CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 and 35 U.S.C. 365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0102967, filed on Aug. 30, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator.

BACKGROUND

In general, refrigerators are home appliances for storing foods at a low temperature in a storage chamber that is covered by a door. Generally, refrigerators cool the inside of the storage chamber by using cool air generated by being heat-exchanged with a refrigerant circulated through a refrigeration cycle to store foods in an optimum state.

Recently, refrigerator are becoming larger and more multifunctional as dietary changes and user's preferences become more diverse, and thus, a refrigerator having various structures and convenience devices for user's convenience and freshness of stored foods have been introduced.

The storage chamber of the refrigerator may be opened/closed by the door. Also, refrigerators may be classified into various types according to an arranged configuration of the storage chamber and a structure of the door for opening and closing the storage chamber.

The refrigerator door may be classified into a rotation-type door that opens and closes a storage chamber through rotation thereof and a drawer-type door that is inserted and withdrawn in a drawer type.

Also, the drawer-type door is often disposed in a lower region of the refrigerator. Thus, when the drawer-type door is disposed in the lower region of the refrigerator, a user has to bend his/her back to take out a basket or foods in the drawer-type door. If the basket or the foods are heavy, the user may find it inconvenient to use the basket and/or may be injured.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the subject matter described in this application, a refrigerator includes a cabinet that defines a storage chamber, a drawer door configured to be inserted into and withdrawn out of the storage chamber, a driving device provided at the door part and configured to provide a driving force, an elevation device provided at the drawer part and having a scissors lift assembly, the scissors lift assembly being configured to be driven by the driving device to thereby unfold and raise the food object stored in the storage space, and a connecting assembly that couples the driving device to the scissors lift assembly to transfer the driving force from the driving device to the scissors lift assembly. The drawer door includes a drawer part that defines a storage space for storing a food object, and a door part that is configured to, based on the drawer door being inserted into the storage chamber, close the storage chamber. The elevation device is configured, based on being uncoupled from the connecting assembly, to be separable from the drawer part, and the elevation device includes a restricting unit that is configured, based on the elevation device being separated from the drawer part, to restrict the scissors lift assembly from unfolding.

Implementations according to this aspect may include one or more of the following features. For example, the drawer part may include a protrusion that protrudes upward from a bottom surface of the drawer part at a position that corresponds to the restricting unit. The restricting unit may be configured, based on the elevation device being separated from the drawer part and the restricting unit being separated from the protrusion, to be in a restriction state in which the restriction of the scissors lift assembly is enabled. The restricting unit may be configured, based on the elevation device being mounted on the drawer part and the restricting unit coming in contact with the protrusion, to be in a release state in which the restriction of the scissors lift assembly is released. In some cases, the restricting unit may be disposed at a center of the elevation device, and the protrusion may be disposed on the bottom surface of the drawer part at a position that corresponds to the restricting unit.

In some implementations, the restricting unit may include a plurality of restricting units, and the protrusion may include a corresponding number of protrusions at corresponding positions that face the restricting unit. In some cases, the restricting unit may include an upper locker that is attached to a portion of the elevation device that is elevated during operation of the elevation device, a lower locker that is configured to selectively contact the protrusion to thereby either move in a first direction that restricts the lower locker with the upper locker or in a second direction that releases the restriction between the lower locker and the upper locker, and an elastic member configured to provide an elastic force that moves the lower locker toward the upper locker.

In some implementations, the drawer part may be partitioned into a front space that is withdrawn out of the lower storage chamber based on the drawer part being withdrawn and a rear space that remains in the lower storage chamber, and the elevation device may be provided in the front space. In some cases, a drawer cover that covers the rear space may be provided in the drawer part. Here, the drawer cover may include a cover front surface part that partitions an inside of the drawer part into the front space and the rear space, and a cover top surface part that connects the cover front surface part to a rear end of the drawer part. A drawer opening through which a front end of the elevation device is exposed may be defined at a front surface of the drawer part. The elevation device may be connected to a connecting assembly of a rear surface of the door through the drawer opening.

In some implementation, corresponding surfaces of the connecting assembly and the elevation device that face each other respectively may include a projection part and a connection part, or vice versa, that have corresponding shapes that allow them to become coupled to each other. The connecting assembly may be disposed on each of both left and right sides of the door. The elevation device may further include a pair of scissors lift assemblies including a plurality of rods that are rotationally coupled to each other to cross each other, the pair of scissors lift assemblies being respectively coupled to the connecting assemblies disposed on both sides thereof, and a support plate supported by the scissors lift assemblies and configured to be elevated by the scissors lift assemblies, the support plate being configured to support foods or a container. The pair of scissors lift assemblies may be configured to operate at the same time by rotation of the connecting assemblies.

According to another aspect, a refrigerator includes a cabinet that defines a storage chamber, a drawer door configured to be inserted into and withdrawn out of the storage chamber, the drawer door including a door part configured to open and close the storage chamber and a drawer part that defines a storage space in a rear surface of the door part, a driving device provided at the door part and configured to provide a driving force, and an elevation device detachably disposed inside the drawer part, the elevation device being connected to a driving device within the drawer part so as to be elevated by the driving force from the driving device. The elevation device includes a lower frame configured to be seated on a bottom surface of the drawer part, an upper frame configured to be elevated to an upper side of the lower frame, a scissors lift assembly coupled to the lower frame and the upper frame in a scissors structure, the scissors lift assembly being configured to be unfolded and folded by the driving device, respectively, to elevate and lower the upper frame, and a restricting unit provided at each of the upper frame and the lower frame, the restricting unit being configured to restrict the upper frame and the lower frame from moving relative to each other.

Implementations according to this aspect may include one or more of the following features. For example, a bottom surface of the drawer part may include a protrusion that protrudes upward from the bottom surface, and the protrusion may be configured to contact the restricting unit based on the elevation device being mounted on the drawer part to thereby release the restriction of the restricting unit. In some cases, the restricting unit may include an upper locker fixed to the upper frame so as to be elevated together with the upper frame, a locker case fixed and mounted on the lower frame, a lower locker mounted on the locker case to move along the locker case, the lower locker being configured to be selectively restricted with the upper locker according to a movement of the lower locker, and an elastic member that connects the locker case to the lower locker, the elastic member being configured to provide an elastic force that moves the lower locker toward the upper locker.

In some implementations, a protrusion protruding upward and having an inclined or a rounded upper surface may be disposed on the drawer part, and the protrusion may be configured to contact the lower locker based on the elevation device being elevated to thereby allow the lower locker to move away from the upper locker and release the restriction of the restricting unit. In some cases, a bottom surface of the lower frame and a bottom surface of the locker case that correspond to the protrusion may include an opened surface, and the protrusion may protrude upward toward an inside of the locker case. In some cases, the upper locker may be disposed on an upper partition part disposed at a center of the upper frame to partition the upper frame into left and right frames, and the lower case and the lower locker may be disposed on a lower partition part disposed at a center of the lower frame to partition the lower frame into left and right frames. The upper partition part and the lower partition part may be disposed along a common extension line, and the scissors lift assembly may be provided as a pair of scissors lift assemblies that is disposed on both left and right sides of the upper partition part and the lower partition part, respectively.

In some implementations, the upper locker may include an upper restricting part protruding toward the lower locker and an upper accommodation part recessed from an upper portion of a lower restricting part. The lower locker may protrude toward the upper locker, the lower locker including a lower restricting part that is configured to be hooked to be restricted with the lower restricting part inside the upper accommodation part. In some cases, a first inclined surface may be disposed on a top surface of the upper restricting part, wherein a fourth inclined surface corresponding to the first inclined surface may be disposed on a bottom surface of the lower restricting part. Based on the lower locker being restricted to the upper locker, the first inclined surface and the fourth inclined surface may contact each other to allow the lower restricting part to move into the upper accommodation part. Also, a second inclined surface may be disposed on a bottom surface of the upper restricting par, and a third inclined surface may be disposed a top surface of the lower restricting part. Based on the upper locker moving downward, the second inclined surface and the third inclined surface may contact each other to allow the lower locker to move in a direction that is away from the upper locker.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

