CN108426401B

CN108426401B - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN108426401B
Application number: CN201810054806.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 付伟健; 刘明勇; 张珩; 朱传琳
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Co Ltd
Current assignee: Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-01-19
Filing date: 2018-01-19
Publication date: 2020-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-19
Also published as: CN108426401A

Abstract

The invention discloses a refrigerator, which comprises a refrigerator body and a main door, wherein the main door is provided with an opening and a secondary door, the secondary door has an opening state for opening the opening and a closing state for closing the opening, the refrigerator is characterized in that the main door is provided with a main door front panel, the secondary door is provided with a secondary door front panel, the refrigerator also comprises a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism drives the secondary door to move relative to the main door so as to realize the conversion between the opening state and the closing state, when the secondary door is in the closing state, the secondary door front panel is approximately flush with the main door front panel, the driving mechanism comprises a driving motor which is fixed relative to the main door and a transmission structure arranged between the driving motor and the secondary door, and the refrigerator also comprises a guide structure for guiding the movement of the secondary door. The secondary door of the refrigerator has good overall visibility when closed, occupies a small space when opened, and is convenient to take and place articles.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of household appliances, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

With the continuous improvement of the living standard of people, the large-volume refrigerator is widely applied. As the volume of the refrigerator increases, the volume of the refrigerator also increases, and therefore the door of the refrigerator also needs to be higher and wider. However, when a user takes and places articles, a large-size door body needs to be opened frequently, so that the loss of cold energy in the refrigerator is serious, the compressor is started frequently, and the energy consumption of the refrigerator is increased greatly.

In order to solve the technical problem, a technician researches the opening on the main door, the opening is provided with the secondary door, the secondary door is rotatably arranged through a pivot to open or close the opening, the secondary door needs to be turned outwards when opened, the occupied space is large, and a user is in front of the secondary door, so that the secondary door is inconvenient to put in and take out. In addition, every time the door is opened, the opening of the main door of the refrigerator is completely opened, and the cold quantity loss is still large.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a refrigerator, which has good integral visibility when a secondary door of the refrigerator is closed, occupies small space when the secondary door of the refrigerator is opened, and is convenient for taking and placing articles.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator including a cabinet, a main door opening or closing the cabinet, the main door is provided with an opening and a secondary door, the secondary door has an opening state for opening the opening and a closing state for closing the opening, characterized in that the main door is provided with a main door front panel, the secondary door is provided with a secondary door front panel, the refrigerator also comprises a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism drives the secondary door to move relative to the main door to realize the conversion between the opening state and the closing state, the secondary door front panel is substantially flush with the primary door front panel when the secondary door is in a closed state, the driving mechanism comprises a driving motor which is fixed relative to the main door, and a transmission structure arranged between the driving motor and the secondary door, and the refrigerator further comprises a guide structure for guiding the movement of the secondary door.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the transmission structure includes a driving wheel driven by the driving motor to rotate, a driven wheel rotatably disposed on the main door, a transmission member disposed on the periphery of the driving wheel and the driven wheel to transmit motion, and a first triangular bracket rotatably connected to the secondary door through a first connecting shaft, the driving wheel has a first rotation axis, the driven wheel has a second rotation axis, the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis are both substantially horizontal, the first triangular bracket is further provided with a first mounting shaft connected to the transmission member and a first coupling shaft coupled to the guide structure, and a center of the first connecting shaft, a center of the first mounting shaft, and a center of the first coupling shaft define a first triangle.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first triangle is an isosceles triangle or an equilateral triangle.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, a distance between the center of the first connecting shaft and the center of the first mounting shaft is equal to a distance between the center of the first connecting shaft and the center of the first coupling shaft.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the main door further has a first side panel and a second side panel which are located on the left and right sides of the front panel of the main door and are both arranged at an angle with respect to the front panel of the main door, the guiding structure includes an arc-shaped guiding groove arranged on the first side panel and a linear guiding groove communicated with the arc-shaped guiding groove, the arc center of the arc guide groove and the secondary door are positioned at two sides of the linear guide groove, so that the first matching shaft is firstly matched and connected with the arc guide groove in the process of changing the secondary door from a closed state to an open state, then, in the process of moving from the arc-shaped guide groove to the linear guide groove gradually, a certain gap is generated between the secondary door and the front panel of the main door in the direction approximately vertical to the front panel of the main door, and finally, the first matching shaft moves relative to the linear guide groove.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first mounting shaft extends through the linear guide groove to be connected with the transmission member.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the invention, the transmission member is provided as a belt or a wire rope.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, an auxiliary limiting mechanism is further disposed between the secondary door and the primary door, the auxiliary limiting mechanism includes a second triangular bracket rotatably connected to the secondary door through a second connecting shaft, and a sliding chute coupled to the second triangular bracket, the sliding chute includes an arc-shaped sliding chute and a linear sliding chute communicated with the arc-shaped sliding chute, the second triangular bracket includes a second mounting shaft and a second coupling shaft coupled to the sliding chute, when the secondary door is changed from a closed state to an open state, the second coupling shaft is coupled to the arc-shaped sliding chute and then to the linear sliding chute, the second mounting shaft is always coupled to the linear sliding chute, and a second triangle is defined by a center of the second connecting shaft, a center of the second mounting shaft, and a center of the second coupling shaft.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the second triangular bracket is the same as the first triangular bracket, the arc-shaped chute is the same as the arc-shaped guide groove, and the linear chute is the same as the linear guide groove.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the linear sliding groove and the linear guide groove are located on the same vertical line.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the transmission structure and the guide structure are provided in two sets, and the guide structures are respectively provided on the first side panel and the second side panel.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the invention, both groups of transmission structures are driven by the driving motor.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the driving mechanism includes a first coupling and a second coupling, and the two sets of transmission structures are respectively connected to the driving motor through the first coupling and the second coupling.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the main door has a bottom portion remote from and opposite to the main door front panel, a left side portion and a right side portion provided between the bottom portion and the main door front panel, the bottom portion, the left side portion and the right side portion defining the opening, and the driving motor is provided adjacent to the bottom portion.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: according to the technical scheme provided by the invention, when the secondary door is in a closed state, the secondary door front panel is approximately flush with the main door front panel, the driving mechanism comprises a driving motor which is fixed relative to the main door and a transmission structure arranged between the driving motor and the secondary door, and the refrigerator further comprises a guide structure for guiding the movement of the secondary door. Thereby driving the secondary door to move relative to the primary door to effect a transition between the open and closed states. The refrigerator has good overall visibility when the secondary door is closed, and the secondary door of the refrigerator occupies a small space when opened and is convenient to take and place articles.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator in a first embodiment of the present invention, where a cabinet is removed and a sub door is in an open state;

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 with the secondary door in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 with the secondary door in a closed position;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;

fig. 5 is a perspective view of the refrigerator in the second embodiment of the present invention, where the cabinet is removed and the sub door is in a closed state;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another direction of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in which the cabinet is removed and the sub-door is closed;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the refrigerator of FIG. 5 with the secondary door in a closed position;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken at A-A of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken at B-B of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 9 at C;

FIG. 11 is a left side elevational view of the refrigerator of FIG. 5, with the secondary door in a closed position;

FIG. 12 is a left side view of the refrigerator of FIG. 5, with the bar counter carrying the secondary door laterally displaced relative to the main door to a clearance from the main door in a direction generally perpendicular to the front panel of the main door;

FIG. 13 is a left side elevational view of the refrigerator of FIG. 5, with the secondary door moved longitudinally to an open position, and the bar counter not protruding from the secondary door in a direction generally perpendicular to the front panel of the main door;

FIG. 14 is a left side view of the refrigerator of FIG. 5 with the secondary door in an open position and the bar counter continuing to move laterally in a direction generally perpendicular to the front panel of the main door to protrude from the secondary door;

fig. 15 is a front view of the refrigerator in the third embodiment of the present invention, where the cabinet is removed and the sub door is in a closed state;

FIG. 16 is a left side elevational view of the refrigerator of FIG. 15 with the secondary door in a closed position;

FIG. 17 is a left side elevational view of the refrigerator of FIG. 15 with the secondary door moved laterally relative to the primary door to clear the primary door of a gap in a direction generally perpendicular to the front panel of the primary door;

FIG. 18 is a left side elevational view of the refrigerator of FIG. 15, with the secondary door moved longitudinally to an open condition;

FIG. 19 is a front view of the refrigerator of FIG. 15, with the secondary door removed;

FIG. 20 is a rear elevational view of the lateral drive mechanism and the longitudinal drive mechanism of the refrigerator of FIG. 15;

FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view of the lateral and longitudinal drive mechanisms of the refrigerator of FIG. 20 with the secondary door in a closed position;

FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view of the lateral and longitudinal drive mechanisms of the refrigerator of FIG. 20 with the secondary door moved laterally relative to the primary door to a clearance from the primary door in a direction generally perpendicular to the front panel of the primary door;

fig. 23 is another perspective view of the lateral and longitudinal driving mechanisms of the refrigerator of fig. 20, when the sub-door is moved longitudinally to an open state.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments shown in the drawings. These embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, and structural, methodological, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art according to these embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "bottom", "inner" and "outer" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are generally referred to in a normal use state of the refrigerator, and do not indicate that the indicated positions or elements must have specific orientations.

Moreover, it will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements or structures, these described elements should not be limited by the above terms. The above terms are only used to distinguish these descriptive objects from each other. For example, the first connecting shaft may be referred to as the second connecting shaft, and likewise, the second connecting shaft may also be referred to as the first connecting shaft, without departing from the scope of protection of this application.

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, a first preferred embodiment of the present invention discloses a refrigerator including a cabinet (not shown) defining storage compartments, wherein the number and the structural form of the storage compartments may be configured according to different needs, and a main door 10 for opening or closing the cabinet. The storage compartment typically includes a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment.

The main door 10 is provided with an opening 12 and a sub-door 14, the sub-door 14 has an opening state for opening the opening 12 and a closing state for closing the opening 12, when the sub-door 14 is in the opening state, a user can take food from the opening 12, and when the taking of the food is finished, the sub-door 14 is switched to the closing state, thereby closing the opening 12.

The main door 10 has a main door front panel 16, and the refrigerator further includes a driving mechanism for driving the sub-door 14 to move away from the opening 12 in advance when the sub-door 14 is shifted from the closed state to the open state, so that the sub-door 14 has a certain gap from the main door front panel 16 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 16, so that the sub-door 14 can move up or down without interference from the main door 10. The drive mechanism then drives the secondary door 14 longitudinally upward or downward in a direction generally parallel to the main door front panel 16, thereby opening the opening 12. In the preferred embodiment, when opening the opening 12, the driving mechanism drives the secondary door 14 to move away from the opening 12, and then drives the secondary door 14 to move longitudinally upward in a direction substantially parallel to the front panel 16 of the main door. Of course, it is possible to arrange the driving mechanism to drive the secondary door 14 to move in a direction away from the opening 12 and then drive the secondary door 14 to move longitudinally downward in a direction substantially parallel to the main door front panel 16 when opening the opening 12, depending on the position where the opening 12 is arranged and the arrangement of the driving mechanism.

Accordingly, the step of switching the sub-door 14 from the open state to the closed state is opposite to the step of switching from the closed state to the open state, specifically, when the sub-door 14 is switched from the open state to the closed state, the driving mechanism drives the sub-door 14 to move longitudinally downward in a direction substantially parallel to the main door front panel 16 first, and when the sub-door 14 completely covers the opening 12 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 16, the driving mechanism drives the sub-door 14 to move in a direction close to the opening 12 next, until the sub-door 14 is attached to the main door 10, so as to close the opening 12.

In the preferred embodiment, since the driving mechanism drives the secondary door 14 to move away from the opening 12 first, so that a gap is formed between the secondary door 14 and the main door front panel 16 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 16, the driving mechanism then drives the secondary door 14 to move longitudinally upward or downward in a direction substantially parallel to the main door front panel 16, so as to open the opening 12. The invention ensures that the secondary door 14 of the refrigerator occupies smaller space when being opened and is convenient for taking and placing articles, in addition, the invention can completely open the opening 12, also can open the opening 12 by corresponding size according to the requirement, and does not necessarily completely open the opening 12 every time, thereby greatly reducing the energy consumption of the refrigerator.

Further, the secondary door 14 has a secondary door front panel 18, and the secondary door front panel 18 of the secondary door 14 is substantially flush with the main door front panel 16 of the main door 10 when the secondary door 14 is in the closed state. Thereby making the external structure of the refrigerator regular and beautiful. Of course, the sub-door front panel 18 of the sub-door 14 and the main-door front panel 16 of the main door 10 may be disposed not flush when the sub-door 14 is in the closed state. In addition, when the sub-door 14 is in the open state, the rear side of the sub-door 14 opposite to the sub-door front panel 18 faces the main door front panel 16 of the main door 10, and the projection of the main door 10 and the sub-door 14 in the direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 16 at least partially overlaps.

Specifically, the driving mechanism includes a driving motor 20 fixed with respect to the main door 10, a transmission structure 22 provided between the driving motor 20 and the sub-door 14, and the refrigerator further includes a guide structure 24 guiding the movement of the sub-door 14. The refrigerator further includes a control module (not shown) electrically connected to the driving motor 20 to control the driving motor 20.

The transmission structure 22 includes a driving wheel 26 driven by the driving motor 20 to rotate, a driven wheel 28 rotatably disposed on the main door 10, a transmission member 30 disposed on the periphery of the driving wheel 26 and the driven wheel 28 to transmit motion, and a first triangular bracket 34 rotatably connected to the sub-door 14 through a first connecting shaft 32, wherein the driving wheel 26 has a first rotation axis, the driven wheel 28 has a second rotation axis, both the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis are substantially horizontal, the first triangular bracket 34 is further provided with a first mounting shaft 36 connected to the transmission member 30 and a first coupling shaft 38 coupled to the guide structure 24, and the center of the first connecting shaft 32, the center of the first mounting shaft 36 and the center of the first coupling shaft 38 define a first triangle.

Preferably, the first triangle is an isosceles triangle or an equilateral triangle. Of course, the first triangle may not be arranged as an isosceles triangle or an equilateral triangle. Specifically to the preferred embodiment, the distance between the center of the first connecting shaft 32 to the center of the first mounting shaft 36 is equal to the distance between the center of the first connecting shaft 32 to the center of the first coupling shaft 38. This makes the movement of the sub-door 14 smoother.

The main door 10 also has a first side panel 40 disposed at an angle to the main door front panel 16. in the preferred embodiment, the first side panel 40 is perpendicular to the main door front panel 16, although other angles between the first side panel 40 and the main door front panel 16 are possible. The guide structure 24 includes an arc-shaped guide groove 42 formed in the first side panel 40 and a linear guide groove 44 communicating with the arc-shaped guide groove 42, an arc center of the arc-shaped guide groove 42 and the sub-door 14 are positioned at both sides of the linear guide groove 44, and the linear guide groove 44 extends in a vertical direction. So that when the sub-door 14 is changed from the closed state to the open state, the first coupling shaft 38 is first coupled to the arc-shaped guide groove 42, then the sub-door 14 is moved to a position substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 16 with a certain gap therebetween by moving the arc-shaped guide groove 42 gradually closer to the linear guide groove 44, and finally the first coupling shaft 38 is moved relative to the linear guide groove 44, so that the sub-door 14 is moved upward by the first triangular bracket 34, and the opening 12 is finally opened. When the secondary door 14 is changed from the open state to the closed state, the first coupling shaft 38 moves relative to the linear guide groove 44, the first triangular bracket 34 drives the secondary door 14 to move downwards, the secondary door 14 moves in a direction approximately perpendicular to the front panel 16 of the main door, when the secondary door 14 completely covers the opening 12, the first coupling shaft 38 is coupled with the arc-shaped guide groove 42, and then the secondary door 14 is driven to move towards the opening 12 continuously in a direction approaching the opening 12 gradually in the process of moving away from the linear guide groove 44 until the secondary door 14 is attached to the main door 10, so that the opening 12 is closed.

In addition, the control module can control the opening size of the opening 12 according to the requirement, the opening 12 can be completely opened, and the opening 12 can also be opened to a certain size according to the requirement, so that the opening 12 does not need to be completely opened again and again, the loss of cold energy is further prevented, and the energy consumption of the refrigerator is reduced.

Further, the first mounting shaft 36 extends through the linear guide slot 44 to connect with the transmission member 30. The first mounting axle 36 is always located in the linear guide slot 44. Of course, an elongated hole (not shown) through which the first mounting shaft 36 extends may be further provided, the elongated hole is not communicated with the arc-shaped guide groove 42, and the elongated hole is spaced apart from the linear guide groove 44 and is arranged in parallel to each other.

In the preferred embodiment, the transmission member 30 is provided as a steel cable, but the transmission member 30 may be provided as a belt or other structural member.

An auxiliary limit mechanism is further provided between the sub-door 14 and the main door 10 to guide the movement of the sub-door 14 secondarily. Specifically, the auxiliary limiting mechanism includes a second triangular bracket 48 rotatably connected to the secondary door 14 through a second connecting shaft 46, and a sliding groove matched with the second triangular bracket 48, the sliding groove includes an arc sliding groove 50 and a linear sliding groove 52 communicated with the arc sliding groove 50, a second mounting shaft 54 and a second matching shaft 56 matched with the sliding groove are provided on the second triangular bracket 48, when the secondary door 14 is changed from the closed state to the open state, the second matching shaft 56 is firstly matched with the arc sliding groove 50 and then matched with the linear sliding groove 52, the second mounting shaft 54 is always matched with the linear sliding groove 52, and the center of the second connecting shaft 46, the center of the second mounting shaft 54 and the center of the second matching shaft 56 define a second triangle.

Specifically, as with the guide structure 24, during the process of switching the secondary door 14 from the closed state to the open state, the first mating shaft first mates with the arc chute 50, then during the process of moving the arc chute 50 gradually to approach the linear chute 52, the secondary door 14 is assisted to generate a certain gap with the main door front panel 16 in the direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 16, and finally the second mating shaft 56 moves relative to the linear guide groove 44, so that the secondary door 14 is driven to move upwards by the second triangular bracket 48 and the first triangular bracket 34, and finally the opening 12 is opened. When the secondary door 14 is shifted from the open state to the closed state, the second coupling shaft 56 moves relative to the linear guide groove 44, the secondary door 14 is driven by the second triangular bracket 48 and the first triangular bracket 34 to move downwards, and when the secondary door 14 completely covers the opening 12 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front panel 16 of the primary door, the second coupling shaft 56 is coupled to the arc-shaped chute 50, and then the secondary door 14 is driven to move towards the opening 12 continuously in a direction gradually away from the linear chute 52 until the secondary door 14 is coupled to the primary door 10, so that the opening 12 is closed. In addition, the second mounting shaft 54 is always coupled to the linear slide groove 52 during the transition of the secondary door 14 between the open state and the closed state.

Preferably, the second triangular bracket 48 is identical to the first triangular bracket 34, the arcuate runner 50 is identical to the arcuate guide slot 42, and the linear runner 52 is identical to the linear guide slot 44. Further, the linear slide groove 52 and the linear guide groove 44 are located on the same vertical line, and the arc chute 50 and the arc guide groove 42 have arc centers located on the same vertical line.

In order to improve the moving stability of the secondary door 14, the transmission structure 22 and the guide structure 24 are provided in two sets, the main door 10 has a first side panel 40 and a second side panel 58 which are located at the left and right sides of the main door front panel 16 and are arranged at an angle with the main door front panel 16, and the two sets of guide structures 24 are respectively arranged on the first side panel 40 and the second side panel 58. Two sets of transmission structures 22 are disposed adjacent the first and second side panels 40 and 58, respectively.

Both sets of transmission structures 22 are driven by the drive motor 20. Further, the driving mechanism includes a first coupling 60 and a second coupling 62, and the two sets of transmission structures 22 are respectively connected with the driving motor 20 through the first coupling 60 and the second coupling 62. The first coupling 60 and the second coupling 62 are located on opposite sides of the driving motor 20, and the first coupling 60 and the second coupling 62 are coaxially disposed. The two sets of transmission structures 22 are symmetrically arranged about the drive motor 20.

Further, the main door 10 has a bottom portion 64 remote from the main door front panel 16 and opposite the main door front panel 16, a left side portion 66 and a right side portion 68 provided between the bottom portion 64 and the main door front panel 16, the bottom portion 64, the left side portion 66 and the right side portion 68 defining the opening 12, and the driving motor 20 is provided adjacent to the bottom portion 64.

As shown in fig. 5 to 14, the present invention provides a second preferred embodiment, which is the same as the first preferred embodiment, when the secondary door 70 is changed from the closed state to the open state, the driving mechanism moves the secondary door 70 in a direction away from the opening 72 so that the secondary door 70 has a gap with the main door front panel 74 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 74, and then the driving mechanism drives the secondary door 70 to move longitudinally upward or downward in a direction substantially parallel to the main door front panel 74, thereby opening the opening 72. This preferred embodiment is different from the first preferred embodiment in that a driving mechanism for driving the sub-door 70 to move is different. The details of the different parts are described below.

In the preferred embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a lateral drive mechanism 82 and a longitudinal drive mechanism 84, the lateral drive mechanism 82 driving the secondary door 70 to move laterally in a direction generally perpendicular to the main door front panel 74, and the longitudinal drive mechanism 84 driving the secondary door 70 to move longitudinally up or down in a direction generally parallel to the main door front panel 74.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 11 to 14, the refrigerator further includes a bar counter 76, a positioning structure is disposed between the bar counter 76 and the sub-door 70, and the transverse driving mechanism 82 drives the bar counter 76 to move transversely to drive the sub-door 70 to move transversely together. Of course, the transverse driving mechanism 82 may directly drive the secondary door 70 to move transversely, instead of through the bar counter 76. In the preferred embodiment, when the bar counter 76 moves the secondary door 70 to have a gap with the main door front panel 74 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 74, the longitudinal driving mechanism 84 drives the secondary door 70 to move upward to open the opening 72, and the secondary door 70 moves away from the bar counter 76 as the secondary door 70 moves upward, and the bar counter does not protrude from the secondary door in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel when the secondary door moves longitudinally to an open state. As shown in FIG. 14, the bar counter 76 may be moved outwardly a further distance, again by actuating the lateral drive mechanism 82 again as necessary, while the secondary door remains open, and the bar counter continues to move laterally in a direction generally perpendicular to the front panel of the primary door to protrude beyond the secondary door. The exposed area is larger, and the use is convenient.

Further, the positioning structure includes a catching groove 78 provided on one of the home bar 76 and the sub door 70, and a catching portion 80 provided on the other of the home bar 76 and the sub door 70, the catching groove 78 being coupled with the catching portion 80 such that the home bar 76 carries the sub door 70 to move laterally together, and the positioning structure allows the sub door 70 to be drivingly moved longitudinally when the sub door 70 is moved to have a certain gap with the main door front panel 74 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 74. In the preferred embodiment, the locking slot 78 is disposed on the secondary door 70, the opening 72 of the locking slot 78 is oriented substantially downward, the bar counter 76 has a supporting surface, and the locking portion 80 extends upward from the supporting surface. Of course, the card slot 78 may be provided in the bar counter 76 and the card portion 80 may be provided in the sub door 70. In addition, when the sub-door 70 is shifted from the closed state to the open state, the lateral driving mechanism 82 turns off the lateral driving mechanism 82 before moving the sub-door 70 in a direction away from the opening 72 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 74 to move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 74 with a certain gap between the positioning structure and the main door 71, and then the longitudinal driving mechanism 84 is activated to drive the sub-door 70 to move upward while the catching groove 78 is away from the catching portion 80 and disengaged from the catching portion 80, and the positioning structure does not interfere with the main door 71 during the upward movement of the sub-door 70. When the secondary door 70 is to be changed from the open state to the closed state, the longitudinal driving mechanism 84 is first opened to drive the secondary door 70 to move downward, and when the secondary door 70 completely covers the opening 72 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front panel 74 of the primary door and the engaging groove 78 is engaged with the engaging portion 80, the longitudinal driving mechanism 84 is closed, the lateral driving mechanism 82 is opened, the bar counter 76 drives the secondary door 70 to move in a direction close to the opening 72 until the secondary door 70 is engaged with the primary door 71, and at this time, the opening 72 is completely closed, and the lateral driving mechanism 82 is closed.

The transverse driving mechanism 82 includes a transverse motor 86 provided to the main door 71, a transverse gear 88 driven by the transverse motor 86, and a transverse rack 90 engaged with the transverse gear 88, the transverse rack 90 being provided to the home bar 76. Of course, the transverse driving mechanism 82 may be provided in other structures besides a rack and pinion, such as a lead screw nut. Specifically, the transverse driving mechanism 82 includes a transverse motor 86, a lead screw driven by the transverse motor 86, and a nut engaged with the lead screw, wherein the transverse motor 86 is disposed on one of the home bar 76 and the main door 71, and the nut is disposed on the other of the home bar 76 and the main door 71.

To improve the movement stability of the home bar 76 and the sub door 70, two transverse gears 88 are provided, and the two transverse gears 88 are coaxially driven by the transverse motor 86 through a coupling, respectively, and correspondingly, two transverse racks 90 are provided.

Further, the center axis of the lateral gear 88 is substantially horizontal, and the center axis of the lateral gear 88 is parallel to the main door front panel 74. So configured, the transverse rack 90 also extends generally horizontally.

The longitudinal driving mechanism 84 includes a longitudinal motor 92, a longitudinal gear 94 driven by the longitudinal motor 92, and a longitudinal rack 96 engaged with the longitudinal gear 94, the longitudinal rack 96 is provided to the sub-door 70, and when the lateral driving mechanism 82 drives the sub-door 70 to move laterally, the longitudinal motor 92 and the longitudinal gear 94 move laterally together with the sub-door 70, and when the longitudinal driving mechanism 84 drives the sub-door 70 to move longitudinally upward or downward, the longitudinal motor 92 and the longitudinal gear 94 do not displace relative to the main door 71 in the vertical direction. Of course, the longitudinal driving mechanism 84 may be provided in other structures besides a rack and pinion, such as a lead screw nut.

Similarly, the main door 71 has a bottom portion 98 remote from the main door front panel 74 and opposite the main door front panel 74, a left side portion 100 and a right side portion 102 disposed between the bottom portion 98 and the main door front panel 74, the bottom portion 98, the left side portion 100 and the right side portion 102 defining the opening 72, the cross motor 86 disposed adjacent the bottom portion 98, and the longitudinal motor 92 disposed adjacent the main door front panel 74.

The longitudinal gear 94 is provided in two, the longitudinal rack 96 is also provided in two, and the two longitudinal racks 96 are symmetrically provided with respect to the sub-door 70. Specifically, two longitudinal racks 96 are disposed adjacent to opposite sides of the secondary door 70. The longitudinal gears 94 are connected to the longitudinal motor 92 through couplings, respectively.

Further, the center axis of the longitudinal gear 94 is substantially horizontal, and the center axis of the longitudinal gear 94 is parallel to the main door front panel 74. So configured, accordingly, the longitudinal rack 96 is disposed vertically, and the longitudinal rack 96 is disposed facing the opening 72. The central axis of the transverse gear 88 is substantially parallel to the central axis of the longitudinal gear 94.

The refrigerator further includes a motor bracket 104 for mounting the longitudinal motor 92, and a limit structure is provided between the motor bracket 104 and the main door 71, the limit structure allowing the motor bracket 104 to move laterally with respect to the main door 71, and the limit structure limiting the motor bracket 104 from moving longitudinally upward or downward with respect to the main door 71. That is, when the transverse driving mechanism 82 drives the secondary door 70 to move transversely, the longitudinal motor 92, the motor bracket 104 and the secondary door 70 move transversely together. And when the longitudinal driving mechanism 84 drives the secondary door 70 to move up or down, the longitudinal motor 92 and the motor bracket 104 are fixed relative to the main door 71.

Further, the limiting mechanism comprises a groove 106 arranged on one of the motor bracket 104 and the main door 71 and a convex part 108 arranged between the motor and the other one of the main door 71, and the groove 106 is matched with the convex part 108. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the recess 106 is disposed on the main door 71, and the protrusion 108 is disposed on the motor bracket 104. Of course, the recess 106 may be provided on the motor bracket 104 and the protrusion 108 may be provided on the main door 71.

As shown in fig. 15 to 23, the third preferred embodiment of the present invention is the same as the second preferred embodiment in that the refrigerator also includes a transverse driving mechanism for driving the sub-door 111 to move transversely in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main door front panel 113 and a longitudinal driving mechanism for driving the sub-door 111 to move longitudinally upward or downward in a direction substantially parallel to the main door front panel 113, the longitudinal driving mechanism includes a longitudinal motor 114, a longitudinal gear 116 driven by the longitudinal motor 114 and a longitudinal rack 118 engaged with the longitudinal gear 116, the longitudinal rack 118 is provided at the sub-door 111, and, when the transverse driving mechanism drives the sub-door 111 to move transversely, the longitudinal motor 114 and the longitudinal gear 116 move transversely together with the sub-door 111, when the longitudinal driving mechanism drives the secondary door 111 to move longitudinally upward or downward, the longitudinal motor 114 and the longitudinal gear 116 are not relatively displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the main door 120. This embodiment is different from the second embodiment in the detailed arrangement of the transverse driving mechanism and the longitudinal driving mechanism, and in the preferred embodiment, the transverse driving mechanism directly drives the transverse movement of the sub door 111, and does not drive the bar counter to push the transverse movement of the sub door 111. The different parts will be described in detail below, and the different parts will not be expanded in detail.

In the preferred embodiment, the lateral driving mechanism includes a lateral motor 122 provided to the main door 120, a lateral gear 124 driven by the lateral motor 122, and a lateral rack 126 engaged with the lateral gear 124, the lateral rack 126 being connected to the sub door 111. Likewise, the transverse driving mechanism can be arranged in other structures besides a gear rack, such as a lead screw nut and the like. The longitudinal driving mechanism can also be arranged in other structures besides a gear rack, such as a lead screw nut and the like.

Specifically, the refrigerator further includes a mounting bracket 128, the longitudinal motor 114 and the transverse rack 126 are both disposed on the mounting bracket 128, the mounting bracket 128 is connected to the secondary door 111, when the transverse motor 122 is activated, the mounting bracket 128 moves the secondary door 111 transversely with respect to the main door 120, and when the secondary door 111 is driven to move longitudinally upward or downward, the mounting bracket 128 is fixed with respect to the main door 120, that is, the secondary door 111 moves longitudinally upward or downward with respect to the mounting bracket 128.

The refrigerator further includes a guide mechanism for guiding the mounting bracket 128, the guide mechanism including a guide post 130 and a guide sleeve 132 coupled to the guide post 130. Specifically, the guide post 130 is disposed on the mounting bracket 128, and the guide post 130 extends lengthwise along the direction of the lateral movement of the secondary door 111, the refrigerator further includes a fixing member 134 fixedly disposed on the main door 120, and the lateral motor 122 and the guide sleeve 132 are both disposed on the fixing member 134.

Specifically, the guide post 130 and the guide sleeve 132 are provided in two. Of course, the guide post 130 and the guide sleeve 132 may be provided in only one or other number.

In the preferred embodiment, the central axis of the longitudinal gear 116 is perpendicular to the main door front panel 113. While the central axis of the transverse gear 124 is substantially vertical. So configured, the transverse rack 126 extends in a horizontal direction on a vertical side of the mount 136.

In addition, the transverse motor 122 and the longitudinal motor 114 are both disposed adjacent to the main door front panel 113. Specifically, the transverse motor 122 is disposed on the fixing member 134, the longitudinal motor 114 is disposed on the mounting bracket 128, and the mounting bracket 128 is movably coupled with the guide sleeve 132, the transverse rack 126 and the transverse gear 124 through the guide post 130, so that the structure is simple and compact.

Further, the refrigerator further includes a mounting member 136 fixedly disposed on the sub-door 111, the mounting member 136 is provided with a guide hole 138 extending along a longitudinal length direction, and the longitudinal rack 118 is disposed on one side of the guide hole 138.

The refrigerator further includes a coupling member 140 fixed with respect to the transverse rack 126, the coupling member 140 being movably coupled with the guide hole 138, the coupling member 140 being longitudinally moved with respect to the mounting member 136 when the secondary door 111 is driven to longitudinally move up or down. The coupling member 140 is coupled to the guide hole 138 to guide the longitudinal movement of the sub-door 111. In particular, in the present embodiment, the adapter 140 and the transverse gear 124 are both fixedly disposed to the mounting bracket 128.

The longitudinal gear 116 and the longitudinal rack 118 are provided in two. The lateral rack 126 is provided in a single shape, and a plane defined through the center line of the sub-door 111 and perpendicular to the main door front panel 113 is a first vertical plane on which the lateral rack 126 is substantially located.

In addition, in this embodiment, the central axis of the longitudinal gear 116 is perpendicular to the main door front panel 113. The central axis of the transverse gear 124 is substantially vertical.

It should be understood that although the present description refers to embodiments, not every embodiment contains only a single technical solution, and such description is for clarity only, and those skilled in the art should make the description as a whole, and the technical solutions in the embodiments can also be combined appropriately to form other embodiments understood by those skilled in the art.

The above-listed detailed description is only a specific description of a possible embodiment of the present invention, and they are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprises a box body and a main door for opening or closing the box body, wherein the main door is provided with an opening and a secondary door, the secondary door is provided with an opening state for opening the opening and a closing state for closing the opening, the refrigerator is characterized in that the main door is provided with a main door front panel, the secondary door is provided with a secondary door front panel, the refrigerator further comprises a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism drives the secondary door to move relative to the main door so as to realize the conversion between the opening state and the closing state, when the secondary door is in the closing state, the secondary door front panel is approximately flush with the main door front panel, the driving mechanism comprises a driving motor which is fixed relative to the main door and a transmission structure arranged between the driving motor and the secondary door, the refrigerator further comprises a guide structure for guiding the movement of the secondary door, the main door is further provided with a first side panel and a second side panel which are positioned on the left side and the right side of the main door front panel and are arranged at an angle with the main door front panel, the guide structure comprises an arc guide groove and a linear guide groove, the arc guide groove is arranged on the first side panel, the linear guide groove is communicated with the arc guide groove, the arc center of the arc guide groove and the secondary door are positioned on the two sides of the linear guide groove, the transmission structure comprises a driving wheel, a driven wheel, a transmission member and a first triangular support, the driving wheel is driven by the driving motor to rotate, the driven wheel is rotatably arranged on the main door, the transmission member is arranged on the periphery of the driving wheel and the driven wheel to transmit motion, the first triangular support is rotatably connected to the secondary door through a first connecting shaft, the first triangular support is further provided with a first mounting shaft connected to the transmission member and a first connecting shaft, The center of the first mounting shaft and the center of the first mating shaft define a first triangle, when the secondary door is changed from the closed state to the open state, the first mating shaft is firstly matched with the arc-shaped guide groove, then a certain gap is generated between the secondary door and the front panel of the main door in a direction approximately vertical to the front panel of the main door in the process of gradually moving from the arc-shaped guide groove to the linear guide groove, and finally the first mating shaft moves relative to the linear guide groove.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first triangle is an isosceles triangle or an equilateral triangle.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a distance between a center of the first connecting shaft and a center of the first mounting shaft is equal to a distance between the center of the first connecting shaft and a center of the first coupling shaft.

4. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first mounting shaft extends through a linear guide slot to be connected with the transmission.

5. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transmission member is provided as a belt or a wire rope.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary position-limiting mechanism is further disposed between the secondary door and the primary door, the auxiliary position-limiting mechanism includes a second triangular bracket rotatably connected to the secondary door through a second connecting shaft, and a sliding groove coupled to the second triangular bracket, the sliding groove includes an arc-shaped sliding groove and a linear sliding groove communicated to the arc-shaped sliding groove, the second triangular bracket includes a second mounting shaft and a second coupling shaft coupled to the sliding groove, the second coupling shaft is coupled to the arc-shaped sliding groove and then coupled to the linear sliding groove, the second mounting shaft is always coupled to the linear sliding groove, and a second triangle is defined by a center of the second connecting shaft, a center of the second mounting shaft, and a center of the second coupling shaft.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the second triangular bracket is identical to the first triangular bracket, the arc-shaped sliding groove is identical to the arc-shaped guide groove, and the linear sliding groove is identical to the linear guide groove.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the linear chute and the linear guide groove are located on a same vertical line.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the transmission structure and the guide structure are provided in two sets, the guide structure being provided to the first side panel and the second side panel, respectively.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein both sets of the transmission structures are driven by the driving motor.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the driving mechanism comprises a first coupling and a second coupling, and the two sets of transmission structures are respectively connected with the driving motor through the first coupling and the second coupling.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the main door has a bottom portion remote from and opposite the main door front panel, a left side portion and a right side portion disposed between the bottom portion and the main door front panel, the bottom portion, the left side portion and the right side portion defining the opening, the drive motor being disposed adjacent the bottom portion.