WO2020125443A1

WO2020125443A1 - Shielding apparatus and refrigerator comprising same

Info

Publication number: WO2020125443A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/123489
Authority: WO
Inventors: 豊嶋昌志
Original assignee: 青岛海尔电冰箱有限公司; 海尔智家股份有限公司; Aqua株式会社
Priority date: 2018-12-20
Filing date: 2019-12-06
Publication date: 2020-06-25
Also published as: CN112055802B; JP2023041864A; JP7460205B2; EP3901541A1; JP2020101314A; JP7226770B2; EP3901541A4; CN112055802A

Abstract

A shielding apparatus not occupying the refrigerator capacity and capable of accurately controlling the rotation of rotation shielding walls, and a refrigerator comprising the shielding apparatus. The shielding apparatus (70) comprises multiple rotation shielding walls (71) surrounding a fan (47) from an outer side of a radius direction, a shielding wall drive mechanism (60) for driving the rotation shielding walls (71), a position detection means, and a control means (54) for controlling the shielding wall drive mechanism (60). The control means (54) controls, according to the detection result of the position detection means of detecting the position of a rotation plate (73) in the rotation direction, the shielding wall drive mechanism (60).

Description

Shielding device and refrigerator with the same

Technical field

The present invention relates to a shielding device and a refrigerator having the shielding device, and particularly to a shielding device that properly closes an air path connecting a cooling chamber and a storage room, and a refrigerator having the shielding device.

Background technique

As described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-2664), there is a refrigerator that cools a plurality of storage compartments using one cooler.

The refrigerator 100 described in this document is schematically shown in FIG. 19. In the refrigerator 100 shown in this figure, a refrigerator compartment 101, a freezer compartment 102, and a vegetable compartment 103 are formed. On the rear side of the freezer compartment 102, a cooling compartment 104 that houses the cooler 108 is formed, and on the partition wall 105 that partitions the cooling compartment 104 and the freezer compartment 102, an opening 106 for supplying cold air to each storage compartment is formed. In addition, the opening 106 is provided with a blower fan 107 that allows cold air to flow, and a fan cover 110 that covers the blower fan 107 is disposed on the freezing compartment 102 side. A damper 114 is provided in the middle of the air passage 109 through which cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 101 flows.

20, the fan cover 110 will be described in detail. In the fan cover 110, a recess 111 having a substantially quadrangular shape is formed, and an upper portion of the recess 111 is cut away to form an opening 113. Here, when the fan cover 110 covers the blower fan 107, the opening 113 of the fan cover 110 communicates with the air passage 109 on the side of the refrigerator body.

The refrigerator 100 of the above structure operates as follows. First, when cooling the refrigerator compartment 101 and the freezer compartment 102 at the same time, the fan cover 110 is separated from the blower fan 107 and the damper 114 is opened. In this state, the blower fan 107 is rotated. In this way, part of the cold air cooled by the cooler 108 inside the cooling chamber 104 is blown into the freezing chamber 102 by the blowing air of the blowing fan 107. In addition, the other part of the cold air is sent to the refrigerator compartment 101 via the air passage 109, the air door 114, and the air passage 109. Thereby, both the freezing compartment 102 and the refrigerating compartment 101 are cooled.

On the other hand, when cooling only the refrigerator compartment 101, the blower fan 107 is covered with the fan cover 110, and the damper 114 is opened. In this state, the cool air cooled by the cooler 108 is blown by the blower fan 107. When the fan cover 110 is closed, the opening 113 formed in the upper part of the fan cover 110 is communicated with the air passage 109. Therefore, the cold air blown by the blower fan 107 is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 101 through the opening 113, the damper 114, and the air passage 109 described above.

As described above, by using the fan cover 110 in which the opening 113 is formed, a single cooler 108 can cool a plurality of storage rooms in a timely manner.

However, the fan cover 110 needs a space for opening and closing operations in the front-rear direction. Therefore, in the refrigerator 100, a large space is required for the fan cover 110 to open and close. As a result, the inner volume of the freezer compartment 102 formed in front of the fan cover 110 is compressed, and the space for the freezer compartment 102 to store the storage is limited. In addition, a driving sound is generated when the fan cover 110 is moved in the front-rear direction by the motor, and when the driving sound is large, it will cause discomfort to the user.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a shielding device capable of accurately controlling the rotation of the rotating shielding wall without crowding the internal volume of the box, and a refrigerator provided with the shielding device.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, the present invention provides a shielding device for properly closing the air path for cooling air transmission inside the refrigerator. The shielding device has a plurality of rotating shielding walls that surround the fan from outside in the radial direction; the shielding wall drive mechanism, Driving the rotating shielding wall; a position detection device to detect the position of the rotating plate in the direction of rotation; and a control device that controls the operation of the shielding wall drive mechanism, the control device according to the detection of the position detection device As a result, the operation of the shielding wall drive mechanism is controlled. The shielding wall drive mechanism has a rotating plate formed with an annular sliding groove; a cam formed with a moving shaft engaged with the sliding groove and rotatably connected to the rotating shielding wall; and a motor for To drive the rotating plate to rotate. Thus, the control device detects the position of the rotating plate in the rotation direction through the position detection device, and controls the shielding wall driving mechanism based on the detection result, accurately controls the rotation of the rotating shielding wall, and realizes the accurate opening of the air path inside the refrigerator Closed control. In addition, regardless of the position of the rotating plate, the initial position of the rotating plate can be detected based on the output of the position detection device. There is no need to provide a contact portion for detecting the initial position. The sliding groove is provided in a ring shape, simplifying the entire device The structure does not cause the noise generated by the contact operation.

Further, the position detection device detects a change in the thickness of the rotating plate in the rotation direction.

Further, the position detection device detects electrical characteristic values that change with the rotation of the rotating plate.

Further, the position detection device detects a magnetic field that changes with the rotation of the rotating plate.

Further, the periphery of the rotating plate is provided with a gear groove as a whole.

The present invention also provides a refrigerator having a freezing circuit having a cooler for cooling air supplied to a storage room through the air path; a cooling room equipped with the cooler and forming There is an air supply port connected to the storage room; a fan that blows air supplied from the air supply port toward the storage room; and a shielding device for closing at least part of the air path as described above. The refrigerator of the present invention uses a thin shielding device having a plurality of rotating shielding walls surrounding the fan from outside in the radial direction, which reduces the occupied volume and can increase the internal volume of the storage compartment. In addition, the refrigerator can accurately control the rotation of the rotation shielding wall according to the position detection of the rotating plate, and accurately control the opening and closing of the air passage inside the refrigerator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a structure near a cooling chamber of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view showing a shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 5(B) is a front view showing a separator.

6(A) is an exploded perspective view showing a shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6(B) is a perspective view showing a cam of the shielding device.

FIG. 7(A) is a partially exploded schematic view showing the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7(B) is an exploded schematic view showing the structural part in which the shielding device houses a cam.

FIG. 8(A) is a diagram showing the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from behind the rotating shielding wall; FIG. 8(B) is a configuration diagram showing the shielding device as viewed from behind the rotating plate.

9(A) shows an exploded perspective view of the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention when a distance sensor is used as the position detection device; FIG. 9(B) shows the angle of the rotating plate detected from the sensor Sectional view.

10 is a perspective view showing a case where a resistor is used as a position detection device in a shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a perspective view showing a case where a magnetic sensor is used as a position detection device in a shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a block diagram showing the structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

13(A) is a state diagram showing the mode 1 viewed from the rear in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13(B) is a diagram showing the rotating plate of the mode 1. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state of the air passage of mode 1 when the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the rear.

15(A) is a state diagram showing the mode 6 viewed from the rear in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 15(B) is a diagram showing the rotating plate in mode 6;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the state of the air path of the mode 6 when the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the rear.

FIG. 17(A) is a state diagram showing the mode 12 viewed from the rear in the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 17(B) is a diagram showing the rotating plate of the mode 12;

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the state of the air path of the mode 12 when the shielding device according to the embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the rear.

19 is an enlarged side view showing a refrigerator according to the background art.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a fan cover used in the refrigerator according to the background art.

10-refrigerator; 11-insulation box; 12-outer shell; 13-liner; 14-insulation material; 15-refrigerator; 17-freezer; 18-upper freezer; 19-lower freezer; 20- Vegetable room; 21, 23, 24, 25-insulated door; 26-cooling room; 27-air supply port; 28, 38, 39-return air port; 29-refrigeration room supply air path; 30-gear; 31-freezer room supply Air path; 33, 34, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346-blowing outlet; 35-opening; 37-vegetable room return air path; 40-magnet; 41-magnetic sensor; 42, 43-insulation Partition wall; 44-compressor; 45-cooler; 46-defrost heater; 47-fan; 48-rotation joint; 49-gear groove; 50-ring convex part; 501-start point; 502-end point; 51-insertion hole; 52-resistor; 53-rotation shaft; 54-control device; 56-airway dividing wall; 57-cover member; 60-shielding wall drive mechanism; 61, 611, 612, 613, 614-cam ; 62-cam housing; 63-support base; 64, 68-rotating joint; 65, 66-separator; 67-front cover; 69-pin; 70-shielding device; 71, 711, 712, 713, 714 -Turn the shielding wall; 72-distance sensor; 721-transmitting part; 722-receiving part; 73-rotating plate; 74-driving motor; 76, 761, 762, 763, 764-moving shaft; 80-slide groove; , 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 8010, 8011, 8012-sliding groove; 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817, 818, 819, 8110, 8111, 8112 Change point; 83-frame portion; 85-recessed portion; 86-through hole; 91-temperature sensor; 92-timer; 100-refrigerator; 101-refrigerator; 102-freezer; 103-vegetable room; 104- Cooling chamber; 105-division wall; 106-opening; 107-blowing fan; 108-cooler; 109-air path; 110-fan cover; 111-recess; 113-opening; 114-air door.

detailed description

The drawings are for illustrative purposes only, and cannot be construed as a limitation to this patent; in order to better illustrate this embodiment, some parts of the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product size; For the personnel, it is understandable that some well-known structures and descriptions in the drawings may be omitted.

Hereinafter, the shielding device 70 and the refrigerator 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the following description, the same components are given the same symbols in principle, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In the following description, the directions of up, down, front, left, and right are suitably used, but left and right indicate left and right when the refrigerator 10 is viewed from the rear. Furthermore, in the following description, the rotation directions are expressed as clockwise and counterclockwise, and these rotation directions represent the directions when the refrigerator 10 is viewed from the rear.

FIG. 1 is a front external view showing a schematic configuration of the refrigerator 10 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 10 includes a heat insulation box 11 as a main body, and a storage room for storing food and the like is formed inside the heat insulation box 11. As the storage room, the uppermost layer is the refrigerator compartment 15, the lower layer is the upper freezing room 18, further the lower layer is the lower freezing room 19, and the lowermost layer is the vegetable compartment 20. In addition, the upper freezing room 18 and the lower freezing room 19 are storage rooms in the freezing temperature range, and in the following description, they may be collectively referred to as the freezing room 17. Here, the upper freezer compartment 18 may be divided left and right, and one side may be used as an ice making compartment.

The front surface of the heat insulation box 11 is opened, and an opening corresponding to each storage room is provided with a heat insulation door 21 and the like openable and closable. The refrigerator compartment 15 is divided in the left-right direction and closed by corresponding heat-insulating doors 21. The heat-insulating door 21 is rotatably mounted on the heat-insulating box 11 in the width direction on the outer upper and lower ends. Moreover, the

heat insulation doors

23, 24, 25 are combined with each storage room, and are supported by the heat insulation box 11 so that the front of the refrigerator 10 can be drawn. Specifically, the heat insulation door 23 closes the upper freezing room 18, the heat insulation door 24 closes the lower freezing room 19, and the heat insulation door 25 closes the vegetable room 20.

2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of the refrigerator 10. The heat insulation box 11 which is the main body of the refrigerator 10 is composed of an outer shell 12 made of a steel plate whose front surface is open, and a liner 13 made of synthetic resin that is provided in the outer shell 12 with a gap therebetween. The gap between the outer shell 12 and the inner liner 13 is filled with a heat insulating material 14 made of foamed polyurethane. In addition, the heat insulation door 21 described above and the like also adopt the same heat insulation structure as the heat insulation box 11.

The refrigerator compartment 15 and the freezer compartment 17 located at the lower layer thereof are partitioned by an insulating partition 42. In addition, the upper freezer compartment 18 communicates with the lower freezer compartment 19 provided below it, and the cooled cold air can simultaneously cool them. In addition, between the freezing compartment 17 and the vegetable compartment 20 is partitioned by a heat insulating partition 43.

On the back surface of the refrigerating compartment 15, a partition 65 made of synthetic resin is formed and serves as a refrigerating compartment supply air passage 29 that supplies cold air to the refrigerating compartment 15. The refrigerating compartment supply air passage 29 is formed with an outlet 33 for flowing cold air to the refrigerating compartment 15.

On the rear side of the freezer compartment 17, there is formed a freezer compartment supply air passage 31 for cooling air flow cooled by the cooler 45 to the freezer compartment 17. A cooling chamber 26 is formed on the rear side of the freezer compartment supply air passage 31, and inside it, a cooler 45 that is an evaporator for cooling the air circulating in the box is arranged. The freezer compartment supply air passage 31 is a space surrounded by the front cover 67 and the partition 66 in the front-rear direction.

The cooler 45 is connected to the compressor 44, a radiator (not shown), and a capillary tube, which is an expansion unit (not shown) via refrigerant piping, and forms a vapor compression refrigeration loop.

3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the structure near the cooling chamber 26 of the refrigerator 10. The cooling chamber 26 is provided on the rear side of the freezer compartment supply air passage 31 inside the heat insulation box 11. The cooling chamber 26 and the freezing chamber 17 are partitioned by a partition 66 made of synthetic resin.

The space formed between the cooling chamber 26 and the front cover 67 made of synthetic resin assembled in front of the freezing chamber supply air passage 31 located in front of the cooling chamber 26 forms the cold air after the cooling of the cooler 45 flows to the freezing chamber 17 Windy road. The front cover 67 is formed with an outlet 34 which is an opening for blowing cold air to the freezing compartment 17.

On the lower back surface of the lower freezing chamber 19, a return air port 38 for returning air from the freezing chamber 17 to the cooling chamber 26 is formed. Further, below the cooling chamber 26, a return air port 28 is formed which is connected to the return air port 38 and sucks the return cold air from each storage room into the cooling room 26. The return air opening 28 also flows into the cold air returned through the return air opening 39 (refer to FIG. 2) of the vegetable compartment 20 and the vegetable compartment return air path 37.

In addition, below the cooler 45, a defrost heater 46 is provided as a defrost unit that melts and removes frost adhering to the cooler 45. The defrost heater 46 is a resistance heating type heater.

In the upper part of the cooling chamber 26, an air supply port 27 which is an opening connected to each storage chamber is formed. The air blowing port 27 is an opening for flowing cold air cooled by the cooler 45, and communicates the cooling chamber 26 with the refrigerating compartment supply air passage 29 and the freezing compartment supply air passage 31. A blower 47 that sends out cold air toward the freezing compartment 17 or the like is arranged at the position of the air outlet 27.

Outside the air outlet 27 of the cooling chamber 26, a shielding device 70 for appropriately closing the air path connected from the air outlet 27 is provided. The shielding device 70 is covered by the front cover 67 from the front.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, a damper may be installed in the refrigerator compartment supply air passage 29. By installing in this way, the shielding device 70 and the damper can appropriately supply cool air to each storage room.

4 is an exploded perspective view showing the front cover 67, the shielding device 70, and the partition 66. FIG. The shielding device 70 is disposed between the front cover 67 and the partition 66.

The shielding device 70 is composed of a cover member 57, a rotating plate 73 and a support base 63. The cover member 57 is a member that blocks the rotating plate 73 from the front, and has a substantially circular shape when viewed from the front. The rotating plate 73 is a substantially disk-shaped member that rotates to open and close the shielding device 70, and is rotatably attached to the support base 63. The support base 63 is composed of a synthetic resin plate shaped into a given shape, and each component constituting the shielding device 70 is mounted. In addition, the support base 63 is fitted into the opening 35 in the upper portion of the front cover 67. The configuration of the shielding device 70 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 5(A) is a cross-sectional view of the partition 66 and the front cover 67 in which the partial structure of the shielding device 70 is embedded. As described above, the freezer compartment supply air passage 31 is formed as a space surrounded by the partition 66 and the front cover 67. The freezer compartment supply air passage 31 is divided into a plurality of air passages. In addition, a shielding device 70 and a shielding wall drive mechanism 60 are arranged between the partition 66 and the front cover 67. A fan 47 is provided in the shielding device 70, and the shielding wall drive mechanism 60 drives the shielding device 70. The structure of the shielding device 70 and the shielding wall driving mechanism 60 will be further described with reference to FIG. 6 and the like.

FIG. 5(B) is a schematic view of the partition 66 viewed from the front. The blowing port 34 on the partition 66 specifically includes a blowing port 341 to a blowing port 346. The air outlet 341 and the air outlet 342 are formed at the upper end of the partition 66, the air outlet 343 and the air outlet 344 are formed at the center of the partition 66 in the vertical direction, and the air outlet 345 and the air outlet 346 are formed at the lower end of the partition 66.

In addition, the partition 66 is formed with a rib-shaped air passage dividing wall 56 that protrudes forward. The front end of the air path dividing wall 56 is in contact with the front cover 67. The air passage dividing wall 56 divides the aforementioned freezer compartment supply air passage 31 into a plurality of air passages.

6, the configuration of the shielding device 70 will be described. FIG. 6(A) is an exploded perspective view of the shielding device 70, and FIG. 6(B) is a perspective view showing the cam 61. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6(A), the shielding device 70 includes a rotating shielding wall 71, a support base 63, a cover member 57, and a shielding wall driving mechanism 60.

The shielding device 70 is a device that shields the air path of the cold air blown by the fan 47. By opening the shielding device 70, the air path connecting the cooling chamber 26 and each storage room is communicated, and by closing the shielding device 70, the air path is blocked.

The fan 47 is arranged at the center of the rear surface of the support base 63 via fastening means such as screws. The fan 47 includes, for example, a centrifugal fan such as a turbo fan, and a blower motor that rotates the centrifugal fan, and blows air outward in the radial direction.

The rotation shielding wall 71 is a plate-shaped member made of a rectangular synthetic resin, and has a long side along the tangential direction of the outer edge of the rotating plate 73. The rear side of the rotation shielding wall 71 is rotatably attached near the peripheral edge of the support base 63. A plurality of rotation shielding walls 71 are arranged, specifically, four rotation shielding walls 71 are arranged. The rotation shielding wall 71 is arranged in a path through which the cold air flow blown by the fan 47 passes, and appropriately shields the air path.

At the base end portion, which is the rotation center of the rotation shielding wall 71, is adjacent to a frame-shaped portion 83 which is provided along the outer periphery of the rotation shielding wall 71 in an upright state. The frame-shaped portion 83 is composed of a frame-shaped synthetic resin, and is arranged on the rear surface of the support base 63 so as to surround the fan 47. The frame-shaped portion 83 is disposed corresponding to the rotation shielding wall 71, and the opening of the frame-shaped portion 83 is blocked by each rotation shielding wall 71 to close the air passage.

The shielding wall drive mechanism 60 that performs the opening and closing operation of the rotating shielding wall 71 includes a rotating plate 73, a cam 61, and a drive motor 74 that rotates the rotating plate 73. Here, the drive motor 74 is not shown.

The rotating plate 73 has a substantially disc shape when viewed from the rear, and is rotatably arranged on the front surface side of the support base 63. The rotating plate 73 is formed with a sliding groove 80 for rotating the rotation shielding wall 71. The slide groove 80 is formed as a bottomed groove surrounded by ribs on the rear surface of the rotating plate 73. As will be described later, the rotating plate 73 is driven to rotate by the driving motor, and the shielding wall 71 is rotated to perform opening and closing operations.

A gear groove 49 for transmitting driving force from the motor is formed on the edge of the rotating plate 73. In the present embodiment, the gear groove 49 is formed on the entire circumference of the rotating plate 73.

The cover member 57 is a plate-shaped member that covers the rotating plate 73 from the front, is formed slightly larger than the rotating plate 73, and has a substantially circular shape when viewed from the front.

Inside the cover member 57, a distance sensor 72 that is a position detection device that detects the position of the rotating plate 73 in the rotation direction is arranged. The distance sensor 72 will be described later with reference to FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 6(B), the cam 61 is a flat rectangular parallelepiped member composed of synthetic resin. By protruding the left end of the cam 61 toward the rear, the rotation coupling portion 48 is formed. In the rotation coupling portion 48, a hole portion into which a pin 69 described later can be inserted is formed. In addition, a moving shaft 76 protruding in a substantially cylindrical shape from the front surface on the right end side of the cam 61 is formed. The moving shaft 76 is engaged with the above-mentioned sliding groove 80 of the rotating plate 73. In use, the moving shaft 76 slides relative to the sliding groove 80. In order to enable this sliding, the diameter of the moving shaft 76 is set to be the same as or slightly smaller than the width of the sliding groove 80 in the radial direction.

Referring to FIG. 7, the related structure of the rotation shielding wall 71, the support base 63 and the cam 61 will be described. 7(A) is an exploded perspective view of the rotation shielding wall 71, the support base 63, and the cam 61 viewed from the left rear, and FIG. 7(B) is an exploded perspective view of the rotation coupling portion 68 and the cam 61 viewed from the left front.

Referring to FIG. 7(A), the rotation shielding wall 71 is formed with a rotation coupling portion 68 that protrudes obliquely from the base end of the rotation shielding wall 71. In the rotation coupling portion 68, a hole portion into which the pin 69 can be inserted is formed. In addition, at the front and rear end portions of the upper and lower sides of the rotation shielding wall 71, a rotation coupling portion 64 protruding in a substantially cylindrical shape is formed. The rotation coupling portion 64 is inserted into a cylindrical concave portion 85 formed on the inner wall of the frame portion 83. With this structure, the rotation shielding wall 71 is arranged on the support base 63 in a rotatable state.

The support base 63 is formed with a rectangular through-hole 86. The rotation coupling portion 68 of the rotation shielding wall 71 is inserted into the through hole 86 from the rear. The rotation coupling portion 48 of the cam 61 is inserted into the through hole 86 from the front. The pin 69 is inserted into the hole portion of the rotation coupling portion 68 of the rotation shielding wall 71 and the hole portion of the rotation coupling portion 48 of the cam 61. With this structure, the rotation shielding wall 71 and the cam 61 are rotatably connected via the support base 63.

Referring to FIG. 7(B), a cam storage portion 62 is formed on the front surface of the support base 63. The cam storage portion 62 is a rectangular area surrounded by ribs, and the above-described through hole 86 is formed inside the cam storage portion 62. The cam 61 is stored in the cam storage portion 62 and slides. Inside the cam housing portion 62, the direction in which the cam 61 slides is the left-right direction, in other words, the radial direction of the rotating plate 73 shown in FIG. 6(A).

With the above configuration, when the drive motor drives the rotating plate 73 to rotate, the moving shaft 76 slides in the sliding groove 80. As a result, the cam 61 slides in the cam storage portion 62. By sliding the cam 61, the rotation shielding wall 71 can be rotated around the pin 69. Specifically, by sliding the cam 61 toward the peripheral edge side of the support base 63, the rotation shielding wall 71 rotates so as to be in an upright state with the rotation coupling portion 64 as the rotation center, and the rotation shielding wall 71 becomes the main body with respect to the support base 63 The plane is orthogonal and vertical. On the other hand, by sliding the cam 61 toward the center side of the support base 63, the rotation shielding wall 71 rotates so as to lie in a horizontal state with the rotation coupling portion 64 as the rotation center, and the rotation shielding wall 71 becomes relative to the support base 63 The main surface is approximately parallel.

Therefore, if the slide groove 80 is formed on the peripheral edge side of the rotating plate 73, the rotation shielding wall 71 can be closed. Conversely, if the sliding groove 80 is formed on the center side of the rotating plate 73, the turning shielding wall 71 can be opened. Using this principle, the opening and closing state of the rotation shielding wall 71 can be arbitrarily set by the meandering design of the sliding groove 80 shape. Thereby, without adopting a complicated structure, the rotation shielding wall 71 can be fully opened or fully closed.

FIG. 8(A) is a diagram showing the rotation shielding wall 711 and the like of the shielding device 70 viewed from the rear. As the rotation shielding wall 71 described above, the shielding device 70 has a rotation shielding wall 711 to a rotation shielding wall 714. The rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 have a rectangular shape having long sides that are substantially parallel to the tangential direction of the rotating plate 73 described above. In addition, the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 are rotatably attached to the peripheral edge of the support base 63 shown in FIG. 7(A).

The base end portion of the rotation shielding wall 711 is rotatably connected to the cam 611 on which the movement shaft 761 is formed. Similarly, the base end portion of the rotation shielding wall 712 is rotatably connected to the cam 612 on which the movement shaft 762 is formed. The base end portion of the rotation shielding wall 713 is rotatably connected to the cam 613 on which the movement shaft 763 is formed. In addition, the base end portion of the rotation shielding wall 714 is rotatably connected to the cam 614 on which the movement shaft 764 is formed.

Referring to FIG. 8(B), the rotating plate 73 is a steel plate or a synthetic resin plate formed into a substantially disc shape, and a sliding groove 80 for opening and closing operations of the rotation shielding wall 711 and the like is formed.

A gear groove 49 is formed over the entire periphery of the rotating plate 73, and the gear 30 is meshed with the gear groove 49 to rotate the rotating plate 73 based on the torque of the drive motor 74.

The sliding groove 80 is formed in a substantially annular shape near the outer peripheral edge of the rotating plate 73. In addition, the shape of the sliding groove 80 when the rotating plate 73 is viewed from the rear is not a perfect circular shape, but has a serpentine shape that bends and extends along the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 73. Specifically, the slide groove 80 is composed of the slide groove 801 to the slide groove 8012 in the clockwise direction. The sliding groove 801 is curved outward in the clockwise direction toward the radial direction. The sliding groove 802 extends substantially parallel to the circumferential direction. The sliding groove 803 is curved toward the inside in the radial direction in the clockwise direction. The slide groove 804 is curved outward in the clockwise direction toward the radial direction. The sliding groove 805 is curved toward the inside in the radial direction in the clockwise direction. The sliding groove 806 is curved outward in the clockwise direction toward the radial direction. The sliding groove 807 is curved toward the inside in the radial direction in the clockwise direction. The slide groove 808 is curved clockwise toward the outside in the radial direction. The slide groove 809 is curved toward the inside in the radial direction in the clockwise direction. The sliding groove 8010 is curved outward in the clockwise direction toward the radial direction. The slide groove 8011 extends substantially parallel to the circumferential direction. The slide groove 8012 is curved clockwise toward the inside in the radial direction.

The sliding groove 80 is provided with a change point in which the curved shape of the sliding groove 80 changes. Specifically, a change point 812 is set between the slide groove 801 and the slide groove 802, and a change point 813 is set between the slide groove 802 and the slide groove 803. In addition, a change point 814 is set between the slide groove 803 and the slide groove 804, and a change point 815 is set between the slide groove 804 and the slide groove 805. In addition, a change point 816 is set between the slide groove 805 and the slide groove 806, and a change point 817 is set between the slide groove 806 and the slide groove 807. In addition, a change point 818 is set between the slide groove 807 and the slide groove 808, and a change point 819 is set between the slide groove 808 and the slide groove 809. In addition, a change point 8110 is set between the slide groove 809 and the slide groove 8010, and a change point 8111 is set between the slide groove 8010 and the slide groove 8011. In addition, a change point 8112 is set between the slide groove 8011 and the slide groove 8012, and a change point 811 is set between the slide groove 8012 and the slide groove 801.

The above-mentioned change point 812, change point 813, change point 815, change point 817, change point 819, change point 8111, and change point 812 are arranged radially outward of the rotating plate 73. On the other hand, the change point 811, the change point 814, the change point 816, the change point 818, and the change point 8110 are arranged radially inward of the rotating plate 73.

By arranging the moving shaft 761 to the moving shaft 764 at the change point 811 to the change point 8112, the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 can be set to a predetermined opening and closing mode. Here, by setting the angle interval θ at which the change points are separated from each other to 30 degrees, as will be described later, a total of 12 kinds of opening and closing modes of the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 are realized.

A specific example of the position detection device that detects the position in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 73 of the shielding device 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. 9 shows an example in which the distance sensor 72 is used as the position detection device, FIG. 10 shows an example in which the resistor 52 is used as the position detection device, and FIG. 11 shows an example in which the magnetic sensor 41 is used as the position detection device.

Referring to FIG. 9, an example in which the distance sensor 72 is used as the position detection device is shown. FIG. 9(A) shows a shielding device 70 using a distance sensor 72, and FIG. 9(B) is a cross-sectional view when the annular convex portion 50 shown in FIG. 9(A) is linearly developed and cut.

Referring to FIG. 9(A), a ring-shaped convex portion 50 is formed by protruding the front center portion of the rotating plate 73 toward the front in a ring shape. The annular convex portion 50 changes in height in the circumferential direction. In addition, as viewed from the front, a distance sensor 72 is arranged on the rear surface of the cover member 57 overlapping the annular convex portion 50. The distance sensor 72 emits electromagnetic waves or sound waves toward the front portion of the annular convex portion 50 and receives electromagnetic waves or sound waves reflected on the front portion of the annular convex portion 50. Thus, as described below, the distance between the front portion of the annular convex portion 50 and the distance sensor 72, that is, the height of the annular convex portion 50 can be detected.

Referring to FIG. 9(B), the annular convex portion 50 has an adjacent starting point 501 and end point 502, and the protrusion height of the annular convex portion 50 gradually increases from the starting point 501 toward the end point 502.

In addition, the distance sensor 72 has a transmission unit 721 and a reception unit 722. The transmission portion 721 generates electromagnetic waves or sound waves toward the upper surface of the annular convex portion 50. The receiving portion 722 receives electromagnetic waves or sound waves reflected on the upper surface of the annular convex portion 50. Thus, by measuring the time from the transmission of the distance sensor 72 to the reception, the distance from the front surface of the annular convex portion 50 to the sensor 72 can be calculated, that is, the thickness of the annular convex portion 50 can be calculated . In addition, as described above, regarding the thickness of the annular convex portion 50, the start point 501 is the thinnest and the end point 502 is the thickest. Thus, by measuring the thickness of the annular convex portion 50, the position in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 73, that is, the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 can be detected.

The case where the resistor 52 is used as the position detection device will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the shielding device 70 using the resistor 52 as the position detection device.

The resistor 52 has a rotating shaft 53 rotatably provided. The rear end of the rotating shaft 53 is inserted into the insertion hole 51 formed in the central portion of the rotating plate 73. The insertion hole 51 has a substantially semicircular shape, and the rotating shaft 53 has a similar substantially semicircular shape. Thus, when the rotating plate 73 rotates, the rotating shaft 53 also rotates at the same time. In addition, the resistor 52 is a variable resistor whose resistance value changes with the rotation of the rotating shaft 53. Thus, by measuring the resistance value of the resistor 52, the position of the rotating plate 73 in the rotating direction can be detected.

In addition, although the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 is detected based on the resistance value detected by the resistor 52 here, the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 can also be detected based on electrical characteristic values other than the resistance value, such as a current value.

The case where the magnetic sensor 41 is used as the position detection device will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the shielding device 70 using the magnetic sensor 41 as the position detection device.

The magnet 40 is arranged at the center of the rotating plate 73. The magnet 40 magnetizes the N pole and S pole in a given pattern in the circumferential direction. The magnet 40 rotates together with the rotating plate 73.

In addition, a magnetic sensor 41 is arranged behind or in the vicinity of the cover member 57 and the magnet 40 as viewed from the front. The magnetic sensor 41 detects the position in the rotation direction of the magnet 40 by detecting the magnetic field generated from the magnet 40.

In the use condition of the shielding device 70, when the rotating plate 73 rotates, the magnet 40 also rotates together. As the magnet 40 rotates, the magnetic field generated from the magnet 40 changes, and by detecting the change in the magnetic field by the magnetic sensor 41, the position in the rotation direction of the rotating plate 73 can be detected.

The connection structure of the refrigerator 10 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 12. The refrigerator 10 has a control device 54, a temperature sensor 91, a timer 92, a distance sensor 72, a compressor 44, a fan 47, a drive motor 74, and a defrost heater 46. The temperature sensor 91, the timer 92, and the distance sensor 72 are connected to the input side terminal of the control device 54. The compressor 44, the fan 47, the drive motor 74, and the defrost heater 46 are connected to the output-side terminal of the control device 54.

The control device 54 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the compressor 44 and the like based on input information from the temperature sensor 91 and the like, thereby controlling the cooling operation of the refrigerator 10. In addition, the control device 54 controls the shielding wall drive mechanism 60 based on the input information from the distance sensor 72 to control the opening and closing of the rotating shielding wall 71.

The temperature sensors 91 are arranged inside the refrigerator compartment 15, the freezer compartment 17, and the vegetable compartment 20, respectively, and transmit information indicating the temperature in the cabinet of each storage compartment to the control device 54.

The timer 92 measures the cooling time for cooling the refrigerator compartment 15, the freezing compartment 17, and the vegetable compartment 20, the operating time of the defrosting heater 46, and the like, and transmits information indicating the time to the control device 54.

As shown in FIG. 9, the distance sensor 72 measures the position in the rotation direction of the rotation plate 73, that is, the rotation angle, by measuring the distance from the annular convex portion 50 of the rotation plate 73. Instead of the distance sensor 72, the resistor 52 shown in FIG. 10 and the magnetic sensor 41 shown in FIG. 11 can also be used.

The compressor 44 compresses the refrigerant used in the refrigeration circuit in accordance with instructions from the control device 54.

In accordance with an instruction from the control device 54, the fan 47 blows the cold air cooled by the cooler 45 of the freezing circuit toward each storage room.

The drive motor 74 follows the instruction from the control device 54 to rotate the rotating plate 73 of the shielding device 70 at a predetermined angle. As the drive motor 74, for example, a stepping motor is used.

The defrost heater 46 is energized in accordance with an instruction from the control device 54 to heat the air inside the cooling chamber 26.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 13 to 18, by rotating the rotating plate 73 of the shielding device 70 in units of 30 degrees to open and close the rotating shielding wall 711 to the rotating shielding wall 714, opening and closing and switching of the air path are performed. Instructions. In the following description, only the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 73 are referred to as the radial direction and the circumferential direction. In the following description, by rotating the rotating plate 73 clockwise in units of 30 degrees, the opening and closing state of the rotation shielding wall 711 and the like is switched from the mode 1 to the mode 12. That is, in the present embodiment, the distribution angle of the rotating plate 73 is 30 degrees, and by rotating the rotating plate 73 in units of 30 degrees, the opening and closing of the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 is controlled. Here, the distribution angle is a divisor of 360 degrees, for example, 60 degrees or 120 degrees.

Specifically, among Mode 1 to Mode 12, Mode 1, Mode 6, and Mode 12 will be described. Mode 1 is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, mode 6 is shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, and mode 12 is shown in FIGS. 17 and 18.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show Mode 1 in which all the rotation shielding walls 71 and the like are in an open state. 13(A) is a view of the shielding device 70 in this state from the rear, FIG. 13(B) is a view of the rotating plate 73 in this state from the rear, and FIG. 14 is a view of the air path in this state from the rear Of the state of the country.

Referring to FIG. 13(A), in mode 1, all of the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 are in an open state. By setting to this open-close state, the fan 47 can send cold air to the refrigerator compartment 15 and the freezer compartment 17.

Referring to FIG. 13(B), in this state, the moving shaft 761 and the like are arranged radially inward. Specifically, the moving shaft 761 is arranged at the changing point 814 of the sliding groove 80, and the moving shaft 762 is arranged at the changing point 816 of the sliding groove 80. In addition, the moving shaft 763 is arranged at the changing point 818 of the sliding groove 80, and the moving shaft 764 is arranged at the changing point 8110 of the sliding groove 80. Thereby, the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 are opened.

Referring to FIG. 14, when the shielding device 70 is in the state shown in FIG. 13, the cold air is not blocked by the shielding device 70, the cold air is blown toward the air outlet 341 to the air outlet 346, and the cold air is blown from the air outlet 341 to the air outlet 346 to the freezer compartment The entire area of 17.

Here, the state in which the rotating plate 73 is in mode 1 can be detected by the control device 54 based on the output of the distance sensor 72 shown in FIG. 9. Similarly, the states of Mode 6 and Mode 12 described later can also be detected.

Referring to FIG. 13(A), when transitioning from the mode 1 shown in FIG. 13 to the mode 6 shown in FIG. 15, the control device 54 controls the drive motor 74 to operate, and rotates the rotating plate 73 via the gear 30. In addition, the control device 54 measures the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 through the distance sensor 72 and accurately controls the rotating position of the rotating plate 73.

Referring to FIG. 13(B), when transitioning from the mode 1 shown in FIG. 13 to the mode 6 shown in FIG. 15, the rotating plate 73 is rotated clockwise by 150 degrees as indicated by the solid line arrow. Or, as indicated by the dotted arrow, the rotating plate 73 is rotated counterclockwise by 210 degrees.

In this embodiment, a gear groove 49 is formed over the entire periphery of the outer edge of the rotating plate 73, and the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 is detected by the distance sensor 72. Thus, when the rotating plate 73 is rotated to change the opening and closing mode of the rotation shielding wall 71, the rotating plate 73 can be accurately rotated in both clockwise rotation and counterclockwise rotation.

15 and 16 show Mode 6 in which only the turning shielding wall 712 disposed on the lower right side is opened. 15(A) is a view of the shielding device 70 in this state from the rear, FIG. 15(B) is a view of the rotating plate 73 in this state from the rear, and FIG. 16 is a view of the air path in this state from the rear Figure of the situation.

Referring to FIG. 15(A), in mode 6, the rotation shielding wall 711, the rotation shielding wall 713, and the rotation shielding wall 714 are set to the closed state, and only the rotation shielding wall 712 is set to the open state. By setting to this open-close state, the cool air can be sent to the lower right part of the freezer compartment 17 by the fan 47.

Referring to FIG. 15(B), in this state, the moving shaft 761, the moving shaft 763, and the moving shaft 764 are arranged radially outward, and the moving shaft 762 is arranged radially inner. Specifically, the moving shaft 761 is arranged at the changing point 8111 of the sliding groove 80, and the moving shaft 762 is arranged at the changing point 811 of the sliding groove 80. In addition, the moving shaft 763 is arranged at the changing point 813 of the sliding groove 80, and the moving shaft 764 is arranged at the changing point 815 of the sliding groove 80. Thus, only the rotation shielding wall 712 is set to the open state, and the rotation shielding wall 711, the rotation shielding wall 713, and the rotation shielding wall 714 are set to the closed state.

Referring to FIG. 16, when the shielding device 70 is in the mode 6, the rotating shielding wall 711, the rotating shielding wall 713, and the rotating shielding wall 714 shield the cold air, and on the other hand, the rotating shielding wall 712 does not shield the cold air. Therefore, the cold air is blown downward toward the right side, specifically, after being blown toward the air outlet 344 and the air outlet 346, it is blown out to the freezer compartment 17.

Referring to FIG. 15(B), when transitioning from the mode 6 shown in FIG. 15 to the mode 12 shown in FIG. 17, the rotating plate 73 is rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise as indicated by the solid line arrow. Alternatively, as indicated by the dotted arrow, the rotating plate 73 is rotated clockwise by 180 degrees.

17 and 18 show the pattern 12 in which all the rotation shielding walls 714 and the like are in the closed state. FIG. 17(A) is a view of the shielding device 70 in this state from the rear, FIG. 17(B) is a view of the rotating plate 73 in this state from the rear, and FIG. 18 is a view of the air path in this state from the rear Figure of the situation.

Referring to FIG. 17(A), in mode 12, the rotation shielding wall 711, the rotation shielding wall 712, the rotation shielding wall 713, and the rotation shielding wall 714 are closed. By setting to this open-close state, the air blowing path from the fan 47 is closed, and the cooling chamber 26 and the freezing chamber 17 shown in FIG. 3 are isolated.

Referring to FIG. 17(B), in this state, the moving shaft 761, the moving shaft 762, the moving shaft 763, and the moving shaft 764 are arranged radially outward. Specifically, the moving shaft 761 is arranged at the changing point 815 of the sliding groove 80, and the moving shaft 762 is arranged at the changing point 817 of the sliding groove 80. In addition, the moving shaft 763 is arranged at the changing point 819 of the sliding groove 80, and the moving shaft 764 is arranged at the changing point 8111 of the sliding groove 80. Thereby, the rotation shielding wall 711, the rotation shielding wall 712, the rotation shielding wall 713, and the rotation shielding wall 714 are closed.

Referring to FIG. 18, when the shielding device 70 is in the mode 12, the rotating shielding wall 711, the rotating shielding wall 712, the rotating shielding wall 713, and the rotating shielding wall 714 shield the cold air. Therefore, the cold air is not blown to the air outlet 342 or the like.

Referring to FIG. 15(B), when transitioning from the mode 12 shown in FIG. 17 to the mode 1 shown in FIG. 13, the rotating plate 73 is rotated counterclockwise by 330 degrees as indicated by the solid line arrow. Alternatively, as indicated by the dotted arrow, the rotating plate 73 is rotated clockwise by 30 degrees.

Here, the rotation angle of the rotating plate 73 is detected by the distance sensor 72 shown in FIG. 9(A) or the like. Thereby, the control device 54 controls the rotation plate 73 to rotate in a direction with a small rotation stroke based on the position detection of the rotation plate 73 or the like, and here rotates in the clockwise rotation direction indicated by a broken line. Thereby, the operation amount and operation time of the shutter device 70 when the opening and closing mode is changed can be reduced.

The above is the description related to the operation of the shielding device 70.

In the present embodiment, referring to FIG. 6, the opening and closing operation of the rotating shielding wall 71 is performed by the rotation of the rotating plate 73, so that the shielding device 70 can be made thinner than the background art described above. Thus, referring to FIG. 2, the volume of the freezer compartment 17 in front of the shielding device 70 is increased.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(B), the sliding groove 80 is substantially provided in an annular shape, and the moving shafts 761 to 764 are engaged with the sliding groove 80. Then, by rotating the rotating plate 73, the moving shafts 761 to 764 slide in the sliding groove 80 and slide in the radial direction of the rotating plate 73. When the moving shaft 761 to the moving shaft 764 slide, the cams 611 to 614 also slide, and as a result, the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 are opened and closed.

The plurality of moving shafts 761 to 764 are engaged with one sliding groove 80 to slide, so that the slidable distance of the moving shaft 761 to the moving shaft 764 in the sliding groove 80 can be increased. Therefore, the sliding groove 80 can be smoothly bent in the circumferential direction, and the pressure generated by the moving shaft 761 to the moving shaft 764 when the sliding groove 80 slides becomes smaller, and the opening and closing operation of the rotation shielding wall 711 can be smoothly performed.

According to the shielding device 70 according to the present embodiment, the simple control of rotating the shielding device 70 by a predetermined angle enables various opening and closing modes of the rotating shielding wall 711 to the rotating shielding wall 714 to be realized. Specifically, in 30-degree units, 12 opening and closing modes can be realized. Therefore, a variety of cooling air blowing methods can be realized, and air blowing can be appropriately performed in accordance with the cooling situation inside the freezing compartment 17.

Furthermore, it is possible to rotate the rotation plate 73 by the shielding device 70 while detecting the position in the rotation direction of the rotation plate 73 by the position detection device such as the distance sensor 72 shown in FIGS. 9 to 11. Thereby, the opening and closing modes of the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714 can be accurately controlled.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 17(B), a gear groove 49 is formed on the entire area of the outer edge of the rotating plate 73. Thus, in order to change the opening and closing mode of the rotation shielding wall 711 to the rotation shielding wall 714, the rotating plate 73 can be rotated in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. When the rotating plate 73 is rotated, by selecting one of the clockwise rotation and the counterclockwise rotation with a smaller rotation angle, it is possible to reduce the time and operation amount required for changing the opening and closing mode.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

A shielding device to properly close the air path inside the refrigerator for cold air transmission, characterized in that the shielding device has:

Multiple rotating shielding walls surround the fan from outside in the radial direction;

A shielding wall drive mechanism that drives the rotating shielding wall; and

A control device that controls the shielding wall drive mechanism,

The shielding wall drive mechanism includes: a rotating plate formed with an annular sliding groove; a cam formed with a moving shaft engaged with the sliding groove and rotatably connected to the rotating shielding wall; and a motor, To drive the rotating plate to rotate,

The shielding device also has a position detection device for detecting the position of the rotating plate in the direction of rotation,

The control device controls the operation of the shielding wall drive mechanism according to the detection result of the position detection device.
The shielding device according to claim 1, characterized in that

The position detection device detects a change in the thickness of the rotating plate in the rotation direction.
The shielding device according to claim 1, characterized in that

The position detection device detects electrical characteristic values that change with the rotation of the rotating plate.
The shielding device according to claim 1, characterized in that

The position detection device detects a magnetic field that changes with the rotation of the rotating plate.
The shielding device according to claim 1, characterized in that

The peripheral edge of the rotating plate is provided with a gear groove as a whole.
A refrigerator is characterized by having:

A refrigeration loop having a cooler that cools the air supplied to the storage room through the air passage;

The cooling room is equipped with the cooler, and an air supply port connected with the storage room is formed;

A fan that blows the air supplied from the air supply port toward the storage room; and

The shielding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, for closing at least part of the air path.