Abstract:
A door control device for refrigerators and a refrigerator with the device. The door control device for a refrigerator having a refrigerator door includes a movable body coupled to the refrigerator door, wherein the movable body is arranged to move in opposite directions in accordance with opening and closing actions of the refrigerator door, and a control unit controlling an opposite directional movement of the movable body in a multi-stage manner.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-4131, filed Jan. 21, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates, in general, to a door control device for refrigerators, and a refrigerator with such a device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a door control device for refrigerators which controls the open angle of a refrigerator door as a user desires, maintains the selected open angle of the door, and dampens a door closing action to retard the energy generated from the door closure. The present invention also relates to a refrigerator having such a door control device.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     As is well known to those skilled in the art, refrigerators are domestic appliances which keep food and drink cool, for a desired lengthy period of time, while maintaining the freshness of the food and drink. A refrigerator typically comprises a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, with a door provided on each compartment to close the compartment.  
         [0006]     Refrigerators are typically arranged side by side with other kitchen furniture or appliances, such as a kitchen sink or a microwave oven. A large-sized refrigerator may be installed in a specified recess formed in a kitchen wall. Due to such an arrangement of the refrigerators, there sometimes occurs interference between the doors of a refrigerator and neighboring furniture, appliances, or the kitchen wall. As a result, the refrigerator doors are easily damaged and are inconvenient for users while opening or closing the doors.  
         [0007]     In an effort to solve such problems, the inventors of the present invention proposed a door control device for allowing a user to control the maximum open angles of refrigerator doors, as disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2002-53288. However, the conventional door control device is problematic in that a user is forced to loosen and tighten bolts to adjust the maximum open angles of refrigerator doors, making the device inconvenient for the users. In addition, the device only allows a user to adjust the maximum open angles of refrigerator doors, so it is difficult to control the open angles of the refrigerator doors as users desire, or to maintain the selected open angles of the refrigerator doors.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a door control device for refrigerators, which controls the open angle of a refrigerator door as a user desires, maintains the selected open angle of the door, and dampens a door closing action to retard the energy generated from the door closure. It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator having the door control device.  
         [0009]     Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.  
         [0010]     The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a door control device for a refrigerator having a refrigerator door, including a movable body coupled to the refrigerator door, wherein the movable body is arranged to move in opposite directions in accordance with opening and closing actions of the refrigerator door, and a control unit controlling an opposite directional movement of the movable body in a multi-stage manner.  
         [0011]     Also, a guide element contains the movable body, in order to guide the opposite directional movement of the movable body.  
         [0012]     Also, a link bar is hinged at a first end thereof to an end of the movable body, and is connected at a second end thereof to the refrigerator door.  
         [0013]     Also, the link bar is hinged to the refrigerator door.  
         [0014]     Also, the movable body is provided with a plurality of grooves formed along a longitudinal side surface thereof.  
         [0015]     The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a door control device for a refrigerator having a refrigerator door, including a movable body coupled to the refrigerator door, wherein the movable body is arranged to move in opposite directions in accordance with opening and closing actions of the refrigerator door, and a dampening unit dampening a rearward movement of the movable body during a door closing action, thus retarding energy generated from door closure. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a part of a refrigerator having a door control device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the part of the refrigerator having the door control device of the present invention; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the part of the refrigerator having the door control device of the present invention, and showing the operation of the door control device of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]     Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a part of a refrigerator having a door control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a top view of the part of the refrigerator having the door control device.  FIG. 3  is a top view of the part of the refrigerator having the door control device, showing the operation of the door control device of the present invention.  
         [0022]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the door control device according to the present invention is used with a refrigerator  100 . The refrigerator  100  having the door control device is configured as follows.  
         [0023]     The refrigerator  100  comprises a cabinet  101  with storage compartments, typically a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, with doors  102  hinged to the cabinet  101  to close the respective storage compartments. For ease of description, only one door  102  is shown in the drawings. The refrigerator  100  also has a door control device according to the present invention. The door control device includes a leg casing  103  which is installed in a lower portion of the cabinet  101 . A longitudinal movable bar  104  is axially arranged in the leg casing  103  such that the bar  104  is axially moved under the guide of a channeled rail  105  in opposite directions. A longitudinal side surface of the movable bar  104  is uneven, with four grooves  10   a,    10   b,    10   c  and  10   d  formed along the uneven surface of the bar  104  at regular intervals. The channeled guide rail  105  is axially installed in the leg casing  103  to hold the movable bar  104  and to guide any axial movement of the bar  104 . A hinge bracket  106  is mounted to the door  102 . A curved link bar  107  is hinged at a first end thereof to an end of the movable bar  104 , and at a second end thereof to the hinge bracket  106  at a position spaced apart from a rotating axis of the door  102  by a predetermined distance in a radial direction from the rotating axis. A control chamber  108  is perpendicularly defined at a sidewall of the leg casing  103 , and a control unit  200  is installed in the control chamber  108  so as to control the axial movement of the bar  104  in a multi-stage manner. A dampening unit  300  is installed in the leg casing  103  at a position behind the rear end of the movable bar  104 , so that the dampening unit  300  dampens a rearward moving action of the movable bar  104  during the door closure. The dampening unit  300  thus dampens the door closing action, and retards the energy generated from the door closure.  
         [0024]     The control unit  200  comprises a retractable locking unit and a first spring  21 . The first spring  21  is axially arranged in the control chamber  108 , and the retractable locking unit comprises a roller  22  and a roller bracket  23 . The roller bracket  23  is elastically supported at a first end thereof by the first spring  21 , and rotatably holds the roller  22  at a second end thereof. The roller  22  is thus perpendicularly placed relative to the movable bar  104 , and is elastically retractable, so that the roller  22  is sequentially seated into the four grooves  10   a,    10   b,    10   c  and  10   d  while rolling on the uneven surface of the movable bar during an axial movement of the movable bar  104  in the leg casing  103 .  
         [0025]     The uneven surface of the movable bar  104 , having the four grooves  10   a,    10   b,    10   c  and  10   d,  is smoothly curved to form a waved configuration, so that the roller  22  rolls on the uneven surface of the bar  104  while being sequentially seated into the four grooves  10   a,    10   b,    10   c  and  10   d  in response to an axial movement of the movable bar  104 .  
         [0026]     The dampening unit  300  is an elastic support unit which elastically supports the rear end of the movable bar  104 . That is, the dampening unit  300  includes a support member designed as an end plate  31 , and an elastic member comprised of two second springs  32 . The end plate  31  is mounted to the rear end of the movable bar  104 , and the second springs  32  are connected to the end plate  31  at two positions while being arranged in parallel, so that the second springs  32  are brought into contact with a rear end wall of the leg casing  103  during a door closing action.  
         [0027]     The operational effect of the refrigerator having the door control device of the present invention will be described herein below, with reference to  FIG. 3 .  
         [0028]     When a user (not shown) rotates the door  102  in a direction as shown by the arrow of  FIG. 3  to open the door  102  to a desired open angle, the link bar  107 , hinged to the hinge bracket  106  of the door  102 , is pulled toward the front of the refrigerator  100 , so that the movable bar  104 , hinged at a front end thereof to the rear end of the link bar  107 , is axially moved toward the front of the refrigerator  100 . During the forward movement of the movable bar  104 , the roller  22  rolls on the uneven surface of the bar  104 . In such a case, the uneven surface of the movable bar  104  has the four curved grooves  10   a,    10   b,    10   c  and  10   d,  so that the roller  22 , held by the roller bracket  23  and elastically biased by the first spring  21 , perpendicularly advances and retracts repeatedly, relative to the uneven surface of the movable bar  104 , during the forward movement of the bar  104 .  
         [0029]     When the user opens the door  102  to a desired open angle, for example, 90° as shown in  FIG. 3 , the roller  22  rolls on the uneven surface of the forward moving bar  104 , while repeatedly advancing and retracting relative to the uneven surface of the bar  104 , until the roller  22  is seated into the third groove  10   c,  which corresponds to the desired open angle of 90°. When the door  102  is opened to reach the desired open angle of 90°, the user releases his/her handling force from the door  102 , so that the roller  22  of the roller bracket  23 , biased by the first spring  21 , is somewhat strongly pushed into the third groove  10   c  corresponding to the open angle of 90°. The roller  22  is thus maintained at the position thereof inside the third groove  10   c,  and the door  102  is maintained at the open position of the open angle of 90°. That is, the control unit  200 , including the roller  22 , stops the axial movement of the movable bar  104 , and allows the door  102  to be maintained at its open state of the open angle of 90°. Even though external force, such as weight of the door  102 , is applied to the door  102  on which the user does not impose his/her physical force, the control unit  200  prevents an undesired axial movement of the movable bar  104 . The open angle of the door  102  is thus not changed, but the open door  102  is maintained at its open state at the desired open angle.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  shows the door  102 , which is maintained at its open state, at an open angle of about 90°. However, it should be understood that the open angle of the door  102  may be controlled by the variable position of the roller  22  relative to the four grooves  10   a,    10   b,    10   c  and  10   d  of the movable bar  104 , and the door  102  is maintained at a desired open angle determined by the roller seated in either of the four grooves  10   a,    10   b,    10   c  and  10   d.    
         [0031]     When the user closes the open door  102 , the second springs  32  are brought into contact with the rear end wall  103   a  of the leg casing  103 , and elastically support the movable bar  104  moving backward in the leg casing  103  during the door closing action. Therefore, the second springs  32  dampen the door closing action, thus reducing the door closing speed and retarding the energy generated from the door closure. The door  102  is thus smoothly and gently closed without applying impact energy to the refrigerator.  
         [0032]     In an embodiment of the present invention, the movable bar has four grooves to change the open angle of the door between four angles. However, it should be understood that the number of grooves formed on the movable bar may be changed to five or more grooves, or three or less grooves, in order to change the number of open angles of the door which may be selected by a user, as desired. In addition, the grooves for seating the roller of the control unit may be formed on a separate member mounted to a side surface of the movable bar.  
         [0033]     The control chamber which receives the first spring of the control unit may be integrally formed on the sidewall of the leg casing by outwardly depressing the sidewall, as shown in the drawings. Alternatively, the control chamber may be defined in a separate member which is provided at a predetermined position around the sidewall of the leg casing.  
         [0034]     In addition, the end plate and the second springs may be provided on the inner surface of the rear end wall of the leg casing, in place of the rear end of the movable bar. Alternatively, the end plate and the second springs may not be mounted to the inner surface of the rear end wall of the leg casing or the rear end of the movable bar, but arranged between the rear end wall of the leg casing and the rear end of the movable bar.  
         [0035]     As is apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a door control device for refrigerators, which allows a user to easily control the open angle of a refrigerator door as desired without forcing the user to perform additional work to control the open angle of the door. The door control device also maintains a selected open angle of the door, and dampens a door closing action to retard the energy generated from the door closure. The door control device thus prevents interference between the refrigerator doors and neighboring furniture, appliances or kitchen wall, and is convenient for users of refrigerators. The door control device also prevents rapid door closure.  
         [0036]     Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.