阅读说明：本技术 具有提高的稳定性的冰箱 (Refrigerator with improved stability ) 是由 池映杰 于 2018-12-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种冰箱,其包括：主体,其包括储物室；抽屉式门,其可在主体的前/后方向上移动；储物箱,其连接到抽屉式门并在主体的前/后方向上移动；和设置在抽屉式门下方的支承单元。支承单元包括：检测构件,其设置在主体和/或抽屉式门上,并且构造成检测抽屉式门是否从主体被拉出；一个或多个轮构件,其连接到抽屉式主体的下部并且构造成辅助抽屉式门的向前/向后移动并支承抽屉式门；和升降单元,其连接到轮构件并且构造成根据抽屉式门的拉出或插入状态来选择性地升降轮构件,通过检测单元来检测抽屉式门的状态。(The present invention relates to a refrigerator, comprising: a body including a storage compartment; a drawer type door movable in a front/rear direction of the main body; a storage box connected to the drawer type door and moving in a front/rear direction of the main body; and a supporting unit disposed under the drawer type door. The support unit includes: a detection member provided on the main body and/or the drawer-type door and configured to detect whether the drawer-type door is pulled out from the main body; one or more wheel members connected to a lower portion of the drawer-type body and configured to assist the forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door and support the drawer-type door; and a lifting unit connected to the wheel member and configured to selectively lift the wheel member according to a pulled-out or inserted state of the drawer type door, the state of the drawer type door being detected by the detecting unit.)

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a body including a storage compartment;

a drawer type door movable in a front/rear direction of the main body;

a storage box connected to the drawer door and movable in a front/rear direction of the main body; and

a support unit disposed under the drawer door,

wherein the support unit includes:

a detection member provided on at least one of the main body and the drawer-type door and configured to detect whether the drawer-type door is pulled out from the main body;

one or more wheel members connected to a lower portion of the drawer-type door and configured to facilitate forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door and support the drawer-type door; and

a lifting unit connected to the one or more wheel members and configured to selectively lift the one or more wheel members according to a pulled-out or inserted state of the drawer type door, wherein the state is detected by the detecting member.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the supporting unit further comprises: a limiting member provided on the drawer door and configured to selectively limit rotation of the one or more wheel members according to a pulled-out or inserted state of the drawer door.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the elevating unit comprises:

a driving motor disposed on the drawer door;

a first gear part connected to the drive motor and configured to rotate during rotation of the drive motor;

a second gear part spaced apart from the first gear part and configured to be rotated by rotation of the first gear part;

a chain configured to interlock the first gear part and the second gear part; and

a driving link part having one end connected to the second gear part to rotate together with the second gear part during rotation of the second gear part and the other end connected to the wheel member to lift and lower the one or more wheel members.

4. The refrigerator of claim 2, further comprising a control unit configured to control at least one of the lifting unit and the restricting member.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to control the elevating unit to elevate the one or more wheel members when the detecting member detects a state in which the drawer-type door is inserted into the body.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to control the restricting member to restrict rotation of the one or more wheel members when the detecting member detects a state in which the drawer type door is pulled out from the main body.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a receiving part configured to selectively receive the supporting unit and formed in the drawer type door.

8. The refrigerator of claim 2, further comprising a cover member partially inclined and protruded to cover the supporting unit and formed at a lower portion of the drawer type door, and

wherein at least a portion of the restraining member is disposed in the cover member and a remaining portion of the restraining member is exposed through the communication member and selectively contacts the one or more wheel members.

9. A refrigerator having enhanced drawer stability, the refrigerator comprising:

a body including a storage compartment;

a pull-out door movable in a front/rear direction from the main body and including a storage box; and

a support unit disposed under the pull-out door,

wherein the support unit includes:

a detection member provided on at least one of the main body and the pull-out door and configured to detect whether the pull-out door is pulled out from the main body;

a plurality of wheel members coupled to a lower portion of the pull-out door and configured to facilitate forward/backward movement of the pull-out door and support the pull-out door; and

a lifting unit coupled to the plurality of wheel members and configured to selectively lift the plurality of wheel members according to a pulled-out or inserted state of the pull-out door, wherein the state is detected by the detection member.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the supporting unit further comprises: a limiting member provided at the pull-out door and configured to selectively limit rotation of the plurality of wheel members according to a pulled-out or inserted state of the pull-out door.

11. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the lifting unit comprises:

a driving motor provided at the draw-out door;

a first gear part connected to a drive motor and configured to rotate during rotation of the drive motor;

a second gear part spaced apart from the first gear part and configured to be rotated by rotation of the first gear part;

a chain configured to interlock the first gear part and the second gear part; and

a driving link part having one end connected to the second gear part to rotate together with the second gear part during rotation of the second gear part and the other end connected to the wheel member to lift and lower the plurality of wheel members.

12. The refrigerator of claim 10, further comprising a control unit configured to control at least one of the lifting unit and the restricting member.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to control the lifting unit to lift the plurality of wheel members when the detection member detects a state in which the drawn door is inserted into the main body.

14. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to control the restricting member to restrict rotation of the one or more wheel members when the detecting member detects a state in which the pullout door is pulled out of the main body.

15. The refrigerator of claim 9, further comprising an accommodating part formed in the pull-out door, the accommodating part configured to selectively accommodate the supporting unit.

16. The refrigerator of claim 10, further comprising a cover member partially inclined and protruded to cover the supporting unit formed at a lower portion of the draw-out door, and

wherein at least a portion of the restricting member is provided in the cover member, and the remaining portion of the restricting member is exposed through the communication part and selectively contacts the plurality of wheel members.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator design with improved stability.

Background

Generally, a refrigerator is an electrical/mechanical appliance that maintains a storage space at a low temperature for storing food or other objects in a fresh or frozen state.

The inner storage compartment of the refrigerator may be cooled to a preset low temperature by a cycle of cool air, which is continuously generated through a refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant and a refrigeration cycle including compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation stages.

Recently, a bottom freezer type refrigerator, in which a refrigerator compartment for storing foods (e.g., beverages, etc.) which are frequently accessed and are expected to be consumed within a short storage time is located at the top, and a freezer compartment for storing foods (e.g., frozen foods) which can be stored for a longer time is located at the lower side, is widely used to improve living standards and provide various conveniences to consumers.

A freezing chamber of a refrigerator has a storage box for storing frozen foods. The storage box is fixed on the rear surface of the freezing chamber door. The freezing chamber door is configured as a drawer type door, which is opened and closed while moving in the front/rear direction of the unit main body.

However, when the user's weight is applied to the drawer-type door drawn from the main body, the drawer-type door drawn from the main body cannot be stably supported, and may be bent or separated from the main body due to the user's weight and a downward force applied thereto. In addition, due to the weight of the user, the center of gravity of the refrigerator moves forward and the refrigerator may be undesirably tilted forward or tumbled.

What is needed is a mechanism and design for increasing the physical stability of such refrigerator units.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure provides a refrigerator in which a drawer type pullout door operable to be pulled out from a main body can be advantageously stably supported.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a body including a storage compartment; a drawer type door movable in a front/rear direction of the main body; a storage box connected to the drawer door and operable to move in a front/rear direction of the main body; and a supporting unit disposed under the drawer type door, wherein the supporting unit includes: a detection member provided on the main body or the drawer-type door and configured to detect whether the drawer-type door is pulled out from the main body; one or more wheel members connected to a lower portion of the drawer-type body and configured to assist the forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door and support the drawer-type door; and a lifting unit connected to the wheel member and configured to selectively lift the wheel member according to the pull-out or insertion of the drawer type door detected by the detection unit.

The supporting unit may further include: a restricting member provided on the drawer-type door and configured to selectively restrict rotation of the wheel member according to the pull-out or insertion of the drawer-type door detected by the detecting member.

The elevating unit may include: a driving motor arranged on the drawer type door; a first gear part connected to the drive motor and configured to rotate during rotation of the drive motor; a second gear part spaced apart from the first gear part and configured to be rotated by rotation of the first gear part; a chain configured to interlock the first gear part and the second gear part; and a driving link part having one end connected to the second gear part to rotate together with the second gear part during rotation of the second gear part and the other end connected to the wheel member to lift and lower the wheel member.

The refrigerator may further include a control unit configured to control at least one of the lifting unit and the restriction member.

The control unit may be configured to: the lifting unit is controlled to lift the wheel member when the detection unit detects that the drawer type door is inserted into the main body.

The control unit may be configured to: the restricting member is controlled to restrict rotation of the wheel member when the detecting unit detects that the drawer type door is pulled out from the main body.

A receiving part configured to selectively receive the supporting unit may be formed in the drawer type door.

A cover part partially inclined and protruded to cover the support unit may be formed at a lower portion of the drawer door, and at least a portion of the restriction member may be embedded in the cover part, and the remaining portion of the restriction member may be exposed through the communication part and selectively contacted with the wheel member.

In the refrigerator equipped according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the drawer type door pulled out from the main body may be advantageously stably supported.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the refrigerator shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates a state in which a wheel member is lifted by the lifting unit of the refrigerator shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 illustrates a state in which the wheel member is lowered by the lifting unit of the refrigerator shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 illustrates a restricting member of the lifting unit of the refrigerator shown in fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is one of the various patentable aspects of the disclosure and may form part of the detailed description of the invention.

However, in describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of known configurations or functions, which may obscure various aspects of the present disclosure, may be omitted.

The present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and embodiments. Specific embodiments will be shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail in the detailed description of the embodiments. It should be understood, however, that they are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments, but rather, to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

As used herein, the terms including ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe and not limit various components. These terms merely distinguish one element from another.

When "connection or" joining "of one member to another member is referred to, it is to be understood that the former member may be directly connected or joined to the latter member, or a third member may be interposed between the two members.

The specific terminology used in the present application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, expressions used in the singular include expressions in the plural.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 1 to 5, a refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a main body 10, a drawer type door 20, a storage box 30, a support unit 40, and a control unit 50.

The main body 10, which generally forms the external appearance of the refrigerator 1, includes storage compartments 11 and 12 each having an open front surface. The storage compartments 11 and 12 may be partitioned into upper and lower storage compartments by a partition wall. The upper storage compartment may serve as the refrigerating compartment 11. The lower storage compartment may serve as the freezing compartment 12.

Doors 11a and 20 are rotatably installed on front surfaces of the refrigerating chamber 11 and the freezing chamber 12 to open and close the refrigerating chamber 11 and the freezing chamber 12, respectively. In the present embodiment, side-by-side doors 11a are installed at right and left sides of the front surface of the refrigerating chamber 11 and may be rotatably opened and closed, and a drawer type door 20 opened by being pulled out is installed on the front surface of the freezing chamber 12.

The drawer-type door 20 is movable in a front/rear direction of the main body 10, which makes it possible to open and close a storage compartment, such as the freezing compartment 12.

A receiving part 21 may be formed in the drawer door 20, and the receiving part 21 selectively receives the supporting unit 40. A cover member 22 may be formed under the drawer door. When the refrigerator 1 is viewed from the front, at least a portion of the cover member 22 is inclined downward and protruded to cover the supporting unit 40. A communication part 22a communicating with the accommodating part 21 may be formed at the cover part 22.

A movable storage box 30 for storing food to be frozen is connected to the drawer type door 20. Accordingly, the storage box 30 may be moved in the front/rear direction by opening/closing the drawer type door 20.

The storage box 30 may have an open top. The guide protrusions 31 may extend on both side surfaces of the storage box 30 in the front/rear direction of the storage body 30. As shown, the guide protrusion 31 may guide the forward/backward movement of the storage box 30 with respect to the main body 10 while engaging with a guide rail (not shown) coupled to the inside of the main body 10.

The supporting unit 40 is provided at a lower portion of the drawer type door 20 to assist the forward/backward movement of the drawer type door 20 and support the drawer type door 20.

The supporting unit 40 may include: a detecting member 41 provided with respect to at least one of the main body 10 and the drawer-type door 20 and configured to detect whether the drawer-type door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10; one or more wheel members 42 connected to a lower portion of the drawer-type door 20 to assist the forward/backward movement of the drawer-type door 20 and support the drawer-type door 20; a lifting unit 43 connected to the wheel member 42 to selectively lift or lower the wheel member 42 according to the drawing or insertion of the drawer type door 20 detected by the detecting member 41; and a restricting member 44 provided at the drawer door 20 and configured to selectively restrict rotation of the wheel member 42 according to the drawing or insertion of the drawer door 20 detected by the detecting member 41.

The detecting means 41 may comprise, for example, a distance sensor provided at one of the main body 10 and/or the drawer type door 20. The state value indicating whether the drawer type door 20 is drawn out or inserted, which is detected by the detecting member 41, may be transmitted to the control unit 50 and used to control the elevating unit 43 and the restricting member 44.

One or more wheel members 42 may be rotatably supported by a support shaft 42 a. The support shaft 42a may pass through and be coupled to a frame 42b, the frame 42b being disposed outside the wheel member 42 to surround the wheel member 42. The wheel member 42 rotatably coupled to the support shaft 42a may have a spoke portion 42c arranged in the radial direction.

The lifting unit 43 may lift the wheel member 42 when the drawer door 20 is pushed toward the main body 10. The lifting unit 43 may lower the wheel member 42 when the drawer door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10.

The elevating unit 43 may include: a driving motor 43a provided on the drawer door 20; a first gear part 43b connected to the driving motor 43a and rotated by the rotation of the driving motor 43 a; a second gear part 43c spaced apart from the first gear part 43b and rotated by the rotation of the first gear part 43 b; a chain 43d for interlocking the first gear part 43b and the second gear part 43 c; and a driving link part 43e having one end connected to the second gear part 43c to rotate together with the second gear part 43c during rotation of the second gear part 43c and the other end connected to the wheel member 42 to lift and lower the wheel member 42.

Hereinafter, the driving of the elevating unit 43 will be briefly described. When the first signal is input and the drive motor 43a is driven by the control unit 50, the drive motor 43a rotates in one direction, and the first gear part 43b rotates in one direction by the rotation of the drive motor 43 a. The rotational force of the first gear part 43b is transmitted to the second gear part 43c through the chain 43d, and thus, the second gear part 43c rotates in one direction. When the second gear part 43c rotates, the drive link part 43e connected to the shaft end of the second gear part 43c rotates to lift the wheel member 42. The raised wheel member 42 may be received in the receiving part 21.

In contrast, when the second signal is input and the driving motor 43a is driven by the control unit 50, the driving motor 43a rotates in the reverse direction, and the first gear part 43b rotates in the reverse direction by the rotation of the driving motor 43 a. The rotational force of the first gear part 43b is transmitted to the second gear part 43c through the chain 43d, and thus, the second gear part 43c rotates in the reverse direction. When the second gear part 43c rotates, the drive link part 43e connected to the shaft end of the second gear part 43c rotates to lower the wheel member 42. The descending wheel member 42 may be in rolling contact with the ground.

The restricting member 44 may restrict the rotation of the wheel member 42 when the drawer door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10.

At this time, at least a portion of the restriction member 44 may be embedded in the cover member 22, and the remaining portion of the restriction member 44 may be selectively exposed through the communication part 22 a. In other words, when the restriction member 44 is extended, the restriction member 44 may be exposed through the communication part 22 a. When the restriction member 44 is exposed through the communication part 22a, the restriction member 44 may pass through a hole H formed in the frame 42b of the wheel member 42 and may contact the spoke portion 42 c.

In one embodiment, the restraining member 44 may be, for example, a hydraulic cylinder.

The following is a brief description of the driving of the restricting member 44. When the drawer type door 20 is pulled out is detected by the detecting member 41, the restricting member 44 is projected and exposed through the communicating portion 22 a. Then, the restricting member 44 passes through the hole H and may contact the spoke portion 42c of the wheel member 42. In this way, the rotation of the wheel member 42 can be restricted by the restricting member 44.

In contrast, when the drawer-type door 20 is pushed toward the main body 10 (e.g., pushed in), the restriction member 44 contracts, and the non-contact state between the restriction member 44 and the spoke portion 42c of the wheel member 42 is maintained. Thus, the wheel member 42 is in rolling contact with the ground.

Although not shown, an elastic member may be provided between the drawer door 20 and the wheel member 42. The resilient member may control the vertical clearance that may occur between the floor and the bottom of the drawer door 20.

The control unit 50 may control the supporting unit 40. For example, when the detection unit 41 detects that the drawer type body 20 is inserted into the body 10, the control unit 50 may control the elevation unit 43 to elevate the wheel member 42. When the detection unit 41 detects that the drawer door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10, the control unit 50 may control the restriction member 44 to restrict the rotation of the wheel member 42.

The refrigerator 1 configured as described above is advantageous in that the drawer door 20 drawn out from the main body 10 can still be stably supported by the supporting unit 40.

Further, since the rotation of the wheel member 42 is restricted in the state where the drawer type door 20 is pulled out from the main body 10, the stable opened state can be advantageously maintained.

Further, since the wheel member 42 is lifted by the elevating unit 43 during the insertion of the drawer type door 20 into the main body 10, the conventional problem that the drawer type door 20 is not firmly contacted with the main body can be solved.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without deviating from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The exemplary embodiments disclosed in the specification of the present disclosure do not limit the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is to be interpreted by the following claims, and all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto are to be interpreted as falling within the scope of the present disclosure.