Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11435134-B2
Application number	US-201917269471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2019
Priority date	Aug 30, 2018
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet having a storage space; a door including a door unit to open or close the storage space and a drawer unit to provide a receiving space; rails to connect the door and the cabinet to through which the door is drawn in or out of the cabinet; a driving device disposed at the door unit to provide power; and an elevation device disposed at the drawer unit and connected with the driving device to move up or down at the drawer unit. The driving device includes: a motor assembly; a screw unit including a screw to be rotated by the motor assembly and a screw holder to move up or down along the screw; and a lever to connect the screw holder and the elevation device and rotate when the screw holder moves up or down. The motor assembly includes: a driving motor; and a power transmission unit to transmit power from the motor to the screw unit, and the screw is disposed to be inclined with respect to a vertical line passing in a top-bottom direction of the refrigerator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having a storage space;
a door including a door unit to open or close the storage space and a drawer unit to provide a receiving space;
rails to connect the door and the cabinet, and through which the door is drawn in or out of the cabinet;
a driving device disposed at the door unit to provide power; and
an elevation device disposed at the drawer unit and connected with the driving device to move the drawer unit up or down,
wherein the driving device includes:
a motor assembly;
a screw unit including a screw to be rotated by the motor assembly and a screw holder to move up or down along the screw; and
a lever to connect the screw holder and the elevation device, and to rotate when the screw holder moves up or down; and
the motor assembly includes:
a driving motor; and
a power transmission unit to transmit the power from the motor to the screw unit, and the screw is disposed to be inclined with respect to a vertical line passing in a top-bottom direction of the refrigerator.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the screw is disposed to be inclined with respect to a horizontal line.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the power transmission unit transmits the power downward from the driving motor and the
screw receives the power from a lower portion of the power transmission unit.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the power transmission unit includes:
a driving gear connected to the driving motor;
one or more transmission gears to transmit the power from the driving gear;
a first helical gear unit connected to the one or more transmission gears; and
a second helical gear unit coupled to a lower side of the screw and engaged with the first helical gear unit.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the screw unit is disposed at each of both sides of the motor assembly,
the one or more transmission gears to transmit the power from the driving gear to a pair of first helical gear units, and
the pair of first helical gears are engaged with a final gear of the one or more transmission gears.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the pair of first helical gear units are spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction, and the pair of first helical gear units are engaged with the final gear with rotational centers thereof positioned lower than a rotational center of the final gear.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein a plurality of second helical gear unit are connected to the respective first helical gear units, and
shafts connected to the respective second helical gear units separate further from each other as they extend upward.

8. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the final gear is a spur gear, and
each of the first helical gear unit includes a spur gear engaged with the final gear and a helical gear extending from the spur gear of the first helical gear.

9. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein a rotational center line of the first helical gear unit and a rotational center line of the second helical gear unit are crossed with respect to each other.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the rotational center line of the first helical gear unit extends horizontally and the rotational center line of the second helical gear unit extends in an up-down direction.

11. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein each the of screw unit includes a housing to accommodate the screw,
the housing includes:
a first accommodating part to accommodate the screw; and
a second accommodating part to accommodate the second helical gear unit; and
a partition wall.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the second accommodating part is positioned under the first accommodating part, and
the screw passes through the partition wall and the second helical gear unit is coupled to the screw passing through the partition wall.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein the screw unit further includes one or more guide bars extending in parallel with the screw and guide movement of the screw holder.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the screw unit includes a plurality of guide bars, and
the screw is positioned between the plurality of the guide bars.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the motor assembly includes a motor case in which the driving motor is disposed,
the screw unit includes a housing to accommodate the screw, and
the motor case and the housing are integrally formed.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the motor assembly further includes a motor cover to cover the driving motor disposed at the motor case,
the power transmission unit is disposed opposite to the driving motor with the motor case therebetween, and
a single cover member is coupled to the motor case and the housing to cover the power transmission unit and the screw.

17. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the elevation device includes:
a lower frame fixed to the drawer unit;
an upper frame disposed over the lower frame and to support food or one or more containers; and
a scissor assembly in which a plurality of scissor frames connecting the upper frame and the lower frame are connected by a shaft, and
the scissor assembly is connected to the lever.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17 , wherein the scissor assembly includes an extending portion to pass through an opening of the drawer unit to be connected with the lever, and a coupling portion to extend from the extending portion, and
the lever includes an accommodating portion to accommodate the coupling portion and be coupled to the coupling portion.

19. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having a storage space;
a door including a door unit to open or close the storage space and a drawer unit to provide a receiving space;
rails to connect the door and the cabinet through which the door is drawn in or out of the cabinet;
a driving device disposed at the door unit to provide power; and
an elevation device disposed at the drawer unit and connected with the driving device to move the drawer unit up or down,
wherein the driving device includes:
a motor assembly including a driving motor;
a plurality of screw units, each of the screw unit including a screw to be rotated by the motor assembly and a screw holder to move up or down along the screw; and
a plurality of levers connected to the screw holders of the plurality of screw units and the elevation device, and the levers rotate when the screw holders move up or down, and
the screws of the plurality of screw units are disposed such that extending lines from center axes of the screws cross each other.

20. The refrigerator of claim 19 , wherein intersections of the extending lines of the screws are positioned under the driving motor.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Gwon Seongwon
• Cho Seungyoon
• Chang Jinho

Classifications

• F25D25/025 Primary

  Drawers · CPC title

• F25D29/005

  Mounting of control devices · CPC title

• F25D25/04 Primary

  by conveyors (in general B65G) · CPC title

• A47B88/90

  Constructional details of drawers · CPC title

• A47B88/457

  operated by electrically-powered actuation means · CPC title