CN112444070B

CN112444070B - Multi-door refrigerator capable of opening door in auxiliary manner

Info

Publication number: CN112444070B
Application number: CN201910803428.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张�浩; 李康; 夏恩品; 李佳明; 朱小兵
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-28
Filing date: 2019-08-28
Publication date: 2022-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-28
Also published as: CN112444070A

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-door refrigerator capable of opening doors in an auxiliary way, the direction of the rear wall of a refrigerator body facing an opening is a first direction, a door body is provided with a first matching part, the refrigerator body is provided with a second matching part, a hinge assembly comprises a first hinge piece, a second hinge piece and a switching assembly, when the first shaft body is opened to a first opening angle, the first shaft body rotates in situ, the second shaft body moves by taking the first shaft body as a circle center, the first matching part is separated from the second matching part, then the second shaft body moves to drive the first shaft body to move from the initial position to the stop position, the door body moves away from the box body along the first direction, when the switch assembly is opened to a second opening angle, the fourth shaft body is separated from the limiting section, and the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is limited at the locking section so that the switch assembly limits the first hinge piece, when the opening angle is maximum, the third shaft body rotates in situ, and the fourth shaft body moves by taking the third shaft body as the center of a circle. The refrigerator can improve the degree of freedom of opening and closing the door body, and can generate various motion tracks to adapt to different application scenes.

Description

Multi-door refrigerator capable of opening door in auxiliary manner

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a multi-door refrigerator capable of opening doors in an auxiliary mode.

Background

In general, relative motion between the refrigerator and the door body is realized through a fixed hinge piece, the opening and closing freedom degree of the door body is greatly limited, namely, the motion track of the door body cannot be freely controlled to adapt to different application scenes.

For example, in recent years, with the improvement of society and the improvement of living standard, the placement position and the placement mode of the refrigerator at home are more and more emphasized by common users, and for the current home decoration style, part of the family pursues style integration, the refrigerator needs to be put into a cabinet to form a so-called embedded refrigerator device, the refrigerator is called an embedded refrigerator, and the current refrigerator is difficult to adapt to the embedded application scene.

In view of the above, there is a need for an improved refrigerator to solve the above problems.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a multi-door refrigerator capable of opening doors in an auxiliary mode, which can effectively improve the opening and closing freedom degree of a door body.

In order to achieve one of the above objectives, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-door refrigerator capable of opening a door in an auxiliary manner, including a refrigerator body, a door body for opening and closing the refrigerator body, and a hinge assembly for connecting the refrigerator body and the door body, wherein the refrigerator body includes a rear wall and an opening that are oppositely disposed, a direction of the rear wall toward the opening is a first direction, a first matching portion is disposed on the door body, a second matching portion is disposed on the refrigerator body, the hinge assembly includes a first hinge member fixed on the refrigerator body, a second hinge member fixed on the door body, and a switching assembly for connecting the first hinge member and the second hinge member, relative movement between the first hinge member and the switching assembly is achieved through a first shaft assembly and a first groove assembly that are mutually matched, the first shaft assembly includes a first shaft body and a second shaft body, and the first groove assembly includes a first free section, a second groove body and a second groove body that is connected to the first groove body and the second groove body, The first free section comprises an initial position and a stop position which are arranged oppositely, the second free section comprises a first section and a second section which are connected, the second hinge part and the switching assembly realize relative motion through a second shaft body group and a second groove body group which are matched with each other, the second shaft body group comprises a third shaft body and a fourth shaft body, the second groove body group comprises a third free section, a fourth free section and a limit section, when the door body is in a closed state, the first shaft body is positioned at the initial position, the second shaft body is positioned at one end of the first section, which is far away from the second section, the fourth shaft body is positioned at the limit section, so that the switching assembly limits the second hinge part, the first matching part and the second matching part are mutually clamped, when the door body is in a process of opening from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first shaft body rotates in situ at the initial position, the second shaft body moves in the first section by taking the first shaft body as a circle center, the first matching part is separated from the second matching part, then the second shaft body moves in the second section to drive the first shaft body to move from the initial position to the stop position, the door body moves away from the box body along a first direction, when the door body is opened continuously from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the fourth shaft body is separated from the limiting section, and the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is limited at the locking section to limit the first hinge part by the switching component, when the door body is opened continuously from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the third shaft body rotates in situ in the third free section, the fourth shaft body takes the third shaft body as a circle center to move on the fourth free section.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the box further includes an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and on the extension section of the door body rotation path, and a front end surface disposed around the opening, the door body includes a door body and a door seal strip connected to each other, the door seal strip includes a side door seal close to the outer side surface, when the door body is in a closed state, the door seal strip and the front end surface are in contact with each other, and when the door body is in an opening process, a distance between the side door seal and the front end surface is increased.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet further includes an accommodating chamber and a pivoting side connected to the hinge assembly, and when the door body is in an opening process, the hinge assembly drives the door body to move away from the cabinet in a first direction, and at the same time, the hinge assembly drives the door body to move from the pivoting side toward the accommodating chamber.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the box includes an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and on the extension section of the rotation path of the door body, the door body includes a front wall far away from the accommodating chamber and a side wall always sandwiched between the front wall and the accommodating chamber, a side edge is provided between the front wall and the side wall, and when the door body is opened from a closed state to a first opening angle, the side edge moves to a side of the outer side surface close to the accommodating chamber.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator body further includes an accommodating chamber, the door body includes a first door body and a second door body which are pivotally connected to the refrigerator body and are arranged side by side along a horizontal direction, the refrigerator further includes a vertical beam movably connected to one side of the first door body close to the second door body, the first matching portion is disposed at the vertical beam, when the door body is in a closed state, the vertical beam extends to the second door body, when the door body is in a process of opening from the closed state to a first opening angle, the door body rotates in place relative to the refrigerator body to enable the vertical beam to rotate towards one side close to the accommodating chamber, a first folding angle is formed between the first door body and the vertical beam, and then the vertical beam and the first door body are kept relatively stationary.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge member includes the first shaft and the second shaft, the switching assembly includes a first groove having the first free section, a second groove having the second free section, the third shaft, and the fourth shaft, and the second hinge member includes a third groove having the third free section, and a fourth groove having the fourth free section.

As a further improvement of the first embodiment of the present invention, the switching assembly includes a first switching member and a second switching member that are engaged with each other, the first slot includes a first upper slot located in the first switching member and a first lower slot located in the second switching member, the first free section includes a first upper free section located in the first upper slot and a first lower free section located in the first lower slot, the second slot includes a second upper slot located in the first switching member and a second lower slot located in the second switching member, the second free section includes a second upper free section located in the second upper slot and a second lower free section located in the second lower slot, when the door body is opened from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first switching member and the second switching member are relatively stationary, the first upper free section and the first lower free section are overlapped to form the first free section, the second upper free section and the second lower free section are overlapped to form the second free section, when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the first switching piece moves relative to the second switching piece to enable the fourth shaft body to be separated from the limiting section, the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is limited at the locking section, and when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the first switching piece and the second switching piece are relatively static.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the locking section includes a first upper locking section communicated with the first upper free section, a first lower locking section communicated with the first lower free section, a second upper locking section communicated with the second upper free section, and a second lower locking section communicated with the second lower free section, when the door body is in a process of being opened from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first shaft body is simultaneously limited on the first upper locking section and the first lower locking section, and the second shaft body is simultaneously limited on the second upper locking section and the second lower locking section.

As a further improvement of the first embodiment of the present invention, the first upper locking section and the first lower locking section are always offset from each other, and the second upper locking section and the second lower locking section are always offset from each other.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the box includes an accommodating chamber, the door includes a front wall away from the accommodating chamber and a side wall interposed between the front wall and the accommodating chamber, a distance between the initial position and the front wall is smaller than a distance between the stop position and the front wall, and a distance between the initial position and the side wall is larger than a distance between the stop position and the side wall.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first switching element and the second switching element are coupled to each other through a fifth shaft, and when the door body is in a process of being opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the first shaft moves to the locking section around the fifth shaft.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first switching member is closer to the first hinge member than the second switching member.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first switching member includes the third shaft body, the second switching member has a through hole through which the third shaft body extends to the third groove body, and the second switching member includes the fourth shaft body which extends to the fourth groove body.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the box body includes an opening and a front end surface surrounding the opening, a first distance is provided between the first shaft and the front end surface, when the door body is in a process of being continuously opened from a second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, a second distance is provided between the third shaft and the front end surface, and the second distance is greater than the first distance.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator further includes an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and on the door body rotation path extension section, a third distance is provided between the first shaft body and the outer side surface, and a fourth distance is provided between the third shaft body and the outer side surface when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, and the fourth distance is smaller than the third distance.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: the refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the invention can improve the degree of freedom of opening and closing the door body, and can generate various motion tracks to adapt to different application scenes.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-door refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a multi-door refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in a closed state;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a multi-door refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention opened to a first intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a door according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a rear view (with some elements omitted) of the multi-door refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the first and second mating portions in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention in a closed position;

FIGS. 8-10 are exploded views of a hinge assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention in various states;

fig. 11 is a plan view of a refrigerator in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention in a closed position;

FIG. 13 is a top cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention in a closed position;

FIG. 14 is a bottom cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention in a closed position;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the refrigerator at a first intermediate opening angle in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 17 is a top cross-sectional view of a hinge assembly of an embodiment of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 18 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of one embodiment of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 19 is a top plan view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention at a first opening angle;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention at a first opening angle;

FIG. 21 is a top cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a hinge assembly of the present invention at a first opening angle;

FIG. 22 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of one embodiment of the present invention at a first opening angle;

FIG. 23 is a top plan view of the refrigerator at a second opening angle in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention at a second opening angle;

FIG. 25 is a top cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention at a second open angle;

FIG. 26 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of one embodiment of the present invention at a second open angle;

fig. 27 is a plan view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention at a maximum opening angle;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention at a maximum opening angle;

FIG. 29 is a top cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention at a maximum opening angle;

FIG. 30 is a bottom cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the hinge assembly of the present invention at a maximum opening angle;

fig. 31 is a schematic view of a fully inserted state of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a hinge assembly under the door body in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 33 is a perspective view of a refrigerator with a trace module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 34 is a top view of a refrigerator with a trace module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 35 is a partially enlarged view of the refrigerator with the trace module according to an embodiment of the present invention in a three-dimensional state;

fig. 36 is a partially enlarged view of the refrigerator with the trace module according to the embodiment of the present invention in a top view (corresponding to a closed state of the door body);

fig. 37 is a partially enlarged view of the refrigerator with the trace module according to the embodiment of the present invention in a top view (corresponding to the door opening 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 various drawings of the present invention, some dimensions of structures or portions are exaggerated relative to other structures or portions for convenience of illustration, and thus, are used only to illustrate the basic structure of the subject matter of the present invention.

Also, terms such as "upper," "above," "lower," "below," "left," "right," and the like, used herein to denote relative spatial positions, are used for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative positional terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Referring to fig. 1 to 6, a multi-door refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

The refrigerator 100 includes a cabinet 10, a door 20 to open and close the cabinet 10, and a hinge assembly 30 to connect the cabinet 10 and the door 20.

It should be emphasized that the structure of the present embodiment is not only applicable to the multi-door refrigerator 100 with the hinge assembly 30, but also applicable to other scenes, such as cabinets, wine cabinets, wardrobes, etc., and the present invention is exemplified by the multi-door refrigerator 100, but not limited thereto.

The cabinet 10 includes a receiving chamber S and a pivoting side P to which the hinge assembly 30 is connected.

Here, the "pivoting side P" is defined as a region where the door body 20 is rotated with respect to the cabinet 10, i.e., a region where the hinge assembly 30 is provided.

The receiving chamber S includes a rear wall 104 and an opening 102, the rear wall 104 faces the opening 102 in a first direction X, i.e., a direction from the rear to the front of the refrigerator 100, and a direction from the pivot side P to the receiving chamber S is defined as a second direction Y.

The door 20 is provided with a first fitting portion 25, and the cabinet 10 is provided with a second fitting portion 12.

Referring to fig. 7 to 10, the hinge assembly 30 includes a first hinge 31 fixed to the cabinet 10, a second hinge 32 fixed to the door 20, and a switching assembly 40 connecting the first hinge 31 and the second hinge 32.

The first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40 realize relative movement through the first

shaft body groups

311 and 312 and the first

slot body groups

411 and 412 which are matched with each other, the first

shaft body groups

311 and 312 include the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312, the first

slot body groups

411 and 412 include a first free section S1, a second free section S2 and locking

sections

4132, 4142, 4152 and 4162, the first free section S1 includes an initial position a1 and a stop position a2 which are oppositely arranged, and the second free section S2 includes a first section L1 and a second section L2 which are connected.

The second hinge element 32 and the switching assembly 40 realize relative movement through the second

shaft body groups

321 and 322 and the second

slot body groups

421 and 422, the second

shaft body groups

321 and 322 include a third shaft body 321 and a fourth shaft body 322, and the second

slot body groups

421 and 422 include a third free section 421, a fourth free section 4221 and a limit section 4222.

When the door 20 is in the closed state (refer to fig. 11 to 14), the first shaft 311 is located at the initial position a1, the second shaft 312 is located at an end of the first section L1 away from the second section L2, and the fourth shaft 322 is located at the position-limiting section 4222, so that the switching component 40 limits the second hinge element 32, and the first matching portion 25 and the second matching portion 12 are engaged with each other.

Here, the first engaging portion 25 and the second engaging portion 12 are engaged with each other to close the door 20 and the box 10, and the specific form of the first engaging portion 25 and the second engaging portion 12 may be determined according to actual situations.

When the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1 (refer to fig. 15 to 22), the first shaft 311 rotates in situ at the initial position a1, the second shaft 312 moves in the first section L1 around the first shaft 311, the first engaging portion 25 is separated from the second engaging portion 12, the door 20 rotates in situ relative to the box 10, and then the second shaft 312 moves in the second section L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position a1 to the stop position a2, and the door 20 moves away from the box 10 along the first direction X.

Specifically, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle α 11 (refer to fig. 15 to 18), the first shaft 311 rotates in situ at the initial position a1, the second shaft 312 moves in the first segment L1 around the first shaft 311, the door 20 rotates in situ relative to the box 10, and the first engaging portion 25 is disengaged from the second engaging portion 12.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of being opened from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle α 11, the door 20 rotates in place relative to the box 10, that is, the door 20 only rotates without generating displacement in other directions, so that the phenomenon that the first engaging portion 25 cannot be separated from the second engaging portion 12 due to the displacement in a certain direction of the door 20 can be effectively avoided.

The refrigerator 100 in the present embodiment may be a single-door refrigerator having the first and second engaging

portions

25 and 12, or a side-by-side refrigerator, a multi-door refrigerator, or the like having the first and second engaging

portions

25 and 12.

When the door 20 is in the process of opening from the first intermediate opening angle α 11 to the first opening angle α 1 (refer to fig. 19 to fig. 22), the second shaft 312 moves in the second segment L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position a1 to the stop position a2, and the door 20 moves away from the box 10 along the first direction X.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of being continuously opened from the first intermediate opening angle α 11 to the first opening angle α 1, the door 20 moves away from the box 20 along the first direction X, that is, the door 20 moves toward the front end away from the box 10, so that the door 20 and the box 10 can be separated from each other by the hinge assembly 30, and the smoothness of opening the door is improved.

When the door 20 is in the process of continuously opening from the first opening angle α 1 to the second opening angle α 2 (refer to fig. 23 to fig. 26), the fourth shaft 322 is separated from the position-limiting section 4222, and the first shaft 311 and/or the second shaft 312 is limited by the locking

sections

4132, 4142, 4152, 4162, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the first hinge 31.

When the door 20 is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3 (refer to fig. 27 to fig. 30), the third shaft 321 rotates in situ in the third free section 421, the fourth shaft 322 moves in the fourth free section 4221 around the third shaft 321, and the door 20 continuously rotates in situ relative to the box 10.

In the present embodiment, the cabinet 10 further includes an outer side surface 13 adjacent to the hinge assembly 30 and on an extension of a rotation path of the door body 20, and a front end surface 103 disposed around the opening 102.

Here, the outer side surface 13 is a left side surface or a right side surface of the box body 10, different hinge assemblies 30 can correspond to different outer side surfaces 13, and the front end surface 103 is an end surface of the box body 10 close to the door body 20.

The door 20 includes a door body 25 and a door seal 26 connected together, and the door seal 26 includes a side door seal 261 adjacent to the outer side 13.

Here, the door seal 26 is annularly disposed on a side surface of the door body 25 close to the cabinet 10, and the side door seal 261 is a door seal disposed closest to the hinge assembly 30 and in a vertical direction.

When the door 20 is in the closed state, the door seal 26 and the front end surface 103 contact each other.

Here, the door seal 26 and the front end surface 103 contact each other to achieve a sealing engagement between the door 20 and the cabinet 10, and generally, the sealing effect is improved by the pressing, magnetic attraction, and the like of the door seal 26.

When the door body 20 is in the opening process, the distance between the side door seal 261 and the front end surface 103 is increased.

Here, in the opening process of the door body 20, the door body 20 moves away from the box 10 along the first direction X, the distance between the side door seal 261 and the front end surface 103 is increased, that is, the hinge assembly 30 can assist the door seal 26 to separate from the front end surface 103 of the box 10, so that the door body 20 can be prevented from being smoothly separated from the box 10 due to obstruction of the door seal 26 (for example, the door seal 26 is excessively extruded, the magnetic attraction force is excessively strong, and the like), and the user can open the door body 20 conveniently.

The refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment is not limited to be used to avoid the obstruction of the door seal 26, and may be used to obstruct the opening of the door 20 with other structures, for example, frost may be formed between the cabinet 10 and the door 20.

In the present embodiment, when the door body 20 is in the opening process, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door body 20 to move away from the cabinet 10 in the first direction X, and at the same time, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door body 20 to move toward the accommodation chamber S from the pivot side P.

Here, when the door 20 is in the opening process, the door 20 moves toward one side of the accommodating chamber S, that is, at this time, the door 20 rotates relative to the box 10 and also displaces relative to the box 10 along the second direction Y, so that the distance that the door 20 protrudes out of the box 10 toward the side away from the accommodating chamber S in the rotating process is greatly reduced, that is, the displacement generated by the door 20 along the second direction Y offsets the portion protruding out of the box 10 in the rotating process of the door 20, thereby preventing the door 20 from interfering with peripheral cabinets or walls and the like in the opening process, and being suitable for embedded cabinets or scenes with small space for accommodating the refrigerator 100.

In the opening process of the door 20 according to the present embodiment, the door 20 moves in the first direction X and the second direction Y simultaneously, so that the door 20 is opened smoothly, and the door 20 does not interfere with the surrounding cabinet or wall.

In the present embodiment, the door 20 includes a first door 206 and a second door 207 pivotally connected to the cabinet 10 and arranged side by side in a horizontal direction.

The refrigerator 100 further includes a vertical beam 80 movably connected to one side of the first door 206 close to the second door 207, and the first engaging portion 25 is disposed at the vertical beam 80.

Here, the vertical beam 80 is movably connected to the right side of the first door body 206, the vertical beam 80 and the first door body 206 may be connected by a return spring 81, and the vertical beam 80 rotates with respect to the first door body 206 centering on the axis in the vertical direction, in other words, the vertical beam 80 may rotate with respect to the first door body 206 by the action of the return spring 81 and be maintained at a predetermined position.

The first engagement portion 25 is a projection 25 projecting upward from the vertical beam 80.

The second matching portion 12 is fixed on the box 10, for example, the second matching portion 12 is a groove 12 on the base 104, the base 104 is fixed on the top of the accommodating chamber S, one end of the groove 12 has a notch 121, the opening direction of the notch 121 faces forward, the bump 25 and the groove 12 are both arc-shaped, and the bump 25 enters or separates from the groove 12 through the notch 121 to realize mutual spacing and mutual separation of the bump 25 and the groove 12.

Of course, it is understood that the specific structure of the first and second engaging

portions

25 and 12 is not limited to the above description, that is, the first engaging portion 25 is not limited to the protrusion 25 at the vertical beam 80, the second engaging portion 12 is not limited to the groove 12 engaged with the protrusion 25, and the first and second engaging

portions

25 and 12 may be a structure engaged with other areas of the refrigerator 100.

In the present embodiment, the door 20 further includes a third door 208 and a fourth door 209 pivotally connected to the cabinet 10 and arranged side by side in a horizontal direction, the third door 208 is located below the first door 206, the fourth door 209 is located below the second door 207, and the refrigerator 100 further includes a drawer 300 located below the third door 208 and the fourth door 209.

Here, the accommodating chambers S corresponding to the first door body 206 and the second door body 207 are refrigerating chambers, that is, the refrigerating chambers are of a split door structure; the third door body 208 and the fourth door body 209 correspond to two independent variable temperature chambers respectively; drawer 300 is a freezer drawer.

It should be noted that the refrigerator 100 includes a fixed beam fixed inside the refrigerator body 10 and used for separating two temperature-changing chambers, and the third door body 208 and the fourth door body 209 can be matched with the fixed beam to achieve sealing, that is, at this time, no vertical beam needs to be arranged at the third door body 208 and the fourth door body 209.

With reference to fig. 1 to 10, the first hinge 31 includes a first shaft 311 and a second shaft 322, the switch assembly 40 includes a first slot 411 having a first free section S1, a second slot 412 having a second free section S2, a third shaft 321, and a fourth shaft 322, and the second hinge 32 includes a third slot 421 having a third free section 421, and a fourth slot 422 having a fourth free section 4221.

The switching assembly 40 includes a first switching member 401 and a second switching member 402 that are engaged with each other.

The first slot 411 includes a first upper slot 413 located in the first switch 401 and a first lower slot 414 located in the second switch 402, and the first free section S1 includes a first upper free section 4131 located in the first upper slot 413 and a first lower free section 4141 located in the first lower slot 414.

The second slot 412 includes a second upper slot 415 located in the first switch 401 and a second lower slot 416 located in the second switch 402, and the second free section S2 includes a second upper free section 4151 located in the second upper slot 415 and a second lower free section 4161 located in the second lower slot 416.

The locking

segments

4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 include a first upper locking segment 4132 in communication with the first upper free segment 4131, a first lower locking segment 4142 in communication with the first lower free segment 4141, a second upper locking segment 4152 in communication with the second upper free segment 4151, and a second lower locking segment 4162 in communication with the second lower free segment 4161.

It should be noted that the first upper locking section 4132 may be an extension of the first upper free section 4131, for example, the first upper locking section 4132 is close to the stop position a2, or may form a certain angle with the first upper free section 4131, or of course, the first upper locking section 4132 and the second upper locking section 4152 may not be included, and the locking may be achieved by the first lower locking section 4142 and the second lower locking section 4162.

The first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142 are always offset from each other, and the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162 are always offset from each other.

Here, "constantly staggered from each other" means that the first upper locking stage 4132 and the first lower locking stage 4142 do not completely overlap each other and the second upper locking stage 4152 and the second lower locking stage 4162 do not completely overlap each other even when the door body 20 is opened.

In the present embodiment, the first switching member 401 is closer to the first hinge member 31 than the second switching member 402, that is, the first hinge member 31, the first switching member 401, the second switching member 402, and the second hinge member 32 are stacked in this order.

Referring to fig. 10, the hinge assembly 30 further includes a first rivet tab 4111 and a second rivet tab 4121, when the first shaft 311 extends into the first slot 411, the first rivet tab 4111 is located below the second switch member 402 and is sleeved on the first shaft 311, so as to prevent the first shaft 311 from separating from the first slot 411, and similarly, when the second shaft 312 extends into the second slot 412, the second rivet tab 4121 is located below the second switch member 402 and is sleeved on the second shaft 312, so as to prevent the second shaft 312 from separating from the second slot 412.

The first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are coupled to each other through the fifth shaft 50.

Here, the first switch 401 and the second switch 402 are provided with a first through hole 4014 and a second through hole 4024, and an independent rivet is inserted as the fifth shaft body 50 through the first through hole 4014 and the second through hole 4024.

Specifically, the fifth shaft 50 includes a rivet post 51 and a rivet post gasket 52, the rivet post 51 has a larger end located below the second through hole 4024, the rivet post 51 has a smaller end extending to the second through hole 4024 and the first through hole 4014 in sequence, and the rivet post gasket 52 is located above the first through hole 4014 and is engaged with the rivet post 51 to lock the rivet post 51.

In this way, the first switch 401 and the second switch 402 can be connected to each other, that is, the first switch 401 and the second switch 402 can move relatively, and the first switch 401 and the second switch 402 cannot be separated from each other.

It should be noted that the first through hole 4014 and the second through hole 4024 are matched with the fifth shaft 50, and the first switch member 401 rotates in place relative to the second switch member 402.

In another embodiment, a through hole may be formed in one of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402, and the fifth shaft 50 is disposed in the other, so that the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are coupled with each other by the engagement of the fifth shaft 50 and the through hole, but not limited thereto.

In addition, the first switching member 401 includes a third shaft body 321, the second switching member 402 has a through hole 4026, the third shaft body 321 extends to the third slot 421 through the through hole 4026, the second switching member 402 includes a fourth shaft body 322, and the fourth shaft body 322 extends to the fourth slot 422.

Here, the size of the through hole 4026 may be larger than that of the third shaft 321, such that the third shaft 321 can move in the through hole 4026, and when the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 move relatively, the through hole 4026 and the third shaft 321 can be prevented from interfering with each other.

That is, the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 are located in different switching elements in this embodiment, but the invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, referring to fig. 10, the first switch 401 includes a first lining 4011, a first slide 4012, and a first bush 4013, which are stacked in this order, and the second switch 402 includes a second lining 4021, a second slide 4022, and a second bush 4023, which are stacked in this order.

Here, the first hinge member 31, the first liner 4011, the first slide 4012, the first bush 4013, the second liner 4021, the second slide 4022, the second bush 4023, and the second hinge member 32 are stacked in this order from top to bottom.

The first liner 4011, the first liner 4013, the second liner 4021, and the second liner 4023 are made of a plastic material, such as Polyoxymethylene (POM).

The first slide 4012 and the second slide 4022 are made of a metal material, such as stainless steel or Q235 steel.

The outer contours of the first lining 4011, the first sliding piece 4012 and the first bushing 4013 are matched with each other, the first lining 4011 and the first bushing 4013 are matched with each other to clamp the first sliding piece 4012 between the first lining 4011 and the first bushing 4013, and the first lining 4011, the first sliding piece 4012 and the first bushing 4013 are all required to be provided with slotted holes to form a first upper groove body 413, a second upper groove body 415 and a first through hole 4014 in a matched mode.

Here, the first through hole 4014 may be formed only by forming the groove holes in the first slide piece 4012 and the first bushing 4013, that is, the first through hole 4014 does not penetrate the first lining 4011, and at this time, the fifth shaft body 50 extends from below the first switch 401 to the first through hole 4011, and the first lining 4011 may shield the first through hole 4014 and the fifth shaft body 50, thereby improving the appearance.

The outer contours of the second gasket 4021, the second sliding piece 4022 and the second bushing 4023 are matched, the second gasket 4021 and the second bushing 4023 are matched with each other to clamp the second sliding piece 4022 therebetween, and the second gasket 4021, the second sliding piece 4022 and the second bushing 4023 are all required to be provided with slots to form the first lower slot 414, the second lower slot 416 and the second through hole 4024 in a matched manner.

Here, the second penetration hole 4024 may be formed only by forming the groove holes in the second pad 4021 and the second slide 4022, that is, the second penetration hole 4024 does not penetrate the second bushing 4023, in this case, the fifth shaft body 50 extends from below the second bushing 4023 to the second penetration hole 4024 and the first penetration hole 4011, and the second bushing 4023 may shield the second penetration hole 4024 and the fifth shaft body 50, thereby improving the appearance.

At this time, one end of the rivet pin 51 of the fifth shaft 50 may be limited in the second bushing 4023, so as to further improve the matching effect of the second lining 4021, the second slide 4022 and the second bushing 4023.

In this embodiment, the first switch 401 further includes a first decorative sheet 4015 covering a periphery of the first liner 4011, the first slide piece 4012, and the first liner 4013, the second switch 402 further includes a second decorative sheet 4025 covering a periphery of the second liner 4021, the second slide piece 4022, and the second liner 4023, and the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are separated from each other.

Here, "the first decorative piece 4015 and the second decorative piece 4025 are separated from each other" means that the first decorative piece 4015 and the second decorative piece 4025 are independent from each other, and when the first switch 401 and the second switch 402 move relatively, the first decorative piece 4015 and the second decorative piece 4025 also move relatively.

In addition, the first decorative sheet 4015 of the present embodiment is shaped like a "door", that is, the first decorative sheet 4015 covers only three sides of the first switch 401, so as to facilitate the assembly of the first decorative sheet 4015, and the three sides can be provided with snap structures to realize the engagement with the first decorative sheet 4015, and the width of the first decorative sheet 4015 is substantially equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the first lining 4011, the first slide piece 4012, and the first bush 4013 in the stacking direction of the first switch 401 and the second switch 402.

Similarly, the second decorative piece 4025 is shaped like a "door", that is, the second decorative piece 4025 covers only three sides of the second switch 402, so as to facilitate the assembly of the second decorative piece 4025, and the three sides can be provided with snap structures to achieve the engagement with the second decorative piece 4025, and the width of the second decorative piece 4025 is substantially equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the second pad 4021, the second sliding piece 4022 and the second bushing 4023 in the overlapping direction of the first switch 401 and the second switch 402.

The first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 may be made of abs (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic.

Next, a specific operation flow of the hinge assembly 30 will be described.

In the present embodiment, the box 10 includes an outer side surface 13 adjacent to the hinge assembly 30 and on an extension of a rotation path of the door body 20, the door body 20 includes a front wall 21 far from the accommodating chamber S and a side wall 22 always interposed between the front wall 21 and the accommodating chamber S, and a side edge 23 is provided between the front wall 21 and the side wall 22.

With reference to fig. 11 to 14, when the door 20 is in the closed state, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 are overlapped to form a first free section S1, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 are overlapped to form a second free section S2, the first shaft body 311 is located at the initial position a1, the second shaft body 312 is located at an end of the first section L1 away from the second section L2, and the protrusion 25 is limited in the groove 12.

Specifically, the protrusion 25 is limited in the groove 12, so that the vertical beam 80 extends to the second door 207, that is, the vertical beam 80 is attached to the inner side surfaces of the first door 206 and the second door 207, so as to prevent the cold air in the accommodating chamber S from leaking to the outside of the refrigerator 100.

In addition, the outer side surface 13 and the side wall 22 are located on the same plane, which can ensure smooth appearance, improve aesthetic appearance, and facilitate the installation of the door body 20, but not limited thereto.

With reference to fig. 15 to 18, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle α 11, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 are overlapped to form a first free section S1, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 are overlapped to form a second free section S2, the first shaft body 311 rotates in situ at the initial position a1, the second shaft body 312 moves in the first section L1 with the first shaft body 311 as the center, and the door 20 rotates in situ relative to the box 10 to separate the protrusion 25 from the groove 12.

Specifically, the protrusion 25 gradually disengages from the groove 12 through the notch 121, and at the same time, the vertical beam 80 rotates toward a side close to the receiving chamber S to make the first folding angle β between the first door body 206 and the vertical beam 80.

Here, when the projection 25 is completely disengaged from the groove 12, the first folding angle β is preferably maintained at less than 90 degrees, and the vertical beam 80 is prevented from affecting the opening and closing of the second door body 207.

It should be noted that, because the convex block 25 and the groove 12 are in arc-shaped fit, when the door 20 is in a closed state, the convex block 25 and the groove 12 are mutually limited, and if the door 20 is displaced in the process of opening the door 20 to the first intermediate opening angle α 11, the convex block 25 and the groove 11 are mutually interfered and clamped, so that the convex block 25 cannot be separated from the groove 12, and the door 20 cannot be opened.

In the present embodiment, the door 20 rotates in situ relative to the box 10 during the process of opening the door 20 to the first intermediate opening angle α 11, so as to ensure that the protrusion 25 can smoothly separate from the groove 12.

Here, the first intermediate opening angle α 11 is not more than 10 °, that is, the projection 25 may not be restricted by the groove 12 during the process of opening the door body 20 to about 10 °, and at this time, the projection 25 may be completely separated from the groove 12, or the projection 25 may not interfere with the groove 12 even if it is displaced.

Referring to fig. 19 to 22, when the door 20 is in the process of continuously opening from the first intermediate opening angle α 11 to the first opening angle α 1, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 are overlapped to form a first free section S1, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 are overlapped to form a second free section S2, the second shaft 312 moves in the second section L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position a1 to the stop position a2, the door 20 moves away from the box 10 along the first direction X, the distance between the side door seal 261 and the front end surface 103 is increased, and meanwhile, the door 20 moves from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber S.

In the prior art, because the hinge assembly is a single-shaft hinge assembly, the door body rotates in situ relative to the box body all the time, in actual operation, the axis position in the hinge assembly needs to be designed by considering factors such as the thickness of the door seal strip and the thickness of the door body, so that the door seal strip cannot obstruct the opening process of the door body, however, the design process of the axis position is complex, and the axis position cannot be kept at the predesigned position due to the influence of factors such as installation accuracy.

In this specific example, the door 20 moves in a direction away from the front end of the box 10 by the cooperation of the double shafts and the double grooves, so that the problem of obstruction of the door seal 26 to the opening process of the door 20 can be effectively solved, high installation accuracy is not required, and the design cost and the installation difficulty can be greatly reduced.

In addition, it should be noted that when the door 20 is opened, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door 20 to move in a direction away from the front end of the box 10, so as to effectively assist the opening of the door 20, and at the same time, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door 20 to move from the pivoting side P toward the accommodating chamber S, so as to prevent the door 20 from protruding out of the box 10.

It should be noted that, when the door body 20 is opened from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1, the fourth shaft body 322 is always limited by the limit section 4222, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the second hinge element 32.

In addition, in this process, since first upper free section 4131 and first lower free section 4141 are always recombined into first free section S1, second upper free section 4151 and second lower free section 4161 are always recombined into second free section S2, that is, the moving tracks of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are identical, and the first shaft 311 moves in the first free segment S1, and at the same time, the second shaft 312 moves in the second free segment S2, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are not always staggered from each other in this process, that is, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are kept stationary, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 are prevented from being misaligned, while preventing the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 from being misaligned with each other, and thus, the first shaft 311 can move smoothly in the first free section S1, and the second shaft 312 can move smoothly in the second free section S2.

With reference to fig. 23 to fig. 26, when the door 20 is in the process of continuously opening from the first opening angle α 1 to the second opening angle α 2, the first switching element 401 and the second switching element 402 move relatively to separate the fourth shaft 322 from the position-limiting section 4222, and the first shaft 311 and/or the second shaft 312 are limited by the locking

sections

Here, "the first switching element 401 and the second switching element 402 move relatively to separate the second hinge element 32 from the position of the switching component 40, and the first shaft 311 and/or the second shaft 312 are limited by the locking

segments

4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 to limit the switching component 40 on the first hinge element 31" means that there is no mutual limit between the switching component 40 and the second hinge element 32 due to the relative movement between the switching component 40 and the second hinge element 32, and there is no mutual limit between the switching component 40 and the second hinge element 32 due to the relative movement between the switching component 40 and the first hinge element 31 to limit the switching component 40 and the first hinge element 31.

In the present embodiment, the first shaft 311 is simultaneously constrained by the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, the second shaft 312 is simultaneously constrained by the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, and the fourth shaft 322 is disengaged from the fourth constraining section 4222, as follows:

when the door 20 is opened to the first opening angle α 1, the second shaft 312 moves from the second free section S2 to the second lower locking section 4162 for limiting, at this time, the first shaft 311 and the second shaft 312 cannot move relative to the first free section S1 and the second free section S2 any more, and at this time, the first shaft 311 is adjacent to the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, the second shaft 312 is adjacent to the second upper locking section 4152, and the track of the first upper locking section 4132 and the track of the second upper locking section 4152 are adapted to the movement path of the first shaft 311 and the second shaft 312.

When the door 20 continues to be opened based on the first opening angle α 1, the door 20 drives the second hinge element 32 connected to the door 20 to move, the second hinge element 32 applies an acting force to the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 through the third free section 4211 and the fourth limiting section 4222, and the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 drive the first switching element 401 and the second switching element 402 to move.

Specifically, at this time, the first shaft 311 is adjacent to the first upper locking section 4132, the second shaft 312 is adjacent to the second upper locking section 4152, the first switching element 401 can move relative to the first shaft 311 and the second shaft 312 by a first angle until the first shaft 311 is limited by the first upper locking section 4132 and the second shaft 312 is limited by the second upper locking section 4152, and meanwhile, the second switching element 402 moves relative to the first shaft 311 by a second angle using the fifth shaft 50 as a center until the first shaft 311 is limited by the second upper locking section 4152, during this process, the second shaft 312 is always in contact with the second lower locking section 4162, and the second angle is greater than the first angle.

That is, the first switch 401 and the second switch 402 both rotate a certain angle, and the rotation angle of the second switch 402 is larger than that of the first switch 401, so that the first switch 401 and the second switch 402 move relative to each other and are staggered.

It can be understood that the rotation processes of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are not in a certain sequence, and the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 may rotate simultaneously, for example, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 rotate synchronously within a certain rotation angle range, and then the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered.

In practical operation, the first switch element 401 and the second switch element 402 drive the first slot 411 and the second slot 412 to rotate relative to the first shaft 311 and the second shaft 312, respectively, the first shaft 311 is separated from the first free section S1 and abuts against the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, that is, the first shaft 311 is simultaneously limited at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, the second shaft 312 is separated from the second free section S2 and abuts against the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, that is, the second shaft 312 is simultaneously limited at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, and meanwhile, the movement of the second switch element 402 causes the fourth shaft 322 to be separated from the fourth limiting section 4222.

It can be understood that when the first shaft 311 is located at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, since the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141, which are originally overlapped with each other, are also staggered with each other, and at this time, the staggered first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 limit the first shaft 311 from being separated from the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, so that the first shaft 311 can be ensured to be always kept at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142 in the process of continuously opening the door 20.

Similarly, when the second shaft 312 is located at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, since the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161, which are originally overlapped with each other, are also staggered, and at this time, the staggered second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 limit the second shaft 312 from being separated from the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, so that the second shaft 312 is always kept at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162 in the process of continuously opening the door 20.

In addition, the rotation angle of the second switching member 402 is greater than that of the first switching member 401, that is, the second switching member 402 and the first switching member 401 are staggered from each other, so that the locking effect between the first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40 can be further improved, and it is ensured that the first shaft body 311 is always kept at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, and the second shaft body 312 is always kept at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162.

With reference to fig. 27 to fig. 30, when the door 20 is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are stationary, the third shaft 321 moves in the third free segment 421, and the fourth shaft 322 moves in the fourth free segment 4221.

Here, the first opening angle α 1 is approximately 80 ° to 83 °, the second opening angle α 2 is approximately 90 °, and the maximum opening angle α 3 is greater than 90 °, that is, in a process of opening the door 20 to 80 ° to 83 °, the door 20 rotates in situ, and then generates displacement along the first direction X, so as to avoid interference between the door 20 and a peripheral cabinet or wall in an opening process, and assist the door 20 to open, and finally reach 80 ° to 83 °, after that, in a process of continuing to open the door 20 to 90 °, the switching assembly 40 moves to enable the door 20 to continue to rotate by replacing the rotating shaft, that is, after 90 °, the door 20 continues to rotate in situ relative to the box 10 by using the third shaft 321 as the rotating shaft, and further opens the door 20.

It is to be understood that the angles are not limited by the above description.

It can be seen that, in the present embodiment, the switching assembly 40 unlocks and locks the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, so that the sequential switching of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 can be effectively controlled, and the door body 20 can be stably opened.

It can be understood that, when the door 20 is in the closing process, that is, when the door 20 is closed from the maximum opening angle α 3, the switching component 40 can also effectively control the sequential switching of the first hinge component 31 and the second hinge component 32, that is, when the door 20 is in the process of closing from the maximum opening angle α 3 to the second opening angle α 2, the third shaft 321 moves in the third free section 4211, the fourth shaft 322 moves in the fourth free section 4221, and the switching component 40 locks the first hinge component 31, when the door 20 is in the process of closing from the second opening angle α 2 to the first opening angle α 1, the first switching component 401 and the second switching component 402 relatively move to make the first hinge component 31 separate from the limit of the switching component 40, and the fourth shaft 322 is limited in the fourth limit section 4222, the switching component 40 locks the second hinge component 32, when the door 20 is in the process of closing from the first opening angle α 1 to the complete closing, the first shaft 311 moves in the first free section S1, and the second shaft 312 moves in the second free section S2.

In other words, the closing process of the door 20 and the opening process of the door 20 are processes in reverse order, and the switching sequence of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 in the opening and closing processes of the door 20 can be effectively controlled by the unlocking and locking actions of the switching assembly 40 on the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32.

In the present embodiment, the distance from the initial position a1 to the front wall 21 is smaller than the distance from the stop position a2 to the front wall 21, and the distance from the initial position a1 to the side wall 22 is larger than the distance from the stop position a2 to the side wall 22.

Specifically, the distance between the center of the first shaft body 311 at the initial position a1 and the front wall 21 is smaller than the distance between the center of the first shaft body 311 at the stop position a2 and the front wall 21.

The distance between the center of the first shaft body 311 at the initial position a1 and the side wall 22 is greater than the distance between the center of the first shaft body 311 at the stop position a2 and the side wall 22.

The first distance is formed between the center of the first shaft 311 and the front wall 21, the second distance is formed between the center of the first shaft 311 and the side wall 22, and the first distance and the second distance are changed when the door body 20 is opened.

When the door body 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1, the first distance is in an increasing trend, and the second distance is in a decreasing trend, and when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, both the first distance and the second distance are kept unchanged.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of being opened from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1, the first distance tends to increase, i.e., the corresponding door 20 moves along the first direction X, and the second distance tends to decrease, i.e., the corresponding door 20 moves along the second direction Y.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the first shaft 311 and the third shaft 321 are offset from each other, and thus, the present invention is applicable to a built-in cabinet or a scene where a space for accommodating the refrigerator 100 is small.

Referring to fig. 31, a simple schematic diagram of the refrigerator 100 embedded in the cabinet 200 will be described.

In the present embodiment, the box 10 includes an opening 102 and a front end surface 103 disposed around the opening 102, the box 10 further includes an accommodating chamber S and an outer side surface 13 adjacent to the hinge assembly 30 and on an extension of a rotation path of the door 20, the door 20 includes a front wall 21 far from the accommodating chamber S and a side wall 22 interposed between the front wall 21 and the accommodating chamber S, and a side edge 23 is provided between the front wall 21 and the side wall 22.

Here, when the door 20 is in a process of opening to the first opening angle α 1 in a closed state, the door 20 rotates around the first shaft 311, a first distance is provided between the first shaft 311 and the front end surface 103, and when the door 20 is in a process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, the door 20 rotates around the third shaft 321, a second distance is provided between the third shaft 321 and the front end surface 103, and the second distance is greater than the first distance, so that the maximum opening angle of the fully-embedded refrigerator 100 can be greatly increased.

In addition, a third distance is provided between the first shaft 311 and the outer side surface 13, and when the door 20 is in the process of being continuously opened from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, a fourth distance is provided between the third shaft 321 and the outer side surface 13, and the fourth distance is smaller than the third distance, so that the opening degree of the box 10 can be further increased.

The concrete description is as follows:

in some movement tracks of the refrigerator 100, the first shaft 311 and the third shaft 321 move relative to the door 20, or the hinge assembly 30 further includes a second shaft 312 engaged with the first shaft 311 and a fourth shaft 322 engaged with the third shaft 321, for simplicity of description, it is simply regarded that the door 20 rotates with the first shaft 311 as a shaft first, and then is switched to rotate with the third shaft 321 as a shaft through the switching assembly 40.

In practice, in order to improve the insertion effect, it is preferable that the refrigerator 100 is completely inserted into the cabinet 200, and the refrigerator 100 is a free-insertion type refrigerator, that is, the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 is located on the same plane with the front wall 21 of the door 20 far from the cabinet 10, or the front wall 21 of the door 20 does not protrude out of the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 at all.

In the prior art, all refrigerators are single-shaft refrigerators, and a certain distance needs to be kept between a rotating shaft of the refrigerator and the side wall and the front wall of the refrigerator, so that enough space can be provided for satisfying foaming or other processes, that is, the rotation axis position of the conventional refrigerator is approximately at the first axis body 311 position in fig. 31, in this case, after the single-axis refrigerator is inserted into the cabinet 200, since the corner 203 of the cabinet 200 between the front end 201 and the inner wall 202 is disposed corresponding to the side edge 23 of the door body 20, when the door 20 is opened, the side edge 23 interferes with the door 20 to limit the maximum opening angle of the door 20, in order to ensure the normal opening of the door 20, the conventional method is to increase the gap between the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 and the refrigerator 100, this gap needs to be roughly around 10cm, which seriously affects the embedding effect and is not good for the rational use of limited space.

Referring to fig. 31, a shaded area represents the door 20 in a closed state, when the door 20 is in an opening process, if the door 20 always rotates around the first shaft 311 (i.e. the prior art), referring to the dashed door 20 'in fig. 31, since the first shaft 311 is close to the front end surface 103, that is, the first shaft 311 is far away from the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, after the door 20' is opened to a certain angle, the edge 203 of the cabinet 200 interferes with the door 20 'to limit the maximum opening angle of the door 20'.

In the present embodiment, the third shaft 321 is located on the first switching element 401, and in the opening process of the door 20, the switching assembly 40 moves relative to the first hinge element 31 and the second hinge element 32 to make the third shaft 321 gradually away from the front end surface 103, that is, the third shaft 321 gradually moves toward the direction close to the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, that is, the whole door 20 moves toward the direction away from the box 10, referring to the solid-line door 20 in fig. 31, the interference effect of the corner 203 of the cabinet 200 on the door 20 is greatly reduced, and the corner 203 of the cabinet 200 interferes with each other when the door 20 is opened to a larger angle, so that the maximum opening angle of the door 20 is greatly increased.

That is to say, in the embodiment, the door 20 can rotate around the third shaft 321 through the switching component 40, so that the maximum opening angle of the door 20 can be effectively increased on the premise that the refrigerator 100 is freely embedded into the cabinet 200, the refrigerator 100 can be conveniently operated by a user, and the user experience can be greatly improved.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the gap between the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 and the refrigerator 100 does not need to be increased, the refrigerator 100 and the cabinet 200 can be connected seamlessly, and the insertion effect is greatly improved.

In addition, the switching assembly 40 of the present embodiment drives the third shaft 321 to gradually move toward the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, and simultaneously drives the third shaft 321 to gradually approach the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200, that is, when the door 20 rotates about the third shaft 321, the third shaft 321 is closer to the front end 201 and the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 than the first shaft 311, so as to increase the maximum opening angle of the door 20, and further make the door 20 away from the cabinet 10 to increase the opening degree of the cabinet 10, thereby facilitating the opening and closing of the racks, drawers, etc. in the cabinet 10, or facilitating the taking and placing of articles.

Of course, the third shaft body 321, which is finally used as a rotation shaft, may be located at other positions, for example, when the door body 20 rotates around the third shaft body 321, the third shaft body 321 is closer to the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 than the first shaft body 311, and the third shaft body 321 is farther away from the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 than the first shaft body 311.

It can be understood that, the switching assembly 40 controls the switching sequence of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 during the opening and closing processes of the door 20, so as to effectively prevent the door 20 from interfering with the cabinet 200 during the opening and closing processes.

In addition, it should be noted that the motion trajectory of the door 20 can be effectively controlled through a specific design of the shaft body slot, in this embodiment, the box 10 includes a pivoting side P connected to the hinge assembly 30, when the door 20 is in the opening process, the hinge assembly 30 at least drives the door 20 to move from the pivoting side P toward the accommodating chamber S, so as to avoid the door 20 from interfering with a peripheral cabinet or wall in the opening process, and the following embodiments may be referred to for the specific design of the shaft body slot.

In the present embodiment, the hinge assembly 30 is structurally different in different regions of the door body 20, the hinge assembly 30 is a hinge assembly 30 located between the upper side of the door body 20 and the cabinet 10, and hereinafter, the hinge assembly 30' located between the lower side of the door body 20 and the cabinet 10 will be briefly described with reference to fig. 32.

The lower hinge assembly 30' differs from the upper hinge assembly 30 in that: the first hinge part 31 ' of the hinge assembly 30 ' has a protrusion 313 ', the second hinge part 32 ' has a corresponding hook 323 ', the hook 323 ' is an elastic part, when the door 20 is in a closed state, the protrusion 313 ' acts on the hook 323 ' to deform, so that the door 20 is tightly matched with the box 10, and when the door 20 is in an opening state, the door 20 drives the hook 323 ' to move, and the hook 323 ' deforms to separate from the protrusion 313 '.

That is, when the door 20 is in the closed state, the protruding portion 313 'and the hook 323' are in interference fit, so that the closing effect of the door 20 is enhanced.

It should be noted that, since the switching component 40 'is connected between the first hinge member 31' and the second hinge member 32 ', the second hinge member 32' further includes an extension 324 'passing through the switching component 40' in the thickness direction, and the extension 324 'is connected to the hook 323', so that the hook 323 'is horizontally disposed and can be matched with the protrusion 313'.

In the present embodiment, referring to fig. 33 to 37, the refrigerator 100 is the refrigerator 100 with the routing module 60.

The routing module 60 includes a fixed end 61 and a free end 62 which are oppositely disposed, the fixed end 61 is connected to the door 20, the free end 62 is movably disposed on the box 10, and the routing E of the box 10 sequentially passes through the free end 62 and the fixed end 61 and extends to the door 20.

Here, the phrase "the free end 62 is movably disposed on the box body 10" means that the free end 62 is not fixed to the box body 10, and as the door body 20 is opened, the free end 62 can move relative to the box body 10, so that the trace E in the trace module 60 can also move freely as the door body 20 is opened.

It should be noted that, along with the intellectualization and the multi-functionalization of the refrigerator 100, some functional modules, such as an ice making module, a display module, etc., are usually disposed on the door 20 of the refrigerator 100, and these modules are usually connected to the control module in the refrigerator body 10 through the routing line E, the routing line E of the present embodiment extends to the door 20 through the routing line module 60, which can effectively avoid the phenomenon that the routing line E is pulled in the opening and closing process of the door 20, and can be adapted to the door 20 with various movement trajectories, for example, when the hinge assembly 30 drives the door 20 to move from the pivot side P toward the accommodation chamber S, the extension trajectory of the routing line E also changes, and the present embodiment can completely adapt to the movement of the door 20 through the design of the routing line module 60, i.e., the extension trajectory of the routing line E can be flexibly adjusted through the routing line module 60, and the line jam is avoided.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator 100 further includes a limiting space 101, the limiting space 101 includes a notch 1011 disposed toward the door 20, the fixed end 61 of the wiring module 60 passes through the notch 1011 and connects with the door 20, when the door 20 is opened, the door 20 drives the wiring module 60 to move in the limiting space 101, and the free end 62 is always located in the limiting space 101.

Here, the limiting space 101 is located at the top 11 of the box 10, the routing module 60 is disposed parallel to the top 11 of the box 10, and the fixing end 61 is movably connected to the door 20, but of course, the limiting space 101 may be disposed in other areas.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the trace module 60 includes a first housing 601 and a second housing 602, the second housing 602 is disposed adjacent to the top 11 of the box 10, the first housing 601 is far away from the top 11 of the box 10 relative to the second housing 602, the first housing 601 and the second housing 602 cooperate with each other to form a receiving cavity 603 for receiving the trace E, and two openings of the receiving cavity 603 are a fixed end 61 and a free end 62.

The door body 20 protrudes upwards to protrude out of the top 11 of the refrigerator body 10, the edge of the top 11 close to the door body 20 is provided with a stop 111 protruding out of the top 11, the stop 111 is provided with a notch 1011, the refrigerator 100 comprises a plurality of protruding parts 112 protruding out of the top 11, and the protruding parts 112 surround to form a limiting space 101.

Here, the first hinge 31 is fixed at an edge of the top 11, and in order to adapt to the design that the door 20 protrudes out of the top 11, the first hinge 31 of the hinge assembly 30 is substantially Z-shaped, so that the first hinge 31 can extend from the top 11 of the box 10 to the top of the door 20 to be adapted to the switching component 40 at the top of the door 20, and the plurality of protrusions 112 include first protrusions 1121 between the first hinge 31 and the routing module 60 and second protrusions 1122 spaced from the first protrusions 1121, the first protrusions 1121 can prevent the routing module 60 and the first hinge 31 from interfering with each other, and the profile of the first protrusions 1121 is adapted to the movement track of the routing module 60, and the second protrusions 1122 can be a plurality of protruding columns to reduce the impact of the routing module 60 and the second protrusions 1122.

The refrigerator 100 may further include a cover 103, the cover 103 is located at the top 11 and covers the limiting space 101, the first hinge member 31, and the like, the cover 103 may be adapted to the stopper 111, and the shape of the cover 103 may be determined according to specific requirements.

In addition, the fixed end 61 and the notch 1011 of the routing module 60 are both disposed near the hinge assembly 30, and it can be understood that, in the opening process of the door body 20, the routing module 60 is exposed in the opening gap of the door body 20, and the fixed end 61 and the notch 1011 are disposed near the hinge assembly 30, so that on one hand, the movement track of the routing module 60 can be reasonably controlled, and on the other hand, the influence of the routing module 60 on the appearance and the normal use of the refrigerator 100 can be avoided.

The routing module 60 is horizontally arranged and extends to the door body 20 through the notch 1011, a routing hole H is arranged in the door body 20, a routing E extends from the fixed end 61 and extends to the interior of the door body 20 through the routing hole H, the area C adjacent to the routing hole H is connected with the area pivot of the fixed end 61, the door body 20 comprises a cover body 24 covering the fixed end 61, the routing hole H and the area C, so that the routing module 60 can be movably connected with the door body 20, when the door body 20 is opened, the door body 20 drives the routing module 60 to move, the routing module 60 can freely move in the limit space 101 according to different trajectories, that is, the movement trajectory of the routing module 60 can completely adapt to the movement trajectory of the door body 20, and thus line clamping is avoided.

In addition, the trace module 60 includes the arc segment D, so as to further prevent the trace E from being interfered inside the accommodating cavity 603.

In order to avoid wear and sliding noise of the trace module 60, a buffer member or a sliding member may be disposed between the second housing 602 of the trace module 60 and the top 11 of the box 10, which may be determined according to actual situations.

In this embodiment, the notch 1011 of the spacing space 101 has a first notch width, the routing module 60 includes a movable portion 63 located between the fixed end 61 and the free end 62, and the first notch width is greater than the maximum width of the movable portion 63.

That is to say, as the door body 20 is opened, the movable portion 63 gradually protrudes out of the limiting space 101, and the width of the first notch is greater than the maximum width of the movable portion 63, so that the notch 1011 can be prevented from limiting the movable portion 63 to protrude out of the limiting space 101, and the notch 1011 can control the movement track of the routing module 60 to a certain extent, and the routing module 60 is prevented from being separated from the limiting space 101 due to too large movement amplitude.

Here, in order to further prevent the routing module 60 from being separated from the spacing space 101, the free end 62 may be bent, i.e. an included angle is formed between the free end 62 and the movable portion 63.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, for example, if the techniques in different embodiments can be used in a superposition manner to achieve the corresponding effects, the embodiments are also within the protection scope of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A multi-door refrigerator capable of opening a door in an auxiliary mode is characterized by comprising a refrigerator body, a door body and a hinge assembly, wherein the door body is used for opening and closing the refrigerator body, the hinge assembly is connected with the refrigerator body and the door body, the refrigerator body comprises a rear wall and an opening which are arranged oppositely, the direction of the rear wall facing the opening is a first direction, a first matching portion is arranged on the door body, a second matching portion is arranged on the refrigerator body, the hinge assembly comprises a first hinge part fixed on the refrigerator body, a second hinge part fixed on the door body and a switching assembly connected with the first hinge part and the second hinge part, relative movement between the first hinge part and the switching assembly is achieved through a first shaft body group and a first groove body group which are matched with each other, the first shaft body group comprises a first shaft body and a second shaft body, the first groove body group comprises a first free section, a second free section and a locking section, the first free section comprises an initial position and a stop position which are arranged oppositely, the second free section comprises a first section and a second section which are connected, the second hinge part and the switching assembly realize relative motion through a second shaft body group and a second groove body group which are matched with each other, the second shaft body group comprises a third shaft body and a fourth shaft body, the second groove body group comprises a third free section, a fourth self-contained section and a limit section, when the door body is in a closed state, the first shaft body is positioned at the initial position, the second shaft body is positioned at one end of the first section far away from the second section, the fourth shaft body is positioned at the limit section to limit the second hinge part by the switching assembly, the first matching part and the second matching part are mutually clamped, when the door body is opened from the closed state to a first opening angle, the first shaft body rotates in situ at the initial position, the second shaft body moves in the first section by taking the first shaft body as a circle center, the first matching part is separated from the second matching part, then the second shaft body moves in the second section to drive the first shaft body to move from the initial position to the stop position, the door body moves away from the box body along a first direction, when the door body is opened continuously from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the fourth shaft body is separated from the limiting section, and the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is limited at the locking section to limit the first hinge part by the switching component, when the door body is opened continuously from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the third shaft body rotates in situ in the third free section, the fourth shaft body takes the third shaft body as a circle center to move on the fourth free section.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet further includes an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and on the extension section of the door body rotation path, and a front end surface surrounding the opening, the door body includes a door body and a door seal strip connected to each other, the door seal strip includes a side door seal close to the outer side surface, the door seal strip and the front end surface contact each other when the door body is in a closed state, and a distance between the side door seal and the front end surface is increased when the door body is in an opening process.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cabinet further comprises a receiving chamber and a pivoting side connected to the hinge assembly, and when the door body is in an opening process, the hinge assembly drives the door body to move away from the cabinet in a first direction, and simultaneously drives the door body to move from the pivoting side toward the receiving chamber.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the refrigerator body comprises an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and on the extension section of the rotation path of the door body, the door body comprises a front wall far away from the accommodating chamber and a side wall always clamped between the front wall and the accommodating chamber, a side edge is arranged between the front wall and the side wall, and when the door body is opened from a closed state to a first opening angle, the side edge moves to a side of the outer side surface close to the accommodating chamber.

5. The multi-door refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerator body further comprises an accommodating chamber, the door body comprises a first door body and a second door body which are connected with the refrigerator body through a pivot and are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, the refrigerator further comprises a vertical beam movably connected to one side, close to the second door body, of the first door body, the first matching portion is arranged at the vertical beam, when the door body is in a closed state, the vertical beam extends to the second door body, when the door body is in a process of opening from the closed state to a first opening angle, the door body rotates in place relative to the refrigerator body to enable the vertical beam to rotate towards one side close to the accommodating chamber, a first folding angle is formed between the first door body and the vertical beam, and then the vertical beam and the first door body keep relatively static.

6. The multi-door refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first hinge member includes the first shaft and the second shaft, the switching assembly includes a first groove having the first free section, a second groove having the second free section, the third shaft, and the fourth shaft, and the second hinge member includes a third groove having the third free section and a fourth groove having the fourth free section.

7. The multi-door refrigerator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the switching assembly comprises a first switching member and a second switching member which are engaged with each other, the first slot comprises a first upper slot located at the first switching member and a first lower slot located at the second switching member, the first free section comprises a first upper free section located at the first upper slot and a first lower free section located at the first lower slot, the second slot comprises a second upper slot located at the first switching member and a second lower slot located at the second switching member, the second free section comprises a second upper free section located at the second upper slot and a second lower free section located at the second lower slot, when the door body is opened from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first switching member and the second switching member are relatively stationary, the first upper free section and the first lower free section are overlapped to form the first free section, the second upper free section and the second lower free section are overlapped to form the second free section, when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first switching piece moves relative to the second switching piece to enable the fourth shaft body to be separated from the limiting section, the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is limited at the locking section, and when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the first switching piece and the second switching piece are relatively static.

8. The multi-door refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the locking sections include a first upper locking section communicated with the first upper free section, a first lower locking section communicated with the first lower free section, a second upper locking section communicated with the second upper free section, and a second lower locking section communicated with the second lower free section, when the door body is opened from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first shaft body is simultaneously limited on the first upper locking section and the first lower locking section, and the second shaft body is simultaneously limited on the second upper locking section and the second lower locking section.

9. The multi-door refrigerator as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first upper locking section and the first lower locking section are always staggered from each other, and the second upper locking section and the second lower locking section are always staggered from each other.

10. The multi-door refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the cabinet includes an accommodating chamber, the door includes a front wall away from the accommodating chamber and a side wall interposed between the front wall and the accommodating chamber, a distance between the initial position and the front wall is smaller than a distance between the stop position and the front wall, and a distance between the initial position and the side wall is larger than a distance between the stop position and the side wall.

11. The multi-door refrigerator according to claim 7, further comprising an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and on the extension section of the rotation path of the door body, wherein the first shaft body has a third distance from the outer side surface, the first switching member and the second switching member are coupled to each other through a fifth shaft body, and when the door body is in the process of opening from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, a fourth distance is formed between the third shaft body and the outer side surface, and the fourth distance is smaller than the third distance.