WO2015131780A1

WO2015131780A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2015131780A1
Application number: PCT/CN2015/073381
Authority: WO
Inventors: 尾花范昭; 丰嶋昌志; 平石智一; 弦巻昌哉
Original assignee: 海尔亚洲国际株式会社; 青岛海尔股份有限公司
Priority date: 2014-03-06
Filing date: 2015-02-27
Publication date: 2015-09-11
Also published as: JP2015169356A; CN105408708A; CN105408708B; JP6360688B2

Abstract

A refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises: a first door (8) and a second door (9) of a front surface opening part used for opening and closing a refrigerator main body; pivot mechanisms (14-17); and an operation signal detection mechanism. The first door (8) and the second door (9) are arranged in parallel in a width direction of the front surface opening part. The pivot mechanisms (14-17) are used for pivoting the first door (8) and the second door (9) on the refrigerator main body. The operation signal detection mechanism is used for operating the pivot mechanisms (16-17). An operation part (60) of the operation signal detection mechanism is arranged on a lateral side or a lower side of an open side of the second door (9). After detecting a specified operation signal, the operation signal detection mechanism operates the pivot mechanisms (16-17), so as to enable the second door (9) to open and close rotatably relative to the first door (8) or to open and close integrally with the first door (8).

Description

refrigerator

Technical field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having first and second doors for closing a front surface opening portion of a refrigerator main body, which can integrally open and close the first door and the second door, and can be opened only as needed Close the second door.

Background technique

In the prior art, the refrigerator has a first door at a side pivotal portion (also referred to as a pivotal connection or a pivotal support) of a front surface opening portion of the refrigerator main body, and the first door is used for opening and closing the front surface opening portion. A portion of the width direction pivotally supports a second door at an end portion of the opening side of the first door for opening and closing the remaining portion in the width direction of the front surface opening portion, thereby closing the front surface opening portion. Further, the first door is provided with a interlocking operation member for interlocking opening and closing of the first door and the second door, and the second door is provided with a handle for separately opening and closing the second door (for example, refer to Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility) The new bulletin Shikaizhao 61-23171, page 1-2, Figure 1).

In the above refrigerator, if the first door is opened and closed by the interlocking operation member, since the second door is interlocked with the first door, the first door and the second door can be integrally operated, thereby opening and closing the entire front surface opening portion, which The opening and closing operation can be performed more easily and quickly than the refrigerator with the left and right doors open. Further, if the second door is opened and closed by the handle alone, only the width corresponding to the opening of the front surface of the second door is opened and closed, and the leakage of cold air caused by the storage and storage of the storage can be reduced.

In the refrigerator described in Patent Document 1, in order to realize the purpose of opening and closing the first door and the second door in conjunction with each other and separately opening and closing the second door, an interlocking operation member having a handle function is provided at the upper end portion of the first door. The distal end portion of the interlocking operation member protrudes toward the second door side, and a handle is provided at an upper end portion of the second door, and a distal end portion of the interlocking operation member is engaged with the inner side of the handle. Therefore, when the second door is separately opened and closed, the tip end portion of the interlocking operation member is exposed to cause damage to the appearance of the refrigerator. Further, when the first door and the second door are opened and closed in conjunction, if the operating force is large, the engagement of the handle with the interlocking operation member may be misaligned, and the second door may be accidentally opened and closed. Moreover, this prior art also has the following disadvantages: since the first door and the second door need to be opened and closed at the upper ends of the first door and the second door, when the height of the refrigerator is high, it is particularly unsuitable for children and the like. Used by people with shorter heights.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an opening that can be used with respect to a front surface of a refrigerator main body. The first door and the second door are opened and closed integrally, and the refrigerator of the second door can be opened and closed as needed, and the reliability of opening and closing of the refrigerator door can be improved without impairing the appearance of the refrigerator, so that the refrigerator has more Good operability.

The refrigerator of the present invention includes: a first door and a second door for opening and closing a front surface opening portion of the refrigerator main body, the first door and the second door being juxtaposed in a width direction of the front surface opening portion; a branching mechanism for pivoting the first door and the second door to the refrigerator main body; and an operation signal detecting mechanism for operating the pivoting mechanism, wherein an operation portion is disposed at the a lateral side or a lower side of the open side of the second door, the operation signal detecting mechanism operates the pivoting mechanism after detecting a predetermined operation signal, and the second door is rotatable relative to the first door The ground is opened or closed, or is opened and closed integrally with the first door. In the present invention, the second door is pivotally supported by the pivoting mechanism on the first door, and the pivoting mechanism is operated by the operation signal detecting mechanism, so that the first door and the second door can be opened and closed integrally, or separately. Close the second door.

Further, in the present invention, by providing the operation portion of the operation signal detecting means on the lateral side or the lower side of the opening side of the second door, the operation position can be made to be in a position where the user can easily contact, thereby improving the operability.

Further, in the present invention, by providing the operation portion of the operation signal detecting means on the inner side of the opening side of the second door, the operator can be individually opened according to the depth of the grip when the second door is opened and closed by the operator. Close the second door to improve operability.

Further, in the present invention, the appearance of the refrigerator is improved by providing the operation signal detecting mechanism of the lock mechanism or the like in the first and second doors.

Further, in the present invention, by providing a pair of pivoting mechanisms and a locking mechanism on the upper and lower sides of the first door and the second door, the operability, reliability, and durability of the door are improved.

DRAWINGS

1 is an external view illustrating a schematic structure of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an external view illustrating a schematic structure of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an external view illustrating a schematic structure of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(A) and (B) of Fig. 4 are perspective views illustrating a schematic structure of a pivot mechanism and a lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) in Fig. 5 are plan views illustrating how the pivot mechanism operates in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

(A) and (B) of Fig. 6 are schematic views illustrating main components of a pivot mechanism and a lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic structure of an operating mechanism and a detecting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a method of operating a refrigerator door according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating a method of operating a refrigerator door according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a method of operating a refrigerator door according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The reference numerals used in the figure are as follows:

1-fridge, 2-insulation box, 8-first door, 9-second door, 16-upper pivot mechanism,

17-lower pivot mechanism, 22-handle, 23-front surface opening, 33-connection bracket,

34-connection bracket, 35-receiving member, 43-connection bracket, 44-connection bracket, 45-receiving member,

51-upper locking mechanism, 52-lower locking mechanism, 53-engagement hole, 54-joint pin,

55-electromagnetic coil, 56-joining hole, 57-joint pin, 58-electromagnetic coil, 60-handle,

63-proximity sensor

detailed description

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, Fig. 1 is a front view showing a schematic structure of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the first door and the second door of the refrigerator shown in Fig. 1 in an integrally opened state. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the second door of the refrigerator shown in Figure 1 in a separately opened state.

As shown in Fig. 1, the refrigerator 1 has a heat insulating box 2 as a refrigerator main body, and a storage chamber for storing foods and the like is formed inside the heat insulating box 2. According to the storage temperature and use, the interior of the storage compartment is divided into a plurality of storage compartments, such as a refrigerating compartment 3, etc., wherein the uppermost layer is the refrigerating compartment 3, the lower layer of the lower layer is the ice making compartment 4, and the right side is the upper freezing compartment 5, and then The lower layer is the lower freezing compartment 6, and the lowermost layer is the vegetable compartment 7.

The front surface of the heat insulating box 2 is open, and each of the openable and closable doors 8 to 13 is provided correspondingly to the opening of each storage chamber. The first door 8 and the second door 9 are doors for closing the front of the refrigerating compartment 3, and the upper and lower sides of the left side of the first door 8 are provided by a pair of upper and lower pivotal mechanisms (ie, the upper pivotal support mechanism 14 and the lower pivotal support mechanism 15). It is rotatably pivoted to the heat insulating box 2, which will be described in detail later. Further, the upper and lower sides of the left side of the second door 9 are rotatably pivotally supported by the first door 8 by a pair of upper and lower pivotal mechanisms (i.e., the upper pivotal mechanism 16 and the lower pivotal support 17).

In addition, the doors 10 to 13 are drawer type doors, and the doors 10 to 13 are supported by the heat insulating box 2, and It can be pulled out to the front of the refrigerator 1. Further, the doors 18 to 13 are provided with handles 18 to 22 for opening and closing.

Further, as shown by a broken line in the figure, the first door 8 is provided with an upper lock mechanism 51, a lower lock mechanism 52, and a proximity sensor 63. The second door 9 is provided with an operating handle 60, an operating lever 61, and a metal body 62. They will be described in detail later.

In addition, the heat insulating box 2 is composed of an outer box, an inner box and a heat insulating material, wherein the outer box is made of steel plate; the inner box is made of synthetic resin and has a certain gap with the inner side of the outer box; Made of a foamed polyurethane which is filled in a gap between the outer box and the inner box by a foaming process. Each of the doors 8 to 13 also has the same heat insulating structure as the heat insulating box 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper pivot mechanism 16 is locked by the two lock mechanisms 51, 52 (refer to FIG. 4) which will be described later, and the rotation of the second door 9 with respect to the first door 8 is restricted. At the time of pulling the handle 22 (see FIG. 1) provided on the right side surface of the second door 9, the two

doors

8 and 9 can be integrally opened and closed with respect to the front surface opening portion 23. The handle 22 is formed by allowing the right side surface of the second door 9 to be recessed more than the other portions so that the hand easily protrudes into the recess.

Further, the first door 8 and the second door 9 for closing the front surface opening portion 23 are arranged side by side in the lateral width direction with respect to the front surface opening portion 23 of the refrigerating chamber 3. For example, the width of the first door 8 is set to the left half of the front surface opening portion 23 of the refrigerating compartment 3 in the lateral width direction, and the width of the second door 9 is set to be openable and closable. The remaining right half of the width direction. In addition, the width dimensions of the first door 8 and the second door 9 can also be arbitrarily changed.

A pair of pivoting mechanisms, that is, an upper pivoting mechanism 14 and a lower pivotal supporting mechanism 15, are disposed at a position in the up-and-down direction of the left side of the front surface opening portion 23 of the heat insulating box 2, and the first door 8 is pivoted by the upper portion The mechanism 14 and the lower pivot mechanism 15 are rotatably pivotally supported on the heat insulating box 2. In addition, since the upper pivotal support mechanism 14 and the lower pivotal support mechanism 15 are the same as the known mechanism, they will not be described herein.

Another pair of pivoting mechanisms, namely an upper pivoting mechanism 16 and a lower pivotal supporting mechanism 17 (refer to FIG. 1), are disposed on the upper and lower sides of the two

doors

8, 9 to cover the upper surface of the boundary area of the two

doors

8, 9 The two doors 9 can be opened and closed integrally with the first door 8, or can be opened and closed separately, which will be described in detail later.

Further, storage boxes 24 and 25 for accommodating plastic bottles and the like are attached to the back surfaces of the first door 8 and the second door 9. Further, the rear peripheral edge portions (the peripheral edge portions of the refrigerating chamber 3 side) of the first door 8 and the second door 9 are respectively fitted with spacers 26, 27, and when the first door 8 and the second door 9 are closed, the pads 26, 27 are provided. The heat insulating box 2 located at the peripheral portion of the front surface opening portion 23 is closely connected.

Protruding sealing sheets 28, 29 are formed on the opposing portions of the gasket 26 of the first door 8 and the gasket 27 of the second door 9, the sealing sheets 28, 29 being embossed to each other when the first door 8 and the first door are closed At the time of two doors 9, the sealing sheets 28, 29 are fitted to each other. Therefore, when the first door 8 and the second door 9 are closed, cold air in the refrigerating compartment 3 can be prevented from leaking from the periphery of the first door 8 and the second door 9 or the gap between the first door 8 and the second door 9. Out.

As shown in Fig. 3, the locking of the upper pivot mechanism 16 and the lower pivot mechanism 17 (see Fig. 1) by the two lock mechanisms 51, 52 (see Fig. 4), which will be described later, is released, so that the second When the door 9 is rotatable relative to the first door 8, by pulling the handle 22 of the second door 9 to the proximal side, the second door 9 can be rotated relative to the first door 8 so as to be separate from the front surface opening portion 23 Open and close the second door 9. At this time, the left half of the front surface opening portion 23 where the first door 8 is located is in a closed state.

(A) in FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an upper pivoting mechanism and an upper locking mechanism for connecting the first door and the second door, and (B) in FIG. 4 is for connecting the first door and the second door. A perspective view of the lower pivot mechanism and the lower locking mechanism. The front side shown in these figures refers to the door side of the refrigerator 1, the back side refers to the rear side of the case of the refrigerator 1, the right side refers to the right side of the refrigerator 1, and the left side refers to the left side of the refrigerator 1.

Next, the upper pivot mechanism 16 and the lower pivot mechanism 17 will be described first.

As shown in (A) of FIG. 4, the upper pivot mechanism 16 mainly has

bases

31, 32, connecting

brackets

33, 34, and receiving members 35.

For example, the

bases

31, 32 have a substantially L-shaped cross section, wherein the base 31 is fixed to the upper side near the corner of the first door 8 by bolts or the like, and the base 32 is fixed to the second door by bolts or the like. On the upper side near the corner.

For example, the attachment bracket 33 is generally L-shaped in plan view; for example, the attachment bracket 34 is generally triangular in plan view. Further, the

connection brackets

33, 34 constitute a so-called connection mechanism.

One end sides (

rotation end portions

33A, 34A) of the

connection brackets

33, 34 are attached to the base 31, which are rotatable about the rotation

main shaft portions

36, 37, and are connected to the other end side of the brackets 33, 34 (fixed end) The

portions

33B and 34B) are fixed to the base 32 by

bolts

38 and 39 as fixed shafts.

The

rotational end portions

33A, 34A of the

connection brackets

33, 34 are located on the front side of the upper side of the first door 8, wherein the rotational end portion 33A is located on the left side of the rotational end portion 34A. Further, on the upper side surface of the second door 9, the

fixed end portions

33B, 34B of the

connection brackets

33, 34 are staggered in the front-rear direction so that the fixed end portion 34B is located on the front side of the fixed end portion 33B. Further, the

fixed end portions

33B and 34B are disposed at substantially the same position in the left-right direction.

Further, in order to prevent the

connection brackets

33, 34 from drying each other,

step portions

31A, 32A are provided on the

bases

31, 32, and the connection brackets 33 are provided on the upper surfaces of the

step portions

31A, 32A, and the connection brackets 34 are disposed on the steps In the recessed area between the

portions

31A, 32A. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to prevent the

connection brackets

33, 34 from coming into contact with each other in the height direction of the

bases

31, 32.

Further, a receiving member 35 is provided at an intermediate height position between the

connection brackets

33, 34 for preventing rattling between the

connection brackets

33, 34. One end side of the receiving member 35 is fixed to the upper surface of the connecting bracket 34 near the rotating end portion 34A, and the other end side of the receiving member 35 is engaged with the fixed end portion 34B side of the connecting bracket 34. The receiving member 35 is integrally rotated with the connecting bracket 34 to prevent rattling between the connecting

brackets

33, 34.

As shown in (B) of FIG. 4, the lower pivot mechanism 17 mainly has

bases

41, 42, connecting

brackets

43, 44, and receiving members 45.

For example, the

bases

41, 42 have a substantially L-shaped cross section, wherein the base 41 is fixed to the lower side near the corner of the first door 8 by bolts or the like, and the base 42 is fixed to the second door by bolts or the like. On the lower side near the corner.

For example, the connection bracket 43 has a substantially letter L shape in plan view, for example, the connection bracket 44 is substantially triangular in plan view. Further, the

connection brackets

43, 44 constitute a so-called connection mechanism.

One end sides (

rotating end portions

43A, 44A) of the

connection brackets

43, 44 are attached to the base 41, which are rotatable about the rotation

main shaft portions

46, 47, and the other end sides of the brackets 43, 44 (fixed ends) The

portions

43B, 44B) are fixed to the base 42 by

bolts

48, 49 as fixed shafts.

The

rotational end portions

43A, 44A of the

connection brackets

43, 44 are located on the front side of the lower side of the first door 8, and the rotational end portion 43A is located on the left side of the rotational end portion 44A. Further, on the lower side surface of the second door 9, the

fixed end portions

43B, 44B of the

connection brackets

43, 44 are shifted in the front-rear direction so that the fixed end portion 44B is disposed on the front side of the fixed end portion 43B. The upper and lower directions of the

fixed end portions

43B, 44B are disposed at substantially the same position.

Further, in order to prevent the

connection brackets

43, 44 from drying each other,

step portions

41A, 42A are provided on the

bases

41, 42, and the connection brackets 43 are provided on the upper surfaces of the

step portions

41A, 42A, and the connection brackets 44 are provided. In the recessed area between the

step portions

41A, 42A. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to prevent the

connection brackets

43, 44 from coming into contact with each other in the height direction of the

bases

41, 42.

Further, a receiving member 45 is provided at an intermediate height position between the connecting

brackets

43, 44 for preventing rattling between the connecting

brackets

43, 44. One end side of the receiving member 45 is fixed to the upper surface of the connecting bracket 44 near the rotating end portion 44A, and the other end side of the receiving member 45 and the connecting bracket The fixed end 44B side of 44 is joined. The receiving member 45 is integrally rotated with the connecting bracket 34, so that the occurrence of rattling between the connecting

brackets

43, 44 can be prevented.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper pivot mechanism 16 and the lower pivot mechanism 17 have the same structure which is vertically symmetrical except that the cover 50 is attached to the upper surface of the upper pivot mechanism 16.

The upper lock mechanism 51 and the lower lock mechanism 52 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the upper lock mechanism 51 is provided in the first door 8 (refer to FIG. 1), and the engagement pin 54 of the upper lock mechanism 51 is normally upward by a spring (not shown). The force is applied to the upper side of the first door 8 to be engaged with the engagement hole 53 of the connection bracket 33. Further, the upper lock mechanism 51 has an electromagnetic coil 55 that can move the engagement pin 54 in the up and down direction, and after the proximity sensor 63 (refer to FIG. 7) which will be described later issues an ON signal, The electromagnetic coil 55 can be energized to move the engagement pin 54 downward (in the first door 8). Since the engaging pin 54 is disengaged from the engaging hole 53, the connecting bracket 33 can be rotated, thereby releasing the locking of the upper pivoting mechanism 16 by the upper locking mechanism 51. Further, after the proximity sensor 63, which will be described later, issues an OFF signal, the electromagnetic coil 55 will be in a power-off state, so that the engagement pin 54 is again urged upward by the spring.

As shown in FIG. 4(B), the lower lock mechanism 52 is provided in the first door 8 (refer to FIG. 1), and the engagement pin 57 of the lower lock mechanism 52 is normally lowered by a spring (not shown). The force is applied to be led out from the lower side of the first door 8 to engage the engagement hole 56 of the connection bracket 43. Further, the lower lock mechanism 52 has an electromagnetic coil 58 that can move the engagement pin 57 in the up and down direction, and after the proximity sensor 63 (refer to FIG. 7) which will be described later issues an ON signal, The electromagnetic coil 58 can be energized to move the engagement pin 57 upward (in the first door 8). Since the engaging pin 57 is disengaged from the engaging hole 56, the connecting bracket 43 can be rotated, thereby releasing the locking of the upper pivoting mechanism 17 by the lower locking mechanism 52. Further, after the proximity sensor 63 which will be described later issues an OFF signal, the electromagnetic coil 58 will be in a de-energized state, so that the engaging pin 57 is again urged downward by the spring.

As described above, by engaging the two locking

mechanisms

51, 52 with the two pivoting

mechanisms

16, 17, the number of components is reduced, so that the two locking

mechanisms

51, 52 can be compactly assembled to the first door 8. The appearance of the refrigerator 1 is not impaired.

(A)-(E) of FIG. 5 is a top view explaining the operation state of opening and closing a 2nd door separately. (A) and (B) of Fig. 6 are schematic views for explaining a state in which the pivot mechanism is locked by the lock mechanism. In addition, (A) and (B) in Fig. 6 show the cover for removing the upper surface of the upper pivot mechanism. status.

As shown in (A) of FIG. 5, in the state where the first door 8 and the second door 9 are both closed, the engaging pin 54 and the connecting bracket of the upper lock mechanism 51 (refer to (A) in FIG. 4) The engagement holes 53 of the 33 are engaged, and the upper pivot mechanism 16 is in a state of being locked by the upper lock mechanism 51.

As shown in (B) to (E) of FIG. 5, the operating handle 60 (see FIG. 7) is pushed to disengage the engaging hole 53 from the engaging pin 54, thereby unlocking the locked state of the upper pivotal mechanism 16. The second door 9 can be opened relative to the first door 8. Further, (B) to (E) in Fig. 5 show a state in which the second door 9 is gradually opened.

As shown, the

attachment brackets

33, 34 of the upper pivot mechanism 16 are secured to the second door 9 on one side of the fixed ends 33B, 34B by the

attachment brackets

33, 34 on the first door 8. The rotating

main shaft portions

36, 37 are rotated to the right as the center of rotation, so that the second door 9 is gradually moved in the substantially front direction with respect to the first door 8. And, when the second door 9 is rotated by more than 90 degrees, the second door 9 is close to the first door 8. Thereafter, in the state shown in FIG. 5(E), when the second door 9 is rotated by substantially 180 degrees, the front surface of the second door 9 is overlapped with the front surface of the first door 8.

In the state of the upper pivot mechanism 16 shown in FIG. 5(A), the rotational end portion 33A of the connection bracket 33, the rotational end portion 34A of the connection bracket 34, and the fixed end portion 34B of the connection bracket 34 are left and right. Set in parallel in the direction. Further, in the state of the upper pivot mechanism 16 shown in FIG. 5(E), the rotation end portion 33A of the connection bracket 33, the fixed end portion 34B of the connection bracket 34, and the fixed end portion 33B of the connection bracket 33 are provided. Set side by side in the front and rear direction. Further, the operation of the lower pivot mechanism 17 is also the same as the operation of the upper pivot mechanism 16.

As described above, since the second door 9 is pivotally supported by the

connection brackets

33 and 34 and the

connection brackets

43 and 44 on the upper and lower sides, even when the storage box 25 (refer to FIG. 2) of the second door 9 is housed When the weight of the object is large, the second door 9 can be smoothly and stably rotated with respect to the first door 8.

Further, when the second door 9 is completely closed, by engaging the second door 9 in the reverse order of the above description, the engaging

pins

54, 57 of the locking

mechanisms

51, 52 and the engaging holes 53, which connect the

brackets

33, 43, The 56 phases are engaged such that the upper pivot mechanism 16 and the lower pivot mechanism 17 become locked.

As shown in (A) and (B) of FIG. 6, on the distal end side of the engaging

pins

54, 57, inclined notched

portions

54A, 57A are provided which are directed to the right side of the engaging pins 54, 57 (second door) 9) Side tilt. As shown in (A) and (B) of FIG. 5, for example, when the second door 9 is fully closed, the positions of the engaging

holes

53, 56 of the connecting

brackets

33, 43 with respect to the engaging

pins

54, 57 are The right side (second door 9) side moves to the left side (first door 8) side. At this time, the engaging

pins

54, 57 are springs (not shown) The force is applied upward or downward, so that the engaging

pins

54, 57 are in contact with the sides of the connecting

brackets

33, 34, and the engaging

pins

54, 57 and the engaging

holes

53, 56 are pushed after being pushed inside the first door 8. Engage. Further,

inclined cutout portions

54A and 57A are provided on the above-mentioned collision surfaces of the engagement pins 54 and 57. With this configuration, the engaging

pins

54, 57 can be easily pushed smoothly to the lower surfaces of the connecting

brackets

33, 34, and the impact generated when the engaging

pins

54, 57 are in contact with the connecting

brackets

33, 34 can be greatly reduced, thereby The full closing operation of the second door 9 is smoothly performed.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the operating portion assembled in the second door and the proximity sensor assembled in the first door.

As shown in FIG. 7, an operation handle (operation portion) 60 is provided inside the handle 22 (refer to FIG. 3) located on the right side surface of the second door 9. The operating handle 60 is pressed by a spring (not shown) inside the second door 9, and is normally in the space constituting the handle 22. An operating lever 61 horizontally extending in the direction of the first door 8 is attached to the operating handle 60, and a metal body 62 is attached to the front end of the operating lever 61. The operating lever 61 having the metal body 62 is movably placed inside the second door 9. When the operating handle 60 is pushed inward, the operating lever 61 moves toward the left side (first door 8), and the metal body 62 approaches the first door 8. When the hand leaves the operating handle 60, the operating handle 60 returns to its original position under the action of a spring.

Further, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1, a proximity sensor (detection mechanism) 63 is built in the vicinity of the right side surface of the first door 8. The proximity sensor 63 can detect whether the metal body 62 is within a predetermined distance in a non-contact manner. Specifically, when the metal body 62 is within a prescribed distance, an ON signal is issued, and when the metal body 62 is separated by a prescribed distance, an OFF signal is issued. For example, various types of proximity sensors 63 such as a capacitive proximity sensor, an inductive proximity sensor, or a magnetoelectric sensor can also be used.

Further, in this embodiment, the operation signal detecting mechanism is constituted by the operating handle 60, the operating lever 61, the metal body 62, the proximity sensor 63, and the locking

mechanisms

51, 52, and the operation signal detecting mechanism is provided in the first and second In the

doors

8, 9, as will be described later, the operation signal detecting mechanism can have various modifications.

The operation of the refrigerator 1 having the aforementioned structure will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first door 8 is pivotally supported by the two

pivotal mechanisms

14, 15 in the left side portion of the front surface opening portion 23 of the heat insulating box 2, and the second door 9 is The pivoting

mechanisms

16, 17 are pivotally supported on the first door 8. And, in a state where the two

pivotal mechanisms

16, 17 are locked by the two locking

mechanisms

51, 52, if the handle 22 is pulled forward, the first door 8 and the second door 9 are integrally opened, thereby enabling The storage boxes 24, 25 of the first door 8 and the second door 9 or the storage in the refrigerating compartment 3 are taken. At this time, when the first door 8 and the second door 9 are integrally opened and closed, even if the force of opening and closing the door is large, since the two

pivot mechanisms

16 and 17 are locked by the two locking

mechanisms

51, 52, it is not necessary. Worried that the second door 9 will open and close unexpectedly.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the operating handle 60 located on the inner side of the inside of the handle 22 of the second door 9 is pressed inward, when the second door 9 is opened and closed, even if the hand is separated from the operating handle 60, The state in which the engaging pins 54, 57 (refer to FIG. 5) are disengaged from the engaging holes 53, 56 (refer to FIG. 5) can be maintained, so that the handle 22 can be held to open the second door 9 to an arbitrary position. For example, by rotating the second door 9 by 90 degrees, the right half of the refrigerating compartment 3 can be opened, and by storing the storage set having a high frequency of use in the portion, the amount of cold air leakage can be reduced, and the frequency of use and discharge can be increased. Storage collection.

Moreover, as shown in (E) of FIG. 5, when the second door 9 is rotated by 180 degrees in the fully open state, the second door 9 can overlap with the first door 8, which facilitates access to the back of the second door 9. The storage in the storage box 25. Further, in a state in which the two

doors

8 and 9 are overlapped, the two

doors

8 and 9 can be opened and closed, and the radius of rotation can be controlled to half as compared with the case where the two

doors

8 and 9 are integrally opened and closed as shown in Fig. 2 . At the same time, the refrigerator compartment 3 is completely opened.

In this case, when the installation space of the refrigerator 1 in the depth direction is small, the operation method of opening the second door 9 alone is effective. Further, it is not necessary to consider the rotational trajectory of the first door 8 and the second door 9 as compared with the method of opening the door to the right and left, and the width dimension and the depth dimension of the storage case 24A provided on the back surface of the first door 8 can be sufficiently large. The storage volume of the storage case 24A can be enlarged. For example, since it is not necessary to consider the rotation locus, the quadrangular storage case 24A located at the lowermost layer of the first door 8 can have a larger storage space than that of the other storage cases 24 and 25, and can accommodate a plastic bottle or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, since the operating handle 60 housed in the second door 9 and the proximity sensor 63 and the locking

mechanisms

51, 52 housed in the first door 8 are provided, the proximity sensor 63 can be utilized for non-contact. The operation signal of the operating handle 60 is detected, so that the locking of the two locking

mechanisms

51, 52 can be unlocked according to the detection signal of the proximity sensor 63, and thus, the mechanism for individually opening the second door 9 can be selected not to be exposed to the outside. Will not cause damage to the appearance.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, since the operating handle 60 is disposed in the handle 22 of the second door 9, the user can select to pull the handle 22 forward or push the inside of the handle 22 in the space of the handle 22. Handle 60 and other operations. Further, since the operating handle 60 can be placed at an easy-to-operate height position, the operator can easily operate the operating handle 60 even when the child is tall.

Further, in the present embodiment, although the case where the handle 22 provided with the operating handle 60 is provided on the lateral side of the second door 9 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, set the operation inside The handle 22 of the handle 60 is disposed on the lower side of the second door 9, and the same effects as described above can be obtained. Further, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

A refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, in these embodiments, the refrigerator structure is the same as that of the refrigerator of the foregoing embodiment except that the operating mechanism for driving the proximity sensor is different from that of the foregoing embodiment, and redundant description of these same structures will be omitted herein. In addition, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings to identify the same structural elements as the aforementioned refrigerator.

8 to 10 are schematic views for explaining an operation method of separately opening and closing the second door.

As shown in FIG. 8, a handle 71 is provided on the right side of the lower side of the second door 9, and an operation switch 72 is provided inside the space of the handle 71. Further, a magnet 74 is provided at the tip end of the lead wire 73 that is controlled to advance and retreat by the operation switch 72, and the operation of the lead wire is detected by the proximity sensor 63 of the first door 8, thereby unlocking the locking of the

lock mechanisms

51 and 52. For example, when the operation switch 72 is operated, the lead 72 moves, and the magnet 74 approaches the proximity sensor 63. Further, after the proximity sensor 63 detects the predetermined signal, the operation method of locking or unlocking the upper pivot mechanism 16 and the lower pivot mechanism 17 by the two

lock mechanisms

51, 52 is as described above.

As shown in FIG. 9, a handle 81 is provided on the right side of the lower side of the second door 9, and an operation switch 82 is provided inside the space of the handle 81. The operation switch 82 is, for example, an electrostatic switch, a tact switch or the like. Further, the signal of the operation switch 82 is transmitted to the control mechanism (not shown) in the first door 8 through the slide connector 83 provided between the first door 8 and the second door 9, thereby releasing the two lock mechanisms 51. 52 pairs of pivoting mechanisms. Further, the operation method of locking or unlocking the upper pivot mechanism 16 and the lower pivot mechanism 17 by the two

lock mechanisms

51, 52 is also as described above.

As shown in FIG. 10, a motion sensor 91 with a camera function is provided outside the first door 8 for recognizing the motion of the user. Further, when the motion sensor 91 detects the predetermined operation of the user, the detection signal is transmitted to the control means (not shown) in the first door 8, and the lock of the pivot mechanism by the

lock mechanisms

51, 52 is released. Further, instead of the motion sensor 91, a voice recognition device can also be used. In addition, the operation method of locking or unlocking the upper pivot mechanism 16 and the lower pivot mechanism 17 by the two

lock mechanisms

51, 52 is also as described above.

Claims

A refrigerator comprising:

a first door and a second door for opening and closing a front surface opening portion of the refrigerator main body, the first door and the second door being juxtaposed in a width direction of the front surface opening portion;

a pivoting mechanism for pivoting the first door and the second door to the refrigerator body; and

An operation signal detecting mechanism for operating the pivot mechanism, wherein an operation portion is disposed on a lateral side or a lower side of the open side of the second door, and after the operation signal detecting mechanism detects a predetermined operation signal, The pivot mechanism is operated such that the second door is rotatably opened and closed with respect to the first door or integrally opened and closed with the first door.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein

The handle of the second door is disposed on a lateral side or a lower side of the open side of the second door, and the operating portion is disposed on a back side of the inside of the handle.
A refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

The operation signal detecting mechanism is disposed inside the first door and the second door.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein

One end side of the connecting bracket of the pivoting mechanism has a rotating shaft fixed to the first door, and the other end side has a fixed shaft, the fixed shaft is fixed on the second door;

The locking mechanism of the operation signal detecting mechanism has an engaging pin that engages with an engaging hole of the connecting bracket;

The engaging pin is engaged or disengaged from the engaging hole of the connecting bracket according to the predetermined operation signal.
A refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein

The lock mechanism is built in the first door, and a tip end side of the engagement pin has a cutout portion that is inclined toward the second door side.
A refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5, wherein

The pivoting mechanism and the locking mechanism are disposed opposite to each other on the upper and lower side faces of the first door and the second door.