Automatic door opening device, household appliance and automatic door opening method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, and discloses an automatic door opening device, a household appliance and an automatic door opening method. The automatic door opening device comprises a shell, a motor, a transmission assembly, a push rod, a first sensor, a second sensor and an elastic reset piece, the motor is connected with the transmission assembly, the transmission assembly comprises a tooth-missing gear, and the tooth-missing gear is meshed with a rack on the push rod to drive the push rod to push and open a door body; a first trigger part and a second trigger part are arranged on the push rod, and when the push rod extends outwards to a first length, the first trigger part triggers the first sensor, so that the motor stops rotating; and when the push rod extends outwards to a second length, the tooth-missing gear is disengaged from the rack, the second triggering part triggers the second sensor, the motor stops rotating, and at the moment, the elastic reset piece drives the push rod to retract into the shell. The door opening smoothness can be improved, the door opening angle is increased, the door opening time is shortened, and the problem that the door of the embedded household appliance cannot be completely closed is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of household appliance technology, and in particular to an automatic door opening device, a household appliance, and an automatic door opening method. Background Technology

[0002] With the improvement of people's living standards, built-in home appliances have become a trend due to their aesthetics and style. However, in actual use, due to the influence of the hinged structure of traditional appliances, the hinged side of the door often protrudes from the side wall of the cabinet when the appliance door is opened. When such appliances are placed in deep and narrow spaces, the door will interfere with the deep and narrow space or other objects placed in the space, which will not only affect the opening range of the door but also damage the surface of the appliance. Therefore, built-in appliances use special folding hinges. Home appliances using folding hinges require relatively greater force to open and close, and for French or European style refrigerators with a flip-up beam, a slow closing speed may prevent the door from closing completely, affecting the user experience.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automatic door opening device, household appliance, and automatic door opening method to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on the above, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic door opening device, a household appliance, and an automatic door opening method, which can overcome the forces of the magnetic door seal, stop, and hinge of the embedded household appliance, open the door to a certain angle, facilitate the user to manually open the door, and realize the rapid automatic reset of the push rod; effectively improve the smoothness of the door opening process, increase the door opening angle, reduce the time required to open the door, and solve the problem that the door of the embedded household appliance cannot be completely closed.

[0005] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an automatic door opening device, comprising:

[0007] case;

[0008] The motor is housed within the housing;

[0009] A transmission assembly is connected to the motor for transmission, and the transmission assembly includes a toothed gear with a missing tooth portion;

[0010] A push rod is slidably disposed within the housing. The push rod is provided with a rack, and the toothed gear can mesh with the rack to drive the push rod to extend out of the housing and push open the door. The push rod is provided with a first trigger part and a second trigger part.

[0011] The first sensor is disposed inside the housing. When the toothed gear pushes the push rod outward to a first length, the toothed gear does not disengage from the rack. At this time, the first triggering part triggers the first sensor. The first sensor is connected to the motor signal to stop the motor from rotating.

[0012] The second sensor is located inside the housing. When the toothed gear pushes the push rod outward to the second length, the toothed gear disengages from the rack. At this time, the second triggering part triggers the second sensor. The second sensor is connected to the motor signal to stop the motor from rotating.

[0013] An elastic reset member is disposed inside the housing. One end of the elastic reset member is connected to the housing, and the other end is connected to the push rod. When the toothed gear disengages from the rack, the elastic reset member can drive the push rod to retract into the housing, and the rack can slide over the toothed portion.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the push rod is further provided with a third triggering part, and a third sensor is provided inside the housing. When the push rod retracts into the housing to its initial position, the third triggering part triggers the third sensor, at which point the push rod completes its reset.

[0015] In some possible implementations, a circuit board is further disposed within the housing, on which the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor are all mounted; and / or,

[0016] The first triggering part is a first stepped surface disposed on the push rod, the second triggering part is a second stepped surface disposed on the push rod, and the third triggering part is a third stepped surface disposed on the push rod.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the second sensor and the third sensor are two separate sensors, or the second sensor and the third sensor are a single integrated bidirectional sensor.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the elastic reset element is a spring, which is arranged parallel to the axial direction of the push rod; and / or,

[0019] The housing is provided with a guide rail extending along the axial direction of the push rod, and the push rod is slidably connected to the guide rail; and / or,

[0020] The extended end of the push rod is equipped with an anti-collision protective component.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the transmission assembly further includes a worm gear, a worm, and a reduction gear assembly. The worm is driven to the output end of the motor, the worm gear meshes with the worm, the worm gear is driven to the reduction gear assembly to drive the reduction gear assembly to rotate, and the reduction gear assembly is driven to the toothed gear to drive the toothed gear to rotate.

[0022] In some possible implementations, the worm gear and / or the reduction gear assembly are provided with a one-way damping mechanism.

[0023] In some possible implementations, the reduction gear assembly includes: a first gear coaxially arranged with the worm gear, a second gear meshing with the first gear, a third gear coaxially arranged with the second gear, a fourth gear meshing with the third gear, a fifth gear coaxially arranged with the fourth gear, and a sixth gear meshing with the fifth gear. The sixth gear is coaxially arranged with the toothed gear, and the toothed gear can also mesh with the fifth gear. The second gear has more teeth than the first gear, the fourth gear has more teeth than the third gear, and the sixth gear has more teeth than the fifth gear.

[0024] In some possible implementations, the first gear and the worm gear are integrally formed, the second gear and the third gear are integrally formed, and the fourth gear and the fifth gear are integrally formed; the meshing teeth of the toothless gear and the meshing teeth of the sixth gear are integrally formed into a composite tooth, and the composite tooth extends along the axial direction of the sixth gear.

[0025] Secondly, the present invention provides a household appliance, including a housing and a door rotatably connected to the housing, and further including an automatic door opening device as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the automatic door opening device is disposed on the housing, and the push rod is capable of pushing the door to open.

[0026] Thirdly, the present invention provides an automatic door opening method, comprising:

[0027] Upon receiving an opening signal, the motor rotates to drive the toothed gear to rotate, which in turn drives the push rod to extend out of the housing, and the push rod pushes the door open.

[0028] When the push rod extends outward to the first length, the toothed gear and the rack of the push rod do not disengage. At this time, the first triggering part triggers the first sensor, and the first sensor transmits a signal to the motor, which stops rotating so that the user can manually open the door.

[0029] After the motor stops rotating for a preset time, it continues to rotate. When the push rod extends outward to the second length, the toothed gear disengages from the rack of the push rod. At this time, the second trigger triggers the second sensor, which transmits a signal to the motor, causing the motor to stop rotating. The elastic reset member then retracts the push rod into the housing. Alternatively, after the motor stops rotating for a preset time, it continues to rotate. If the toothed gear and the rack of the push rod are not disengaged, the motor rotates in the opposite direction to drive the toothed gear to rotate in the opposite direction. The toothed gear then drives the push rod to retract into the housing, and the door closes slowly with the push rod.

[0030] When the push rod retracts into the housing to its initial position, the third trigger triggers the third sensor, at which point the push rod completes its reset.

[0031] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0032] The automatic door opening device provided by this invention uses a motor to drive a toothed gear to rotate. The toothed gear meshes with a rack on a push rod, thereby causing the push rod to extend out of the housing and push the door open a certain distance to overcome the closing force of the door stop or folding hinge of household appliances. When the toothed gear and the rack are about to disengage, the first triggering part triggers the first sensor, causing the motor to stop for a preset time. At this time, the user can manually open the door. (The purpose of the preset time for the motor to stop is to facilitate the user to manually open the door, because although the door is pushed open at this time, it is still within the closing force range of the folding hinge. If the motor does not stop, the toothed gear and the rack will disengage, and the elastic reset member will pull the push rod back, so that the door will still move towards the housing and close.) After a preset pause, the motor continues to rotate until the toothed gear disengages from the rack. At this point, the second trigger triggers the second sensor, causing the motor to stop rotating. The elastic reset component then drives the push rod to quickly return to its original position, ensuring smooth closing of the door. (The purpose of using the elastic reset component to quickly pull back the push rod is that if the motor were to reverse and drive the push rod to retract, the speed would be too slow, resulting in obstruction when the door closes, a reduced force from the stop or folding hinges to close the door, and the inability of the flip beam to close tightly.) This completes the opening and push rod reset actions of the household appliance.

[0033] The automatic door opening device and method of this invention, when applied to embedded home appliances, can overcome the forces of magnetic door seals, stops, and hinges, opening the door of the appliance to a certain angle for easy manual opening by the user. It also enables rapid automatic reset of the push rod, preventing obstruction when the door closes. This invention effectively improves the smoothness of the opening process, increases the door opening angle, reduces the time required for opening, and solves the problem of embedded home appliances' doors not being able to close completely. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic door opening device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic door opening device provided in an embodiment of the present invention after the upper housing has been removed;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a top view of the automatic door opening device provided in this embodiment of the invention after removing the upper housing;

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic door opening device provided in an embodiment of the present invention after removing the lower housing and circuit board, wherein the push rod is in the initial position;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic door opening device provided in an embodiment of the present invention after removing the lower housing and circuit board, wherein the push rod extends to a first length;

[0039] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic door opening device provided in an embodiment of the present invention after removing the lower housing and circuit board, wherein the push rod extends to the second length;

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the upper shell structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the lower housing and unidirectional damping mechanism involved in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the push rod according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the sixth gear and the tooth-missing gear involved in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0044] In the picture:

[0045] 1. Housing; 11. Opening; 12. Guide rail; 13. Upper housing; 14. Lower housing; 2. Motor; 31. Worm gear; 32. Worm wheel; 321. One-way damping mechanism; 33. First gear; 34. Second gear; 35. Third gear; 36. Fourth gear; 37. Fifth gear; 38. Sixth gear; 39. Gear with missing tooth; 391. Missing tooth section; 392. Compound gear; 4. Push rod; 41. First trigger part; 42. Second trigger part; 43. Third trigger part; 44. Rack; 45. Anti-collision protection component; 5. First sensor; 6. Two-way sensor; 7. Circuit board; 8. Elastic reset component. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present invention, and not all of the structures.

[0047] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected," "linked," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0048] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature being directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0049] In the description of this invention, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," and "right," etc., refer to the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for ease of description and simplification of operation, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used merely for distinction in description and have no special meaning.

[0050] like Figures 1 to 10As shown, this embodiment provides an automatic door opening device that can be used in household appliances, cabinets, or other devices that require opening and closing doors. This embodiment uses the application of this automatic door opening device in an embedded household appliance as an example for explanation. The automatic door opening device includes a housing 1, which can be fixed to the top of the household appliance. Inside the housing 1 are a motor 2, a transmission assembly, a push rod 4, a first sensor 5, a second sensor, and an elastic reset member 8. The motor 2 is fixed inside the housing 1, and its output end is connected to the transmission assembly to drive the transmission assembly. Specifically, the transmission assembly includes a worm gear 32, a worm 31, a reduction gear assembly, and a toothed gear 39. The worm 31 is connected to the output end of the motor 2 and can rotate with the motor 2. The worm gear 32 meshes with the worm 31 to achieve the transmission of motion and power between two intersecting shafts, resulting in a large transmission ratio, compact structure, and smooth transmission. The worm gear 32 is connected to the reduction gear assembly and can drive the reduction gear assembly to rotate. The reduction gear assembly is connected to the toothed gear 39 and can drive the toothed gear 39 to rotate. In this embodiment, a guide rail 12 extending along the axis of the push rod 4 is provided inside the housing 1. An opening 11 is provided on the side wall of the housing 1. The push rod 4 is slidably connected to the guide rail 12 and can extend out of the housing 1 through the opening 11. A rack 44 is provided on the push rod 4. A toothed gear 39 can mesh with the rack 44 to drive the push rod 4 out of the housing 1 and push open the door. The toothed gear 39 is provided with a toothed part 391, which does not mesh with the rack 44 so that the push rod 4 can retract into the housing 1. The push rod 4 is equipped with a first trigger part 41 and a second trigger part 42. When the toothed gear 39 pushes the push rod 4 outward to the first length, the toothed gear 39 is not disengaged from the rack 44. At this time, the first trigger part 41 triggers the first sensor 5, which transmits a signal to the motor 2, causing the motor 2 to stop rotating. The stopping time should ensure that the user has enough time to open the door. When the toothed gear 39 pushes the push rod 4 outward to the second length, the toothed gear 39 disengages from the rack 44. At this time, the second trigger part 42 triggers the second sensor, which transmits a signal to the motor 2, causing the motor 2 to stop rotating. Specifically, when the push rod 4 extends outward to the first length, the toothed gear 39 and the rack 44 are in a position about to disengage. The first length should ensure that the door is pushed open at a sufficiently large angle to facilitate manual operation by the user. The second length of the push rod 4 is the maximum extension length of the push rod 4, and the second length is slightly greater than the first length. One end of the elastic reset member 8 is connected to the housing 1, and the other end is connected to the push rod 4. When the push rod 4 extends outward to the second length and the toothed gear 39 disengages from the rack 44, the elastic reset member 8 can drive the push rod 4 to retract into the housing 1, and the rack 44 can slide over the toothed part 391.

[0051] The automatic door opening device provided in this embodiment, based on the opening characteristics of embedded home appliances, uses a motor 2 to drive a toothed gear 39 to rotate. The toothed gear 39 meshes with a rack 44 on a push rod 4, thereby causing the push rod 4 to extend out of the housing 1 and push the door open a certain distance to overcome the closing force of the door stop or folding hinge of the home appliance. When the toothed gear 39 and the rack 44 are about to disengage, the first trigger part 41 triggers the first sensor 5, causing the motor 2 to stop for a preset time. At this time, the user can manually open the door. (The purpose of the preset time pause of the motor 2 is to facilitate the user to manually open the door, because although the door is pushed open at this time, it is still within the closing force range of the folding hinge. If the motor 2 does not stop, the toothed gear 39 and the rack 44 will disengage, and the elastic reset part 8 will pull the push rod 4 back, so that the door will still move towards the housing and close.) After a preset pause, motor 2 continues to rotate until the toothed gear 39 disengages from the rack 44. At this point, the second trigger 42 triggers the second sensor, causing motor 2 to stop rotating. The elastic reset component 8 drives the push rod 4 to quickly return to its original position, ensuring smooth closing of the door. (The purpose of using the elastic reset component 8 to quickly pull back the push rod 4 is that if motor 2 is reversed to retract the push rod 4, the speed will be slower, which may result in obstruction when the door closes, a decrease in the force of the stop or folding hinge to close the door, and the flip beam failing to close properly.) This completes the opening of the household appliance and the reset of the push rod 4.

[0052] The automatic door opening device of this embodiment is applied to embedded home appliances. It can overcome the forces of the magnetic door seal, stop, and hinge of the embedded home appliance, opening the door of the appliance to a certain angle, making it convenient for the user to manually open the door. It can also achieve rapid automatic reset of the push rod 4, avoiding obstruction when the door closes. This embodiment effectively improves the smoothness of the door opening process, increases the door opening angle, reduces the time required to open the door, and solves the problem of embedded home appliances' doors not being able to close completely.

[0053] In this embodiment, in order to detect whether the push rod 4 has been accurately reset, a third trigger part 43 is also provided on the push rod 4, and a third sensor is provided inside the housing 1. When the push rod 4 retracts into the housing 1 to the initial position under the action of the elastic reset member 8, the third trigger part 43 can trigger the third sensor, and the third sensor feeds back the signal to the controller to determine that the push rod 4 has been reset at this time.

[0054] To simplify the configuration of the push rod 4, in this embodiment, the push rod 4 is a one-piece structure. The first trigger part 41 is a first stepped surface disposed on the push rod 4, the second trigger part 42 is a second stepped surface disposed on the push rod 4, and the third trigger part 43 is a third stepped surface disposed on the push rod 4. Specifically, the second stepped surface is located away from the extended end of the push rod 4, and the third stepped surface is located near the extended end of the push rod 4. The second and third stepped surfaces are opposite each other, that is, the second and third stepped surfaces are located at opposite ends of the same groove. The first stepped surface is also located away from the extended end of the push rod 4. The first and second stepped surfaces are located in different grooves, and the first stepped surface is further away from the extended end of the push rod 4 than the second stepped surface. Furthermore, a circuit board 7 is also fixed inside the housing 1. The circuit board 7 is located near the opening 11 of the housing 1. The first sensor 5, the second sensor, and the third sensor are all mounted on the circuit board 7. The second and third sensors are closer to the opening 11 of the housing 1 than the first sensor 5. With this configuration, when the push rod 4 extends outward to a first length, the first stepped surface can activate the first sensor 5; when the push rod 4 continues to extend outward to a second length, the second stepped surface can activate the second sensor; and when the push rod 4 retracts inward to its initial position, the third stepped surface can activate the third sensor. In this invention, the second and third sensors can be two separate sensors, or they can be a single integrated bidirectional sensor 6. Preferably, in this embodiment, the second and third sensors are a single integrated bidirectional sensor 6, making the structure of the automatic door opening device more compact. This embodiment, by setting different stepped surfaces on the push rod 4 for sensing corresponding sensors, enables precise control of each working stage of the automatic opening and closing device, improves the smoothness of the door opening process, increases the door opening angle, reduces the time required for opening, and eliminates the risk of the embedded refrigerator door not closing completely.

[0055] In this embodiment, the reduction gear assembly includes a first gear 33, a second gear 34, a third gear 35, a fourth gear 36, a fifth gear 37, and a sixth gear 38 rotatably mounted within the housing 1. The first gear 33 is coaxially arranged with the worm gear 32 and can rotate with it. The second gear 34 meshes with the first gear 33, and the number of teeth on the second gear 34 is greater than the number of teeth on the first gear 33, to achieve a first-stage reduction in speed of the worm gear 32. The third gear 35 is coaxially arranged with the second gear 34 and can rotate with it. The fourth gear 36 meshes with the third gear 38. The worm gear 32 is meshed with the fourth gear 36, which has more teeth than the third gear 35, to achieve a two-stage reduction in speed. The fifth gear 37 is coaxial with the fourth gear 36 and can rotate with it. The sixth gear 38 meshes with the fifth gear 37, and has more teeth than it, to achieve a three-stage reduction in speed. The toothless gear 39 is coaxial with the sixth gear 38 and can rotate with it. The toothless gear 39 also meshes with the fifth gear 37 to increase the driving force on the toothless gear 39. This embodiment uses multi-stage reduction transmission to convert the high operating speed of the motor 2 into smooth sliding of the push rod 4.

[0056] Optionally, in this embodiment, the first gear 33 and the worm gear 32 are integrally formed, the second gear 34 and the third gear 35 are integrally formed, and the fourth gear 36 and the fifth gear 37 are integrally formed; the toothless gear 39 and the sixth gear 38 are also integrally formed, and the meshing teeth of the toothless gear 39 and part of the meshing teeth on the sixth gear 38 are integrally formed into a composite tooth 392, which extends along the axial direction of the sixth gear 38. During the meshing process of the toothless gear 39 and the rack 44, the fifth gear 37 meshes with the composite tooth 392, at which time the transmission force is relatively large to drive the push rod 4 to extend; after the toothless gear 39 and the rack 44 disengage, the fifth gear 37 only meshes with the other teeth on the sixth gear 38 other than the composite tooth 392, at which time the transmission force is relatively small.

[0057] Optionally, a one-way damping mechanism 321 is also provided on the shaft of the worm gear 32 to increase the resistance to the reverse rotation of the worm gear 32. This resistance is used to resist the original closing force from the embedded door when the opening angle is small, so that the automatic door opening device can remain in the state of pushing the door open without being pushed back. It can also be used to manually close the door with a slightly larger pushing force when the push rod 4 stops at the intermediate position due to special circumstances, thereby pushing the push rod 4 back to its initial position. Specifically, this one-way damping structure is a torsion spring. It should be noted that the one-way damping mechanism 321 is not limited to being provided on the shaft of the worm gear 32; it can also be provided on other parts of the worm gear 32 or on the reduction gear assembly, which can also achieve the effect of increasing the resistance to the door being pushed back. Optionally, the elastic reset member 8 in this embodiment is a simple tension spring, which is arranged parallel to the axis of the push rod 4. Furthermore, the extended end of the push rod 4 is also provided with an anti-collision protective component 45 to reduce the impact between the push rod 4 and the door body during the opening process, avoid damage to the door body, and reduce noise. Preferably, the aforementioned anti-collision protective component 45 is a flexible sleeve made of plastic or rubber. Furthermore, to facilitate the installation of the motor 2, transmission components, push rod 4, various sensors, and elastic reset component 8, the housing 1 of this embodiment has a split structure, including a detachably connected upper housing 13 and lower housing 14, wherein both the upper housing 13 and the lower housing 14 are provided with guide rails 12, and the two guide rails 12 are arranged opposite each other to facilitate the sliding of the push rod 4; both the upper housing 13 and the lower housing 14 are provided with openings 11, and the two openings 11 are arranged opposite each other so that the push rod 4 can pass through them.

[0058] This embodiment also provides a household appliance, including a housing and a door rotatably connected to the housing, and the aforementioned automatic door opening device, which is fixed to the housing. A push rod 4 can push the door open. This embodiment improves the smoothness of the door opening process, increases the door opening angle, reduces the time required to open the door, and solves the problem of the door of a built-in household appliance not being able to close completely. Specifically, the aforementioned household appliance can be a refrigerator, oven, steam oven, dishwasher, etc. For example, the household appliance in this embodiment is a built-in refrigerator.

[0059] This embodiment also provides an automatic door opening method, including the following steps:

[0060] First, the household appliance receives the door opening signal. At this time, the push rod 4 is in the initial position, and the third trigger part 43 cooperates with the third sensor to sense the door. The controller controls the motor 2 to start rotating to drive the toothed gear 39 to rotate. The toothed gear 39 drives the push rod 4 to extend out of the housing 1, pushing the door open a certain distance to overcome the closing force of the door stop or folding hinge of the household appliance.

[0061] Next, when the push rod 4 extends outward to the first length, the toothed gear 39 and the rack 44 of the push rod 4 are about to disengage. At this time, the first trigger part 41 triggers the first sensor 5, and the first sensor 5 feeds back the signal to the controller. The controller controls the motor 2 to stop rotating, and the user can manually open the door.

[0062] When motor 2 stops rotating for a preset time and then continues to rotate, when push rod 4 extends outward to the second length, the toothed gear 39 disengages from the rack 44 of push rod 4. At this time, the second trigger part 42 triggers the second sensor, which feeds a signal back to the controller. The controller then controls motor 2 to stop rotating. Simultaneously, the elastic reset member 8 drives push rod 4 to quickly retract into housing 1 to avoid affecting the smooth closing of the door. Alternatively, when motor 2 stops rotating for a preset time and then continues to rotate, if toothed gear 39 and rack 44 of push rod 4 have not disengaged, motor 2 is controlled to rotate in the opposite direction to drive toothed gear 39 to rotate in the opposite direction. Toothed gear 39 drives push rod 4 to retract into housing 1, and the door closes slowly with push rod 4.

[0063] It should be noted that the automatic door opening device of the present invention can be applied to two different application scenarios of different household appliances. The first scenario is: as mentioned in the background art, "for French or European refrigerators with a flip beam, if the closing speed is slow, it may not be able to close completely", which requires a fast "elastic reset member 8 to drive the push rod 4 to retract into the housing 1". The second scenario is: for doors without a flip beam or for doors that need to close silently, the motor 2 needs to be reversed to drive the push rod 4 to retract into the housing 1 at a slower speed through the toothed gear 39 that has not disengaged from the mesh.

[0064] When the push rod 4 retracts into the housing 1 to its initial position, the third triggering part 43 triggers the third sensor, which feeds back a signal to the controller to confirm that the door opening and push rod 4 reset actions have been completed.

[0065] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will be able to make various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively describe all embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic door opening device, characterized in that, include: Shell (1); The motor (2) is disposed inside the housing (1); A transmission assembly is connected to the motor (2) for transmission. The transmission assembly includes a toothed gear (39) and a toothed part (391) is provided on the toothed gear (39). A push rod (4) is slidably disposed inside the housing (1). A rack (44) is provided on the push rod (4). The toothed gear (39) can mesh with the rack (44) to drive the push rod (4) to extend out of the housing (1) and push open the door. A first trigger part (41) and a second trigger part (42) are provided on the push rod (4). The first sensor (5) is located inside the housing (1). When the toothed gear (39) pushes the push rod (4) outward to the first length, the toothed gear (39) does not disengage from the rack (44). At this time, the first triggering part (41) triggers the first sensor (5). The first sensor (5) is connected to the motor (2) to make the motor (2) stop rotating. The second sensor is located inside the housing (1). When the toothed gear (39) pushes the push rod (4) outward to the second length, the toothed gear (39) disengages from the rack (44). At this time, the second triggering part (42) triggers the second sensor. The second sensor is connected to the motor (2) to make the motor (2) stop rotating. An elastic reset member (8) is disposed inside the housing (1). One end of the elastic reset member (8) is connected to the housing (1), and the other end is connected to the push rod (4). When the toothed gear (39) disengages from the rack (44), the elastic reset member (8) can drive the push rod (4) to retract into the housing (1), and the rack (44) can slide over the toothed part (391).

2. The automatic door opening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The push rod (4) is also provided with a third trigger part (43), and a third sensor is provided inside the housing (1). When the push rod (4) retracts into the housing (1) to the initial position, the third trigger part (43) triggers the third sensor, and the push rod (4) completes the reset at this time.

3. The automatic door opening device according to claim 2, characterized in that, A circuit board (7) is also provided inside the housing (1), and the first sensor (5), the second sensor, and the third sensor are all mounted on the circuit board (7); and / or, The first trigger part (41) is a first step surface provided on the push rod (4), the second trigger part (42) is a second step surface provided on the push rod (4), and the third trigger part (43) is a third step surface provided on the push rod (4).

4. The automatic door opening device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second sensor and the third sensor are two separate sensors, or the second sensor and the third sensor are an integrated bidirectional sensor (6).

5. The automatic door opening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic reset element (8) is a spring, and the spring is arranged parallel to the axial direction of the push rod (4); and / or, The housing (1) is provided with a guide rail (12) extending along the axial direction of the push rod (4), and the push rod (4) is slidably connected to the guide rail (12); and / or, The extended end of the push rod (4) is provided with an anti-collision protective component (45).

6. The automatic door opening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission assembly also includes a worm gear (32), a worm (31), and a reduction gear assembly. The worm (31) is connected to the output end of the motor (2). The worm gear (32) is meshed with the worm (31). The worm gear (32) is connected to the reduction gear assembly to drive the reduction gear assembly to rotate. The reduction gear assembly is connected to the toothed gear (39) to drive the toothed gear (39) to rotate.

7. The automatic door opening device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The worm gear (32) and / or the reduction gear assembly are provided with a one-way damping mechanism (321).

8. The automatic door opening device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The reduction gear assembly includes: a first gear (33) coaxially arranged with the worm gear (32), a second gear (34) meshing with the first gear (33), a third gear (35) coaxially arranged with the second gear (34), a fourth gear (36) meshing with the third gear (35), a fifth gear (37) coaxially arranged with the fourth gear (36), and a sixth gear (38) meshing with the fifth gear (37). The sixth gear (38) is coaxially arranged with the toothless gear (39), and the toothless gear (39) can also mesh with the fifth gear (37). The number of teeth of the second gear (34) is greater than the number of teeth of the first gear (33), the number of teeth of the fourth gear (36) is greater than the number of teeth of the third gear (35), and the number of teeth of the sixth gear (38) is greater than the number of teeth of the fifth gear (37).

9. The automatic door opening device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first gear (33) and the worm gear (32) are integrally formed, the second gear (34) and the third gear (35) are integrally formed, and the fourth gear (36) and the fifth gear (37) are integrally formed; the meshing teeth of the toothless gear (39) and the meshing teeth of the sixth gear (38) are integrally formed into a composite tooth (392), and the composite tooth (392) extends along the axial direction of the sixth gear (38).

10. A household appliance, comprising a housing and a door rotatably connected to the housing, characterized in that, It also includes an automatic door opening device as described in any one of claims 1-9, the automatic door opening device being disposed on the housing, and the push rod (4) being capable of pushing the door to open.

11. An automatic door opening method, characterized in that, include: Upon receiving the door opening signal, the motor (2) rotates to drive the toothed gear (39) to rotate. The toothed gear (39) drives the push rod (4) to extend out of the housing (1), and the push rod (4) pushes the door to open. When the push rod (4) extends outward to the first length, the toothed gear (39) and the rack (44) of the push rod (4) do not disengage. At this time, the first trigger part (41) triggers the first sensor (5), and the first sensor (5) transmits the signal to the motor (2), and the motor (2) stops rotating so that the user can manually open the door. After the motor (2) stops rotating for a preset time, it continues to rotate. When the push rod (4) extends outward to the second length, the toothed gear (39) disengages from the rack (44) of the push rod (4). At this time, the second trigger (42) triggers the second sensor, which transmits a signal to the motor (2), and the motor (2) stops rotating. The elastic reset member (8) drives the push rod (4) to retract into the housing (1). Alternatively, after the motor (2) stops rotating for a preset time, it continues to rotate. When the toothed gear (39) and the rack (44) of the push rod (4) have not disengaged, the motor (2) rotates in the opposite direction to drive the toothed gear (39) to rotate in the opposite direction. The toothed gear (39) drives the push rod (4) to retract into the housing (1), and the door closes slowly with the push rod (4). When the push rod (4) retracts into the housing (1) to its initial position, the third triggering part (43) triggers the third sensor, at which point the push rod (4) completes its reset.

Images