AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENING DEVICE AND REFRIGERATOR HAVING THE SAME

• US 20200131835A1
• Filed: 12/27/2017
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: CHENG, XUELI, FEI, BIN, SHANG, YAZHOU, LIU, JINLIN
• Granted Patent: US 11,448,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/08 spring-actuated , e.g. for horizontally sliding wings counterbalancing sliding or lifting wings E05D; springs per se F16F, e.g. gas-springs F16F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/603 using rotary electromotors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/619 using flexible or rigid rack-and-pinion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/216 Clutches
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/426 for the initial opening movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/624 Arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/31 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/02 Details of doors or covers not otherwise covered
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/025 Drawers

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic door opening device and a refrigerator having the same. The automatic door opening device comprises a base, a driving source member, two mechanical clutch gear sets and two pushing members, wherein the mechanical clutch gear set comprises a mechanical master gear, a mechanical slave gear, and a mechanical clutch member; in an initial state, the mechanical master gear is partially meshed with the mechanical clutch member which is separated from the mechanical slave gear; in a door body opening process, the mechanical master gear drives the mechanical slave gear to be in a transmission state; and after the door body is opened, the mechanical clutch gear set is recovered to an initial connection state.

Claims

1. An automatic door opening device configured to automatically open a door body of a refrigerator, the automatic door opening device comprising:

a base, a driving source member fixed in the base, two pushing members which have the same structure and are configured to push the door body to be opened, and a transmission body configured to mesh the driving source member with the two pushing members, wherein;

the pushing member comprises;

a pushing rod and a first elastic member connected to the pushing rod and arranged away from the door body;

the transmission body comprises;

two mechanical clutch gear sets which are meshed with the two pushing members respectively and have the same structure, wherein the mechanical clutch gear set comprises a mechanical master gear meshed with the driving source member, a mechanical slave gear meshed with one of the pushing members, and a mechanical clutch member for selectively connecting the mechanical master gear and the mechanical slave gear;

in an initial state, the mechanical master gear is partially engaged with the mechanical clutch member, and is partially meshed with the mechanical clutch member; and

the mechanical clutch member is separated from the mechanical slave gear;

in a door body opening process, the mechanical master gear of one of the at least two mechanical clutch gear sets is partially engaged with the mechanical clutch member which is meshed with the mechanical slave gear;

the driving source member drives the mechanical master gear to drive the mechanical slave gear to be in a transmission state, so that the pushing rod corresponding to the mechanical slave gear is driven to move toward the outside of the base to open the door body, and an acting force toward a distal end of the door body is applied to the first elastic member;

after the door body is opened, the mechanical clutch gear set that currently drives the door body to be opened is recovered to an initial connection state;

the mechanical master gear is in a stationary state; and

the first elastic member applies a tensioning force to the corresponding pushing rod, so that the pushing rod is driven to move toward the inside of the base, and the mechanical slave gear corresponding to the pushing rod is driven to rotate backward.

2. The automatic door opening device of claim 1, wherein the two pushing members are symmetrically close to two opposite side walls of the base, respectively;

the two mechanical clutch gear sets are symmetrically arranged between the two pushing members;

the driving source member is arranged between the two mechanical clutch gear sets; and

meshing teeth on the two mechanical clutch gear sets are arranged in opposite directions.

3. The automatic door opening device of claim 1, wherein:

the mechanical master gear, the mechanical slave gear and the mechanical clutch in each mechanical gear set are arranged coaxially.

4. The automatic door opening device of claim 3, wherein the mechanical clutch member comprises:

a mechanical clutch portion and a second elastic member that stretches and shrinks in the axial direction of the mechanical clutch portion;

one end of the second elastic member is detachably connected to the mechanical clutch portion, and the other end of the second elastic member is movably connected to the mechanical master gear or the base;

in the initial state, the mechanical master gear is partially engaged with the mechanical clutch member, and is partially meshed with the mechanical clutch member; and

the mechanical clutch member is separated from the mechanical slave gear;

in the door body opening process, the mechanical master gear is partially engaged with the mechanical clutch member which is meshed with the mechanical slave gear; and

the second elastic member applies an acting force toward the mechanical master gear to the mechanical clutch portion; and

after the door body is opened, the second elastic member applies a tensioning force to the mechanical clutch portion to drive the mechanical clutch portion to move toward the direction of the mechanical master gear, so that the initial state is recovered.

5. The automatic door opening device of claim 4, wherein a through hole is axially formed in the mechanical clutch portion, and one end of the second elastic member is engaged in the through hole.

6. The automatic door opening device of claim 4, wherein:

the mechanical clutch portion comprises;

an annularly-cylindrical mechanical clutch portion main body;

an end surface of the mechanical clutch portion main body close to the mechanical slave gear is arranged as a first annularly-stepped slope composed of a plurality of slope-shaped steps;

a first accommodating groove with a ring-shaped radial cross section is formed in an end surface of the mechanical clutch portion main body close to the mechanical master gear;

the bottom wall of the first accommodating groove is arranged as a second annularly-stepped slope composed of a plurality of slope-shaped steps;

at least two second limiting protrusions are evenly arranged on the end surface of the mechanical clutch portion main body close to the mechanical master gear, and are close to an outer wall side of the mechanical clutch portion main body;

a height difference exists between the start and the end of each slope-shaped step in each annularly-stepped slope in the axial direction of the mechanical clutch portion, the starts of the all slope-shaped steps are located in the same plane, and the ends of the all slope-shaped steps are located in the same plane;

in the first annularly-stepped slope, the all slope-shaped steps are connected clockwise or counterclockwise; and

in the second annularly-stepped slope, a connecting direction of the all slope-shaped steps is opposite to that of the all slope-shaped steps in the first annularly-stepped slope.

7. The automatic door opening device of claim 6, wherein:

the mechanical slave gear comprises;

a mechanical slave gear connecting portion, and a mechanical slave gear meshing portion extending from the mechanical slave gear connecting portion;

a plurality of meshing teeth is arranged on an outer wall of the mechanical slave gear meshing portion;

a second accommodating groove with a ring-shaped radial cross section is formed in an end surface of the mechanical slave gear connecting portion away from the mechanical slave gear meshing portion;

the mechanical slave gear connecting portion further comprises;

a first supporting rotating shaft perpendicularly extending outwards from a center of the second accommodating groove, and a third annularly-stepped slope which is formed on the bottom wall of the second accommodating groove and is composed of a plurality of slope-shaped steps;

the second elastic member sleeves the supporting rotating shaft; and

in the door body opening process, the first annularly-stepped slope is meshed with the third annularly-stepped slope to maintain the mechanical clutch member and the mechanical slave gear in a relatively stationary state.

8. The automatic door opening device of claim 6, wherein:

the mechanical master gear has a ring-shaped diameter cross section;

a plurality of arc-shaped accommodating holes having the same structure is formed in the mechanical master gear at an equal interval, and runs through the two end surfaces of the mechanical master gear, so that the mechanical master gear is radially divided into an inner ring stage and an outer ring stage connected to each other;

a plurality of meshing teeth is arranged on an outer wall of an end of the outer ring stage away from the mechanical slave gear;

the second limiting protrusion is always movably arranged in the corresponding arc-shaped accommodating hole;

an end surface of the inner ring stage close to the mechanical clutch member is arranged as a fourth annularly-stepped slope composed of a plurality of slope-shaped steps; and

in the initial state, the second annularly-stepped slope is meshed with the fourth annularly-stepped slope.

9. The automatic door opening device of claim 1, wherein the transmission body further comprises:

at least one set of transmission wheels corresponding to each mechanical clutch gear set;

each set of the transmission wheels is simultaneously meshed with the corresponding pushing member and mechanical clutch gear set; and

/or

each set of the transmission wheels is simultaneously meshed with the corresponding mechanical clutch gear set and the driving source member.

10. A refrigerator, comprising:

a refrigerator body having a compartment, a drawer arranged on the refrigerator body, and a door body for opening or closing the compartment, wherein the refrigerator is provided with the automatic door opening device of claim 1 to open the drawer or the door body.