阅读说明：本技术 门打开装置及冰箱 (Door opening device and refrigerator ) 是由 志摩秀和 长浓笃史 于 2017-08-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供降低制造成本且提高便利性的门打开装置以及具备该门打开装置的冰箱。门打开装置(50)具备具有开口面(3a)的主体部(2)、开闭开口面(3a)的门(4a)、配置在主体部(2)并以旋转轴为中心旋转的旋转体(56)、驱动旋转体(56)的电机(52)、配置在旋转体(56)的滑动件(59)、及配置在门(4a)且引导滑动件(59)的凸轮面(60a),滑动件(59)在凸轮面(60a)上的起点Ps与终点Pe之间滑动并打开门(4a),滑动件(59)在起点Ps与终点Pe之间的规定中间点Pc与起点Ps之间滑动的第一滑动期间T1的门(4a)的加速度平均后的第一平均加速度A1小于滑动件(59)在中间点Pc与终点Pe之间滑动的第二滑动期间T2的门(4a)的加速度平均后的第二平均加速度A2。(Provided are a door opening device which reduces manufacturing cost and improves convenience, and a refrigerator provided with the door opening device. The door opening device (50) is provided with a main body part (2) having an opening surface (3a), a door (4a) for opening and closing the opening surface (3a), a rotating body (56) which is arranged on the main body part (2) and rotates around a rotating shaft, a motor (52) for driving the rotating body (56), a sliding part (59) arranged on the rotating body (56), and a cam surface (60a) which is arranged on the door (4a) and guides the sliding part (59), the slider (59) slides between a start point Ps and an end point Pe on the cam surface (60a) and opens the door (4a), a first average acceleration A1, which is the average of the accelerations of the door (4a) during a first sliding period T1 in which the slider (59) slides between a predetermined intermediate point Pc and the start point Ps between the start point Ps and the end point Pe, is smaller than a second average acceleration A2, which is the average of the accelerations of the door (4a) during a second sliding period T2 in which the slider (59) slides between the intermediate point Pc and the end point Pe.)

1. A door opening device including a main body portion having an opening surface, a door for opening and closing the opening surface, a rotating body disposed on the main body portion and rotating about a rotation axis, a motor for driving the rotating body, a slider disposed on the rotating body, and a cam surface disposed on the door and guiding the slider, the slider sliding between a start point and an end point on the cam surface and opening the door, the door opening device comprising:

a first average acceleration of the door averaged with an acceleration of the door during a first sliding period in which the slider slides between the start point and the end point at a predetermined intermediate point between the start point and the end point is smaller than a second average acceleration of the door averaged with an acceleration of the door during a second sliding period in which the slider slides between the intermediate point and the end point.

2. The door opening device according to claim 1,

the door has a seal member that is in close contact with a peripheral edge portion of the opening surface, and when the slider reaches the vicinity of the intermediate point, the seal member is released from the close contact with the peripheral edge portion.

3. Door opening device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the acceleration of the door during the second sliding is always positive.

4. The door opening device according to claim 3, wherein the acceleration of the door during the second sliding is constant or increases.

5. The door opening device according to claim 4, wherein an angle of a moving direction of the slider during the first sliding with a tangent of the cam surface is substantially constant, and the angle during the second sliding increases.

6. The door opening device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

and an automatic closing mechanism for biasing the door to automatically close in a predetermined automatic closing section, wherein the door is disposed in the automatic closing section when the slider is disposed at the end point.

7. A refrigerator characterized by comprising the door opening device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a door opening device and a refrigerator with the same.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a conventional refrigerator provided with a door opening device. The refrigerator includes a main body and a door. The main body has a heat-insulating box body filled with a foamed heat-insulating material, and has an open surface on the front surface. The door is filled with a foamed heat insulating material and pivotally supported on the main body to open and close the opening surface.

The door opening device includes a plate cam disposed on an upper surface of the main body and a pin disposed on an upper surface of the door. The plate cam is rotated about a vertical rotation shaft by a motor, and the pin abuts against a cam surface on the peripheral surface of the plate cam.

In the refrigerator having the above configuration, the plate cam rotates when a predetermined operation is performed, and the pin of the door is abutted between the short diameter portion and the long diameter portion on the cam surface. The door is opened as the distance between the position of contact with the pin on the cam surface and the rotation center of the plate cam increases. The door is manually opened when the long diameter portion of the cam surface is disengaged from the plate cam. This reduces the burden on the door when the door is opened.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

In general, in a refrigerator, for example, a sealing member closely contacting a main body portion is provided in a peripheral portion of a rear surface of a door to prevent leakage of cool air. When the door of the conventional door opening device is provided with the seal, if the acceleration of the door is increased to push the door out with a large force, a large motor having a large driving force is required to release the close contact between the seal and the main body, and the manufacturing cost of the door opening device is increased. Further, the same problem occurs in the case where a large force is required to push out the door, in addition to the case where the close contact between the seal and the main body is released. On the other hand, if the acceleration of the door is reduced, a small motor may be used to reduce the manufacturing cost of the door opening device, but the door cannot be pushed out with a large force. Therefore, the range of manually opening the door is increased, which causes a problem of poor convenience.

The invention aims to provide a door opening device which reduces the manufacturing cost and can improve the convenience and a refrigerator with the door opening device.

Technical solution for solving technical problem

In order to achieve the above object, a door opening device according to the present invention includes a main body having an opening surface, a door for opening and closing the opening surface, a rotating body disposed on the main body and rotating about a rotation axis, a motor for driving the rotating body, a slider disposed on the rotating body, and a cam surface disposed on the door and guiding the slider, wherein the slider slides between a start point and an end point on the cam surface to open the door, and wherein a first average acceleration obtained by averaging accelerations of the door during a first sliding period in which the slider slides between a predetermined intermediate point between the start point and the end point and the start point is smaller than a second average acceleration obtained by averaging accelerations of the door during a second sliding period in which the slider slides between the intermediate point and the end point.

In the door opening device of the present invention, it is preferable that the door includes a seal member that is in close contact with a peripheral edge portion of the opening surface, and the slider releases the close contact between the seal member and the peripheral edge portion when the slider reaches the vicinity of the intermediate point.

In the door opening device of the present invention, it is preferable that the acceleration of the door during the second sliding is always positive.

In the door opening device of the present invention, it is preferable that the acceleration of the door during the second sliding is constant or increased.

In the door opening device of the present invention configured as described above, it is preferable that an angle formed by the direction of movement of the slider during the first sliding and the cam surface is substantially constant, and the angle during the second sliding is increased.

In the door opening device configured as described above, the door opening device of the present invention preferably further includes: and an automatic closing mechanism for biasing the door to automatically close in a predetermined automatic closing section, wherein the door is disposed in the automatic closing section when the slider is disposed at the end point.

In the door opening device configured as described above, it is preferable that the door is pushed out in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the slider when the slider is disposed at the end point.

In the door opening device configured as described above, it is preferable that the door is formed integrally with the storage case so as to slide in the front-rear direction, and the cam surface is disposed below the storage case.

Further, the refrigerator of the present invention includes the door opening device configured as described above.

Advantageous effects

According to the present invention, a first average acceleration after the acceleration of the door is averaged during a first sliding in which the slider slides between the start point and a prescribed intermediate point is smaller than a second average acceleration after the acceleration of the door is averaged during a second sliding in which the slider slides between the intermediate point and the end point. Accordingly, since the average acceleration (first average acceleration) of the door from the start point to the intermediate point of the slider is small, it is not necessary to use a large motor having a large driving force. On the other hand, since the average acceleration of the door after the slider passes through the intermediate point (second average acceleration) is larger than the first average acceleration, the door can be pushed out with a large force, and the range in which the door is manually opened is small. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the door opening device and the refrigerator having the same is reduced, and convenience is improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a closed state of a door of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a state where a slider reaches a start point of a cam surface when the door opening device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention is operated.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a state during the first sliding of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a state during the second sliding of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a state where the slider reaches an end point of the cam surface when the door opening device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention is operated.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a guide portion and a slider when the slider of the door opening device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention reaches a starting point.

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a guide portion and a slider during a second sliding of the door opening device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a guide portion and a slider when the slider of the door opening device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention reaches an end point.

Fig. 10 is a plan view for explaining a speed of the door during the first sliding of the door opening device of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a plan view for explaining the speed of the door during the second sliding of the opening apparatus of the refrigerator door according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing changes in the speed of the door due to the angles θ 1 and θ 2 set for each moving distance of the door when the door opening device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is operated.

Fig. 13 is a left side view showing a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a detailed view of a portion a in fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a detailed view of a portion B in fig. 13.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a lower hinge member of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view illustrating an upper hinge member of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a diagram showing changes in the speed of the door due to the angles θ 1 and θ 2 set for each moving distance of the door when the door opening device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is operated.

Fig. 19 is a diagram showing changes in the speed of the door due to the angles θ 1 and θ 2 set for each moving distance of the door when the door opening device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is operated.

Fig. 20 is a plan sectional view showing a closed state of a door of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 21 is a plan sectional view showing a state where a slider reaches a starting point on a cam surface when the door opening device for a refrigerator according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is operated.

Fig. 22 is a plan sectional view showing a state during the first sliding of the refrigerator in the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 23 is a plan sectional view showing a state during the second sliding of the refrigerator in the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 24 is a plan sectional view showing a state where a slider reaches an end point of a cam surface when the door opening device for a refrigerator according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is operated.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification, in the refrigerator 1, the side of the closed surfaces (the opening surfaces 3a, 5c, 7c) of the doors 4a, 4b, 6, 8 is referred to as "front surface side", and the side opposite to the doors 4a, 4b, 6, 8 is referred to as "back surface side" with respect to the main body 2. The direction from the "back side" toward the "front side" is referred to as "front", and the direction from the "front side" toward the "back side" is referred to as "rear".

In addition, the side surface on the right side when the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the "front" side is referred to as a "right side surface", and the side surface on the left side is referred to as a "left side surface". The direction from the "left side surface" side toward the "right side surface" side is the right direction, and the direction from the "right side surface" side toward the "left side surface" side is the left direction.

Further, in the refrigerator 1, a direction toward the floor surface FL of the room is set to a "downward direction", and a direction away from the floor surface FL is set to an "upward direction".

< first embodiment >

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator 1 of a first embodiment. Refrigerator 1 is installed on floor FL in a room, and includes main body 2 made of a heat-insulating box, refrigerating chamber 3, freezing chamber 5, and vegetable chamber 7 in this order.

Door 4a and door 4b are provided in parallel on the left and right sides of the front surface of refrigerating room 3. The doors 4a and 4b are pivotally supported by vertical pivot shafts 4c (see fig. 2) and 4d (see fig. 2) disposed on both side portions of the main body 2, respectively, and open and close an opening surface 3a (see fig. 2) of the front surface of the refrigerating compartment 3. An opening surface 5c (not shown) of the front surface of the freezing chamber 5 is opened and closed by a slide type door 6 (a drawer type door). An opening surface 7c (not shown) of the front surface of the vegetable compartment 7 is opened and closed by a slide type door 8 (a drawer type door).

A seal 80 (see fig. 2) for preventing leakage of the cool air is provided on the rear surface of the doors 4a, 4b, 6, and 8. The seal 80 is formed of resin, and the seal 80 is provided with a magnet (not shown) attached to the front surface of the main body 2. That is, the doors 4a, 4b, 6, 8 have the seal 80 in close contact with the peripheral edge portions of the opening surfaces 3a, 5c, 7 c.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of the refrigerator 1. The main body 2 and the upper surface of the door 4a are provided with a door opening device 50 that opens the door 4 a. Similarly, the main body 2 and the door 4a are provided on their upper surfaces with a door opening device 50 for opening the door 4 b. The door opening device 50 includes a driving part 58 and a guide part 60.

The driving portion 58 is provided on the support member 51 attached to the upper surface of the main body portion 2. The drive unit 58 has the motor 52, the worm 53, the turbine 54, the reduction gear 55, and the reduction gear 56 (rotating body). The worm 53 is mounted on a shaft (not shown) of the motor 52 and engages with the turbine 54. The reduction gear 55 is mounted concentrically with the turbine 54. The reduction gear 56 is meshed with the reduction gear 55. The reduction gear 56 is provided with a slider 59 protruding downward.

A rotation shaft 56a (see fig. 7) of the reduction gear 56 forms a rotation center of the slider 59 and is disposed rearward of the pivot shaft 4c and the pivot shaft 4 d.

The guide portion 60 is provided on the upper surfaces of the doors 4a and 4b, and has a curved cam surface 60a for slidably guiding the slider 59. The slider 59 slides between the start point Ps and the end point Pe on the cam surface 60a to open the doors 4a and 4 b. A predetermined intermediate point Pc is disposed between the start point Ps and the end point Pe on the cam surface 60 a. The cam surface 60a between the starting point Ps and the intermediate point Pc and the cam surface 60a between the intermediate point Pc and the end point Pe smoothly connect.

In the refrigerator 1 configured as described above, when a predetermined operation button (not shown) is operated in the closed state of the door 4a shown in fig. 2, the slider 59 is rotated at a constant speed by the driving portion 58. At this time, the rotation direction B1 of the slider 59 is a direction (counterclockwise direction in the drawing) away from the pivot 4c in the front direction.

The slider 59 rotates at a predetermined angle (for example, about 45 °) and, as shown in fig. 3, when it comes into contact with the starting point Ps on the cam surface 60a, the sliding between the slider 59 and the cam surface 60a is started. Therefore, an idling period is provided during which the slider 59 idles from the closed state of the door 4a until it comes into contact with the start point Ps. During idling, the load when the door 4a is opened is large due to the suction force of the seal 80, and the rotation and torque of the motor 52 can be stabilized before the opening operation is started.

The starting point Ps when the door 4a is closed is arranged ahead of the straight line connecting the pivot shaft 4c and the rotation shaft 56a (see fig. 7) of the reduction gear 56 in the moving direction of the slider 59. Thus, the guide portion 60 can be reliably disposed on the upper surface of the door 4a without protruding rearward of the door 4 a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a reduction in the strength of the guide portion 60 and a reduction in the design of the door 4a due to the guide portion 60 extending above the body portion 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the refrigerator 1 showing a first sliding period T1 during which the slider 59 slides between the starting point Ps and the intermediate point Pc. When the slider 59 further rotates from the starting point Ps on the cam surface 60a and reaches the vicinity of the intermediate point Pc, the seal between the seal 80 and the peripheral edge of the opening surface 3a of the body 2 is released. In addition, if the sealing member is near the middle point Pc, the sealing between the sealing member 80 and the peripheral edge of the opening surface 3a of the body 2 may be released after the slider 59 passes the middle point Pc.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the refrigerator 1 showing a second sliding period T2 during which the slider 59 slides between the intermediate point Pc and the end point Pe. When the slider 59 further rotates from the intermediate point Pc on the cam surface 60a, the door 4a opens. As shown in fig. 6, the slider 59 reaches the end point Pe of the cam surface 60a and separates from the cam surface 60 a. After that, the door 4a is further opened by the force when the slider 59 is separated from the cam surface 60 a. Therefore, the burden on opening the door 4a can be reduced.

The door 4B is opened similarly to the door 4a by rotating the slider 59 of the right door opening device 50 in the rotating direction B2 (clockwise in fig. 2).

Fig. 7 to 9 are plan views for explaining an angle θ 2 formed between the moving direction LD of the slider 59 and the tangent S1 of the cam surface 60 a. Fig. 7 shows a state where the slider 59 is disposed on the starting point Ps. Fig. 8 shows a state of the second slip period T2. Fig. 9 shows a state where the slider 59 is disposed at the end point Pe. The arrow P1 indicates the push-out direction of the door 4 a.

The rotation angle of the slider 59 is represented by θ r, and the opening angle of the door 4a (the angle formed by the front surface of the door 4a and the opening surface 3a) is represented by θ d. An angle formed by the pushing direction of the door 4a and a tangent S1 to the cam surface 60a of the slider 59 is θ 1, and an angle formed by the moving direction LD of the slider 59 and a tangent S1 to the cam surface 60a is θ 2. In the present embodiment, the angles θ 1, θ 2 are smaller than 90 °. In this case, the sum of the rotation angle θ r, the angle θ 1, the angle θ 2, and the opening angle θ d is 180 °. As described below, in the present embodiment, the angle θ 1 is smaller and the angle θ 2 is larger as the rotation angle θ r is larger as the slider 59 slides on the guide surface 60a from the start point Ps to the end point Pe.

Fig. 10 is a plan view for explaining the speed (opening speed) of the door 4a during the first sliding period T1, and fig. 11 is a plan view for explaining the speed (opening speed) of the door 4a during the second sliding period T2. The dashed-dotted line 59' and the dashed-dotted line S11 indicate the position of the slider 59 and the position of the tangent line S1, respectively, after a predetermined minute time has elapsed. The angle θ 1 is equal to the angle formed by the tangent line S1 and the velocity vector V of the door 4a, and the angle θ 2 is equal to the angle formed by the tangent line S1 and the velocity vector L of the slider 59. Further, it is assumed that the magnitude of the velocity vector V, L is represented by velocity | V |, | L | and velocity | V | is represented by equation (1).

|V|＝|L|(sinθ2/sinθ1)……(1)

In the present embodiment, in the second slip period T2, the angle θ 1 is smaller and the angle θ 2 is larger than in the first slip period T1. Therefore, according to equation (1), the velocity | V | of the second slip period T2 is greater than the velocity | V | of the first slip period T1. In addition, in this specification, the velocity | V | is sometimes referred to as a velocity (opening velocity) of the door 4 a.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing changes in velocity | V | due to angles θ 1 and θ 2 set for each movement distance (opening distance) of the door 4a in the door opening device 50 according to the present embodiment. The vertical axis on the left side represents velocity | V | (the magnitude of velocity vector V). The right vertical axis represents angles θ 1, θ 2 (unit: °). The horizontal axis represents the moving distance (opening distance) of the door 4a, and the closed state of the door 4a is set to 0. Solid lines K1, K2 represent changes in the angles θ 1, θ 2, respectively, and a broken line K3 represents a change in the velocity | V |.

The position of the slider 59 and the cam surface 60a of the guide 60 are set such that the moving distance of the door 4a becomes the starting point Ps at the point 0 and the moving distance becomes the end point Pe at the point 67. When the moving distance of door 4a is 20, slider 59 reaches the vicinity of intermediate point Pc.

As shown in the figure, the angle θ 1 decreases in the first sliding period T1 and the second sliding period T2. The angle θ 2 is substantially constant in the first sliding period T1, and increases as the moving distance of the door 4a increases in the second sliding period T2. The velocity | V | increases during the first sliding period T1 and the second sliding period T2, and is maximum when the slide 59 reaches the end point Pe (at the end of the second sliding period T2). That is, when the slider 59 reaches the end point Pe, the speed of the door 4a is maximized. At this time, the average slope of the graph (see the broken line K3) representing the change of the velocity | V | in the first slip period T1 is smaller than the average slope of the graph representing the change of the velocity | V | in the second slip period T2. That is, the average acceleration a1 of the acceleration average of the door 4a during the first sliding period T1 is smaller than the average acceleration a2 of the acceleration average of the door 4a during the second sliding period T2. In addition, the average acceleration a1 is the acceleration after the average slider 59 contacts the cam surface 60a at the start point Ps. The acceleration immediately after the slider 59 is located on the cam surface 60a at the start point Ps is averaged.

The door 4a has a seal 80 in close contact with the peripheral edge portion of the opening surface 3 a. Further, since the air pressure in refrigerating room 3 decreases as refrigerating room 3 is cooled, door 4a in a closed state is in a state of being sucked to opening surface 3a on the front surface of refrigerating room 3. Therefore, when the door 4a in the closed state is opened, first, in order to release the suction state, the pushing force is only required to overcome the sealing force of the seal 80 and the negative pressure from the refrigerating chamber 3.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, by reducing the average acceleration a1 of the door 4a in the first slip period T1, the torque generated by the motor 52 can be used for the push-out force of the door 4a without being spent on the acceleration of the door 4 a. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the load of the motor 52 from becoming excessively large during the first sliding period T1, and it is possible to reliably release the closed state of the door 4a without using a large motor having a large driving force.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the slider 59 reaches the vicinity of the middle point Pc, that is, when the first sliding period T1 is almost completed, the close contact of the seal member 80 and the peripheral edge portion of the opening surface 3a is released. The state where the close contact between the seal 80 and the peripheral edge of the opening surface 3a is released is a state where a gap is formed between at least a part of the seal 80 and the peripheral edge of the opening surface 3a, and more preferably, at least one of the peripheral edges of the opening surface 3a is separated from the seal 80. If a gap is formed between the seal 80 and the peripheral edge of the opening surface 3a, outside air flows into the refrigerating compartment 3 through the gap, and the difference in internal and external air pressure in the refrigerating compartment 3 is eliminated. Therefore, the negative pressure in refrigerating room 3 from suction door 4a disappears. Further, in a state where the seal 80 is separated from at least one side of the peripheral edge portion of the opening surface 3a, the seals 80 facing both sides adjacent to the separated side are in a state of being easily peeled off from the end portions on the seal 80 side which have been separated. Therefore, a large push-out force is not required to separate the entire seal 80 from the peripheral edge portion of the opening surface 3 a.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the average acceleration a2 of the door 4a in the second sliding period T2 during which the slider 59 slides between the intermediate point Pc and the end point Pe is larger than the average acceleration a1 of the door 4a in the first sliding period T1. As described above, in the first slip period T1, the average acceleration of the door 4a is reduced so as to spend the torque generated by the motor 52 on the pressing force of the door 4 a. Therefore, the opening speed of the door 4a in the first sliding period T1 does not increase. Therefore, by increasing the average acceleration of the door 4a in the second sliding period T2 as compared with the first sliding period T1, the opening speed of the door 4a can be increased, and the opening speed of the door 4a when the slider 59 reaches the end point Pe is increased.

In addition, since a large pressing force is not required to separate the door 4a from the peripheral edge portion of the opening surface 3a in the second sliding period T2, even if the average acceleration of the door 4a increases, it is possible to prevent the load of the motor 52 from becoming excessive. That is, the load of the motor 52 is not excessively large during either the first slip period T1 or the second slip period T2, and the load of the motor 52 can be uniformized across the first slip period T1 to the second slip period T2.

According to the present embodiment, the first average acceleration a1 after the acceleration of the doors 4a, 4b is averaged during the first sliding period T1 is smaller than the second average acceleration a2 after the acceleration of the doors 4a, 4b is averaged during the second sliding period T2. Accordingly, since the average acceleration a1 (first average acceleration) of the doors 4a and 4b during the period from the starting point Ps to the intermediate point Pc of the slider 59 is small, it is not necessary to use a large motor having a large driving force. On the other hand, since the average acceleration a2 (second average acceleration) of the doors 4a, 4b after the slider 59 passes the middle point Pc is larger than the average acceleration a1, the doors 4a, 4b can be pushed out with a large force, and the range in which the doors 4a, 4b are manually opened can be reduced. Therefore, the manufacturing costs of the door opening device 50 and the refrigerator 1 including the door opening device 50 can be reduced, and convenience can be improved.

The doors 4a and 4b have the seal 80, and the seal 80 is in close contact with the peripheral edge of the opening surface 3a, and when the slider 59 reaches the vicinity of the intermediate point Pc, the close contact between the seal 80 and the peripheral edge of the opening surface 3a is released. Therefore, the acceleration of the gates 4a, 4b can be increased before or after the close contact of the seal 80 with the peripheral edge portion of the opening surface 3a is released. Therefore, the burden of the motor 52 of the door opening device 50 can be reduced, and the opening speed of the doors 4a, 4b can be increased.

Further, it is preferable that the acceleration of the doors 4a, 4b of T2 is always positive during the second sliding. Thus, since the opening speed of the doors 4a, 4b continues to increase in the second sliding period T2, the slider 59 does not separate from the cam surface 60 a. Therefore, the entire period of the second sliding period T2 can be used to accelerate the doors 4a, 4b, and when the slide member 59 reaches the end point Pe, the speed of the doors 4a, 4b can be reliably increased. As a result, the doors 4a, 4b are reliably strongly pushed out.

Further, it is preferable that the acceleration of the doors 4a, 4b of the second sliding period T2 is increased. Therefore, when the slider 59 reaches the end point Pe, the speed of the door 4a can be further increased. Thereby, the doors 4a and 4b are pushed out more reliably and strongly.

When the slider 59 is disposed at the end point Pe, the pushing direction (arrow P1) of the doors 4a and 4b may be orthogonal to the moving direction LD of the slider 59. Thus, when the slider 59 is disposed at the end point Pe, the straight line connecting the slider 59 and the rotation shaft 56a and the straight line connecting the slider 59 and the pivot 4c are orthogonal to each other at the slider 59. That is, at the end point Pe, the straight line connecting the slider 59 and the pivot 4c serves as a tangent to the circular arc of the rotation orbit of the slider 59. Therefore, when the door opening device 50 is operated, the acceleration of the doors 4a, 4b can be further increased, and the moving distance to the front of the doors 4a, 4b is increased, and the range in which the doors 4a, 4b are manually opened can be further reduced.

Further, the cam surface 60a between the starting point Ps and the intermediate point Pc and the cam surface 60a between the intermediate point Pc and the end point Pe are smoothly connected. Thereby, the slider 59 can slide smoothly on the cam surface 60 a. Therefore, the door opening device 50 can smoothly push out the doors 4a, 4 b.

When the doors 4a and 4b pivotally supported by the main body 2 open and close the lower portion of the main body 2, the door opening device 50 may be disposed on the lower surface of the main body 2 and the lower surfaces of the doors 4a and 4 b.

< second embodiment > next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 13 shows a left side view of the refrigerator 1 of the second embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the same portions as those of the first embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it includes an automatic closing structure portion. The other portions are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The main body 2 has a hinge pin 20 (see fig. 14) forming a pivot 4c, and an upper angle bar 21 and a lower angle bar 22 supporting the upper and lower sides of the door 4a are attached to protrude forward. The door 4a will be described below, but the door 4b is supported similarly.

Fig. 14 is a detailed view showing a portion a of fig. 13. The upper angle iron 21 is formed of a metal plate, and a metal hinge pin 20 is provided upright extending downward. A shaft hole 26 pivotally supporting the hinge pin 20 is provided in the door 4 a. A leaf spring 19 is held between a seat surface of the hinge pin 20 and an upper surface of the door 4a, and the door 4a is biased downward by the leaf spring 19.

Fig. 15 is a detailed view showing a portion B of fig. 13. The lower angle iron 22 is formed of a metal plate, and a metal hinge pin 20 is provided upright extending upward. The lower angle iron 22 has a lower hinge member 30 mounted thereon. The lower surface of the door 4a is mounted with an upper hinge member 40 in sliding contact with the lower hinge member 30. The upper hinge member 40 is provided with a shaft hole 43 (refer to fig. 17) pivotally supporting the hinge pin 20.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing the lower hinge member 30 as viewed from above. The lower hinge member 30 is formed of a resin molded product, and one end of a base portion 31 screwed to the lower angle iron 22 (see fig. 15) is provided with a through hole 33. Hinge pin 20 provided upright on lower angle iron 22 passes through hole 33.

A fitting portion 32 is provided around the through hole 33, and the fitting portion 32 has an inner wall of a cylindrical surface concentric with the hinge pin 20. A plurality of flat portions 34 each formed of a horizontal surface are formed on the bottom surface of the fitting portion 32 forming the seating surface of the hinge pin 20 in a point-symmetric manner within a predetermined angular range. Further, a plurality of inclined surfaces 35 inclined downward with respect to the flat portion 34 are provided in point symmetry within a predetermined angle range continuous with the flat portion 34.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the upper hinge member 40 as viewed from below. The upper hinge member 40 is formed of a resin molded product, and a cylindrical portion 48 is provided to protrude from one end of a base portion 41 screwed and fixed to the door 4 a. The cylindrical portion 48 is embedded in the door 4a and has a shaft hole 43 formed therein. The shaft hole 43 is fitted to the hinge pin 20 inserted through the through hole 33 (see fig. 16) of the lower hinge member 30, and pivotally supports the hinge pin 20.

A projection 42 that fits into the fitting portion 32 of the lower hinge member 30 is formed around the shaft hole 43. A plurality of flat portions 44 each formed of a horizontal plane are provided on the lower surface of the convex portion 42 in a point-symmetric manner within a predetermined angular range. Further, a plurality of inclined surfaces 45 inclined upward with respect to the flat portion 44 are provided in point symmetry within a predetermined angle range continuous with the flat portion 44.

In the refrigerator 1 configured as described above, as in the first embodiment, when a predetermined operation button (not shown) is operated in a state where the door 4a shown in fig. 2 is closed, the slider 59 is rotated at a constant speed by the driving unit 58. Thereby, the door 4a is opened as in the first embodiment.

On the other hand, if the door 4a is rotated in the closing direction, the inclined surface 35 (see fig. 16) of the lower hinge member 30 and the inclined surface 45 (see fig. 17) of the upper hinge member 40 start sliding. Thus, the door 4a is automatically closed by rotating in the closing direction while being lowered by the urging force of its own weight. That is, the inclined surfaces 35 and 45 constitute an automatic closing mechanism for automatically closing the door 4a by its own weight in an automatic closing section from the slide start position to the closing position of the door 4 a. At this time, the door 4a can be automatically closed more reliably by the urging force of the leaf spring 19. In the automatic closing section, the door 4a rotates while accelerating by its own weight.

When the slider 59 passes the end point Pe during the operation of the door opening device 50, the inclined surface 45 (see fig. 17) of the upper hinge member 40 is arranged on the inclined surface 35 (see fig. 16) of the lower hinge member 30. Thus, when the slider 59 is disposed at the end point Pe, the door 4a is disposed within the automatic closing section. The door 4b is automatically closed by the automatic closing mechanism, similarly to the door 4 a.

Thus, even if an obstacle or the like exists in the vicinity of the front of the doors 4a and 4b, the doors 4a and 4b are automatically closed because the doors 4a and 4b are arranged in the automatic closing section when the doors 4a and 4b cannot be opened forward even when the slider 59 passes the end point Pe. Therefore, the doors 4a, 4b can be reliably in the closed state. On the other hand, since the doors 4a, 4b are not accelerated in the opening direction after the slider 59 passes the end point Pe, the doors 4a, 4b are decelerated by the automatic closing structure portion. Therefore, if the doors 4a and 4b do not have a sufficient opening speed when the slider 59 is disposed at the end point Pe, the range in which the doors 4a and 4b are manually opened may be increased, and the doors 4a and 4b may be closed by the automatic closing mechanism.

According to the present embodiment, the doors 4a and 4b can be pushed out with a large force by the door opening device 50, as in the first embodiment. That is, the doors 4a, 4b can have a sufficient opening speed by the door opening device 50. Therefore, the doors 4a and 4b can be opened strongly to get over the automatic closing mechanism during normal use, so that the opened state of the doors 4a and 4b can be maintained and the convenience of the refrigerator 1 can be improved. On the other hand, even in an abnormal time such as when an obstacle exists in the vicinity of the front of the doors 4a and 4b, the doors 4a and 4b can be reliably closed by the automatic closing mechanism.

According to the present embodiment, when there is no normal time such as an obstacle in the front vicinity of the doors 4a and 4b, the doors 4a and 4b can be opened with a large force to reduce the range in which the doors 4a and 4b are manually opened, as in the first embodiment. Further, the doors 4a, 4b are automatically closed by the automatic closing structure portion formed by the inclined surfaces 35, 45, and when the slider 59 is disposed on the end point Pe, the doors 4a, 4b are disposed within the automatic closing section. Thus, even when an obstacle or the like exists in the vicinity of the front of the doors 4a and 4b, the doors 4a and 4b can be reliably closed by the automatic closing mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the leakage of the cool air from the refrigerating compartment 3 due to the incompletely closed state of the doors 4a, 4 b.

< third embodiment >

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be explained. Fig. 18 is a diagram showing changes in velocity | V | due to angles θ 1 and θ 2 set for each moving distance (opening distance) of the door 4a in the door opening device 50 according to the present embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the same portions as those of the first embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the cam surface 60 a. The other portions are the same as those in the first embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the angle θ 1 gradually decreases and the angle θ 2 gradually increases across the period from the start of the first slip period T1 to the end of the second slip period T2. Further, the velocity | V | increases as the slider 59 moves from the start point Ps toward the end point Pe, and becomes maximum when the slider 59 reaches the end point Pe (when the second sliding period T2 ends). That is, as in the first embodiment, when the slider 59 reaches the end point Pe, the speed of the door 4a is maximized. Further, as in the first embodiment, the average acceleration a1 of the acceleration average of the door 4a during the first sliding period T1 is smaller than the average acceleration a2 of the acceleration average of the door 4a during the second sliding period T2.

Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the load of the motor 52 is not excessively large during either the first slip period T1 or the second slip period T2, and the load of the motor 52 can be made uniform over the period from the first slip period T1 to the second slip period T2.

The present embodiment can also provide the same effects as those of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, since the angle θ 2 gradually increases from the start of the first sliding period T1, the speeds of the doors 4a and 4b gradually increase until the end of the first sliding period T1, and it is not necessary to rapidly increase the accelerations of the doors 4a and 4b at the start of the second sliding period T2. Therefore, for example, when the doors 4a, 4b are relatively small/lightweight, the motor 52 can be more miniaturized against the seal 80, the pressure of the negative pressure in the interior of the cabinet, and the like, and the range in which the doors 4a, 4b are manually opened can be reduced.

< fourth embodiment >

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be explained. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing changes in velocity | V | due to angles θ 1 and θ 2 set for each moving distance (opening distance) of the door 4a in the door opening device 50 according to the present embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the same portions as those of the first embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the cam surface 60 a. The other portions are the same as those in the first embodiment.

As shown in the drawing, the angle θ 1 decreases substantially linearly in the first sliding period T1, and sharply decreases in the second sliding period T2. On the other hand, the angle θ 2 is substantially constant during the first sliding period T1, and rapidly increases during the second sliding period T2. Thereby, the velocity | V | is substantially constant during the first sliding period T1, increases substantially linearly during the second sliding period T2, and reaches the maximum when the slider 59 reaches the end point Pe (at the end of the second sliding period). That is, as in the first embodiment, when the slider 59 reaches the end point Pe, the speed of the door 4a is maximized.

Further, as in the first embodiment, the average acceleration a1 of the acceleration average of the door 4a during the first sliding period T1 is smaller than the average acceleration a2 of the acceleration average of the door 4a during the second sliding period T2. In the present embodiment, the speed of the door 4a is substantially constant during the first sliding period T1, and the acceleration of the door 4a is substantially constant during the second sliding period T2.

Further, as in the first embodiment, the load of the motor 52 is not excessively large during either the first slip period T1 or the second slip period T2, and the load of the motor 52 can be made uniform over the period from the first slip period T1 to the second slip period T2.

The present embodiment can also provide the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Further, according to the present embodiment, the angle θ 2 made by the moving direction LD of the slider 59 and the tangent S1 of the cam surface 60a of the first sliding period T1 is substantially constant, and the angle θ 2 of the second sliding period T2 increases. Thus, in the first sliding period T1, the velocity | V | is substantially constant, that is, the acceleration of the doors 4a, 4b is substantially zero, and in the second sliding period T2, the velocity | V | is substantially linearly increased, that is, the acceleration of the doors 4a, 4b is substantially constant. Thus, almost all of the torque of the motor 52 can be used to release the suction force of the doors 4a, 4b in the first slip period T1, and the load on the motor 52 remains almost constant and the speed of the doors 4a, 4b can be increased in the second slip period T2. Therefore, for example, the doors 4a and 4b and the refrigerating compartment 3 are relatively large, and even when the suction force of the main body 2 of the seal 80 and the negative pressure in the refrigerating compartment 3 are large, the variation in the load of the motor 52 is small, and the doors 4a and 4b can be effectively pushed out with a large force.

< fifth embodiment >

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the cam surface 60 a. Fig. 20 shows a plan sectional view of the freezing chamber 5 of the refrigerator 1 of the fifth embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the same portions as those of the first embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the door 6 of the freezing chamber 5 is opened by the door opening device 50. The other portions are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The door 6 of the freezing chamber 5 is integrally formed with the storage bin 5b and is slid back and forth by the moving structure 70. The moving structure 70 includes a guide 71, rollers (not shown), and a frame (not shown). The guide rails 71 are attached to both side walls of the freezing chamber 5 and are formed to extend in the front-rear direction. The rollers are disposed in front of the guide rails, have horizontal rotation shafts, and are pivotally supported on both side walls of the freezing chamber 5. The frame is formed of metal and extends to the rear from left and right ends of the door 6, respectively. A storage cabinet 5b is placed on both frames. The door 6 can be slid back and forth by sliding the frame on the guide rails. At this time, the roller rolls on the lower surface of the frame.

Further, an inclined surface inclined downward toward the rear is formed at the front end portion of the lower surface of the frame. When the door 6 is slid in the closing direction (rearward), the roller starts rolling on the inclined surface. Thereby, the door 6 is lowered by the force of its own weight, and slides in the closing direction to be automatically closed. That is, the inclined surface constitutes an automatic closing structure portion that automatically closes the door 6 by its own weight in an automatic closing section from the roll start position of the roller to the closing position of the door 6. In the automatic closing section, the door 6 is accelerated and slides by its own weight.

A door opening device 50 for opening the door 6 is provided below the storage cabinet 5 b. The driving part 58 is provided on the support member 51 mounted to the bottom wall of the freezing chamber 5. The guide portion 60 is mounted on the door 6.

In the refrigerator having the above-described configuration, when a predetermined operation button (not shown) is operated in the closed state of the door shown in fig. 20, the slider 59 is rotated at a constant speed by the driving portion 58. As a result, as shown in fig. 21 to 23, the slider 59 slides on the cam surface 60a of the door 6, the slider 59 moves away from the cam surface 60a at the end point Pe, and the door 6 slides forward and opens. At this time, the rotation direction B1 of slider 59 is a direction (counterclockwise in the drawing) in which the front is away from the left side wall of freezer compartment 5. Further, as shown in fig. 22, when the slider 59 reaches the vicinity of the middle point Pc, the close contact between the seal 80 and the peripheral edge portion of the opening surface 5c of the main body 2 is released.

In the present embodiment, since the pushing direction of the door 6 is the vertical direction (arrow P1 in fig. 7) in fig. 7 to 9, the angle θ 1 in the present embodiment corresponds to the sum of the angle θ 1 and the opening angle θ d in the first embodiment. Since the opening angle θ d is as small as about 5 °, the drawer type door 6 of the present embodiment can be considered as similar to the rotary type doors 4a and 4b of the first embodiment.

Further, as in the second embodiment, when the slider 59 is disposed at the end point Pe, the door 6 is disposed in the automatic closing section.

As in the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained also in the door 6 (drawer door) that slides back and forth.

In the present embodiment, the door opening device 50 may be disposed in the vegetable compartment 7, and the door 8 may be opened by the door opening device 50.

In the third and fourth embodiments, the refrigerator 1 may include an automatic closing mechanism similar to the automatic closing mechanism of the second embodiment.

The door opening devices 50 according to the first to fifth embodiments may be used for devices other than the refrigerator 1.

Industrial applicability of the invention

According to the present invention, the present invention can be used for a door opening device for opening a door and a refrigerator including the door opening device.

Description of the reference numerals

1 … refrigerator

2 … main body part

3a, 5c, 7c … open face

4a, 4b, 6, 8 door

5 … freezing chamber

5b … storage cabinet

7 … vegetable room

19 … leaf spring

20 … hinge pin

21 … iron corner

22 … lower angle iron

26 … axle hole

30 … lower hinge component

31 … base part

32 … fitting part

33 … through hole

34 … flat part

35 … inclined plane

40 … upper hinge member

41 … base part

42 … convex part

43 … axle hole

44 … flat

45 … inclined plane

50 … door opening device

51 … support member

52 … electric motor

53 … scroll bar

54 … turbine

55 … reduction gear

56 … reduction gear (rotator)

56a … rotation shaft

57 … intermediate gear

58 … drive part

59 … sliding member

60 … guide part

60a … cam surface

70 … moving structure

71 … guide rail

80 … sealing member

B1 and B2 … rotation directions

Ps … origin

Pc … midpoint

Pe … endpoint

FL … ground