CN114961476A

CN114961476A - Hinge assembly fixed on box body and refrigeration equipment with same

Info

Publication number: CN114961476A
Application number: CN202110216896.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 夏恩品; 李康; 王常志
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: 2021-02-26
Filing date: 2021-02-26
Publication date: 2022-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 2041-02-26
Also published as: CN114961476B

Abstract

The invention discloses a hinge assembly fixed on a box body and refrigeration equipment with the hinge assembly, wherein the hinge assembly comprises a first hinge piece arranged on the box body, a second hinge piece arranged on a door body and a switching assembly connected with the first hinge piece and the second hinge piece, the first hinge piece comprises a fixing part and a supporting part which are connected, the fixing part is used for being mutually fixed with the box body, and the supporting part is used for bearing the switching assembly, wherein the fixing part comprises a first fixing part connected with the supporting part and a second fixing part protruding out of the supporting part, a first limiting part is arranged on the first fixing part, a second limiting part is arranged on the box body, a screw hole is arranged on the second fixing part, when the first hinge piece is assembled on the box body, the first limiting part and the second limiting part are mutually clamped, and a fixing screw penetrates through the screw hole to fix the second fixing part to the box body. According to the invention, the first fixing part is fixed to the box body through clamping and fixing of the first limiting part and the second limiting part, so that the convenience of installation can be greatly improved.

Description

Hinge assembly fixed on box body and refrigeration equipment with same

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a hinge assembly fixed on a box body and refrigeration equipment with the same.

Background

Generally, a refrigerator body and a door body of a refrigeration device are moved relatively by a hinge assembly.

One end of the hinge assembly in the prior art is fixed on the box body, and the hinge assembly and the box body are generally fixed by screws at a plurality of positions, but the screws are not easy to operate in certain regions due to limited space.

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

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a hinge assembly fixed on a box body and a refrigeration device with the hinge assembly.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a hinge assembly fixed to a box, including a first hinge member provided to the box, a second hinge member provided to a door, and a switching assembly connecting the first hinge member and the second hinge member, the first hinge part comprises a fixed part and a supporting part which are connected, the fixed part is used for being mutually fixed with the box body, the supporting part is used for bearing the switching component, wherein the fixing part comprises a first fixing part connected with the supporting part and a second fixing part protruding out of the supporting part, the first fixing part is provided with a first limit part, the box body is provided with a second limit part, the second fixing part is provided with a screw hole, when the first hinge part is assembled on the box body, the first limiting part and the second limiting part are mutually clamped, and a fixing screw penetrates through the screw hole to fix the second fixing part to the box body.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the second fixing portion is provided with two screw holes arranged side by side in an extending direction of the second fixing portion.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first position-limiting portion is a hook, and an opening direction of the hook is a direction of the second fixing portion facing the first fixing portion.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the switching component is movably connected to the first hinge member and the second hinge member, when the second hinge member is opened in a direction away from the first hinge member, the second hinge member and the switching component move together relative to the first hinge member, and then the switching component is stationary relative to the first hinge member, and the second hinge member moves relative to the switching component.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge element and the switching assembly are connected by a first shaft group and a first slot group which are matched with each other, the second hinge element and the switching assembly are connected by a second shaft group and a second slot group which are matched with each other, the hinge assembly further includes a locking portion, when the second hinge element is opened in a direction away from the first hinge element, the locking portion locks the second hinge element so that the second hinge element and the switching assembly move together relative to the first hinge element, the first shaft group moves in the first slot group, and then the locking portion locks the first hinge element and unlocks the second hinge element, the switching assembly is stationary relative to the first hinge element, and the second hinge element moves relative to the switching assembly, the second shaft body group moves in the second groove body group.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first shaft body group includes a first rotation shaft, the second shaft body group includes a second rotation shaft, and when the second hinge member is opened in a direction away from the first hinge member, the second hinge member and the switching member rotate about the first rotation shaft as a central axis, and then the second hinge member rotates about the second rotation shaft as a central axis.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, when the first rotation axis is a central axis, the first rotation axis has a first distance from a front end surface of the housing, and when the second rotation axis is a central axis, the second rotation axis has a second distance from a front end surface of the housing, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, when the first rotation axis is a central axis, the first rotation axis has a third distance from an outer side surface of the housing, and when the second rotation axis is a central axis, the second rotation axis has a fourth distance from an outer side surface of the housing, the fourth distance being smaller than the third distance.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the switching assembly includes a first slide plate group and a second slide plate group stacked in a first direction, the switching assembly locks the second hinge member when the hinge assembly is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first slide plate group, the second slide plate group and the second hinge member are relatively stationary and move together relative to the first hinge member, the first slide plate group moves relative to the second slide plate group to lock the first hinge member and unlock the second hinge member when the hinge assembly is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the first hinge member, the first slide plate group and the second slide plate group are relatively stationary when the hinge assembly is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the second hinge part moves relative to the switching component, and the first direction is the stacking direction of the first hinge part, the switching component and the second hinge part.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge element and the switching assembly are connected by a first shaft group and a first groove group which are matched with each other, and the second hinge element and the switching assembly are connected by a second shaft group and a second groove group which are matched with each other.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the first shaft group includes a first shaft and a second shaft, the first groove group includes a first groove cooperating with the first shaft and a second groove cooperating with the second shaft, the second shaft group includes a third shaft and a fourth shaft, the second groove group includes a third groove cooperating with the third shaft and a fourth groove cooperating with the fourth shaft, the first hinge member includes the first shaft and the second shaft, the second hinge member includes the third groove and the fourth groove, and the switching member includes the first groove, the second groove, the third shaft and the fourth shaft.

As a further improvement of the first embodiment of the present invention, the first slot includes a first upper slot located in the first slide plate group and a first lower slot located in the second slide plate group, the first upper slot includes a first upper free section, the first lower slot includes a first lower free section, the second slot includes a second upper slot located in the first slide plate group and a second lower slot located in the second slide plate group, the second upper slot includes a second upper free section, the second lower slot includes a second lower free section, the third slot includes a third free section, the fourth slot includes a fourth free section, the first slot includes a locking section, the second slot includes a limiting section, when the hinge assembly is opened from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first slide plate group and the second slide plate group are relatively stationary, the first upper free section and the first lower free section are overlapped to form a first free section, the second upper free section and the second lower free section are overlapped to form a second free section, the first shaft body moves in the first free section, the second shaft body moves in the second free section, the third shaft body and/or the fourth shaft body is/are limited at the limit section so that the switching component limits the second hinge piece, when the hinge component is in the process of continuously opening from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first sliding vane group and the second sliding vane group move relatively to enable the second hinge piece to be separated from the limit of the switching component, and the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is limited at the locking section so that the switching component limits the first hinge piece, when the hinge component is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the third shaft body moves at the third free section, and the fourth shaft body moves at the fourth free section.

As a further improvement of the embodiment of the present invention, the locking section includes a first upper locking section located on the first upper tank body, a first lower locking section located on the first lower tank body, a second upper locking section located on the second upper tank body, and a second lower locking section located on the second lower tank body, the limiting section includes a fourth limiting section located on the fourth tank body, when the hinge assembly is opened to a first opening angle from a closing state, the fourth shaft body is limited at the fourth limiting section, when the hinge assembly is in the process of continuously opening from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the first shaft body is simultaneously limited on the first upper locking section and the first lower locking section, the second shaft body is simultaneously limited on the second upper locking section and the second lower locking section, and the fourth shaft body is separated from the fourth limiting 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 the embodiment of the present invention, the first slide group includes the third shaft extending to the third tank, and the second slide group includes the fourth shaft extending to the fourth tank.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigeration apparatus, including a box body, a door body, and a hinge assembly connecting the box body and the door body, where the hinge assembly is the hinge assembly according to any one of the above technical solutions.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the box body includes 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 at least drives the door body to move from the pivoting side towards the receiving chamber.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge assembly is located below the door body.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: according to the embodiment of the invention, the first fixing part is fixed to the box body by clamping and fixing the first limiting part and the second limiting part, so that the convenience of installation can be greatly improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in a closed state according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention in a closed condition;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention in a first exploded condition;

fig. 4 is a schematic view of a fully inserted state of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention in a second exploded condition;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention in a third exploded condition;

fig. 7 is a plan view of the refrigerator in a closed state according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention in a closed condition;

FIG. 9 is a top cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention in a closed condition;

FIG. 10 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention in a closed condition;

fig. 11 is a plan view of the refrigerator in a first intermediate opening angle according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 13 is a top cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 14 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

fig. 15 is a plan view of the refrigerator in a second intermediate opening angle according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

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

fig. 19 is a plan view of the refrigerator in a first opening angle in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

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

fig. 23 is a plan view of the refrigerator in the second opening angle according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 32 is an exploded view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 34 to 42 are schematic views of a hinge assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 43 to 47 are schematic views of a hinge assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 48 to 54 are schematic views of a hinge assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to 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, there is shown a schematic diagram of a refrigeration apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigeration apparatus 100 includes a cabinet 10, a door 20, and a hinge assembly 30 connecting the cabinet 10 and the door 20.

The refrigeration apparatus 100 may be a refrigerator, a freezer, a wine cabinet, etc., and the refrigeration apparatus 100 is taken as the refrigerator as an example.

In addition, the hinge assembly 30 is not only applicable to the refrigeration apparatus 100, but also applicable to other occasions, such as a cabinet, a wardrobe, etc., and the present invention is exemplified by the hinge assembly 30 applied to the refrigerator 100, but not limited thereto.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, a hinge assembly 30 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown.

The hinge assembly 30 includes a first hinge 31 provided in the cabinet 10, a second hinge 32 provided in the door 20, and a switching assembly 40 connecting the first hinge 31 and the second hinge 32.

Here, the "first hinge 31 provided in the case 10" means that the first hinge 31 is connected to the case 10, and the first hinge 31 may be a separate member attached to the case 10 or a member directly integrally formed on the case 10.

Similarly, the phrase "the second hinge piece 32 provided to the door body 20" means that the second hinge piece 32 is connected to the door body 20, and the second hinge piece 32 may be an independent component attached to the door body 20 or a component directly integrally molded with the door body 20.

The switching component 40 is positioned between the first hinge part 31 and the second hinge part 32, the first hinge part 31 and the switching component 40 can interact, the second hinge part 32 and the switching component 40 can interact, and the switching component 40 is used for controlling the working sequence of the first hinge part 31 and the second hinge part 32.

Specifically, the switching assembly 40 is movably connected to the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, when the second hinge member 32 is opened in a direction away from the first hinge member 31, the second hinge member 32 and the switching assembly 40 move together relative to the first hinge member 31, and then the switching assembly 40 is stationary relative to the first hinge member 31, and the second hinge member 32 moves relative to the switching assembly 40.

Here, the phrase "the second hinge member 32 is opened in a direction away from the first hinge member 31" means that the second hinge member 32 is applied in a direction to drive the second hinge member 32 to move in a direction away from the first hinge member 31, which corresponds to an opening process of the hinge assembly 30.

It can be understood that, when the hinge assembly 30 is mounted to the refrigerator 100, the opening process of the hinge assembly 30 corresponds to the opening process of the door body 20.

In the present embodiment, the switching assembly 40 controls the switching operation between the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, that is, the switching assembly 40 controls the first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40 to move relatively, and then controls the second hinge member 32 and the switching assembly 40 to move relatively, in the present embodiment, the opening and closing process of the door 20 is controlled by controlling the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 to work relatively to the switching assembly 40 in turn, so that the degree of freedom of the opening and closing process of the door 20 of the refrigerator 100 can be improved.

It is understood that the switching assembly 40 can realize the switching operation between the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 by a mechanical structure, an electric control, or the like.

In the present embodiment, the switching assembly 40 controls the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 to sequentially operate in a first order when the hinge assembly 30 is in the opening process, and controls the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 to sequentially operate in a second order when the hinge assembly 30 is in the closing process, the first order being opposite to the second order.

Here, the "first order" and the "second order" refer to a sequential operation order between the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32.

The embodiment can effectively control the working sequence between the first hinge 31 and the second hinge 32 through the action of the switching assembly 40, avoid the mutual interference between the door body 20 and the cabinet in the opening and closing process due to the disordered sequence between the first hinge 31 and the second hinge 32, and is suitable for the field of embedded refrigerators.

In the present embodiment, when the door 20 is in the opening process, at least a portion of the hinge assembly 30 moves relative to the cabinet 10 and the door 20.

Here, the phrase "at least a portion of the hinge assembly 30 moves relative to the body 10 and the door 20" means that at least a portion of the hinge assembly 30 moves relative to the body 10 and the door 20 at the same time, that is, at least a portion of the hinge assembly 30 is interposed between the body 10 and the door 20 rather than being completely embedded in the body 10 or the door 20.

Generally, in the conventional refrigerator structure, the hinge assembly is usually embedded in the refrigerator body and the door body, that is, the hinge assembly is relatively static with respect to the refrigerator body or the door body, so that the movement track of the door body 20 is greatly limited.

At least part of the hinge assembly 30 of the present embodiment moves relative to the refrigerator body 10 and the door 20, so that the degree of freedom of the opening and closing process of the door 20 can be effectively improved, and the movement track of the door 20 can be effectively controlled, so as to adapt to various application scenarios of the refrigerator 100.

In this embodiment, the first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40 are connected by the first shaft sets 311 and 312 and the first slot sets 411 and 412 which are matched with each other, the second hinge member 32 and the switching assembly 40 are connected by the second shaft sets 321 and 322 and the second slot sets 421 and 422 which are matched with each other, the hinge assembly 40 further includes a locking portion, when the second hinge member 32 is opened in a direction away from the first hinge member 31, the locking portion locks the second hinge member 32 so that the second hinge member 32 and the switching assembly 40 move together relative to the first hinge member 31, the first shaft sets 311 and 312 move in the first slot sets 411 and 412, and then the locking portion locks the first hinge member 31 and unlocks the second hinge member 32, the switching assembly 40 and the first hinge member 31 are relatively stationary, the second hinge member 32 moves relative to the switching assembly 40, and the second shaft sets 321 and 322 move in the second slot sets 421 and 421, 422.

That is, in the present embodiment, the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 are coupled to the switching unit 40 through the shaft and the groove to realize relative movement, and the locking portion is engaged to lock and unlock the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, so that the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 can be sequentially operated, but in other embodiments, the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 may be coupled to the switching unit 40 through another structure.

Specifically, in the opening process of the refrigerator 100, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1, the locking portion locks the second hinge member 32, the second hinge member 32 and the switching assembly 40 move together relative to the first hinge member 31, the

first shaft groups

311 and 312 move in the first

slot body groups

411 and 412, when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α 1 to the second opening angle α 2, the locking portion locks the first hinge member 31 and unlocks the second hinge member 32, and when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, the switching assembly 40 and the first hinge member 31 are relatively stationary, the second hinge member 32 moves relative to the switching assembly 40, and the

second shaft groups

321 and 322 move in the second

slot body groups

421 and 422.

The present embodiment can effectively control the motion trajectory of the door 20 by providing the switching assembly 40, and particularly, the hinge assembly 30 of the present embodiment is suitable for an embedded application scenario.

Referring to fig. 4, a simple schematic view in which the hinge assembly 30 is assembled to the refrigerator 100 and the refrigerator 100 is embedded in the cabinet 200 will be described as an example.

The box 10 includes an opening 102 and a front end surface 103 surrounding the opening 102, the box 10 further includes an accommodating chamber D and an outer side surface 13 adjacent to the hinge assembly 30 and on an extension section of a rotation path of the door 20, the door 20 includes a front wall 21 far away from the accommodating chamber D and a side wall 22 always sandwiched between the front wall 21 and the accommodating chamber D, and a side edge 23 is provided between the front wall 21 and the side wall 22.

The first shaft sets 311 and 312 include first rotating shafts 311, the second shaft sets 321 and 322 include second rotating shafts 321, when the second hinge element 32 is opened in a direction away from the first hinge element 31, the second hinge element 32 and the switching assembly 40 rotate around the first rotating shafts 311, and then the second hinge element 32 rotates around the second rotating shafts 321.

Here, the "rotation axis" is defined as a central axis corresponding to the rotation of the door 20, that is, the door 20 rotates around the rotation axis to open, and the rotation axis may be a fixed axis during the opening of the door 20 or a variable axis during the opening of the door 20.

Specifically, in the opening process of the refrigerator 100, when the door 20 is in the closed state and is opened to the first opening angle α 1, the door 20 rotates around the first rotating shaft 311 as a central axis, and when the door 20 is continuously opened from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, the door 20 rotates around the second rotating shaft 321 as an axis.

Here, when the first rotation shaft 311 is a central axis, the first rotation shaft 311 has a first distance from the front end surface 103 of the housing 10, and when the second rotation shaft 321 is a central axis, the second rotation shaft 321 has a second distance from the front end surface 103 of the housing 10, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

When the first rotation shaft 311 is a central axis, the first rotation shaft 311 has a third distance from the outer surface 13 of the housing 10, and when the second rotation shaft 321 is a central axis, the second rotation shaft 321 has a fourth distance from the outer surface 13 of the housing 10, the fourth distance being smaller than the third distance.

The concrete description is as follows:

in some movement trajectories of the refrigerator 100, the first rotating shaft 311 and the second rotating shaft 321 move relative to the door body 20, or the hinge assembly 30 further includes other shafts matching the first rotating shaft 311 and the second rotating shaft 321, and for simplicity of description, it is simply regarded that the door body 20 firstly rotates around the first rotating shaft 311, and then is switched to rotate around the second rotating shaft 321 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 rotational shaft position of the conventional refrigerator is approximately at the first rotational shaft 311 position in fig 4, 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 prior art generally increases the distance between the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 and the refrigerator 100, this spacing needs to be roughly around 10cm, which would seriously affect the embedding effect and would be detrimental to the rational use of limited space.

Referring to fig. 4, 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 rotation axis 311 (i.e. the prior art), referring to the dashed door 20 'in fig. 4, since the first rotation axis 311 is close to the front end surface 103, that is, the first axis 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 second rotating shaft 321 is located on the switching assembly 40, and in the opening process of the door 20, the switching assembly 40 moves relative to the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 to make the second rotating shaft 321 gradually far away from the front end surface 103, that is, the second rotating 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 far away from the box 10, referring to the door solid line 20 in fig. 4, 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 switching component 40 functions to enable the door 20 to rotate around the second rotation axis 321, 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 embodiment, the distance between the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 and the refrigerator 100 does not need to be increased, the refrigerator 100 can be connected with the cabinet 200 in a seamless manner, and the embedding effect is greatly improved.

In addition, the switching assembly 40 of the present embodiment drives the second rotating shaft 321 to gradually move toward the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, and simultaneously drives the second rotating shaft 321 to gradually approach the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200, that is, when the door 20 rotates around the second rotating shaft 321, the second rotating shaft 321 is closer to the front end 201 and the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 than the first rotating 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 second rotating shaft 321, which is finally used as a rotating shaft, may be located at other positions, for example, when the door 20 rotates around the second rotating shaft 321, the second rotating shaft 321 is closer to the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 than the first rotating shaft 311, and the second rotating shaft 321 is farther away from the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 than the first rotating shaft 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.

The specific design of the hinge assembly 30 of the present embodiment can refer to the following examples, it being understood that the following are only illustrative examples, and in other embodiments, the hinge assembly 30 can be of other structures.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, the switching assembly 40 includes a first slide plate set 401 and a second slide plate set 402 stacked in a first direction, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1, the switching assembly 40 locks the second hinge member 32, the first slide plate set 401, the second slide plate set 402 and the second hinge member 32 are relatively stationary and move together relative to the first hinge member 31, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α 1 to the second opening angle α 2, the first slide plate set 401 moves relative to the second slide plate set 402 to lock the first hinge member 31 and unlock the second hinge member 32, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, the first hinge member 31, the first slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 402 are relatively stationary, the second hinge member 32 moves relative to the switching assembly 40, the first direction is a stacking direction of the first hinge member 31, the switching member 40 and the second hinge member 32.

It can be understood that when the hinge assembly 30 is mounted to the refrigerator 100, the opening angle of the hinge assembly 30 corresponds to the opening angle of the door 20.

Specifically, the first hinge element 31 is connected to the switching assembly 40 through the

first shaft assemblies

311 and 312 and the

first slot assemblies

411 and 412 which are matched with each other, and the second hinge element 32 is connected to the switching assembly 40 through the

second shaft assemblies

321 and 322 and the

second slot assemblies

421 and 422 which are matched with each other.

The first shaft set 311, 312 includes a first shaft 311 and a second shaft 312, the first slot set 411, 412 includes a first slot 411 matched with the first shaft 311 and a second slot 412 matched with the second shaft 312, the second shaft set 321, 322 includes a third shaft 321 and a fourth shaft 322, the second slot set 421, 422 includes a third slot 421 matched with the third shaft 321 and a fourth slot 422 matched with the fourth shaft 322.

Here, the first shaft 311 is located at one of the first hinge 31 and the switching member 40, and the first slot 411 is located at the other of the first hinge 31 and the switching member 40.

The second shaft 312 is located on one of the first hinge 31 and the switching assembly 40, and the second slot 412 is located on the other of the first hinge 31 and the switching assembly 40.

The third shaft 321 is located on one of the second hinge 32 and the switch assembly 40, and the third slot 421 is located on the other of the second hinge 32 and the switch assembly 40.

The fourth shaft 322 is located at one of the second hinge 32 and the switch assembly 40, and the fourth slot 422 is located at the other of the second hinge 32 and the switch assembly 40.

That is, the distribution of the hinge assembly 30 may include various situations, and specifically, according to the present embodiment, the first hinge member 31 includes the first shaft 311 and the second shaft 312, the second hinge member 32 includes the third slot 421 and the fourth slot 422, and the switching assembly 40 includes the first slot 411, the second slot 412, the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 as an example.

It can be seen that the first hinge member 31 and the switching member 40 of the present embodiment are coupled to each other in a biaxial double-groove manner, and the second hinge member 32 and the switching member 40 are coupled to each other in a biaxial double-groove manner, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In other embodiments, a single-shaft single-groove fit may be included, for example, the first shaft assembly includes a first shaft, the first groove assembly includes a first groove that mates with the first shaft, and/or the second shaft assembly includes a third shaft, and the second groove assembly includes a third groove that mates with the third shaft.

Of course, the first hinge element 31 and the switching assembly 40 may be in a single-shaft single-groove fit mode, and the second hinge element 32 and the switching assembly 40 may be in a double-shaft double-groove fit mode, or the first hinge element 31 and the switching assembly 40 may be in a double-shaft double-groove fit mode, and the second hinge element 32 and the switching assembly 40 may be in a single-shaft single-groove fit mode, or other numbers of shaft bodies and groove bodies may be in fit modes.

In the present embodiment, with reference to fig. 5 and fig. 6, the first slot 411 includes a first upper slot 413 located in the first slide plate set 401 and a first lower slot 414 located in the second slide plate set 402, the first upper slot 413 includes a first upper free section 4131, and the first lower slot 414 includes a first lower free section 4141.

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

Third slot 421 includes a third free segment 4211.

Fourth channel 422 includes a fourth free segment 4221.

The

first slot group

411, 412 includes locking

sections

4132, 4142, 4152, 4162, and the

second slot group

421, 422 includes a position-limiting section 4222.

The locking

sections

4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 comprise a first upper locking section 4132 located in the first upper slot 413, a first lower locking section 4142 located in the first lower slot 414, a second upper locking section 4152 located in the second upper slot 415, and a second lower locking section 4162 located in the second lower slot 416, and the retaining section 4222 comprises a fourth retaining section 4222 located in the fourth slot 422.

First upper locking section 4132 communicates with first upper free section 4131, first lower locking section 4142 communicates with second lower free section 4141, second upper locking section 4152 communicates with second upper free section 4151, and second lower locking section 4162 communicates with second lower free section 4161.

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 offset from each other" means that the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142 do not completely overlap with each other and the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162 do not completely overlap with each other during the opening of the door body 20.

Of course, the arrangement positions, the number and the like of the locking

segments

4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 and the position-limiting segment 4222 are not limited to the above description, for example, the third slot 421 may also include the position-limiting segment 4222, or the first upper slot 413 and the first lower slot 414 may not include the locking segments and the like.

In the present embodiment, the first slide group 401 is closer to the first hinge member 31 than the second slide group 402, that is, the first hinge member 31, the first slide group 401, the second slide group 402, and the second hinge member 32 are stacked in sequence.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, 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 slide plate set 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 slide plate set 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 slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 402 are coupled to each other through the fifth shaft 50.

Here, the first and

second vane groups

401 and 402 are provided with first and second through

holes

4014 and 4024, and an independent rivet is inserted as the fifth shaft body 50 through the first and second through

holes

4014 and 4024.

Specifically, the fifth shaft 50 includes a rivet post 51 and a rivet post gasket, the end of the rivet post 51 with a larger size is located below the second through hole 4024, the end of the rivet post 51 with a smaller size sequentially extends into the second through hole 4024 and the first through hole 4014, and the rivet post gasket is located above the first through hole 4014 and is matched with the rivet post 51 to lock the rivet post 51, which may be in other matching forms.

Thus, the first slide plate group 401 and the second slide plate group 402 can be connected with each other, that is, the first slide plate group 401 and the second slide plate group 402 can move relatively, and the first slide plate group 401 and the second slide plate group 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 vane group 401 rotates in place relative to the second vane group 402.

In other embodiments, a through hole may be provided in one of the first slide plate group 401 and the second slide plate group 402, and a fifth shaft 50 is provided in the other, so that the first slide plate group 401 and the second slide plate group 402 are coupled with each other by the cooperation of the fifth shaft 50 and the through hole, but not limited thereto.

In addition, the first vane group 401 includes a third shaft 321, the third shaft 321 extends to a third groove 421 beyond the second vane group 402, the second vane group 402 includes a fourth shaft 322, and the fourth shaft 322 extends to a fourth groove 422.

That is, the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 of the present embodiment are located in different sets of sliders, but not limited thereto.

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

Referring to fig. 7 to 22, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1, the first slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 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 moves in the first free section S1, the second shaft body 312 moves in the second free section S2, and the third shaft body 321 and/or the fourth shaft body 322 is/are limited by the limit section 4222, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the second hinge element 32.

Here, the phrase "the third shaft 321 and/or the fourth shaft 322 are limited by the limit section 4222" means that the third shaft 321 is limited by the limit section 4222 (i.e., the limit section 4222 is located in the third groove 421) but the fourth shaft 322 is not limited, or the third shaft 321 is not limited but the fourth shaft 322 is limited by the limit section 4222 (i.e., the limit section 4222 is located in the fourth groove 422), or both the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 are limited by the limit section 4222 (i.e., the limit section 4222 is located in both the third groove 421 and the fourth groove 422).

Specifically, the fourth shaft 322 is limited by the fourth limit section 4222, and the second hinge element 32 is in a locked state.

Here, since the first upper free segment 4131 and the first lower free segment 4141 are always recombined into the first free segment S1, and the second upper free segment 4151 and the second lower free segment 4161 are always recombined into the second free segment S2, that is, the motion trajectories of the first slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 402 are completely the same, and the first shaft 311 moves in the first free segment S1, and the second shaft 312 moves in the second free segment S2, in the process, the first slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 402 are not mutually staggered all the time, that is, the first slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 402 are kept stationary relative to each other, so as to prevent the first upper free segment 4131 and the first lower free segment 4141 from being staggered, and to prevent the second upper free segment 4151 and the second lower free segment 4161 from being staggered each other, so as to ensure that the first shaft 311 moves smoothly in the first free segment S1, and the second shaft 312 moves smoothly in the second free segment S2.

Referring to fig. 23 to 26, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of continuously opening from the first opening angle α 1 to the second opening angle α 2, the first slide set 401 and the second slide set 402 move relatively to separate the second hinge element 32 from the limit of the switching assembly 40, and the first shaft 311 and/or the second shaft 312 are limited by the locking

sections

4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 to limit the first hinge element 31 by the switching assembly 40.

Here, "the first and second slide plate sets 401 and 402 move relatively to separate the second hinge element 32 from the position of the switching component 40, and the first and/or

second shaft bodies

311 and 312 are limited by the locking

sections

4132, 4142, 4152, and 4162 to limit the position of 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 position of the switching component 40 and the first hinge element 31.

In one example, 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 sliding vane set 401 and the second sliding vane set 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 sliding plate set 401 can move by a first angle relative to the first shaft 311 and the second shaft 312 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 sliding plate set 402 moves by a second angle relative to the first shaft 311 with the fifth shaft 50 as a center until the first shaft 311 is limited by the second 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 to say, the first slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 402 both rotate by a certain angle, and the rotation angle of the second slide plate set 402 is greater than that of the first slide plate set 401, and the first slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 402 also generate relative movement to be staggered with each other.

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

In practical operation, the first slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 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 slide plate set 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 slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 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 slide plate set 401 and the second slide plate set 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 with each other, 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 slide plate set 402 is greater than the rotation angle of the first slide plate set 401, that is, the second slide plate set 402 and the first slide plate set 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 30, when the hinge assembly 30 continues to open from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, the third shaft body 321 moves in the third free segment 4211, and the fourth shaft body 322 moves in the fourth free segment 4221.

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 sliding vane set 401 and the second sliding vane set 402 relatively move to separate the first hinge component 31 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 first shaft 311 and the third shaft 321 are offset from each other.

When the door 20 is in a process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1, the door 20 rotates around the first shaft 311, and when the door 20 continues 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.

When the first shaft 311 is used as a central axis, a first distance is formed between the first shaft 311 and the front end surface 103 of the casing 10, a third distance is formed between the first shaft 311 and the outer side surface 13 of the casing 10, when the third shaft 321 is used as a central axis, a second distance is formed between the third shaft 321 and the front end surface 103 of the casing 10, a fourth distance is formed between the third shaft 321 and the outer side surface 13 of the casing 10, the second distance is greater than the first distance, and the fourth distance is smaller than the third distance.

Referring to the foregoing description, the hinge assembly 30 of the present embodiment may be applicable to a built-in cabinet or a scene where a space accommodating the refrigerator 100 is small.

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 slot, in this embodiment, the box 10 includes a pivoting side P connected to the hinge assembly 30, and 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 D, so as to avoid the door 20 from interfering with a peripheral cabinet or wall in the opening process.

In one example, the first free section S1 includes an initial position a1 and a stop position a2 that are oppositely disposed, and the second free section S2 includes a first section L1, a second section L2, and a third section L3 that are sequentially connected.

Referring to fig. 7 to 10, when the door 20 is in the closed state, the first shaft 311 is located at the initial position a1, the second shaft 312 is located at an end of the first segment L1 away from the second segment L2, and the fourth shaft 322 is located at the position-limiting segment 4222, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the second hinge element 32.

Referring to fig. 11 to 22, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α 1, 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 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, the door 20 moves from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber D, and then the second shaft 312 moves in the third section L3 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the stop position a2 toward the initial position a1, and the door 20 moves from the accommodating chamber D toward the pivot side P.

Specifically, referring to fig. 11 to 14, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle α 11, 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, and the door 20 rotates in situ relative to the box 10.

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 door 20 cannot be normally opened due to displacement in a certain direction of the door 20 can be effectively avoided.

Referring to fig. 15 to 18, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the first intermediate opening angle α 11 to the second intermediate opening angle α 12, 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 from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber D.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of continuously opening from the first intermediate opening angle to the second intermediate opening angle, the door 20 moves toward one side of the accommodating chamber D, that is, at this time, the door 20 rotates relative to the box 10 and also displaces relative to the box 10 along the first direction X, so that the distance that the door 20 protrudes out of the box 10 toward the side away from the accommodating chamber D during the rotation process is greatly reduced, that is, the displacement of the door 20 along the first direction X offsets the portion of the door 20 protruding out of the box 10 along the second direction Y during the rotation process, thereby preventing the door 20 from interfering with the peripheral cabinet or wall during the opening process, and being suitable for the embedded cabinet or the scene with a small space for accommodating the refrigerator 100.

Here, the first direction X is a direction in which the pivot side P faces the accommodation chamber D, and the second direction Y is a direction in which the accommodation chamber D faces the pivot side P.

Referring to fig. 19 to 22, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the second intermediate opening angle α 12 to the first opening angle α 1, the second shaft 312 moves in the third segment L3 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the stop position a2 to the initial position a1, and the door 20 moves from the accommodating chamber D to the pivot side P.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of being opened from the second intermediate opening angle to the first opening angle α 1, the door 20 moves toward one side of the pivot side P, that is, at this time, the door 20 rotates relative to the box 10 and displaces along the second direction Y relative to the box 10, so that the door 20 can be kept away from the box 10 as far as possible, the opening degree of the box 10 is ensured, and the problem that drawers, shelves and the like in the box 10 cannot be opened due to interference of the door 20 is avoided.

Referring to fig. 23 to fig. 26, when the door body 20 is in the process of continuously opening from the first opening angle α 1 to the second opening angle α 2, the fourth shaft 322 is separated from the 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 element 31.

Referring to fig. 27 to 30, when the door 20 is continuously opened from the second opening angle α 2 to the maximum opening angle α 3, 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.

It is understood that the motion track of the refrigerator 100 is not limited to the above description, and in other examples, other forms of motion may be generated between the first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40, or other forms of motion may be generated between the second hinge member 32 and the switching assembly 40, so that various application scenarios may be adapted, and may be determined according to practical situations.

For example, the door 20 of the refrigerator 100 moves only from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber D during the opening process to avoid the door 20 from interfering with the surrounding cabinet or wall during the opening process, or the door 20 of the refrigerator 100 moves away from the front end surface 103 of the refrigerator body 10 during the opening process to avoid the door 20 from interfering with the door seal, or the door 20 of the refrigerator 100 moves only from the accommodating chamber D toward the pivot side P during the opening process to increase the opening degree of the refrigerator body 10, or the gravity center of the door 20 of the refrigerator 100 moves toward the direction close to the refrigerator body 10 during the opening process to avoid the refrigerator from toppling over, and so on.

In this embodiment, referring to fig. 31 to 33, the hinge assembly 30 further includes a frame 60, the frame 60 is fixedly disposed on the periphery of the switching assembly 40, and the frame 60 extends along the first direction to shield the periphery of the switching assembly 40.

Here, the switching assembly 40 is interposed between the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, and when the hinge assembly 30 is mounted on the refrigerator 100, the switching assembly 40 is generally exposed above or below the door body 20, which affects the appearance, and the main function of the frame 60 in the present embodiment is to form a shield around the switching assembly 40, thereby improving the overall appearance of the hinge assembly 30.

In addition, the phrase "the frame 60 extends along the first direction to shield the periphery of the switching assembly 40" means that the frame 60 shields most or all of the periphery of the switching assembly 40, that is, the frame 60 entirely shields the periphery of the switching assembly 40 when viewed from the side of the hinge assembly 30, but the switching assembly 40 may have a part of the structure not shielded by the frame 60.

In the present embodiment, the frame 60 is an integrally molded structure, which can further improve the overall appearance.

The inner contour of the frame 60 is matched with the outer contour of the switching assembly 40, and the frame 60 is a rectangular frame structure with a closed circumferential direction, i.e., the frame 60 is substantially a hollow frame-shaped structure, so that a shielding effect can be realized on the whole periphery of the switching assembly 40, and the attractiveness of the hinge assembly 30 in the whole opening process is ensured.

In the present embodiment, the switching component 40 includes a first end surface 403 facing the first hinge member 31 and a second end surface 404 facing the second hinge member 32, the frame 60 includes a first frame-shaped end portion 61 facing the first hinge member 31 and a second frame-shaped end portion 62 facing the second hinge member 32, and the first frame-shaped end portion 61 is flush with the first end surface 403 and/or the second frame-shaped end portion 62 is flush with the second end surface 404, so that the shielding effect of the frame 60 can be improved, and the first hinge member 31, the switching component 40, and the second hinge member 32 can be more compact.

It should be noted that the first end surface 403 of the switching element 40 facing the first hinge member 31 means the end surface of the switching element 40 adjacent to the first hinge member 31, the second end surface 404 of the switching element 40 facing the second hinge member 32 means the end surface of the switching element 40 adjacent to the second hinge member 32, and the first frame-shaped end portion 61 and the second frame-shaped end portion 62 are end surfaces formed by the thickness of the frame 60.

In this embodiment, the bezel 60 includes a bezel outer edge 63 that is distal from the switch assembly 40, and at least a portion of the bezel outer edge 63 is flush with an outer edge of at least a portion of the first hinge member 31 when the hinge assembly 30 is in the closed state.

Here, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the closed state, the bezel outer edge 63 of the switching assembly 40 is flush with the outer edge of the first hinge member 31 in an area near the outside of the refrigerator 100 (i.e., a visually visible area), and thus, the overall beauty of the refrigerator 100 can be further improved.

In the present embodiment, the hinge assembly 30 further includes a decoration frame 70, and the decoration frame 70 is sleeved on a side of the frame 60 away from the switching assembly 40.

Here, the deco-frame 70 is of a "[" shape, facilitating the mounting of the deco-frame 70 to the outside of the bezel 60.

That is, at this time, the decoration frame 70 does not completely wrap the frame 60, and the incompletely wrapped portion is preferably located in an area that is not exposed during the opening process of the door body 20, and the structure of the decoration frame 70 is not limited to the above description.

It should be noted that, when the decoration frame 70 is combined outside the frame 60, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the closed state, at least a portion of an edge of the decoration frame 70 is flush with at least a portion of an outer edge of the first hinge member 31, but not limited thereto.

The decoration frame 70 is connected with the frame 60 through the buckle 71, so that the decoration frame 70 can be conveniently mounted and dismounted.

The frame 60 is made of POM (polyoxymethylene), the decoration frame 70 is made of ABS (acrylonitrile Butadiene styrene) plastic, the ABS material is easily colored, so that the color of the switching assembly 40 and the refrigerator 100 is uniform, and the materials of the frame 60 and the decoration frame 70 are not limited to the above description.

In the present embodiment, the deco-frame 70 includes a first end portion 72 near the first hinge member 31 and a second end portion 73 near the second hinge member 32.

The first end portion 72 of the decoration frame 70 is far away from the first hinge member 31 compared to the first frame-shaped end portion 61 of the side frame 60, so that when the switching assembly 40 rotates compared to the first hinge member 31, the decoration frame 70 and the first hinge member 31 can be prevented from interfering with each other.

Similarly, the second end 73 of the decorative frame 70 is far away from the second hinge member 32 compared to the second frame-shaped end 62 of the side frame 60, so that when the switching assembly 40 rotates compared to the second hinge member 32, the decorative frame 70 and the second hinge member 32 are prevented from interfering with each other.

In this embodiment, referring to fig. 32 and 33, the switching assembly 40 includes a first sliding vane set 401 and a second sliding vane set 402 stacked along a first direction, and the frame 60 is fixedly disposed on the first sliding vane set 401 or the second sliding vane set 402.

Specifically, in a direction in which the first hinge member 31 faces the second hinge member 32, the switch assembly 40 sequentially includes a first lining 4011, a first slide 4012, a middle lining 4013, a second slide 4021, and a second lining 4022, and the frame 60 is fixedly disposed on one of the first lining 4011, the first slide 4012, the middle lining 4013, the second slide 4021, and the second lining 4022.

Here, first pad 4011, first vane 4012, and intermediate pad 4013 are stacked in this order to form first vane group 401, and second vane 4021 and second pad 4022 are stacked to form second vane group 402, but this is not limiting, and for example, first pad 4011 and first vane 4012 may be stacked to form first vane group 401, and intermediate pad 4013, second vane 4021, and second pad 4022 may be stacked in this order to form second vane group 402.

Typically, the first lining 4011, the intermediate lining 4013, and the second lining 4022 are made of a plastic material, such as POM (polyoxymethylene).

The first sliding piece 4012 and the second sliding piece 4021 are made of metal, such as stainless steel or Q235 steel.

Here, the sliding piece made of metal material is wrapped by plastic material, so that mutual friction interference caused by direct contact of the first sliding piece 4012 and the second sliding piece 4021 can be avoided, and the second sliding piece 4021 is directly contacted with the middle gasket 4013 in the first sliding piece set 401, so that the structure of the second sliding piece set 402 can be simplified, and the whole thickness of the switching assembly 40 can be reduced.

The frame 60 is integrally formed with one of the first liner 4011, the first slide 4012, the middle liner 4013, the second slide 4021 and the second liner 4022, so as to improve the overall strength and the appearance, and the implementation is convenient, but not limited thereto.

The matching structure of the frame 60 and the first slide plate group 401 or the second slide plate group 402 has various forms.

In a first example, referring to fig. 33, the frame 60 is connected to the periphery of the middle lining 4013, and in this case, the frame 60 may be made of a plastic material, but not limited thereto.

The frame 60 extends towards the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 to shield most of the periphery of the switch assembly 40, that is, the peripheries of the first slide 4012, the middle pad 4013, the second slide 4021 and the second pad 4022 are not exposed, the periphery of the first pad 4011 is exposed, and the second slide group 402 moves relative to the first slide group 401 in the space defined by the frame 60.

It is understood that in other examples, the rim 60 may cover the periphery of the first patch 4011.

In the second example, the frame 60 is connected to the periphery of the first lining 4011, and in this case, the frame 60 may be made of a plastic material, but not limited thereto.

The frame 60 extends towards the second hinge member 32 to shield all the periphery of the switch assembly 40, that is, the peripheries of the first liner 4011, the first slide 4012, the middle liner 4013, the second slide 4021 and the second liner 4022 are not exposed, and the second slide group 402 moves relative to the first slide group 401 in the space defined by the frame 60.

In the third example, the frame 60 is connected to the periphery of the first sliding piece 4012, in this case, the frame 60 may be made of a metal material, but not limited thereto.

The frame 60 extends towards the second hinge member 32 to shield most of the periphery of the switch assembly 40, the frame 60 does not shield the first gasket 4011, that is, the peripheries of the first slide 4012, the middle gasket 4013, the second slide 4021 and the second gasket 4022 are not exposed, the periphery of the first gasket 4011 is exposed, and the second slide group 402 moves relative to the first slide group 401 in the space defined by the frame 60.

In the fourth example, the frame 60 is connected to the periphery of the second slide 4021, and in this case, the frame 60 may be made of a metal material, but not limited thereto.

The frame 60 extends towards the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 to shield most of the periphery of the switch assembly 40, the frame 60 does not shield the first gasket 4011, that is, the peripheries of the first sliding piece 4012, the middle gasket 4013, the second sliding piece 4021 and the second gasket 4022 are not exposed, the periphery of the first gasket 4011 is exposed, and the second sliding piece set 402 moves relative to the first sliding piece set 401 in the space defined by the frame 60.

In the fifth example, the frame 60 is connected to the periphery of the second pad 4022, and in this case, the frame 60 may be made of a plastic material, but not limited thereto.

The frame 60 extends toward the first hinge member 31 to shield all the peripheral edges of the switch assembly 40, that is, the peripheral edges of the first pad 4011, the first slide 4012, the middle pad 4013, the second slide 4021, and the second pad 4022 are not exposed, and the first slide group 401 moves relative to the second slide group 402 in the space defined by the frame 60.

Referring to fig. 34 to 42, a second embodiment of a hinge assembly 30a is schematically illustrated.

For convenience of description, the same or similar structures in the second embodiment as those in the first embodiment are given the same or similar reference numerals, and are also given in other embodiments described below, and are not described in detail later.

In the second embodiment, the hinge assembly 30a includes a first hinge 31a disposed on the box 10, a second hinge 32a disposed on the door 20, and a switching assembly 40a connecting the first hinge 31a and the second hinge 32a, the hinge assembly 30a further includes a cover plate 80a and a frame 60a, the cover plate 80a is disposed on a side of the switching assembly 40a close to the second hinge 32a, the frame 60a is connected to the cover plate 80a, and the frame 60a extends along the first direction to shield the periphery of the switching assembly 40 a.

Here, the switching element 40a is interposed between the first hinge element 31a and the second hinge element 32a, when the second hinge element 32a and the switching element 40a move relatively, one side of the switching element 40a close to the second hinge element 32a is exposed, and the cover plate 80a is disposed to shield one side of the switching element 40a close to the second hinge element 32a, so as to prevent external dust or impurities from entering the switching element 40a, and improve the overall appearance.

It will be appreciated that a cover plate may be provided on the side of the switch assembly 40a adjacent the first hinge member 31a, if desired.

Moreover, when the hinge assembly 30a is mounted on the refrigerator 100, the switching assembly 40a is generally exposed above or below the door 20, which affects the aesthetic appearance, and the main function of the frame 60a in the present embodiment is to form a shield around the switching assembly 40a, thereby improving the overall aesthetic appearance of the hinge assembly 30 a.

In addition, the phrase "the frame 60a extends along the first direction to shield the periphery of the switching assembly 40 a" means that the frame 60a shields most or all of the periphery of the switching assembly 40a, that is, the frame 60a shields the periphery of the switching assembly 40a as a whole when viewed from the side of the hinge assembly 30a, but the switching assembly 40a may have a part of the structure not shielded by the frame 60 a.

In the present embodiment, the frame 60a is formed integrally, and the overall appearance can be further improved.

The inner contour of the frame 60a is matched with the outer contour of the switching assembly 40a, and the frame 60a is a rectangular frame structure with a closed circumferential direction, i.e., the frame 60a is substantially a hollow frame-shaped structure, so that a shielding effect can be realized on the whole periphery of the switching assembly 40a, and the attractiveness of the hinge assembly 30a in the whole opening process is ensured.

In the present embodiment, the switching component 40a includes a first end surface 403a facing the first hinge member 31a, the frame 60a includes a first frame-shaped end portion 61a facing the first hinge member 31a, and the first frame-shaped end portion 61a is flush with the first end surface 403a, so that the shielding effect of the frame 60a can be improved, and the first hinge member 31a, the switching component 40a and the second hinge member 32a can be more compact.

In this embodiment, the bezel 60a includes a bezel outer edge 63a remote from the switch assembly 40a, and at least a portion of the bezel outer edge 63a is flush with an outer edge of at least a portion of the first hinge member 31a when the hinge assembly 30a is in the closed state.

Here, when the hinge assembly 30a is in the closed state, the bezel outer edge 63a of the switching assembly 40a is flush with the outer edge of the first hinge member 31a in an area near the outside of the refrigerator 100 (i.e., a visually visible area), and thus, the overall beauty of the refrigerator 100 can be further improved.

In the present embodiment, the hinge assembly 30a further includes a decoration frame 70a, and the decoration frame 70a is disposed on a side of the frame 60a away from the switching assembly 40 a.

Here, the deco-frame 70a is of a "[" shape, facilitating the mounting of the deco-frame 70a to the outside of the bezel 60 a.

That is, at this time, the decorative frame 70a does not completely wrap the frame 60a, and the incompletely wrapped portion is preferably located in an area that is not exposed during the opening process of the door body 20, and the structure of the decorative frame 70a is not limited to the above description.

The decoration frame 70a is connected with the frame 60a through the buckle 71a, so that the decoration frame 70a can be conveniently mounted and dismounted.

The frame 60a is made of POM (polyoxymethylene), and the decoration frame 70a is made of ABS (acrylonitrile Butadiene styrene) plastic, which is easy to color, so that the color of the switching assembly 40a is uniform with the color of the whole refrigerator 100, of course, the materials of the frame 60a and the decoration frame 70a are not limited to the above description.

In the present embodiment, the deco-frame 70a includes a first end portion 72a near the first hinge piece 31a and a second end portion 73a near the second hinge piece 32 a.

The first end portion 72a of the decorative frame 70a is far from the first hinge member 31a than the first frame-shaped end portion 61a of the frame 60a, so that when the switching assembly 40a rotates compared with the first hinge member 31a, the decorative frame 70a and the first hinge member 31a are prevented from interfering with each other.

Similarly, the second end 73a of the decorative frame 70a is far away from the second hinge member 32a compared to the cover plate 80a, so that when the switching assembly 40a rotates compared to the second hinge member 32a, the decorative frame 70a and the second hinge member 32a are prevented from interfering with each other.

In the present embodiment, the cover plate 80a may be integrally formed with the frame 60a, or the cover plate 80a and the frame 60a may be connected by a snap, a screw, or a rivet, which may be determined according to actual situations.

Additionally, a cover plate 80a and/or bezel 60a connects switching assembly 40 a.

Specifically, referring to fig. 34 to fig. 36, the switching assembly 40a includes a first slide plate group 401a and a second slide plate group 402a stacked along the first direction, and the cover plate 80a and/or the frame 60a are fixedly connected to the first slide plate group 401a, or the cover plate 80a and/or the frame 60a are fixedly connected to the second slide plate group 402 a.

The switch assembly 40a includes, in order in a direction from the first hinge member 31a toward the second hinge member 32a, a first liner 4011a, a first slide 4012a, an intermediate liner 4013a, a second slide 4021a, and a second liner 4022a, the cover plate 80a is secured to one of the first liner 4011a, the first slide 4012a, the intermediate liner 4013a, the second slide 4021a, and the second liner 4022a, and/or the frame 60a is secured to one of the first liner 4011a, the first slide 4012a, the intermediate liner 4013a, the second slide 4021a, and the second liner 4022 a.

Here, the first pad 4011a, the first vane 4012a, and the intermediate pad 4013a are sequentially stacked to form the first vane group 401a, and the second vane 4021a and the second pad 4022a are stacked to form the second vane group 402a, but not limited thereto.

Typically, the first liner 4011a, the intermediate liner 4013a, and the second liner 4022a are made of a plastic material, for example, POM (polyoxymethylene).

The first slide piece 4012a and the second slide piece 4021a are made of a metal material, such as stainless steel or Q235 steel.

Here, the plastic material is used to wrap the sliding piece made of metal, so that the first sliding piece 4012a and the second sliding piece 4021a can be prevented from directly contacting and mutual friction interference, and the second sliding piece 4021a directly contacts the middle gasket 4013a in the first sliding piece set 401a, so that the structure of the second sliding piece set 402a can be simplified, and the overall thickness of the switching assembly 40a can be reduced.

The frame 60a is integrally formed with one of the first liner 4011a, the first slide 4012a, the middle liner 4013a, the second slide 4021a, and the second liner 4022a, so as to improve overall strength and appearance, and is convenient to implement, but not limited thereto.

It can be understood that, when the first slide plate set 401a includes the third shaft 321a, the second slide plate set 402a includes the fourth shaft 322a, and the second hinge element 32a includes the third slot 421a and the fourth slot 422a, respectively, the cover plate 80a has the first through hole 84a for the third shaft 321a to pass through and the second through hole 85a for the fourth shaft 322a to pass through.

The matching structure of cover plate 80a, frame 60a and first slide plate group 401a or second slide plate group 402a has various forms.

In a first example, referring to fig. 34 to 36, frame 60a is connected to a periphery of intermediate lining 4013a, and intermediate lining 4013a and cover plate 80a are fixed by screws 821a, that is, both frame 60a and cover plate 80a are fixed to intermediate lining 4013, in this case, frame 60 may be made of a plastic material, but not limited thereto.

One corner of the cover plate 80a further has a limiting post 822a, and the middle lining 4013a and the cover plate 80a can be aligned in advance through the limiting post 822a and then fixed by a screw 821a located at the other corner or region.

The frame 60a extends from the cover plate 80a toward the first hinge 31a and is fixed to the middle pad 4013a, and the frame 60a continues to extend toward the first hinge 31a to the first slide 4012a, the frame 60a covers most of the periphery of the switch assembly 40a, the frame 60a does not cover the first pad 4011a, that is, at this time, the peripheries of the first slide 4012a, the middle pad 4013a, the second slide 4021a, and the second pad 4022a are not exposed, the periphery of the first pad 4011a is exposed, and the second slide group 402a moves relative to the first slide group 401a in the space surrounded by the frame 60 a.

It will be appreciated that in other examples, the border 60a may cover the periphery of the first substrate 4011a, and of course, the cover plate 80a may be secured to the first substrate 4011a, the first slide 4012a, the second slide 4021a, or the second substrate 4022a, or the border 60a may be secured to the first substrate 4011a, the first slide 4012a, the second slide 4021a, or the second substrate 4022 a.

In a second example, referring to fig. 37 to 39, a bezel 60a is integrally formed with a cover plate 80a, and an intermediate gasket 4013a is fixed to the cover plate 80a by a screw 821a, where the bezel 60a is not fixed to the switching assembly 40a and may not include a decoration frame.

The frame 60a extends from the cover plate 80a toward the first hinge 31a, most of the periphery of the switch assembly 40a is shielded by the frame 60a, the frame 60a does not shield the first gasket 4011a, that is, the periphery of the first gasket 4012a, the middle gasket 4013a, the second gasket 4021a and the second gasket 4022a is not exposed, the periphery of the first gasket 4011a is exposed, and the second slide plate set 402a moves relative to the first slide plate set 401a in the space surrounded by the frame 60 a.

It is understood that in other examples, the frame 60a may cover the periphery of the first liner 4011a, and the cover plate 80a may be fixed to the first liner 4011a, the first slide 4012a, the second slide 4021a, or the second liner 4022 a.

In a third example, referring to fig. 40 to 42, the frame 60a is an independent structure, the frame 60a is disposed around the cover plate 80a and fixed to the cover plate 80a, and the first sliding piece 4012a is fixed to the frame 60a, where the cover plate 80a is not fixed to the switching assembly 40 a.

The frame 60a extends from the cover plate 80a toward the first hinge 31a and is fixed to the first slide 4012a, the frame 60a covers most of the periphery of the switch assembly 40a, the frame 60a does not cover the first gasket 4011a, that is, the peripheries of the first slide 4012a, the middle gasket 4013a, the second slide 4021a and the second gasket 4022a are not exposed, while the periphery of the first gasket 4011a is exposed, and the second slide group 402a moves relative to the first slide group 401a in a space defined by the frame 60 a.

It is understood that in other examples, the frame 60a may cover the periphery of the first liner 4011a, and of course, the frame 60a may be fixed to the first liner 4011a, the middle liner 4013a, the second slide 4021a, or the second liner 4022 a.

In other examples, the frame 60a, the cover plate 80a and the switching assembly 40a may be connected to each other in other manners.

For the hinge assembly 30a of the second embodiment and other descriptions of the refrigerator 100, reference may be made to the first embodiment and the following embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Referring to fig. 43 to 47, a hinge assembly 30c according to a third embodiment is schematically illustrated.

In the third embodiment, the hinge assembly 30c includes a first hinge 31c provided on the box 10, a second hinge 32c provided on the door 20, and a switching assembly 40c connecting the first hinge 31c and the second hinge 32c, the hinge assembly 30c further includes a cover plate 80c located on a side of the switching assembly 40c close to the second hinge 32c, and the cover plate 80c is connected to the switching assembly 40 c.

It should be noted that "the cover plate 80c is connected to the switching component 40 c" means that the cover plate 80c is directly or indirectly connected to the switching component 40 c.

Here, the switching element 40c is sandwiched between the first hinge element 31c and the second hinge element 32c, when the second hinge element 32c and the switching element 40c move relatively, one side of the switching element 40c close to the second hinge element 32c is exposed, and the cover plate 80c is arranged to shield one side of the switching element 40c close to the second hinge element 32c, so as to prevent external dust or impurities from entering the switching element 40c, and improve the overall appearance.

It will be appreciated that a cover plate may be provided on the side of the switch assembly 40c adjacent the first hinge member 31c, if desired.

In this embodiment, the switching component 40c includes a first slide plate group 401c and a second slide plate group 402c stacked along the first direction, the cover plate 80c is located on a side of the second slide plate group 402c away from the first slide plate group 401c, and the cover plate 80c is fixedly disposed on the first slide plate group 401c or the second slide plate group 402 c.

Specifically, in the direction in which the first hinge member 31c faces the second hinge member 32c, the switch assembly 40c includes a first pad 4011c, a first slide 4012c, an intermediate pad 4013c, a second slide 4021c, and a second pad 4022c in this order, and the cover plate 80c is fixedly connected to one of the first pad 4011c, the first slide 4012c, the intermediate pad 4013c, the second slide 4021c, and the second pad 4022 c.

Here, the first pad 4011c, the first vane 4012c, and the intermediate pad 4013c are sequentially stacked to form a first vane group 401c, and the second vane 4021c and the second pad 4022c are stacked to form a second vane group 402c, but not limited thereto.

Typically, the first liner 4011c, the intermediate liner 4013c, and the second liner 4022c are made of a plastic material, for example, POM (polyoxymethylene).

The first slide piece 4012c and the second slide piece 4021c are made of a metal material, such as stainless steel or Q235 steel.

Here, the plastic material is used to wrap the sliding piece made of metal, so that the first sliding piece 4012c and the second sliding piece 4021c can be prevented from directly contacting and mutual friction interference, and the second sliding piece 4021c directly contacts the middle gasket 4013c in the first sliding piece set 401c, so that the structure of the second sliding piece set 402c can be simplified, and the overall thickness of the switching assembly 40c can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, there may be a gap between cover plate 80c and second vane group 402c, or cover plate 80c contacts second vane group 402 c.

In the present embodiment, the switching member 40c and the second hinge member 32c are engaged with the

grooves

421c and 422c through the shafts 321c and 322c, and the cover plate 80c has through

holes

84c and 85c through which the shafts pass.

Specifically, for example, when the first slide plate set 401c includes a third shaft 321c, the second slide plate set 402c includes a fourth shaft 322c, and the second hinge element 32c includes a third slot 421c and a fourth slot 422c, the cover plate 80c has a first through hole 84c for the third shaft 321c to pass through and a second through hole 85c for the fourth shaft 322c to pass through.

Referring to fig. 45, when the second hinge element 32c and the second slide plate set 402c are stationary, a part of the inner contour of the second through hole 85c is consistent with the inner contour of the fourth stopper 4222c of the fourth slot 422 c.

At this time, when the second hinge element 32c is in the locked state, the fourth shaft 322c is simultaneously limited in the fourth limit section 4222c and the second through hole 85c, i.e., the second through hole 85c can assist in locking the fourth shaft 322 c.

The inner contour of the second through hole 85c is provided with a salient point 851c for limiting the movement of the fourth shaft 322c, and the salient point 851c can further improve the limiting effect on the fourth shaft 322 c.

In addition, the first hinge 31c has a first shaft 311c and a second shaft 312c passing through the first slide set 401c and the second slide set 402c in sequence, and a first recess 86c corresponding to the first shaft 311c and a second recess 87c corresponding to the second shaft 312c are disposed on a side of the cover plate 80c away from the second hinge 32 c.

In the first example, referring to fig. 46, when there is a gap between cover plate 80c and second slide plate set 402c, first slide plate set 401c has cavity S for accommodating second slide plate set 402c, and cover plate 80c is fixed to first slide plate set 401 c.

That is to say, the cover plate 80c and the first slide plate group 401c enclose to form a cavity S, the second slide plate group 402c is located in the cavity S, a gap is formed between the second slide plate group 402c and the cover plate 80c, and the cover plate 80c contacts with the second hinge element 32 c.

At this time, when the gravity of the door body 20 acts on the second hinge member 32c, the second hinge member 32c transmits the gravity to the cover plate 80c, and the cover plate 80c transmits the gravity to the first slide plate group 401c and the first hinge member 31c in sequence, that is, the gravity is not transmitted to the second slide plate group 402c, and the second slide plate group 402c can move smoothly in the cavity S relative to the first slide plate group 401 c.

That is, at this time, the cover plate 80c not only has a shielding function but also has a function of gravity transmission, and the contact area between the cover plate 80c and the second hinge element 32c is large, so that the cover plate 80c can more stably and efficiently transmit the gravity to the first slide plate group 401c, and wear of the hinge assembly 30c can be reduced as much as possible, and the operation of the hinge assembly 30c can be smoother.

Note that the cover plate 80c may be connected to the first slide plate 4012c in the first slide plate group 401c, and the first slide plate 4012c is made of a metal material, so that the cover plate 80c may be stably supported, and of course, the cover plate 80c may be connected to the first lining 4011c or the intermediate lining 4013 c.

When the cover plate 80c contacts the second slide plate set 402c, the cover plate 80c is fixedly disposed on the first slide plate set 401c or the second slide plate set 402c, and at this time, the cover plate 80c plays a role in shielding.

In addition, with reference to fig. 47, a cover plate 80c is omitted from fig. 47, the second slide plate set 402c may have a cavity S for accommodating the first slide plate set 401c, and the cover plate 80c is fixedly disposed on the second slide plate set 402 c.

That is, a cavity S is formed on one side of the second slide plate set 402c close to the first hinge member 31c, the second slide plate set 402c contacts the first hinge member 31c, the first slide plate set 401c is located in the cavity S, and the cover plate 80c contacts and is fixed to the second hinge member 32 c.

At this time, when the gravity of the door body 20 acts on the second hinge member 32c, the second hinge member 32c transmits the gravity to the cover plate 80c, and the cover plate 80c transmits the gravity to the second slide plate group 402c and the first hinge member 31c in sequence, that is, the gravity is not transmitted to the first slide plate group 401c, and the first slide plate group 401c can move smoothly in the cavity S relative to the second slide plate group 402 c.

That is, at this time, the cover plate 80c not only plays a role of shielding, but also plays a role of gravity transmission, and the contact area between the cover plate 80c and the second hinge element 32c is large, so that the cover plate 80c can more stably and efficiently transmit the gravity to the second slide vane group 402c, and wear of the hinge assembly 30c can be reduced as much as possible, and the operation of the hinge assembly 30c can be smoother.

It should be noted that the cover plate 80c can be connected to the second slide 4021c in the second slide set 402c, and the cover plate 80c can be stably supported since the second slide 4021c is made of metal, and of course, the cover plate 80c can also be connected to the second lining 4022 c.

Note that, in this case, the cover plate 80c may not be provided, and the second hinge member 32c directly contacts the second slide member 402 c.

For the hinge assembly 30c of the third embodiment and other descriptions of the refrigerator 100, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments and the following embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Referring to fig. 48 to 54, a hinge assembly 30i of a fourth embodiment is schematically illustrated.

In the fourth embodiment, the hinge assembly 30i includes a first hinge member 31i disposed on the box 10, a second hinge member 32i disposed on the door 20, and a switching assembly connecting the first hinge member 31i and the second hinge member 32i, the first hinge member 31i includes a fixing portion 318i and a supporting portion 319i connected to each other, the fixing portion 318i is used for fixing to the box 10 (here, the box 10 is replaced by a cross beam), and the supporting portion 319i is used for carrying the switching assembly 40 i.

The fixing portion 318i includes a first fixing portion 3181i connected to the supporting portion 319i and a second fixing portion 3182i protruding out of the supporting portion 319i, the first fixing portion 3181i is provided with a first limiting portion 3183i, the box body 10 is provided with a second limiting portion 101i, the second fixing portion 3182i is provided with a screw hole 3184i, when the first hinge member 31i is assembled to the box body 10, the first limiting portion 3183i and the second limiting portion 101i are clamped with each other, and the fixing screw 102i penetrates through the screw hole 3184i to fix the second fixing portion 3182i to the box body 10.

It should be noted that the first stopper 3183i and the second stopper 101i are fixed by clamping, that is, the first stopper 3183i and the second stopper 101i are not fixed by screws.

Here, the fixing portion 318i is perpendicular to the supporting portion 319i, the supporting portion 319i is substantially horizontally disposed, the switching assembly 40i is located above or below the supporting portion 319i, the first fixing portion 3181i substantially corresponds to the position of the switching assembly 40i, and a slit H is formed between the first fixing portion 3181i and the switching assembly 40i, because the slit H has a limited space, if the first fixing portion 3181i is fixed to the box 10 by screwing, the operation is inconvenient, in this embodiment, the first fixing portion 3181i is fixed to the box 10 by the snap-fit fixing of the first limiting portion 3183i and the second limiting portion 101i, which can greatly improve the convenience of installation.

In addition, the hinge assembly 30i located below the door body 20 is taken as an example in the present embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

When the hinge assembly 30i is mounted to the refrigerator 100, the hinge assembly 30i under the door 20 is deformed to a side away from the refrigerator body 10 under the influence of gravity of the door 20, and at this time, a gap is generated between the first hinge plate 31i and the refrigerator body 10, and the first fixing portion 3181i and the second fixing portion 3182i of the embodiment are fixed to the refrigerator body 10, so that the gap can be prevented from being generated.

In the present embodiment, the second fixing portion 3182i is provided with two screw holes 3184i arranged side by side in the extending direction of the second fixing portion 3182i, so that the fixing strength of the first hinge member 31i to the housing 10 can be further improved.

In this embodiment, the first limiting portion 3183i is one of a convex pillar, a bump, and a hook, and the second limiting portion 101i is a structure that is engaged with the first limiting portion 3183i, but not limited thereto.

Next, several specific designs of the first stopper 3183i and the second stopper 101i will be described.

In a first example, referring to fig. 48 and 49, the first position-limiting portion 3183i is a convex pillar 3183i, the second position-limiting portion 101i is a hole 101i, and the convex pillar 3183i is located at an edge area of the first fixing portion 3181i, so that the convex pillar 3183i and the hole 101i are aligned with each other, where the convex pillar 3183i is a small circular pillar.

In a second example, with reference to fig. 50 and 51, the first limiting portion 3183i is a protrusion 3183i, the second limiting portion 101i is a recess, and the first limiting portion 3183i is substantially located at a position where the first fixing portion 3181i and the second fixing portion 3182i intersect, where the protrusion 3183i has a certain width and a substantially rectangular cross section, and when the protrusion 3183i is limited in the recess, a contact area between the two is large, which can improve stability of matching between the two.

In a third example, referring to fig. 52 and 53, the first stopper 3183i is a hook 3183i, the second stopper 101i is a slot 101i, and when the hook 3183i is positioned in the slot 101i, the hook 3183i and the slot 101i are horizontally and mutually stopped, in addition, in this example, a reinforcing plate 104i is disposed on a side of the box 10 (i.e., the cross beam) away from the first hinge 31i, and the reinforcing plate 104i has a slot 101i for the hook 3183i to pass through, so that the fitting stability and strength can be improved, and the opening direction of the hook 3183i faces downward.

In a fourth example, referring to fig. 54, the first limiting portion 3183i is a hook 3183i, the second limiting portion is a slot, when the hook 3183i is limited into the slot, the hook 3183i and the slot are limited in a horizontal direction, an opening direction of the hook 3183i faces the horizontal direction, and specifically, the opening direction of the hook 3183i is a direction of the second fixing portion 3182i facing the first fixing portion 3181 i.

For the hinge assembly 30i and other descriptions of the refrigerator 100 according to the fourth embodiment, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, for example, if technologies in different embodiments can be used in a superimposed manner to achieve corresponding effects, the technical solutions are also within the 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 hinge component fixed on a box body is characterized by comprising a first hinge piece arranged on the box body, a second hinge piece arranged on a door body and a switching component for connecting the first hinge piece and the second hinge piece, the first hinge part comprises a fixed part and a supporting part which are connected, the fixed part is used for being mutually fixed with the box body, the supporting part is used for bearing the switching component, wherein the fixing part comprises a first fixing part connected with the supporting part and a second fixing part protruding out of the supporting part, the first fixing part is provided with a first limiting part, the box body is provided with a second limiting part, the second fixing part is provided with a screw hole, when the first hinge piece is assembled to the box body, the first limiting part and the second limiting part are mutually clamped, and a fixing screw penetrates through the screw hole to fix the second fixing part to the box body.

2. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the second fixing portion is provided with two screw holes arranged side by side in an extending direction of the second fixing portion.

3. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the first position-limiting portion is a hook, and an opening direction of the hook is a direction in which the second fixing portion faces the first fixing portion.

4. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the switch assembly movably couples the first hinge member and the second hinge member, and wherein the second hinge member and the switch assembly move together relative to the first hinge member when the second hinge member is opened in a direction away from the first hinge member, and wherein the switch assembly is then stationary relative to the first hinge member and the second hinge member moves relative to the switch assembly.

5. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the first hinge member is coupled to the switching assembly by a first shaft assembly and a first slot assembly that mate with each other, the second hinge member is coupled to the switching assembly by a second shaft assembly and a second slot assembly that mate with each other, the hinge assembly further comprising a locking portion that locks the second hinge member such that the second hinge member moves with the switching assembly relative to the first hinge member when the second hinge member is opened in a direction away from the first hinge member, the first shaft assembly moves within the first slot assembly and then the locking portion locks the first hinge member and unlocks the second hinge member, the switching assembly is stationary relative to the first hinge member, and the second hinge member moves relative to the switching assembly, the second shaft body group moves in the second groove body group.

6. The hinge assembly of claim 5, wherein the first shaft assembly includes a first rotation shaft, and the second shaft assembly includes a second rotation shaft, and when the second hinge member is opened in a direction away from the first hinge member, the second hinge member and the switching assembly rotate about the first rotation shaft, and then the second hinge member rotates about the second rotation shaft.

7. The hinge assembly of claim 6, wherein the first rotation axis has a first distance from a front end surface of the case when the first rotation axis is a central axis, and the second rotation axis has a second distance from the front end surface of the case when the second rotation axis is a central axis, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

8. The hinge assembly of claim 6, wherein the first rotation axis has a third distance from an outer side surface of the case when the first rotation axis is a central axis, and the second rotation axis has a fourth distance from the outer side surface of the case when the second rotation axis is the central axis, the fourth distance being smaller than the third distance.

9. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the switching assembly includes a first set of slides and a second set of slides stacked in a first direction, the switching assembly locking the second hinge member when the hinge assembly is in the process of opening from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first set of slides, the second set of slides, and the second hinge member being relatively stationary and moving together relative to the first hinge member, the first set of slides moving relative to the second set of slides locking the first hinge member and unlocking the second hinge member when the hinge assembly is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first set of slides, and the second set of slides being relatively stationary when the hinge assembly is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the second hinge part moves relative to the switching component, and the first direction is the stacking direction of the first hinge part, the switching component and the second hinge part.

10. The hinge assembly of claim 9, wherein the first hinge element is coupled to the switching assembly via a first shaft assembly and a first slot assembly that are engaged with each other, and the second hinge element is coupled to the switching assembly via a second shaft assembly and a second slot assembly that are engaged with each other.

11. The hinge assembly of claim 10, wherein the first shaft set comprises a first shaft and a second shaft, the first slot set comprises a first slot cooperating with the first shaft and a second slot cooperating with the second shaft, the second shaft set comprises a third shaft and a fourth shaft, the second slot set comprises a third slot cooperating with the third shaft and a fourth slot cooperating with the fourth shaft, the first hinge member comprises the first shaft and the second shaft, the second hinge member comprises the third slot and the fourth slot, and the switching assembly comprises the first slot, the second slot, the third shaft, and the fourth shaft.

12. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first slot includes a first upper slot at the first slide assembly and a first lower slot at the second slide assembly, the first upper slot includes a first upper free section, the first lower slot includes a first lower free section, the second slot includes a second upper slot at the first slide assembly and a second lower slot at the second slide assembly, the second upper slot includes a second upper free section, the second lower slot includes a second lower free section, the third slot includes a third free section, the fourth slot includes a fourth free section, the first slot includes a locking section, the second slot includes a limiting section, the first slide assembly and the second slide assembly are relatively stationary when the hinge assembly is in the process of opening from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first upper free section and the first lower free section are overlapped to form a first free section, the second upper free section and the second lower free section are overlapped to form a second free section, the first shaft body moves in the first free section, the second shaft body moves in the second free section, the third shaft body and/or the fourth shaft body is/are limited at the limit section so that the switching component limits the second hinge piece, when the hinge component is in the process of continuously opening from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first sliding vane group and the second sliding vane group move relatively to enable the second hinge piece to be separated from the limit of the switching component, and the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is limited at the locking section so that the switching component limits the first hinge piece, when the hinge component is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the third shaft body moves at the third free section, and the fourth shaft body moves at the fourth free section.

13. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the locking sections include a first upper locking section at the first upper slot, a first lower locking section at the first lower slot, a second upper locking section at the second upper slot, and a second lower locking section at the second lower slot, and the limiting sections include a fourth limiting section at the fourth slot, the fourth shaft being limited to the fourth limiting section when the hinge assembly is in the process of being opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first shaft being limited to both the first upper locking section and the first lower locking section when the hinge assembly is in the process of being continuously opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the second shaft being limited to both the second upper locking section and the second lower locking section, and the fourth shaft body is separated from the fourth limit section.

14. The hinge assembly of claim 13, wherein 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.

15. The hinge assembly of claim 11, wherein the first set of slides includes the third shaft extending to the third slot, and the second set of slides includes the fourth shaft extending to the fourth slot.

16. Refrigeration equipment, which is characterized by comprising a box body, a door body and a hinge assembly for connecting the box body and the door body, wherein the hinge assembly is the hinge assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16, wherein the cabinet includes a receiving chamber and a pivoting side connected to the hinge assembly, the hinge assembly driving at least the door body to move from the pivoting side toward the receiving chamber when the door body is in an opening process.

18. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 17, wherein the hinge assembly is located below the door body.