CN113738206A

CN113738206A - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN113738206A
Application number: CN202010477235.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 纪璇; 张�浩
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: 2020-05-29
Filing date: 2020-05-29
Publication date: 2021-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2040-05-29
Also published as: CN113738206B

Abstract

The present invention provides a refrigerator comprising a first part, a second part and a hinge structure, the first part being movable relative to the second part by the hinge structure, wherein the hinge structure comprises: a rotating shaft connected to the first member; a hinge base connected to the second member; the abutting part is arranged on the hinge seat in a force-bearing and movable manner; and the cam is configured to be in transmission connection with the rotating shaft and is provided with a plurality of sections of contact curved surfaces for contacting with the abutting parts. The rotating shaft is rotatably connected with the hinge seat so as to support the first component to move relative to the second component around the rotating shaft; the abutting portion is configured to urge or block movement of the first member relative to the second member by the cam when at least one of the plurality of contact curved surfaces of the cam contacts the abutting portion.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The invention relates to a hinge connection technology of furniture and household appliances, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

The hinge structure of the existing refrigerator determines a rotation center of a door or window and the like through a hinge shaft, and realizes rotation of the door or window relative to a furniture main body and the like. The hinge structure has simple structure, can not realize the preset closing actions, such as stop at any time, automatic closing and damping closing, and has single function.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a hinge structure integrating various functions.

A further object of the present invention is to make the opening and closing operation of the hinge structure smooth and stable.

It is another further object of the present invention to save effort in the operation of rotating the parts to which the hinge structures are attached.

In particular, the present invention provides a refrigerator comprising a first part, a second part and a hinge structure by which the first part is movable relative to the second part, wherein the hinge structure comprises:

a rotating shaft connected to the first member;

a hinge base connected to the second member;

the abutting part is arranged on the hinge seat in a force-bearing movable manner;

the cam is configured to be in transmission connection with the rotating shaft and is provided with a plurality of sections of contact curved surfaces used for being in contact with the abutting parts; wherein

The rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the hinge seat so as to support the first component to move around the rotating shaft relative to the second component;

the abutting portion is configured to urge or block movement of the first member relative to the second member by the cam when at least one of the plurality of contact curved surfaces of the cam contacts the abutting portion.

Optionally, the abutting portion comprises a first abutting portion and a second abutting portion, and the hinge structure further comprises:

a power accumulating member configured to be rotatably connected with the first abutting portion to cause or hinder the cam to rotate through the first abutting portion;

a buffer member configured to be rotatably connected to the second abutting portion to hinder the cam from rotating by the second abutting portion; and is

The cam is rotatably disposed between the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion.

Optionally, the plurality of sections of contact curved surfaces comprise a damping section curved surface, a hovering section curved surface and a power section curved surface;

the power section curved surface is arranged close to the first abutting part, the damping section curved surface is arranged close to the second abutting part, and the hovering section curved surface is arranged between the damping section curved surface and the power section curved surface; and the cam is configured to:

when the power section curved surface and the damping section curved surface are not in contact with the first abutting part and the second abutting part and the hovering section curved surface is in contact with the first abutting part, the cam can be static relative to the hinge plate at any time;

when the power section curved surface contacts the first abutting part, the cam is subjected to acting force from the first abutting part to enable the cam to rotate towards the second abutting part; and

when the curved surface of the damping section is pressed against the second abutting part, the cam is subjected to acting force which is from the second abutting part and hinders the cam to rotate.

Optionally, the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion each have a roller, and the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion are in contact with the cam through the respective rollers;

the first and second abutments further each include two connecting plates disposed in spaced opposed relation to receive the roller and allow at least part of the cam to move between the two connecting plates without obstruction.

Optionally, the rotating shaft freely rotates within a first preset angle range;

when the rotating shaft rotates from the first preset angle range to a second preset angle range adjacent to the first preset angle range, the first abutting part enables the rotating shaft to keep rotating continuously in the current direction;

when the rotating shaft rotates within a third preset angle range, the second abutting part blocks the rotating shaft from rotating; and is

The third preset angle range is located within the second preset angle range.

Optionally, the hinge structure further comprises:

the rotating shaft is coaxially connected with the power gear;

the cam is coaxially connected with the control gear;

and the transmission gear is respectively meshed with the power gear and the control gear so as to enable the rotating shaft to be in transmission connection with the cam.

Optionally, one corner of the power gear, which is close to the hinge base, is disposed on the hinge base, and the rotation axes of the power gear, the transmission gear and the control gear are gradually close to the middle of the hinge base;

the rotating shaft is in transmission connection with the cam through force transmission sequentially passing through the power gear, the transmission gear and the control gear.

Optionally, the power gear, the control gear and the transmission gear each have a meshing tooth-shaped section and a smooth arc-shaped section, respectively;

the transmission gear is provided with an arc-shaped table, and the arc-shaped table is positioned on the outer periphery side of the smooth arc-shaped section of the transmission gear and is provided with a receiving surface;

the receiving surface is configured to be in sliding contact with the smooth arcuate segment of the power gear in a form-fitting manner.

Optionally, the contact curved surfaces of the cam are connected smoothly, and the contact curved surfaces are connected directly or through a connecting surface; and

the multiple sections of contact curved surfaces jointly form a curved surface with a concave side facing the rotation center of the cam.

Optionally, the hinge structure further comprises:

the hinge cover is arranged on the hinge seat and defines an installation space together with the hinge seat;

the rotating shaft is arranged on the first component through the shaft sleeve; wherein

The shaft sleeve comprises a mounting plate, and a mounting groove matched with the mounting plate is formed on the first component so as to accommodate the mounting plate;

the mounting plate is provided with a shaft hole, and the shaft hole is matched with the rotating shaft and is not rotatably connected with the rotating shaft;

the mounting panel deviate from one side of hinge seat is formed with the rib, just its axial direction in shaft hole extends to the rib, the pivot is inserted the shaft hole connect in the mounting panel with the rib.

The hinge structure of the refrigerator is arranged on the abutting part of the hinge seat in a force-bearing movable manner and the cam with the multi-section contact curved surface, when the abutting part and the cam are abutted and contacted, the acting force of the abutting part is transmitted to the rotating shaft through the cam, so that the opening and closing movement of the door body relative to the refrigerator body is promoted or hindered, the functions of automatically closing the door or assisting the door to close the door are realized when the door body is promoted to move, and the functions of hovering or damping the door to close the door are realized when the door body is hindered to move.

Furthermore, the hinge structure of the refrigerator realizes different functions in the door closing process through different curved surfaces of the cam, so that the internal arrangement of the hinge structure is simplified, the whole hinge structure is more compact, and the cam has a continuous curved surface. When the cam rotates and contacts the first abutting part and/or the second abutting part, the contact between the cam and the abutting part is continuous and smooth, the abutting part and the cam are prevented from being impacted greatly, and the smoothness and the stability of the hinge structure in opening and closing actions are enhanced.

Furthermore, the rotating shafts driven by the gears are arranged at the corners of the middle part far away from the hinge seat, so that the force arm of the refrigerator door body is increased when the refrigerator door body rotates, the acting force required to be applied by a user to control the rotation of the door body is reduced, and the rotating operation of the door body is labor-saving.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Some specific embodiments of the invention will be described in detail hereinafter, by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar elements or components. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic configuration view of a refrigerator mounted with a hinge structure according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a hinge structure according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded view of a hinge structure and a first component according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4a is a schematic top view of a hinge structure in a closed state according to one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 4b to 4e are schematic top views of the hinge structure of fig. 4a in different open states;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a hinge cover of the hinge structure according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a hinge base of a hinge structure according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7a and 7b are schematic configuration views of first and second abutting portions of a hinge structure according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 8a to 8c are schematic configuration views of a power gear, a transmission gear and a control gear of a hinge structure according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9a is a schematic structural view of a mounting portion of a hinge structure and a refrigerator door according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9b is a schematic structural view of a bushing of a hinge structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration view of a refrigerator mounted with a hinge structure 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration view of a hinge structure 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a hinge cover 31 is omitted in order to show the internal arrangement of the hinge structure 30.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a hinge structure 30. The hinge structure 30 may generally include a shaft 34 and a hinge base 32. The shaft 34 is used to connect the first member 10, the hinge base 32 is used to connect the second member 20, and the first member 10 can move relative to the second member 20. The first component 10 may be a refrigerator door or a window of other furniture/household appliances as shown in fig. 1, and the second component 20 may be a refrigerator cabinet or a main body of other furniture/household appliances as shown in fig. 1.

The hinge structure 30 further includes an abutment and a cam 60. The abutting portion is disposed on the hinge seat 32 in a force-movable manner, and the abutting portion may be one or more. The cam 60 is configured to be drivingly connected to the shaft 34 and has a plurality of contact curved surfaces for contacting the abutment. Specifically, the rotation shaft 34 is rotatably coupled to the hinge base 32 to support the first member 10 for movement relative to the second member 20 about the rotation shaft 34. The abutment is configured to urge or resist movement of the first component 10 relative to the second component 20 by the cam 60 when at least one of the plurality of contact curved surfaces of the cam 60 contacts the abutment. The rotation shaft 34 supports the first component 10 to move relative to the second component 20 about the rotation shaft 34 means that the first component 10 is connected to the hinge base 32 and then connected to the second component 20 through the rotation shaft 34, and the first component 10 needs to move relative to the second component 20 through the rotation shaft 34. The hinge structure 30 can be mounted to the top, bottom or side of the first and

second members

10, 20 and in these mounted positions the shaft 34 can be considered to support the first member 10 for movement relative to the second member 20 about the shaft 34.

By taking the first member 10 as a door and the second member 20 as a box as an example, in the process of opening and closing the door, the rotating shaft 34 rotates with the door, and the cam 60 rotates with the rotating shaft 34 to approach or separate from the abutting portion. When at least one of the contact curved surfaces of the cam 60 contacts the abutting portion, the acting force of the abutting portion is transmitted to the rotating shaft 34 through the cam 60, and thereby the rotating shaft 34 is prompted or hindered to rotate, and further the opening and closing movement of the door body relative to the box body is prompted or hindered, so that the functions of automatically closing the door or closing the door with assistance and the like are realized when the door body is prompted to move, and the functions of hovering or closing the door with damping and the like are realized when the door body is hindered to move.

The hinge structure 30 of the present invention is disposed on the abutting portion of the hinge seat 32 and the cam 60 having a plurality of contact curved surfaces in a force-movable manner, when the two are in abutting contact, the acting force of the abutting portion is transmitted to the rotating shaft 34 through the cam 60, so as to urge or block the opening and closing movement of the door body relative to the box body, thereby realizing the functions of automatically closing the door or assisting the door to close the door when urging the door body to move, and realizing the functions of hovering or damping the door to close the door when blocking the door body to move.

Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded view of the hinge structure 30 and the first component 10 according to one embodiment of the invention.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 2 and 3, the abutments include a first abutment 51 and a second abutment 52, and the hinge structure 30 further includes a power accumulating member 71 and a cushioning member 72. The power accumulating member 71 is configured to be rotatably connected with the first abutting portion 51 to urge or hinder the cam 60 from rotating by the first abutting portion 51. The damper 72 is configured to be rotatably connected to the second abutting portion 52 to block the cam 60 from rotating by the second abutting portion 52. The cam 60 is rotatably provided between the first abutting portion 51 and the second abutting portion 52.

That is, the first abutting portion 51 and the second abutting portion 52 come into contact with the cam 60 on both sides thereof, respectively, and transmit the acting forces of the power accumulating member 71 and the cushioning member 72 to the cam 60. The power accumulating member 71 has a function of accumulating and releasing power. Specifically, when cam 60 is pressed toward first abutting portion 51 to accumulate the force of energy accumulating member 71, cam 60 is obstructed by energy accumulating member 71; when the power storage member 71 releases the force and the cam 60 moves in the direction of the force, the cam 60 is urged by the power storage member 71. When the cam 60 abuts against the second abutting portion 52, the buffer member 72 buffers the movement of the cam 60, and hinders the current movement tendency of the cam 60. Thus, the hinge structure 30 can achieve different actions of urging or blocking the rotation of the cam 60 according to the rotation angle of the cam 60 by the power accumulating member 71 and the buffering member 72. Furthermore, when the door body is located at different opening and closing positions, the rotating shaft 34 drives the cam 60 to rotate by different rotating angles, and the hinge structure 30 can automatically realize different opening and closing functions according to different opening and closing positions of the door body, so that the practicability of the hinge structure 30 is enhanced.

In some embodiments, power member 71 is a compression spring and cushioning member 72 is a linear damper. The damper may in particular be a hydraulic damper.

The hinge structure 30 may further include a hinge cover 31, and the hinge cover 31 is disposed on the hinge base 32 and defines a mounting space together with the hinge base 32 to accommodate the internal structure of the hinge structure 30 such as the abutting portion, the cam 60, the power accumulating member 71 and the buffer member 72. The hinge cover 31 also prevents contaminants such as dust from falling into the installation space, and ensures the normal operation of the hinge structure 30.

The hinge structure 30 may further include a bushing 33, and the rotation shaft 34 may be installed in the installation groove 11 of the door body through the bushing 33. The inner diameter of the sleeve 33 may be configured to be non-circular, the lower portion of the rotation shaft 34 may be configured to have a shape matching the inner diameter of the sleeve 33, and the upper portion of the rotation shaft 34 may be used for the hinge base 32 to be rotatably coupled.

Referring to fig. 9a and 9b, the bushing 33 includes a mounting plate 330, and the door body (first member) is formed with a mounting groove 11 formed to fit the mounting plate 330 to receive the mounting plate 330. The mounting plate 330 is provided with a shaft hole 331, and the shaft hole 331 is adapted to the rotating shaft 34 and is connected with the rotating shaft 34 in a non-rotatable manner. Further, a reinforcing part 332 is formed on a side of the mounting plate 330 facing away from the hinge base, and the shaft hole 331 extends to the reinforcing part 332 along an axial direction thereof, and the rotating shaft 34 is inserted into the shaft hole 331 to be connected to the mounting plate 330 and the reinforcing part 332, thereby enhancing a connection strength of the hinge structure 30 with the door body.

Fig. 4a is a schematic top view of a hinge structure 30 in a closed state according to one embodiment of the invention. Fig. 4b to 4e are schematic top views of the hinge structure 30 of fig. 4a in different open states. To illustrate the internal arrangement of the hinge construction 30, the hinge cover 31 is omitted from fig. 4a to 4 e.

Referring to fig. 4a to 4e, in some embodiments, the multi-segment contact curved surface includes a damping segment curved surface 61, a hovering segment curved surface 62 and a power segment curved surface 63. The power section curved surface 63 is arranged near the first abutting portion 51, the damping section curved surface 61 is arranged near the second abutting portion 52, and the hovering section curved surface 62 is arranged between the damping section curved surface 61 and the power section curved surface 63.

Further, as shown in fig. 4d and 4e, the cam 60 is configured such that when neither the power section curved surface 63 nor the damping section curved surface 61 contacts the first abutting portion 51 and the second abutting portion 52 and the hovering section curved surface 62 contacts the first abutting portion 51, the cam 60 can be at rest with respect to the hinge plate at any time. As shown in fig. 4b and 4c, when the power section curved surface 63 contacts the first abutting portion 51, the cam 60 receives a force from the first abutting portion 51 that rotates the cam 60 toward the second abutting portion 52. As shown in fig. 4b and 4c, when the curved surface 61 of the damper section presses against the second abutting portion 52, the cam 60 receives a force from the second abutting portion 52 to hinder the rotation of the cam 60. Therefore, the hinge structure 30 realizes different functions in the door closing process through different curved surfaces of the cam 60, thereby simplifying the internal arrangement of the hinge structure 30 and making the whole hinge structure 30 more compact.

In some embodiments, the plurality of curved contact surfaces of the cam 60 are connected smoothly, and the plurality of curved contact surfaces are connected directly or through a connecting surface. The multiple contact curved surfaces together form a curved surface with a concave side facing the center of rotation of the cam 60. That is, the cam 60 has a continuous contact curved surface protruding toward one direction (a direction away from the rotational center). Therefore, when the cam 60 rotates and contacts the first abutting part 51 and/or the second abutting part 52, the contact between the cam 60 and the abutting parts is continuously smooth, the abutting parts and the cam 60 are prevented from being impacted greatly, and the smoothness and the stability of the hinge structure 30 in the opening and closing actions are enhanced.

In some embodiments, the cam 60 and the abutment may be configured to provide different forces to the shaft 34 depending on the rotational position of the shaft 34. Specifically, the first abutting portion 51 urges the rotating shaft 34 to keep rotating continuously in the current direction when the rotating shaft 34 rotates from the first preset angle range to the second preset angle range adjacent to the first preset angle range. The second abutting portion 52 blocks the rotation of the rotation shaft 34 when the rotation shaft 34 rotates within the third preset angle range. Further, the rotating shaft 34 is freely rotatable within a first predetermined angle range, and a third predetermined angle range is located within a second predetermined angle range.

The above-mentioned angle range will be described below by taking fig. 4a to 4e as an example. The process of closing the hinge can be seen with reference to figures 4e to 4 a. The angle of rotation of the door body is indicated by α between the two dashed lines.

Referring to fig. 4a, the shaft sleeve 33 is used to indicate the position of the door body, and the door body in fig. 4a is in a closed state, where the rotation angle of the rotating shaft 34 is 0 °. At this time, the first abutting part 51 abuts against the power section curved surface 63 of the cam 60, the second abutting part 52 abuts against the damping section curved surface 61 of the cam 60, and the cam 60 is kept stationary to prevent the door body from being opened automatically.

Referring to fig. 4e, the door body is in a free rotation state at this time, the compression amount of the spring is maximum, and the rotation angle of the door body is greater than 50 ° in the figure. At this time, the first abutting portion 51 abuts against the curved hovering section surface 62 of the cam 60, and the cam 60 is kept stationary by the static friction between the cam 60 and the first abutting portion 51. The cam 60 and the rotating shaft 34 are configured to be selectively in transmission connection, when the rotating angle is larger than 50 degrees, the cam 60 and the rotating shaft 34 are disconnected from the transmission connection, and the rotating shaft 34 and the door body rotate freely within the rotating angle range larger than 50 degrees. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the maximum value of the range of rotation angles greater than 50 deg. may be determined by the maximum opening angle of the door body. That is, in the present embodiment, the first predetermined angle range includes a maximum opening angle greater than 50 ° and equal to or less than the maximum opening angle of the door body.

Referring to fig. 4d, the door body is in a free-hovering critical state, and the rotation angle of the door body is 50 ° in the drawing. When the rotation angle of the door body is equal to or slightly less than 50 °, the first abutting part 51 still abuts against the hovering section curved surface 62 of the cam 60, and the cam 60 and the rotating shaft 34 restore the transmission connection therebetween. If the door opening force applied to the door body at this time is less than or equal to the friction force between the cam 60 and the first abutting portion 51, the cam 60 can still be kept stationary, and the door body can be suspended. If the door opening force applied to the door body is larger than the friction force between the cam 60 and the first abutting portion 51, the first abutting portion 51 obstructs the rotation of the cam 60, the door body can rotate, and the door body can be restored to the hovering state through reduction of the door opening force at any time.

Referring to fig. 4c, the door body is in an acceleration-damping critical state, and the rotation angle of the door body is equal to 20 °. When the door body is in another critical state between fig. 4d to fig. 4c, for example, when the door body rotates to equal to 30 °, the door body is in a hovering-accelerating critical state.

In this embodiment, the first preset angle range further includes an opening angle (for example, 30 °) that is greater than or equal to the hovering-acceleration critical state of the door body and is smaller than 50 °. Therefore, the first preset angle range is greater than or equal to the opening angle of the door body in the hovering-accelerating critical state and less than or equal to the maximum opening angle of the door body. The door body can freely rotate and suspend in a first preset angle range.

When the door body starts from the end of the state change in fig. 4d to the state in fig. 4c, the door body is in an accelerated door closing state. That is, for example, when the door body rotates to less than 30 °, the curved hovering portion surface 62 rotates away from the first abutting portion 51, the curved power portion surface 63 contacts the first abutting portion 51, the cam 60 does not contact the second abutting portion 52 yet, and the movement toward the second abutting portion 52 is accelerated. At this time, the power accumulating member 71 provides the urging force to the cam 60 through the first abutting portion 51, causing the cam 60 to continue to rotate, and the door closing action continues to accelerate until the cam 60 contacts the second abutting portion 52.

Thus, the upper limit boundary value of the second preset angle range may be 30 ° in the present embodiment. That is, the upper limit boundary value of the second preset angle range is the opening angle of the door body in the hovering-accelerating critical state.

With continued reference to fig. 4c, when the cam 60 reaches and contacts the second abutting portion 52, the buffer member 72 starts to provide resistance to the cam 60 through the second abutting portion 52, the power accumulating member 71 continues to maintain the state of providing the thrust to the cam 60 through the first abutting portion 51, and the cam 60 enters a third preset angular range within the second preset angular range. In the present embodiment, the third preset angle range is less than 20 °. That is, the upper limit boundary value of the third preset angle range is the opening angle of the door body in the acceleration-damping critical state. Thereafter, the cam 60 is always kept in contact with the first abutting portion 51 and the second abutting portion 52 until the hinge structure 30 is closed. Thus, the lower limit boundary values of the second preset angle range and the third preset angle range are both 0 °.

Referring to fig. 4b, the door body is in a damping state, and the rotation angle of the door body is equal to 10 °. When the door body moves from the state in fig. 4c to the state in fig. 4b, the buffer member 72 is in the initial state of providing the damping force, and since the cam 60 rotates at a slower speed at this time, the buffer member 72 provides a larger damping force to the cam 60. When the door body reaches the state in fig. 4b, the cushion member 72 is in the end state providing the damping force, and since the rotational speed of the cam 60 is reduced, the cushion member 72 provides only a small damping force to the cam 60. Therefore, when the door body moves from the state in fig. 4c to the state in fig. 4b, the door body is changed from the acceleration state to the slow deceleration state, and the door body is prevented from impacting the box body. When the door reaches the state of fig. 4b, the closing speed of the door is reduced to the minimum. When the door body moves from the state in fig. 4b to the state in fig. 4a, the door body starts to accelerate from the deceleration state again to realize quick door closing. At this time, because the rotation angle available for re-acceleration is already small, the impact force of the door body on the box body can be ignored when the door is finally closed. Therefore, the hinge structure can realize the assistance of fast door closing and simultaneously avoid the impact of the door body on the box body.

In some embodiments, the boundary value of each predetermined angle range may be adjusted according to the shape of the multi-segment contact curved surface of the cam 60.

Referring to fig. 3, in some embodiments, the hinge structure 30 further includes a power gear 81, a control gear 82, and a transmission gear 83. Specifically, the rotating shaft 34 is coaxially connected with the power gear 81, the cam 60 is coaxially connected with the control gear 82, and the transmission gear 83 is meshed with the power gear 81 and the control gear 82 respectively, so that the rotating shaft 34 is in transmission connection with the cam 60.

That is, the rotating shaft 34, the cam 60 and the gears coaxially connected to each other are not directly abutted to each other but contacted through the transmission gear 83, so that the radial acting force of the abutting portion acting on the cam 60 is distributed to the plurality of gears and is not directly concentrated on the power gear 81 on the rotating shaft 34, the use loss of the rotating shaft 34, the cam 60 and each gear is reduced, the stability of each component in the rotating process is improved, and the service life of the hinge structure 30 is prolonged.

Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a hinge cover of a hinge structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a hinge base of a hinge structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. The distribution of the mounting holes of the various parts of the hinge structure is shown with reference to figures 3, 5 and 6. Hinge cover 31 is mounted to hinge base 32 through hinge cover mounting hole 93, each gear is mounted to hinge cover 31 and hinge base 32 through gear mounting hole 98, first abutting portion 51 is mounted through first abutting portion mounting hole 951, second abutting portion 52 is mounted through second abutting portion mounting hole 952, power storage member 71 is mounted through power storage member mounting hole 971, and buffer member 72 is mounted through buffer member mounting hole 972.

Referring to fig. 3, 5 and 6, the power gear 81 is disposed on the hinge base 32 near one corner of the hinge base 32, and the rotation axes of the power gear 81, the transmission gear 83 and the control gear 82 are arranged in a substantially straight line gradually near the middle of the hinge base 32. The rotating shaft 34 is in driving connection with the cam 60 by force transmission through the power gear 81, the transmission gear 83 and the control gear 82 in sequence. Power is transmitted through a gear system formed by the three gears, so that the position of the cam can be adjusted, the hinge seat is provided with a concave structure, a door frame is accommodated when the door body is opened by more than 90 degrees, and the requirement that the door is opened to at least 135 degrees is met.

In addition, the rotating shaft 34 is arranged at the corner of the hinge seat 32 to be far away from the middle of the hinge seat 32, so that the force arm of the door body during rotation is increased, the acting force required to be applied by a user for controlling the rotation of the door body is reduced, and the rotating operation of the door body (especially the refrigerator door body which is a thick structure) is labor-saving.

In some embodiments, the control gear 82 and the cam 60 are provided as a unitary structure, thereby ensuring synchronization of the rotation of the cam 60 and the control gear 82.

Fig. 7a and 7b are schematic configuration views of the first and second abutting portions of the hinge structure 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 7a and 7b, each of the first abutting portion 51 and the second abutting portion 52 has a roller 53, and the first abutting portion 51 and the second abutting portion 52 are in contact with the cam 60 through the respective rollers 53. The first and

second abutments

51 and 52 also each include two connecting plates 54, the two connecting plates 54 being disposed in spaced opposition to receive the roller 53 and to allow at least part of the cam 60 to move between the two connecting plates 54 without obstruction. Thereby, the hinge structure 30 reduces contact wear between the abutting portion and the cam 60 by the roller 53, prolongs the life span of the hinge structure 30, and allows the cam 60 to be constructed in a structure having a continuous smooth curved surface to move between the two connecting plates 54 by the two connecting plates 54 being disposed in spaced opposition.

Fig. 8a to 8c are schematic structural views of the power gear 81, the transmission gear 83, and the control gear 82 of the hinge structure 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 8a to 8c, in some embodiments, the power gear 81, the control gear 82 and the transfer gear 83 each have a meshing toothed segment 84 and a smooth arcuate segment 85, respectively. Selective driving connection of the cam 60 and the rotating shaft 34 can be achieved by meshing toothed sections 84 and smooth arc sections 85 of the power gear 81, the control gear 82 and the transmission gear 83. The transmission gear 83 has an arcuate platform 831, the arcuate platform 831 being located on the outer peripheral side of the smooth arcuate segment 85 of the transmission gear 83 and having a receiving surface 832. The receiving surface 832 is configured to be in sliding contact with the smooth arcuate segment 85 of the power gear 81 in a form-fitting manner to allow the shaft 34 to rotate freely when rotated to within the first predetermined angular range.

That is, portions of the power gear 81, the control gear 82, and the transmission gear 83, which are not required for the meshing transmission, may be provided as smooth arc-shaped sections 85 to save an internal installation space, so that the power gear 81 may be closer to corners of the hinge base 32 and the manufacturing process may be simplified. In addition, the hinge structure 30 is provided with the receiving surface 832 matched with the smooth arc-shaped section 85 of the power gear 81 on the transmission gear 83, the receiving surface 832 can assist in positioning the power gear 81 when the door body rotates freely, and when the door body is in a free rotation state, the contact friction and the collision acting force between the gears are reduced, the contact abrasion of the gear structure is reduced, and the service life of the hinge structure 30 is prolonged.

Thus, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while a number of exemplary embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the invention may be directly determined or derived from the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be understood and interpreted to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising a first part, a second part and a hinge structure by which the first part is movable relative to the second part, wherein the hinge structure comprises:

a rotating shaft connected to the first member;

a hinge base connected to the second member;

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the abutting portion includes a first abutting portion and a second abutting portion, and the hinge structure further includes:

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2,

the multiple sections of contact curved surfaces comprise a damping section curved surface, a hovering section curved surface and a power section curved surface;

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2,

the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion each have a roller, and the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion are in contact with the cam through the respective rollers;

5. The refrigerator according to claim 2,

the rotating shaft freely rotates within a first preset angle range;

The third preset angle range is located within the second preset angle range.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure further comprises:

the rotating shaft is coaxially connected with the power gear;

the cam is coaxially connected with the control gear;

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6,

one corner of the power gear, which is close to the hinge seat, is arranged on the hinge seat, and the rotating axes of the power gear, the transmission gear and the control gear are gradually close to the middle part of the hinge seat;

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6,

the power gear, the control gear and the transmission gear are respectively provided with a meshing tooth-shaped section and a smooth arc-shaped section;

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1,

the contact curved surfaces of the cam are connected smoothly, and the contact curved surfaces are directly connected or connected through a connecting surface; and

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure further comprises: