linear motion.

The motion converting means includes a driving gear coupled to the shaft of the motor; It is composed of a conversion gear that is bitten by the driving gear to convert the rotational movement of the motor into a linear movement.

Here, the axes of the drive gear and the conversion gear may be parallel to each other, but are preferably at right angles.

In addition, the conversion gear is installed in the vertical direction, it is preferable that the auxiliary motion conversion means is provided between the conversion gear and the liquid crystal display device.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the installation angle of the liquid crystal display device can be adjusted.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the installation angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention.

In the present embodiment, for convenience of description, an installation angle adjusting device of a liquid crystal display device for a refrigerator used in a refrigerator will be described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be used for other electronic products.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator to which a first embodiment of an installation angle adjusting device of a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG. A first embodiment of the installation angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to this.

A liquid crystal display device 10 is rotatably installed on the front of the refrigerator door 5, and an installation angle control device of the liquid crystal display device is mounted to the rear of the liquid crystal display device 10.

In detail, the predetermined position of the door 5 is cut to form a space portion 5a, and the liquid crystal display device 10 is installed in the space portion 5a so as to be rotatable about a hinge axis 12. The installation angle adjusting device is installed at the rear of the liquid crystal display device 10, and the operation switch 7 for adjusting the angle of the liquid crystal display device 10 is installed at the door 5.

In addition, the rear cover of the installation angle adjusting device is preferably provided with a liquid crystal display device 10 and a cover 3 for blocking the installation angle adjusting device from the inside of the refrigerator.

On the other hand, the locking portion 5b is formed on the upper side of the space portion 5a of the door 5. By forming the locking portion 5b, it is possible to prevent the upper end of the liquid crystal display device 10 from being caught by the door 5 when the liquid crystal display device 10 is rotated. It also serves to prevent the display device 10 from rotating above a predetermined angle.

Referring to the installation angle control device, the installation angle control device is connected between the motor 30 for generating a rotational force, and the motor 30 and the liquid crystal display device 10 to convert the rotational motion of the motor into linear motion. It consists of a motion conversion means.

Of course, the motor 30 is controlled by a separate control circuit, the user is to control the operation of the motor 30 by using the operation switch 7 installed in the door (5). The control circuit can be implemented in a number of ways, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to the motion conversion means in detail as follows.

A drive gear, that is, a pinion 42, is coupled to the shaft of the motor 30, and the pinion 42 is bitten by a conversion gear, that is, a rack 52, which converts a rotational motion into a linear motion, and the rack 52. The tip of is connected to the liquid crystal display device 10.

Referring to the relationship between the pinion 42 and the rack 52, the axis of the pinion 42 and the axis of the rack 52 are parallel from the viewpoint of the relative position of the axes, but both axes are not coplanar. In addition, the string of the pinion 42 and the rack 52 is a straight line, ie, the shape of a spur gear.

The operation of this embodiment is described as follows.

When the user presses the operation switch 7, the signal of the operation switch 7 is transmitted to the control circuit, whereby the control circuit controls the driving of the motor 30. That is, the motor 30 is rotated and thus the pinion 42 coupled to the motor 30 also rotates. Then, the rack 52 held by the pinion 42 is linearly moved, so that the liquid crystal display device 10 connected to the front end of the rack 52 rotates about the hinge axis 12. As a result, the liquid crystal display device 10 protrudes forward by a predetermined angle.

When the user releases the operation switch 7, the driving of the motor 30 is stopped, so that the liquid crystal display device 10 stops with a predetermined angle with respect to the door 5.

At this time, the liquid crystal display device 10 may return to its original position because the motor rotates in reverse due to its own weight or a force when the user uses the touch panel. Because the pinions 42 and the racks 52 are parallel, the pinion 42 and the motor 30 rotate in reverse when the rack 52 is retracted and the rack 52 is retracted when the LCD 10 is pushed. Because it is. In order to prevent this, it is preferable to install a brake (not shown) to prevent idling of the motor.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the installation angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention will be described. In the following embodiments, the same components as those of the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same names and the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Although the installation angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device according to the first embodiment can adjust the inclination angle of the liquid crystal display device 10, in order to fix the liquid crystal display device 10 to a predetermined position, an external force is applied when the motor is stopped. A brake is to be provided to prevent the motor from idling or the rack moving. Accordingly, the present embodiment provides an installation angle adjusting device of a liquid crystal display device capable of preventing such a phenomenon without using a brake.

Similar to the first embodiment, the drive gear 40 is coupled to the shaft of the motor 30 in this embodiment, and the drive gear 40 has a conversion gear 50 for converting rotational motion into linear motion. The tip of the conversion gear 50 is connected to the liquid crystal display device 10.

However, in this embodiment, the axis of the drive gear 40 and the conversion gear 50 crosses at approximately right angles, and it is preferable that the string of each gear is a spiral. That is, the drive gear 40 is a cylindrical gear, and the conversion gear 50 is a rack gear whose diameter of the pitch circle is close to infinity.

Since the operation of the present embodiment is also the same as the first embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

However, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the idling of the motor 30 by the external force without a brake, and thus it is possible to fix the liquid crystal display device 10 at a predetermined angle. Because, when the liquid crystal display device 10 is pushed, the conversion gear 50 connected thereto is also forced to the rear. However, since the conversion gear 50 is substantially perpendicular to the driving gear 40, the conversion gear 50 pushes the motor in the axial direction against the driving gear 40 and does not push in the rotation radius direction. This is because the motor 30 does not idle.

5 to 7, a more preferred embodiment of the second embodiment will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable that at least one conversion gear 50 is held in the driving gear 40. This is because, by doing so, the force distribution becomes uniform compared to the case of using one conversion gear 50, and the movement is smooth. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the tooth forming portion 54 of the conversion gear 50 preferably has the same curvature as that of the driving gear 40.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the conversion gear 50 is preferably guided by a linear motion by the guide member (60). In detail, a support 56 having a substantially “T” -shaped cross section is formed on the rear surface of the conversion gear 50, that is, on the opposite side of the teeth forming portion 54, and the support member 60 is provided on the support member 56. A guide 66 having a corresponding "T" shaped cross section is formed.

In addition, it is preferable that a locking jaw 68 is formed at the tip of the guide member 60, and a protrusion 58 corresponding to the locking jaw 68 is formed at the tip of the conversion gear 50. The reason for this is that, when the conversion gear 50 is protruded to the maximum, the projection 58 is caught by the locking jaw 58, and the liquid crystal display device 10 is at a predetermined angle or more because it does not proceed any further. This is because it can be prevented easily and efficiently.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7, it is preferable to install a motor 30 in the drive gear 40 in the axial direction to cut a portion of the inside in terms of space use. At this time, the shaft 32 of the motor 30 is preferably coupled to the drive gear 40 by an O-ring (34).

Next, referring to FIG. 8, a third embodiment of the installation angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention will be described.

In the above-described embodiment, the length of the conversion gear 50 depends on the movement angle of the liquid crystal display device 10. That is, the minimum length of the conversion gear 50 required is a horizontal distance that corresponds exactly to the moving angle of the liquid crystal display device 10. However, when mounting a liquid crystal display device in an electronic product, there are many cases where the installation space, in particular, the thickness is limited. Accordingly, the present embodiment provides an installation angle adjusting device of a liquid crystal display device that can be effectively mounted even when the installation space is limited.

A description with reference to FIG. 8 is as follows.

In the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the installation angle adjusting device is connected between the motor 30 generating the rotational force and the motor 30 and the liquid crystal display device 10 to linearly rotate the motor. It has a motion conversion means for converting to. In addition, the motion converting means is also converted for converting the rotational motion into a linear motion by being bitten by the drive gear 40 and the drive gear 40 coupled to the shaft of the motor 30 as in the second embodiment It consists of the gear 50.

However, in this embodiment, the conversion gear 50 is provided in the vertical direction. This is because, when the installation angle control device is mounted on the door 5 of the refrigerator, there is a limitation in the installation space, that is, the thickness side, but in order to use it because the limitation is relatively small in the vertical direction, the length side.

On the other hand, when the conversion gear 50 is installed in the vertical direction, the conversion gear 50 moves up and down, and thus the liquid crystal display device 10 cannot be moved in the horizontal direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the auxiliary motion converting means for converting the vertical motion of the conversion gear 50 into the horizontal motion is connected between the conversion gear 50 and the liquid crystal display device 10.

The auxiliary movement converting means has one end rotatably coupled to the front end of the conversion gear 50, and the other end has a link 70 rotatably coupled to a predetermined position of the liquid crystal display device 10, preferably the lower end. It is preferable to use.

Referring to the operation of the mounting angle adjusting device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment.

When the motor 30 rotates, the driving gear 40 rotates, and when the driving gear 40 rotates, the conversion gear 50 moves vertically, ie, downward. Then, the link 70 connected to the conversion gear 50 pushes the liquid crystal display device 10 so that the liquid crystal display device 10 protrudes a predetermined angle toward the front of the door 5. The return of the liquid crystal display device 10 is performed in the reverse of the above process.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to adjust the liquid crystal display device 10 to a predetermined angle or more even if the installation angle adjusting device is not protruded to the rear of the door (5). This is because the conversion gear 50 is vertically installed, and thus, the length of the conversion gear 50 can be increased as necessary to satisfy this requirement.

Referring to the effect of the installation angle adjustment device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention described above are as follows.

First, according to the present invention, since the user can arbitrarily adjust the installation angle of the liquid crystal display device, the user can see the clearest screen.

Secondly, when the touch panel is used as an input device, the touch panel can also be adjusted at a predetermined angle, thereby improving convenience of use.

Third, since the installation angle of the liquid crystal display device can be arbitrarily adjusted by the user, it is possible to install the liquid crystal display device at an arbitrary position of the electronic product, thereby improving the degree of freedom in design.

Claims (9)

A liquid crystal display device rotatably installed on a front surface of the refrigerator door by a hinge shaft; A motor installed at the rear of the door; And a motion conversion means coupled between the liquid crystal display and the motor to convert the rotational motion of the motor into a linear motion. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion conversion means A driving gear coupled to the shaft of the motor; And a conversion gear for converting the rotational motion of the motor into linear motion by being bitten by the driving gear. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the conversion gear is a gear whose pitch circle is infinite in diameter, and the axes of the driving gear and the changing gear are parallel to each other. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the conversion gear is a gear whose pitch circle is infinite in diameter, and the axes of the driving gear and the conversion gear are perpendicular to each other. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the conversion gear is guided by a guide member. 6. The mounting angle of the liquid crystal display device for a refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the guide member has a guide portion having a cross section having a substantially "T" shape, and a support portion corresponding to the guide portion is formed on the conversion gear. Regulator. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a protrusion is formed at a tip of the conversion gear, and a locking jaw is formed at the tip of the guide member to catch the protrusion. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the door is provided with a locking part to prevent the liquid crystal display from rotating more than a predetermined angle. A liquid crystal display device rotatably installed on a front surface of the refrigerator door by a hinge shaft; A motor installed at the rear of the door; One side is coupled to the motor, the motion conversion means for converting the rotational motion of the motor into a linear motion; And an auxiliary movement converting means installed between the motion converting means and the liquid crystal display device.