System and method for driving a drawer of a refrigerator and refrigerator employing same

A refrigerator, comprising:

• a main body having a plurality of compartments formed therein;
• a refrigeration system that circulates cooled air to the plurality of compartments;
• at least one drawer that is slidably received in one of the plurality of compartments, the at least one drawer including a door and a storage box;
• a frame extending rearward from a rear of the door to support the storage box;
• a rail assembly provided at least one of a first side or a second side of the at least one drawer, the rail assembly allowing the storage box to be inserted into and withdrawn from the one of the plurality of compartments;
• a rotational shaft provided behind the at least one drawer and having one end thereof connected to the frame;
• a drive motor that supplies a driving force to the shaft to move the at least one drawer in first and second directions relative to the one of the plurality of compartments;
• a pair of rolling members, comprising a first rolling member connected to the shaft and a second rolling member connected to a drive shaft of the drive motor;
• a pair of guide racks that respectively guide movement of the pair of rolling members;
• a detection system that detects an impediment to the movement of the at least one drawer in the first direction or the second direction;
• and
• a controller that controls operation of the drive motor, wherein if the at least one drawer is moving in the first direction and the detection system detects the impediment, the at least one drawer is moved in the second direction based on the operation of the drive motor, wherein the pair of rolling members, the rotational shaft and the drive motor are configured to move together with the at least one drawer.