KR20090091455A - Apparatus for automatically opening door of refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for automatically opening a refrigerator door is provided to improve a reaction speed and an action force by sensing a opening of a refrigerator door. An apparatus for automatically opening a refrigerator door is comprised of a base plate(110), a drive motor(120), a main-gear(140), a screw(180), a moving block(185), a presser cam(210), an operational spring(220), a push unit(165), an opening operating cam(230), and a controller. The main-gear is rotated through an operation projection(141) with the drive motor. The moving block moves straight line according to the rotation of screw by the guideline of the LM(Linear Motion) guide(190). The presser cam moves straight line according to the guideline of the LM guide through a guide rod(212). The operational spring provides the pushing power for the presser cam. The push unit exercises with the operation of the operation projection to the straight line. An opening motion cam is installed to the base plate as rotatable through a hinge shaft(231). The opening motion cam opens a door by rotated with the push unit and the presser cam.

Description

Refrigerator door automatic opening device {APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING DOOR OF REFRIGERATOR}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator door automatic opening device having an improved opening structure of a refrigerator door to more easily open a door of the refrigerator.

In general, a refrigerator is a device for storing food fresh for a long time and includes a refrigerating cycle for refrigerating and cooling a storage compartment including a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment in which food is stored. In recent years, as the demand for large-scale and high-quality refrigerators increases, the development of double-door refrigerators in which the storage capacity is increased and the internal spaces are divided to the left and right in response to these demands is active.

In the two-door refrigerator, the internal space of the refrigerator main body is generally partitioned from side to side, and a freezer compartment is formed on the left side and a refrigerator compartment is formed on the right side. On the door for opening and closing the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment, a convenience device such as a home bar having a dispenser made to easily draw ice or water from the outside without opening the door may be added.

A typical conventional refrigerator is shown in FIG. The conventional refrigerator has a main body (2), as shown in FIG. A door (4) rotatably installed on a front surface of the main body (2) and having a handle part (3) formed at one side thereof; And a gasket 6 provided at an inner edge of the door 4 and having a rubber magnet or the like for packing between the main body 2 and the door 4.

The user pulls or pushes the handle 3 to open or close the door 4 to put or remove food or the like stored in the storage compartment. The gasket 6 which prevents the cool air in the storage chamber from leaking outside or the outside air inflows during the storage of food is sealed between the main body 2 and the door 4 to seal the storage chamber. Therefore, once the door 4 is closed, the air flow in and out between the storage compartment is blocked.

On the other hand, once the door is opened and closed, the outside air flows into the storage compartment, and the introduced outside air gradually cools down over time, thereby reducing the specific volume, thereby lowering the pressure inside the storage compartment compared to the outside. Therefore, when the user wants to open the door 4 again, the door 4 must be opened with a force capable of overcoming such a pressure difference, and in some cases, the door 4 is opened only when a considerable force is applied. There is this. In particular, in the case of a large refrigerator in which the external size and weight of the door 4 are increased, this problem is more serious for the elderly, children, women, and the like, who are relatively weak in force, and may act as a cause of dissatisfaction. .

In order to improve this problem, an apparatus for automatically opening a door of a refrigerator has been developed, and an example of a conventional refrigerator door automatic opening device is illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional refrigerator door automatic opening device 30 includes a driving motor 31 capable of large forward and reverse rotation; A main cam 32 rotated by the drive motor 31; First and second sub cams 33 and 34 operated by the main cam 32 to open left and right doors 10 and 20, respectively; Consists of a control unit (not shown) for operating the drive motor 31 is accommodated in the upper inner space of the refrigerator body 40. Reference numerals 33a and 34a denote rotation axes for rotatably supporting the left and right doors 10 and 20, respectively, and 35 and 36 respectively indicate restoring force to the initial positions on the left and right doors 10 and 20, respectively. The springs to provide are shown, 33b and 34b represent the projection which supports each said spring 35 and 36.

Referring to the operation of the refrigerator door automatic opening device 30, when a signal for opening the left door 10 is input, the control unit operates the drive motor 31, as shown in Figure 2, the main cam ( 32) is rotated clockwise by a certain angle. The front end portion of the main cam 32 is in sliding contact with the first sub cam 33 to push the first sub cam 33 to rotate counterclockwise. At this time, the first sub cam 33 is rotated about the rotary shaft (33a) as a part of the protruding to the outside of the refrigerator main body 40 to push the left door 10, accordingly the left door 10 Is opened. Once the left door 10 is opened, the control unit rotates the drive motor 31 in reverse to return the main cam 32 to the center. Accordingly, the first sub cam 33 is returned by the elastic force of the first restoring spring 35, and a part of the first sub cam 33 that protrudes out of the left door 10 also comes back inward.

On the other hand, the opening operation of the right door 20 is the same as the opening operation of the left door 10 described above, except that the rotational direction of the drive motor 31 is opposite.

However, the refrigerator door automatic opening device 30 according to the above-described prior art has a problem that not only the reaction speed is lowered, but also it is difficult to expect a large force required to open the door.

The present invention has been made to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art as described above, when the user wants to open the door of the refrigerator by improving the opening structure of the refrigerator door to improve the reaction speed and action force for opening the refrigerator door. It is a technical problem to provide a refrigerator door automatic opening device which detects this and automatically opens the door in a sequential and gradual manner to improve user convenience.

Refrigerator door automatic opening device according to the present invention for achieving the above technical problem and the base plate which is installed inside the top of the main body of the refrigerator; A drive motor mounted to the base plate; A main gear having an operation protrusion on one side and rotating by the drive motor; A screw which rotates by receiving a rotational force of the main gear through a gear assembly; A movable block coupled to the screw and linearly moving according to the rotation of the screw with the guide of the LM guide; A drive cam linearly moving according to the guide of the LM guide via a guide rod movably inserted into the screw; An actuating spring having one end fixed to the movable block and the other end supported and fixed to the drive cam to provide a push force to the drive cam; A push member that is supported by a bracket mounted to the base plate and linearly moves by the action of the operation protrusion according to the rotation of the main gear; An opening operation cam rotatably installed on the base plate via a hinge shaft and sequentially rotating by the action of the push member and the driving cam to open the door of the refrigerator; And a control unit for controlling the drive motor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, one end is fixed to the base plate and the other end is fixed to the open actuating cam, and a return spring is provided to provide a return force for returning the open actuating cam to a state prior to the opening action. .

In one embodiment of the present invention, one side of the opening operation cam is provided with a stopper for limiting the maximum rotation angle.

In one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a micro switch for detecting the completion time of the opening action of the opening operation cam and delivers it to the control unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a position detection sensor for detecting the position of the movable block and transmitting it to the control unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a rotation angle detection sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the main gear and transmitting it to the control unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the door handle of the refrigerator detects whether the user touches the handle and transmits it to the control unit, and the contact detecting unit may include a proximity sensor or a vibration sensor.

According to the automatic opening of the refrigerator door according to the present invention having the configuration as described above, the user is to open the door of the refrigerator by improving the opening structure of the refrigerator door to improve the reaction speed and action force for opening the refrigerator door In this case, there is an advantage that the user's convenience can be improved by detecting this and automatically opening the door quickly and sequentially.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the refrigerator door automatic opening device according to the present invention. 3 is a plan view of a refrigerator door automatic opening device according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the main gear and gear assembly shown in Figure 3, Figures 5a to 5e is the operation of the refrigerator door automatic opening device according to the present invention State diagram.

As shown in FIG. 3, the base plate 110 is mounted with various components of the refrigerator door automatic opening apparatus 100 according to the present invention, which will be described below, and is installed inside the upper end of the refrigerator body 90.

The driving motor 120 is mounted on the base plate 110 to provide a driving force for opening the door 70 of the refrigerator. The driving motor 120 is capable of forward rotation and reverse rotation, and the contact detection unit 73 to be described later. It is driven through the control of a controller (not shown) based on the signal.

The rotational force of the drive motor 120 is transmitted to the main gear 140 through the reduction gear 130 meshed with the worm gear 123 provided on the rotation shaft 121 of the drive motor 120 is the main gear 140 Rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.

One side of the main gear 140 is provided with an operation protrusion 141 for applying an action force to the push member 165 to be described later. The rotation angle detection sensor 150 is disposed above the edge portion of the main gear 140 to detect the rotation angle of the main gear 140 and transmit it to the controller. As the rotation angle detection sensor 150, various types of known ones capable of detecting the rotation angle, that is, the degree of rotation of the main gear 140 may be selectively used. For example, a micro switch or an infrared sensor may be used. In this case, corresponding to the main gear 140 by pressing the button of the micro switch, or the reference projection (not shown) to be detected by the infrared sensor is formed at a predetermined reference position.

The push member 165 is supported by the bracket 160 mounted on the base plate 110 to move linearly, of the operation protrusion 141 that rotates integrally when the main gear 140 counterclockwise rotation It moves to a downward direction on the drawing by the push action to push the opening operation cam 230 to be described later to open the door 70 of the refrigerator rotates at a predetermined angle. The return of the push member 165, that is, the movement in the upward direction in the drawing, as the main gear 140 rotates in the clockwise direction, the pushing action of the actuating protrusion 141 is released, and the screw (described later) By the retraction of the movable block 185 according to the rotation of the 180, the action force of the drive cam 210 against the open operation cam 230 is released, so that the open operation cam 230 returns to the initial position while the push member. 165 is made by the process of pushing up. In addition, when the push action of the actuating protrusion 141 is released, a spring (not shown) providing a return force to the push member 165 is connected to the push member 165 to provide the push member 165. May be configured to return.

Meanwhile, a gear assembly 170 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is geared to the main gear 140. The gear assembly 170 receives the rotational force of the main gear 140 to rotate the screw 180.

The movable block 185 is coupled to the screw 180. The movable block 185 is a linear movement according to the rotation of the screw 180 by the guide of the LM guide 190 mounted on the base plate 110, by compressing the operation spring 220 to be described later to open the operation cam ( It provides a push action force of the drive cam 210 to the 230, or releases the compression serves to release the push action force of the drive cam 210 against the open operation cam (230).

Drive screw 210 is also movably connected to screw 180. The driving cam 210 extends from one end and linearly moves according to the guide of the LM guide 190 via the guide rod 212 movably inserted into the screw 180. An operating spring 220 is connected to the cam 210. One end of the operation spring 220 is fixed to the movable block 185 and the other end is fixed to the driving cam 210 to provide a push force to the driving cam 210. The drive cam 210 allows the door 70 of the refrigerator to be opened by rotating the opening operation cam 230 through the aforementioned push force. The drive cam 210 is in contact with the open actuating cam 230 in an initial state as shown in FIG. 3, and the actuating spring 220 causes the drive cam 210 to be compressed. The push force acts on the opening operation cam 230.

The LM guide 190 is provided with a position detection sensor 200 for detecting the position of the movable block 185 and transmitting it to the controller. As the position detection sensor 200, various types of known ones capable of detecting the position of the movable block 185 may be selectively used. For example, a micro switch or an infrared sensor may be used. Correspondingly, the movable block 185 presses a button of a micro switch or a reference protrusion (not shown) to be sensed by an infrared sensor is formed, and the micro switch or infrared sensor is a predetermined reference on the LM guide 190. Is installed in position.

On the other hand, the base plate 110 is rotatably installed via a hinge shaft 231, the door 70 of the refrigerator by sequentially rotating by the action of the push member 165 and the drive cam 210. An open operation cam 230 is opened to open. The open operation cam 230 is in the initial state is in contact with the drive cam 210 as shown in Figure 3 is receiving the push force by the drive cam 210. However, until the rotation by a predetermined angle by the action of the above-described push member 165 maintains a state that does not rotate despite the push force by the drive cam (210). One side of the opening operation cam 230 is formed with a stopper 233 for limiting the maximum rotation angle of the opening operation cam 230.

A return spring 240 is installed on the hinge shaft 231 of the open operation cam 230. One end of the return spring 240 is fixed to the base plate 110 and the other end is fixed to the open actuating cam 230 so that the open actuating cam 230 is opened before the act of opening, that is, in FIG. 3. It provides a return force for returning to the state as shown.

The base plate 110 is provided with a micro switch 250 for detecting the completion time of the opening action of the opening operation cam 230 and transmits it to the control unit. When the opening operation cam 230 rotates as shown in FIG. 5C to complete the opening operation for opening the door 70 of the refrigerator, the button of the micro switch 250 is opened by the opening operation cam 230. As the micro switch 250 is pressed, the micro switch 250 detects the completion time of the opening operation of the opening operation cam 230, and transmits it to the control unit.

On the other hand, the door handle 71 of the refrigerator is provided with a contact detecting unit 73 for detecting whether the user contacts the handle and transmits it to the control unit. The contact detecting unit 73 is preferably installed inside the handle 71 of the refrigerator door 70 so as not to be exposed to the outside in consideration of the appearance of the refrigerator and to prevent malfunction by children, the user's contact Various kinds of well-known ones capable of detecting can be selectively applied. For example, the contact detecting unit 73 may be configured as a proximity sensor or a vibration sensor.

Hereinafter, the operation of the refrigerator door automatic opening device 100 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5E.

First, in the initial state as shown in Figure 5a, when the user touches the handle 71 of the door 70 by the user to open the door 70 of the refrigerator, the touch sensing unit 73 detects this The control unit transmits a signal to the control unit, and the control unit drives the driving motor 120 to rotate the main gear 140 counterclockwise in a state in which it is properly decelerated through the reduction gear 130. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 5b, while the operation projection 141 of the main gear 140 is integrally rotated by moving the push member 165 in the downward direction in the drawing to push the open operation cam 230 The opening operation cam 230 is rotated at a predetermined angle.

When the opening operation cam 230 rotates by a predetermined angle, as shown in FIG. 5C, the driving cam 210 pushes the opening operation cam 230 by the elastic force of the operation spring 220 in a compressed state. The opening operation cam 230 is rotated counterclockwise, and the opening operation cam 230 pushes the door 70 of the refrigerator to open the door 70. The maximum rotation angle of the opening operation cam 230 is limited by the stopper 233.

The opening operation cam 230 presses the button 252 of the micro switch 250 at the completion of the opening operation, and thus the micro switch 250 detects the completion of the opening operation of the opening operation cam 230. To transmit it to the controller.

The control unit controls the driving motor 120 to rotate the main gear 140 in the clockwise direction to the signal of the micro switch 250. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5D, the actuating protrusion 141 of the main gear 140 rotates clockwise integrally to release the action force on the push member 165. In addition, the screw 180 receiving the rotational force is rotated through the gear assembly 170 geared to the main gear 140, so that the movable block 185 is retracted by the guide of the LM guide 190, that is, drawing While releasing the compressed state of the operating spring 220 while moving upward and right upward, the driving force 210 connected through the operating spring 220 is retracted to release the push force against the open operating cam 230. Let's do it. Accordingly, the opening operation cam 230 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the action of the return spring 240 to push the push member 165 to return to the initial state as shown in Figure 5a.

On the other hand, when the movable block 185 is retracted and reaches a position where the push action force of the driving cam 210 with respect to the open operation cam 230 is released, the position detection sensor 200 detects and transmits it to the controller. .

The controller controls the driving motor 120 to rotate the main gear 140 again in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 5E according to the signal of the position detection sensor 200. The main gear 140 rotates in a counterclockwise direction while rotating the screw 180 in the opposite direction through the gear assembly 170 to move the movable block 185 forward, that is, the lower left in the drawing. Accordingly, the driving cam 210 connected to the movable block 185 through the operation spring 220 also moves forward to come into contact with the open operation cam 230, after which the movable block 185 is further advanced to move the operation spring. Compress 220. The open operation cam 230 does not rotate even when the operation spring 220 is compressed. As described above, the counterclockwise rotation for the opening operation of the opening operation cam 230 is performed only by a predetermined angle rotation by the push member 165.

Meanwhile, the counterclockwise rotation of the main gear 140 ends with a signal of the rotation angle detection sensor 150. That is, when the operation protrusion 141 reaches the initial position as shown in FIG. 5A according to the counterclockwise rotation of the main gear 140, the rotation angle detection sensor 150 detects and transmits it to the controller. The controller stops driving of the driving motor 120 according to the signal of the rotation angle detection sensor 150. After returning to the initial state through the above-described process, if the user is in contact with the handle 71 of the door 70 to reopen the door 70 of the refrigerator, the entire process described so far is resumed. The door 70 of the refrigerator is opened.

As described above, in the detailed description of the present invention, a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, but those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the claims below, but also by the equivalents of the claims.

1 is a plan view showing a door opening structure of a conventional refrigerator,

2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a door automatic opening device of a conventional refrigerator;

3 is a plan view showing the configuration of a refrigerator door automatic opening device according to the present invention;

4 is a perspective view of the main gear and gear assembly shown in FIG.

5a to 5e is a view showing the operation of the refrigerator door automatic opening device according to the present invention.

** Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings **

110: base plate 120: drive motor

130: reduction gear 140: main gear

141: operation protrusion 150: rotation angle detection sensor

160: bracket 165: push member

170: gear assembly 180: screw

185: movable block 190: LM guide

200: position detection sensor 210: drive cam

212: guide rod 220: operating spring

230: open operation cam 231: hinge shaft

233: stopper 240: return spring

250: micro switch

Claims (8)

A base plate installed inside the top of the main body of the refrigerator; A drive motor mounted to the base plate; A main gear having an operation protrusion on one side and rotating by the driving motor; A screw that rotates by receiving a rotational force of the main gear through a gear assembly; A movable block coupled to the screw and linearly moving according to the rotation of the screw with the guide of the LM guide; A drive cam linearly moving according to the guide of the LM guide via a guide rod movably inserted into the screw; An actuating spring having one end fixed to the movable block and the other end supported by the drive cam to provide a push force to the drive cam; A push member which is supported by a bracket mounted to the base plate and linearly moved by the action of the operation protrusion according to the rotation of the main gear; An opening operation cam rotatably installed on the base plate via a hinge shaft and sequentially rotating by the action of the push member and the driving cam to open the door of the refrigerator; And Refrigerator door automatic opening device comprising a control unit for controlling the drive motor. The method of claim 1, And a return spring having one end fixed to the base plate and the other end fixed to the open actuating cam to provide a return force for returning the open actuating cam to its pre-opening state. Automatic opening device. The method of claim 1, Refrigerator door automatic opening device, characterized in that the stopper for limiting the maximum rotation angle is provided on one side of the opening operation cam. The method of claim 1, The refrigerator door automatic opening device, characterized in that it further comprises a micro switch for detecting the completion time of the opening action of the opening operation cam and delivers it to the control unit. The method of claim 1, And automatically detecting a position of the movable block and transmitting the detected position to the control unit. The method of claim 1, The refrigerator door automatic opening device further comprises a rotation angle detection sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the main gear and transmitting it to the control unit. The method of claim 1, The door handle of the refrigerator automatically opens the refrigerator door, characterized in that the touch sensing unit for detecting whether the user contacts the handle and transmits it to the control unit. The method of claim 7, wherein The touch detection unit is a refrigerator door automatic opening device, characterized in that the proximity sensor or vibration sensor.

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