KR20180076009A - Refrigerator Automatic Switchgear - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically opening and closing a refrigerator, which primarily releases an airtight force of a door of the refrigerator, secondarily opens and closes the door of the refrigerator automatically through driving of a motor, and prevents an overload of the motor even when the apparatus is stopped by an external force when the door is opened and closed, and includes a switch unit (100) configured to release an airtight force of the door of the refrigerator; and an operation unit (200) configured to open the door of the refrigerator by pressing the switch unit (100) for an operation, and the operation unit (200) can secure safety of a user when the door is opened such that the old and infirm or child can easily and safely use the refrigerator, by opening the door of the refrigerator to a use range if the switch unit (100) is pressed such that the door of the refrigerator is spaced apart from the body of the refrigerator and the airtight force of the door of the refrigerator is released and closing the door if a preset time elapses. Further, power consumption by loss of cold air can be prevented by automatically closing the door if a specific time elapses after the door is opened, an overload of the motor due to an obstacle can be prevented when the door is opened and closed, and the door can be manually opened and closed even if electric power is interrupted.

Description

Refrigerating Automatic Switchgear {Refrigerator Automatic Switchgear}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator door, and more particularly, to a refrigerator door which is capable of firstly releasing a sealing force of a door and then automatically opening and closing a door by driving a motor, The present invention relates to a refrigerator automatic opening / closing apparatus which does not overload a motor.

The capacity of a refrigerator is getting larger and larger as a large-capacity refrigerator becomes popular. As a result, when the refrigerator door is opened, the capacity of the refrigerator is gradually increasing. Therefore, when opening the refrigerator door, a large opening force is required, making it difficult for the elderly or children to use.

Korean Patent No. 10-0740800 entitled " Automatic opening / closing device for home bar doors and automatic opening and closing method "and No. 10-1537377 entitled " Automatic opening and closing device for refrigerator doors"

In the case of a door for a home bar, which is an electronic technology, the home bar door is automatically opened or closed by only the operation of the switch button or the user's hand approaches the opening / closing sensor, and an object detecting sensor is provided on the front of the refrigerator. And automatically closes the door for the home bar when the object is not detected for a predetermined time in the distance.

In the latter case, when the user's body or surrounding obstacle is supported and pressed on the door of the refrigerator door, the rotational torque for automatically opening and closing the refrigerator door is not transmitted to the hinge shaft, And an automatic opening / closing device for a refrigerator door is provided which is operated such that the motor is operated to be stopped in an emergency so as to prevent injuries of a user or damage to a door or an obstacle.

In the case of a home bar door, it is not a technique of opening and closing a refrigerator door, but a small door that can be easily taken out and installed in a part of a door.

On the other hand, in the automatic opening / closing apparatus for the door, the door is rotated by the operation button to open or shield the door. Such a technique does not disclose such a technique although the door of the closed refrigerator may be opened easily by releasing the sealing force of the early opening.

In addition, although many methods of opening the motor using such a motor have been developed and studied, it is impossible to open the motor due to the locking phenomenon during power failure, and it has many drawbacks such as safety accidents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to open a door by a small force using a motor and a transmission power control device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic opening / closing device for a refrigerator so that when the door is automatically opened and closed, an overload of the motor caused by the stop of the door by an external force is prevented,

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a switch unit that releases a sealing force of a refrigerator door; And an operation part 200 for operating the switch part 100 to open the refrigerator door by pressing the switch part 100. The operation part 200 presses the switch part 100 so that the refrigerator door is separated from the refrigerator body And when the sealing force of the refrigerator door is released, the refrigerator door is opened to the use range and can be closed after a preset time.

In the automatic opening and closing apparatus for a refrigerator, the switch unit 100 includes a switch unit case 103 fixed to the refrigerator body, a push button unit 101 on the switch unit case 103, And an actuator unit (105) protruded from the door (103) to release the sealing force of the refrigerator door. When the push button unit (101) is pushed, the actuator unit (105) separates the refrigerator door from the refrigerator body Can be released.

In the automatic opening / closing device of the refrigerator, the operation unit 200 is installed at a position where the refrigerator door and the body are hinged to each other. The refrigerator body senses the operation of the switch unit 100 by a proximity switch sensor, A motor 203 connected to the circuit case 201 and a speed reducer 205 for reducing rotation of the motor 203. The circuit case 201 includes a circuit for providing power to operate the motor 203, A clutch part 300 connected to the reduction gear parts 202, 204 and 206 to provide opening and closing of the door of the refrigerator, and a clutch part 300 connected to the reduction gear parts 202, 204, And a door connecting portion 209 for connecting the door 300 and the refrigerator door.

In the refrigerator automatic opening and closing apparatus, the clutch unit 300 includes a main gear 303 driven by a force transmitted from the reduction gears 202, 204 and 206, and a plurality of planetary gears A planetary gear fixing frame 305 having a gear 302 and a corresponding shaft for fixing the planetary gear 302, an upper retaining clutch 307 for receiving the planetary gear retaining frame 305, A spring 319 for pushing the support plate 313; a clutch plate 309 for supporting the clutch unit 300; And a rotary shaft 315 for connecting the refrigerator door connecting portion 209 to the refrigerator door portion 209. The refrigerator door can be automatically opened and closed by a force transmitted from the reduction gear portions 202,

When the refrigerator door is normally opened or closed, the clutch unit 300 transmits power to the rotating shaft 315 by opening and closing the refrigerator door by the rotation of the motor 203, When the reaction force is generated or stopped during opening and closing, the ball bearing 309 and the upper retaining clutch 307 are spaced apart from each other and may not affect the motor 203.

According to the automatic opening and closing device of the refrigerator, the elderly or child can easily and safely use the refrigerator, and can provide convenience in opening and can provide the safety of the user. In addition, the door is automatically closed after a certain period of time after the door is opened, thereby preventing power consumption due to cold loss, preventing overload of the motor due to an obstacle during opening and closing, and manually opening and closing the door when power is shut off.

1 is a view illustrating a refrigerator automatic opening / closing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
2 illustrates a switch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 illustrates an operating unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
4 is a view illustrating the outside of a clutch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 illustrates the interior of a clutch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a sectional view of the clutch unit during normal rotation according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a cross-sectional view of the clutch unit during abnormal rotation according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. The scope of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

1 is a view illustrating a refrigerator automatic opening / closing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator automatic opening / closing apparatus includes a switch unit 100 and an operation unit 200.

The switch unit 100 releases the sealing force of the refrigerator door.

The operation unit 200 operates the motor 203 connected to the switch unit 100 and the cable 102 by pressing the switch unit 100 to open the door.

The operation unit 200 opens the door to the use range when the refrigerator door is pushed by the switch unit 100, and closes the door when the set time has elapsed.

At this time, although the connection between the switch unit 100 and the operation unit 200 is transmitted through the cable 102, various methods can be applied.

The switch unit 100 and the actuating unit 100 are provided with a proximity switch sensor (not shown) provided inside the switch 100 and are applied to the circuit of the actuating unit 100 to be connected to the armature motor.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the proximity switch sensor is divided into a pressed state and an unpressed state. When the door is closed, the door is closed so that the motor does not move. When the switch unit 100 is pressed, Proximity switch The sensor is switched to the unpressed state and the motor is closed for 3 seconds and then 5 seconds after operation.

That is, the use of a proximity switch sensor prevents continuous operation of the motor when the refrigerator door is closed.

2 is a diagram illustrating a switch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

More specifically, the switch unit 100 includes a switch unit case 103, a push button unit 101, and an actuator unit 105 that separates the refrigerator door from the refrigerator body.

Referring to FIG. 2, the refrigerator includes a switch case 103 fixed to the refrigerator body, and a push button unit 101 at an upper portion thereof. At this time, the switch portion case 103 is provided as the upper portion 103a and the lower portion 103b so as to be detachable as in the present invention, so that the switch portion case 103 can be easily attached to the refrigerator door.

 The actuator unit 105 protrudes from the switch unit case 103 and is provided in a gap of the refrigerator door and the body. When the push button unit 101 is pushed, the actuator unit 105 moves the refrigerator door away from the refrigerator body, .

3 is a view illustrating an operating unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3, the operation portion 200 includes a circuit case 201, a motor 203, a speed reducer 205, reduction gear portions 202, 204 and 206, and a clutch portion 300. And a door connecting portion 209.

The operation part 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed at a position where the refrigerator door and the body are hingedly connected.

The refrigerator body includes a circuit case 201 including a circuit for sensing the operation of the switch unit 100 by the proximity switch sensor and providing a power source for operating the motor 203.

The motor 203 is connected to the circuit case 201 and transmits power to the speed reducer 205 which decelerates rotation. Accordingly, one or more reduction gear portions 202, 204 and 206 for transmitting the rotational force of the reduction gear 205 are provided and connected to the clutch portion 300.

The reduction gear portions 202,204 and 206 include a first reduction gear portion 202 connected to the reduction gear 205 and a third reduction gear portion 206 connected to the clutch portion 300. The first reduction gear portion 202, And a second reduction gear portion 204 connecting the third reduction gear portion 206 with each other.

The clutch unit 300 decelerates the rotational force of the motor 203 and provides opening and closing of the refrigerator door.

At this time, a door connecting portion 209 for coupling the clutch portion 300 and the refrigerator door is installed on the side of the refrigerator door to connect the rotational force of the clutch portion 300 to the door of the refrigerator.

More specifically, prior to such a configuration, the switch unit 100 and the operating unit 200 constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention assume that the number of revolutions of the refrigerator door is 8 rpm, 15 kg of water is put into the door pocket, As a result of measuring the torque acting on the shaft, 150 kgf-cm was required.

Therefore, in order to open the refrigerator door by the rotation of the motor 203, it has been found that a large torque such as inertia of the refrigerator door and a pressure difference due to temperature is required, so that the hinge reinforcement and the expensive motor should be applied.

However, when the switch unit 200 is pressed in consideration of the ease of opening, the convenience and economical efficiency without using an expensive motor, the door is opened by about 20 mm so that the motor 203 is operated And the refrigerator door is opened and closed after a predetermined time.

When the automatic opening and closing device is installed inside the refrigerator filled with the heat insulating material, loss of cool air is generated. Thus, the door connecting portion 20 is provided to prevent reinforcement of the hinge and loss of cold air.

Therefore, it is possible to transmit the power of the motor 203 to the refrigerator door without requiring any additional reinforcement in the refrigerator door while using the conventional refrigerator hinge fixing part as it is.

The product name of the motor 203 for applying the present embodiment is WGM45B-BL3657 (DC 12V), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Such a motor 203 is a motor 203 integrated with the reducer 205, and a worm gear is used therein to obtain a large reduction ratio even in a small volume, and has a reduction ratio of 1/48. (NO-LOAD Speed 72.9 rpm and torque 7.2 kgf-cm)

The reduction gear portions 202, 204, and 206 are module 2.5 gears having 11, 13, and 17 teeth, respectively. When the first reduction gear portion 202 of the motor shaft makes one revolution, the third reduction gear portion 206 0.65.

The present invention is not limited to the motor, the reducer, and the gear portion, but may be variously applied depending on the size of the door of the refrigerator and the opening pressure of the body.

The following cases may occur when the actuating part 200 of the embodiment of the present invention is driven.

1, when the door is open, when the door is closed or held by hand

2. If the door closes quickly after the door is fully opened.

3. When the door closes as soon as it opens

4. In case of power failure or power interruption

In the above-described situation, an external force is generated in driving the motor, and the motor is opposed to the driving, or the motor is stopped and an overload occurs. The clutch unit 300 is applied for such overloading.

4 is a view illustrating the outside of the clutch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a view showing the inside of a clutch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the clutch portion 300 has an upper support portion 311 and a lower support 317, and each support portion is threaded.

5, the clutch unit 300 includes a main gear 303, at least one planetary gear 302, a planetary gear fixing frame 305, an upper retaining clutch 307, a ball bearing 309, 313, a spring 319, and a rotation shaft 315. [

The main gear 303 is driven by a force transmitted from the reduction gear portions 202, 204 and 206. And is connected to a third reduction gear portion 206 which is a reduction gear portion.

At this time, one or more planetary gears 302 connected to the main gear 303 and rotating are rotated. At this time, the planetary gear 302 is engaged with the planetary gear fixing frame 305 having the corresponding shaft to fix. The planet gears 302 are fixed by the shaft and rotate in engagement with the main gear 303.

 The upper retaining clutch 307 includes an upper retaining clutch 307 that receives the planetary gear retaining frame 305 and the upper retaining clutch 307 has gears therein to rotate in engagement with the planetary gear 302.

The upper retaining clutch 307, which is driven by the rotation of the planetary gear 302, is rotated together with the ball bearing 309 on the lower surface.

At this time, the ball bearing 309 includes a support plate 313 for supporting the ball bearing 309, and the ball bearing 309 rotates together with the upper retaining clutch 307 through a spring 319 that pushes the support plate 313.

 The rotary shaft 315 is engaged with the clutch unit 300 that receives the driving force of the motor 203 and is also engaged with the door connecting unit 209 to automatically open and close the refrigerator door by the force transmitted from the reduction gear units 202, will be.

The rotary shaft 315 has a groove (not shown) at a position where the rotary shaft 315 is engaged with the door connecting portion 209 and the door connecting portion 209 has a pin groove 208 as shown in FIG. The door connecting portion 209 is engaged.

When the spring 319 pushes the support plate 313 and the force of the spring 319 is larger than the rotational force of the main gear 303, the clutch 300 rotates normally and rotational motion for opening and closing the door occurs .

More specifically, the clutch unit 300 has an upper support portion 311 and a lower support 317, and each support portion is threadedly engaged, and a spring 319 is engaged therebetween to support a ball bearing 309 313). At this time, when the lower support 317 is engaged in the clockwise direction by the upper support part 311, the lower support 317 is raised and pressed by the spring 319 to increase the tension and counterclockwise to lower the spring 319 Pressure is reduced and tension is reduced.

However, the ball bearing 309 and the upper retaining clutch 307 are spaced apart from each other in such a situation as in the case of four cases in which the actuating portion 200 is driven, thereby preventing the motor 203 from being influenced .

6 is a sectional view of the clutch unit during normal rotation according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the clutch unit during abnormal rotation according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the refrigerator door is normally opened and closed, the clutch unit 300 transmits power to the rotating shaft 315 by opening and closing the refrigerator door by the rotation of the motor 203.

Referring to FIG. 7, a reaction force may be generated or stopped during opening and closing of the refrigerator door. That is, the above-mentioned four cases can occur.

At this time, the planetary gear 302 and the upper retaining clutch 307 rotate together with the rotation of the motor 203.

However, due to rotation or stopping in the opposite direction of the refrigerator door, the rotation axis 315 is rotated or stopped in the direction opposite to the rotation transmitted from the motor 302, and the direction of the planetary gear fixing frame 305 in which the rotation axis 315 is fixed And is rotated or stopped in the opposite direction to the rotation of the motor 203.

Therefore, the projecting portion (not shown) of the upper retaining clutch 307 which receives the rotation force of the motor 203 pushes the ball bearing 309 and the ball support 308 pushes the support plate 313, Is compressed by the pressing force of the support plate 313. At this time, since the ball bearing 309 is pressed, the rotation of the ball bearing 309 is lost and the motor 203 is not affected.

That is, when the refrigerator door has the opposite rotational force or is stopped, when the motor 203 is continuously driven, the upper retaining clutch 307 rotates and becomes caught by the ball bearing 309, And the support plate 313 are pushed downward, a gap such as A is generated and is idle.

Therefore, the spring 319 and the support plate 313 are moved up and down so as to reduce a load applied to the motor 203.

According to the automatic opening and closing device of the refrigerator, the elderly or child can easily and safely use the refrigerator, and can provide convenience in opening and can provide the safety of the user. Also, the refrigerator door is automatically closed after a certain period of time after the door is opened, thereby preventing power consumption due to cold loss, preventing the motor from being overloaded due to an obstacle during opening and closing, and manually opening and closing the door when power is shut off.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that changes may be made.

100:
101: Push button section
103: Switch case
105:
102: Cable
200:
201: Circuit case
202: first reduction gear portion
203: motor
204: second reduction gear portion
205: Reducer
206: Third reduction gear section
207: Case
208: pin groove
209: Door connection
300: clutch part
301: upper frame
302: planetary gear
303: Main gear
305: planetary gear fixing frame
307: Top Bottom Clutch
309: Ball bearing
311: Upper support
313: Support plate
315:
317: Lower support
319: Spring

Claims (5)

A switch part (100) for releasing the sealing force of the refrigerator door; And
And an actuating part (200) for actuating the switch part (100) by pressing to open the refrigerator door,
The operation unit 200 opens the refrigerator door to the use range when the refrigerator door is separated from the refrigerator body and the sealing force of the refrigerator door is released by pressing the switch unit 100, Automatic opening and closing device of refrigerator.
The method according to claim 1,
The switch unit 100 includes:
A switch part case 103 fixed to the refrigerator body; a push button part 101 on the upper part of the switch part case 103; an actuator protruding from the switch part case 103 to release the closing force of the refrigerator door; Wherein the actuator part (105) separates the refrigerator door from the refrigerator body by pressing the push button part (101) including the part (105) to release the sealing force.
The method according to claim 1,
The operation unit 200 is installed at a position where the refrigerator door and the body are connected by a hinge,
A circuit case 201 including a circuit for detecting the operation of the switch unit 100 by a proximity switch sensor and providing power to operate the motor 203; A reduction gear portion 202 for reducing the rotation of the motor 203 and a reduction gear portion 202 or 204 or 206 for transmitting the rotational force of the reduction gear 205; And a door connecting part (209) connecting the clutch part (300) and the refrigerator door to the door part (209).
The method of claim 3,
The clutch unit 300 includes:
A main gear 303 driven by a force transmitted from the reduction gear portions 202, 204 and 206; at least one planet gear 302 connected to the main gear 303 for rotation; An upper retaining clutch 307 that receives the planetary gear retaining frame 305 and meshes with the planetary gear 302; and a lower retaining clutch 307 that retains the planetary gear retaining frame 305, A ball support 309 for supporting the ball bearing 309, a support plate 313 for supporting the ball support 308, a support plate 313 for supporting the ball support 308, And a rotary shaft (315) for coupling the clutch part (300) and the refrigerator door connection part (209) by engaging with a center groove (306) of the planetary gear fixing frame (305) The refrigerator door is automatically opened by the force transmitted from the reduction gear portions 202, 204, Sire refrigerator automatic open-close device according to claim.
5. The method of claim 4,
When the refrigerator door is normally opened and closed, the clutch unit 300 transmits power to the rotary shaft 315 by opening and closing the refrigerator door by the rotation of the motor 203,
Wherein the ball bearing (309) and the upper retaining clutch (307) are spaced apart from each other when the reaction force is generated or stopped during opening and closing of the refrigerator door, thereby not affecting the motor (203) .

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