CN113982401B

CN113982401B - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: CN113982401B
Application number: CN202111166319.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李利云; 鲍雨锋; 张建; 申乃雨
Original assignee: Hisense Refrigerator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hisense Refrigerator Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-09-30
Filing date: 2021-09-30
Publication date: 2022-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 2041-09-30
Also published as: CN113982401A

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigerator, which comprises a refrigerator body, a refrigerator door and a hinge assembly, wherein the refrigerator door is provided with a door body and a hinge assembly; the hinge assembly comprises a hinge seat, a hinge shaft, a shaft sleeve, a guide post and an elastic piece, wherein the hinge seat is fixedly arranged on the box body; the hinge shaft is fixed with the hinge seat; the shaft sleeve rotates along with the box door, a shaft cavity is arranged in the shaft sleeve and sleeved on the hinge shaft, and the box door rotates relative to the hinge shaft; the guide post penetrates through the hinge shaft along the radial direction; the elastic piece drives the guide column to abut against the cavity wall of the shaft cavity; the cavity wall of the axial cavity is non-circular, at least part of the cavity wall of the axial cavity is in smooth or smooth transition, and the distance from the cavity wall to the axis gradually changes. During the process of opening the door from closing, the cavity wall can gradually press the guide post and gradually increase the deformation amount of the elastic element. After the box door is released, the elastic piece is deformed and restored, and then certain assistance can be provided for closing the door. Because the cavity wall of the shaft cavity is in smooth or smooth transition, no obvious blockage exists in the door opening and closing process, and the smoothness of opening and closing of the door can be effectively improved.

Description

Refrigerator

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

The refrigerator is widely applied to the fields of family life and industry as an electric appliance for conveniently preserving food materials at low temperature. With the improvement of living standard of people, the requirements on the functions of the refrigerator are higher and higher.

Currently, in the existing refrigerator, a hinge is generally provided between the refrigerator body and the door to realize the rotation of the door. In order to ensure the sealing between the box body and the box door after the box door is closed, a suction aid is usually provided, which cooperates with the hinge to press the box door against the box body. However, the existing suction assisting device has a complex structure and affects the smoothness of opening and closing the door.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a refrigerator, which is used for optimizing a hinge structure of the refrigerator in the related art so as to improve the smoothness of opening and closing a refrigerator door.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including a cabinet, a door hinged to the cabinet, and a hinge assembly provided between the cabinet and the door; the hinge assembly includes: the hinge seat is fixedly arranged on the box body; the hinge shaft extends vertically, and one axial end of the hinge shaft is connected with the hinge seat and is relatively fixed with the hinge seat; the shaft sleeve is fixedly arranged in the box door, a shaft cavity is arranged in the shaft sleeve, and the shaft cavity is rotatably sleeved on the periphery of the hinge shaft; the guide post is arranged in the shaft cavity and movably penetrates through the hinge shaft along the radial direction; one end of the guide post is protruded in an arc shape and is abutted against the cavity wall of the shaft cavity; the elastic piece is arranged on the hinge shaft, abuts against the other end of the guide post and drives the guide post to abut against the cavity wall of the shaft cavity; the axial cavity is provided with a cavity wall, wherein the cavity wall of the axial cavity is non-circular in the circumferential direction of the hinge shaft, at least part of the cavity wall of the axial cavity is in smooth or smooth transition, and the distance from the part of the cavity wall of the axial cavity to the axis of the hinge shaft gradually changes gradually; and during the process of opening the box door from closing, the cavity wall of the part of the shaft cavity can gradually press the guide post and gradually increase the deformation amount of the elastic element.

In some embodiments of the present application, a cavity wall of the shaft cavity has a first position and a second position in a circumferential direction of the hinge shaft; and the distance from the cavity wall between the first position and the second position to the axis of the hinge shaft is gradually reduced; when the box door is closed, the guide post abuts against the first position; in the process of opening the box door from closing, the end part of the guide post, which is abutted against the cavity wall, moves from the first position to the second position.

In some embodiments of the present application, the cavity wall of the shaft cavity further has a third position in a circumferential direction of the hinge shaft; the third position is arranged on one side of the second position far away from the first position at intervals; and the distance from the cavity wall between the second position and the third position to the axis of the hinge shaft is gradually increased.

According to some embodiments of the application, in the circumferential direction of the hinge shaft, the cavity wall of the shaft cavity is further convexly provided with a limiting part, the limiting part is arc-shaped and protrudes towards the center of the shaft cavity, and the limiting part is located on one side of the third position far away from the second position.

In some embodiments of the present application, the axial cavity has a mirror symmetry structure, and a connection line between the first position and the center of the axial cavity is used as a symmetry axis.

In some embodiments of the present application, the elastic member includes an elastic piece portion, a first fixing portion and a second fixing portion which are integrally formed; the elastic sheet part is positioned on the periphery of the hinge shaft and is propped against the guide post; the middle part of the elastic piece part protrudes towards one side of the guide post in an arc shape; the first fixing part is bent and extended from one end of the elastic sheet part to one side of the guide post; the second fixing part is bent and extended from the other end of the elastic sheet part to one side of the guide post; the first fixing part and the second fixing part are respectively sleeved on the hinge shaft and are arranged at intervals up and down; the guide post is located between the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion.

In some embodiments of the present application, the one end of hinge pin is established to flat end, first fixed part with the equal detachably cover of second fixed part is established flat end, first fixed part with the second fixed part all with flat end circumference relatively fixed.

In some embodiments of the present application, the hinge base is provided with a fixing column extending vertically; one end of the hinge shaft is concavely provided with an assembly hole matched with the fixed column, and the end part of the hinge shaft is detachably sleeved on the fixed column through the assembly hole and is circumferentially and relatively fixed with the fixed column.

In some embodiments of the present application, the hinge assembly further comprises a fixing plate; one end of the fixing plate is fixedly arranged on the bottom surface of the shaft sleeve and is rotatably sleeved on the hinge shaft; the other end of the fixed plate is fixedly arranged on the bottom surface of the box door.

In some embodiments of the present application, an end of the hinge shaft connected to the hinge base is convexly provided with a first backing ring circumferentially arranged; the first backing ring is abutted against the fixed plate and is positioned on one side of the fixed plate, which is far away from the box door; a second cushion ring which is circumferentially arranged in a surrounding manner is convexly arranged at the end part of the fixed column, which is close to the hinge seat; the second backing ring is coaxially opposite to the first backing ring; when the hinge shaft is sleeved on the fixing column, the first cushion ring is abutted against the second cushion ring.

According to the technical scheme, the embodiment of the invention at least has the following advantages and positive effects:

in the refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the invention, the hinge base is matched with the hinge shaft, so that the hinge shaft is relatively fixed on the refrigerator body, and the shaft sleeve is matched with the refrigerator door, so that the refrigerator door can be hinged on the refrigerator body through the shaft sleeve and rotate relative to the hinge shaft. At the chamber door at manual opening in-process, utilize the non-circular chamber wall of the axle chamber in the axle sleeve progressively to extrude the guide post on the hinge axle, and then make the guide post extrude the elastic component, increase the deformation volume of elastic component, after the case door is loosened to the hand, the deformation of elastic component is replied, and then can provide certain helping hand for closing the door. The cavity wall of the shaft cavity is in smooth or smooth transition, and the guide post and the elastic piece are gradually extruded or loosened in the door opening and closing process, so that no obvious blockage exists in the door opening and closing process, and the smoothness of opening and closing of the box door can be effectively improved. And the elastic force of the elastic piece is minimum in the closed state of the door, so that the door can be kept in the closed state.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the lower endcap and hinge assembly of the door of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial structural schematic view of the hinge assembly of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side view of fig. 3 after assembly.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the construction of the sleeve and top plate of fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a top view of the bushing of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a top view of the hinge assembly of fig. 2 in a closed position of the door with the guide post in a first position against the chamber wall.

Fig. 8 is a first view of the hinge assembly of fig. 2 during opening of the door, with the guide post positioned between the first and second positions against the chamber wall.

Fig. 9 is a second schematic view of the hinge assembly of fig. 2 during opening of the door with the guide post in a second position against the chamber wall.

Fig. 10 is a third view of the hinge assembly of fig. 2 during opening of the door with the guide post positioned between the second position and the third position against the chamber wall.

Fig. 11 is a fourth schematic view of the hinge assembly of fig. 2 during opening of the door with the guide post abutting the third position of the chamber wall and the door opening angle maximized.

The reference numerals are illustrated below: 1. a box body; 10. a hinge assembly; 11. a box door; 12. a refrigeration compartment; 111. a door end cover; 112. a mounting base; 2. a hinge mount; 21. a connecting plate; 22. a support plate; 221. fixing a column; 222. a second backing ring; 3. a hinge axis; 31. a first backing ring; 32. perforating; 33. a flat end; 4. a shaft sleeve; 41. an axial cavity; 411. a first position; 412. a second position; 413. a third position; 414. a limiting part; 415. an axis of symmetry; 42. a top plate; 421. a first shaft hole; 43. a fixing plate; 431. a second shaft hole; 5. a guide post; 6. an elastic member; 61. a spring piece part; 62. a first fixed part; 63. a second fixed part; 64. and a through hole.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments that embody features and advantages of the invention are described in detail below. It is to be understood that the invention is capable of other embodiments and that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention and the description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or to implicitly indicate the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood in a specific case by those of ordinary skill in the art.

Currently, in the existing refrigerator, a hinge is generally provided between the refrigerator body and the door to realize the rotation of the door. In order to ensure the sealing between the box body and the box door after the box door is closed, a suction aid is usually provided, which cooperates with the hinge to press the box door against the box body. However, the existing suction assisting device has a complex structure and affects the smoothness of opening and closing the door of the refrigerator.

The refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the invention mainly aims at optimizing the hinge structure of the refrigerator in the related technology, simplifying the structure of the hinge assembly, reducing the production cost of the refrigerator and improving the smoothness of opening and closing the door of the refrigerator.

For convenience of description, unless otherwise specified, the directions of the upper, lower, left, right, front and rear are all referred to herein as the state of the refrigerator in use, the door of the refrigerator is front, the opposite direction is rear, and the vertical direction is up and down.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the lower end cap and hinge assembly 10 of the door 11 of fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a refrigerator body 1, a refrigerator door 11, and a hinge assembly 10.

The box body 1 adopts a cuboid hollow structure. A plurality of refrigerating compartments 12 which are mutually separated can be arranged in the box body 1, and each separated refrigerating compartment 12 can be used as an independent storage space, such as a freezing compartment, a refrigerating compartment, a temperature changing compartment and the like, so that different refrigerating requirements of freezing, refrigerating, temperature changing and the like can be met according to different food types, and the food can be stored. The multiple refrigerating compartments 12 may be arranged in a vertically spaced manner or in a horizontally spaced manner.

The door 11 is hinged to the front side of the cabinet 1 to open and close the compartment 12. It is understood that the door 11 may be provided in plurality and in one-to-one correspondence with the cooling compartments 12. A plurality of the refrigerator doors 11 may open and close one refrigerating compartment 12 at the same time, and one of the refrigerator doors 11 may open and close a plurality of the refrigerating compartments 12 at the same time.

The hinge assembly 10 is disposed between the cabinet 1 and the door 11 so that the door 11 can rotate about a rotation axis of the hinge assembly 10, thereby performing a function of opening and closing the cabinet 1 with the door 11. The hinge assembly 10 may be disposed between the top of the door 11 and the cabinet 1, or between the bottom of the door 11 and the cabinet 1. The structure of the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below by taking the hinge assembly 10 at the bottom of the door 11 as an example. The hinge assembly 10 is installed on the top of the door 11, and may refer to a mirror-image structure of upper and lower symmetry of the following embodiments.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a portion of the hinge assembly 10 of fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view of fig. 3 after assembly.

Referring to fig. 2 to 4, the hinge assembly 10 of the present embodiment includes a hinge base 2, a hinge shaft 3, a shaft sleeve 4, a guide post 5 and an elastic member 6.

The hinge base 2 is detachably fixed on the front side of the box body 1 and protrudes out of the front side of the box body 1. The hinge base 2 serves to provide a support and installation space for the hinge shaft 3 and the door 11.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in some embodiments, the hinge base 2 includes a connecting plate 21 and a supporting plate 22 integrally connected. The connecting plate 21 is attached and fixed on the front side surface of the box body 1. A plurality of fixing holes are formed in the connecting plate 21, and the connecting plate 21 can be matched with screws through the plurality of fixing holes, so that the connecting plate 21 can be stably installed and fixed on the box body 1. The support plate 22 is projected and extended from the connection plate 21 toward the front side of the case 1. The support plate 22 is horizontally disposed so as to support the hinge shaft 3 and the door 11.

Referring to fig. 2 to 4, the hinge shaft 3 extends vertically and is detachably fixed to the support plate 22. The hinge shaft 3 is fixed with respect to the hinge base 2 and the cabinet 1, and thus serves to provide a stable rotation axis for the door 11. The hinge shaft 3 and the hinge seat 2 adopt a detachable structure, so that the hinge seat 2 can be favorably pre-installed on the box body 1, the hinge shaft 3 is pre-installed on the box door 11, and the hinge shaft 3 and the box door are assembled to simplify the operation difficulty of integral installation.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the hinge shaft 3 may also be integrally formed on the support plate 22, i.e. with the hinge base 2.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in some embodiments, the supporting plate 22 is provided with a fixing post 221 extending vertically. The bottom end of the hinge shaft 3 is concavely provided with an assembly hole matched with the fixing column 221. The bottom end of the hinge shaft 3 is detachably sleeved on the fixing column 221 through the assembling hole and is circumferentially fixed relative to the fixing column 221 so as to prevent the hinge shaft 3 from circumferentially rotating relative to the fixing column. The fixing post 221 has a square cross section and may have a rectangular or other polygonal column structure, so as to fix the hinge shaft 3 in the circumferential direction. It is understood that the fixing posts 221 may be integrally formed with the support plate 22 or may be detachably disposed on the support plate 22.

Referring to fig. 2 and 4, the shaft sleeve 4 is installed in the door 11 and rotatably sleeved on the outer periphery of the hinge shaft 3. The bushing 4 is rotatable with the door 11 about the hinge axis 3.

Referring to fig. 2, in some embodiments, the bottom of the door 11 is provided with a door cover 111. The door cover 111 is provided with an upwardly protruding mounting seat 112, and the mounting seat 112 is disposed inside the door 11. The bottom surface of the mounting base 112 is concavely provided with a vertically extending mounting cavity, and the mounting cavity can be used for aligning and fixing the shaft sleeve 4, so that the shaft sleeve 4 and the hinge shaft 3 are assembled and positioned into a whole and then are mounted on the box door 11.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the construction of the sleeve 4 and the top plate 42 in fig. 2.

Referring to fig. 2 and 5, a shaft cavity 41 is formed in the shaft sleeve 4, and the shaft sleeve 4 extends vertically. The shaft sleeve 4 is sleeved on the periphery of the hinge shaft 3 through the shaft cavity 41, and the axis of the hinge shaft 3 is located on the central line of the shaft cavity 41. When the bushing 4 rotates relative to the hinge axis 3, the shaft cavity 41 also rotates relative to the hinge axis 3.

Referring to fig. 2 and 5, in some embodiments, a top plate 42 is disposed on the top of the sleeve 4. The top plate 42 covers the top end surface of the boss 4, that is, the top end of the shaft cavity 41.

The top plate 42 is provided with a first shaft hole 421, and the center of the first shaft hole 421 is opposite to the center line of the shaft cavity 41. The top end of the hinge shaft 3 is rotatably inserted into the first shaft hole 421, and the first shaft hole 421 is adapted to the diameter of the hinge shaft 3, so that the shaft sleeve 4 can stably rotate relative to the hinge shaft 3. It can be understood that the top plate 42 and the top end surface of the shaft sleeve 4 are further provided with a plurality of fixing holes corresponding to each other, so that the top plate 42 can be detachably fixed on the shaft sleeve 4.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, in some embodiments, the bottom of the sleeve 4 is provided with a fixing plate 43. The fixing plate 43 is elongated. One end of the fixed plate 43 is fixed to and covers the bottom end surface of the shaft sleeve 4, that is, the bottom end of the shaft chamber 41. The other end of the fixing plate 43 is adapted to be fixed to the bottom surface of the door end cover 111, i.e., to the bottom surface of the door 11, so as to fix the shaft sleeve 4 and the door 11 relative to each other and prevent the shaft sleeve 4 from rotating relative to the door 11. It can be understood that the fixing plate 43 and the door end cover 111 are provided with one-to-one corresponding fixing holes, so that the fixing plate 43 can be detachably fixed on the door end cover 111.

The fixing plate 43 is provided with a second shaft hole 431, and the center of the second shaft hole 431 is opposite to the center line of the shaft cavity 41. The top end of the hinge shaft 3 is rotatably inserted into the second shaft hole 431, and the second shaft hole 431 is matched with the diameter of the hinge shaft 3, so that the shaft sleeve 4 can stably rotate relative to the hinge shaft 3. It can be understood that the bottom end surfaces of the fixing plate 43 and the shaft sleeve 4 are further provided with a plurality of fixing holes corresponding to each other, so that the fixing plate 43 can be conveniently and detachably fixed on the shaft sleeve 4.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in some embodiments, the bottom end of the hinge shaft 3 is protruded with a first cushion ring 31 circumferentially arranged. The diameter of the first grommet 31 is larger than the diameter of the second axle hole 431 of the fixing plate 43. The first grommet 31 is located below the fixing plate 43, i.e., on the side of the fixing plate 43 away from the door 11. The first grommet 31 abuts on the bottom surface of the fixed plate 43 and is interposed between the fixed plate 43 and the support plate 22. When the door 11 rotates, the first cushion ring 31 can separate the fixing plate 43 from the supporting plate 22, and the fixing plate 43 can rotate relative to the first cushion ring 31, thereby preventing abrasion between the fixing plate 43 and the supporting plate 22.

In some embodiments, the lower end of the fixing post 221 is protruded with a second pad ring 222 circumferentially arranged, and the second pad ring 222 abuts against the supporting plate 22. The second backing ring 222 is coaxially opposite to the first backing ring 31, and when the hinge shaft 3 is sleeved on the fixing post 221, the first backing ring 31 can abut against the second backing ring 222, further separate the fixing plate 43 from the supporting plate 22, and facilitate the fixing post 221 to be fixed on the supporting plate 22. It is understood that the second backing ring 222 may be integrally formed with the fixing post 221 on the supporting plate 22.

Referring to fig. 2 to 4, the guiding post 5 is disposed in the shaft cavity 41 and movably passes through the hinge shaft 3. One end of the guide post 5 is arc-shaped and is used for abutting against the cavity wall of the shaft cavity 41 so as to be in extrusion fit with the cavity wall of the shaft cavity 41. Specifically, the hinge shaft 3 is provided with a through hole 32 extending in the radial direction, and the guide post 5 is slidably inserted into the through hole 32, so that the guide post 5 can move back and forth along the through hole 32 in the radial direction of the hinge shaft 3.

Still referring to fig. 2 to 4, the elastic element 6 is disposed in the shaft cavity 41 and fixed on the hinge shaft 3. The elastic member 6 is made of a metal material having a certain hardness and elastic recovery properties. The elastic part 6 is located at one end of the guide post 5 and is abutted against one end of the guide post 5, so that the other end of the guide post 5 is always urged to abut against the cavity wall of the shaft cavity 41. When the guide post 5 moves towards the elastic member 6 along the through hole 32 under the external force, the guide post 5 can press the elastic member 6, so that the elastic member 6 is deformed, and the elastic potential energy of the elastic member 6 is increased. When the external force disappears, the elastic element 6 is deformed and reset, the elastic potential energy is reduced, and the guide post 5 is driven to move along the direction of the through hole 32.

Still referring to fig. 2 to 4, in some embodiments, the elastic element 6 includes an elastic sheet portion 61, a first fixing portion 62 and a second fixing portion 63 which are integrally formed.

The elastic sheet part 61 is located on the periphery of the hinge shaft 3 and is abutted against one end of the guide post 5. The middle part of the elastic sheet part 61 protrudes towards one side of the guide post 5 in an arc shape.

The first fixing portion 62 is bent and extended from one end of the elastic piece portion 61 to one side of the elastic piece portion 61. The second fixing portion 63 is bent and extended from the other end of the elastic sheet portion 61 to the same side of the guide post 5. The first fixing portion 62 and the second fixing portion 63 are oppositely arranged at a spacing.

The first fixing portion 62 and the second fixing portion 63 are both provided with through holes 64. The first fixing portion 62 and the second fixing portion 63 are respectively sleeved on the hinge shaft 3 through the through holes 64 formed in the first fixing portion 62 and the second fixing portion 63, and are arranged at intervals up and down, the guide post 5 is located between the first fixing portion 62 and the second fixing portion 63, and therefore the elastic piece portion 61 is vertically arranged on the periphery side of the hinge shaft 3 and can be abutted against one end of the guide post 5. Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in some embodiments, one end of the hinge shaft 3 is a flat end 33. The through holes 64 of the first fixing portion 62 and the second fixing portion 63 are flat, so that the first fixing portion 62 and the second fixing portion 63 can be detachably sleeved on the flat end 33. So that the first fixing portion 62 and the second fixing portion 63 can be circumferentially fixed relative to the flat end 33, preventing the elastic member 6 from circumferentially rotating relative to the hinge shaft 3.

Fig. 6 is a top view of the sleeve 4 of fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a top view of the hinge assembly 10 of fig. 2 in a closed position of the door 11 with the guide post 5 in abutment against the chamber wall at the first position 411. Fig. 8 is a first view of the hinge assembly 10 of fig. 2 during opening of the door 11, with the guide post 5 abutting the chamber wall between a first position 411 and a second position 412. Fig. 9 is a second view of the hinge assembly 10 of fig. 2 during opening of the door 11, with the guide post 5 in a second position 412 against the chamber wall.

Referring to fig. 6 to 9, the transverse cross section of the cavity wall of the axial cavity 41 is non-circular, so that in the circumferential direction of the hinge shaft 3, the distance from the cavity wall of the axial cavity 41 to the axis of the hinge shaft 3, i.e. the center of the axial cavity 41, changes, and when the shaft sleeve 4 and the axial cavity 41 rotate relative to the hinge shaft 3, the cavity wall of the axial cavity 41 can press the guide post 5 to different degrees, so that the elastic member 6 is elastically deformed to different degrees.

Referring to fig. 6, the cavity wall of the cavity 41 has a first position 411, a second position 412 and a third position 413 spaced circumferentially around the hinge axis 3. The first position 411 and the third position 413 are located on both sides of the second position 412. The wall of the axial cavity 41 transitions smoothly from the first position 411 to the third position 413.

Wherein the distance H between the first position 411 and the center of the hinge axis 3 ₁ Is greater than the distance H between the second position 412 and the center of the hinge axis 3 ₂ Therefore, the distance from the cavity wall of the axial cavity 41 to the axial center of the hinge shaft 3 is gradually reduced from the first position 411 to the second position 412.

Referring to fig. 9 to 11, when the door 11 is closed, the first position 411 is opposite to one end of the guiding post 5, as shown in fig. 9. At this time, the elastic force of the elastic member 6 is minimized, and the pressing force on the guide post 5 is also minimized. When the door 11 is opened gradually from the closed position, the sleeve 4 and the shaft cavity 41 rotate relative to the hinge shaft 3, and the end of the guide post 5 abutting against the cavity wall moves relatively from the first position 411 to the second position 412. Since the distance from the cavity wall to the axis of the hinge shaft 3 decreases gradually from the first position 411 to the second position 412, the cavity wall will gradually press the guiding post 5, so that the guiding post 5 will gradually move along the through hole 32 toward the elastic member 6, and further gradually press the elastic member 6, increasing the deformation amount of the elastic member 6, as shown in the process of fig. 9 to fig. 11. In this process, the elastic force of the elastic member 6 becomes gradually larger.

In the process that the door 11 is gradually opened by closing, if the external force for opening the door disappears, the elastic member 6 is deformed and restored, the elastic member 6 drives the guide post 5 to move in the reverse direction, so as to squeeze the cavity wall, so as to force the shaft sleeve 4 and the door 11 to rotate in the reverse direction, so as to gradually close the door 11, and the end of the guide post 5 returns to the first position 411, as shown in the reverse process of fig. 10 to 9, so as to provide the door 11 with the assistance of automatically closing the door. And since the first position 411 is aligned with one end of the guiding pillar 5, the door 11 is closed, and the elastic force of the elastic member 6 is the smallest, this structure is favorable for keeping the door 11 in the closed state.

Fig. 10 is a third schematic view of the hinge assembly 10 of fig. 2 during opening of the door 11, when the guide post 5 abuts against the chamber wall between the second position 412 and the third position 413. Fig. 11 is a fourth schematic view of the hinge assembly 10 of fig. 2 during the opening of the door 11, wherein the guide post 5 abuts against the third position 413 of the cavity wall and the door opening angle of the door 11 is at a maximum.

Referring to FIGS. 9-11 in conjunction with FIG. 6, the distance H between the third position 413 and the center of the hinge axis 3 ₃ Is greater than the distance H between the second position 412 and the center of the hinge axis 3 ₂ . Therefore, the distance from the cavity wall of the cavity 41 to the axial center of the hinge shaft 3 is gradually increased from the second position 412 to the third position 413.

In the chamber walls of the portion of the shaft chamber 41 from the first position 411 to the third position 413, the second position 412 is closest to the axial center of the hinge shaft 3, so that the chamber walls at the second position 412 press the guide post 5 and the elastic member 6 to the maximum, the elastic force of the elastic member 6 is also the maximum, and the chamber walls at both sides of the second position 412 press the guide post 5 and the elastic member 6 to a lesser extent.

Therefore, the second position 412 is an equilibrium position, i.e. a critical position, when the door 11 rotates to a certain angle and the guiding post 5 abuts against the second position 412, the pressing force of the cavity wall to the guiding post 5 and the elastic force of the elastic member 6 to the guiding post 5 are on the same straight line, and are in an equilibrium state, and the door body hovers, as shown in fig. 9. When the rotation angle of the door body is smaller than the critical angle, the door 11 tends to close automatically until the door 11 is closed, and the guide post 5 stops against the first position 411 to provide assistance for closing the door, as shown in the state change process shown in fig. 8 to 7. When the rotation angle of the door body is greater than the critical angle, the door 11 tends to open itself, and the door 11 opens further until the guiding pillar 5 stops against the first position 411, so as to provide assistance for opening the door, as shown in the state change process shown in fig. 10 to 11.

It should be noted that the second position 412 can be adjusted according to the desired hovering angle and hovering position of the door 11.

Referring to fig. 6 and 11, in some embodiments, a limiting portion 414 is further disposed on the cavity wall of the axial cavity 41, and the limiting portion 414 is located on a side of the third position 413 away from the second position 412. The stopper portion 414 is curved and projects toward the center of the axial cavity 41. The stopper 414 is used to stop the guide post 5 and prevent the guide post 5 from rotating relatively to the third position 413 on the side away from the second position 412, that is, the third position 413 is at the maximum door opening angle, as shown in fig. 11. When the door 11 rotates to the angular position, the limiting portion 414 limits the guide post 5, and prevents the spindle sleeve 4 and the spindle cavity 41 from rotating continuously.

It is understood that the positions of the third position 413 and the position-limiting portion 414 can be adjusted according to the maximum door-opening angle required by the door 11.

It should be noted that, in the process from the closing of the door 11 to the opening of the door 11 to the maximum opening angle, no matter the door is closed with the assistance or the door is opened with the assistance, the guide post 5 and the elastic piece will not generate obvious jamming on the shaft sleeve 4 and the shaft cavity 41, and the door opening process is smooth, otherwise, the door closing process is also smooth, so that the smoothness of opening and closing the door 11 can be greatly improved.

Referring to fig. 6-11, in some embodiments, the axial cavity 41 has a mirror-image structure, and a line connecting the first position 411 and the center of the axial cavity 41 is taken as a symmetry axis 415. Therefore, two second positions 412 and two third positions 413 are respectively provided on the cavity walls on both sides of the first position 411 with the axis of symmetry 415 as a boundary, and the whole axial cavity 41 has a heart-like structure. The bushing 4 and the hinge assembly 10 can be applied to both the structure of the left door 11 and the structure of the right door 11.

Based on the technical scheme, the embodiment of the invention at least has the following advantages and positive effects:

in the refrigerator of the embodiment of the invention, the hinge base 2 is matched with the hinge shaft 3, so that the hinge shaft 3 is relatively fixed on the refrigerator body 1, and the shaft sleeve 4 is matched with the refrigerator door 11, so that the refrigerator door 11 can be hinged on the refrigerator body 1 through the shaft sleeve 4 and rotate relative to the hinge shaft 3. In the manual door opening process of the box door 11, the guide post 5 on the hinge shaft 3 is gradually extruded by the non-circular cavity wall of the shaft cavity 41 in the shaft sleeve 4, so that the guide post 5 extrudes the elastic piece 6, the deformation amount of the elastic piece 6 is increased, and after the box door 11 is loosened by hand, the deformation of the elastic piece 6 is recovered, so that certain assistance can be provided for door closing. The wall of the shaft cavity 41 is in smooth or smooth transition, and the guide post 5 and the elastic piece 6 are gradually extruded or loosened in the door opening and closing process, so that no obvious blockage exists in the door opening and closing process, and the smoothness of opening and closing the door 11 can be effectively improved. And the elastic force of the elastic member 6 is minimized in the closed state of the door 11, so that it can contribute to maintaining the closed state of the door 11.

While the present invention has been described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the terminology used is intended to be in the nature of words of description and illustration, rather than of limitation. As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator is characterized by comprising a refrigerator body, a refrigerator door hinged on the refrigerator body and a hinge assembly arranged between the refrigerator body and the refrigerator door; the hinge assembly includes:

the hinge seat is fixedly arranged on the box body;

the hinge shaft extends vertically, and one axial end of the hinge shaft is connected with the hinge seat and is relatively fixed with the hinge seat;

the shaft sleeve is fixedly arranged in the box door, a shaft cavity is arranged in the shaft sleeve, and the shaft cavity is rotatably sleeved on the periphery of the hinge shaft;

the guide post is arranged in the shaft cavity and movably penetrates through the hinge shaft along the radial direction; one end of the guide post is protruded in an arc shape and is abutted against the cavity wall of the shaft cavity; and

the elastic piece is arranged on the hinge shaft, abuts against the other end of the guide post and drives the guide post to abut against the cavity wall of the shaft cavity;

the axial cavity is provided with a cavity wall, wherein the cavity wall of the axial cavity is non-circular in the circumferential direction of the hinge shaft, at least part of the cavity wall of the axial cavity is in smooth or smooth transition, and the distance from the part of the cavity wall of the axial cavity to the axis of the hinge shaft gradually changes gradually; and during the process of opening the box door from closing, the cavity wall of the part of the shaft cavity can gradually press the guide post and gradually increase the deformation amount of the elastic element.

2. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cavity wall of the shaft cavity has a first position and a second position in a circumferential direction of the hinge shaft; and the distance from the cavity wall between the first position and the second position to the axle center of the hinge shaft is gradually reduced;

when the box door is closed, the guide post abuts against the first position;

in the process of opening the box door from closing, the end part of the guide post, which is abutted against the cavity wall, moves from the first position to the second position.

3. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cavity wall of the shaft cavity further has a third position in a circumferential direction of the hinge shaft; the third position is arranged on one side of the second position far away from the first position at intervals; and the distance from the cavity wall between the second position and the third position to the axis of the hinge shaft is gradually increased.

4. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 3, wherein a limiting portion is protruded from a wall of the shaft cavity in a circumferential direction of the hinge shaft, the limiting portion is arc-shaped and protruded toward a center of the shaft cavity, and the limiting portion is located on a side of the third position away from the second position.

5. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the shaft chamber has a mirror-symmetrical structure, and a line connecting the first position and a center of the shaft chamber is a symmetry axis.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the elastic member includes an elastic piece portion, a first fixing portion and a second fixing portion which are integrally formed;

the elastic sheet part is positioned on the periphery of the hinge shaft and is propped against the guide post; the middle part of the elastic piece part protrudes towards one side of the guide post in an arc shape;

the first fixing part is bent and extended from one end of the elastic sheet part to one side of the guide post;

the second fixing part is bent and extended from the other end of the elastic sheet part to one side of the guide post;

the first fixing part and the second fixing part are respectively sleeved on the hinge shaft and are arranged at intervals up and down; the guide post is located between the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion.

7. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 6, wherein one end of the hinge shaft is a flat end, the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion are detachably fitted over the flat end, and the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion are circumferentially fixed to the flat end.

8. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hinge mount is provided with a fixing post extending vertically; and an assembly hole matched with the fixing column is concavely arranged at one end of the hinge shaft, and the end part of the hinge shaft is detachably sleeved on the fixing column through the assembly hole and is circumferentially and oppositely fixed with the fixing column.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the hinge assembly further comprises a fixing plate; one end of the fixing plate is fixedly arranged on the bottom surface of the shaft sleeve and is rotatably sleeved on the hinge shaft; the other end of the fixed plate is fixedly arranged on the bottom surface of the box door.

10. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the end of the hinge shaft connected to the hinge base is protruded with a first grommet circumferentially arranged therearound; the first backing ring is abutted against the fixed plate and is positioned on one side of the fixed plate, which is far away from the box door;

a second cushion ring which is circumferentially arranged in a surrounding manner is convexly arranged at the end part of the fixed column, which is close to the hinge seat; the second backing ring is coaxially opposite to the first backing ring;

when the hinge shaft is sleeved on the fixing column, the first cushion ring is abutted against the second cushion ring.