Patent Description:
With the continuous development of home appliance technology, door-in-door refrigerators have appeared on the market. Two door bodies, i.e., a main door and a secondary door, are disposed at an outer side of the refrigerator, and a storage space is defined in the main door to facilitate a user to store commonly used articles, so that the frequency of the user opening the storage space of a refrigerator body is reduced, and the heat loss of the refrigerator is accordingly reduced.

In the prior art, in order to seal a gap between the inner and outer door bodies, a magnetic sealing strip is generally used, so that the main door is adsorbed on the refrigerator body by means of the sealing strip in a closed state, and the secondary door is adsorbed on the main door. However, when in use, the secondary door is often brought out when the user opens the main door, or the main door is brought out when the secondary door is opened, which affects the user's sense of use experience.

<CIT> discloses a refrigerator with a refrigerator body, a main door disposed at the outer side of the refrigerator body and a secondary door disposed at an outer side of the main door. A magnetic switch is disposed on the refrigerator body and is adapted to sense changes of the magnetic field of magnets disposed on the main door and the secondary door.

<CIT> describes a refrigerator, which includes a box body and a door body arranged on the box body. The door body includes an outer door and an inner door. The refrigerator includes a sensor adapted to obtain a door opening signal. A control board connected by sensor communication, and a door lock controlled by the control board is adapted to be unlocked or locked. The door lock includes an electromagnetic relay electrically connected to the control board, and a magnet disposed on the outer door and arranged opposite to the electromagnetic relay, which is disposed on the inner door.

An object of the present invention is to overcome at least one of the defects in the prior art, and to provide a refrigerator.

A further object of the present invention is to prevent articles from falling when a user opens a main door or a secondary door of a door-in-door refrigerator.

Another further object of the present invention is to improve the user's sense of use experience.

The present invention is defined by the refrigerator of independent claim <NUM> and the refrigerator of independent claim <NUM>. In the following, in case parts of the description and drawing referring to embodiments, which are not covered by the claims are not presented as embodiments of the invention, but as examples useful for understanding the invention.

A first aspect of the invention provides a refrigerator according to claim <NUM>. A second aspect of the invention provides a refrigerator according to claim <NUM>. Further embodiments are provided in the respective dependent claims.

In particular, the present invention provides a refrigerator, including:.

Further, the electromagnetic assembly includes:.

Further, the electromagnetic assembly also includes:.

Further, the first control switch is disposed on the secondary door; and
the second control switch is disposed on the main door.

Further, the main door is provided with a first handle, and the secondary door is provided with a second handle; and
the first touch control unit is disposed on the first handle, and the second touch control unit is disposed on the second handle.

Further, a distance between the first handle and the second handle is not less than <NUM>.

Further, an area of the main door opposite the refrigerator body and an area of the main door opposite the secondary door are separately provided with a magnetic door seal, and the magnetic door seals are configured such that the magnetic door seals are used to attract the refrigerator body and the secondary door in a state where the third electromagnet is not energized, to seal gaps between the main door and the secondary door, and between the main door and the refrigerator body.

Further, a first storage space is defined inside the refrigerator body, the first storage space has a first opening forward, and the main door is pivotally connected to one side of the refrigerator body to open and close the first opening; and
a second storage space is defined inside the main door, the second storage space has a second opening forward, and the secondary door is pivotally connected to one side of the main door to open and close the second opening.

According to the refrigerator provided by the present invention, the first magnet is disposed in the area of the refrigerator body opposite the main door, the second magnet is disposed in the area of the secondary door opposite the main door, and the electromagnetic assembly is disposed on the main door; therefore, before the user wants to open the main door or the secondary door, the electromagnetic assembly can be activated to generate a magnetic attraction force, so that a door body that does not need to be opened is enabled to be in a closed state, and the articles placed in the first storage space or the second storage space are prevented from being brought out by inertia accordingly; and therefore, the user's sense of use experience is improved, and the heat loss of the refrigerator is also avoided.

Further, according to the refrigerator provided by the present invention, the third electromagnet is disposed on the main door along the front-rear direction; since the sides, facing the third electromagnet, of the first magnet and the second magnet have the same magnetism, after the third electromagnet is energized, one of magnetic poles generated on a magnet core of the third electromagnet must generate a magnetic attraction force that is attracted to the first magnet or the second magnet, and the other one is subject to a magnetic repulsion force; and the magnetic attraction force can make the door body that does not need to be opened be in a closed state, and the magnetic repulsion force can make the user easily open the door to be opened, so that the user's sense of use experience is improved.

The above and other objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention will be better understood by those skilled in the art according to the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the following part, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in an exemplary rather than limited manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. Those skilled in the art should understand that these accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In figures:.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms 'longitudinal', 'transverse', 'length', `width', 'thickness', `upper', 'lower', 'front', 'rear', 'left', 'right', 'vertical', 'horizontal', `top', 'bottom', 'depth', etc. are based on the orientation of a storage device under normal use as a reference, and can be determined by referring to the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings; and for example, the 'front' indicating the orientation refers to the side of the refrigerator facing a user. This is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that a device or an element referred to must has a particular orientation, and be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, the present invention provides a refrigerator <NUM>, which may include a refrigerator body <NUM>, a main door <NUM> and a secondary door <NUM>.

A first storage space <NUM> is defined inside the refrigerator body <NUM>, the first storage space <NUM> has a first opening forward, and the main door <NUM> is pivotally connected to an outer side of the refrigerator body <NUM> to open and close the first opening. A second storage space <NUM> is defined inside the main door <NUM>, the second storage space <NUM> has a second opening forward, and the secondary door <NUM> is pivotally connected to an outer side of the main door <NUM> to open and close the second opening.

In the embodiment, both the first storage space <NUM> inside the refrigerator body <NUM> and the second storage space <NUM> inside the main door <NUM> can be used by a user to store food, and the user can choose to store articles in the first storage space <NUM> or the second storage space <NUM> according to the use frequency or volume size of the articles. For example, the user can store some articles, which are more frequently used and occupy small spaces, in the second storage space <NUM>, and store some articles, that are less frequently used and occupy large spaces, in the first storage space <NUM>, thus avoiding the user from frequently opening door bodies and further reducing heat loss. Moreover, a storage area of the refrigerator <NUM> can be divided by the first storage space <NUM> or the second storage space <NUM>, which is helpful for the user to sort the articles. In some preferred embodiments, the first storage space <NUM> may also be a refrigerating room of the refrigerator <NUM>.

In the embodiment, the refrigerator <NUM> may further include a first magnet <NUM>, a second magnet <NUM> and an electromagnetic assembly.

The first magnet <NUM> is disposed in an area of the refrigerator body <NUM> opposite the main door <NUM>; the second magnet <NUM> is disposed in an area of the secondary door <NUM> opposite the main door <NUM>; and the electromagnetic assembly is disposed on the main door <NUM> and configured to controllably or operably generate a magnetic attraction force for attracting the first magnet <NUM> or a magnetic attraction force for attracting the second magnet <NUM>.

As mentioned in the background art section, in the prior art, in order to seal a gap between the inner and outer door bodies, a magnetic sealing strip is generally used, so that the main door is adsorbed on the refrigerator body by means of the sealing strip in a closed state, and the secondary door is adsorbed on the main door. However, when in use, the secondary door is often brought out when the user opens the main door, or the main door is brought out when the secondary door is opened, which affects the user's sense of use experience.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned defect in the prior art, in the refrigerator <NUM> of the embodiment, the first magnet <NUM> is disposed in the area of the refrigerator body <NUM> opposite the main door <NUM>, the second magnet <NUM> is disposed in the area of the secondary door <NUM> opposite the main door <NUM>, and the electromagnetic assembly is disposed on the main door <NUM>. Before the user wants to open the main door <NUM> or the secondary door <NUM>, the electromagnetic assembly can be activated to generate a magnetic attraction force, so that the door body that does not need to be opened is enabled to be in a closed state. For example, before the user wants to open the main door <NUM>, the electromagnetic assembly can generate a magnetic attraction force for attracting the secondary door <NUM>, so that the main door <NUM> and the secondary door <NUM> are enabled to form a whole. When the user opens the main door <NUM>, the secondary door <NUM> will not be opened, which prevents the articles placed in the second storage space <NUM> from being brought out by inertia, thereby improving the user's sense of use experience. For another example, before the user wants to open the secondary door <NUM>, the electromagnetic assembly can generate a magnetic attraction force for attracting the main door <NUM>, so that the main door <NUM> and the refrigerator body <NUM> are enabled to form a whole. When the user opens the secondary door <NUM>, the main door <NUM> will not be opened, which can not only prevent the articles in the first storage space <NUM> from being brought out by inertia, but also avoids the heat loss of the refrigerator <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments of the present application, the electromagnetic assembly may further include a first electromagnet <NUM> and a second electromagnet <NUM>. The first electromagnet <NUM> is disposed at a side of the main door <NUM> facing the refrigerator body <NUM>, and the second electromagnet <NUM> is disposed at a side of the main door <NUM> facing the secondary door <NUM>.

Specifically, a mounting groove (not shown in the figures) opposite to the first magnet <NUM> is formed at the side of the main door <NUM> facing the refrigerator body <NUM>, and another mounting groove (not shown in the figures) opposite to the second magnet <NUM> is also formed at the side of the main door <NUM> facing the secondary door <NUM>. The first electromagnet <NUM> and the second electromagnet <NUM> are respectively disposed in the mounting grooves.

Before the user wants to open the main door <NUM>, a wire of the second electromagnet <NUM> is energized, and the second electromagnet <NUM> attracts the second magnet <NUM>, so that the secondary door <NUM> remains closed; and before the user wants to open the secondary door <NUM>, a wire of the first electromagnet <NUM> is energized, and the first electromagnet <NUM> attracts the first magnet <NUM>, so that the main door <NUM> remains closed.

In the embodiment, the current directions of the first electromagnet <NUM> and the second electromagnet <NUM> can also be configured to be fixed when they are energized, so that the directions of magnetic poles generated by the first electromagnet <NUM> and the second electromagnet <NUM> after being energized are not changed. For example, after the first electromagnet <NUM> is energized, an N pole of the magnetic poles generated by the first electromagnet <NUM> is oriented toward the first magnet <NUM>. At this time, a magnetic pole of the first magnet <NUM> opposite the first electromagnet <NUM> can be configured as an S pole, thus achieving mutual attraction after energization.

Of course, the first electromagnet <NUM> may also be configured such that after the first electromagnet <NUM> is energized, an S pole of the magnetic poles generated by the first electromagnet <NUM> is oriented toward the first magnet <NUM>, and the first magnet <NUM> can be adjusted accordingly, which is not specifically limited in the present application. The same is true for the second electromagnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM>.

In some alternative embodiments, the positions of the first magnet <NUM> and the first electromagnet <NUM> can be interchanged, and the positions of the second electromagnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM> can also be interchanged. That is, if the first magnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM> are disposed on the main door <NUM>, and the first electromagnet <NUM> and the second electromagnet <NUM> are respectively disposed on the refrigerator body <NUM> and the secondary door <NUM>, the technical effects in the above embodiments can also be achieved, so we will not repeat them here.

Referring to <FIG>, the electromagnetic assembly may further include a first control switch <NUM> and a second control switch <NUM>, where the first control switch <NUM> is electrically connected to the first electromagnet <NUM>, the second control switch <NUM> is electrically connected to the second electromagnet <NUM>, and the first control switch <NUM> and the second control switch <NUM> are configured to receive an on-off command from the user to perform on-off control on a circuit in which the first electromagnet <NUM> is located and a circuit in which the second electromagnet <NUM> is located.

Press-type switches may be adopted as the first control switch <NUM> and the second control switch <NUM>. Before the user wants to open the main door <NUM>, the circuit where the second electromagnet <NUM> is located can be formed into a closed circuit by operating the second control switch <NUM>, so that the wire of the second electromagnet <NUM> is energized; and before the user wants to open the secondary door <NUM>, the circuit where the first electromagnet <NUM> is located can be formed into a closed circuit by operating the first control switch <NUM>, so that the wire of the first electromagnet <NUM> is energized.

In the embodiment, the first control switch <NUM> and the second control switch <NUM> may also be configured to automatically enable the circuit where the first electromagnet <NUM> is located and the circuit where the second electromagnet <NUM> is located to be formed into an open circuit after the user operates the first control switch and the second control switch for a preset time.

For example, before opening the main door <NUM>, the user presses to operate the second control switch <NUM>, the wire of the second electromagnet <NUM> is energized, and the main door <NUM> and the secondary door <NUM> form a whole. After the preset time has passed, it is assumed that the user has completed a pick-and-place action. At this time, there is no need to attach the main door <NUM> and the secondary door <NUM> together, and then the second control switch <NUM> can be restored to the state before the operation so as to enable the circuit where the second electromagnet <NUM> is located to be formed into the open circuit for preparing for the next operation; and furthermore, electricity is saved. Preferably, the above-mentioned preset time can also be configured to be any value within a range of <NUM>-<NUM>, such as <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in the embodiment, the first control switch <NUM> may also be disposed on the secondary door <NUM>, and the second control switch <NUM> may also be disposed on the main door <NUM>.

Since the first control switch <NUM> controls the first electromagnet <NUM>, when the user opens the secondary door <NUM>, the first electromagnet <NUM> needs to be attracted to the first magnet <NUM> disposed on the refrigerator body <NUM> after being energized. Therefore, disposing the first control switch <NUM> on the secondary door <NUM> can facilitate the user to operate the first control switch <NUM> while opening the secondary door <NUM>, and the first control switch does not need to be operated separately, which improves the user's sense of use experience. Similarly, disposing the second control switch <NUM> on the main door <NUM> is also based on the above inventive concept.

Referring to <FIG>, in other embodiments, the electromagnetic assembly may include a third electromagnet <NUM>, and the third electromagnet <NUM> is disposed along a front-rear direction of the main door <NUM>, and configured to change the magnetism of both ends of the third electromagnet <NUM> by changing the direction of its current; and the sides, facing the third electromagnet <NUM>, of the first magnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM> have the same magnetism, so that the magnetic attraction force is always generated between the third electromagnet <NUM> and the first magnet <NUM> or between the third electromagnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM> in a current direction changing process of the third electromagnet <NUM>.

Specifically, the main door <NUM> is provided with a groove (not shown in the figures) along the front-rear direction, and front and rear ends of the groove are respectively opposite to the first magnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM>, and the third electromagnet <NUM> is disposed in the groove. Since the sides, facing the third electromagnet <NUM>, of the first magnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM> have the same magnetism, after the third electromagnet <NUM> is energized, one of magnetic poles generated on a magnet core of the third electromagnet must generate a magnetic attraction force that is attracted to the first magnet <NUM> or the second magnet <NUM>, and the other one is subject to a magnetic repulsion force.

For example, the side of the first magnet <NUM> facing the third electromagnet <NUM> is an N pole, and the side of the second magnet <NUM> facing the third electromagnet <NUM> is also an N pole. When the third electromagnet <NUM> is energized, if an S pole of the magnetic poles generated on the magnet core of the third electromagnet faces the first magnet <NUM>, the first magnet <NUM> is attracted to the third electromagnet <NUM>. On the contrary, the second magnet <NUM> is repelled from the third electromagnet <NUM>. At this time, if the user wants to open the secondary door <NUM>, not only are the main door <NUM> and the refrigerator body <NUM> allowed to form a whole, but the user can also easily open the secondary door <NUM> by using the repulsion force between the second magnet <NUM> and the third electromagnet <NUM>.

Therefore, after the third electromagnet <NUM> is energized, no matter how the direction of the current loaded on the third electromagnet <NUM> changes, there must be a magnetic attraction force between the third electromagnet and one of the first magnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM> and a magnetic repulsion force between the third electromagnet and the other of the first magnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM>. The user only needs to control the direction of the current loaded on the third electromagnet <NUM> to realize the conversion of objects on which the magnetic attraction force and the magnetic repulsion force act.

Further, referring to <FIG>, the electromagnetic assembly may further include a first touch control unit <NUM>, a second touch control unit <NUM>, and a control unit <NUM>.

The first touch control unit <NUM> is disposed on the main door <NUM>, and configured to receive a command that a user opens the main door <NUM>; the second touch control unit <NUM> is disposed on the secondary door <NUM>, and configured to receive a command that a user opens the secondary door <NUM>; the control unit <NUM> is electrically connected to the first touch control unit <NUM> and the second touch control unit <NUM>, respectively, and configured to: receive a command signal sent by the first touch control unit <NUM>, and control the current of the third electromagnet <NUM> to flow in a first direction, to make the third electromagnet <NUM> generate the magnetic attraction force for attracting the second magnet <NUM>, so as to enable the secondary door <NUM> to be in a closed state under the action of the magnetic attraction force when the user opens the main door <NUM>; or receive a command signal sent by the second touch control unit <NUM>, and control the current of the third electromagnet <NUM> to flow in a direction opposite to the first direction, to make the third electromagnet <NUM> generate the magnetic attraction force for attracting the first magnet <NUM>, so as to enable the main door <NUM> to be in a closed state under the action of the magnetic attraction force when the user opens the secondary door <NUM>.

Specifically, the first touch control unit <NUM> and the second touch control unit <NUM> may be configured as sensors such as infrared sensors to sense the position of the user's hand. When the user's hand is close to a sensing area of the first touch control unit <NUM>, the first touch control unit <NUM> sends a command signal that the user opens the main door <NUM> to the control unit <NUM>. The control unit <NUM> can also be electrically connected with a power supply <NUM> for the third electromagnet <NUM> to control the power supply <NUM> to load current in the first direction to the third electromagnet <NUM>. The loading current in the first direction here can be understood as a direction in which a magnetic attraction force can be generated between the third electromagnet <NUM> and the second magnet <NUM>, and a magnetic repulsion force can be generated between the third electromagnet <NUM> and the first magnet <NUM>. The magnetic attraction force is used to make the secondary door <NUM> and the main door <NUM> attract together, and the magnetic repulsion force is used to help open the main door <NUM>. Similarly, when the control unit <NUM> controls the current in a second direction from the power supply <NUM> to the third electromagnet <NUM>, the main door <NUM> and the refrigerator body <NUM> are attracted together, and the magnetic repulsion force is used to assist in opening the secondary door <NUM>.

Further, the control unit <NUM> may also be configured to cut off the third electromagnet <NUM> after a preset time of applying current to the third electromagnet <NUM>. For example, when the first touch control unit <NUM> senses the position of the user's hand, the control unit <NUM> applies current to the third electromagnet <NUM>. After the preset time has passed, it is assumed that the user has completed the pick-and-place action. At this time, the control unit <NUM> controls the power supply <NUM> to be turned off to prepare for the next start. Preferably, the above-mentioned preset time may also be configured to be any value within a range of <NUM>-<NUM>, such as <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in the embodiment, the main door <NUM> is provided with a first handle <NUM>, and the secondary door <NUM> is provided with a second handle <NUM>; and the first touch control unit <NUM> is disposed on the first handle <NUM>, and the second touch control unit <NUM> is disposed on the second handle <NUM>.

Because the first touch control unit <NUM> and the second touch control unit <NUM> can receive a signal indicating that the user's hand is approaching, and the first touch control unit <NUM> and the second touch control unit <NUM> are respectively disposed on the first handle <NUM> and the second handle <NUM>, the user must operate the first handle <NUM> and the second handle <NUM> when opening the door, and at this time, the first touch control unit <NUM> and the second touch control unit <NUM> can also receive a door opening signal, which improves the reliability during door opening.

Since the first touch control unit <NUM> and the second touch control unit <NUM> are disposed on the first handle <NUM> and the second handle <NUM>, in order to avoid misoperation, a distance between the first handle <NUM> and the second handle <NUM> is configured to be not less than <NUM> (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc.), thereby further improving the reliability during door opening.

Claim 1:
A refrigerator, comprising:
a refrigerator body (<NUM>);
a main door (<NUM>) disposed at an outer side of the refrigerator body (<NUM>); and
a secondary door (<NUM>) disposed at an outer side of the main door (<NUM>); characterized in that the refrigerator further comprises:
a first magnet (<NUM>), disposed in an area of the refrigerator body (<NUM>) opposite the main door (<NUM>);
a second magnet (<NUM>), disposed in an area of the secondary door (<NUM>) opposite the main door (<NUM>); and
an electromagnetic assembly, disposed on the main door (<NUM>) and configured to controllably or operably generate a magnetic attraction force for attracting the first magnet (<NUM>) or a magnetic attraction force for attracting the second magnet (<NUM>);
wherein the electromagnetic assembly comprises:
a first electromagnet (<NUM>), disposed at a side of the main door (<NUM>) facing the refrigerator body (<NUM>); and
a second electromagnet (<NUM>), disposed at a side of the main door (<NUM>) facing the secondary door (<NUM>); and
the first electromagnet (<NUM>) and the second electromagnet (<NUM>) are configured to: controllably switch on a power supply of the second electromagnet (<NUM>) to generate the magnetic attraction force for attracting the second magnet (<NUM>), so that the secondary door (<NUM>) remains a closed state; or controllably switch on a power supply of the first electromagnet (<NUM>) to generate the magnetic attraction force for attracting the first magnet (<NUM>), so that the main door (<NUM>) remains in a closed state;
wherein the electromagnetic assembly further comprises:
a first control switch (<NUM>), electrically connected to the first electromagnet (<NUM>); and
a second control (<NUM>) switch, electrically connected to the second electromagnet (<NUM>); and
the first control switch (<NUM>) and the second control switch (<NUM>) are configured to receive an on-off command from a user to correspondingly perform on-off control on a circuit in which the first electromagnet (<NUM>) is located and a circuit in which the second electromagnet (<NUM>) is located;
wherein
the first control switch (<NUM>) is disposed on the secondary door (<NUM>); and
the second control switch (<NUM>) is disposed on the main door (<NUM>).