An automatic door opening device and a refrigerator

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic door opening device, comprising: a loading mechanism for storing kinetic energy; a pushing mechanism including a push rod for pushing the door body; and a transmission mechanism for drivingly connecting the loading mechanism and the push rod. The present invention also relates to a refrigerator. Among them, the loading mechanism is internally provided with an elastic body and a locking assembly. When the door body pushes the push rod to retract, the push rod drives the transmission mechanism to drive the loading mechanism, so that the elastic body deforms to an extended or compressed state and is locked under the action of the locking assembly to store the kinetic energy for opening the door body; when the locking assembly is unlocked, the elastic body releases the kinetic energy, and the loading mechanism drives the transmission mechanism to drive the push rod to extend, so that the push rod pushes open the door body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of refrigerator accessories, specifically to an automatic door opening device, and more specifically to a refrigerator.

Background Art

[0002] In the field of refrigerators, with the development of technology and the improvement of automation level, more and more refrigerators are being studied in the direction of improving their intelligent level. Among them, automatic door opening is a relatively common function in intelligent control. Currently, in order to achieve automatic door opening, a door opening device is often configured. However, the inventor found the following problems during use:

[0003] First of all, there are two types of current door opening devices: one is to drive the opening and closing of the door body through a motor. However, due to the opening and closing frequency, the motor is prone to damage. At the same time, it is time-consuming and laborious to repair after damage. Even worse, when the motor is damaged, it will affect the normal opening and closing of the door body, thus affecting the normal use of household appliances and causing great inconvenience to users. For this reason, another door opening device is designed to push open the door body by pushing it, and a driving force for pushing the door body needs to be provided. Currently, a motor is often used for driving. However, the calibration of the driving force of the motor is relatively cumbersome, and at the same time, the driving of the motor requires additional power consumption. In the field of refrigerators that need to be opened frequently, the power consumption of the motor cannot be ignored.

[0004] In view of this, it is necessary to develop a cocking mechanism for an automatic door opening device to solve the above problems.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Aiming at the deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a cocking mechanism for an automatic door opening device, including:

[0006] A cocking mechanism for storing kinetic energy;

[0007] A pushing mechanism including a push rod for pushing the door body; and

[0008] A transmission mechanism for transmitting the connection between the cocking mechanism and the push rod;

[0009] Among them, the cocking mechanism is internally provided with an elastic body and a locking component. When the door body pushes the push rod to retract, the push rod drives the transmission mechanism to drive the cocking mechanism, so that the elastic body deforms to an extended or compressed state and is locked under the action of the locking component to store the kinetic energy for opening the door body;

[0010] When the locking component is unlocked, the elastic body releases kinetic energy, and the cocking mechanism drives the transmission mechanism to drive the push rod to extend, so that the push rod pushes open the door body.

[0011] Preferably, the loading mechanism includes a guiding part and a sliding part slidably connected to the guiding part. The elastic body is arranged on a fixed base surface of the guiding part and the sliding part.

[0012] Preferably, a rack is arranged on the sliding part, the transmission mechanism is a gear, and a transmission part meshing with the gear is arranged on the push rod. The rack meshes with the gear, so that the sliding part, the gear and the push rod form a transmission structure.

[0013] Preferably, the transmission mechanism includes a large gear and a small gear driven by the large gear;

[0014] Wherein, the transmission part meshes with the small gear, and the large gear meshes with the rack.

[0015] Preferably, a slide rail extends outward from one side of the guiding part, the sliding part is slidably connected to the slide rail, and the locking assembly is arranged at the moving end of the sliding part;

[0016] The push rod drives the sliding part to move towards the locking assembly, so that the elastic body is elastically stretched, and the elastic body is connected to the sliding part through the locking assembly to limit the recovery of the elastic body.

[0017] Preferably, the locking assembly includes an unlocking part and a locking block. The locking block is arranged on the sliding part, and a locking position is arranged at the moving end of the slide rail;

[0018] The sliding part and the guiding part form a locking structure by moving the locking block on the sliding part to the locking position, and the unlocking part pushes the locking block away from the locking position.

[0019] Preferably, a chute extending along the movement direction of the sliding part is formed on the guiding part, and a locking position is formed at the end of the chute;

[0020] The locking block is slidably connected in the chute, so that the locking block slides along the track defined by the chute.

[0021] Preferably, an elastic part is arranged between the locking block and a base surface of the guiding part, and the locking block is pushed relative to the sliding part to the locking position by the elastic force of the elastic part.

[0022] Preferably, the pushing mechanism further includes a receiving plate, and mounting positions for the push rod, the transmission mechanism and the loading mechanism are arranged on the receiving plate.

[0023] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a refrigerator, including the automatic door opening device as described above.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0025] An automatic door opening device and a refrigerator provided by the present invention store kinetic energy for the next door opening by pushing a loading mechanism to be loaded through a push rod when the door body is closed; and when the locking component is unlocked, the loading mechanism drives the push rod to extend to push open the door body, and the kinetic energy is stored for the automatic door opening device by closing the door body. The structure of the present invention is simple and stable, and it is convenient to use.

[0026] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to be able to understand the technical means of the present invention more clearly and implement it in accordance with the content of the description, the following describes the preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific implementation manners of the present invention are given in detail by the following embodiments and their accompanying drawings.

Description of the Drawings

[0027] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention, and constitute a part of this application. The schematic embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the automatic door opening device in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 is a partial structural schematic diagram of the automatic door opening device in the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the loading mechanism in the automatic door opening device in the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the sliding part in the loading mechanism in the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the receiving plate in the pushing mechanism in the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the guiding part in the loading mechanism in the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a single-door refrigerator in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a double-door refrigerator in another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Description of the reference numerals:

[0037] 1. Pushing mechanism;

[0038] 11. Push rod; 111. Thrust end; 112. Transmission part;

[0039] 12. Carrier plate; 121. Connection part; 1211. Positioning port; 122. Snap

[0040] 2. Transmission mechanism; 21. Large gear; 22. Small gear

[0041] 3. Loading mechanism

[0042] 31. Locking assembly; 311. Unlocking part; 312. Locking block

[0043] 32. Guide part

[0044] 321. Slide groove; 3211. First guide hole; 3212. Second guide hole

[0045] 322. Slide rail

[0046] 33. Sliding part; 331. Guide groove; 332. Positioning block; 333. Skirt; 334. Mounting port; 335. Buffer block; 336. Limit groove; 337. Rack

[0047] 34. Elastic body

[0048] 35. Base; 351. Protrusion

Detailed implementation manners

[0049] The following further elaborates on the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent, enabling those skilled in the art to implement it based on the description in the specification. In the drawings, for clarity, the shapes and dimensions may be enlarged, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout the figures to indicate the same or similar components. In the following description, terms such as center, thickness, height, length, front, back, rear, left, right, top, bottom, upper, lower, etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. In particular, "height" corresponds to the dimension from top to bottom, "width" corresponds to the dimension from left to right, and "depth" corresponds to the dimension from front to back. These relative terms are for convenience of description and generally do not require a specific orientation. Terms related to attachment, connection, etc. (e.g., "connect" and "attach") refer to the relationship in which these structures are directly or indirectly fixed or attached to each other through an intermediate structure, as well as a movable or rigid attachment or relationship, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0050] Next, the present invention will be further described in combination with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners. It should be noted that, on the premise of no conflict, the following-described embodiments or technical features can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments. It should be understood that the terms such as "having", "including", and "comprising" used herein do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements or their combinations.

[0051] As shown Figures 1-6 in the figure, the present invention relates to an automatic door opening device, comprising:

[0052] A loading mechanism 3 for storing kinetic energy;

[0053] A pushing mechanism 1 comprising a push rod 11 for pushing the door body of a household appliance; and

[0054] A transmission mechanism 2 for drivingly connecting the loading mechanism 3 and the push rod 11;

[0055] Wherein, the loading mechanism 3 is internally provided with an elastic body 34 and a locking assembly 31. When the door body of the household appliance pushes the push rod 11 to retract, the push rod 11 drives the transmission mechanism 2 to drive the loading mechanism 3, so that the elastic body 34 deforms to an extended or compressed state and is locked under the action of the locking assembly 31 to store the kinetic energy for opening the door body;

[0056] When the locking assembly 31 is unlocked, the elastic body 34 releases kinetic energy, and the loading mechanism 3 drives the transmission mechanism 2 to drive the push rod 11 to extend. The push rod 11 includes a pushing end 111, and the pushing end 111 abuts against the door body, so that the push rod 11 pushes open the door body; the transmission mechanism 2 serves as a transfer mechanism of the automatic door opening device, so that the push rod 11 drives the loading mechanism 3 to load through the transmission mechanism 2 or the loading mechanism 3 drives the push rod 11 to extend through the transmission mechanism 2 to push open the door body.

[0057] Referring Figure 7 to the figure, in a preferred embodiment, a refrigerator includes the above automatic door opening device. The automatic door opening device is arranged on the top of the refrigerator, and the push rod 11 abuts against the door body of the refrigerator. When the door body is opened, the push rod 11 extends. The user makes the door body contact with the push rod 11 by pushing the door body and continuously pushes, so that the push rod 11 retracts. At the same time, the push rod 11 drives the transmission mechanism 2 to drive the loading mechanism 3 to perform the loading operation, storing kinetic energy for the next opening by the previous closing. Compared with electric drive, the door opening device in this embodiment has stable operation and simple maintenance.

[0058] The loading mechanism 3 includes: a locking assembly 31 including an unlocking portion 311 and a locking block 312; a guiding portion 32 provided with a locking position thereon; and a sliding portion 33 slidably arranged with the guiding portion 32;

[0059] Among them, the locking block 312 is arranged on the sliding part 33. The locking block 312 moves along the defined direction of the guiding part 32 along with the sliding part 33. The sliding part 33 and the guiding part 32 form a locking structure by moving the locking block 312 on the sliding part 33 to the locking position. The unlocking part 311 is arranged close to the locking position. The unlocking part 311 pushes the locking block 312 away from the locking position; an elastic body 34 is arranged between the guiding part 32 and the sliding part 33. By driving the sliding part 33, the elastic body 34 therebetween deforms to store the kinetic energy required for the door body to open. Under the push of the unlocking part 311, the locking block 312 disengages from the locking position, so that the sliding part 33 and the guiding part 32 are unlocked, and the kinetic energy is released through the recovery of the elastic body 34.

[0060] In a preferred embodiment, a rack 337 is arranged on the sliding part 33. The transmission mechanism 2 is a gear. A transmission part 112 meshing with the gear is arranged on the push rod 11. The rack 337 meshes with the gear, so that the sliding part 33, the gear and the push rod 11 form a transmission structure.

[0061] The transmission mechanism 2 includes a large gear 21 and a small gear 22 driven by the large gear 21. The number of teeth of the large gear 21 and the small gear 22 is different, so as to achieve the effect of deceleration and increase the output torque;

[0062] Among them, the transmission part 112 meshes with the small gear 22, and the large gear 21 meshes with the rack 337; driven by the cooperation of the large gear 21 and the small gear 22, the torque of the small gear 22 is greater, making the movement of the push rod 11 more stable. At the same time, the moving distance of the push rod 11 is smaller than the moving distance of the sliding part 33. The pushing force of the push rod 11 is greater than the connecting force between the door body and the home appliance body. By reducing the length of the force arm of the push rod 11, the moment of the reaction force of the door body on the push rod 11 is reduced, and the service life of the push rod 11 is increased.

[0063] Specifically, the large gear 21 and the small gear 22 are concentrically arranged and integrally formed. By arranging the large gear 21 and the small gear 22 up and down, the push rod 11 and the sliding part 33 are arranged in a staggered manner, and the push rod 11 is located below the large gear 21; the pushing mechanism 1 further includes a receiving plate 12. Installation positions of the push rod 11, the transmission mechanism 2 and the loading mechanism 3 are arranged on the receiving plate 12. A connecting part 121 and a buckle 122 are arranged on the receiving plate 12. The buckle 122 is arranged on both sides of the push rod 11. The sliding direction of the push rod 11 is restricted by the buckle 122. The connecting part 121 is in a ring structure, and the loading mechanism 3 is arranged in the connecting part 121 to restrict the position of the loading mechanism 3.

[0064] The buckle 122 is arranged on one side of the receiving plate 12 and is located below the large gear 21, thereby reducing the width of the entire automatic door opening device.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment, a slide rail 322 extends outwardly from one side of the guiding portion 32. The sliding portion 33 is slidably connected to the slide rail 322, and the locking assembly 31 is disposed at the moving end of the sliding portion 33;

[0066] The push rod 11 drives the sliding portion 33 to move towards the locking assembly 31, so that the elastic body 34 is elastically stretched, and the elastic body 34 is connected to the sliding portion 33 through the locking assembly 31 to limit the recovery of the elastic body 34.

[0067] The locking assembly 31 includes an unlocking portion 311 and a locking block 312. The locking block 312 is disposed on the sliding portion 33, and a locking position is provided at the moving end of the slide rail 322;

[0068] The sliding portion 33 and the guiding portion 32 form a locking structure by moving the locking block 312 on the sliding portion 33 to the locking position, and the unlocking portion 311 pushes the locking block 312 away from the locking position.

[0069] Further, a sliding groove 321 extending along the moving direction of the sliding portion 33 is formed on the guiding portion 32, and the locking position is located at the end of the sliding groove 321; the locking block 312 is slidably connected in the sliding groove 321, so that the locking block 312 slides along the trajectory defined by the sliding groove 321. When the locking block 312 moves to the locking position at the end of the sliding groove 321, the locking block 312 is limited within the locking position.

[0070] Specifically, the sliding groove 321 includes a first guiding hole 3211 and a second guiding hole 3212 extending from one end of the first guiding hole 3211 as the locking position;

[0071] The second guiding hole 3212 extends in a direction inclined relative to the first guiding hole 3211, so that the second guiding hole 3212 extends towards the unlocking portion 311. The first guiding hole 3211 and the second guiding hole 3212 form an L-shaped sliding groove 321;

[0072] An elastic portion is provided between the locking block 312 and a base surface of the guiding portion 32. The elastic force of the elastic portion pushes the locking block 312 to move into the second guiding hole 3212. When the locking block 312 slides in the first guiding hole 3211, the elastic portion is in a compressed state. When the locking block 312 moves to the connecting end of the second guiding hole 3212 and the first guiding hole 3211, the elastic portion rebounds to push the locking block 312 into the second guiding hole 3212. Since the locking block 312 is pushed into the second guiding hole 3212 and passes over the inflection point of the L-shaped sliding groove 321, under the pulling force of the elastic body 34 on the locking block 312, the locking block 312 presses against the inner side wall of the second guiding hole 3212, making it difficult for the locking block 312 to return to the first guiding hole 3211.

[0073] A guiding groove 331 is formed on the sliding portion 33, and the locking block 312 is sleeved in the guiding groove 331;

[0074] The guiding groove 331 extends in the direction of the unlocking portion 311. In a preferred embodiment, the guiding groove 331 extends in the direction of the second guiding hole 3212. While the locking block 312 moves along with the sliding portion 33, the locking block 312 moves relative to the sliding portion 33 along the extending direction of the guiding groove 331.

[0075] Specifically, the unlocking portion 311 is arranged on one side of the guiding portion 32, and the extending direction of the first guiding hole 3211 is parallel to the moving direction of the sliding portion 33.

[0076] It should be noted that the specific structure of the locking assembly 31 is not limited to the implementation manners of the above unlocking portion 311 and the locking block 312. Common locking structures, such as the locking structures of lock heads and lock tongues, or the electromagnetic locking structure, or the structure where a stop rod extends into the sliding portion 33 to limit the movement, etc. can all realize locking the guiding portion 32 and the sliding portion 33 to form a limiting structure. Therefore, they should be regarded as other specific embodiments of this solution.

[0077] Meanwhile, in the locking manner of the unlocking portion 311 and the locking block 312 adopted in the above specific embodiment, the locking process is mainly realized through a mechanical structure, while the unlocking process is realized by simple pushing, thereby reducing the control logic and making the whole working process more stable. At the same time, using the locking block 312 as a pressure-bearing component, the locking block 312 bears most of the shear force. Also, because the locking block 312 is a detachable structure, it is convenient for maintenance and replacement.

[0078] In a preferred embodiment, the guiding portion 32 extends in a straight line direction to form a slide rail 322, and a limiting groove 336 penetrating through both end faces is arranged at the bottom of the sliding portion 33; the slide rail 322 is connected with the limiting groove 336 in a matching manner, so that the sliding portion 33 is slidably connected with the slide rail 322. Under the action of an external force, the sliding portion 33 is driven to slide along the extending direction of the slide rail 322 to deform the elastic body 34.

[0079] In a preferred embodiment, it further includes a base 35. The guiding portion 32 is placed on the base 35, and a convex block 351 is arranged on the base 35, and the convex block 351 is located on both sides of the slide rail 322; both sides of the sliding portion 33 extend outwards to form skirt edges 333 that abut against the convex block 351.

[0080] Specifically, an installation opening 334 is arranged on the skirt edge 333. One end of the elastic body 34 is fixedly installed in the installation opening 334, and the other end of the elastic body 34 is connected to the guiding portion 32, so that the elastic body 34 is located on both sides of the slide rail 322, making the acting force of the elastic body 34 on the sliding portion 33 more stable. When recovering, the force received is stable, so that the movement is stable. At the same time, by applying forces on both sides, the rated kinetic energy required for the deformation of the single-side elastic body 34 is reduced.

[0081] In a preferred embodiment, the elastomer 34 is a tension spring that stores kinetic energy through tensile deformation. The unlocking portion 311 is provided at one end of the slide rail 322 away from the guiding portion 32. A buffer block 335 is provided at one end of the sliding portion 33 close to the guiding portion 32. During the recovery process, the sliding portion 33 moves towards the guiding portion 32. To reduce the damage caused by the impact, a buffer block 335 is provided at one end of the sliding portion 33 close to the guiding portion 32 to absorb the impact force.

[0082] Specifically, a positioning block 332 is installed on the other side of the buffer block 335 on the sliding portion 33. When the tension spring is stretched, a positioning port 1211 is provided on the connecting portion 121. The positioning block 332 extends into the positioning port 1211. The positioning block 332 is circumferentially provided with positioning reinforcing ribs, and the positioning reinforcing ribs abut against the inner wall of the positioning port 1211, thereby ensuring the accurate position of the sliding portion 33.

[0083] Reference Figure 8 As shown, in another preferred embodiment, the present invention further provides a double-door refrigerator, and the above automatic door opening device is provided corresponding to the two refrigerator door bodies, so as to facilitate the two automatic door opening devices to independently push and open the door bodies.

[0084] It should be understood that the above embodiments are only partial examples of the present application and do not limit the scope of the present application.

[0085] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner. The same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the system embodiment, since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiment.

Claims

1. An automatic door opening device, characterized in that, comprising: A loading mechanism for storing kinetic energy; A pushing mechanism including a push rod for pushing the door body; And A transmission mechanism that drives the connection between the loading mechanism and the push rod; Wherein, the loading mechanism is internally provided with an elastic body and a locking component. When the door body pushes the push rod to retract, the push rod drives the transmission mechanism to drive the loading mechanism, so that the elastic body deforms to an extended or compressed state and is locked under the action of the locking component to store the kinetic energy for opening the door body; When the locking component is unlocked, the elastic body releases kinetic energy, and the loading mechanism drives the transmission mechanism to drive the push rod to extend, so that the push rod pushes open the door body; The loading mechanism includes a guiding part and a sliding part slidably connected to the guiding part, and the elastic body is arranged on a fixed base surface of the guiding part and the sliding part; A rack is arranged on the sliding part, the transmission mechanism is a gear, and a transmission part meshing with the gear is arranged on the push rod. The rack meshes with the gear, so that the sliding part, the gear and the push rod form a transmission structure; One side of the guiding part extends outward to form a slide rail, the sliding part is slidably connected to the slide rail, and the locking component is arranged at the moving end of the sliding part; The push rod drives the sliding part to move towards the locking component, so that the elastic body is elastically stretched, and is connected to the sliding part through the locking component to restrict the recovery of the elastic body.

2. The automatic door opening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism includes a large gear and a small gear driven by the large gear; Wherein, the transmission part meshes with the small gear, and the large gear meshes with the rack.

3. The automatic door opening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking component includes an unlocking part and a locking block. The locking block is arranged on the sliding part, and a locking position is arranged at the moving end of the slide rail; The sliding part and the guiding part form a locking structure by moving the locking block on the sliding part to the locking position, and the unlocking part pushes the locking block away from the locking position.

4. The automatic door opening device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A chute extending along the movement direction of the sliding part is opened on the guiding part, and the locking position is formed at the end of the chute; The locking block is slidably connected in the chute, so that the locking block slides along the track defined by the chute.

5. The automatic door opening device according to claim 4, characterized in that, An elastic part is arranged between the locking block and a base surface of the guiding part. The elastic force of the elastic part pushes the locking block to move relative to the sliding part to the locking position.

6. The automatic door opening device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The pushing mechanism further includes a receiving plate, and mounting positions for the push rod, the transmission mechanism and the loading mechanism are arranged on the receiving plate.

7. A refrigerator, characterized in that, comprising the automatic door opening device according to any one of claims 1-6.

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