CN103510775A

CN103510775A - Refrigerating device with door hinge assembly

Info

Publication number: CN103510775A
Application number: CN201310233699.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 余刚; 鲁松涛
Original assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Current assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Priority date: 2012-06-19
Filing date: 2013-06-09
Publication date: 2014-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 2033-06-09
Also published as: CN103512298A; CN103510775B; CN103512298B

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigerating device. The refrigerating device (100) comprises a body (101), a rotatable door (102) and a hinge assembly (1) connecting the door and the body. The hinge assembly comprises an adjusting element provided with a first adjusting portion (33) and a second adjusting portion (82), and the first adjusting portion (33) and the second adjusting portion (82) are respectively provided with a plurality of bearing faces (34a,34b,34c;8a,8b,8c) of different heights. The bearing faces (34a,34b,34c;8a,8b,8c) are parallel to the horizontal plane, and at least one baring face (34a or 34b or 34c) of the first adjusting portion (33) is located on the corresponding bearing face (8a or 8b or 8c) of the second adjusting portion (82).

Description

Refrigeration device with door hinge assembly

[ technical field ]

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, and more particularly to a refrigeration appliance such as a refrigerator, a wine chest, a freezer, and the like, having a door hinge assembly.

[ background art ]

It is known that the height of a door of a refrigeration appliance relative to the appliance body can be adjusted by means of a door hinge assembly having a height adjustment device.

The publication CN 201731720U discloses a refrigerator door height adjusting device including a hinge support and an adjusting member, an upper end of a hinge shaft fixed on the hinge support having gradually rising/falling adjusting teeth, the adjusting member being provided with insections at a section of the adjusting teeth facing the hinge shaft to engage with the adjusting teeth. When the adjusting piece is rotated, the adjusting piece rotates relative to the hinge shaft, the height of the adjusting piece relative to the refrigerator main body is changed, and then the height of the door body supported by the upper end of the adjusting piece is changed.

The publication CN 102322192 a discloses a hinge device of a refrigerator door, which includes a hinge base, a hinge shaft mounted on the hinge base, a shaft sleeve rotatably fitted over the hinge shaft, and an adjusting plate disposed between the hinge shaft and the shaft sleeve, the adjusting plate being rotatable relative to the shaft sleeve to move the shaft sleeve along the axial direction of the hinge shaft to adjust the distance between the shaft sleeve and the hinge base. The hinge device further includes a fastener for fastening the boss rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the adjustment plate. The fastener is fixed outside the central hole of the shaft sleeve and the adjusting disc which passes through the hinge shaft.

[ summary of the invention ]

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved refrigeration appliance having a door height adjustable hinge assembly.

The above object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the figures, the description and the dependent claims.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator appliance including a main body, a rotatable door, and a hinge assembly connecting the door and the main body, the hinge assembly including an adjuster having a first adjuster; and a second regulating part, the first regulating part and the second regulating part respectively comprising a plurality of bearing surfaces positioned on different heights; characterized in that said plurality of bearing surfaces are parallel to a horizontal plane, at least one bearing surface of said first adjustment part resting on a corresponding bearing surface of said second adjustment part.

Thus, the first regulation portion can be smoothly and reliably supported on the second regulation portion, which is advantageous in improving the life of the hinge assembly since the second regulation portion is small and can even not bear a force in the lateral direction.

In one possible embodiment, the first and second adjustment portions each comprise a vertical connecting surface connecting adjacent bearing surfaces. The adjacent bearing surfaces are thus distributed with little spacing in the circumferential direction, which is advantageous for increasing the surface area of each bearing surface and for simplifying the adjustment of the door height.

In a possible embodiment, the angle between two adjacent connecting surfaces connected to the two ends of any one of the bearing surfaces is greater than 30 degrees. This contributes to an increase in the area of the bearing surface, thereby facilitating smooth and reliable abutment of the first and second regulating portions.

In a possible embodiment, adjacent bearing surfaces have the same height difference. So that the door can be adjusted in height in the same steps.

In a possible embodiment, the first and second adjustment portions each comprise a plurality of pairs of bearing surfaces, each pair of bearing surfaces being located at the same height and being symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis.

In one possible embodiment, the first and second adjustment portions each include three to five pairs of bearing surfaces.

In a possible embodiment, the bearing surface of the first adjustment part and the bearing surface of the second adjustment part can be complementarily connected when the adjustment element is in the lowest position, without a spacing between the opposing bearing surfaces of the first and second adjustment parts.

In one possible embodiment, the adjusting piece can be moved to a position in which at least one bearing surface of the first adjusting part is spaced apart from the bearing surface of the second adjusting part opposite thereto.

In one possible embodiment, a hinge shaft having a hole is included, the adjustment member has a rod body inserted into the hole, and the second adjustment part is integrally formed at an end of the hinge shaft.

In a possible embodiment, the adjusting element comprises at least one stop element immovably fixed on the rod body, the inner wall of the bore of the hinge shaft has a plurality of guide grooves, and the stop element extends into the corresponding guide groove: the stopper may be disengaged from the guide groove when the adjuster is upwardly moved by a predetermined distance with respect to the hinge shaft. The stop part is used for preventing the adjusting part from rotating in the normal rotating process of the door, so that the protruding part can be designed to automatically withdraw from the guide groove when a user applies force to rotate the adjusting part, and on the other hand, the stop function formed between the stop part and the guide groove can be removed only by moving the adjusting part upwards for a preset distance, and the operation is very simple.

In a possible embodiment, the plurality of guide grooves extend in a vertical direction, and the rod body has at least one protrusion that can be placed in the guide groove, wherein the protrusion can move relative to the rod body to exit or enter the corresponding guide groove. Therefore, during the transportation process of the refrigeration appliance, if the adjusting piece moves up and down relative to the main body in a reciprocating mode, the protrusion part can slide along the guide groove, so that the motion track of the adjusting piece in the longitudinal direction is limited, and the phenomenon that the hinge assembly is damaged or the height of the door relative to the main body is changed due to the fact that the adjusting piece rotates relative to the hinge shaft during the transportation process of the refrigeration appliance can be avoided; on the other hand, such a guide mechanism can be arranged in the bore of the adjusting element or the hinge axis, which can be achieved without having to increase the space occupied by the hinge assembly in the refrigerator.

The construction of the present invention and other objects and advantages thereof will be more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[ description of the drawings ]

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Wherein,

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a refrigeration appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an adjustment member according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4a is a partial perspective view of the first and second adjustment portions engaged at a first height in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4b is a cross-sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 4 a.

FIG. 5a is a partial perspective view of the first and second adjustment portions disengaged to allow rotation of the adjustment member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 5 a;

FIG. 6a is a partial perspective view of the first and second adjustment portions engaged at a second elevation in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6b is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 6 a;

FIG. 7a is a partial perspective view of the first and second adjustment portions engaged at a third height in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7b is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG. 7 a;

fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge assembly according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[ detailed description of the invention ]

Fig. 1 shows a partial perspective view of a refrigeration appliance 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the refrigerator appliance 100 includes a main body 101 having a storage chamber and a pair of doors 102, 102' connected to the main body 101 to close or open the storage chamber. Doors 102, 102' are respectively hinged at left and right sides of the body 101 to open or close the corresponding storage compartments.

The refrigeration appliance 100 includes a hinge assembly 1 connected between a lower end of each door 102, 102' and the main body 101. The hinge assembly 1 is provided to adjust the height of the corresponding door 102, 102' with respect to the main body 101.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the hinge assembly 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 2 in conjunction with fig. 1, the hinge assembly 1 includes a hinge frame 2 fixed to a main body 101, a hinge shaft 8 fixed to the hinge frame 2, and an adjusting member 3 rotatably connected to the hinge shaft 8 with respect to the hinge shaft 8.

The hinge bracket 2 includes a mounting portion 21 fixed to the main body 101. The mounting portion 21 may be provided with a plurality of fixing holes 22 to allow suitable fasteners (not shown) to pass through the mounting portion to secure the hinge bracket to the main body 101. The fixing member may be a screw. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 21 is attached to the front surface of the main body 101. In an alternative embodiment, the hinge bracket may also be fixed to the lower surface of the main body, which is particularly suitable in the case where the lower wall of the storage compartment is formed by the bottom wall of the main body.

The hinge bracket 2 includes a support portion 23 extending forward from the mounting portion 21. The support 23 is substantially plate-shaped perpendicular to the front surface of the main body 101. The supporting portion 23 and the mounting portion 21 may be integrally formed.

The hinge assembly 1 comprises a hinge shaft 8 immovably fixed on the hinge frame 2. The hinge shaft 8 defines a rotation axis of the door 102, and is immovable with respect to the main body 101.

The hinge shaft 8 is fixed to the support 23 and extends vertically upward from the support 23. During the rotation of the door 102, the hinge shaft 8 is not movable relative to the support 23. In this embodiment, the hinge shaft 8 and the support 23 are integrally formed. In an alternative embodiment, the hinge shaft 8 and the support 23 may also be manufactured separately and then assembled together.

In this embodiment, the hinge shaft 8 is a hollow cylinder with a central hole 80. The central aperture 80 may penetrate the support 23.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 4b, the adjusting member 3 includes a base 31 and a rod 32 extending vertically downward from a lower end of the base 31. The base 31 and the rod 32 are solid cylinders of different diameters, so that the longitudinal section of the adjustment member 3 is substantially T-shaped. The diameter of the base 31 may be equal to the outer diameter of the hinge shaft 8 and the diameter of the rod 32 is slightly smaller than the smallest inner diameter of the hole 80.

The adjusting member 3 is rotatably installed on the door 102 or 102'. Specifically, the rod body 32 is received in the hole 80, and the lower end surface of the base 31 is supported on the upper end surface of the hinge shaft 8. The adjusting member 3 may be formed with an adjusting groove 37 at a lower end surface thereof. By inserting a corresponding tool, such as a screwdriver, into the adjustment slot 37 and rotating the adjustment member 3, the adjustment member 3 is rotated with respect to the hinge shaft 8.

The lower end of the base 31 forms a first regulation part 33, and the hinge shaft 8 includes a second regulation part 82 in face-to-face contact with the first regulation part 33 in the vertical direction. The second regulation part 82 may be formed by an upper end portion of the hinge shaft 8, integrally formed with the hinge shaft 8.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the first regulation portion 33 includes a plurality of bearing surfaces. Specifically, a first support surface 34a, a second support surface 34b and a third support surface 34c are included at different heights. The first, second and

third bearing surfaces

34a, 34b and 34c are stepped down as viewed from above, with a step formed between adjacent bearing

surfaces

34a, 34b and 34 c. The first, second and

third bearing surfaces

34a, 34b, 34c are parallel to the horizontal plane.

In order that the adjusting member 3 can be stably supported on the upper end surface of the hinge shaft 8, the bearing

surfaces

34a, 34b, 34c located at different heights are respectively arranged in pairs, and each pair of the bearing

surfaces

34a, 34b, 34c is symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the rod body 32. Preferably,

adjacent bearing surfaces

34a, 34b, 34c have the same height difference therebetween.

Correspondingly, the second adjusting part 82 also comprises a plurality of stepped-up horizontal fourth 8a, fifth 8b and sixth 8c bearing surfaces. The fourth bearing surface 8a, the fifth bearing surface 8b and the sixth bearing surface 8c are also provided in pairs, respectively.

The adjacent first, second, and

third bearing surfaces

34a, 34b, and 34c are connected by a vertical first connecting surface 35. The adjacent fourth to

sixth bearing surfaces

8a, 8b, 8c are also connected by a vertical second connecting surface 84.

In the present embodiment, the first regulating portion 33 and the second regulating portion 82 each have three pairs of bearing surfaces, and the included angle between two adjacent connecting surfaces 35 or 84 connected to the respective ends of the same bearing surface is approximately 60 degrees. It is to be understood that other embodiments of the invention are possible. Preferably, in order to provide each bearing surface with a large bearing area, the included angle between two adjacent connecting surfaces is preferably not less than 30 degrees. For example, the first adjusting portion 33 and the second adjusting portion 82 have four or five pairs of supporting surfaces, and the included angle between two adjacent connecting surfaces is approximately 45 degrees or 36 degrees on the premise that each supporting surface has the same area.

When the adjusting member 3 rotates relative to the hinge shaft 8, the relative positions of the bearing surfaces of the first adjusting part 33 and the second adjusting part 82 are changed, so that the height of the adjusting member 3 relative to the main body 101, and thus the height of the door 102 supported by the adjusting member 3 relative to the main body 101, can be changed. At least one of the bearing

surfaces

34a, 34b, 34c of the first adjustment part 33 seats on a corresponding bearing surface 82a, 82b, 82c of the second adjustment part 82.

The hinge assembly 1 may further include a sleeve 6 which is sleeved outside the adjusting member 3 and the hinge shaft 8 from the top down. The sleeve 6 is mounted within the door 102.

The adjusting element 3 and the hinge axis 8 are preferably made of metal. The sleeve 6 may be made of plastic. In order to reduce friction between the sleeve 6 and the top surface of the adjusting member 3, a spacer 7 may be provided between the sleeve 6 and the top surface of the adjusting member 3.

As shown in fig. 1 and 4b, the inner surface of the hinge shaft 8 is rugged to form a plurality of vertically extending guide grooves 81. The guide slot 81 may extend over the entire height of the hinge axis 8. The adjacent guide grooves 81 are transited over the entire height by rounded convex curved surfaces 83. The aperture 80 is generally flower-shaped when viewed in cross-section. In this embodiment, the hinge shaft 8 has six guide grooves 81.

The adjusting member 3 includes a pair of

protrusions

4a and 4b provided on the lever body 32, the

protrusions

4a and 4b protruding outside the side surface of the lever body 32. The

projections

4a and 4b are located apart from the base 31, and may be closer to the lower end of the rod body 32, for example. The

projections

4a and 4b may have identical structures and dimensions.

The

protrusions

4a and 4b are movable relative to the rod body 32 in a direction perpendicular to the rod body 32. In this embodiment, the

protrusions

4a and 4b are movable in the radial direction of the rod body 32 so as to be retracted into the rod body 32 or to be extended into the corresponding guide grooves 81. Each

projection

4a, 4b is movable relative to the rod 32 between an extended position in which the

projection

4a, 4b extends beyond the side of the rod 32 and is at least partially within a respective one of the guide slots 81, and a retracted position in which the

projection

4a, 4b is at least partially retracted within the rod 32 and exits either one of the guide slots 81. In one embodiment, the

projections

4a, 4b are each fully retracted within the rod 32 in their respective retracted positions.

In a preferred embodiment, the shaft 32 includes a receiving slot 36 extending through the shaft 32 in a radial direction of the shaft 32. The

projections

4a and 4b can be switched between positions where they protrude out of the receiving groove 36 and are completely received in the receiving groove 36. The

projections

4a and 4b are preferably spheres, preferably made of metal.

An elastic member 5 is provided in the receiving groove 36, and the elastic member 5 is deformable in the radial direction of the rod body 32. The elastic member 5 may simply be a spring. The

projections

4a and 4b are connected to opposite ends of the elastic member 5, respectively. By changing the length of the elastic member 5 in the radial direction of the rod body 32, the

protrusions

4a and 4b can be linearly moved in the radial direction of the rod body 32. For example, when the protruding

portions

4a and 4b move from the protruding position to the retracted position, the elastic member 5 is compressed. Preferably, when the

projections

4a and 4b are in their respective extended positions, the elastic member 5 is in a compressed state, and the

projections

4a and 4b are pressed by the elastic member 5 against the guide groove 31, so that the

projections

4a and 4b are always pressed against the inner surface of the hole 80 in the extended position and the retracted position.

Furthermore, the adjustment member comprises a stop 38 located on the lever body 32 but next to the base 31. The stopper 38 is fixed to the rod 32 so as not to move in the radial direction of the rod 32 relative to the rod 32. The stop 38 may be integrally formed with the lever body 32.

The stopper 38 is connected to the third bearing surface 34 c. When the first and second regulating portions 33 and 82 are butted, the stopper portions 38 fall into the respective guide grooves 81, which can restrict the rotation of the regulating member 3 when the first and second regulating portions 33 and 82 are butted. The stopper portion 38 extends a short distance in the axial direction of the lever body 32 so that when the adjuster 3 is moved upward to disengage the first adjusting portion 33 from the second adjusting portion 82 by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction, the stopper portion 38 is disengaged from the guide groove 81 and the adjuster 3 can be rotated.

Fig. 4a and 4b show the engaged state of the first regulating portion 33 and the second regulating portion 82 when the door 102 is at the first height. In this position, as shown in fig. 4a, the bearing surfaces of the first 33 and second 82 adjustment parts abut as if they were complementary, and there is no spacing between the opposing bearing surfaces of the first 33 and second 82 adjustment parts. Specifically, the first bearing surface 34a of the first regulation part 33 is supported by the sixth bearing surface 8c of the second regulation part 82, and accordingly, the second bearing surface 34b and the fifth bearing surface 8b are engaged, and the third bearing surface 34c and the fourth bearing surface 8a are engaged.

At this time, the stopper 38 is located in one of the guide grooves 81. The stopper 38 prevents the adjuster 3 from rotating with respect to the hinge shaft 8 to change the height of the door 102 during the opening or closing of the door 102.

As shown in fig. 4b, the

projections

4a and 4b are in the extended position, respectively, and are located in the corresponding one of the guide grooves 81. Therefore, when the adjusting member 3 is moved in the longitudinal direction with respect to the hinge shaft 8, the

protrusions

4a and 4b are moved along the vertical guide grooves 81, and the movement locus of the adjusting member 3 in the longitudinal direction can be defined. During transport, the adjusting member 3 is moved upwards with the door 102 until the stop portion 38 has disengaged from the corresponding guide groove 81, but since the

projections

4a and 4b are still retained in the corresponding guide grooves 81, no rotational movement of the adjusting member 3 occurs, so that, when the adjusting member 3 is dropped, the relative position between the first adjusting portion 33 and the second adjusting portion 82 is still maintained, and no unwanted variation in the height of the door 102 or 102' relative to the main body 101 occurs.

When it is desired to adjust the height of the door 102, as shown in fig. 5a and 5b, the door 102 may be lifted upward to lift the adjusting member 3 upward. The adjuster 3 is moved upward to such an extent that the stopper 38 at the upper end of the rod body 32 is disengaged from the guide groove 81, and the main body of the rod body 32 remains in the hole 80. When the adjusting member 3 is rotated, the

projections

4a and 4b are pressed by the inner wall surface of the hinge shaft 8, the elastic member 5 is compressed, and the

projections

4a and 4b are gradually retracted into the receiving grooves 36 and gradually withdrawn from the corresponding guide grooves 81, respectively. When the

protrusions

4a and 4b are in contact with the highest portion of the curved protrusion surface 83, the

protrusions

4a and 4b are completely retracted into the receiving groove 36. As the rotation of the adjusting member 3 is continued, the pressing force between the

projections

4a and 4b and the inner wall surface of the hole 80 is gradually reduced as the

projections

4a and 4b move along the wall surface of the hole 80 whose diameter is gradually increased, the length of the elastic member 5 is gradually lengthened, and the

projections

4a and 4b are gradually projected out of the accommodation groove 36 again.

When the adjusting member 3 is rotated to bring the

projections

4a and 4b into the corresponding other guide grooves 81, respectively, the

projections

4a and 4b are again located in the second position, as shown in fig. 6 b. In this position, the door 102 is adjusted to a second height, as shown in fig. 6a, with the second bearing surface 34b in abutment with the sixth bearing surface 8c, the third bearing surface 34c in abutment with the fifth bearing surface 8b, and the first bearing surface 34a spaced from the fourth bearing surface 8 a. From the first height to the second height, the

projections

4a and 4b each experience a curved projection surface 83.

Similarly, if the counterclockwise rotation adjusting member 3 passes the two protruding curved surfaces 83, the door 102 may be at the third height. At the third height, the relationship between the adjustment member 3 and the hinge axis 8 is as shown in fig. 7a and 7 b. In this position, the third bearing surface 34c and the sixth bearing surface 8c abut, and the first bearing surface 34a and the second bearing surface 34b are spaced apart from the fifth bearing surface 8b and the fourth bearing surface 8a, respectively.

In the process of rotating the adjusting member 3 counterclockwise, the external force required by the adjusting member 3 when the protruding

portions

4a and 4b abut against the front half portions of the protruding curved surfaces 83 is much larger than the external force required when the protruding

portions

4a and 4b abut against the rear half portions of the protruding curved surfaces 83, and whether the first adjusting portion 33 and the second adjusting portion 82 can be in the proper abutting position can be clearly sensed by the operator, which is convenient for operation.

In the above embodiment, the accommodating groove penetrates through the rod body in the radial direction of the rod body, two open ends of the accommodating groove are respectively provided with a protruding portion, and the elastic member is arranged between the two protruding portions. In an alternative embodiment, the receiving slot of the rod body is a blind hole, a protrusion is located at the open end of the receiving slot, and the elastic member is disposed between the closed end of the receiving slot and the protrusion.

In addition, the present invention should not be limited to the number of the protrusions, for example, more than two protrusions may be provided on the rod body, or only one protrusion may be provided.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge assembly 1' according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, the hinge assembly 1 ' includes a hinge frame 2 fixed to the main body 101, a hinge shaft 8 ' fixed to the hinge frame 2, and an adjuster 3 ' rotatably connected to the hinge shaft 8 ' with respect to the hinge shaft 8 '. The hinge assembly 1 ' further includes a sleeve 6 installed in the door 102 to be fitted over the adjusting member 3 ' and the hinge shaft 8 ' from above to below, and a gasket 7 positioned between the sleeve 6 ' and the adjusting member 3 '. The hinge frame 2, the sleeve 6 and the gasket 7 may have the same structure as the previous embodiment, and are not described herein.

The hinge assembly 1 ' is mainly different from the foregoing embodiments in the structure and connection relationship of the hinge shaft 8 ' and the adjusting member 3 '. Overall, the hinge axis 8 'has a solid shaft 80', the shaft 80 'having

projections

8a, 8b projecting beyond the sides of the shaft 80'; the adjusting member 3 ' is provided with a hole 32 ' for receiving the hinge shaft 8 ', and a plurality of vertically extending guide grooves (not shown) for engaging with the

projections

8a, 8b are provided on an inner wall surface of the hole 32 ' of the adjusting member 3 '. The bore of the adjusting member 3' may have a substantially flower-shaped cross-section.

Similar to the previous embodiment, the

protrusions

8a and 8b are movable relative to the rod 80 ' in the radial direction of the rod 80 ' so as to be retractable into the rod 80 '. Each

projection

8a, 8b is movable between an extended position, in which the

projection

8a, 8b projects beyond the side of the rod 80 ' so as to be located at least partially in a respective guide groove of a corresponding adjusting member 3 ', and a retracted position, in which the

projection

8a, 8b is completely retracted into the rod 80 ' and exits the respective guide groove. The

projections

8a and 8b may be attached to the rod 80' in a similar manner to the previous embodiments and will not be described further herein.

The regulating member 3 'includes a first regulating portion (not shown) located on an inner upper wall of the hole 32'. The upper end of the hinge shaft 8 ' has a second regulating portion 82 ' to be engaged with the regulating member 3 '. The first and second regulating portions 82' may have the same structure and arrangement and fitting manner as the previous embodiment, for example, also have a plurality of steps, respectively. By rotating the adjusting member 3 ', the relative positions of the steps of the first and second adjusting parts 82' are changed, thereby changing the height of the door 102.

The outer peripheral surface of the adjusting member 3 'may be designed to be rotated in cooperation with a suitable tool, for example, the adjusting member 3' may be a hollow regular hexahedral cylinder, so that a wrench grips the outer peripheral surface of the adjusting member 3 'to rotate the adjusting member 3' to adjust the height of the door 102 with respect to the main body.

In the above embodiment the second adjustment part and the hinge axis are of unitary construction, however in an alternative embodiment the second adjustment part may be provided separately from the hinge axis, for example by forming the second adjustment part on a barrel member secured to the door and fitted over a cylindrical hinge axis secured to the hinge frame to cooperate with the first adjustment part of the adjustment member, the adjustment member having an annular shape fitted over the hinge axis, the barrel member being supported above the adjustment member. The inner wall of the adjusting piece is provided with a guide groove, the hinge shaft is provided with a projection part which can extend into and withdraw from the guide groove, so that the first adjusting piece and the second adjusting piece are prevented from being misplaced due to the fact that the adjusting piece rotates relative to the hinge shaft in the transportation process of the refrigeration appliance, and when a user applies force for enabling the adjusting piece to rotate relative to the hinge shaft, the projection part can retract into the hinge shaft and withdraw from the guide groove, so that the adjusting piece rotates relative to the first hinge shaft and a barrel piece which is fixed on the door and is provided with the second adjusting part, and the height of the door is adjusted. Further, a stopper portion may be provided between the hinge shaft and the adjusting member or between the adjusting member and the barrel member at one end portion of the guide slot to prevent the adjusting member from rotating relative to the hinge shaft during rotation of the door.

The various embodiments of the individual components described in connection with fig. 1 to 8 may be combined with each other in any given way to achieve the advantages of the invention. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and other means than those shown may be generally used as long as the same effects are obtained.

Claims

1. A refrigeration appliance (100) comprising a main body (101), a rotatable door (102, 102 ') and a hinge assembly (1, 1') connecting the door and the main body, the hinge assembly comprising

An adjusting piece (3, 3') having a first adjusting part (33); and

a second adjustment portion (82, 82 '), the first adjustment portion (33) and the second adjustment portion (82, 82') each comprising a plurality of bearing surfaces (34a, 34b, 34 c; 8a, 8b, 8c) located at different heights;

characterized in that the plurality of bearing surfaces (34a, 34b, 34 c; 8a, 8b, 8c) are parallel to a horizontal plane, at least one bearing surface (34a, 34b, 34c) of the first adjustment part (33) sitting on a corresponding bearing surface (8a, 8b, 8c) of the second adjustment part (82).

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first adjusting portion (33) and the second adjusting portion (82, 82') each comprise a vertical connecting surface (35, 84) connecting adjacent bearing surfaces (34a, 34b, 34 c; 8a, 8b, 8 c).

3. A cold appliance according to claim 2, wherein two adjacent connection surfaces (35, 84) connected at either end of any one of the support surfaces (34a, 34b, 34 c; 8a, 8b, 8c) have an angle of more than 30 degrees.

4. A cold appliance according to claim 1, wherein adjacent support surfaces (34a, 34b, 34 c; 8a, 8b, 8c) have the same height difference.

5. The refrigeration appliance (100) according to claim 1, wherein said first and second regulation portions respectively comprise a plurality of pairs of bearing surfaces, each pair being located at the same height and being symmetrical with respect to said rotation axis.

6. The refrigeration appliance (100) according to claim 5, wherein said first and second adjustment portions each comprise three to five pairs of bearing surfaces.

7. The refrigeration appliance (100) according to claim 1, wherein the bearing surface of the first adjustment part and the bearing surface of the second adjustment part are complementarily connectable when the adjustment element is in the lowest position, with no spacing between the opposing bearing surfaces of the first and second adjustment parts.

8. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said adjustment element is movable to a position in which at least one bearing surface of the first adjustment portion is spaced apart from an opposing bearing surface of the second adjustment portion.

9. The refrigeration appliance according to any of the above claims, comprising a hinge shaft (8) having a hole (80), said adjustment member (3) having a rod body (32) inserted in said hole, said second adjustment portion (82) being integrally formed at the end of said hinge shaft (8).

10. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 9, wherein the adjusting element (3) comprises at least one stop (38) immovably fixed to the rod (32, 80'), the inner wall of the bore of the hinge shaft (8) having a plurality of guide grooves (81), the stop (38) projecting into the respective guide groove (81) in such a way that: the stopper (38) may be disengaged from the guide groove (81) when the adjuster (3, 3 ') is moved upward relative to the hinge shaft (8, 8') by a predetermined distance.

11. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the guide grooves extend in the vertical direction and the rod body has at least one projection (4a, 4b) which can be placed in the guide groove, wherein the projection (4a, 4b) can be moved relative to the rod body (32) to exit or enter the respective guide groove (81).