Home appliance having door coupled to front surface of home appliance

Abstract

When the present invention is applied to a home appliance, such as a refrigerator, a washing machine, a dishwasher, a cosmetic refrigerator, a rice refrigerator, a heating cabinet, a freezer, etc., having a door on the front surface of the appliance, it is not necessary to leave space for the door to open, and thus has the advantage of increasing space utilization efficiency when a user installs and uses the appliance. In addition, since a reducer motor opens the door, not only is convenience improved, but various attempts at innovating the design of the appliance are enabled, and thus the distribution of hingeless appliances is expected to be invigorated.

Description

An appliance with a door attached to the front of the appliance

[0001] The present invention relates to a home appliance having a door, which improves the method of opening and closing the door, thereby increasing the efficiency of space utilization in which the home appliance is installed and used, and at the same time improving the convenience of use.

[0002] When using home appliances with doors, such as refrigerators and washing machines, the first thing to consider is securing space in front of the appliance so that the door can open. Furthermore, if the door must be lifted upward to open, space must be secured at the top of the appliance for the door to open. This is because the door is connected to the main body of the appliance using a hinge, so the door opens by rotating left and right on the front of the appliance, or by lifting up from the top of the appliance and rotating. In the present invention, hinges are not used to connect the main body and the door. In home appliances using the present invention, objects can be placed on top of the appliance, and there is no need to secure a separate space in front of the door. A space slightly larger than the door thickness (approximately 1.5 times the door thickness) is sufficient in front of the appliance.

[0003] In conventional home appliances with doors, hinges are used to connect the door and the main body, so when a user installs and uses the home appliance, it is necessary to secure a space in the front or top of the home appliance for the door to open, depending on the location of the door attachment, as has already been explained. In home appliances with doors to which the present invention is applied, hinges are not used to connect the door to the main body of the home appliance, so that the door advances toward the front of the home appliance by the thickness of the door, then advances toward the upper front by about 0.5 to 1.5 times the thickness of the door at an angle of about 45°, and moves upward by the same 0.5 to 1.5 times. Thereafter, the door opens by lifting upward.

[0004] In the door of a home appliance to which the present invention is applied, teeth are continuously formed from the inner upper part of the door to the lower part, and a cylindrical gear is formed in the main body of the home appliance to rotate by meshing with the teeth formed in the door, so that a motor having a built-in reduction gear can rotate this cylindrical gear [Gear], and then one leg [Leg] is formed on each of the lower sides of the inner side of the door, and these legs are formed by being inserted into guide rails for determining a path formed on both sides of the inner side of the main body to which the present invention is applied, so that the lower part of the door moves in the direction in which the legs move along the path of the guide rail for determining a path, and the upper part of the door moves as the teeth formed in the door that mesh with the cylindrical gear when the cylindrical gear rotates move. At this time, there is no concern that the lower part of the door will come off from the main body because the legs on both sides of the door are fitted into the path determination rails, but the upper part of the door comes out of the main body and rises upward by about 80 to 90% of the door height, so if the door is pulled from the outside toward the front of the home appliance while the door is open, the upper part of the door can easily come off from the main body and the door will be damaged. In the present invention, in order to solve this problem, two L-shaped ribs for preventing door detachment with the outside open are formed on the left and right sides of the door inside the door, and two bosses for preventing door detachment are formed on each side of the main body, so that a swing arm for preventing door detachment that is fitted into the L-shaped ribs is formed on the bosses.

[0005] Since the door-mounted home appliance according to the present invention does not require a separate space for opening and closing the door on the front or top of the home appliance, the installation and use of the door-mounted home appliance is highly space-efficient. Furthermore, since the door opening and closing is performed by a reduction motor, the door is very convenient to use. Furthermore, since the door-mounted home appliance applying the present invention does not require a handle for each door, various design innovations can be attempted for the door-mounted home appliance. Therefore, it is expected to contribute significantly to the increase in sales of door-mounted home appliances.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an operation of opening by pulling up the door toward the front and closing by lowering it in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0007] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing an operation of opening by pulling down the door toward the front and closing by raising it in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram for wirelessly supplying AC energy to a moisture penetration prevention heater configured on the door frame of a refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] FIG. 4 is a mechanical structure diagram for wirelessly supplying AC energy to a moisture penetration prevention heater configured on the door frame of a refrigerator in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] <Explanation of symbols>

[0011] 1.1 Body of the home appliance

[0012] 1.2 door

[0013] 1.2.1 Toothbrushes configured on the door

[0014] 1.2.2 Left leg configured on the door

[0015] 1.2.3 Right leg configured on the door

[0016] 1.2.4 Left guide rail configured on the body of the home appliance

[0017] 1.2.5 Right guide rail configured on the body of the home appliance

[0018] 1.2.6 Wheel configured on the left leg of the door

[0019] 1.2.7 Wheel configured on the right leg of the door

[0020] 1.2.8 Open part of left guide rail

[0021] 1.2.9 Open part of right guide rail

[0022] 1.2.10 Boss for mounting the swing arm to prevent right-side departure

[0023] 1.2.11 Swingarm to prevent right-side departure

[0024] 1.2.12 Wheel configured on the right swingarm

[0025] 1.2.13 Right side anti-slip rib

[0026] 1.2.14 Boss for mounting the swing arm to prevent left-side departure

[0027] 1.2.15 Swingarm to prevent left-side departure

[0028] 1.2.16 Wheel configured on the left swingarm

[0029] 1.2.17 Left side departure prevention rib

[0030] 1.3 Cylindrical gears

[0031] 2.1 Body of the home appliance

[0032] 2.2 Upper door

[0033] 2.2.1 Teeth configured on the upper door

[0034] 2.2.2 Left leg configured on the upper door

[0035] 2.2.3 Right leg configured on the upper door

[0036] 2.2.4 Left guide rail configured on the upper body

[0037] 2.2.5 Right guide rail configured on the upper body

[0038] 2.2.6 Wheel configured on the left leg of the upper door

[0039] 2.2.7 Wheel configured on the right leg of the upper door

[0040] 2.2.8 Open part of the left guide rail of the upper door

[0041] 2.2.9 Open part of the right guide rail of the upper door

[0042] 2.2.10 Boss for mounting the right swing arm to prevent departure from the upper door

[0043] 2.2.11 Right-side anti-detachment swing arm configured on the upper door

[0044] 2.2.12 Wheel configured on the right swing arm configured on the upper door

[0045] 2.2.13 Right side anti-detachment rib configured on the upper door

[0046] 2.2.14 Boss for mounting the left swing arm to prevent departure from the upper door

[0047] 2.2.15 Left-side anti-detachment swing arm configured on the upper door

[0048] 2.2.16 Wheel configured on the left swing arm configured on the upper door

[0049] 2.2.17 Left side anti-detachment rib configured on the upper door

[0050] 3.1 Oscillator

[0051] 3.2 FET

[0052] 3.3 Primary coil of energy transfer transformer

[0053] 3.4 Secondary coil of energy transfer transformer

[0054] 3.5 Heater to prevent moisture penetration

[0055] 4.1 Body

[0056] 4.1.1 Transformer for energy transmission

[0057] 4.1.2 Bar transformer primary coil for energy transmission

[0058] 4.1.3 Ferrite magnets in energy transmission bar transformers

[0059] 4.2 door

[0060] 4.2.2 Secondary coil of the transformer configured in the door

[0061] The operating principle of the present invention is described in detail with drawings. The configuration diagram of one embodiment is well shown in Fig. 1, in which a door to which the present invention is applied and the main body of a home appliance are connected without using hinges, the door is provided with two ribs, one on each of the left and right sides, for preventing detachment, and the main body is provided with two bosses, one on each of the left and right walls of the main body, for preventing door detachment, and then one swing arm for preventing door detachment is provided on each of the bosses.

[0062] In Fig. 1, when a cylindrical gear [1.3] configured in the main body of the home appliance is rotated clockwise by a built-in reduction motor, the teeth configured in the cylindrical gear and the teeth [1.2.1] configured in the door [1.2] are meshed with each other, so that the upper part of the door [1.2] moves forward a certain distance and then moves upward. The lower part of the door [1.2] is provided with legs [1.2.2 and 1.2.3] on both sides [left and right] and is fitted into left and right path-determining guide rails [1.2.4 and 1.2.5], so that the lower part of the door moves diagonally [forward and upward] along the path. Thereafter, when the cylindrical gear [1.3] continues to rotate clockwise, the door [1.2] moves in the diagonal direction in which the teeth [1.2.1] are pushed, and then moves upward. When opening the door, it is first pushed toward the front of the appliance by at least 1.0 times the door thickness, and then it is pushed diagonally by about 0.7 times the door thickness so as to move toward the front and upward at the same time. After that, it is continuously pushed upward. The reason for pushing the door toward the front of the appliance by at least 1.0 times the door thickness is to prevent the door [1.2] from coming into contact with the main body of the appliance [1.1] even if the door is pushed upward thereafter. This pushing function is made possible by configuring the cylindrical gear configured in the appliance and the teeth [1.2.1] configured in the door so that they mesh, and arranging the teeth [1.2.1] of the door so that they move as intended by the designer. That is, the teeth [1.2.1] located at the top of the door are first arranged inward by a certain number from the starting point, and then a certain number are arranged inward, downward, that is, in a diagonal direction, and then arranged downward to the end of the door. In this way, a cylindrical gear is configured in the body of the home appliance and teeth are arranged in the door, and when the cylindrical gear is rotated clockwise, the door moves toward the front of the home appliance as shown in Fig. 1 and then opens by moving upward.In (2) and (3) of Fig. 1 where the door is open, a door-release prevention swing arm [1.2.11, 1.2.15] is fitted to a door-release prevention rib [1.2.13, 1.2.17] even when the door is pulled toward the front, and this swing arm is connected to a door-release prevention boss [1.2.10, 1.2.14] formed on the left and right walls of the main body, so that the door does not come off even when the door is pulled toward the front of the product. The wheels [1.2.12, 1.2.16] formed on the swing arm are to make the door move smoothly. In addition, when the cylindrical gear [1.3] is rotated counterclockwise, the door [1.2] closes by descending. Furthermore, when two doors are required on the front of an appliance, it is desirable for the door on the upper front to open by lowering toward the front, while the door on the lower front to open by raising toward the front. The upper door should open by lowering toward the front to prevent it from hitting the ceiling when opened.

[0063] The opening and closing of the door as described above is performed by inputting a door open button or a remote control signal. The configuration in which the door opens by coming forward and then coming down is well illustrated in Fig. 2. The wheels [1.2.6 and 1.2.7, 2.2.6, 2.2.7] on the door legs are provided to ensure smooth door opening and closing, and the ends of the guide rails for path determination [1.2.8 and 1.2.9, 2.2.8, 2.2.9] are provided to improve the assembly of the door to the main body.

[0064] When the present invention is applied to a refrigerator, there is no hinge connecting the door and the refrigerator body.

[0065] The door frame of the refrigerator is provided with an elastic pad to prevent moisture from outside from seeping into the refrigerator, and a heater is provided inside the pad. The power supply line for supplying power to the heater is supplied through the hinge that connects the refrigerator body and the door. Therefore, power must be supplied to the heater inside the pad provided on the door frame in a different way from the conventional method. In the refrigerator to which the present invention is applied, it is most preferable to apply a wireless heater power supply method such as the circuit diagram of Fig. 3 and the structure of Fig. 4. That is, when the door is closed, a secondary winding provided on the door is inserted into a magnetic core [ferrite core] having a primary winding provided on the refrigerator body, and the power induced in the secondary winding of the door supplies power to the moisture-preventing heater provided on the door. The power supplied in this way can also be used as a power source for a separate display on the door, if necessary. If there are two or more doors, these cores and windings can be configured for each door as many as the number of doors, and the primary windings can be configured by connecting them in series or parallel as the number of doors. If the primary winding is driven by the secondary winding of an existing SMPS, there is no need to use a separate oscillator. When the present invention is applied to a refrigerator, the upper part of the refrigerator, which is mainly used for refrigeration, may use a door using a hinge, and only the lower part, which is mainly used for freezing, may use the door of the present invention without a hinge. As described above, in home appliances to which the present invention is applied, there is an advantage in that the space utilization efficiency for installing the home appliance can be increased because there is no need to separately consider the space for opening and closing the door on the front of the home appliance. The present invention can be applied to all home appliances, including cosmetic refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, rice refrigerators, warmers, and freezers.

Claims

1. In a home appliance with a door formed on the front of the home appliance, the door is connected to the main body of the home appliance without using a hinge, and when the door is opened by moving to the front and then lifting upward, a cylindrical gear [1.3] is formed on the upper front of the main body [1.1] of the home appliance where the door [1.2] and the main body [1.1] meet, and a tooth [1.2.1] that engages with the cylindrical gear [1.3] and moves is formed on the inside of the door on the door [1.2], and when the cylindrical gear is rotated clockwise, the upper part of the door moves to the front by a certain number of teeth and then moves while rising in a diagonal direction, and thereafter moves upward, so that when the cylindrical gear is rotated clockwise, the upper part of the door opens by rising to the front along the direction in which the teeth arranged on the door are pushed, and when the cylindrical gear is rotated counterclockwise, the upper part of the door closes by lowering, and the door The lower part includes one leg [1.2.

2. and 1.2.3] on each of the left and right sides, and is configured by being fitted into the guide rails [1.2.4 and 1.2.5] for determining direction formed on the lower, left and right sides of the main body, so that the lower part of the door moves along the guide rails for determining direction, and two L-shaped ribs with an open outer side on the door for preventing door detachment are configured on each of the left and right sides [1.2.13, 1.2.17], and two bosses for preventing door detachment are configured on each of the left and right walls of the main body [1.1] for preventing door detachment [1.2.10, 1.2.14], and then two swing arms [1.2.11, 1.2.15] for preventing door detachment are configured to be fitted into the L-shaped ribs on the bosses to prevent the door from being detached to the front. Home appliances 2. In claim 1, the door further includes wheels formed on the legs to make the movement of the door smoother. Home appliances.

3. In claim 1, the door detachment prevention swing arm formed in the main body is further provided with wheels to smooth the movement of the door. Home appliances.

Images