CN117287906A

CN117287906A - Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Info

Publication number: CN117287906A
Application number: CN202310396659.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 秋吉浩一; 合野一彰
Original assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Priority date: 2022-06-23
Filing date: 2023-04-14
Publication date: 2023-12-26
Also published as: JP2024002125A

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator which can prevent the aesthetic damage of the refrigerator even if the device is increased due to multifunction. The refrigerator of the embodiment comprises: a case including a storage chamber; a door mounted on the opening side of the case; a door opening device for opening the door; and a door closing device for closing the door. The door closing device is arranged on the door.

Description

Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a refrigerator.

Background

A refrigerator having a door opening device for opening a door provided on a cabinet side is known. In such a refrigerator, the door can be opened and closed by applying a driving force from the cabinet side to the door side.

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6780119

When the door opening device is provided on the side of the cabinet, it is required to be provided on the top of the cabinet, which is a factor of deterioration in the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator. In addition, in recent years, with the multifunction of refrigerators, it is desired to dispose various devices on the top of a cabinet, and the problem of space limitation of the arrangement of parts on the top of the cabinet has become remarkable.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a refrigerator which can inhibit the attractive appearance of the refrigerator from being damaged even if devices are increased due to multifunction.

The refrigerator of the embodiment comprises: a case including a storage chamber; a door mounted on the opening side of the case; a door opening device for opening the door; and a door closing device for closing the door. The door closing device is arranged on the door.

Effects of the invention

It is possible to provide a refrigerator capable of suppressing deterioration in the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator even in the case where the number of devices increases due to multifunctionality.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator 1 shown in fig. 1 along a line II-II.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a top structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a part of the functional constitution of a refrigerator.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of the right refrigerating chamber door.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of the mounting member.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a structure of a door rotating mechanism in the right door closing device.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the structure of the door rotating mechanism in the right door closing device.

Fig. 9 is a part view showing the configuration of the driving device.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the refrigerating chamber door viewed from below the inside of the case.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a part of the structure of the door closing transmission mechanism.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a door pulling member constituting a door pulling mechanism.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the structure of the right door closing device according to modification 1.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the right door closer according to modification 1.

Fig. 15 is a view of the right side refrigerating chamber door in a closed state as viewed from the axial upper side.

Fig. 16 is a view showing the 1 st open state (the open angle θ is, for example, 145 °) of the right side refrigerating chamber door.

Fig. 17 is a view showing the 2 nd open state (the open angle θ is, for example, 90 °) of the right side refrigerating chamber door.

Fig. 18 is a view showing the 3 rd open state (the open angle θ is, for example, 45 °) of the right side refrigerating chamber door.

Fig. 19 is a view showing a closed state (an opening angle θ is, for example, 0 °) of the right side refrigerating chamber door.

Fig. 20 is a schematic configuration diagram of a case where the drive device is provided in the lateral direction.

Fig. 21 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another configuration of a reduction gear in the driving device.

Fig. 22 is a view showing a single door type refrigerator.

Description of symbols

1. 1A: a refrigerator; 6A, 6B: hinges (door rotation supporting portions); 10: a case; 10a: an upper wall (top); 11: a storage room; 20: a door; 41: a door opening device; 42: a door opening operation unit; 52g: a sound instruction acquisition unit; 130 (130A), 230 (230B): a door closing device; 131. 231: a door rotating mechanism; 133a: a motor (driving source); 133m: a crankshaft (shaft member); 134 (134A, 134B): a speed reducer; 134d: a transfer surface; 134Ab: a drive gear (rotation drive section); 134C: a fixed gear (fixed driven part); 134Ca: a driven surface; 150: a door closing transmission mechanism (door closing transmission section); 151A: a gear; o1: a rotation shaft for driving the gear; o2: a central shaft of the fixed gear; oa, ob: the rotating fulcrum (the rotation axis of the door).

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, a repetitive description of these structures may be omitted. In the present specification, the left and right are defined with reference to a direction in which the refrigerator is viewed from a user standing on the front surface of the refrigerator. Further, a side of the refrigerator near a user standing on the front surface of the refrigerator is defined as "front", a side away from the refrigerator is defined as "rear", and a front-rear direction of the refrigerator is defined. In addition, the vertical direction with respect to the gravity direction in the case where the refrigerator 1 is set on the floor in the posture of fig. 1 will be referred to as the vertical direction of the refrigerator 1. The left-right direction in the case of viewing the refrigerator 1 of fig. 1 from the front side is referred to as the left-right direction of the refrigerator 1.

< one embodiment >

[ integral Structure of refrigerator ]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerator 1 shown in fig. 1 along a line II-II.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described.

The refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment has a mechanism for opening a door and a mechanism for closing the opened door separately.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerator main body MB, a cooling unit 30 (see fig. 2) provided in the refrigerator main body MB, a door opening device 41, a door opening operation unit 42, an audio unit 52, a box camera 53 (see fig. 2), a communication module (wireless communication unit) 61, a 1 st power supply substrate 70, a 2 nd power supply substrate 80, an elapsed time measuring unit 101 (fig. 4), and a door closing device 130.

< refrigerator Main body >

The refrigerator main body MB is configured by a vertically long rectangular box-shaped casing 10 having an open front surface, and a plurality of doors 20 openably and closably attached to the opening side of the casing 10.

(Box body)

The case 10 has a plurality of storage compartments 11 in which food materials and the like can be stored.

The case 10 has an upper wall (top) 10a, a lower wall 10b, a left side wall 10c, a right side wall 10d, and a rear wall 10e. The upper wall 10a and the lower wall 10b are substantially horizontal surfaces and face each other. The left side wall 10c and the right side wall 10d stand upward from the left and right ends of the lower wall 10b, and are connected to the left and right ends of the upper wall 10 a. The rear wall 10e is upwardly raised from the rear end portion of the lower wall 10b and is connected to the rear end portion of the upper wall 10 a.

As shown in fig. 2, the case 10 includes an inner case 10i forming an inner surface of the case 10, an outer case 10j positioned outside the inner case 10i and forming an outer surface of the case 10, and a heat insulating material 10k provided between the inner case 10i and the outer case 10j, and has heat insulating properties. The heat insulating material 10k disposed between the inner case 10i and the outer case 10j includes a foamed heat insulating material such as foamed polyurethane and a vacuum heat insulating material (VIP: vacuum Insulation Panel) having more excellent heat insulating properties.

As shown in fig. 1, the plurality of storage compartments 11 include, for example, a refrigerating compartment 11A, a chilling compartment 11AA (refer to fig. 2), a vegetable compartment 11B, an ice-making compartment 11C, a small freezing compartment 11D, and a main freezing compartment 11E. In the present embodiment, a refrigerating chamber 11A is disposed at the uppermost portion, a vegetable chamber 11B is disposed below the refrigerating chamber 11A, an ice making chamber 11C and a small freezing chamber 11D are disposed below the vegetable chamber 11B, and a main freezing chamber 11E is disposed below the ice making chamber 11C and the small freezing chamber 11D. However, the arrangement of the storage chamber 11 is not limited to the above example. The food is taken out or put in from or into each storage chamber 11 through an opening formed in the front surface side of the case 10.

(door)

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the plurality of doors 20 openably and closably close the plurality of storage compartments 11. The plurality of doors 20 include, for example, left and right refrigerating chamber doors 20A (left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa, right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab) that close the opening of the refrigerating chamber 11A, a vegetable chamber door 20B that closes the opening of the vegetable chamber 11B, an ice making chamber door 20C that closes the opening of the ice making chamber 11C, a small freezing chamber door 20D that closes the opening of the small freezing chamber 11D, and a main freezing chamber door 20E that closes the opening of the main freezing chamber 11E.

A pair of refrigerating chamber doors 20A of the plurality of doors 20, which are arranged in a left-right direction on the upper side of the case 10, are rotatably attached to the case 10 via hinges (door rotation supporting portions) 6A, 6B.

The left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa is supported on the left side of the case 10 by a pair of left hinges 6A arranged vertically. The right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is supported on the right side of the case 10 by a pair of right hinges 6B arranged vertically.

One left hinge 6A of the pair of left hinges 6A is located above the outer end of the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa, and rotatably supports the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa together with the other left hinge 6A provided below the outer end of the left refrigerating chamber door 20 Aa. The left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa is rotatable about an axis of a rotation support shaft Oa extending in the up-down direction between the pair of left hinges 6A. The left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa is provided in the case 10 so as to be openable and closable via a pair of hinges 6A disposed above and below.

One right hinge 6B of the pair of right hinges 6B is located above the outer end of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, and rotatably supports the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab together with the other right hinge 6B provided below the outer end of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. The right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is rotatable about an axis of a rotation support shaft Ob extending in the up-down direction between the pair of right hinges 6B. The right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is provided in the case 10 so as to be openable and closable via a pair of hinges 6B disposed above and below.

As shown in fig. 2, the door 20 includes an inner wall portion 20i forming an inner surface of the door 20, an outer wall portion 20j forming an outer surface of the door 20, a lower wall portion 20k attached to a lower end side of the outer wall portion 20j, and a heat insulating material 10k provided in a space surrounded by the inner wall portion 20i, the outer wall portion 20j, and the lower wall portion 20k, and has heat insulating properties.

In the present embodiment, the lower side wall portion 20k separate from the outer side wall portion 20j is attached to the lower end side of the outer side wall portion 20j, but they may be integrally formed.

< Cooling Unit >

As shown in fig. 2, the cooling unit 30 includes a compressor 31, a refrigeration chiller 32, a refrigeration fan 33, a freezing chiller 34, and a freezing fan 35.

The compressor 31 compresses a refrigerant, and supplies the compressed refrigerant to the refrigeration chiller 32 and the freezing chiller 34 via a condenser, a capillary tube, and the like.

The refrigeration chiller 32 is disposed in the 1 st duct space D1 provided behind the refrigerating chamber 11A, and cools the air flowing through the 1 st duct space D1 by using the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 31.

The cooling fan 33 circulates air (cool air) cooled by the cooling device 32 in the cooling temperature zone chambers (the cooling chamber 11A, the chilling chamber 11AA, and the vegetable chamber 11B) and the 1 st duct space D1. Thereby, the refrigerating chamber 11A, the chilling chamber 11AA, and the vegetable chamber 11B are cooled.

The refrigeration chiller 34 is disposed in the 2 nd pipe space D2 provided behind the main freezing chamber 11E, and cools the air flowing through the 2 nd pipe space D2 using the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 31.

The cooling fan 35 circulates the air (cool air) cooled by the cooling device 34 in the cooling temperature zone chambers (the ice making chamber 11C, the small freezing chamber 11D, and the main freezing chamber 11E) and the 2 nd pipe space D2. Thereby, the ice making compartment 11C, the small freezing compartment 11D, and the main freezing compartment 11E are cooled.

The "cooling unit" in the present specification is not limited to the above configuration, and may include a heater for defrosting, a heater for suppressing dew condensation, and other heating devices.

< door opening device >

The door opening device 41 is a device that transmits a force for opening the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab when an opening angle (opening degree) from a state where the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab are closed falls within a certain range. That is, the door opening device 41 is a device that automatically opens the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20 Ab.

The door opening device 41 of the present embodiment is provided at the top of the case 10. When the state in which the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab are closed with respect to the case 10 is set to the initial positions of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, the door opening device 41 opens the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab in the initial positions by pushing them out in the opening direction from the case 10 side.

The door opening device 41 includes, for example, a left door opening device 41A for opening the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa, and a right door opening device 41B for opening the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab.

The left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B include, for example, a driving device for opening the door, and other components such as a housing member for housing the driving device.

In the present embodiment, as the driving device, for example, a driving device using a solenoid structure or a solenoid system having a movable core pushed forward by excitation of an electromagnet and a cylindrical coil, not shown, provided around the movable core is used, and the movable core provided inside the cylindrical coil is moved by electromagnetic force obtained by passing current through the cylindrical coil.

In the left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B, the movable iron core is moved in a straight direction by the electromagnetic force generated when the current flows through the cylindrical coil by the driving device of the solenoid structure or the solenoid system, whereby the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab can be opened. A driving device using a solenoid structure or a solenoid system is sometimes referred to as a solenoid actuator.

By such a driving device, the movable core inside the cylindrical coil is strongly advanced by electromagnetic force, and thereby the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab can be strongly pushed out in the opening direction. The power generated by the movable iron core is transmitted to the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab while the movable iron core is in contact with the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20 Ab.

The refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab are opened by a pressing force generated by the movable core, and then opened to a predetermined angle by inertial rotation by a pushing-out force. If the effect of inertia is weakened, the opening speed of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa, 20Ab is reduced. In this way, the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab are opened to a certain extent.

That is, the left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B do not function over the entire opening angle range of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, but are used to impart initial operations accompanying the opening to the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20 Ab. Therefore, the left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B are not opened to the state of maximally opening the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, and may be opened at an angle at which the user opens the door, and the operations of taking out or storing food or the like with respect to the refrigerator 1 are performed more smoothly. The refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab are opened to a certain extent, for example, in an opened state which is easy for a user to use.

In the left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B of the present embodiment, the force for opening the refrigerating chamber door 20A further is not transmitted to the refrigerating chamber door 20A in a state where the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is larger than a certain range, for example, in a state where the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is larger than 5 °.

Specifically, the left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B of the present embodiment include a plunger 41P as the movable core, and the cylindrical coil, not shown, provided around the plunger 41P.

The cylindrical coil is formed, for example, by tightly winding an electric wire made of copper wire into a spiral shape.

The plunger 41P is provided inside the cylindrical coil, and is a movable iron core that moves straight by electromagnetic force generated when current flows through the cylindrical coil. The direction of the forward movement of the plunger 41P coincides with the front-rear direction of the refrigerator 1.

The left door opening device 41A is disposed at a position facing the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa in the upper wall 10a of the case 10. The right door opening device 41B is disposed at a position facing the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab in the upper wall 10a of the case 10.

The door opening device 41 provided on the case 10 side is connected to the door opening operation portion 42 provided on the refrigerating chamber door 20A side via an electric wiring, not shown, and the 1 st power supply board 70. The left door opening device 41A is connected to the left door opening operation portion 42A, and the right door opening device 41B is connected to the right door opening operation portion 42B.

For example, when the operating condition of the door opening device 41 such as the door opening operation unit 42 is satisfied, the plunger 41P of the door opening device 41 is driven forward by the electric wiring and the 1 st power supply board 70. When the plunger 41P is driven forward, the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa, 20Ab are pushed in a direction away from the case 10, and the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa, 20Ab are opened.

The left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B are controlled by a control unit 100 (fig. 4) of the 1 st power supply board 70, which will be described later. The door opening device 41 can forcibly open the refrigerating compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab by pushing out the plunger 41P forward, not only by a user's operation of the door opening operation unit 42 described later, but also when driven under the control of the control unit 100 of "door opening instruction (sound instruction)" from the user acquired by the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g of the acoustic unit 52.

In this way, in the left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B, by using the driving device using the solenoid structure and the solenoid system described above, which is suitable for transmitting the force for opening the door when the opening angle from the state where the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab are closed is within a certain range, the initial speed of pushing the plunger 41P toward the refrigerating chamber door 20A, that is, the speed of opening the door becomes faster, and the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab can be opened more quickly than in the opening device using the gear transmission. In this way, the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab can be opened quickly, and therefore, the convenience of use of the refrigerator 1 can be improved as compared with the conventional refrigerator.

The door opening device 41 is not limited to the above-described configuration example.

For example, the plunger 41P is not limited to iron, and may be used as a movable core as long as at least a part thereof has a magnetic material. In the present embodiment, the movable core is the plunger 41P, but other components may be fixed to the movable core to be the plunger 41P.

The driving device of the door opening device 41 according to the present embodiment is not limited to a linear solenoid actuator that uses the linear motion of the plunger 41P formed of a movable iron core as a driving force. For example, a solenoid actuator incorporating a mechanism for converting the linear motion of the plunger 41P into the rotational motion may be used. Such a rotary solenoid actuator is configured to convert a linear force generated by energizing a coil into a rotary motion, and slightly rotates while moving in a linear motion during the rotary motion. A general motor is different from a motor in that a rotary type solenoid actuator can rotate around a rotation shaft at an arbitrary rotation angle by more than one revolution, and in contrast, the rotary type solenoid actuator is limited in rotation range (not by one revolution).

< door open operation portion >

The door opening operation unit 42 receives a user's action to actuate the door opening device 41.

For example, the door opening operation unit 42 includes a left door opening operation unit 42A that receives the action of the user who operates the left door opening device 41A, and a right door opening operation unit 42B that receives the action of the user who operates the right door opening device 41B.

The actions of the user who operates the left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B include, for example, a contact operation of the user who contacts the surface of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, and a predetermined action of the body such as the hand of the user who approaches the refrigerating chamber door 20A. The door opening operation unit 42 receives a door opening instruction from the user based on the user's action.

The left door opening operation unit 42A is provided in the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa, and includes a detection unit capable of detecting a contact operation by a user who is in contact with the surface of the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa, and a predetermined operation by a body such as a hand of the user who approaches the left refrigerating chamber door 20 Aa. The predetermined motion of the body is a motion for detecting in a noncontact manner, and for example, the palm is brought close to the body. By storing a predetermined operation in the storage unit 126 described later, it is possible to detect no other operation. The predetermined operation may be registered in advance in the storage unit 126 before shipment of the refrigerator 1, or may be registered as appropriate in any operation determined by the user after the user purchases the refrigerator 1.

When the left door opening operation unit 42A receives a touch operation by a user and a predetermined operation, the control unit 100 of the 1 st power supply board 70 operates the left door opening device 41A.

The right door opening operation unit 42B is provided in the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, and has a detection unit capable of detecting a contact operation by a user in contact with the surface of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, and a physical movement of a user's hand or the like approaching the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. When the right door opening operation unit 42B receives the operation and the operation by the user, the control unit 100 of the 1 st power supply board 70 operates the right door opening device 41B.

The detection units provided in the left door opening operation unit 42A and the right door opening operation unit 42B detect, for example, a change in capacitance, and thereby detect a contact operation of a user in contact with the surfaces of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, a movement of a body such as a hand of a user approaching the surfaces of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, and the like.

< in-box Camera >

The in-box camera 53 shown in fig. 2 is provided in one or more of the storage chambers 11 of the refrigerator compartment 11A, the chill chamber 11AA, the vegetable compartment 11B, the small freezer compartment 11D, and the main freezer compartment 11E. The in-box camera 53 has a camera main body 53a and a camera control section 53b.

The camera body 53a captures an image of the stored object (food material) stored in the storage chamber 11.

The camera control unit 53b controls the camera body 53 a. For example, the camera control unit 53b operates the camera body 53a at a predetermined cycle to take an image of the inside of the storage room 11.

The in-box camera 53 is provided on, for example, the top surface, the side surface, and the like of the refrigerating chamber 11A, and is a photographing device for detecting the removal or placement of food with respect to the refrigerating chamber 11A and the chilling chamber 11 AA. The in-box camera 53 detects whether food is put in or taken out, for example, by detecting the moving direction of the food. Alternatively, the in-box phase 53 may be disposed in the quench chamber 11AA to detect only the removal or placement of the food product relative to the quench chamber 11 AA.

The in-box camera 53 may be a normal camera having sensitivity characteristics in the visible light range or an infrared camera having sensitivity characteristics in the infrared light range. The infrared camera is capable of detecting the temperature (e.g., surface temperature) of the food product. In the present embodiment, the in-box camera 53 is used as a detection unit for detecting the removal or placement of food, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an ultrasonic detection unit or the like may be used. In addition, in the case where the temperature of the food is detected by the chilled-temperature detecting section 121, the in-tank phase 53 may be omitted.

< 1 st Power supply substrate >

As shown in fig. 1, the 1 st power supply substrate 70 is provided on the upper wall 10a of the case 10, for example. The 1 st power supply board 70 is a power supply board that is supplied with electric power from an external commercial power supply PS (fig. 3) via a power cord 7 and supplies electric power necessary for the cooling operation of the refrigerator 1 to everywhere. For example, the 1 st power supply board 70 supplies electric power to the cooling unit 30, the door opening device 41, the door opening operation portion 42, the communication module 61, the in-box camera 53, the door closing device 130, and the like.

< 2 nd Power supply substrate >

As shown in fig. 1, the 2 nd power supply substrate 80 is provided on the upper wall 10a of the case 10 together with the 1 st power supply substrate 70. The 2 nd power supply substrate 80 is located rearward of the 1 st power supply substrate 70 and is provided independently of the 1 st power supply substrate 70.

The 2 nd power supply board 80 is a power supply board that functions as a main power supply of the acoustic unit 52 that can output sound. The 2 nd power supply substrate 80 is connected to the 1 st power supply substrate 70 via the power supply line 8 (fig. 3). The 2 nd power supply substrate 80 supplies power supplied from an external commercial power supply PS (fig. 3) through the 1 st power supply substrate 70 to the acoustic unit 52.

By providing the 2 nd power supply board 80 that supplies power only to the acoustic unit 52 separately from the 1 st power supply board 70 that supplies power to the cooling unit 30, the information function unit, and the like, the function of the 1 st power supply board 70 (the cooling function of the refrigerator 1) can be maintained even when a failure occurs in the acoustic unit 52, and the information for the failure time and the information in the warehouse of the refrigerator 1 can be displayed on the screen of the external terminal device TD or the like through the communication module 61 connected to the 1 st power supply board 70, so that the user can learn the information. Alternatively, the user can confirm the predetermined information stored in the storage unit of the 1 st power supply board 70 by operating the terminal device TD. Further, since only the sound unit 52 in which the failure has occurred needs to be replaced, man-hours and costs can be reduced. This can improve the convenience of the user.

< Sound Unit >

The sound unit 52 can recognize the sound of a person located around the refrigerator 1. Further, the acoustic unit 52 is capable of outputting sound toward a person located around the refrigerator 1, and outputting information of the refrigerator 1 and other sounds.

The audio unit 52 includes a speaker (audio unit) 52a, an amplifier board 52b, an audio instruction acquisition unit 52g, and a storage case 52d.

(Acoustic instruction acquisition section)

The voice instruction acquisition unit 52g is a microphone capable of inputting voice, and acquires voice instructions related to various operations from a user. The sound instruction acquisition unit 52g is provided in the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab.

(loudspeaker)

The speaker 52a is a thin speaker having a rectangular shape in plan view, and generates sound on the front sound emission surface 52 ab.

(amplifier substrate)

The amplifier board 52b includes a circuit board 90a and a plurality of electrical components 90b mounted on the circuit board 90 a. A microphone control unit, a microphone storage unit, a speaker control unit, a speaker storage unit, and a wireless communication module are realized by the circuit board 90a and the plurality of electrical components 90b shown in fig. 2.

The amplifier board 52b is connected to the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g via a microphone connection harness, not shown. The amplifier board 52b controls the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g by the microphone control unit. The amplifier board 52b controls the on/off of the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g by the microphone control unit, and transmits the sound data of the user acquired by the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g to the 1 st power board 70.

The amplifier board 52b is connected to the speaker 52a via a speaker connection harness 90 c. The amplifier board 52b controls the speaker 52a by the speaker control unit. The amplifier board 52b controls, for example, music and/or sound output from the speaker 52 a.

The wireless communication module can communicate with an external terminal device TD by wireless. For example, the wireless communication module can directly communicate with the terminal device TD located within a predetermined range from the refrigerator 1 (for example, at least a part of the space in the same house as the refrigerator 1) by wireless. The wireless communication module is, for example, a short-range wireless communication module in accordance with specifications such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The terminal device TD is a terminal device owned by a user of the refrigerator 1, and is a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or the like.

The terminal device TD can communicate with the server device SD via an external network NW. A predetermined application program (for example, a program for remote operation of the refrigerator 1) is installed in advance in the terminal device TD, and the predetermined function is realized by the program being executed by a processor mounted in the terminal device. For example, when receiving the status history information from the refrigerator 1, the terminal device TD transmits the received status history information to the server device SD.

The amplifier board 52b supplies the power supplied from the 2 nd power board 80 to the speaker 52a and the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g. Thereby, the speaker 52a and the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g can operate.

The amplifier substrate 52b reproduces music data and/or sound data based on a control signal received from the terminal device TD through the wireless communication module, and outputs the reproduced music and/or sound from the speaker 52a to the outside of the refrigerator 1. Thus, not only the necessary information of the refrigerator 1 can be notified to the user, but also music and/or sound selected by the user can be heard at a desired timing.

The amplifier substrate 52b can communicate with the 1 st power supply substrate 70. The amplifier substrate 52b is connected to the 1 st power supply substrate 70. As a communication method with the 1 st power supply board 70, there is a method using a communication interface such as UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-transmitter: asynchronous serial communication Transceiver circuit).

The speaker control unit of the amplifier board 52b communicates with the 1 st power board 70 (control unit 100), and obtains predetermined information (state history information, failure time information, library information, etc.) of the refrigerator 1 stored in the storage unit 126 (fig. 4) and stores the information in the speaker storage unit. The speaker storage unit stores predetermined information (state history information, failure time information, library information, etc.) of the refrigerator 1 obtained from the 1 st power supply board 70, and music data and/or audio data based on the information.

The speaker control unit reproduces, for example, music data and/or sound data based on predetermined information (state history information, trouble time information, library information, etc.) of the refrigerator 1 stored in the speaker storage unit, and outputs the reproduced music and/or sound from the speaker 52a to the outside of the refrigerator 1.

The speaker 52a is notified by voice, for example, "door is opened", "the refrigerator is changed to the strong mode", "the ice making mode is set at one stroke", and the like. Thus, a user located around the refrigerator 1 can hear and know necessary information of the refrigerator 1.

The speaker control unit transmits a music data signal and/or a sound data signal based on predetermined information (state history information, failure time information, library information, etc.) of the refrigerator 1 stored in the speaker storage unit, for example, to the terminal device TD. Thus, the user can confirm necessary information of the refrigerator 1 in the terminal device TD at hand.

The microphone control unit of the amplifier board 52b causes the microphone storage unit to store predetermined instruction information based on the user's voice instruction acquired by the voice instruction acquisition unit 52 g. The microphone control unit communicates with the 1 st power supply board 70 (control unit 100) to cause the storage unit 126 (fig. 4) to store predetermined instruction information stored in the microphone storage unit. The instruction information includes information related to an instruction of sound output from the speaker 52a and an instruction of opening and closing the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20 Ab.

The microphone control unit, for example, reacts to a predetermined "call language" from the user, and obtains a subsequent audio instruction. When the voice instruction acquisition unit 52g recognizes "call language" from the user, the microphone control unit acquires a subsequent voice as instruction information from the user.

< communication Module >

The communication module 61 can perform remote communication with an external terminal device, and can communicate with a router R provided in the same house as the refrigerator 1 by wireless or wired communication. The communication module 61 can communicate with an external server device SD (e.g., cloud server) via a router R, a modem not shown, and an external network NW such as the internet. The communication module 61 transmits information indicating the state of the refrigerator 1 to the server device SD. Further, the communication module 61 receives a control signal for remote operation of the refrigerator 1 from the server apparatus SD.

< elapsed time measurement portion >

The elapsed time measuring unit 101 measures the time (open elapsed time) for which the cooling chamber door 20A is opened after the cooling chamber door 20A is opened by a user's hand or the door opening device 41, and sends the measured time to the control unit 100. The elapsed time measuring unit 101 may be a part of the control unit 100 configured by a computer together with a microcomputer or the like.

< door closing device >

As shown in fig. 1, the door closing device 130 is a device that automatically closes the opened refrigerating chamber door 20A, and is provided on the refrigerating chamber door 20A side separately from the door opening device 41 provided on the case 10 side. The driving source of the door closer 130 is also different from the driving source of the door opener 41.

As shown in fig. 1, the door closing device 130 has a function of automatically closing two doors separately. The door closer 130 includes, for example, a left door closer 130A and a right door closer 130B, and can be driven independently of each other. The left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B are devices capable of transmitting power in a state where the refrigerating chamber door 20A is maximally opened, that is, at a maximum opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A. The refrigerating chamber door 20A can be closed regardless of the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A.

As shown in fig. 1, the left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B are built in the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, respectively. The left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B are disposed at one end side in the width direction of the left and right refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, respectively, and are located at positions outside (left and right sides) the refrigerator 1 in the width direction.

In the present embodiment, the door closing device 130 is provided for each of the left and right refrigerating chamber doors 20A, but only one of the refrigerating chamber doors 20A may be provided. In particular, the door closing device 130 may be provided in the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab having a larger weight than the left side refrigerating chamber door 20 Aa.

The door closer 130 includes a door rotating mechanism 131 shown in fig. 5 and a door pulling mechanism 132 shown in fig. 8. In fig. 5, a right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is shown, and a right door closing device 130B is mounted on the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

The door rotating mechanisms 131 in the left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B have a function of rotating the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab in the closing direction about the rotation support shafts Oa and Ob. The door rotating mechanisms 131 in the left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B are provided in the left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B, respectively. Thus, each door rotating mechanism 131 can individually rotate the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab in the closing direction. In the following description, the rotation support shafts Oa and Ob are also simply referred to as rotation support shaft O.

The door pulling mechanism 132 has a function of pulling the refrigerating compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab, which are opened at a predetermined angle with respect to the case 10, toward the case 10 side to be completely closed.

[ Structure of the upper wall side of the Box ]

Next, the structure of the upper wall 10a of the case 10 when viewed from above (front side) will be described in detail.

As shown in fig. 3, the 1 st power supply substrate 70 and the 2 nd power supply substrate 80 are housed in the power supply substrate housing 2 provided so as to be partially embedded in the top portion (upper wall 10 a) of the case 10. The power supply substrate housing 2 has a rectangular container shape with an upper side open, and the open side is closed by a cover member 2A for the power supply substrate housing. The power supply substrate housing cover member 2A is detachably attached to the opening side of the power supply substrate housing 2.

The communication module 61, the door opening device 41, and the sound unit 52 are provided on the upper wall 10a (the outer case 10 j) of the case 10. The communication module 61 is disposed in front of the 1 st power supply substrate 70 and the 2 nd power supply substrate 80 in the upper wall 10a and is a left side in the width direction of the case 10. The communication module 61 is provided rearward of the left hinge 6A so as to be adjacent to the left hinge 6A supporting the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa in the front-rear direction.

As shown in fig. 1, the sound unit 52 is provided on the upper wall 10a of the cabinet 10. The sound unit 52 is disposed in front of the 1 st power supply board 70 and the 2 nd power supply board 80 in the upper wall 10a and is on the right side in the width direction of the case 10. The acoustic unit 52 is disposed in the vicinity of the right hinge 6B supporting the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. By disposing the acoustic unit 52 at a position distant from the communication module 61, it is possible to suppress the influence of noise or the like caused by communication interference with each other.

The door opening device 41 is disposed at a predetermined interval from each other near the center of the casing 10 between the communication module 61 and the acoustic unit 52. The left door opening device 41A faces the left side refrigerating chamber door 20Aa, and the right door opening device 41B faces the right side refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

The sound instruction acquisition unit 52g is disposed between the left door opening device 41A and the right door opening device 41B and is the center of the case 10.

These communication module 61, door opening device 41, sound instruction acquisition unit 52g, and sound unit 52 are covered with cover member 3 attached to upper wall 10a of case 10.

A plurality of wiring harnesses 12 led out from the 1 st power supply substrate 70 and a wiring harness 13 led out from the 2 nd power supply substrate 80, which are provided on the upper wall 10a (upper surface 10 ja) side of the case 10 shown in fig. 3, are drawn around a space between the outer case 10j and the inner case 10i constituting the upper wall 10a of the case 10.

The plurality of wiring harnesses 12 include a plurality of control lines connected to the 1 st power supply board 70, the communication module 61, the door opening device 41, the audio unit 52, and the like, and transmit control signals from the 1 st power supply board 70 to the communication module 61, the door opening device 41, the audio unit 52, and the like, respectively. The plurality of wiring harnesses 12 may include power supply lines for supplying power from the 1 st power supply board 70 to the communication module 61, the door opening device 41, the audio unit 52, and the like.

The plurality of wiring harnesses 13 are connected to at least the 2 nd power supply board 80 and the acoustic unit 52, and power is supplied from the 2 nd power supply board 80 to the acoustic unit 52.

[ control function ]

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the refrigerator 1.

In the following description, reference is made to fig. 2 as appropriate in addition to fig. 4.

The 1 st power supply board 70 includes a control unit 100 configured by a computer having a microcomputer or the like. The control unit 100 controls the entire refrigerator 1.

The control unit 100 is connected to the cooling unit 30, the refrigerator temperature detection unit 120, the chilled air temperature detection unit 121, the outside air temperature detection unit 122, the refrigerator door switch 123, the chilled air door switch 124, the in-box camera 53, the storage unit 126, the door opening device 41, the door opening operation unit 42, the audio unit 52, the door closing device 130, and the elapsed time measurement unit 101.

The cooling fan 33 of the cooling unit 30 and the compressor 31 are driven based on a command from the control unit 100.

The camera control section 53b of the in-box camera 53 transmits the image data captured in the camera main body 53a to the control section 100 of the 1 st power supply substrate 70.

The refrigerating room temperature detecting unit 120 is provided in the refrigerating room 11A, and detects the air temperature in the refrigerating room 11A. The refrigerating room temperature detecting unit 120 transmits the detected air temperature data in the refrigerating room 11A to the control unit 100.

The quench chamber temperature detection portion 121 is a non-contact temperature detection portion provided in the quench chamber 11AA (fig. 2). The quench chamber temperature detection portion 121 detects the air temperature in the quench chamber 11AA, the temperature of the food product in the quench chamber 11AA (e.g., the surface temperature of the food product), or the temperature of a container disposed in the quench chamber 11AA and carrying the food product. The quench chamber temperature detection portion 121 transmits data of any one or more of the temperature of the air in the quench chamber 11AA, the temperature of the food product in the quench chamber 11AA (for example, the surface temperature of the food product), and the temperature of the container placed in the quench chamber 11AA and carrying the food product, to the control portion 100.

The chilling chamber temperature detection unit 121 may be a direct contact type temperature detection unit that is in direct contact with the container. Hereinafter, the air temperature of the refrigerating chamber 11A may be referred to as "refrigerating chamber temperature", and the air temperature of the quench chamber 11AA may be referred to as "quench chamber temperature".

The control unit 100 may estimate the quench chamber temperature based on the detection result of the quench chamber temperature detection unit 120 and a correlation between the quench chamber temperature and the quench chamber temperature obtained in advance.

In addition, the chilled-temperature detecting unit 121 may be omitted, for example, when the temperature of the food is detected by the in-box phase machine 53 described later.

The outside air temperature detecting unit 122 is provided on the surface of the refrigerator 1, and detects the outside air temperature of the refrigerator 1. In the present specification, the "outside air temperature" refers to the temperature outside the refrigerator 1, and for example, refers to the air temperature in the room where the refrigerator 1 is installed. The outside air temperature detecting unit 122 transmits the detected outside air temperature data of the refrigerator 1 to the control unit 100.

The refrigerating chamber door switch 123 has a left refrigerating chamber door switch 123a and a right refrigerating chamber door switch 123b. The cooling chamber door switch 123 detects the open/closed states of the left cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right cooling chamber door 20Ab by the left cooling chamber door switch 123a and the right cooling chamber door switch 123b, respectively, and sends the detected open/closed states to the control unit 100.

Specifically, the left refrigerating chamber door switch 123a is provided between the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa and the case 10, and detects the open/closed state of the left refrigerating chamber door 20 Aa. The right refrigerating chamber door switch 123b is provided between the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab and the case 10, and detects the open/closed state of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

The quench chamber door switch 124 is provided in the quench chamber 11AA, detects the open/closed state of the quench chamber door 11AA, and sends it to the control portion 100.

The storage section 126 stores programs necessary for the operation of the refrigerator 1 and various information. The storage unit 126 stores, for example, a conversion coefficient used in a control mode described later. The conversion coefficient is, for example, a coefficient for converting the detection results detected by the various detection units into variables for temperature control, and is registered in the storage unit 126 in advance.

The storage unit 126 stores a predetermined "call language", "language related to the instruction of the door closing operation", "open restriction time", and the like. The voice instruction acquisition unit 52g provided in the refrigerator 1 acquires the predetermined "call language" and "language related to the door closing instruction" issued by the user to the refrigerator 1.

The "call language" is a language set in advance as a predetermined trigger for recognizing the start of an instruction from the user. That is, the "call language" is a language set in advance as a condition for starting a voice recognition function for receiving an instruction from a user. The "calling language" includes, for example, a language in which a name, nickname, or the like of the refrigerator 1 calls the refrigerator 1.

The "language related to the instruction for closing the door" includes, for example, "closing", "opening", and the like, which indicate the instruction content of the user.

By setting such "calling language" and "language related to the door closing operation instruction" in advance, it is possible to suppress the execution of the opening operation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A due to the daily session of the user.

The condition for the control unit 100 to activate the voice recognition function is not limited to the "call language". For example, instead of the "call language", the voice recognition function may be activated by an operation of a door closing operation unit (not shown) provided in the refrigerator 1 (the casing 10 or the refrigerating chamber door 20A). Alternatively, the voice recognition function may be activated based on information acquired from an external terminal. Examples of the information acquired from the external terminal include a case where an application is started in a mobile phone, a case where a mobile phone registered in the refrigerator 1 in advance approaches within a predetermined distance from the refrigerator 1, and the like.

The "opening restriction time" is a time for restricting the opening state of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, which is maintained open without being closed after opening, and is a predetermined time set in advance. The elapsed time measuring unit 101 measures the time when the refrigerating chamber door 20A is actually opened. The control unit 100 compares the actual opening elapsed time with the "opening limit time" set in advance.

The opening restriction time may be appropriately changed, and may be set to a time required for a user to generally use the refrigerator 1, a time having a small margin with respect to a time required for a user to generally use the refrigerator 1, or a time until a temperature difference between a cooling temperature in the refrigerator 1 and an outside air temperature becomes a predetermined temperature difference by opening the refrigerating chamber door 20A.

One of the door closing conditions of the present invention is that a predetermined time elapses in a state where the refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened. That is, the opening elapsed time, which is the time when the refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened, exceeds the opening restriction time.

For example, the control unit 100 may receive an audio instruction (door closing instruction) from the user when the opening angle θ (fig. 2) of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa, 20Ab with respect to the case 10 is within a predetermined range. The opening angle range of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab that can receive the sound instruction is, for example, 45 ° or more and 145 ° or less. In the present embodiment, the maximum opening angle at which the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab can be opened is 145 °, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Further, even if the opening angle is 45 ° or less, it is possible to receive an instruction to close the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa, 20 Ab.

The opening angle range of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab is not limited to the above range, and can be changed as appropriate.

When acquiring an "operation signal" output in response to the user operation detected by the door opening operation unit 42, the control unit 100 drives the door opening operation unit 42 to open the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab.

Alternatively, when the predetermined "calling language" is detected from the user by the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g of the acoustic unit 52, and the subsequent "door opening instruction (sound instruction)" from the user is acquired, the control unit 100 drives the door opening operation unit 42 to open the refrigerating compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab.

Here, the "door opening instruction" includes a door opening instruction indicating the opening of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab and a door opening instruction indicating the driving of the door opening devices 41A and 41B. When there is a designation of a cooling chamber door 20A to be opened from among the cooling chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab in the door opening instruction, the control unit 100 opens the designated cooling chamber door 20A. On the other hand, if there is no designation of the cooling chamber door 20A to be opened, both the left and right cooling chamber doors 20Aa, 20Ab may be opened.

The control unit 100 may output, for example, "which door is opened? "such sound guidance". The content of the sound guidance can be set appropriately.

In the case of using the refrigerator 1 having the display unit, a display or the like showing the same meaning as the above-described sound guidance may be output.

When the cooling chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab are in the open state, the control unit 100 drives the door closing devices 130 (the left door closing device 130A and the right door closing device 130B) to close the cooling chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, respectively, if predetermined "door closing conditions" for closing the open cooling chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab are satisfied.

The "door closing condition" includes at least one of a case where a "door closing instruction" (hereinafter, also referred to as an "audio instruction") based on audio is acquired from the user by the audio instruction acquisition unit 52g, and a case where a predetermined time has elapsed while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is open. The case where the predetermined time has elapsed while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is open includes, in particular, a case where the opening elapsed time, which is the time when the refrigerating chamber door 20A is open, reaches the opening restriction time (opening elapsed time=opening restriction time) or a case where the opening elapsed time exceeds the opening restriction time (opening elapsed time > opening restriction time).

The control unit 100 determines whether or not each of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab satisfies the "door closing condition".

That is, when the predetermined "call language" is detected from the user by the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g of the acoustic unit 52 and the subsequent "door closing instruction (sound instruction: door closing condition)" is acquired from the user, the control unit 100 closes the refrigerating compartment door 20A by driving the rotary driver (driving source) 133a of the driving device 133 in the door closing device 130. In the present embodiment, the rotary drive source is referred to as a motor 133a.

At this time, when the instruction to close the door is obtained in a state where both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab are open, the control unit 100 may independently drive the respective drive devices 133 of the left door closing device 130A and the right door closing device 130B corresponding to the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab to close both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab without specifying which of the left side cooling chamber door and the right side cooling chamber door 20A is to be closed.

When the instruction to close the door is given in a state where both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab are open, the drive device 133 of any one of the door closing devices 130A and 130B corresponding to the specified cooling chamber door 20A may be driven to close any one of the specified cooling chamber doors 20A when the closing instruction is given.

Further, at the time of the door closing instruction, when the opened refrigerating chamber door 20A is only one of the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, the control unit 100 may close the opened refrigerating chamber door 20A by driving the driving device 133 of the door closing device 130 corresponding to the opened refrigerating chamber door 20A.

In this way, the control unit 100 sets both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab in the closed state in response to the door closing instruction.

The control unit 100 also measures the open time elapsed between the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab by the elapsed time measuring unit 101, and drives the motor 133a of the driving device 133 in the door closing device 130 to close the refrigerating chamber door 20A when a predetermined "open limit time (door closing condition)" stored in advance in the storage unit 126 has elapsed.

Specifically, the control unit 100 may measure the "open restriction time" individually when both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab are open, and may drive the left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B, which correspond to the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab, individually to close the cooling chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab in the open state when the predetermined "open restriction time" is reached or exceeded, respectively. Thus, the measurement of the open time of each of the refrigerating compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab and the control for driving the respective door closing devices 130A and 130B are facilitated.

For example, when one of the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab that are opened reaches a preset "opening restriction time" or exceeds the "opening restriction time", both doors may be closed. By measuring the open elapsed time with reference to the previously opened refrigerating chamber door 20A, both of the opened refrigerating chamber doors 20A can be quickly closed when the previously opened refrigerating chamber door 20A reaches or exceeds the "open limit time".

Further, even if the opening elapsed time of one of the refrigerating chamber doors 20A reaches the preset "opening limit time", if the opening elapsed time of the other refrigerating chamber door 20A does not reach the above "opening limit time", the other refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened after that, and the user may continue to insert or remove the stored article after opening the other refrigerating chamber door 20A. Therefore, only when the above "open time limit" has elapsed as the time elapsed for opening one of the refrigerating chamber doors 20A, any door may not be closed. This can suppress the closing of the refrigerating chamber door 20A even when the user is taking in or out the stored article.

In this case, the opening elapsed time of the left and right refrigerating chamber doors 20A is measured individually. As a timing to start measurement of the opening elapsed time of the left and right refrigerating chamber doors 20A, measurement is started from the first opened one of the refrigerating chamber doors 20A. When the other refrigerating chamber door 20A is also opened in a state in which the one refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened, measurement of the open elapsed time is started again from the time in which the other refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened.

Further, when the opening time of the other refrigerating chamber door 20A that is opened later reaches the "opening restriction time", that is, when the opening time of both the refrigerating chamber doors 20A reaches the "opening restriction time", both the left and right refrigerating chamber doors 20A may be closed.

Further, when the opened refrigerating chamber door 20A is either one of the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, the control unit 100 drives the driving device 133 of the door closing device 130 corresponding to the refrigerating chamber door 20A when the opening elapsed time of the opened refrigerating chamber door 20A reaches the "opening limit time". Thus, the refrigerating chamber door 20A in the open state can also be closed.

The control unit 100 may measure the open elapsed time of both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab. For example, when one of the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab is opened, the opening elapsed time is measured assuming that both doors are opened. The open elapsed time is shared by both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab. When the open elapsed time of the open refrigerating chamber door 20A reaches the preset "open limit time", the open left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa or right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab may be closed.

Even when both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab are opened, the opening elapsed time of both the left and right side cooling chamber doors 20A may be measured based on the previously opened cooling chamber door 20A, and when the previously opened cooling chamber door 20A reaches the "opening restriction time", both the cooling chamber doors 20A may be closed. This allows both the refrigerating chamber doors 20A to be quickly closed. At this time, both the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20Ab may be closed together, or may be closed one by one.

< door closing device >

Next, a specific configuration of the door closer 130 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B of the door closer 130 of the present embodiment have substantially the same structure as each other. Therefore, the following description will be focused on the structure of the right door closer 130B.

[ Right door closing device ]

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of the mounting member 135.

As shown in fig. 5, the right door closer 130B is attached to the right side wall 20jb of the outer side wall portion 20j constituting the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. The right door closer 130B is disposed on the lower hinge 6B side of the pair of upper and lower hinges 6B that support the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab rotatably with respect to the case 10.

The right door closer 130B is attached to the right side wall 20jb of the outer side wall 20j of the refrigerating chamber door 20A via an attachment member 135 (fig. 6). As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the mounting member 135 has a reinforcing portion 135a extending in the up-down direction, and a flange portion 135b formed at the lowermost end of the reinforcing portion 135a.

The reinforcing portion 135a is shorter than the length of the right side wall 20jb of the outer side wall 20j shown in fig. 5 in the up-down direction. The attachment member 135 is attached in a state in which the upper and lower end portions are separated from the upper wall 20ja and the lower wall 20k of the outer wall 20j, respectively, but the size and attachment position of the attachment member 135 may be appropriately changed. For example, the reinforcing portion 135a of the mounting member 135 may be mounted in contact with one of the upper wall 20ja and the lower side wall 20 k. Further, the reinforcing portion 135a of the mounting member 135 may be elongated in the vertical direction, and the reinforcing portion 135a may be mounted in a state of being in contact with both the upper wall 20ja and the lower side wall 20 k.

As shown in fig. 6, the flange portion 135b is formed by bending perpendicularly to the reinforcement portion 135a. The flange 135b has a through hole 135c penetrating in the plate thickness direction.

The center of the through hole 135c coincides with the rotation axis O133 of the driving device 133.

As shown in fig. 5, the right door closer 130B includes a door rotating mechanism 131 and a door pulling mechanism 132.

(door rotating mechanism)

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the structure of the door rotating mechanism 131 in the right door closer 130B. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the door rotating mechanism 131 in the right door closer 130B.

First, the structure of the door rotating mechanism 131 in the right door closer 130B will be described in detail. The door rotating mechanism 131 in the right door closing device 130B is a mechanism that is driven to close the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, and functions from a state where the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is maximally opened to a state where the right refrigerating chamber door is closed, and can rotate the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab over the entire opening angle range. Therefore, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be closed at any opening angle.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the door rotating mechanism 131 includes a driving device 133 and a door closing transmission mechanism (door closing transmission unit) 150 (fig. 8) connected to the driving device 133.

The driving device 133 has a length direction identical to the up-down direction of the refrigerator 1. The door closing transmission mechanism 150 is disposed at the lower end side of the driving device 133.

(drive device)

Fig. 9 is a component view showing the configuration of the driving device 133.

As shown in fig. 9, the driving device 133 includes a driver 138 and a speed reducer 134 in this order from one end (upper end) side in the axial direction (Z direction).

The drive 138 extends in the same direction as the speed reducer 134. The driver 138 and the decelerator 134 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the driving device 133 and are disposed adjacent to each other. The rotation shafts of the driver 138 and the speed reducer 134 are coaxial and are integrally formed with each other.

(drive machine)

The drive machine 138 has a motor (drive source) 133a that generates a drive force (1 st drive force) for rotating the refrigerating chamber door 20A in the closing direction. The motor 133a includes a rotor which is a rotating member that rotates around a rotation axis, a stator which is a fixed member disposed inside and generates a force to rotate the rotating member, and a bearing (bearing) which supports the rotation axis of the rotor. The motor 133a rotates by repulsive or attractive force between a magnetic field generated by a current flowing through one of the coils provided on the rotor and the stator and the other of the coils provided on the rotor and the stator.

The motor 133a is driven by a force that a magnetic field generated by a current flowing through a coil wound around the stator repels or attracts a magnet provided on the rotor, for example. The direction of the magnetic force is changed by switching the direction of the current flowing through the coil of the motor 133a, thereby controlling the rotation of the rotor and outputting power. The motor 133a is different from the solenoid actuator described above in that it is configured to output power for continuously rotating the rotor at least two times or more in one direction.

Hereinafter, the rotation shaft of the rotor is referred to as an output shaft 133A of the motor 133A.

The drive machine 138 may have at least the motor 133a, and the 1 st base member 133b and the motor shaft 133c may be members constituting the drive machine 138 or members constituting the speed reducer 134.

(speed reducer)

The speed reducer 134 has a speed reducing mechanism that reduces and outputs rotation input from the drive machine 138. The deceleration mechanism is a mechanism that decelerates the driving force (1 st driving force) input from the motor 133a and converts the same into a rotational driving force (2 nd driving force).

In the present embodiment, a planetary gear reduction mechanism is employed as the reduction mechanism.

(planetary gear reduction mechanism)

The planetary gear reduction mechanism has the following configuration: the plurality of driven parts arranged around the drive transmission part are rotated around the respective rotation axes around the drive transmission part connected to the rotation axis of the rotary drive machine as the drive source, and are moved in the circumferential direction of the drive transmission part, respectively, so that the rotation speed transmitted from the rotary drive machine can be reduced by the plurality of driven parts.

The planetary gear reduction mechanism includes, for example, at least: a sun gear (the drive transmission unit) provided to be rotated by transmitting rotation of a rotation shaft of the rotation driver; at least one planetary gear provided radially outward of the rotation of the sun gear, provided to rotate by meshing with the sun gear, the position of the rotation shaft being moved around the rotation shaft of the sun gear; a rotation transmission unit that is provided with a rotation shaft on an extension line of the rotation shaft of the sun gear, and rotates by transmitting a force of the planetary gear moving around the sun gear; and a shaft member that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the rotation transmitting portion.

The planetary gear reduction mechanism includes the above-described portions, and converts the rotational speed of the sun gear, to which the position of the rotation shaft is fixed, into a rotational speed at which the position of the planetary gear moves around the sun gear, and outputs the rotational speed from the shaft member.

That is, by setting the number of teeth of the sun gear and the planetary gear that mesh with each other such that the planetary gear makes one revolution (one revolution) around the sun gear more time than the sun gear makes one revolution, the rotational speed input to the sun gear is decelerated and output. The number of teeth of the sun gear and the planetary gear are set to be different from each other.

The number of the planetary gears may be single or plural. When a plurality of planetary gears are used, the plurality of planetary gears can be meshed with the sun gear while rotating about their respective rotation axes and simultaneously move around the sun gear, whereby the power input to the sun gear can be decelerated and output.

In this way, by using a planetary gear reduction mechanism that reduces the speed by moving a plurality of planetary gears around the rotation axis of the sun gear, the rotation axis of the rotary drive machine and the rotation axis of the planetary gear reduction mechanism, specifically, the rotation axis of the sun gear can be arranged coaxially. That is, by arranging the rotation shaft of the planetary gear reduction mechanism to be located on the extension line of the rotation shaft of the rotary drive machine, miniaturization of the door closing device as a whole can be achieved.

The reduction mechanism is not limited to the planetary gear reduction mechanism described above, and a cycloid (registered trademark) reduction mechanism or the like may be used as an internal planetary gear reduction mechanism using a trochoid tooth form, a harmonic drive reduction mechanism (registered trademark) reduction mechanism, or the like. These reduction mechanisms can obtain a large reduction ratio even if they are space-saving, and are therefore suitable as reduction mechanisms of the driving device 133 provided in the refrigerating chamber door 20A. The constitution of these internal planetary gear reducer using trochoid tooth form and harmonic drive reducer (registered trademark) reduction mechanism will be described later.

First, the configuration of the reduction gear 134 of the present embodiment including the planetary gear reduction mechanism described above will be described.

The speed reducer 134 of the present embodiment includes a planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 144 and a post-reduction driving force transmission unit 145 that transmits the rotational driving force reduced by the planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 144 to the door closing transmission mechanism 150.

The planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 has a function of reducing the rotational speed input from the motor 133a to increase the torque.

The planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 of the present embodiment includes at least: a sun gear (drive transmission unit) 133f1 connected to an output shaft 133A of the motor 133A, and rotated together with the output shaft 133A by transmitting the rotation of the output shaft 133A; a plurality of planetary gears (driven portions) 133f2 disposed around the sun gear 133f1, and configured to rotate by meshing with the sun gear 133f1, each rotation shaft being moved around the rotation shaft of the sun gear 133f 1; a carrier transmission unit (rotation transmission unit) 133h provided coaxially with the sun gear 133f1 and rotated by transmitting a force of the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 moving around the sun gear 133f 1; and a crankshaft (shaft member) 133m that rotates with rotation of the carrier transmission portion 133 h. The planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 is a mechanism that reduces the speed by moving the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 around the rotation axis of the sun gear 133f1 connected to the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A.

The planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 further has a motor shaft 133c, a 1 st bearing 133d, a plurality of planetary shafts 133g, a planetary carrier plate 133e, and a 2 nd base member 133i.

The sun gear 133f1 and the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 are housed in the 2 nd base member 133i. The 2 nd base member 133i may be a member of the post-deceleration driving force transmission portion 145 instead of a member of the planetary gear reduction mechanism 144.

(Sun gear)

The sun gear 133f1 is disposed coaxially with the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A, and is connected to the front end of the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A coaxially with the motor 133A via the motor shaft 133c and the 1 st bearing 133 d. The rotation of the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A is transmitted to the sun gear 133f 1. The sun gear 133f1 rotates around a rotation shaft together with the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A. Since the sun gear 133f1 is connected to the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A via a motor shaft 133c and a 1 st bearing 133d described later, the direction of rotation about the rotation axis of the sun gear 133f1 is the same as the rotation direction of the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A.

(Planet gear)

The plurality of planetary gears 133f2 are provided to mesh with the sun gear 133f1 and rotate at a position radially outward of the rotation of the sun gear 133f1 than the sun gear 133f 1. The plurality of planetary gears 133f2 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 133f 1. In the present embodiment, for example, 4 planetary gears 133f2 are provided, but the number of planetary gears 133f2 is not limited to this. The rotation axes of the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 are parallel to each other and to the rotation axis of the sun gear 133f 1.

The plurality of planetary gears 133f2 are meshed with the sun gear 133f1, and the respective rotation shafts are simultaneously moved around the sun gear 133f1 while rotating around the respective rotation shafts with the rotation of the sun gear 133f1 and changing the meshing positions with the sun gear 133f1 by the driving force transmitted to the sun gear 133f 1. The plurality of planetary gears 133f2 move in the same direction without changing the arrangement interval between the plurality of planetary gears when they are wound around the sun gear 133f 1. That is, the positional relationship between the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 that move in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 133f1 while meshing with the sun gear 133f1 is constant and does not change. The direction in which each planetary gear 133f2 rotates about the respective rotation axis is opposite to the direction about the rotation axis of the sun gear 133f 1. Further, the direction in which the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 simultaneously move in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 133f1 is the same as the rotational direction of the sun gear 133f 1.

As described above, the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 of the present embodiment are wound around the axis of the sun gear 133f1 within a predetermined angular range by changing the meshing position with respect to the sun gear 133f1 in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 133f1 between the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 and the internal teeth, not shown, formed on the inner circumferential side of the 2 nd base member 133 i.

In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 are engaged with the internal teeth formed on the inner peripheral side of the 2 nd base member 133i accommodating the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 and the sun gear 133f1 is exemplified, but the configuration is not limited to the above-described configuration as long as the posture of the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 engaged with the sun gear 133f1 can be stabilized.

That is, in the reduction mechanism of the present embodiment, since the internal tooth shape formed in the 2 nd base member 133i is used to stabilize the posture of each of the planetary gears 133f2 by converting the rotational speed input to the sun gear 133f1 into the rotational speed at which the position of the planetary gear 133f2 moves around the sun gear 133f1 and outputting the rotational speed, the position of the rotation shaft connected to the carrier transmission portion 133h can be rotatably supported at a plurality of positions, and the posture of the planetary gear 133f2 can be stably rotated, the internal tooth shape may not be provided in the 2 nd base member 133 i.

For example, by using a member corresponding to the carrier transmission portion 133h, as in the above-described embodiment, by employing a configuration in which the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 move around the sun gear 133f1, each of the planetary gears 133f2 can be stably supported within the 2 nd base member 133i housing the sun gear 133f1 and the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 even if there is no internal tooth shape in which the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 simultaneously mesh, and therefore, a deceleration effect can be obtained.

(Motor shaft)

The motor shaft 133c is directly connected to the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A, and rotates together with the output shaft 133A to transmit the power of the motor 133A to the sun gear 133f1.

(1 st bearing)

The 1 st bearing 133d supports a motor shaft 133c that rotates together with the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A at a position coaxial with the output shaft 133A.

(Planet shaft)

The plurality of planetary shafts 133g constitute rotation shafts of the plurality of planetary gears 133f2, and are integrally mounted with the respective planetary gears 133f 2. The plurality of planetary shafts 133g are provided coaxially with the plurality of planetary gears 133f2, respectively, and rotate together with the respective planetary gears 133f2 about the respective rotation axes. Each of the planetary shafts 133g extends in the same direction as the rotation shaft of the motor shaft 133c. In the present embodiment, the number of the planetary shafts 133g is 4, and the same number as the number of the planetary gears 133f2 is provided.

Each rotation axis of the plurality of planetary shafts 133g is parallel to the rotation axis of the sun gear 133f1 coaxial with the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A, and is disposed around the sun gear 133f1 radially outside the sun gear 133f1. These plurality of planetary shafts 133g simultaneously move around the sun gear 133f1 together with the planetary gear 133f2 meshing with the sun gear 133f1 while rotating around the respective rotation axes together with the integrated planetary gear 133f 2.

These plurality of planetary shafts 133g are supported by the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133 h.

(Planet plate and Planet Transmission part)

The carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h have a disk shape and are disposed at a predetermined interval in the axial direction. A sun gear 133f1 and a plurality of planet gears 133f2 are disposed between the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133 h. That is, the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h are axially opposed to each other via the sun gear 133f1 and the plurality of planetary gears 133f2, and support the plurality of planetary shafts 133g.

The carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h are formed with support holes for supporting both end portions of the planetary shaft 133g, respectively. The support holes may be holes penetrating the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h in the plate thickness direction, or holes not penetrating the carrier plate in the plate thickness direction. Alternatively, the plurality of planetary shafts 133g may be supported by the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133 h.

The carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h are disposed coaxially with the sun gear 133f1, and are coupled to each other via a plurality of planetary shafts 133g. The carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h are integrated with each other, and are rotatable about the rotation axis of the sun gear 133f1 together with the plurality of planetary shafts 133g and the plurality of planetary gears 133f2. Accordingly, the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h can move the plurality of planetary shafts 133g and the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 133f1 while supporting the planetary shafts 133g provided in the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 rotated by the power of the sun gear 133f 1.

By disposing the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h coaxially with the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A, the components can be disposed closer together, and thus, the entire drive device 133 can be miniaturized.

A crankshaft 133m that transmits the force of the rotation of the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 around the axis of the sun gear 133f1 is connected to the carrier transmission portion 133h as an output shaft. The crankshaft 133m is disposed coaxially with the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A.

The shapes of the carrier plate (support portion) 133e and the carrier transmission portion (support portion) 133h are not limited to the circular plate shape described above. For example, the present invention may be configured to have a plurality of protruding portions extending in a bar shape from the center toward the radial outside. The number of protruding portions is equal to the number of planetary gears 133f2. Further, by providing the support holes on the front end sides of the respective protruding portions, the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 can be supported on the front end sides of the respective protruding portions in the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133 h. The shapes of the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h are not limited to a flat plate shape.

In the present embodiment, the carrier plate 133e and the carrier transmission portion 133h are formed integrally with each other and rotate together with the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 and the plurality of planetary shafts 133g about the rotation axis of the sun gear 133f1, but the carrier plate 133e is not necessarily required as long as the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 can be stably maintained in the engaged state with the sun gear 133f1 by the carrier transmission portion 133 h. For example, each of the plurality of planetary shafts 133g has one end supported by the carrier transmission portion 133 h. As a result, the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 are meshed with the sun gear 133f1 rotating around the rotation axis of the motor 133a, and the carrier transmission portion 133h rotates by the movement of the plurality of planetary gears 133f2 around the sun gear 133f1, whereby the power input to the sun gear 133f1 is decelerated and output from the crankshaft 133 m.

(post-deceleration drive force transmitting portion)

The post-deceleration driving force transmission unit 145 is a mechanism that transmits the driving force, which has been decelerated by the planetary gear deceleration mechanism 144, to the door closing transmission mechanism 150. The post-deceleration driving force transmission portion 145 includes a speed reducer side shaft 133B, a plurality of transmission members, and a coupling member.

The speed reducer side shaft 133B is disposed coaxially with the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A of the driver 138 and the motor shaft 133c of the planetary gear reduction mechanism 144. The speed reducer side shaft 133B has a crankshaft 133m, a crankshaft 133r, and a drive shaft 133t arranged in the axial direction.

The plurality of transmission members include a 2 nd bearing 133j, a 3 rd base member 133k, a 1 st coupling gear 133n1, a 1 st internal gear 133L1, a 1 st spacer 133o, a 3 rd bearing 133p1, a 2 nd coupling gear 133n2, a 4 th bearing 133p2, a 5 th bearing 133p3, a 3 rd coupling gear 133n3, a 4 th base member 133q, a 2 nd internal gear 133L2, a 6 th bearing 133s, a 4 th coupling gear 133n4, a 7 th bearing 133v1, an 8 th bearing 133v2, a spacer 133w, a 9 th bearing 133v3, a housing 133x, and a plate 133y.

These are externally attached to the speed reducer side shaft 133B, and are arranged in the rotation axis direction of the speed reducer side shaft 133B. By disposing the plurality of transmission members coaxially in this manner, the post-deceleration driving force transmission portion 145 can be formed in an elongated shape, and large external deformation can be suppressed.

Further, at least a part of the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of base members 133i, 133j, 133q preferably match each other in the rotation radial direction. In the present embodiment, the plurality of base members 133i, 133j, 133q have substantially the same shape as viewed in the axial direction, and are formed in substantially cylindrical shapes that are continuous with each other as shown in fig. 7.

The coupling member couples the plurality of base members 133i, 133j, 133q of the plurality of transmission members to each other. The present embodiment has a plurality of connection rods 133u as connection members. In the present embodiment, 4 connection rods 133u are provided, but this is not a limitation, and if the base members 133i, 133j, 133q can be connected to each other in a correct posture, the number of connection rods 133u may be small. The plurality of connection bars 133u are parallel to each other and extend in the same direction. The plurality of connecting rods 133u extend in the same direction as the speed reducer side shaft 133B. The plurality of connecting rods 133u are not coaxial with the speed reducer side shaft 133B, and are disposed around the crankshaft 133 r.

These plural connection rods 133u are inserted into plural through holes that penetrate in the thickness direction of the respective base members 133i, 133j, 133q and communicate with each other between the base members 133i, 133j, 133 q. The distal ends of the plurality of connecting rods 133u are screwed into screw holes formed in the 1 st base member 133b, for example, to connect the base members 133b,133i, 133j, and 133q to each other. The base members 133B,133i, 133j, 133q coupled to each other by the plurality of connection rods 133u are fixed to the mounting member 135 without rotating about the rotation axis of the speed reducer side shaft 133B.

The post-deceleration driving force transmission unit 145 transmits the driving force decelerated by the planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 in the axial direction while rotating in connection with the plurality of transmission members. A drive gear 134Ab of the door closing transmission mechanism 150 is attached to the lower end side of the speed reducer side shaft 133B via an attachment portion 136 described later as shown in fig. 10. The torque decelerated and increased by the planetary gear deceleration mechanism 144 is transmitted to the drive gear 134Ab of the door closing transmission mechanism 150 via the post-deceleration drive force transmission portion 145.

In the speed reducer 134 of the present embodiment, the planetary gear speed reduction mechanism 144 and the post-speed reduction driving force transmission portion 145 are disposed coaxially and adjacent to each other. Further, since the speed reducer 134 is also disposed coaxially with the output shaft (1 st rotation shaft) 133A of the motor 133A of the driver 138 and is disposed adjacent to the driver 138 in the direction in which the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A of the driver 138 extends, further miniaturization of the entire driving device 133 can be achieved. In addition, by adopting the above-described configuration, in the present embodiment, the entire driving device 133 has an axially elongated shape. That is, the housing 138a of the driver 138 and the housing 134a of the speed reducer 134 are formed in substantially the same cylindrical shape as each other, and are formed in an elongated outer shape in which mutually outer peripheral surfaces are connected to each other in the longitudinal direction. By forming such a shape, the occupied space in the door can be reduced, and therefore, a wide heat insulation space can be ensured.

The housing 134a of the speed reducer 134 is configured to include the plurality of base members 133i, 133j, 133q.

As described above, in the present embodiment, by using the planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 in the speed reducer 134, the output shaft (1 st rotation shaft) 133A of the motor 133A of the driver 138 and the rotation shaft (2 nd rotation shaft) of the speed reducer 134, that is, the planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 and each rotation shaft of the post-deceleration driving force transmission unit 145 can be coaxially arranged, and deceleration from input to output can be coaxially performed.

Accordingly, the rotation shaft of the motor 133a and the rotation shaft of the speed reducer 134 can be disposed close to each other, and the components of the post-deceleration driving force transmission portion 145, that is, the components related to the rotation transmission during deceleration, can be disposed close to each other without being separated in the transmission direction. As a result, a smaller door closer can be formed.

As described above, the respective parts from the drive machine 138 to the door closing transmission mechanism 150 including the speed reducer 134 and the fixed gear 134C on the case 10 side are arranged to be identical to or close to the rotation axis on the drive machine 138 side, and when the door closing devices 130A and 130B are arranged on the corresponding refrigerating chamber doors 20A, they can be disposed in a concentrated manner on any one of the 4 end edges on the upper, lower, left and right sides of the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

Further, with the above configuration, the entire shape of the driving device 133 can be formed in a slender shape having a length in the axial direction, and therefore, the area occupied by the driving device 133 in the door can be minimized. As a result, a sufficient space for disposing the heat insulating material in the door can be ensured, and the amount of the heat insulating material 10k disposed in the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be increased.

Here, the driving device 133 may be provided so that the output shaft 133A and the speed reducer side shaft 133B of the motor 133A are coaxial with each other and the rotation support shaft Ob of the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is coaxial with each other, but in the present embodiment, the driving device is offset in a direction perpendicular to the rotation support shaft Ob rather than on the coaxial line of the rotation support shaft Ob.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the driving device 133 can be provided in the door so that the rotation axes of the motor 133a and the speed reducer 134 are positioned at different positions from the rotation support axis Ob of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, the degree of freedom in arrangement of the components in the door can be improved as compared with a case where the rotation axes of the motor 133a and the speed reducer 134 are positioned at the same position as the rotation support axis Ob of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. As a result, the shape of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab about the axis of the rotation support shaft Ob of the hinge 6B can be not greatly changed, and therefore, the driving device 133 can be easily installed in the door.

The driving device 133 of the present embodiment is provided in a longitudinal direction parallel to the rotation support shaft Ob of the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. That is, the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A and the rotation shaft of the planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 are disposed in a posture parallel to the rotation support shaft Ob.

The driving device 133 is attached to the right side wall 20jb of the outer side wall 20j constituting the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab via the attachment member 135. The driving device 133 is fixed to the mounting member 135 in a state in which its rotation shaft O133 is inserted into a through hole 135c formed in a flange portion 135b of the mounting member 135, and the flange portion 135b of the mounting member 135 is sandwiched between the housing 133x and the plate 133 y.

The speed reducer side shaft 133B rotates around the rotation axis of the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A in the rotation direction of the motor 133A. The drive device 133 can rotate the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab in the closing direction by rotating the motor 133A forward (counterclockwise as viewed from the axial direction side: fig. 12), and rotating the decelerator-side shaft 133B connected to the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A in the same direction.

The driving device 133 of the present embodiment does not contribute to the operation of rotating the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab in the opening direction.

The present invention is not limited to the above, and the driving device 133 may drive the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab to rotate in the opening direction.

(door closing transfer mechanism)

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the refrigerating chamber door 20A as seen from below the inside of the case. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a part of the structure of the door closing transmission mechanism 150.

The door closing transmission mechanism 150 is provided to be transmitted with the rotational driving force decelerated by the motor 133 a. The door closing transmission mechanism 150 further transmits the driving force (1 st driving force) transmitted from the driving device 133 to the refrigerating chamber door 20A. As shown in fig. 10, the door closing transmission mechanism 150 is installed outside the refrigerating chamber door 20A and is a lower surface of the lower side wall portion 20 k.

The door closing transmission mechanism 150 includes a fixed gear (fixed driven portion) 134C fixed to the rotation support shaft O of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, a drive gear (rotation drive portion) 134Ab for decelerating and transmitting the drive force from the motor 133a, and a one-way overrunning clutch portion 140B (fig. 11). The drive gear 134Ab meshes with a fixed gear 134C fixed to the case 10 side.

(fixed Gear)

The fixed gear 134C is composed of an external gear having a larger diameter of the tip circle than the drive gear 134 Ab. The fixed gear 134C is fixed to the case 10 side via a hinge 6B attached to the case 10. The fixed gear 134C is engaged with the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab via an attachment portion 137 inserted into a through hole (not shown) of the hinge 6B. As shown in fig. 8, a center axis (2 nd axis) O2 of the fixed gear 134C coincides with the rotation support shaft Ob of the right side refrigerating compartment door 20Ab and is parallel to the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A in the driving device 133.

The fixed gear 134C is a circular gear that receives a rotational driving force from the driving device 133 provided in the refrigerating chamber door 20A on the side of the casing 10, and has a driven surface 134Ca (a surface formed with a plurality of teeth meshing with the driving gear 134 Ab) that is received at the same distance from the rotational support shaft Ob that coincides with the central axis O2 of the fixed gear 134C.

(drive gear)

The drive gear 134Ab is attached to the lower end side of the decelerator-side shaft 133B, and decelerates and transmits the rotational drive from the drive device 133. The drive gear 134Ab is located outside the lower side wall portion 20k in the axial direction, and is rotatably attached to the lower side wall portion 20k of the refrigerating chamber door 20A about its rotation axis via an attachment portion 136.

The drive gear 134Ab is a gear for transmitting the driving force from the driving device 133 to the case 10 side. The drive gear 134Ab has a transmission surface 134d (a surface on which a plurality of teeth meshing with the fixed gear 134C are formed) provided at the same distance from the rotation axis of the speed reducer side shaft 133B, and rotates coaxially with the speed reducer side shaft 133B in the same direction as the speed reducer side shaft 133B. Here, the rotation axis O133 of the driving device 133 includes the rotation axis of the output shaft 133A of the motor 133A and the rotation axis of the decelerator-side shaft 133B.

The drive gear 134Ab attached to the refrigerating chamber door 20A side and the fixed gear 134C fixed to the case 10 side are parallel to each other in the center line, and are engaged with each other at positions adjacent in the horizontal direction. That is, the rotation axis of the drive gear 134Ab and the central axis of the fixed gear 134C are disposed at different positions and extend in the same direction.

When the rotational force of the motor 133a is transmitted to the drive gear 134Ab by the one-way overrunning clutch 140A described later, the drive gear 134Ab and the speed reducer side shaft 133B are rotated around the fixed gear 134C, so that the drive gear 134Ab rotates around the rotation axis together with the speed reducer side shaft 133B, and the meshing position with respect to the fixed gear 134C fixed to the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is changed. That is, the positions of the drive gear 134Ab and the speed reducer side shaft 133B are shifted in the circumferential direction of the fixed gear 134C.

In this way, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be rotated in the closing direction by moving the drive gear (rotation drive unit) 134Ab around the fixed gear 134C while rotating the drive gear 134Ab around the rotation axis of the drive gear 134Ab together with the speed reducer side shaft 133B and changing the meshing position of the drive gear 134Ab and the fixed gear 134C to one side (arrow E side) of the fixed gear (fixed driven unit) 134C.

In this way, the rotational force of the driving device 133 can be transmitted from the door (cooling chamber door 20A) side to the case 10 side, and the door (cooling chamber door 20A) can be rotated by the driving device 133 provided on the door (cooling chamber door 20A) side.

In addition, when the driving device 133 is provided such that the rotation axis O133 thereof, that is, the rotation axis of the driver 138 and the rotation axis of the speed reducer 134 are in the same direction as the rotation support shafts Oa, ob of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa, 20Ab, simplification of parts can be achieved.

On the other hand, the one-way overrunning clutch 140A described later rotates the drive gear 134Ab to the other side (arrow F side) of the fixed gear 134C while rotating freely with respect to the fixed gear 134C, whereby the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be opened.

(one-way overrunning clutch part)

As shown in fig. 8 and 12, the one-way overrunning clutch 140B is a clutch mechanism that transmits the rotational force of the speed reducer side shaft 133B in one direction.

The one-way overrunning clutch portion 140B of the present embodiment has the following functions: the transmission of the rotational force of the speed reducer side shaft 133B to the drive gear 134Ab is cut off when the speed reducer side shaft 133B is rotated forward (rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the axial direction) and the transmission of the rotational force of the speed reducer side shaft 133B to the drive gear 134Ab is rotated backward (rotated clockwise when viewed from the axial direction).

The one-way overrunning clutch 140B includes a base 134c of the drive gear 134Ab, and a clutch 142 disposed inside the base 134 c.

As the clutch portion 142, a conventional configuration can be appropriately adopted.

A transmission surface 134d (fig. 8) engageable with the clutch portion 142 is formed inside the base portion 134c of the drive gear 134 Ab.

The drive gear 134Ab is coupled to the above-described speed reducer side shaft 133B via the one-way overrunning clutch portion 140B, and transmits rotational force in one rotational direction of the speed reducer side shaft 133B via the one-way overrunning clutch portion 140B.

In such one-way overrunning clutch 140B, if the speed reducer side shaft 133B is rotated forward (counterclockwise when viewed from the axial direction) in order to close the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, the base 134c of the drive gear 134Ab engages with the clutch 142, the torque controlled in the one-way overrunning clutch 140A is transmitted to the drive gear 134Ab, and the drive gear 134Ab is rotated forward in the same direction as the drive gear 134Aa in accordance with the rotation of the speed reducer side shaft 133B that is controlled to rotate.

The drive gear 134Ab engaged with the fixed gear 134C moves in the circumferential direction of the fixed gear 134C while rotating forward, and the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab to which the fixed gear 134C is attached rotates in the closing direction around the rotation support shaft Ob.

On the other hand, when the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is opened by the operation of the door opening device 41, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab rotates in the opening direction about the rotation support shaft Ob. The drive gear 134Ab is freely rotated by the one-way overrunning clutch 140B in association with the rotation of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab in the opening direction. That is, the engagement between the base portion 134c of the drive gear 134Ab and the clutch portion 141 is released, and the drive gear 134Ab idles with respect to the speed reducer side shaft 133B. In this way, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be opened.

(door pulling-in mechanism)

Next, the structure of the door pulling mechanism 132 will be described in detail.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a door pulling member 132A constituting the door pulling mechanism 132.

The door pulling mechanism 132 constitutes a right door closer 130B together with the door rotating mechanism 131 (fig. 8). The door pulling mechanism 132 functions in a stage of closing the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab finally. That is, the door pulling-in mechanism 132 is a mechanism that closes the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab in place of the door rotating mechanism 131.

The door pulling mechanism 132 is composed of a door pulling member 132A and a spring (not shown) that connects the door pulling member 132A to the hinge 6B.

As shown in fig. 8 and 10, the door pulling-in member 132A is mounted outside the lower side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A together with the fixed gear 134C. The door pulling-in member 132A has a length in one direction, and is attached in a state where the length direction is along the width direction of the refrigerating chamber door 20A.

As shown in fig. 12, a curved portion 132A is formed at one end side in the longitudinal direction of the door pull-in member 132A, and a cylindrical convex portion 132b protruding upward is formed at the other end side.

The cylindrical convex portion 132b protrudes perpendicularly from the upper surface 132c and is formed at a predetermined height. The cylindrical protrusion 132b is closed at the upper end side and open at the lower end side. That is, a hole 132d that opens downward is formed in the cylindrical protrusion 132b. The hole 132d can communicate with the through hole 6B of the hinge 6B.

As shown in fig. 8, the cylindrical protrusion 132b is inserted into the hole 20kb formed in the lower side wall 20k, so that the door pulling member 132A is positioned with respect to the refrigerating chamber door 20A. An attachment portion 137 is inserted into the inner side (hole portion 132 d) of the cylindrical protruding portion 132B, and the attachment portion 137 is configured to attach (fix) the fixed gear 134C to the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab via the lower hinge 6B. The mounting portion 137 is formed in a shape such that a part in the longitudinal direction is locked in the through hole 6B of the hinge 6B, and therefore, the fixed gear 134C can be fixed to the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab via the hinge 6B.

As shown in fig. 12, a through hole 132e penetrating in the plate thickness direction is formed in the center of the door pull-in member 132A in the longitudinal direction. The through hole 132e communicates with a through hole 20ke (fig. 8) formed in the lower side wall portion 20 k.

The drive gear 134Ab is attached to the lower end side of the speed reducer side shaft 133B in a state where its base 134c is partially inserted into the through hole 132e of the door pulling-in member 132A from the lower side of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. That is, the one-way clutch portion 140B is disposed in the through hole 132e of the door pull-in member 132A.

The bent portion 132A of the door pull-in member 132A has a U-shape, and the front end portion 132f thereof can engage with the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B. The front end 132f of the door pull-in member 132A is engaged with the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B attached to the case 10 from the horizontal direction. When the opening angle θ of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is a predetermined angle (for example, about 5 ° to 45 °), the front end 132f of the bent portion 132A of the door pulling-in member 132A can engage with the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B.

The door pulling mechanism 132 functions in place of the rotation action of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab by the driving device 133. In such a door pulling mechanism 132, when the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is rotated in the closing direction by the door rotating mechanism 131 controlled by the control unit 100, and the opening angle θ of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab becomes the above-described predetermined angle (door pulling operation range), first, the front end 132f of the bent portion 132A of the door pulling member 132A comes into contact with the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B.

At this time, the tip end 132f is in contact with the 1 st surface 6f1 of the protruding portion 6f facing the side facing the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. Thereafter, when the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is further rotated by the door rotating mechanism 131 controlled by the control unit 100, the front end 132f of the door pulling-in member 132A moves over the top 6g of the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B toward the 2 nd surface 6f2 of the protruding portion 6f toward the case 10 side, and comes into contact with the 2 nd surface 6f 2.

When the front end 132f of the door pulling member 132A moves toward the 2 nd surface 6f2 side of the hinge 6 side, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is automatically pulled into the case 10 side. The engagement state between the front end 132f of the door pull-in member 132A and the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B is maintained by the tension force (elastic restoring force) of the spring (not shown).

When the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is closed, the control unit 100 controls driving of the door rotating mechanism 131 until the front end 132f of the door pulling-in member 132A passes over the top 6g of the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B. The control unit 100 may drive the door rotating mechanism 131 until a predetermined time elapses after the tip end 132f of the door pulling member 132A passes over the top 6g of the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B.

For example, when the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab enters the door pulling-in operation range, that is, when the drive control of the door rotating mechanism 131 is stopped immediately after the opening angle θ of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab reaches a predetermined angle (for example, about 5 ° to 45 °), there is a possibility that the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is not completely closed. As a cause of insufficient door closing operation, for example, a case where the spring force of the door pulling-in mechanism 132 is reduced and the quench chamber is opened (half-open door state) is considered.

Therefore, the control unit 100 performs a predetermined countermeasure when the door cannot be completely closed even though the door closing operation is performed on the refrigerating chamber door 20A. For example, the torque increase by the gear ratio of each gear in the speed reducer 134 may be achieved by increasing the rotation speed of the motor 133a of the door closer 130, and the door rotating mechanism 131 may be driven and controlled until a predetermined time elapses after the tip end 132f of the door pulling-in member 132A passes over the top 6g of the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B.

Specifically, the lower limit side of the opening angle range (45 ° or more and 145 ° or less) of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab rotatable by the door rotating mechanism 131 may be partially overlapped with the upper limit side of the rotating angle (5 ° or more and 45 ° or less) of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab rotatable by the door pulling mechanism 132.

For example, the lower limit angle of the rotation range in which the door rotation mechanism 131 rotates the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab may be enlarged to 40 °. Alternatively, the upper limit angle of the pull-in range in which the door pulling-in mechanism 132 pulls in the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab may be enlarged to 50 °.

The overlapping region between the rotation angle range by the door rotation mechanism 131 and the rotation angle range by the door pull-in mechanism 132 can be appropriately changed according to the desired rotation speed of the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. That is, if the timing of switching from the door rotating mechanism 131 to the door pulling-in mechanism 132 is delayed, the potential of the door closing operation may increase due to the door rotating mechanism 131, and therefore, the timing of switching from the door rotating mechanism 131 to the door pulling-in mechanism 132 may be appropriately adjusted.

As the timing of switching from the door rotating mechanism 131 to the door pulling-in mechanism 132, for example, the door rotating mechanism 131 may be stopped from driving the door to close the door until the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is 0 °, that is, the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is completely closed, and the door pulling-in mechanism 132 may be switched.

Thus, the door rotating mechanism 131 and the door pulling-in mechanism 132 cooperate to prevent the rotation speed of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab from becoming excessively high, and to allow the door to be closed quietly and completely.

Further, when the tip end 132f of the door pulling-in member 132A of the door pulling-in mechanism 132 passes over the top 6g of the protruding portion 6f of the hinge 6B, the rotation speed of the motor 133a of the door rotating mechanism 131 may be increased to achieve torque increase by the gear ratio. This ensures the closing force required to close the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

In the refrigerator 1 having a double door, that is, a so-called french door, a rotary vertical partition portion, not shown, is provided in either one of the left side cooling chamber door 20Aa and the right side cooling chamber door 20 Ab. The rotary longitudinal partition is for preventing the cool air from leaking out from the gap between the left and right doors, and is located between the left and right doors 20Aa and 20Ab when the doors are in a closed state. The rotary longitudinal partition has a rotation shaft extending in the up-down direction, a longitudinal partition plate facing the side wall of the refrigerating chamber door 20A and rotatable about the axis of the rotation shaft, and a spring member for rotating the longitudinal partition plate about the axis of the rotation shaft.

The rotary partition plate rotates around the axis of the rotary shaft in a state where the door is opened and the door is closed by the elastic force of the spring member, and falls down or stands up. That is, when the door is closed, the rotary partition plate is raised against the spring force (the plate faces forward and backward), and the gap between the left and right doors is covered from the inside of the box by closing. On the other hand, when the door is opened, the rotary partition plate is pulled toward the side wall by the restoring force of the spring member to be in a state of falling (a state in which the plate surface is opposed to the side wall), and thus, the user can be prevented from being in the way of closing the door.

Therefore, when the door is closed, a closing force against the spring force is required to bring the rotary partition plate into a fallen state. Accordingly, the door closing force required for closing the door can be ensured by setting the torque, the rotation speed, and the reduction ratio of the motor 133a in the door rotating mechanism 131 to values in consideration of the above-described spring force, respectively. In the present embodiment, the door closing force is set to be larger than the sum of the restoring force of the spring member in the door pulling-in mechanism 132 and the restoring force of the spring member in the rotation longitudinal partition.

Further, the door closing force of one door provided with the rotary longitudinal partition is set to be larger than that of the other door not provided with the rotary longitudinal partition.

Further, the door-closing driving by the door rotating mechanism 131 is continued until the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab becomes smaller than the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, which has the largest restoring force of either one of the spring member (not shown) of the door pulling-in mechanism 132 and the spring member of the rotary vertical partition, whereby the door-closing rotating operation can be smoothly performed.

Further, for example, the rotation speed of the motor 133a may be reduced in a lower limit region of the rotation range based on the door rotation mechanism 131. This prevents the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab from being closed violently.

The rotation speed of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab by the door rotation mechanism 131 may be reduced in other opening angle ranges, or may be constant in all opening angles, instead of being reduced at the end of closing.

In this way, in the present embodiment, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is closed by the door rotating mechanism 131 before being set to a predetermined angle, and then is switched to the door pulling mechanism 132 to be closed. Accordingly, the front end 132f of the door pulling member 132A in the door pulling mechanism 132 can smoothly pass over the top 6g of the protruding portion 6f on the hinge 6B side, and thereafter, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be pulled into the case 10 side by the tensile force of the spring instead of the rotational force of the motor 133 a. By the action of the door pulling mechanism 132, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be completely closed.

Accordingly, forgetting to close the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab or the like can be suppressed, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the half-open state from being continued, which may result in a decrease in cooling efficiency or condensation in the tank.

Further, by using the door pulling-in mechanism 132 that does not require power, the driving control of the door rotating mechanism 131 becomes easy. For example, when the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is to be closed by driving of the door rotating mechanism 131, the rotational speed of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is appropriately adjusted at the start and end of closing, whereby rapid closing rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, finger pinching, and the like can be suppressed. That is, by driving and controlling the motor 133a so that the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab rotates slowly at the stage of closing end, the user's finger can be suppressed from being pinched or the like.

Thus, the right door closer 130B is constituted.

As described above, the left door closer 130A provided on the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa side has substantially the same structure as the right door closer 130B.

The door closing devices 130 (left door closing device 130A and right door closing device 130B) of the present embodiment are built in the refrigerating chamber doors 20A (left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa and right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab), respectively.

In the refrigerating chamber door 20A, a heat insulator 10k for securing heat insulation of the door is provided in addition to the door closer 130, but the heat insulator 10k may be disposed closer to the case 10 (inner wall 20 i) than the door closer 130. That is, by disposing the heat insulating material 10k in the refrigerating chamber door 20A on the side closer to the storage chamber 11 than the door closer 130, heat insulating performance with respect to the storage chamber 11 can be ensured.

In particular, in the case of the heat insulating material 10k including the foamed heat insulating material or the vacuum heat insulating material, the vacuum heat insulating material having heat insulating properties superior to those of the foamed heat insulating material is disposed between the inner wall portion 20i of the refrigerating chamber door 20A and the door closer 130, so that the heat insulating properties of the inside of the tank can be ensured.

Further, by providing the heat insulating material 10k inside the refrigerating chamber door 20A, heat insulation performance against the door closer 130 can be ensured, and the driving device 133 of the door closer 130 can be prevented from being excessively cooled by the cold air on the side of the case 10.

Further, since the difference between the temperature in the refrigerating chamber door 20A and the outside air temperature can be reduced by the heat insulating material 10k, dew condensation can be prevented from occurring in the refrigerating chamber door 20A in which the door closing device 130 is disposed.

In the structure of the present embodiment in which the door closer 130 and the heat insulator 10k are provided inside the refrigerating chamber door 20A, when it is necessary to store the heat insulator 10k in an amount necessary to ensure sufficient heat insulation, the door shape may be formed such that the thickness of the door is increased entirely or partially.

Further, for example, the appearance characteristic of the present embodiment may be ensured by forming a door shape that increases the thickness of the refrigerating chamber door 20A of the portion where the door closing device 130 is disposed.

Further, as in the present embodiment, by using a vacuum heat insulating material having a higher heat insulating property than the foamed heat insulating material, the heat insulating property in the vicinity of the door closer 130 can be ensured, and the thickness of the door can be prevented from increasing.

In the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, the door closer 130 (the left door closer 130A, the right door closer 130B) is provided separately from the door closer 41 provided on the side of the cabinet 10. The door closing device 130 is provided on the side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A (left and right refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20 Ab), and can automatically open and close the refrigerating chamber door 20A.

In this way, by providing the mechanism (door opening device 41) for opening the refrigerating chamber door 20A and the mechanism (door closing device 130) for closing the refrigerating chamber door 20A to the casing 10 or the refrigerating chamber door 20A, respectively, and using the mechanisms respectively suitable for the opening and closing operations of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, the operability can be improved as compared with the conventional refrigerator 1 excellent in use convenience for the user can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, even when the user is not in the vicinity of the refrigerator 1, the door closing device 130 is driven to close each of the refrigerating compartment doors 20A when a predetermined door closing condition is satisfied. Here, the case where the predetermined door closing condition is satisfied refers to the case where at least one of the sound instruction (door closing instruction) from the user and the opening restriction time acquired by the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g is satisfied, as described above.

In this way, by the function of automatically closing the refrigerating chamber door 20A, forgetting to close the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be suppressed, and even when the refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened due to malfunction, misoperation, or the like, the long-term continuous open state can be prevented.

The position where the driving force of the driving device 133 provided on the side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is transmitted to the side of the case 10 is located on the side (the side of the case 10: the side away from the refrigerating chamber door 20A, the upper end side, or the lower end side in the direction along the rotation axis of the refrigerating chamber door 20A) which is farther from either the upper side or the lower side than the center of the refrigerating chamber door 20A in the up-down direction.

The door closing devices 130 (left door closing device 130A and right door closing device 130B) of the present embodiment are disposed below the refrigerating chamber doors 20A (left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa and right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab), and are provided on the hinges 6A and 6B attached to the lower sides of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, respectively.

The left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B may be provided on the hinges 6A and 6B attached to the upper sides of the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa and the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, respectively, but when the door closer 130 is provided on the hinges 6A and 6B attached to the upper sides, it is necessary to pull and wind the wiring separately from the wiring of the door opening operation unit 42. Therefore, in addition to the complicated device structure and the time and effort required, problems and the like occur due to the weight of each of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20 Ab. In order to suppress such problems, the left door closer 130A and the right door closer 130B of the present embodiment may be provided on the hinges 6A and 6B attached to the lower sides of the refrigerating compartment doors 20Aa and 20 Ab.

As a specific disadvantage, for example, consider that the gear engagement position (designed position) is shifted by lowering the refrigerating chamber door 20A relative to the case 10 due to the weight of the refrigerating chamber door 20A. If there is such an error in the mounting position, aged deterioration, or the like, there is a possibility that the driving force on the side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A (driving device 133) cannot be transmitted to the case 10 side.

Accordingly, by providing the door closing devices 130 on the hinges 6A and 6B at the lower side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, the driving force of the driving device 133 can be received by the fixed gear 134C fixed to the case 10 side via the hinges 6A and 6B, and the engaged state of the gears can be maintained for a long period of time, so that the driving force on the refrigerating chamber door 20A side can be transmitted to the case side well.

Further, by providing the door closing devices 130A and 130B close to the hinges 6A and 6B provided at the lower positions of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab, a heat insulating space in each of the refrigerating chamber doors 20Aa and 20Ab can be ensured.

Further, by providing the door closing device 130 at the lower portion of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, wiring processing can be performed on the same route as that of the door opening operation portion 42, and thus assembly work is easy.

In addition, although various devices have been conventionally disposed on the top of the cabinet 10 with the multifunction of the refrigerator, in the present embodiment, the door closing device 130 is provided to the refrigerating chamber door 20A, whereby the increase in devices and the like disposed on the top of the cabinet 10 can be suppressed. This eliminates the problem of space limitation in arrangement of the devices at the top, and prevents the top of the case 10 from being degraded in appearance.

In the present embodiment, since the door opening/closing instruction can be performed by sound, when the door opening/closing operation cannot be performed manually or the door opening operation portion 42 cannot be operated by a body including a hand, for example, in the case of holding food or the like, the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be opened and closed at a timing desired by the user.

In addition, in the case where the opening of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is instructed by sound, the opening of the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be closed by driving the motor 133a when the above-described predetermined door closing condition including the passage of time is satisfied. Thereby, the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be prevented from being opened against the intention of the user.

< modification of door closer >

Next, a configuration of a modified example of the door closer according to the present invention will be described.

Here, the structure of the right door closing device 230B provided in the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components as those of the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the configuration of the left door closer provided to the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa is the same as that of the right door closer 230B as in the above embodiment, and therefore, the configuration of the right door closer 230B will be described here as an example.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the structure of a right door closer 230B according to modification 1. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a right door closer 230B according to modification 1. Fig. 15 is a view of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab in a closed state as seen from the axially upper side.

As shown in fig. 13 and 14, the right door closer 230B of modification 1 includes a door rotating mechanism 231 and a door pulling mechanism 132.

The door rotating mechanism 231 has the above-described driving device 133 and gear mechanism 250.

In modification 1, the gear mechanism 250 is provided at the lower end side of the driving device 133, and is provided inside the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab together with the driving device 133.

As shown in fig. 13, the gear mechanism 250 includes a fixed gear (gear 2: gear) 234B, a drive gear 134Aa, and a one-way overrunning clutch 140A.

(fixed Gear)

The fixed gear 234C is provided coaxially with the rotation support shaft Oa of the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. The fixed gear 234C is disposed between the flange portion 135b and the lower side wall portion 20k of the mounting member 135, and is fixed to the flange portion 135b and the lower side wall portion 20 k. The fixed gear 234C is attached to the attachment shaft 139 inserted into the through hole 135C (fig. 14) of the flange 135 b. The center line of the mounting shaft 139 coincides with the rotation support shaft Oa of the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

As shown in fig. 15, the fixed gear 234C is constituted by a sector gear. The fixed gear 234C is formed in a sector shape based on the opening angle range of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. By using the fan-shaped fixed gear 234C, the space for disposing the fixed gear 234C inside the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be minimized.

(drive gear)

As shown in fig. 13 and 14, the drive gear 134Aa is mounted on the lower end side of the speed reducer side shaft 133B coaxially with the speed reducer side shaft 133B. The driving gear 134Aa is provided at a position in the axial direction of the driving device 133 that is engaged with the fixed gear 234C in the horizontal direction. The drive gear 134Aa rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction of the speed reducer side shaft 133B. The drive gear 134Aa rotates reciprocally in the circumferential direction of the fixed gear 234C while rotating around the rotation axis of the speed reducer side shaft 133B together with the speed reducer side shaft 133B in a state of meshing with the fixed gear 234C. Accordingly, the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is opened and closed.

The drive gear 134Aa of this example may have the same gear shape as the drive gear 134Ab described above, or may have a different shape.

(one-way overrunning clutch part)

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, the one-way overrunning clutch 140A is a clutch mechanism that transmits the rotational force from the drive device 133 in one direction.

The one-way overrunning clutch 140A of the present example transmits the rotational force of the speed reducer side shaft 133B to the drive gear 134Aa when the speed reducer side shaft 133B rotates forward, that is, counterclockwise when viewed from the axially upper side. Further, the one-way overrunning clutch portion 140A has the following functions: when the speed reducer side shaft 133B rotates in the reverse direction, that is, in the clockwise direction when viewed from the axial direction, the rotational force of the speed reducer side shaft 133B is not transmitted to the drive gear 134Aa.

The one-way overrunning clutch 140A of the present example has the same configuration as the one-way overrunning clutch 140B described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may have a different one-way overrunning clutch structure.

< action of Right door closing device of modification >

Next, the opening and closing operation of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab by the right door closing device 230B according to the modification will be described.

The operation of the right door closer 130B according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to fig. 16 to 18, but the operation of the right door closer 130B according to the present embodiment is also substantially the same, and the operation of the right door closer 130B can be described by replacing the fixed gear 234C according to the modification with the fixed gear 134C and replacing the drive gear 134Aa according to the modification with the drive gear 134 Ab.

Fig. 16, 17, and 18 are cross-sectional views of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab including the right door closing device 230B according to the modification, as viewed from the axially upper side. Fig. 16 is a view showing the 1 st open state (the open angle θ is, for example, 145 °) of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. Fig. 17 is a view showing the 2 nd open state (the open angle θ is, for example, 90 °) of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. Fig. 18 is a view showing the 3 rd open state (the open angle θ is, for example, 45 °) of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab. Fig. 19 is a view showing a closed state (an opening angle θ is, for example, 0 °) of the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

Here, the 1 st open state includes, for example, a state in which the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is opened to the maximum extent with respect to the case 10 when the opening angle θ of the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is 145 °. The 2 nd open state includes, for example, when the opening angle θ of the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is 90 °, and the 3 rd open state includes, for example, when the opening angle θ of the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is 45 °. Note that the closed state includes, for example, a state in which the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is closed with respect to the case 10 when the opening angle θ of the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is 0 °.

As described above, the opening angle θ in each of the open states of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab shown in fig. 16 to 18 is an example.

As shown in fig. 16 to 19, the right door closer 230B closes the right cooling chamber door 20Ab in the open state by rotating the door rotating mechanism 231 about the axis of the rotating support shaft Ob.

When the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is in the open state shown in fig. 16, the drive gear 134Aa meshes with the other end 234b2 side of the fan-shaped fixed gear 234C.

As shown in fig. 17 and 18, by the forward rotation (counterclockwise rotation as viewed from the axial upper side) of the drive gear 134Aa, the engagement position of the drive gear 134Aa with respect to the fixed gear 234C gradually changes in the circumferential direction from the other end 234b2 side toward the one end 234b1 side of the fixed gear 234C, and as a result, the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab rotates in the closing direction.

As shown in fig. 19, when the drive gear 134Aa reaches the one end 234b1 side of the fan-shaped fixed gear 234C, the right side refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is closed with respect to the case 10.

In this way, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be automatically closed by the door rotating mechanism 231 of the right door closing device 230B of the present example.

On the other hand, in the case where the user manually closes the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab during the door closing operation of the right door closing device 230B (in the case where a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value is applied to the right door closing device 230B), the drive gear 134Aa may be freely rotated by stopping the voltage applied to the motor 133 a.

That is, when the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is rotated in the closing direction by the closing operation of the user, the fixed gear 234C rotates around the axis of the rotation support shaft Ob together with the refrigerating chamber door 20Aa, and the driving gear 134Aa engaged therewith rotates reversely (idly clockwise when viewed from the axial upper side).

In this way, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be closed by the user himself/herself by the drive gear 134Aa being rotatable, irrespective of the power of the motor 133 a.

At this time, the control unit 100 can detect a change in the opening angle of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab due to the closing operation of the user by, for example, feedback control in which the driving current of the motor 133a is compared with the rotation speed.

Alternatively, by providing a sensor that detects the force with which the user manually opens and closes the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, the control unit 100 can detect a change in the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab that changes due to the force acting on the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab from the outside.

When the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is opened by the door opening device 41 or when the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab is opened manually (when a load equal to or greater than a predetermined load is applied to the right door closing device 230B), the fixed gear 234C is reversed (idling counterclockwise when viewed from the axially upper side) with the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab around the rotation support shaft Ob.

In this way, the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be opened by rotating the door opening device 41 in the opening direction or by manual operation by the drive gear 134Aa being rotatable.

Further, since the entire door rotating mechanism 231 can be disposed inside the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab in such a right door closing device 230B, the door pulling mechanism 132 can be attached to the lower end side of the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, and the structure of the door pulling mechanism 132 can be simplified, and the door pulling mechanism 132 can be easily attached to the right refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described, and are presented as examples, and the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the above-described embodiments. This embodiment can be implemented in various other modes, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The present embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto.

Further, the respective configurations and combinations of the embodiments and modifications are examples, and the configurations may be added, omitted, substituted, and other modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, the door closing devices 130, 230 are not limited to the above-described configuration.

For example, the door closing devices 130 and 230 may include a door rotating mechanism 131, and the door rotating mechanism 131 may include: a flat plate provided on either one of the refrigerating chamber door 20A and the case 10 and having a plurality of teeth in a longitudinal direction; a circular gear engaged with the plurality of teeth and rotating about an axis; and a connecting portion having one end connected to the rotation shaft of the circular gear and the other end connected to the other of the refrigerating chamber door 20A and the case 10.

For example, such a door rotating mechanism 131 may be provided with a so-called link mechanism. The link mechanism may be configured to have a flat plate (rack) and a circular gear provided in the refrigerating chamber door 20A, and a connecting portion for connecting the refrigerating chamber door 20A to the case 10, for example.

The flat plate has a plurality of teeth in a length direction, for example, installed along a width direction of the refrigerator.

The circular gear is an external tooth gear and is meshed with a plurality of teeth of the flat plate. The rotation axis of the circular gear is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the flat plate. The circular gear may be configured to be rotated by a motor, or may be configured to be rotated by an elastic member such as a spring.

The connecting portion is constituted by, for example, a v-shaped link member that rotatably connects one end sides of the pair of rod-shaped portions to each other. One end of the link member of the connecting portion is connected to the rotation shaft of the circular gear on the side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, and the other end is connected to the case 10.

The circular gear engaged with the flat plate moves in the longitudinal direction of the flat plate while rotating around the shaft, and thereby the opening angle of the pair of rod-shaped portions in the coupling portion is changed, and the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be opened and closed.

The door closing device constituted by the link mechanism may have a cover member covering at least the link member. This prevents the user's finger or the like from being pinched between the pair of rod-like portions that accompanies the opening and closing operation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, that is, the rotation of the link member. Further, by providing the cover member, the aesthetic appearance of the door closing device can be prevented from being degraded.

The door closing device constituted by the link mechanism is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be configured such that a flat plate and a circular gear are provided on the side of the case 10.

In the above embodiment, the structure in which the door closer 130 has the door pulling mechanism 132 has been described, but the door closer 130 may have only the door rotating mechanism 131. In this case, the driving device 133 is driven until the refrigerating chamber door 20A is completely closed. At this time, for example, the rotation speed of the driving device 133 may be controlled so that the rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is decelerated immediately before the door is completely closed. Alternatively, the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be closed at a constant speed until the end.

In this way, the configuration in which only the door rotating mechanism 131 is provided as the door closing device 130 is suitable when the weight of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is light, for example, when the door closing device 130 is provided to the left refrigerating chamber door 20Aa having a lighter weight than the right refrigerating chamber door 20Ab, and the like, and the functions of both the driving device 133 and the door pulling mechanism 132 can prevent the rotating operation from having more than necessary force when closing the door.

In the above embodiment, the structure in which the door opening device 41 is provided on the case 10 side and the door closing device 130 is provided on the refrigerating chamber door 20A side has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this structure.

For example, both the door opening device 41 and the door closing device 130 may be provided on the case 10 side. Further, both the door opening device 41 and the door closing device 130 may be provided on the side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A. The door opening device 41 may be provided on the side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, and the door closing device 130 may be provided on the side of the case 10. By providing the door closer 130 on the side of the case 10, it is possible to dispose it at a position away from the user, and thus it is possible to reduce the annoyance of the driving sound.

The configuration of the driving device 133 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be appropriately changed.

Since the driving device 133 is housed inside the refrigerating chamber door 20A together with the heat insulating material 10k, it is necessary to secure a limited equipment size and driving force under voltage. As long as a desired driving force can be ensured, other configurations may be employed as the driving device 133.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the speed reducer 134 of the driving device 133 has the planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 has been described, but the configuration is not limited to this, and other configurations may be adopted as long as the configuration in which rotation is transmitted from the refrigerating chamber door 20A side to the case 10 side can be made into a planetary gear.

The driving device 133 of the present embodiment is configured such that the motor 133a and the speed reducer 134 are coaxially arranged, and the rotation axis (the 2 nd rotation axis) of the output side (the speed reducer 134) is in the same direction as the rotation axis (the 1 st rotation axis) of the motor 133a, which is the rotation axis of the input side of the driving device 133. That is, the rotation axis (1 st rotation axis) of the motor 133a is parallel to the rotation axis (2 nd rotation axis) of the speed reducer 134. By adopting such a configuration, the area for providing the driving device 133 can be reduced on the lower side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, and therefore, a larger heat insulation space can be ensured.

The planetary gear reduction mechanism is not limited to the configuration of the planetary gear reduction mechanism 144 described above.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be configured to include at least: a sun gear provided to transmit rotation of a drive shaft provided to the rotary drive machine and rotate; at least one planetary gear provided radially outward of the rotation of the sun gear, configured to rotate by meshing with the sun gear, whereby the position of the rotation shaft moves around the rotation shaft of the sun gear; a rotation transmission unit in which a rotation shaft is provided on an extension line of the rotation shaft of the sun gear, and which is rotated by transmitting a force of the planetary gear moving around the sun gear; and a shaft member that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the rotation transmission unit, and that converts the rotational speed of the sun gear, to which the position of the rotation shaft is fixed, into the rotational speed at which the position of the planetary gear moves around the sun gear and outputs the rotational speed from the shaft member, the present invention is not limited to the above-described structure, and can be appropriately changed.

As the speed reducer 134, for example, an internal planetary gear speed reducer using the trochoid tooth form, a wave gear speed reducer, a differential gear speed reducer, or other speed reducer mechanisms may be employed in addition to the planetary gear speed reducer mechanism used in the present embodiment. As an internal planetary gear reducer using a trochoid tooth form, a cycloid (registered trademark) reducer is exemplified. As the wave gear reducer, a harmonic drive reducer (registered trademark) is exemplified.

< internal planetary Gear speed reducer Using trochoid tooth form >

An internal planetary gear reducer using a gear having a trochoid tooth form, that is, a trochoid curve, is a mechanism in which an eccentric member is provided at a position of a rotation shaft eccentric to an outer peripheral portion in contact with another rotation portion, and the rotation shaft of the eccentric member is moved to perform deceleration, and a cycloid (registered trademark) reducer is exemplified.

Cycloid (registered trademark) reducers are constituted by combining two mechanisms, for example, a 1-tooth difference planetary gear mechanism and a constant-speed internal gear mechanism.

The 1-tooth-number-difference planetary gear mechanism is an internal-connection type planetary gear having 1 tooth number difference, and includes a planetary gear connected to an input shaft and having a circular arc tooth shape at an outer periphery thereof, and a fixed sun gear disposed radially outward of the planetary gear and having a different tooth number from the planetary gear.

The constant-speed internal gear mechanism is a gear mechanism having a planetary gear connected to an input shaft and having a circular arc tooth shape on an outer periphery thereof, and a plurality of internal pins disposed in a plurality of through holes formed in the planetary gear. The plurality of inner pins and the center of the input shaft are disposed on a concentric circle at equal intervals from each other.

The cycloid (registered trademark) reduction gear may be configured by combining the two mechanisms, and may include, for example, an input shaft connected to a rotary shaft of a motor 133a as a rotary drive machine, an eccentric body connected to the input shaft, an eccentric bearing portion disposed on an outer periphery of the eccentric body, 1 or more planetary gears (curve plates) having an arc curve on the outer periphery, a plurality of outer pins disposed on an outer side of the planetary gears, a plurality of inner pins disposed in a plurality of through holes formed in the planetary gears, and an output shaft.

The speed reducer 134 and the driver 138 may be arranged in the axial direction so that the rotation axis (the 2 nd rotation axis) of the speed reducer 134 is coaxial with the rotation axis (the 1 st rotation axis) of the motor 133a by using such a cycloid (registered trademark) speed reducing mechanism.

< wave Gear reduction mechanism >

The wave gear reduction mechanism includes, for example: an inner Zhou Chuandi part having an engagement part on an inner peripheral side facing the rotation center; and an outer peripheral transmission portion disposed inside the inner peripheral transmission portion, the engagement portion having a shape that contacts the inner Zhou Chuandi portion and rotates in a different cycle from the inner peripheral transmission portion, and the outer peripheral transmission portion being a mechanism that reduces the rotation speed of the inner Zhou Chuandi portion and the outer peripheral transmission portion during transmission of the rotation.

One of such wave gear reduction mechanisms (registered trademark) is provided with, for example, at least an elliptical plate (waveform generator: W/J) connected to a motor shaft, an external gear (flexible gear: F/S) disposed radially outward of the elliptical plate and having teeth on the outer periphery thereof, and a right circular internal gear (rigid gear: C/S) disposed radially outward of the elliptical plate and the external gear and having teeth on the inner periphery thereof. The external gear corresponds to the outer Zhou Chuandi portion, and the internal gear corresponds to the inner Zhou Chuandi portion.

When an elliptical plate formed of a shaped member having an outer peripheral portion different from a perfect circle is rotated in one direction, a harmonic drive reducer (registered trademark) elastically deforms an external gear, and the external gear moves in order with respect to the meshing position of the internal gear. The speed reducer 134 and the driver 138 may be arranged in the axial direction so that the rotation axis of the speed reducer 134 is coaxial with the rotation axis of the motor 133a by a wave gear reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation differential between the elliptical plate and the right circular internal gear.

< differential Gear reduction mechanism >

In addition to the wave gear reduction mechanism described above, as a mechanism including an inner Zhou Chuandi portion having a meshing portion on an inner peripheral side facing a rotation center and an outer Zhou Chuandi portion disposed inside an inner peripheral transmission portion and having a meshing portion that contacts the inner Zhou Chuandi portion and rotates in a different cycle from the inner peripheral transmission portion, a differential planetary gear reduction mechanism is exemplified that reduces the speed by utilizing the difference in rotational speeds between the inner Zhou Chuandi portion and the outer peripheral transmission portion during rotation transmission.

A singular planetary gear reduction mechanism, which is one of such differential planetary gear reduction mechanisms, is a mechanism as follows: by using the shift gears as two gears having different numbers of teeth attached to one shaft, a high reduction ratio can be obtained by meshing these shift gears with a common gear. The speed reducer 134 and the driver 138 may be arranged in the axial direction so that the rotation axis of the speed reducer 134 is coaxial with the rotation axis of the motor 133a by using such a singular planetary gear reduction mechanism.

As other speed reducing mechanism, for example, the following mechanism may be employed: the rotary drive device is provided with a drive gear which is provided to transmit rotation of a drive shaft provided to a rotary drive device such as a motor and rotates, an intermediate gear which is provided separately in a rotation radial direction of the drive gear and rotates in engagement with the drive gear, an internal gear which rotates in engagement with the intermediate gear through internal teeth provided toward a rotation center, and a rotation output unit which is provided to rotate integrally with the internal gear, and the rotation input to the drive gear is decelerated and is output by rotation of the rotation output unit.

The output rotation shaft of the rotation output section is the same as the rotation shaft of the internal gear, and has a shape section that extends from the tooth surface of the internal gear to the output rotation shaft while avoiding the inner space of the tooth surface of the internal gear.

The rotation output unit is a circular housing for housing the drive gear and the intermediate gear, and the internal gear is integrally assembled inside. Such a rotation output unit rotates integrally with the internal gear around the axis of the rotation shaft of the rotation output unit, whereby the rotation input to the drive gear is decelerated and output from the output rotation shaft. An intermediate gear between the drive gear and the internal gear is not moved from an installation position of the intermediate gear, but is rotated around a rotation axis of the intermediate gear at the installation position. That is, the intermediate gear does not move around the drive gear, but rotates around its rotation axis at a predetermined attachment position. As described above, the internal gear rotates integrally with the rotation output portion with the rotation of the intermediate gear, whereby a deceleration effect is obtained, and the rotation output from the rotation output portion side is decelerated.

The rotation output unit may have an inner tooth formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof.

With the above-structured reduction mechanism, the input to and output from the drive gear and the rotation output unit may be used in reverse. That is, a drive gear provided to transmit rotation of a drive shaft provided to a rotary drive machine such as a motor and rotated is an internal tooth type drive gear provided with a tooth surface on a surface facing a rotation center, and a gear serving as a rotation output unit is an external tooth type rotation output unit provided with a tooth surface on a surface facing a side away from the rotation center. An intermediate gear which is provided between the internal gear type drive gear and the external gear type rotary output unit so as to be separated from each other in the rotation radial direction and which rotates in mesh with the internal gear type drive gear and the external gear type rotary output unit is provided, and the speed is reduced by the difference in the number of teeth per 1 rotation of each unit.

Of course, in either the case of using the external-tooth-type drive gear described above or the case of using the internal-tooth-type drive gear described below, the number of teeth per 1 revolution of each section is set so that the input rotation is decelerated and output.

In the case where any one of the above-described reduction mechanisms is employed, the rotation axis on the output side of the driver 138 and the rotation axis on the input side of the speed reducer 134 can be arranged coaxially, as in the above-described embodiment employing a planetary gear reduction mechanism, and therefore the overall external shape of the driving device 133 can be formed in an axially elongated shape. This can reduce the occupied space of the driving device 133 in the door, and can secure a wide heat insulation space.

In the present embodiment, the mounting posture of the driving device 133 provided in the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be appropriately changed.

In the above embodiment, the driving device 133 is mounted in the refrigerating chamber door 20A in a longitudinal posture. That is, the rotation axis O133 of the driving device 133, that is, the rotation axis of the motor 133a and the rotation axis of the speed reducer 134 extend in the up-down direction and are parallel to the rotation support shaft of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, but the installation posture of the driving device 133 is not limited to the longitudinal direction.

Fig. 20 is a schematic configuration diagram of the case where the drive device 133 is provided in the lateral direction.

As shown in fig. 20, for example, a driving device 133 having a motor and a speed reducer arranged in the lateral direction may be provided in the refrigerating chamber door 20A in a lateral posture. Accordingly, the driving device 133 can be disposed along the lower side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, and therefore, the heat insulating material 10k can be disposed in a sufficient amount in the space in the refrigerating chamber door 20A above it.

As shown in fig. 20, when the driving device 133 is mounted in a lateral posture, the rotation axis O133 of the driving device 133 intersects with the rotation support axis O extending in the up-down direction of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, and extends in the width direction along the lower edge portion of the refrigerating chamber door 20A. That is, the rotation axis (1 st rotation axis) of the driver 138 and the rotation axis (2 nd rotation axis) of the speed reducer 134 that transmits the driving force (1 st driving force) from the driver 138 intersect with each other with respect to the rotation support axis O, and extend in the width direction along the lower edge of the refrigerating chamber door 20A. Therefore, the speed reducer 134 of the driving device 133 may include a gear mechanism 151 for transmitting the rotation of the rotation shaft O133 extending in the lateral direction to the rotation support shaft Ob extending in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the up-down direction.

The gear mechanism 151 includes gears 151A and 151B having rotation axes intersecting each other, for example. The gears 151A and 151B having mutually intersecting rotation axes can be, for example, gears having tooth surfaces of a plurality of gears that are in contact with each other in an inclined manner and mesh with each other, such as bevel gears, and thus the gear mechanism 151 that uses these conversion transmission directions can be formed. The gears 151A and 151B are aligned at positions where their central axes intersect with each other.

Further, as the speed reducer 134, one of the two gears 151A and 151B constituting the gear mechanism 151 may be a fixed gear. The rotation shaft of one of the gears 151A (rotation driving unit) to be driven and the rotation shaft of the other gear 151B to be fixed extend in directions intersecting each other. In this way, the torque can be transmitted to the case 10 through the gear mechanism 151 at a portion where the transmission direction of the torque is switched.

Here, when the driving device 133 is mounted in a lateral posture, the position of the concave handle portion provided at the lower side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A and the position of the driving device 133 may be arranged so as to overlap at least partially in the height direction (as viewed from the up-down direction). The handle portion is a portion into which a finger is inserted when a user manually opens and closes the refrigerating chamber door 20A.

In addition, in the case where the driving device 133 is mounted in a lateral posture, the driving device 133 may be disposed on the rotation support shaft O side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A in the width direction of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, and the handle portion may be disposed on the opening end side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A.

Fig. 21 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another configuration of the reduction gear 134B in the driving device 133.

As shown in fig. 21, as the speed reducer 134B, a parallel-axis gear mechanism 152 may be employed in which a plurality of flat gears 152a to 152d having different gear ratios are meshed so as to be aligned in the horizontal direction. One flat gear 152a of the plurality of flat gears 152a to 152d may be connected to the rotation shaft of the motor 133a, and torque that increases by decreasing the rotation speed of the motor 133a according to the gear ratio of the other flat gears 152b, 152C, 152d that mesh with the flat gear 152a may be transmitted to the fixed gear 134C via the drive gear 134 Aa.

In this way, by using a mechanism including bevel gears or a plurality of flat gears as the speed reducer 134, it is possible to secure a desired driving force and suppress enlargement of the speed reducer 134. Further, the heat insulation space of the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be ensured without damaging the beauty of the driving device 133 including the decelerator 134. In particular, by adopting a configuration in which a plurality of gears are used to ensure necessary torque, miniaturization can be achieved, and the configuration is effective in terms of saving installation space.

Further, as the speed reducer 134 for converting the drive transmission direction, for example, a staggered gear mechanism having a worm constituted by a cylindrical gear having a screw shape and a worm wheel constituted by a gear having a large number of teeth meshed therewith may be employed in addition to the above. The rotation axis of the worm and the rotation axis of the worm wheel are orthogonal without intersecting each other. By adopting such a staggered gear mechanism, miniaturization of the reduction gear can also be achieved.

As the one-way overrunning clutch portions 140A and 140B, different one-way overrunning clutch structures other than the above may be used.

For example, in the case of using a motor of a type that applies a load to the rotation of the drive shaft of the motor 133a during the rotation of the motor 133a as in the case of a stepping motor, a mechanism that cuts off the transmission of the drive force may be provided. Accordingly, by shutting off the transmission of the driving force of the motor 133a during the stop of the door closer 130, the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab can be manually opened and closed without applying a load of rotation of the door closer 130 to the gear mechanism 151 during the stop of the door closer 130.

The mechanism for shutting off the transmission of the driving force may be, for example, a physical mechanism used in a clutch (power transmission switching mechanism) of a vehicle, or may be an electromagnetic clutch.

In addition, in the transmission process including the speed reducer 134, a pair of helical gears whose tooth trace is a helical line or a mechanism using helical gears may be employed.

In the above embodiment, the door opening operation portion 42 is provided on the front surface side of the cooling chamber door 20A, but may be provided on the side surface or the lower surface side of the opening end side of the cooling chamber door 20A.

In the above embodiment, the refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened by the door opening device 41 provided at the top of the case 10, but the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be opened by the door closing device 130 provided at the refrigerating chamber door 20A instead of the door opening device 41. Thus, the door opening device 41 provided at the top of the case 10 can be omitted, and the increase in devices disposed at the top can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, the driving device 133 is provided in the refrigerating chamber door 20A together with the heat insulating material 10k to ensure heat insulating properties against the driving device 133, but the configuration to ensure heat insulating properties against the driving device 133 is not limited thereto.

For example, a heating device for suppressing cooling of the driving device 133 may be provided in the refrigerating chamber door 20A. In this case, the heater may be disposed in the vicinity of the driving device 133 and at a position remote from the inside of the case of the refrigerating chamber door 20A. Further, the vacuum heat insulating material may be disposed further inside the tank than the driving device 133 and the heating device to ensure heat insulating property inside the tank, thereby preventing an increase in temperature inside the tank due to the heating device.

Further, as an operation for opening and closing the refrigerating chamber door 20A, there are driving opening and closing by the door closing device 130 and manual opening and closing by a user himself.

For example, when the predetermined door closing condition is satisfied, the voltage is applied to the motor 133a, and the driving force can be transmitted through the one-way overrunning clutch units 140A and 140B, and when the door closing condition is not satisfied, the voltage is stopped to the motor 133a, and the driving force is blocked from being transmitted through the one-way overrunning clutch units 140A and 140B, whereby the opening and closing operation can be performed manually.

Alternatively, when the voltage is applied to the motor 133a while the door closing condition is not satisfied, the driving force can be transmitted through the one-way clutch portions 140A and 140B, and when a change in the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A in the opened state is detected, the voltage is stopped from being applied to the motor 133a, and the driving force is transmitted through the one-way clutch portions 140A and 140B, whereby the closing operation can be performed manually.

In addition, in the manual closing operation, the voltage application to the motor 133a is stopped.

Alternatively, when the voltage is applied to the motor 133a while the door closing condition is not satisfied, the driving force can be transmitted through the one-way clutch portions 140A and 140B, and when a change in the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A in the opened state is detected, the voltage is stopped from being applied to the motor 133a, and the transmission of the driving force through the one-way clutch portions 140A and 140B is cut off. When the angular change of the cooling chamber door 20A in the open state is not detected for a predetermined time, the motor 133a may be applied with a voltage again, so that the driving force can be transmitted through the one-way overrunning clutch portions 140A and 140B, and the door closing operation can be performed by the door closing device 130.

In this way, control of both the drive opening and closing and the manual opening and closing can be performed.

The route for acquiring the voice instruction from the user may be acquired by using a voice recognition function of a smart speaker or a cellular phone, in addition to the route for directly acquiring the voice instruction from the user by the voice instruction acquisition unit 52g provided at the upper part of the refrigerator 1.

For example, the wireless communication module of the voice instruction acquisition unit 52g communicates with an external terminal such as a mobile phone or an intelligent speaker, and can acquire a voice instruction of a user recognized in the external terminal.

The communication path of the mobile phone is not particularly limited. The near field communication may be used, or may be mobile data communication via a server provided by a mobile phone company, internet communication using a wireless LAN, or the like.

Further, by making the refrigerator 1 cooperate with the portable telephone, even in the case where the user is in a place away from the refrigerator 1, a function of focusing on the open/close state of the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be achieved by an application program or the like. Further, not only the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be opened and closed, but also remote operations such as locking can be performed in a closed state.

Further, by making the refrigerator 1 cooperate with the mobile phone, it is possible to select in advance whether to perform the automatic door opening/closing instruction of the refrigerating chamber door 20A on the application program each time or to perform the automatic door opening/closing instruction of the refrigerating chamber door 20A by the sound instruction. Further, the brightness of illumination of the door opening operation unit 42 and details concerning automatic door closing when the door is opened for a predetermined time can be set. As details of the setting, for example, a time until the door is closed, a door opening buzzer (notification sound), notification of automatic door closing, and the like can be considered.

When the "opening restriction time" has elapsed, the control unit 100 may first sound the door opening buzzer from the speaker 52a to the user, and then drive the drive device 133 of the door closing device 130 to close the refrigerating chamber door 20A. If the refrigerating chamber door 20A is arbitrarily closed, the user may be surprised, and thus, the buzzer may also be opened toward the user before the refrigerating chamber door 20A is closed.

Alternatively, the cooling chamber door 20A may be closed at the same timing as the opening of the door buzzer, without the opening of the door buzzer.

The present invention is not limited to this, and the door opening buzzer may not be sounded. In this case, the timing of closing the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be set instead of the timing of opening the buzzer.

In addition, during the closing of the refrigerating chamber door 20A by the door closing device 130, a door closing notification sound or a door closing notification sound may be output toward the user.

Accordingly, the user can recognize that the refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened for more than a predetermined time, and can automatically close the refrigerating chamber door 20A even when the refrigerating chamber door 20A cannot be closed, for example, without the user being in the vicinity of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, so that the refrigerating chamber door 20A can be prevented from being kept in an open state.

The output timing and the number of times of the opening buzzer may be appropriately set, and for example, the 1 st sound opening buzzer may be controlled so as to sound when the door is opened even after a predetermined time has elapsed, and then the 2 nd sound opening buzzer may be controlled so as to automatically close the refrigerating chamber door 20A by the driving of the driving device 133 when the predetermined time has elapsed, even when the refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened. The number of times of sounding the open buzzer, the volume, etc. can be appropriately changed.

Further, there are cases where the user uses the refrigerator 1 even after the lapse of the "open limit time" as a prescribed door closing condition. Therefore, for example, when detecting a state in which the refrigerating chamber door 20A is largely opened by the refrigerating chamber door switch 123, for example, when the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the control unit 100 may determine that the user has a high possibility of opening the refrigerating chamber door 20A of the refrigerator 1 and using the refrigerating chamber (storage chamber) 11A, and may lengthen the "opening restriction time" by a predetermined time in order to prevent the refrigerating chamber door 20A from being closed at a timing different from the user's intention.

Here, the state in which the refrigerating chamber door 20A is largely opened means when the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is 60 ° or more.

In the case where the preset "open time limit" has elapsed and the refrigerating chamber door 20A is still open, the open time limit may be measured again and compared with the "open time limit".

In addition, in the case where the door opening time is measured again after the "opening limit time" is extended once, the "opening limit time" for comparison with the re-measured door opening time may be changed.

The use includes not only the use of the refrigerating chamber 11A but also the use of the door receiving portions 14 (fig. 2) provided inside the refrigerating chamber doors 20A.

Further, when the user opens the refrigerating chamber door 20A by the door opening device 41 by detecting an input operation (door opening instruction operation) from the user including a contact or approach to the door opening operation unit 42, the control unit 100 can determine that the user is in the vicinity of the refrigerator 1 and is highly likely to use the refrigerating chamber 11A of the refrigerator 1, and therefore, the above-described "opening restriction time" may be prolonged by a predetermined time, and the state of opening the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab may be maintained.

Further, when there is not only an operation of the user of the door opening operation unit 42 but also an operation of another operation unit provided in the refrigerator 1 for performing an instruction concerning temperature adjustment, ice making, or the like, the control unit 100 can determine that there is a high possibility that the user is in the vicinity of the refrigerator 1 and is using the refrigerator compartment (storage compartment) 11A, and therefore, the above-described "opening restriction time" may be prolonged by a predetermined time to keep the state of opening the refrigerator compartment door 20 Ab.

In addition to the above, as a detection method for determining that the user opens the refrigerating chamber door 20A of the refrigerator 1 and is using the refrigerating chamber 11A, for example, when the user is detected by the infrared detection unit, it may be determined that the user in the vicinity of the refrigerator 1 opens the refrigerating chamber door 20A and is using the refrigerating chamber 11A, and the "open restriction time" may be prolonged for a predetermined time, and the state of opening the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab may be maintained.

When the mobile phone-based short-range wireless communication is established, it may be determined that the user is in the vicinity and opens the refrigerating chamber door 20A to use the refrigerating chamber 11A, and the above-described "open restriction time" may be extended by a predetermined time to keep the state of opening the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

Further, a distance (a predetermined distance from the refrigerator 1 to the mobile phone) at which the short-range wireless communication by the mobile phone is established may be set in advance.

Further, it is also possible to determine that the user opens the refrigerating chamber door 20A of the refrigerator 1 and uses the refrigerating chamber (storage chamber) 11A by detecting a change in the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A in the open state, and to extend the above-described "open limit time" by a predetermined time, thereby maintaining the state of opening the refrigerating chamber door 20 Ab.

When the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g acquires the sound of the user, it may be determined that the user opens the refrigerating chamber door 20A of the refrigerator 1 and uses the refrigerating chamber (storage chamber) 11A, and the "open limit time" may be extended for a predetermined time, and the refrigerating chamber door 20Ab may be kept open. Alternatively, the determination may be made by combining the above detection methods.

Further, after the "open restriction time" has elapsed, if it cannot be determined that the user is using the refrigerator compartment 11A in a state in which the user opens the refrigerator compartment door 20A, it is determined that the user leaves the refrigerator 1 to close the refrigerator compartment door 20A. Examples of the case where the user cannot be detected by the infrared detection unit, the case where the user is not in the vicinity of the refrigerator, the case where the short-range wireless communication with the mobile phone is interrupted, the case where the opening angle of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is not changed for a predetermined period, the case where the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g does not acquire the sound of the user for a predetermined period, and the like are given as cases where the user cannot be judged to be using the device.

In the present embodiment, when any one or several of the above conditions are satisfied, it may be determined that the user has left the vicinity of the refrigerator 1 and has closed the refrigerating chamber door 20A.

In addition, when the opening of the refrigerating chamber door 20A is instructed by the sound, the control unit 100 may drive the motor 133a of the door closing device 130 to close the refrigerating chamber door 20A when the predetermined door closing condition is satisfied. In this case, as in the case of opening the refrigerating chamber door 20A by the operation of the door opening operation unit 42, the door opening buzzer may be sounded appropriately toward the user before the door closing device 130 is driven, that is, before the refrigerating chamber door 20A is closed.

The control unit 100 may open and close the refrigerating chamber door 20A when it can be determined that the person who has performed the audio instruction is the user, by comparing the voiceprint data of the user stored (set and registered) in the storage unit 126 with the audio data of the person acquired by the audio instruction acquisition unit 52 g. By using such a voiceprint recognition system, erroneous operation due to sounds of non-set persons can be prevented. In addition, voiceprint data of a plurality of users may be registered in the storage unit 126.

The refrigerator 1 of the above embodiment has the door opening function of opening the refrigerating chamber door 20A by detecting the contact and approach of the user by the door opening operation portion 42, but may have the door closing function of closing the refrigerating chamber door 20A by detecting the contact and approach of the user.

For example, a door closing operation portion may be provided near the door opening operation portion 42, and the door closing operation portion may be touched by a user to close the door.

In this case, the door closing operation portion may be disposed at a position that is easy to be operated or touched by the user when the cooling chamber door 20A in the opened state is in the opened state. The position where the user can easily operate or touch when the cooling chamber door 20A in the open state is in the open state includes, for example, a side wall, a bottom wall, a surface facing the inside of the case, or the like of the cooling chamber door 20A at a position on the open end side opposite to the rotation support shafts Oa, ob of the cooling chamber door 20A.

For example, the door closing operation portion may be disposed on the door side surface of the open end side of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, or may be disposed inside the case of the refrigerating chamber door 20A. When the door closing operation portion is disposed on the inner side (inner side wall portion 20i: fig. 2) of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, for example, a door closing device may be disposed on the open end side of the inner side wall portion 20i, and a door closing device may be disposed on the lower end side.

Alternatively, the door opening operation portion 42 may be provided with a door closing function, and the door opening operation portion 42 may also serve as a door closing operation portion, thereby preventing the complexity of the device structure.

In this way, in the case where the refrigerator 1 includes the door opening/closing operation portion having not only the door opening function but also the door closing function, the refrigerator door 20A may be closed by driving the door closing devices 130 and 230 when contact or physical proximity of the user with respect to the door opening/closing operation portion is detected while the refrigerator door 20A is in the open state by the refrigerator door switch 123.

In addition, the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be opened by driving the door opening device 41 when contact and physical proximity of a user with respect to the door opening/closing operation portion are detected while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is in the closed state by the refrigerating chamber door switch 123.

Further, when the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g acquires a sound instruction to close the door from the user while the cooling chamber door 20A is in the open state by the cooling chamber door switch 123, the door closing devices 130 and 230 may be driven to rotate the cooling chamber door 20A in the closing direction. The rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be temporarily stopped when an operation for the door operation portion is detected while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is closed.

In addition, when the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g detects a door opening instruction to open the door from the user while the cooling chamber door 20A is in the closed state by the cooling chamber door switch 123, the cooling chamber door 20A may be opened by driving the door opening device 41. When the door closing instruction is detected by the door opening/closing operation unit while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is open, the rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be temporarily stopped by stopping the supply of electric power to the driving device 133.

Further, when an operation of the door opening/closing operation unit by a user is detected while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is in the open state by the refrigerating chamber door switch 123, the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be rotated in the closing direction by driving the door closing devices 130 and 230. When the door opening instruction is acquired from the user by the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is closed, the rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be temporarily stopped by stopping the supply of electric power to the driving device 133.

In addition, when an operation of the door opening/closing operation unit by a user is detected while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is in the closed state by the refrigerating chamber door switch 123, the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be opened by operating the door opening device 41. When the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g acquires a sound instruction to close the door from the user while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is open, the driving of the motor 133a may be stopped to temporarily stop the rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A.

In this way, when different instructions concerning opening and closing of the door are continuously performed in a short time, the rotation (opening and closing operation) of the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be temporarily stopped, and then, when either a door closing instruction to the door opening and closing operation unit or a door closing instruction by sound is detected, the refrigerating chamber door 20A may be rotated again by the door closing device 130 to be closed.

The user may manually open and close the refrigerating chamber door 20A temporarily stopped in the opened state.

Thus, the opening/closing instruction by the door opening/closing operation unit and the opening/closing instruction based on the sound acquired by the sound instruction acquisition unit 52g can be continuously performed in a short time.

Further, the control unit 100 may receive only the door closing instruction during the period in which the refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened, and may not receive the door opening instruction.

Similarly, only the door open instruction may be received while the refrigerating chamber door 20A is closed, and the door close instruction may not be received.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the function of driving the driving device 133 to rotate the refrigerating chamber door 20A in the closing direction when the "open restriction time" has elapsed is provided as a predetermined door closing condition, but the function of driving the driving device 133 of the door closing device 130 may be provided by using the "door closing instruction (sound instruction)" from the user as a door closing condition. At this time, the door closing device 130 is driven based on the "door closing instruction (sound instruction)" from the user acquired by the sound instruction acquisition unit 52 g.

The control unit 100 may control not to receive a door closing instruction from the user during the period when the refrigerating chamber door 20A is closed and not to receive a door opening instruction from the user during the period when the refrigerating chamber door 20A is opened.

This can prevent repetition of the instruction from the user.

When the manual opening/closing of the user is detected during the opening/closing operation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, the control unit 100 stops the opening/closing operation of the refrigerating chamber door 20A. As a method of detecting that the user opens and closes the refrigerating chamber door 20A (the angular change of the refrigerating chamber door 20A) during the automatic closing of the refrigerating chamber door 20A, for example, feedback control using the driving device 133 is considered. The comparison between the driving current and the rotation speed of the driving device 133 may be performed, or the transmission of the driving force of the driving device 133 may be cut off.

When the door opening instruction is received, the control unit 100 stops or reduces the rotation speed of at least one of the cooling fan 33 and the freezing fan 35, thereby promoting the silencing of the refrigerator 1. By stopping the driving of the fan or making the fan rotate low in response to an instruction to open the door from a user, it is possible to make the fan mute as soon as possible.

The control unit 100 may also make the time until the door closing device 130 is automatically closed different depending on the door closing instruction by the sound or the door closing instruction from the door opening operation unit 42. For example, in the case of a door closing instruction from the door opening operation unit 42, it can be determined that the user is in the vicinity, and therefore, the time until closing, that is, the opening restriction time, can be prolonged.

In the above embodiment, the door closing device 130 is provided in the left and right refrigerating compartment doors 20Aa and 20Ab, but the door closing device 130 may be used in other doors 20 in the refrigerator 1.

Fig. 22 is a diagram showing a single door refrigerator 1A.

In the above embodiment, the refrigerator having the pair of refrigerating chamber doors 20A with the double opening (french door) has been described, but a single opening refrigerator having one refrigerating chamber door 20A as shown in fig. 22 may be used.

Hereinafter, the refrigerator 1 will be additionally described.

(A1)

A refrigerator, wherein,

the door closing device includes:

a driving source for generating a driving force for rotating the door in a closing direction;

a door closing transmission unit configured to transmit a driving force from the driving source; and

a planetary gear reduction mechanism that reduces the rotational speed transmitted from the drive source, an internal planetary gear reduction mechanism that uses a tooth form having a trochoid curve, and a wave gear reducer.

(A2)

A refrigerator, wherein,

the planetary gear reduction mechanism includes:

a drive transmission unit connected to a rotation shaft of the drive source; and

a plurality of driven parts arranged around the drive transmission part as a center,

The plurality of driven portions rotate around respective rotation axes and move together in the circumferential direction of the drive transmission portion.

(A3)

A refrigerator, wherein,

an internal planetary gear reducer using the trochoid tooth form comprises:

an eccentric body which is connected to the rotation shaft of the drive source and is eccentric with respect to the rotation shaft;

a curve plate arranged radially outside the eccentric body and having an arc curve at the outer periphery;

a bearing part arranged between the eccentric body and the curve plate;

a plurality of inner bars formed in a plurality of through holes formed in the curved plate; and

and a plurality of outer bars arranged radially outward of the curved plate.

(A4)

A refrigerator, wherein,

the wave gear reducer includes:

an elliptical plate connected to the rotation shaft of the drive source;

an external gear having external teeth and arranged radially outside the elliptical plate; and

an internal gear having internal teeth and disposed radially outward of the elliptical plate and the external gear.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is provided with:

a case including a storage chamber;

a door mounted on the opening side of the case;

a door opening device for opening the door; and

a door closing device for closing the door,

The door closing device is arranged on the door.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

the door is provided with a heat insulating material for ensuring heat insulation performance relative to the storage room,

the heat insulating material is disposed closer to the storage chamber than the door closing device.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the refrigerator comprises a door rotating mechanism which rotates the door in a closing direction by power,

the door rotating mechanism includes:

a driving machine for generating a 1 st driving force for rotating the door in a closing direction; and

a speed reducer connected to the drive machine for decelerating and outputting the input rotation,

the 1 st rotation axis of the drive machine is coaxial with the 2 nd rotation axis of the reduction gear.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein,

the drive machine and the speed reducer are disposed at adjacent positions in a direction in which the 1 st rotation axis of the drive machine extends.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein,

the door closing device has a door closing transmission part configured to transmit the rotational driving force decelerated by the decelerator,

The door closing transmission part comprises:

a rotation driving unit to which the rotation driving force is transmitted from the speed reducer; and

a fixed driven part fixed on the rotation shaft of the door,

the rotation driving part moves around the fixed driven part, thereby rotating the door in a closing direction.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein,

the door is provided in the case so as to be openable and closable via a pair of door rotation support portions disposed above and below the door,

the door rotating mechanism is disposed adjacent to the door rotating support portion disposed at a lower side of the door from among a pair of door rotating support portions disposed at an upper and lower side of the door.

7. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein,

the 1 st rotation shaft of the driving machine and the 2 nd rotation shaft of the speed reducer are disposed at different positions from the rotation shaft of the door and extend in the same direction as the rotation shaft of the door.

8. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein,

the 1 st rotation shaft of the driving machine and the 2 nd rotation shaft of the speed reducer are disposed at positions different from the rotation shaft of the door and extend in a direction intersecting the rotation shaft of the door.