WO2018051963A1

WO2018051963A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2018051963A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/032766
Authority: WO
Inventors: 健一柿田; 森　貴代志; 上迫　豊志; 正久　昌利; 香緒里松尾
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2016-09-16
Filing date: 2017-09-12
Publication date: 2018-03-22
Also published as: EP3514465A1; CN109690213B; JP6715439B2; EP3514465A4; JP2018044736A; CN109690213A

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator, wherein an operation transmitting unit (115) is disposed on the inner wall on the side of a case of a pull-out type vegetable chamber door (106a) and a detecting unit (114) is disposed on a portion of an insulated partition plate (109) that faces the operation transmitting unit. Pushing the vegetable chamber door (106a) further in from the normal closed state is determined to be a door opening operation by a stress sensor (121).

Description

refrigerator

This disclosure relates to a refrigerator provided with a drawer-type door as a door of a storage room.

In recent years, the habit of daily shopping has faded due to changes in eating habits and the increase in large-scale supermarkets in the suburbs. For example, the tendency to buy food for one week at a time and store it in the refrigerator Is getting stronger. In addition, the number of elderly people who use relatively large refrigerators is increasing, and for such users, the total weight of the food and the doors stored in the large refrigerator and the door is heavy, and it opens and closes with a drawer-type door. It has become a burden to manually open and close the storage chamber.

As a refrigerator that reduces the burden of opening the drawer-type door in the storage room, the actuator is automatically opened by the actuator, and the actuator operation part is provided in front of the door that opens. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional refrigerator described in Patent Document 1 in a closed state of a freezing room opened and closed by a drawer-type door. 12A and 12B are diagrams showing a detailed configuration of the open switch A part of FIG. 11, 12A and 12B, a push button 2 is provided at the upper end of the freezer compartment door 1a on the front surface of the freezer compartment 1. On the back side of the push button 2 (the back side of the freezer compartment 1), an output lever 3 is provided. A return spring 4 is interposed between the push button 2 and the output lever 3. The return spring 4 is slidably supported by the output lever 3. A return force generated by the return spring 4 is transmitted to the push button 2 and the output lever 3. On the side of the frame 5 of the freezer compartment 1 that contacts the freezer compartment door 1a, a switch body 6 of a micro switch is provided. Further, the frame 5 is provided with wiring 7 from the switch body 6 provided inside the frame 5 to the control microcomputer (control microcomputer) of the refrigerator body.

When the push button 2 is pushed by the user's hand, as shown in FIG. 12B, the push button 2 is configured to move to the right side of FIG. 12B by the amount of push button 2 (press amount 8). As the push button 2 moves, the output lever 3 moves through the return spring 4. As a result, the plunger 9 provided in the switch body 6 is pushed by the output lever 3 and the contact provided in the switch body 6 is closed, so that a signal that the push button 2 is pushed by the user is controlled. It is transmitted to the microcomputer. When the user's hand is released from the push button 2, the push button 2 and the output lever 3 are returned to the state before the push button 2 is pushed, as shown in FIG. 12A, by the force generated by the return spring 4. . As a result, the plunger 9 is restored, and the contact inside the switch body 6 returns to the open state.

In the conventional refrigerator configured as described above, when the push button 2 is pressed by the user, the door driving device 10 is not energized, and when the user releases the push button 2 once pressed, The energization control is performed by the control microcomputer so that the door driving device 10 is energized. When the door drive device 10 is energized, the storage case 11 is pushed out, the slide rail 12 holding the storage case 11 is also moved simultaneously, and the freezer compartment door 1a moves toward the opening direction 13 shown in FIG. 12B. The door is opened.

However, in the conventional configuration as described above, the push button 2 operated by the user is fixed to a part of the freezer compartment door 1a (the upper end portion of the freezer compartment door 1a in the above-described conventional example). It is difficult for the user to press the part, especially in a state where both hands of the user are closed. Moreover, in the refrigerator comprised with the flat door of the mainstream glass face material in recent years, when there is an unevenness | corrugation of the pushbutton 2, it has the subject that a door is hard to clean and a sense of quality is impaired also in design. Yes.

Japanese Patent No. 4477646

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an operation unit that is operated by a user as a door opening trigger is easy to use, and a high-quality appearance of a flat appearance design in which a door is formed of a glass face material is impaired. There is no need to provide a highly designed refrigerator.

Specifically, a refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure includes a housing formed of a heat insulating wall, a plurality of storage chambers provided in the housing, a plurality of doors that can be opened and closed, and a plurality of doors. An automatic door opening part that automatically opens at least one of the doors. At least one of the plurality of doors is a drawer type door. The detection part of the opening trigger apparatus of the automatic door opening part is arrange | positioned at the housing | casing. The operation transmission part of the door opening trigger device is disposed on the housing side surface of the inner wall of the drawer type door.

More specifically, in the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure, the operation transmission unit is installed on the back side of the drawer-type door. Further, in the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure, an opening trigger device is configured by the operation transmission unit and the detection unit facing the operation transmission unit.

With such a configuration, a flat shape of the door surface can be ensured on the surface that the user of the drawer-type door can see, because an operation part for operation such as opening the door is not arranged. Therefore, with such a configuration, it is possible to maintain a high-quality design with a flat shape such as a glass face material on the door surface.

Further, in the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure, the detection unit may be configured with a stress sensor. The refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure may be configured by an elastic body in which the operation transmission unit transmits stress to the detection unit. In this case, the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure may be configured such that when the drawer-type door is pressed from the closed state, the operation transmission unit transmits the stress to the detection unit.

With such a configuration, when the drawer-type door is pushed in by the user, the operation transmission unit that is an elastic body transmits the pressure to the detection unit as stress, and determines the opening operation based on the output change of the stress sensor. It becomes possible. With such a configuration, the user can perform an opening operation by pressing an arbitrary place in a wide area of the door, so that the troublesomeness of operating a certain place is eliminated. Therefore, with such a configuration, an operation such as opening the door is facilitated, and a refrigerator with improved convenience can be provided.

Further, in the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure, the detection unit of the door opening trigger device may be configured by an inductive sensor that detects the inductance value of the torsion spring. Moreover, in the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure, the operation transmission unit may be formed of a rigid body. In this case, the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure may be configured such that when the drawer-type door is pressed from the closed state, the operation transmission unit transmits the pressing stress to the detection unit and compresses the torsion spring.

With such a configuration, when the drawer-type door is pushed in by the user, the torsion spring is compressed through the operation transmitting portion by the pressing, and the opening operation can be determined by a change in the inductance value. . Therefore, with such a configuration, it is possible to determine the distance displacement amount by which the door is pushed in with a reliable numerical value, and to suppress variations in user operation feeling in stress detection.

Further, in the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure, the detection unit of the door opening trigger device may be configured by an inductive sensor that detects an inductance value of the coiled conductive pattern. Moreover, in the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure, the operation transmission unit may be formed of a metal plate. Further, the refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure is configured to detect the displacement amount of the distance (gap) between the detection unit and the operation transmission unit as the change amount of the inductance value when the drawer-type door is pressed from the closed state. May be.

With such a configuration, when the drawer-type door is pushed in by the user, the distance between the operation transmitting portion of the metal plate and the coiled conductive pattern is reduced by the pressing, and the inductive coupling therebetween is also increased. . Thereby, it becomes possible to judge opening operation by the change of the inductance value of a coil-shaped conductive pattern. That is, with such a configuration, contact and movable structural influences due to stress detection or displacement detection can be eliminated, and a door opening trigger device with high detection accuracy and reliability can be realized.

As described above, a refrigerator according to an example of the present disclosure is configured so that an operation for operating the automatic door opening device can be performed by an operation of pushing an arbitrary position in a wide range of the drawer-type door. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, a refrigerator with improved usability can be provided. In addition, since the automatic door opening device is not arranged on the front face of the drawer-type door, it is possible to avoid deterioration in the cleaning performance of the door due to the unevenness of the operation part, and deterioration in the design of the flat glass face material. The refrigerator which can keep a certain design can be provided.

It is a front view of the refrigerator by Embodiment 1 of this indication. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of the vegetable room in FIG. 1 of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the principal part C of FIG. 2 of the refrigerator by Embodiment 1 of this indication. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of a detection part when the vegetable compartment door of the refrigerator by Embodiment 1 of this indication is removed. It is a graph which shows the time series change of the stress sensor output of the refrigerator by Embodiment 1 of this indication. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the refrigerator by Embodiment 1 of this indication. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and function of the vegetable chamber principal part in the closed door state of the refrigerator by Embodiment 2 of this indication. It is a graph which shows the time-sequential change of the induction type sensor output of the refrigerator by Embodiment 2 of this indication. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the refrigerator by Embodiment 2 of this indication. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and function of the vegetable chamber principal part in the closed door state of the refrigerator by Embodiment 3 of this indication. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the closed state of the drawer-type freezer compartment part of the conventional refrigerator. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the open switch A part of FIG. 11 of the conventional refrigerator. It is another figure which shows the detailed structure of the open switch A part of FIG. 11 of the conventional refrigerator.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vegetable room of FIG. 1 of the refrigerator according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a main part C of FIG. 2 of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of the detection unit when the vegetable compartment door of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is removed, and FIG. 5 is a stress sensor output of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The graph showing the time series change and FIG. 6 are operation flowcharts of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

1 to 3, the casing 101 is formed of a heat insulating box. The casing 101 is mainly composed of an outer box using a steel plate, an inner box formed of a resin such as ABS resin, and a heat insulating material injected between the outer box and the inner box.

The housing 101 is thermally insulated into a plurality of storage rooms. The casing 101 is provided with a refrigeration chamber 102 at the top, and an ice making chamber 103 and a switching chamber 104 are provided side by side below the refrigeration chamber 102. The casing 101 is provided with a freezing room 105 below the ice making room 103 and the switching room 104, and a vegetable room 106 is arranged at the bottom. A heat insulating door for partitioning from the outside air is provided in front of each storage chamber at the front opening of the housing 101. The refrigerator compartment door 102a, which is a heat insulating door of the refrigerator compartment 102, is composed of a double door. A display operation unit 108 is provided near the center of the refrigerator compartment door 102a, and the display operation unit 108 can be used to set the internal temperature of each storage room, as well as ice making and quick cooling. it can.

In the machine room formed in the rear region at the uppermost part of the refrigerator compartment 102, components constituting the refrigeration cycle such as a compressor and a dryer for removing moisture are housed. A cooling chamber that generates cool air is provided on the back surface of the freezing chamber 105. In the cooling chamber, a refrigerator and cold air that is a cooling unit cooled by the cooler are placed in a refrigerator 102, an ice making chamber 103, a switching chamber 104, a freezer compartment through an air passage provided on the back side of the refrigerator 102. 105 and the cooling fan which ventilates to the vegetable compartment 106 is arrange | positioned. Further, an air volume adjusting damper for adjusting the air volume from the cooling fan is installed in the air passage. The cooling chamber is provided with a radiant heater, a drain pan, a drain tube, an evaporating dish, and the like. The radiant heater is provided below the cooler in order to defrost frost and ice adhering to the cooler and its surroundings. Below the radiant heater, a drain pan for receiving defrost water generated during defrosting is provided. The drain tube is provided so as to penetrate from the deepest part of the drain van to the outside of the warehouse. The evaporating dish is provided on the downstream side of the drain tube.

The refrigerator compartment 102 is normally set to a temperature of 1 ° C. to 5 ° C., with the lower limit being the temperature at which it does not freeze for refrigerated storage. The lowermost vegetable room 106 is set to 2 ° C. to 7 ° C., which is equal to or slightly higher than the refrigerator room 102. The freezer compartment 105 is set in a freezing temperature zone, and is usually set at a temperature of −22 ° C. to −15 ° C. for frozen storage. The freezer compartment 105 may be set at a low temperature of, for example, −30 ° C. or −25 ° C. in order to improve the frozen storage state.

The ice making chamber 103 is made of water sent from a water storage tank in the refrigerator compartment 102 by an automatic ice maker provided in the upper portion of the ice making chamber 103, and an ice storage container disposed in the lower portion of the ice making chamber 103. It is configured to store ice.

The switching chamber 104 has a refrigeration temperature zone set at 1 ° C to 5 ° C, a vegetable temperature zone set at 2 ° C to 7 ° C, and a freezing temperature zone normally set at -22 ° C to -15 ° C. In addition, the temperature can be switched to a preset temperature range between the refrigeration temperature range and the freezing temperature range. The switching chamber 104 is a storage chamber provided in parallel with the ice making chamber 103 and provided with an independent door, and is often provided with a drawer-type door.

In the present embodiment, the switching chamber 104 is configured as a storage chamber in which the set temperature can be switched in a temperature range including the refrigeration temperature range to the freezing temperature range. However, the switching chamber 104 is not limited to this configuration, and refrigeration is left to the refrigeration chamber 102 and the vegetable room 106, and refrigeration is left to the freezer compartment 105 to switch only the above temperature range between refrigeration and freezing. It may be configured as a storage room. Further, the switching chamber 104 may be configured as a storage room fixed in a specific temperature range, for example, a frozen temperature range in accordance with the recent increase in demand for frozen food.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vegetable compartment door 106a has a flat glass face material 106b on the front surface. A storage case 111 supported by a frame 110 is attached to the vegetable compartment door 106a. The drawer rail 112 is fixed to the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 106. The frame 110 is configured to slide on the drawer rail 112. The frame 110 and the vegetable compartment door 106a have an integral structure, and the frame 110 and the storage case 111 operate as the vegetable compartment door 106a is opened and closed.

Also, a door opening / closing part 116 is provided near the drawer rail 112 on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 106. The door opening / closing unit 116 is configured by a motor, a gear mechanism, and the like, and transmits the power of the motor to the link 117. The link 117 has a concave shape and operates along a guide 118 in the door opening / closing part 116. The frame 110 is provided with a protrusion 119. When the protrusion 119 enters and engages with the concave portion of the link 117, the frame 110 operates in accordance with the operation of the link 117.

In addition, the guide 118 is not a simple linear shape, and as shown in FIG. 2, when the vegetable compartment door 106a is in the closed state, the vegetable compartment 106 of the guide 118 is disengaged so that the link 117 and the projection 119 are disengaged. The rear end of the rear side is angled slightly in the lower right direction in FIG. 2 (the rear side and the lower direction of the vegetable compartment 106). The reason why the rear end of the back side of the vegetable compartment 106 of the guide 118 is configured to have such an angle is that when the link 117 and the protrusion 119 are always engaged, the user is not automatic. When manually opening the vegetable compartment door 106a, the gear mechanism and the motor in the door opening / closing part 116 become a load, and a force stronger than usual is required to open the door. It is.

First, after the opening operation of the vegetable compartment door 106a is started, the link 117 and the protrusion 119 are engaged in the straight section of the guide 118, and the vegetable compartment door 106a is opened along with the operation of the link 117. Go. Furthermore, after the vegetable compartment door 106a is opened for a certain distance, the link 117 and the protrusion 119 are slightly inclined in the lower left direction (the front side and the downward direction of the vegetable compartment 106) in FIG. , The link 117 and the protrusion 119 are disengaged, and the vegetable compartment door 106a is slightly open due to inertia and stops.

Next, in the case of the door closing operation, the reverse operation of the automatic door opening operation is performed. That is, when the user closes the vegetable compartment door 106a to a position where the protruding portion 119 can be engaged with the link 117, the automatic door closing is started. Specifically, the link 117 and the projection 119 are engaged with each other, and the vegetable compartment door 106a is closed. After the door is closed, the link 117 and the protrusion 119 are disengaged as shown in FIG. 2, and the door opening / closing part 116 stands by in a state where either automatic opening or manual opening is possible.

In order to enhance the hermeticity of the vegetable compartment 106 when the vegetable compartment door 106a is closed, a hermetic holding mechanism 120 using a spring or a rail inclination is provided on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment 106. The hermetic holding mechanism 120 pulls the frame 110 in the closing direction with a force that does not hinder the opening of the vegetable compartment door 106a. The hermetic holding mechanism 120 may be built in the door opening / closing part 116.

By such a mechanism, the frame 110, the vegetable compartment door 106a, and the storage case 111 are connected to each other and operate in conjunction with each other, so that the vegetable compartment door 106a can be automatically opened and closed by the door opening / closing portion 116.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a detection unit 114 is provided in a portion of the heat insulating partition plate 109 that separates the vegetable compartment 106 and the freezing compartment 105 from the inner wall of the vegetable compartment door 106 a. On the other hand, an operation transmission unit 115 is provided on the inner wall of the vegetable compartment door 106a facing the heat insulating partition plate 109 in a form facing the detection unit 114 (position facing the detection unit 114, etc.). The detection unit 114 and the operation transmission 115 constitute a door opening trigger device 113.

Next, the configuration of the door opening trigger device 113 and its surroundings will be described with reference to FIG.

The heat insulating partition plate 109 and the vegetable compartment door 106a maintain the closed state while maintaining the distance D via a gasket (not shown) in order to ensure airtightness and absorb the impact of closing the door. The operation transmission part 115 is comprised with the elastic body member, and is closely_contact | adhering with the detection part 114 which opposes with the stress by the gasket for airtight ensuring.

Also, the door open / close state detection unit 125 detects the open / close state of the vegetable compartment door 106a. As the door opening / closing state detection unit 125, an electronic type in which a magnetic sensor such as a Hall IC disposed on the heat insulating partition plate 109 and a magnetic body such as a magnet disposed on the vegetable compartment door 106a are configured as a pair. Detection is commonly used. However, the door open / closed state detection unit 125 is not limited to this configuration. When the distance between the heat insulating partition plate 109 and the vegetable compartment door 106a is equal to or greater than the distance D, the door open / closed state detection unit 125 is disconnected. When the distance becomes D, the contact may be joined by a mechanical switch.

In the present embodiment, a stress sensor 121 is used for the detection unit 114. The stress sensor 121 detects the stress from the operation transmission unit 115. The detection unit 114 may be a strain resistance element whose resistance value changes due to stress, a sensor made of conductive rubber, a pressure-sensitive sensor whose capacitance value changes, or the like.

The control circuit board 122 includes a power supply unit 123 and a control unit 124. Electric power S <b> 1 is supplied from the power supply unit 123 to the stress sensor 121. The signal S2 detected by the stress sensor 121 is transmitted to the control unit 124. The control unit 124 receives the door open / closed state signal S3 detected by the door open / closed state detection unit 125.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of detection units 114 are arranged on the heat insulating partition plate 109, and a plurality of operation transmission units 115 facing each of them are also provided, so that information on the plurality of door opening trigger devices 113 is stored. In addition, if the detection results are averaged, detection with very high accuracy becomes possible.

The operation and action of the refrigerator 100 configured as described above will be described below with reference to the graph showing the time series change of the stress sensor output in FIG. 5 and the operation flowchart in FIG.

First, in step 1, when the vegetable compartment door 106a is closed and power is supplied to the refrigerator 100, the control circuit board 122 starts operating, and power S1 is supplied from the power supply unit 123 to the stress sensor 121 (FIG. Time point a) 5).

Next, in step 2, the door open / close state detector 125 detects the open / close state of the vegetable compartment door 106a to determine whether or not the door is closed. If it is determined that the door is closed, the door open / close state detector 125 outputs a signal S3 to the controller 124 and proceeds to Step 3. If it is determined that the door is open, the door open / close state detector 125 outputs a signal S3 to the controller 124 and waits in step 2. At this time, if the door is closed, the stress sensor 121 is pressed by the stress of the gasket, and the output value of the stress sensor 121 is P2 (time point b in FIG. 5).

In step 3, the control unit 124 determines that the vegetable compartment door 106a is closed, receives the signal S2 from the stress sensor 121, stores the output value P2, and proceeds to step 4 (time b to time in FIG. 5). c).

Next, in step 4, the control unit 124 measures the output value P3 of the stress sensor 121, and the process proceeds to step 5.

In step 5, the control unit 124 determines whether or not the difference between the output value P3 and the output value P2 has reached a predetermined ΔP. If the control unit 124 determines that it has reached ΔP, the vegetable compartment door 106a is It is determined that the user further pushed in from the normally closed state, and the process proceeds to Step 6. Otherwise, the control unit 124 returns the logic to step 4 and waits until there is a door opening operation (time point c to time point f in FIG. 5).

In FIG. 5, the output value exceeding P3 (ΔP as the amount of change) at the time point e is due to the time delay until the user pushes down the vegetable compartment door 106a. In addition, after the door opening operation, when the user's hand leaves the vegetable compartment door 106a, the output value does not return to P2 but is slightly changed to P1, which is the elastic body of the operation transmission unit 115 and the gasket. This is the hysteresis effect of. For this reason, the refrigerator 100 of this Embodiment is comprised so that the output value P2 of a normally closed state may be updated by the door opening operation after the next time.

In step 6, the signal S 2 from the stress sensor 121 and the signal S 3 from the door open / close state detection unit are input to the control unit 124, and the control unit 124 determines the door open / close state and opens the door. Then, the process proceeds to step 7 (time point f in FIG. 5).

Here, not when the vegetable compartment door 106a is pushed in by the user but from the time point e when the user's hand leaves the vegetable compartment door 106a, the time point f (the control unit 124 performs the opening operation in step 7). The reason that the door opening operation is performed until when it is confirmed that the operation has been confirmed is because it does not give a sense of incongruity in operation.

Next, in step 7, the control circuit board 122 determines that the door opening operation starts, operates the door opening / closing unit 116, and proceeds to step 8 (time point f in FIG. 5).

In step 8, the door open / close state detection unit 125 confirms that the vegetable compartment door 106a is in the open state, and returns the logic to step 2 (time point g in FIG. 5).

As described above, the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 101 including a heat insulating wall, a plurality of storage rooms including the vegetable compartment 106 provided in the housing 101, and the vegetable compartment 106. And a plurality of doors for closing and opening each of the plurality of storage chambers. At least one of the plurality of doors, that is, the vegetable compartment door 106a is configured as a drawer-type door. In the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, the detection unit 114 of the door opening trigger device 113 is disposed in the housing 101. Preferably, the detection unit 114 of the door opening trigger device 113 is disposed on the heat insulating partition plate 109 of the housing 101. Moreover, in the refrigerator 100 of this Embodiment, the operation transmission part 115 of the door opening trigger apparatus 113 is the part which faces the detection part 114 of the surface at the side of the housing | casing 101 of the inner wall of the drawer-type vegetable compartment door 106a. Is arranged.

With such a configuration, an uneven mechanism such as a mechanical switch is not provided on the glass face material 106b on the front side of the vegetable compartment door 106a as the opening operation unit, so that a flat shape with a high-class feeling on the door surface is maintained. The A configuration in which an operation unit is provided without changing the design of the door surface with an electrostatic touch sensor, a microwave sensor, or the like is also conceivable, but in such a configuration, power must be supplied to the drawer-type door side. Further, there are problems that it is necessary to increase the cost and secure the installation space when using wireless power feeding. In this respect, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, such a problem can also be solved.

In the present embodiment, the vegetable room door 106a has been described as an example, but it can also be applied to a drawer type door such as the freezer room door 105a provided with a glass face material 105b on the front surface. Any other storage room can be configured in the same manner as this embodiment.

Moreover, in the refrigerator 100 of this Embodiment, the detection part 114 of the door opening trigger apparatus 113 is comprised with the stress sensor 121, and the operation transmission part 115 is comprised with the elastic body. The operation transmission unit 115 transmits the stress to the detection unit 114 when the vegetable compartment door 106a is pressed from the closed state. With such a configuration, the stress when the vegetable compartment door 106a is pushed in by the user can be taken out from the stress sensor 121 as a physical quantity output change such as voltage or resistance value. Therefore, with such a configuration, the opening trigger device 113 can accurately determine the opening operation.

In the present embodiment, the operation transmission unit 115 is formed of an elastic body. With such a configuration, airtightness between the heat insulating partition plate 109 and the vegetable compartment door 106a can be ensured. In addition, if it is set as the structure which presses the detection part 114 with gasket itself in order to ensure the airtightness between the heat insulation partition plate 109 and the vegetable compartment door 106a and to absorb a closing impact, it is necessary to newly provide the operation transmission part 115. Absent.

Furthermore, the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment is configured to update the output value P2 of the stress sensor 121 every time the vegetable compartment door 106a is closed. Therefore, even if the distance D of the gap between the heat insulating partition plate 109 and the vegetable compartment door 106a changes due to the aging of the gasket or the operation transmission unit 115, the reliability and accuracy of operability can be kept constant.

In the operation description of the present embodiment, when the change amount of the output value of the stress sensor 121 is greater than or equal to the change amount ΔP, it is determined that the door opening operation has been performed. If the determination criteria include the time from time point c to time point d in FIG. 5, it is possible to determine whether or not there is an unexpected impact force due to a collision or the like, and it is possible to make the door opening trigger device 113 easier to use.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the refrigerator 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. The difference between the refrigerator 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure and the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment is that the inductive sensor 131 is used for the detection unit 114 and the operation transmission unit 115 is a convex type. It has a shape and is composed of a rigid member formed of a resin molded product or the like.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and functions of the main part of the vegetable room in the closed state of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is an inductive sensor for the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof is omitted here, and different portions are mainly described.

First, with reference to FIG. 7, the door opening trigger device 113 and the surrounding configuration will be described. The heat insulating partition plate 109 and the vegetable compartment door 106a maintain a closed state while maintaining a distance E via a gasket (not shown) in order to ensure airtightness and absorb the closing impact. In the present embodiment, the operation transmission unit 115 has a convex portion. The operation transmission unit 115 is a rigid member made of a resin molded product or the like. Further, in the present embodiment, the operation transmission unit 115 is provided with a first electrode 127 of the detection unit 114 (described later) provided at a position facing the operation transmission unit 115 by a stress caused by a gasket for ensuring airtightness. It is in close contact.

Also, the door open / close state detection unit 125 detects the closed state of the vegetable compartment door 106a. The door open / closed state detection unit 125 generally uses electronic detection in which a magnetic sensor such as a Hall IC is formed on the heat insulating partition plate 109 and a magnetic material such as a magnet is formed on the vegetable compartment door 106a. . However, the door open / closed state detection unit 125 is not limited to this configuration, and when the distance between the heat insulating partition plate 109 and the vegetable compartment door 106a is equal to or greater than the distance E, the contact breaks and the contact joins when the distance becomes E. You may be comprised with the switch of a type | formula.

In the present embodiment, the inductive sensor 131 is used for the detection unit 114. The detection unit 114 detects the stress from the operation transmission unit 115. Inside the inductive sensor 131, the first electrode 127 and the second electrode 128 are movably connected by a metal torsion spring 126. The first electrode 127 and the second electrode 128 are electrically connected to the frequency detection unit 130 separately. The first electrode 127, the torsion spring 126, and the second electrode 128 are connected in series, the other end of the first electrode 127 that is not connected to the torsion spring 126, and the second electrode A capacitor 129 is electrically connected between the other end of the electrode 128 and the other end not connected to the torsion spring 126. When the convex portion of the operation transmitting portion 115 is pushed in by stress, the first electrode 127 moves, the torsion spring 126 between the fixed second electrode 128 is compressed, and the entire length of the torsion spring 126 is reduced. As a result, the inductance value of the torsion spring 126 increases.

The control circuit board 122 includes a power supply unit 123 and a control unit 124. Electric power S4 is supplied from the power supply unit 123 of the control circuit board 122 to the frequency detection unit 130. Further, the signal S5 detected by the frequency detection unit 130 is transmitted to the control unit 124 of the control circuit board 122. The control unit 124 receives a signal S6 related to the door opening / closing state detected by the door opening / closing state detection unit 125 from the door opening / closing state detection unit 125.

The operation and action of the refrigerator 200 configured as described above will be described below with reference to the graph showing the time-series change of the inductive sensor output in FIG. 8 and the operation flowchart in FIG.

First, in step 9, when the vegetable compartment door 106a is closed and power is supplied to the refrigerator 200, the control circuit board 122 starts to operate, and the power S4 from the power supply unit 123 receives the frequency detection unit of the inductive sensor 131. 130. At this time, in the inductive sensor 131, a resonance circuit is formed by the inductance of the torsion spring 126 and the capacitance of the capacitor 129, and the resonance frequency f is expressed by Equation (1).

In Equation 1, L is the inductance value of the torsion spring 126, and C is the capacitance value of the capacitor 129, which is a fixed value.

In the frequency detection unit 130, the resonance frequency f is converted into an L value using the equation (1), the L value is set as the signal S5, and the frequency detection unit 130 outputs the signal S5 to the control unit 124. (Time h in FIG. 8).

Next, in step 10, the door open / close state detection unit 125 detects the open / close state of the vegetable compartment door 106a and determines whether or not the door is closed. If it is determined that the door is closed, the door open / close state detection unit 125 outputs a signal S6 to the control unit 124, and the process proceeds to step 11. If it is determined that the door is open, the door open / close state detection unit 125 outputs a signal S6 to the control unit 124 and stands by in step 10. In the closed state, the torsion spring 126 of the inductive sensor 131 is pushed through the convex portion of the operation transmission unit 115 due to the stress of the gasket and contracts to shorten its overall length, and the inductance value is smaller than the initial value. Becomes larger and the output becomes L2 (see FIG. 8). This is because the coil spring generally has the characteristic of the relational expression (2), and the inductance value increases proportionally as the total length becomes shorter if the number of turns is the same (time point i in FIG. 8).

In equation (2), μ is the magnetic permeability, N is the number of turns, d is the coil diameter, and l is the total coil length.

In step 11, the control unit 124 determines that the vegetable compartment door 106a is in the closed state, receives the signal S5 from the frequency detection unit 130, stores the output value L2, and proceeds to step 12 (time i in FIG. 8). To time j).

Next, in step 12, the control unit 124 measures the output value P3 of the inductive sensor 131 and proceeds to step 13.

In step 13, the control unit 124 determines whether or not the difference between the output value L3 and the output value L2 has reached a predetermined output value difference ΔL. If the output value difference ΔL has been reached, the control unit 124 determines that the vegetable door 106a has been further pushed in from the normally closed state, and proceeds to step 14. Otherwise, the control unit 124 returns to step 12 and waits until there is a door opening operation (time point j to time point m in FIG. 8).

Here, in FIG. 8, the fact that the output value of the inductive sensor 131 exceeds L3 (ΔL as the amount of change) at the time point l is the influence of the time delay until the user pushes the vegetable compartment door 106a. In addition, when the user releases his hand from the vegetable compartment door 106a after the operation, the output value does not return to L2 but is slightly changed to L1, which is that the spring constant of the torsion spring 126 and the elastic body of the gasket. It is a hysteresis effect. For this reason, the refrigerator 200 of this Embodiment is comprised so that the output value L2 of a normally closed state may be updated by the door opening operation after the next time.

In step 14, the signal S5 from the inductive sensor 131 and the signal S6 from the door open / close state detection unit are input to the control unit 124, and the control unit 124 determines the door open / close state and performs the door opening operation. The process proceeds to step 15 (time m in FIG. 8).

Here, not when the vegetable compartment door 106a is pushed in by the user but from the time point 1 when the user's hand is released from the vegetable compartment door 106a, the time point m in Step 14 (the control unit 124 performs the door opening operation). The reason that the door opening operation is performed until it is determined that it has been determined is that it does not give a sense of incongruity in operation.

Next, in step 15, the control unit 124 of the control circuit board 122 determines that the door opening operation is started, operates the door opening / closing unit 116 (time point f in FIG. 8), and the door opening / closing state detection unit 125 causes the vegetable compartment door. After confirming that the door 106a is in the open state, the process returns to Step 10 (time n in FIG. 8).

As described above, the refrigerator 200 of the present embodiment has an induction type sensor that detects the inductance value of the torsion spring 126 built in the detection unit 114 of the door opening trigger device 113. Moreover, in the refrigerator 200 of the present embodiment, the operation transmission unit 115 has a convex portion. A rigid member is used for the operation transmission unit 115.

In the refrigerator 200 according to the present embodiment, when the drawer-type vegetable compartment door 106a is pressed from the closed state, the operation transmission unit 115 transmits the stress to the detection unit 114 and compresses the torsion spring 126. It is configured as follows. With such a configuration, it is possible to detect that the vegetable compartment door 106a has been pushed in by the user based on a change in the inductance value of the torsion spring 126, and to determine whether or not there is a door opening operation. Further, with such a configuration, the distance displacement amount by which the door is pushed in can be determined with a reliable numerical value. Therefore, with such a configuration, variations due to force dispersion such as stress detection can be suppressed, so that it is possible to avoid giving the user an uncomfortable feeling.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, the refrigerator 300 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment or the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here, and different parts will be described.

The refrigerator 300 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure is particularly different from the refrigerator 200 according to the second embodiment in the configuration of the inductive sensor. Therefore, in this Embodiment, it demonstrates in detail centering on a different part from the induction type sensor of the refrigerator 200 of Embodiment 2. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and functions of the main part of the vegetable room in the closed state of the refrigerator according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

In FIG. 10, the heat insulating partition plate 109 and the vegetable compartment door 106a maintain a closed state by maintaining a distance F via a gasket (not shown) in order to ensure airtightness and absorb the closing impact. In refrigerator 300 of the present embodiment, operation transmission unit 115 is configured by a flat metal plate. Further, an inductive sensor 131 is used for the detection unit 114. The detection unit 114 detects the stress from the operation transmission unit 115. The detection unit 114 has a coiled conductive pattern 132 inside the inductive sensor 131. The operation transmission unit 115 is disposed close to the coiled conductive pattern 132 of the detection unit 114 disposed opposite to the operation transmission unit 115 by a stress caused by a gasket for ensuring airtightness while maintaining a distance F. The coiled conductive pattern 132 is preferably disposed as close to the surface of the heat insulating partition plate 109 as possible. In addition, as a specific structure of the coil-shaped conductive pattern 132, there are one in which a loop antenna-like copper foil is formed on a printed wiring board, or one in which a copper wire is spirally fixed.

Both ends of the coiled conductive pattern 132 inside the inductive sensor 131 are electrically connected to the frequency detection unit 130, respectively. A capacitor 129 is electrically connected between the coiled conductive pattern 132 and the frequency detector 130. When the vegetable compartment door 106a is pushed in, the distance between the operation transmission unit 115 and the coiled conductive pattern 132 is reduced from the initial distance F.

About the refrigerator 300 comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement is demonstrated below.

In the initial closed state of the vegetable compartment door 106a in which the distance F is maintained, the inductance of the coiled conductive pattern 132 is the sum of the self-inductance and the mutual inductance due to metal interference of the operation transmission unit 115. The mutual inductance value increases in inverse proportion as the distance F decreases, that is, the vegetable compartment door 106a is pushed. Therefore, if the inductance value that changes in this way is applied to the operations of Step 9 to Step 15 described in the second embodiment as they are, the trigger (opening door) of the door opening / closing unit 116 that the vegetable compartment door 106a has been pushed in. Operation decision).

As described above, the refrigerator 300 according to the present embodiment includes the inductive sensor 131 that detects the inductance value of the coiled conductive pattern 132 that is built in the detection unit 114 of the door opening trigger device 113. Moreover, in the refrigerator 300 of this Embodiment, the metal plate is used for the operation transmission part 115. FIG. In refrigerator 300 of the present embodiment, the amount of displacement of the distance between detection unit 114 and operation transmission unit 115 when drawer-type vegetable compartment door 106a is pressed from the closed state is used as the amount of change in inductance value. By detecting this, structural error factors such as contact and movement can be eliminated from the door opening trigger device 113, so that a highly reliable refrigerator can be obtained. In addition, when the operation transmission part 115 is comprised with a magnetic body, the variation | change_quantity of a mutual inductance value becomes larger than the case where it comprises with a metal plate. With such a configuration, the door trigger device 113 with higher accuracy is possible.

As described above, the present disclosure does not provide an operation unit for operating the automatic door opening device on the front surface of the drawer-type door, improves the operability, and does not impair the design of the flat door. provide. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to household and commercial refrigerators having a drawer-type door, a freezer / refrigerator showcase, and a storage room that does not require temperature adjustment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,200,300 Refrigerator 101 Case 102 Refrigeration room 102a Refrigeration room door 103 Ice making room 104 Switching room 105 Freezing room 105a Freezing room door 105b Glass surface material 106 Vegetable room 106a Vegetable room door 106b Glass surface material 108 Display operation part 109 Thermal insulation Partition plate 110 Frame 111 Storage case 112 Drawer rail 113 Door opening trigger device 114 Detection unit 115 Operation transmission unit 116 Door opening / closing unit 117 Link 118 Guide 119 Projection unit 120 Sealing holding mechanism 121 Stress sensor 122 Control circuit board 123 Power supply unit 124 Control unit 125 Door Open / Closed State Detection Unit 126 Torsion Spring 127 First Electrode 128 Second Electrode 129 Capacitor 130 Frequency Detection Unit 131 Inductive Sensor 132 Coiled Conductive Pattern

Claims

A housing composed of insulating walls;
A plurality of storage chambers provided in the housing;
A plurality of doors for closing and opening the plurality of storage chambers;
An automatic door opening portion that automatically opens the plurality of doors,
At least one of the plurality of doors is constituted by a drawer type door,
The detection part of the door opening trigger device of the automatic door opening part is arranged in the housing,
The operation transmission part of the door opening trigger device is a refrigerator disposed on a housing side surface of the inner wall of the drawer door.
The detection part of the door opening trigger device is composed of a stress sensor,
The operation transmission unit is composed of an elastic body,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the operation transmission unit transmits stress to the detection unit when the drawer-type door is pressed from a closed state.
The detection unit of the door opening trigger device is configured by an inductive sensor that detects an inductance value of a torsion spring,
The operation transmission unit is composed of a rigid body,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the operation transmission unit transmits a pressing stress to the detection unit to compress the torsion spring when the drawer-type door is pressed from the closed state.
The detection unit of the door opening trigger device includes an inductive sensor that detects an inductance value of a coiled conductive pattern,
The operation transmission unit is composed of a metal plate,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein when the drawer-type door is pressed from a closed state, a displacement amount of a gap between the detection unit and the operation transmission unit is detected as a change amount of an inductance value.