KR20080105220A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided to improve the appearance of a front surface by removing protruded handle parts from the front surface and exposing the same if necessary. A refrigerator includes a main body, doors(21,22) for opening or closing storing chambers of the main body, and handle holding units(30) mounted to the front surfaces of the doors for alternatively exposing handle parts(31). The handle holding unit has a sensing part(34) for keeping the handle part not to be exposed but exposing the same in response to an input signal for opening the door, a cover part(32) mounted to a front surface of a mounting part(21b,22b) of the door rotatively, and a first driving motor for driving the cover part to rotate.

Description

Refrigerator {REFRIGERATOR}

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a handle holding device of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a door opening device of a refrigerator according to the present invention.

4 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing a handle holding device of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a handle holding device of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: main body 11, 12: storage room

21,22: Door 30: Handle holding device

31: grip portion 32: cover portion

33: first driving motor 34: detection unit

40: door opening device 53: control unit

54 drive unit

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a structure in which the handle is not exposed on the front of the door.

In general, the refrigerator is configured to supply the cold air generated from the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle to the storage compartment to maintain the freshness of various foods for a long time. The storage compartment is opened and closed by a door, and a gasket containing a magnet is installed at an inner edge of the door that opens and closes the storage compartment so that airtightness of the storage compartment is maintained when the door is closed.

Such a refrigerator is a refrigerator having a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment arranged at the upper and lower sides thereof, a double door refrigerator having a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment arranged at the left and right sides, a refrigerator compartment arranged at the upper side, a freezer compartment disposed at the lower side, and a hinge fixed to the left and right ends to open and close the refrigerator compartment. It is divided into a so-called French type refrigerator having a refrigerator compartment door.

When the refrigerator operates with the door closed, the air in the storage compartment is cooled by heat exchange with the evaporator, and the pressure in the storage compartment becomes lower than atmospheric pressure as the air in the storage compartment is cooled and contracted. When the user tries to open the door in such a state, it is difficult to open the door because the user needs to pull the door with a force greater than the combined force generated by the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the storage compartment and the magnet. Moreover, in recent years, as the refrigerator becomes larger and the weight of the door becomes heavier, there is a problem that more power is required to open the door.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent No. 10-0425733 discloses a door opening device of the refrigerator that can easily open the door.

The refrigerator disclosed in the publication includes: a main body in which at least one cooling chamber is formed; A door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close the front opening of the cooling chamber; A linear driving unit for linearly driving a coupling position at which the drive gear is engaged with the fixed gear and a spaced position at which the driving gear is disengaged; A rotation driving unit for rotating the driving gear when the driving gear is engaged; A door opening button installed outside one of the door and the main body to input an opening signal of the door; It includes a control unit for controlling the linear drive unit and the rotary drive unit so that the door can be opened based on the signal of the door open button.

However, the refrigerator disclosed in the above publication has a problem in that the front door design is not beautiful because the door handle is always protruded on the front of the door, and when loading the refrigerator in the container, there is a problem that the quantity of loading is reduced by the protrusion of the handle. .

In addition, a configuration of opening a door by detecting an input of an open signal such as a door open button is disclosed in several prior art documents (eg, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-108604). It does not disclose a configuration in which the handle of the door operates only by opening the door.

Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a structure that can be exposed only when necessary without the gripping portion is normally exposed from the front of the door.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of automatically exposing the gripping portion when the door is opened.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a structure capable of easily opening a door.

The present invention for achieving the above object comprises a body formed with a storage compartment, a door for opening and closing the storage compartment, and a handle holding device provided on the front of the door to selectively expose the gripper.

The handle gripping apparatus may further include a cover part rotatably provided to selectively expose the gripping part, and a driving motor for driving the cover part.

In addition, the cover portion is characterized in that the sensing unit for detecting the user's door open signal is provided.

The apparatus may further include a controller for controlling the driving of the handle gripping apparatus according to the signal sensed by the sensing unit.

The apparatus may further include a door opening device for opening the door, and the control unit controls the door opening device according to a signal detected by the detection unit.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a storage compartment, a door that opens and closes the storage compartment, a sensing unit that senses a signal for opening the door, and a handle gripping apparatus that selectively exposes a gripper for a user's grip; And a controller for driving the handle holding device to expose the holding part by the door opening signal of the detecting part.

The apparatus may further include a door opening device for opening the door, and the controller may drive the door opening device according to the door opening signal of the sensing unit.

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

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 having storage compartments 11 and 12 partitioned therein and a storage compartment 11 and 12 provided in front of the main body 10. Door handle 21 and 22 for opening and closing the handle 21, the handle holding device 30 to form a front surface of the door 21, 22, the grip portion 31 is exposed so that the user can be held if necessary, and the door 21, And a door opening device 40 for easily opening 22).

The storage chambers 11 and 12 are partitioned into a first storage chamber 11 and a second storage chamber 12 by a vertical partition 13 formed vertically at the center side of the main body 10. In this case, the first storage chamber 11 formed on the left side normally functions as a freezing chamber and the second storage chamber 12 formed on the right side functions as a refrigerating chamber.

The doors 21 and 22 provided on the front of the main body 10 include a first door 21 that opens and closes the first storage chamber 11, and a second door 22 that opens and closes the second storage chamber 12. The first door 21 and the second door 22 are rotatably coupled to the main body 10 by hinge devices 14 provided at upper and lower portions thereof.

In addition, the back of the door (21, 22) is disposed so as to surround the rim side gasket 20a having a magnet therein to improve the sealing properties of the storage compartment (11, 12), the front of the door (21, 22) The handle gripping device 30 is mounted, and mounting parts 21b and 22b recessed in the vertical direction are provided to arrange the handle gripping device 30 so that the handle gripping device 30 does not protrude toward the front side of the doors 21 and 22.

Each of the first and second doors 21 and 22 is provided with a handle gripping device 30. Since the same handle gripping device is disposed in each door in the same manner, the description of the configuration of the handle gripping device of the first door is described. The description of the structure of the handle holding device of the two doors will be replaced by the key, and the description of the handle holding device of the second door will be omitted.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a handle holding device of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the handle gripping apparatus 30 may be held when the input signal for opening of the first door 21 is detected through the sensing unit 34 which will not be exposed to the outside and is normally exposed to the outside. A first drive for rotatably driving the gripping portion 31, the cover portion 32 rotatably provided on the front surface of the mounting portion 21b of the first door 21, and the cover portion 32. It comprises a motor 33.

The grip portion 31 extends from the front surface of the door 21 and is bent to the rear side of the door 21 and bent again to have a predetermined thickness so as to maintain an approximately '⊃' shape so that the user opens the door 21. When the gripping is formed easily, the front end of the gripping portion 31 is provided with a catching portion (31a) for preventing over-rotation of the cover portion (32).

The cover part 32 is rotatably provided at one side of the opening of the mounting part 21b. In general (when there is no input signal for opening the door), the front of the cover part 32 is substantially the front of the door 21. By forming the same surface so that the handle holding device 30 does not protrude from the door 21 to the beautiful appearance.

In addition, the cover part 32 may be provided with a heat insulating member therein for the heat insulating of the storage compartment (11).

In addition, the handle holding device 30 is provided with a first driving motor 33 for rotating the cover portion 32, the first driving motor 33 is on either side of the upper and lower ends of the cover portion (32). And a motor unit 33a for providing a driving force, and gear units 33b and 33c for shifting the driving force of the motor unit 33a to the rotating shaft 32a of the cover unit 32.

The gear ratio of the gears 33b and 33c can be variously adjusted according to the design specifications, and in this embodiment, the accelerator gear is provided for immediate response of the cover part 32. At this time, it is a matter of course that the drive shaft of the motor portion 33a can be directly connected to the rotation shaft 32a of the cover portion 32 without the configuration of the gear portion.

In addition, the present invention is the door opening device 40 for the user to easily open each door by pushing the upper portion of the first door 21 and the second door 22 in front of the main body 10 Prepared.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a door opening device of a refrigerator according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the door opening device 40 is installed in the operating member 40 and the cam cover 44 which selectively open the two doors 21 and 22 by rotation, and the two doors 21 and 22. Rotation cam 42 for rotating the operation member 40, the second drive motor 43 for rotating the rotation cam 42 in the forward and reverse directions for the opening of.

The rotary cam 42 includes three projections 42a for rotating the operation member 40 in contact with the operation member 40 and three spaced portions 42b spaced apart from the operation member 40. . Each protrusion 42a and each spacer 42b are alternately arranged in the rotational direction, and the protrusions 42a are arranged at intervals of 120 degrees. Each protrusion 42a is made of a curved surface, and each spaced portion 42b is made of a curved surface.

The actuating member 40 includes a first extension part 41a extending from the rotation center toward the rotary cam 42, a second extension part 41b extending from the rotation center toward the inner surface of the first door 21, and a rotation center part. The third extension part 41c extends toward the inner surface of the second door 22. The actuating member 40 is of the "Y" shape.

The return spring 45 for returning the operation member 40 to the initial position is installed in the first extension portion 41a of the operation member 40 after the door is opened. The return spring 45 has one end connected to the first extension part 41a and the other end connected to the upper surface of the refrigerator main body 10 to impart an elastic restoring force to the first extension part 41a.

In addition, the present invention is provided on the front of the door 21 is provided with a sensing unit 34 that the user can input the door opening signal, preferably is installed on the front of the cover (32). The sensing unit 34 is provided as a sensing sensor that detects a user's touch when it is touched, or is provided as a touch switch to detect when a part of the user's body contacts the sensing unit 34 and opens to the controller 53 to be described later. Pass the signal.

Such a sensing unit may implement a method of recognizing a user's voice, signaling the signal, and transmitting the signal to the controller, and using the remote controller to transmit an open signal to the controller even at a distance from the refrigerator. The open input signal can be detected.

4 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to the present invention, including a detector 34, a door switch 52, a controller 53, and a driver 54.

As described above, the detector 34 may detect a door open signal by the user and may include a sensor or a touch switch.

The door switch 52 is a switch that detects the opening and closing of the door 21 and is a conventional switch that is turned on / off by opening / closing the door 21.

The control unit 53 is a microcomputer that controls the door opening device 40, the handle holding device 30, and the like according to the signals detected by the detection unit 34 and the door switch 52.

The control unit 53 drives the first driving motor 33 in a forward direction for a predetermined time when the door opening signal detected by the detection unit 34 is input, thereby driving the cover part 32 inside the mounting part 21b of the door 21. Rotate to Therefore, the user can easily grip by using the holding part 31 exposed by the rotation of the cover part (32).

In addition, the control unit 53 drives the second driving motor 43 of the door opening device 40 so that the rotary cam 42 rotates in the clockwise direction, and the protrusion 42a is the first extension part of the operating member 40. By pushing 41a, the operation member 40 rotates counterclockwise. Therefore, the second extension part 41b pushes the inner surface of the first door 21 so that the first door 21 is easily opened.

At this time, the control unit 53 may drive the handle holding device 30 and the door opening device 40 at the same time, it can be driven sequentially.

Therefore, the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention rotates the cover 32 so that the user can easily grasp the grip 31 by using a signal input through the detector 34, and the door opening device. By operating the 40 to open the door 21, the user can easily open the door without applying excessive force.

In addition, when the user opens and closes the door 21, the door switch 52 detects this and transmits it to the control unit 53, and the control unit 53 drives the first driving motor 33 in the reverse direction again for a predetermined time. The end of the cover portion 32 is caught by the catching portion 31a of the grip portion 31 to prevent the cover portion 32 from over-rotating and protruding toward the front surface of the door 21. The front surface and the outer surface of the cover portion 32 to form substantially the same surface.

Therefore, by removing the protruding handle portion as in the prior art in the state in which the door 21 is closed and exposing the grip portion 31 only when the door 21 is opened, the appearance can be beautiful and the user can easily open and close the door. Can be.

The driver 54 turns on / off the first and second drive motors 33 and 43 according to a signal from the controller 53.

Next, a handle gripping apparatus of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same configuration as that of the first embodiment of the present invention is assigned the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing a handle holding device of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as that of the mounting portion of the door and the arrangement of the handle holding device as compared to the first exemplary embodiment.

The doors 21 'and 22' of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention are provided with mounting portions 21b 'and 22b' recessed in the vertical direction to mount the handle holding device 30 'on the front thereof. .

The handle gripping device 30 'maintains a state in which it is not normally exposed to the outside and grasps the gripping portion 31' that is grippably exposed when sensing an input signal for opening the first door 21 'and the first door. And a cover part 32 'rotatably provided on the front surface of the mounting part 21b' of the mounting part 21 ', and a first driving motor 33 for rotatably driving the cover part 32'.

At this time, the holding part 31 'is provided in a roughly' ⊂ 'shape so that the user can easily hold by using his left hand when opening the first door 21', and the front end of the cover part 32 ' A locking portion 31a 'is provided to prevent over-rotation.

In addition, the cover portion 32 'is rotatably provided on the left side of the opening of the mounting portion 21b', such that the front surface of the cover portion 32 'usually forms a surface substantially the same as the front surface of the door 21', When the door open input signal is transmitted, it rotates counterclockwise to expose the grip portion 31 'so that the user can easily grip.

At this time, the first driving motor 33 can be configured in the same way as the first driving motor of the first embodiment.

In this configuration, the user can grip the gripping portion 31 'of the first door 21' provided on the left side with his left hand, thereby exhibiting ergonomic performance.

Next, a handle gripping apparatus of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same configuration as that of the first embodiment of the present invention is assigned the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a handle holding device of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Doors 21 '' and 22 '' of the refrigerator according to the third embodiment of the present invention are provided with mounting portions 21c and 22c recessed in the vertical direction to mount the handle holding device 60 on the front surface thereof.

The handle gripping device 60 maintains a state that is not normally exposed to the outside and detects an input signal for opening of the first door 21 ″ to hold the handle 61 and the grip part 61 to move to be gripped. It comprises a first drive motor 33 for rotatably driving.

The grip portion 61 is rotatably provided on the right side of the opening of the mounting portion 21c, so that the front surface of the grip portion 61 usually forms the same surface as the front surface of the door 21 '', and the door opening input When the signal is transmitted, it rotates in a counterclockwise direction so that the grip portion 61 protrudes in front of the door 21 '' so that the user can easily grip it.

In addition, on the opposite side of the rotation axis of the grip portion 61 is provided in a curved shape to facilitate grip, and provided with a mounting portion (21c) to correspond to the back side shape of the grip portion 61 to hold the grip portion 61 ( When inserted into 21c), a gap between the grip portion 61 and the mounting portion 21c may be minimized to prevent deterioration of the thermal insulation performance of the door 21 ''.

At this time, the first driving motor 33 can be configured in the same way as the first driving motor (see Fig. 1) of the first embodiment.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, such modifications or variations will have to be belong to the claims of the present invention.

As described above in detail, the refrigerator according to the present invention can remove the grip portion protruding on the front of the door at any time and can expose the grip portion only when necessary, thereby making the appearance beautiful.

In addition, the present invention has an effect that can increase the amount of loading per unit area because the gripping portion of the door does not protrude on the front.

In addition, the present invention has the effect of automatically exposing or hiding the grip portion.

Claims (7)

A main body with a storage compartment, A door for opening and closing the storage compartment; And a handle gripping device provided on the front of the door to selectively expose the gripping part. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the handle gripping apparatus further includes a cover part rotatably provided to selectively expose the gripping part, and a driving motor for driving the cover part. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the cover part is provided with a detector for detecting a user's door open signal. The refrigerator according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit for controlling the driving of the handle holding device according to the signal sensed by the detection unit. The refrigerator according to claim 4, further comprising a door opening device for opening the door, wherein the controller controls the door opening device according to a signal detected by the detection unit. A storage compartment, a door that opens and closes the storage compartment, a sensing unit that senses a signal for opening the door, a handle gripping device that selectively exposes a grip unit for holding a user, and the door opening signal of the sensing unit. And a control unit which drives the handle gripping apparatus to expose the gripping portion. The refrigerator according to claim 5, further comprising a door opening device for opening the door, wherein the control unit drives the door opening device according to the door opening signal of the sensing unit.

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