JP6325388B2 - Door operation assist device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a door operation assisting device provided with a motor as a drive source for assisting operation of a door.

  In the refrigerator, the door needs to be in close contact with the main body on which the storage is formed so that the cool air in the storage does not escape. As described in Patent Document 1, a configuration is known in which a door is brought into close contact with a main body by a magnet when the storage is closed, and the power of a motor is used when the storage is opened.

JP 2005-299314 A

  However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, since the door is in close contact with the main body by the magnet, a large motor torque is required when the storage is opened. On the other hand, although the structure which does not use a magnet is also considered, if the door is not urged | biased in the closing direction by the motor at the time of closing of a storage, the sealed state of a storage will not be maintained. Moreover, the structure of patent document 1 is a structure which opens and closes a door with a motor, and the use at the time of a power failure is impossible. In particular, when a power failure occurs when the door is open, the storage cannot be closed, and the temperature in the warehouse rises before the power failure is restored.

  As described above, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, many troubles may occur in use, and usability is poor.

  In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve the usability of a door operation assisting device provided with a motor as a drive source for assisting the operation of the door.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a door operation assisting device that assists in the operation of a door that opens and closes an opening formed in an apparatus body, and a rotor that is rotatably attached to the door. A case for housing and supporting the rotor, a motor for rotating the case, a torsion coil spring having one end supported by the rotor and the other end supported by the case, and a holder provided in the device body A first cam surface that can gradually come into contact with an engagement portion formed on the rotor, and the distance from the rotation center of the door gradually decreases toward the closing direction, and the door A second cam surface having a constant distance from the rotation center is formed, and when opening the door in a state where the opening is closed, the rotor is rotated together with the case by rotating the motor forward. The rotated By pressing the engaging portion of the rotor against the first cam surface, the rotor is rotated to one side relative to the door together with the case by the reaction force from the first cam surface. The door is moved by a predetermined amount in the opening direction, and after the door has moved by a predetermined amount in the opening direction, the motor is reversed and the case is pressed against the second cam surface by pressing the engaging portion of the rotor against the second cam surface. The gist is to rotate the rotor relatively to the other side with respect to the case by a reaction force from the cam surface, and to store elastic energy for urging the door in the closing direction in the torsion coil spring.

  In the door operation assisting device according to the present invention, the motor is rotated forward when the door is opened. When the motor is rotated forward, the engaging portion of the rotor is pressed against the first cam surface, and the reaction force causes the rotor to rotate to one side relative to the door together with the case, and the door moves a predetermined amount in the opening direction. To do. Thus, after moving a predetermined amount in the opening direction, by rotating the motor in the reverse direction, the engaging portion of the rotor receives a reaction force from the second cam surface of the holder, and the rotor is moved to the other side relative to the case. The elastic energy is accumulated in the torsion coil spring. Thus, by rotating the motor forward, the door can be automatically separated from the device body (moved slightly in the opening direction), and then the elastic energy can be accumulated in the torsion coil spring by rotating the motor in reverse. it can. In addition, if a door leaves | separates from an apparatus main body, a door can be easily moved to an arbitrary position in an opening direction (without using a big pull force).

  Since the elastic energy accumulated in this way is used when closing the door, the door can be easily moved in the closing direction. Further, since the motor power is not used during the closing operation and the elastic energy of the torsion coil spring is used, the door can be closed even during a power failure.

  Moreover, the said door in the state which closed the said opening should just be pressed by the said apparatus main body with the elastic energy of the said torsion coil spring.

  Thus, if it is set as the structure by which a door is pressed against an apparatus main body with the elastic energy of a torsion coil spring, a sealed state can be maintained without using the motive power of a motor.

  In the door operation assisting device according to the present invention, the door can be separated from the device main body (moved slightly in the opening direction) by the motor during the opening operation, and the opening operation is easy. In addition, the elastic energy accumulated in the torsion coil spring by the motor during the opening operation is used during the closing operation, and the operation is possible even during a power failure. Thus, according to the present invention, an easy-to-use door operation assisting device can be obtained.

  Further, in the door operation assisting device according to the present invention, the elastic energy is not accumulated in the torsion coil spring while the door is slightly opened by the power of the motor. Since elastic energy is stored, a large motor rotational force is not required when the door is opened slightly. Accordingly, it is possible to use a small motor.

It is the figure which showed the door operation assistance apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention attached to the refrigerator. It is a figure for demonstrating the attachment structure to the refrigerator of the door operation assistance apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is an appearance perspective view of a door operation auxiliary device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is an exploded view of the door operation assistance device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of a holder with which a door operation opening and closing device concerning one embodiment of the present invention is provided. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the door operation assistance apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the door operation assisting apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus that assists in the closing operation of the door 92 that opens and closes the storage entrance 911 (opening) of the refrigerator 90. The refrigerator 90 includes a main body 91 (equipment main body) in which a storage inlet 911 is formed, and a door 92 that opens and closes the storage inlet 911. Brackets 912 are fixed to both sides of the main body 91 below the storage inlet 911. A rotating shaft 913 protrudes from the upper surface of the bracket 912. A holder 30, which will be described in detail later, is supported on the rotating shaft 913, and a door 92 of the refrigerator 90 is rotatably supported. Each member constituting the door operation assisting device 1 is accommodated inside the door 92. 1 shows a state in which one of the doors 92 (excluding the lower wall portion 921) is removed in order to clearly show the door operation assisting device 1, but the same position ( The door auxiliary device 1 is provided at a symmetrical position with respect to the center line of the main body 91.

(Configuration of door operation assist device)
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the door operation assisting device 1 includes a rotor 10, a torsion coil spring 20, a holder 30, a motor 70, and an upper housing 60 (corresponding to a case in the present invention). Prepare. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

  The rotor 10 is a member that is rotatably attached to the door 92 of the refrigerator 90, and is an engagement that is a cylindrical main body 11 and a protrusion that protrudes laterally from the lower side of the main body 11. And a first spring hooking portion 13 formed on the upper surface of the engaging portion 12. The lower housing 40 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower wall portion 921 of the door 92 of the refrigerator 90. That is, the lower housing 40 moves integrally with the door 92. The lower housing 40 constitutes a case of the door operation assisting device 1 together with an upper housing 60 described later. In this case, various members (excluding the holder 30) constituting the door operation assisting device 1 are accommodated.

  The lower housing 40 is formed with a rotor support portion 41 that is a space of a predetermined size that opens upward. The size of the rotor support portion 41 is slightly larger than the main body portion 11 of the rotor 10, and can support the main body portion 11 of the rotor 10 so as to be freely rotatable. The rotor support portion 41 is opened with a part of the side wall notched (hereinafter, this opening is referred to as a rotation restricting portion 42). When the main body portion 11 of the rotor 10 is accommodated in the rotor support portion 41, the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is in a state of protruding from the rotation restricting portion 42. That is, the rotor 10 can rotate within the rotor support portion 41 within the range of the rotation restricting portion 42. Specifically, from the state in which the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is in contact with one side edge 421 (side edge along the rotation shaft 913) of the rotation restricting portion 42, the other side edge 422 (rotation shaft 913). Can be rotated within a range that is in contact with the side edge).

  The first spring hooking portion 13 of the rotor 10 is a substantially triangular protrusion protruding upward from the upper surface of the engaging portion 12. On the other hand, the upper housing 60, which will be described in detail later, is formed with a second spring hooking portion 63 which is a space inside the protruding portion protruding toward the side. One end 21 and the other end 22 of the torsion coil spring 20 are hooked on the first spring hook 13 and the second spring hook 63. Specifically, in a state where the main body 11 of the rotor 10 is inserted inside the torsion coil spring 20, one end 21 of the torsion coil spring 20 bent in a substantially V shape is hooked on the first spring hook 13. Similarly, the other end 22 of the torsion coil spring 20 bent in a substantially V shape is hooked on the second spring hook 63.

  The holder 30 whose details are shown in FIG. 5 is a member that controls the relative rotation of the rotor 10 with respect to the lower housing 40. A through hole 32 is formed in the holder 30. The holder 30 is fixed to the main body 91 of the refrigerator 90 by inserting the rotating shaft 913 of the refrigerator 90 into the through hole 32. A cam surface 31 that controls the relative rotation of the rotor 10 with respect to the lower housing 40 is formed on the outer surface of the holder 30. The cam surface 31 includes a first cam surface 311, a second cam surface 312, and a third cam surface 313.

  The first cam surface 311 is a peripheral surface from the bottom surface of the recess 301 formed in the holder 30 to the opening of the recess 301. Such a peripheral surface is a region where the distance from the rotation center (through hole 32) of the door 92 changes. Specifically, the distance from the rotation center (rotary shaft 913) of the door 92 is gradually decreased toward the closing direction (the main body 91 (storage inlet 911) side of the refrigerator 90). In other words, the distance from the rotation center (rotary shaft 913) of the door 92 gradually increases in the opening direction (the direction away from the main body 91 (storage inlet 911) of the refrigerator 90). The second cam surface 312 is a circumferential surface in a direction away from the main body 91 of the refrigerator 90. The peripheral surface is a region where the distance from the rotation center (through hole 32) of the door 92 is constant. The third cam surface 313 is a surface that is continuous with the second cam surface 312 and faces the first cam surface 311 in the recess 301. The third cam surface 313 is also formed so that the distance from the rotation center (rotary shaft 913) of the door 92 gradually decreases in the closing direction (the main body 91 (storage inlet 911) side of the refrigerator 90). That is, the distance from the rotation center (rotary shaft 913) of the door 92 gradually increases in the opening direction (the direction away from the main body 91 (storage inlet 911) of the refrigerator 90).

  The motor 70 is a drive source that rotates the rotor 10. In the present embodiment, the rotor is rotated via the tooth wheel train 72 and the upper housing 60. Specifically, it is as follows.

  A worm gear 71 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 70. The worm gear 71 is meshed with the large-diameter tooth portion of the first gear 721. The small-diameter tooth portion of the first gear 721 meshes with the large-diameter tooth portion of the second gear 722. The small-diameter tooth portion of the second gear 722 meshes with the large-diameter tooth portion of the third gear 723. The third gear 723 has a fan tooth portion, and this fan tooth portion meshes with the drive tooth portion 62 of the upper housing 60. That is, when the motor 70 is driven, the power is transmitted to the upper housing 60 via the toothed wheel train 72 including the first gear 721, the second gear 722, and the third gear 723.

  The upper housing 60 forms a case of the apparatus together with the lower housing 40. Since the upper spring 60 is formed with the second spring hook 63 as described above, when the power of the motor 70 is transmitted to the upper housing 60, the rotor 10 tries to rotate via the upper housing 60. To do. In the present embodiment, when the motor 70 rotates in the forward direction, the rotor 10 tends to rotate in a direction in which the engaging portion 12 is pressed against the first cam surface 311 of the holder 30.

  The upper housing 60 has a cylindrical portion 61 provided with a linearly cut portion (so-called D-cut portion). An oil damper 50 is inserted into the tubular portion 61. That is, the oil damper 50 rotates integrally with the upper housing 60. When the rotor 10 is about to rotate relative to the lower housing 40 fixed to the door 92, specifically, when the door 92 is closed, the oil damper 50 is moved to the door 92. This brake acts in a direction to suppress the inertial force generated in That is, it is possible to prevent the door 92 from becoming too vigorous when the door 92 is closed. Since a well-known configuration can be applied as the configuration of the oil damper 50, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Operation of door operation assist device)
The operation (operation) of the door operation assisting apparatus 1 having such a configuration will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

  The opening operation of the door 92 will be described. When the storage inlet 911 of the refrigerator 90 shown in FIG. 6A is closed by the door 92, the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is in a state of entering the recess 301 of the holder 30. In this embodiment, even in such a closed state, the urging force of the torsion coil spring 20 acts on the rotor 10. Specifically, the door 92 of the refrigerator 90 is acted in a direction to urge the door 92 in the closing direction. That is, the door 92 is in close contact with the main body 91 by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 20, and the storage portion of the refrigerator 90 is completely sealed.

  In this closed state, the motor 70 is rotated forward. When the motor 70 is rotated forward, the rotor 10 supported by the rotor support portion 41 of the lower housing 40 tries to rotate in a direction in which the engaging portion 12 is pressed against the first cam surface 311 of the holder 30. When the engaging portion 12 is pressed against the first cam surface 311 in this way, the rotor 10 rotates to one side by the reaction force from the first cam surface 311. Thus, when the rotor 10 rotates to one side, the door 92 moves in the opening direction together with the lower housing 40 on which the rotor 10 is supported by the reaction force from the first cam surface 311. That is, the rotor 10 and the lower housing 40 move so as to draw an arcuate locus centering on the rotation shaft 913 (see FIG. 6B).

  In the present embodiment, the rotation of the door 29 is set so as to continue while the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is in contact with the first cam surface 311. That is, the reaction force generated when the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is pressed against the first cam surface 311 is set to be a force sufficient to rotate the door 92 in the opening direction. Therefore, the door 92 is opened until the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is separated from the first cam surface 311. That is, in the present embodiment, the process is automatically performed by the motor 70 from the closed state of the door 92 to the slightly opened state. The subsequent opening operation is performed manually. Generally, the opening operation of the door 92 requires the greatest pulling force when the state where the door 92 is in close contact with the main body 91. Therefore, as long as the close state is eliminated, Subsequent opening operation can be easily performed. The door operation assisting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the state in which the door 92 is in close contact with the main body 91 can be automatically resolved by the motor 70 based on this viewpoint.

  In this way, when the door 92 is slightly opened and the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 reaches the position facing the second cam surface 312 of the holder 30, the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is moved to the holder by reversing the motor 70. 30 second cam surfaces 312 are contacted. When the motor 70 is further reversed, the rotor 10 rotates relative to the upper housing 60 by the reaction force from the second cam surface 312. One end 21 of the torsion coil spring 20 is hooked on the first spring hooking portion 13 of the rotor 10, and the other end 22 is hooked on the second spring hooking portion 63 of the upper housing 60. Then, when it is relatively rotated to the other side, elastic energy is accumulated in the torsion coil spring 20 (see FIG. 6C). Since the distance from the rotation center of the door 92 is constant, the second cam surface 312 does not release the elastic energy accumulated in the torsion coil spring 20 even if the driving (reverse rotation) of the motor 70 is stopped. . When the engagement portion 12 is in contact with the second cam surface 312, the door 92 is further rotated in the opening direction, whereby the storage inlet 911 of the main body 91 shown in FIG. 6D is largely opened.

  The closing operation of the door 92 will be described. In this embodiment, all closing operations of the door 92 are performed manually. When the door 92 in the open state shown in FIG. 6D is rotated in the closing direction, the lower housing 40 fixed to the door 92 moves together with the door 92. When the lower housing 40 moves in this way, the rotor 10 supported by the rotor support portion 41 of the lower housing 40 also moves. When the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is in contact with the second cam surface 312 of the holder 30 after starting to rotate the door 92 in the closing direction, the elastic energy accumulated in the torsion coil spring 20 is not released.

  When the door 92 is further rotated in the closing direction from the state shown in FIG. 6C, the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is separated from the second cam surface 312. Then, the elastic energy accumulated in the torsion coil spring 20 is released, and the rotor 10 rotates relative to the lower housing 40 (door 92) by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 20. When the rotor 10 is relatively rotated in this direction, the engaging portion 12 shown in FIG. 6B comes into contact with the third cam surface 313. In such a state, the rotor 10 is prevented from rotating to the other side, so that the urging force of the torsion coil spring 20 is transmitted to the door 92 via the lower housing 40. As described above, when the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is in contact with the third cam surface 313, the closing operation of the door 92 is assisted by the elastic energy of the torsion coil spring 20. That is, the third cam surface 313 functions as a region (energy release region) for releasing the energy accumulated in the torsion coil spring 20 during the opening operation when the door 92 is closed. Since the lower housing 40 and the upper housing 60 are not connected, the urging force of the torsion coil spring 20 is not transmitted to the upper housing 60.

  If the door 92 is rotated in the closing direction as it is, the rotor 10 moves in a state where the engagement portion 12 of the rotor 10 is in contact with the third cam surface 313. Since the third cam surface 313 is formed such that the distance from the rotation center of the door 92 gradually decreases in the closing direction, the elastic energy accumulated in the torsion coil spring 20 is used to close the door 92. As shown in FIG. 6A, the storage inlet 911 is finally closed by the door 92. As described above, even when the storage inlet 911 is completely closed, the elastic energy of the torsion coil spring 20 remains. That is, the door 92 is pressed against the periphery of the storage inlet 911 by the elastic energy of the torsion coil spring 20, and the airtightness of the storage inlet 911 is maintained.

  In the closing operation of the door 92, when the door 92 is operated vigorously, the first cam surface 311 provided in the holder 30 functions. As described above, the first cam surface 311 faces the third cam surface 313. Specifically, one side surface of the recess 301 of the holder 30 is the third cam surface 313, and the other side surface is the first cam surface 311. When the door 92 is vigorously closed, the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 may not come into contact with the third cam surface 313 due to a large inertial force generated on the door 92 after the engagement portion 12 is separated from the second cam surface 312. There is. If the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 does not contact the third cam surface 313 and is in a separated state, the elastic energy of the torsion coil spring 20 does not act on the door 92.

  In this embodiment, when the door 92 is vigorously operated and the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 does not contact the third cam surface 313 in this embodiment, the engaging portion 12 faces the third cam surface 313. The first cam surface 311 to be contacted. Therefore, by contacting the first cam surface 311, the rotor 10 receives a rotational force from the first cam surface 311, and the rotational force (moment) is transmitted to the oil damper 50, and the door 92 is driven by the braking action of the oil damper 50. The closing speed is braked. When the closing speed is braked by the oil damper 50, the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is rotated by the elastic energy accumulated in the torsion coil spring 20, moves away from the first cam surface 311, and contacts the third cam surface 313. . When the engaging portion 12 comes into contact with the third cam surface 313 in this way, the elastic energy of the torsion coil spring 20 in the closing direction acts on the door 92. That is, even when the door 92 is vigorously operated, the state where the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is in contact with the third cam surface 313 is maintained by the first cam surface 311. The door 92 can be smoothly closed while using the accumulated elastic energy.

  As described above, in the door operation assisting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the motor 70 is rotated forward when the door 92 is opened. When the motor 70 is rotated forward, the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is pressed against the first cam surface 311, and the rotor 10 rotates to one side by the reaction force, and the door 92 moves by a predetermined amount in the opening direction. In other words, the door 92 can be automatically separated from the main body 91 by the motor 70 (moved slightly in the opening direction). Further, when the door 92 is opened and the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 reaches a position facing the second cam surface 312 of the holder 30, the engaging portion 12 of the rotor 10 is moved to the first position of the holder 30 by reversing the motor 70. Press against the two-cam surface 312. Due to this reaction force, elastic energy is accumulated in the torsion coil spring 20.

  On the other hand, when the door 92 is closed, the door 92 is manually moved in the closing direction. At this time, since the elastic energy accumulated by the motor 70 during the opening operation is used, the door 92 can be easily moved in the closing direction. Further, since the power of the motor 70 is not used during the closing operation and the elastic energy of the torsion coil spring 20 is used, the door 92 can be closed even during a power failure.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door operation assistance apparatus 10 Rotor 11 Main part 12 Engagement part 20 Torsion coil spring 30 Holder 31 Cam surface 311 First cam surface 312 Second cam surface 313 Third cam surface 70 Motor 90 Refrigerator 91 Main body 911 Storage entrance 92 Door

Claims (2)

In the door operation assisting device that assists the operation of the door that opens and closes the opening formed in the device body,
A rotor mounted to be rotatable relative to the door;
A case for accommodating and supporting the rotor;
A motor for rotating the case;
A torsion coil spring having one end supported by the rotor and the other end supported by the case;
A holder provided in the device body,
The holder has a first cam surface with which the engaging portion formed on the rotor can come into contact, the distance from the rotation center of the door gradually decreasing toward the closing direction, and from the rotation center of the door. A second cam surface having a constant distance is formed,
When opening the door in a state in which the opening is closed, the motor is rotated forward to rotate the rotor together with the case and press the engaging portion of the rotor against the first cam surface. , By the reaction force from the first cam surface, the rotor is rotated together with the case to one side relative to the door to move the door in the opening direction by a predetermined amount,
After the door has moved a predetermined amount in the opening direction, the motor is rotated in the reverse direction, and the case is pressed against the second cam surface by pressing the engagement portion of the rotor with the reaction force from the second cam surface. A door operation assisting device that accumulates elastic energy that is rotated relative to the case to the other side and biases the door in a closing direction in the torsion coil spring.   The door operation assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the door in a state where the opening is closed is pressed against the device main body by elastic energy of the torsion coil spring.

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