CN115110860B

CN115110860B - Hinge assembly and refrigerator with same

Info

Publication number: CN115110860B
Application number: CN202210713586.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 夏恩品; 张�浩; 李康; 朱小兵
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-28
Filing date: 2019-08-28
Publication date: 2023-11-07
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-28
Also published as: CN112444058B; CN115110860A; CN112444058A

Abstract

The invention discloses a hinge assembly and a refrigerator with the hinge assembly, wherein the hinge assembly is used for connecting a box body and a door body, the box body comprises an opening and a back surface which are oppositely arranged, the direction of the opening facing the back surface is a second direction, the hinge assembly comprises a first hinge part connected with the box body, a second hinge part connected with the door body and a switching assembly connected with the first hinge part and the second hinge part, when the door body is in an opening process, the second hinge part is static relative to the switching assembly and moves relative to the first hinge part, then the first hinge part is static relative to the switching assembly and moves relative to the switching assembly, the hinge assembly drives the door body to rotate in place relative to the box body, drives the door body to move in a second direction, and then drives the door body to continue to rotate in place. The hinge assembly and the refrigerator can improve the degree of freedom of opening and closing the door body, and can generate various motion tracks to adapt to different application scenes.

Description

Hinge assembly and refrigerator with same

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a hinge assembly and a refrigerator with the hinge assembly.

Background

In general, the refrigerator and the door body are relatively moved by a fixed hinge, so that the opening and closing degrees of freedom of the door body are greatly limited, namely, the movement track of the door body cannot be freely controlled to adapt to different application scenes.

For example, in recent years, with the improvement of the living standard of people, the placement position and the placement mode of the refrigerator in the home are increasingly seen by the common users, and for the current home decoration style, part of the home pursuing style integration, the refrigerator needs to be placed in a cabinet to form a so-called embedded refrigerator device, the refrigerator is called an embedded refrigerator, and the current refrigerator is difficult to adapt to the embedded application scene.

In view of this, there is a need for an improvement over existing refrigerators to solve the above-described problems.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a hinge assembly and a refrigerator with the hinge assembly, which can effectively improve the opening and closing degrees of freedom of a door body.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a hinge assembly for connecting a case and a door, where the case includes an opening and a back surface that are disposed opposite to each other, and a direction of the opening toward the back surface is a second direction, and the hinge assembly includes a first hinge member connected to the case, a second hinge member connected to the door, and a switching assembly connected to the first hinge member and the second hinge member, and when the door is in an opening process, the second hinge member is stationary with respect to the switching assembly and the switching assembly moves with respect to the first hinge member, and then the first hinge member is stationary with respect to the switching assembly and the second hinge member moves with respect to the switching assembly, where the hinge assembly drives the door to pivot with respect to the case, drives the door to move in the second direction, and then drives the door to continue to pivot.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the case further includes an opening and a front end surface disposed around the opening, wherein a first distance is provided between the first rotation axis and the front end surface when the switching member rotates around the first rotation axis relative to the first hinge member, and a second distance is provided between the second rotation axis and the front end surface when the second hinge member rotates around the second rotation axis relative to the switching member, and the second distance is greater than the first distance.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the case further includes an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and on the door rotation path extension, a third distance is provided between the first rotation axis and the outer side surface when the switching assembly rotates about the first rotation axis relative to the first hinge member, and a fourth distance is provided between the second rotation axis and the outer side surface when the second hinge member rotates about the second rotation axis relative to the switching assembly, the fourth distance being smaller than the third distance.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge member is fixed to the case, the second hinge member is fixed to the door body, the switching assembly includes a first mating member and a second mating member, when the door body is in the process of being opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first hinge member and the first mating member move relatively to drive the door body to rotate in place relative to the case, and then the first hinge member and the first mating member move relatively to drive the door body to move in the second direction, and the second mating member limits the second hinge member, when the door body is in the process of being opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the second hinge member is separated from the limit of the second mating member, and the first mating member limits the first hinge member, and when the door body is in the process of being opened from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the second hinge member and the second mating member move relatively to drive the door body to rotate in place.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge member is fixed to the case, the second hinge member is fixed to the door body, the switching assembly includes a first mating member and a second mating member, when the door body is in the process of being opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first hinge member and the first mating member move relatively to drive the door body to rotate in place relative to the case, and the second mating member limits the second hinge member, when the door body is in the process of being continuously opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the second hinge member is separated from the limit of the second mating member, and the first mating member limits the first hinge member, when the door body is in the process of being continuously opened from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the second hinge member and the second mating member move relatively to drive the door body to move in the second direction, and then the second hinge member and the second mating member move relatively to drive the door body to rotate in place continuously.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the switching assembly includes a first switching member and a second switching member, when the door body is in a process of being opened from the closed state to the first opening angle or in a process of being continuously opened from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the first switching member and the second switching member are relatively stationary, and when the door body is in a process of being continuously opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the first switching member moves relative to the second switching member to enable the second hinge member to be separated from the limit of the second mating member, and the first mating member limits the first hinge member.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge member and the switching component realize relative movement through a first shaft body group and a first groove body group which are mutually matched, the second hinge member and the switching component realize relative movement through a second shaft body group and a second groove body group which are mutually matched, the first shaft body group comprises a first shaft body and a second shaft body, the first groove body group comprises a first groove body matched with the first shaft body and a second groove body matched with the second shaft body, the second shaft body group comprises a third shaft body and a fourth shaft body, and the second groove body group comprises a third groove body matched with the third shaft body and a fourth groove body matched with the fourth shaft body.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge member includes the first shaft body and the second shaft body, the first mating member includes the first groove body and the second groove body, the second mating member includes the third shaft body and the fourth shaft body, and the second hinge member includes the third groove body and the fourth groove body.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first tank includes a first upper tank located at the first switching member and a first lower tank located at the second switching member, the first upper tank includes a first upper free section, the first lower tank includes a first lower free section, the second tank includes a second upper tank located at the first switching member and a second lower tank located at the second switching member, the second upper tank includes a second upper free section, the second lower tank includes a second lower free section, the third tank includes a third free section, the fourth tank includes a fourth free section, the first tank group includes a locking section, the second tank group includes a limiting section, when the door is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first switching piece and the second switching piece are relatively static, 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 in the limiting section so that the switching assembly limits the second hinge piece, when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first switching piece and the second switching piece are relatively moved so that the fourth shaft body is separated from the limiting section, and the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is/are limited in the locking section so that the switching assembly limits the first hinge piece, when the door body is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the third shaft body moves in the third free section, and the fourth shaft body moves in the fourth free section.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first free section includes an initial position and a stop position that are disposed opposite to each other, the second free section includes a first section and a second section that are connected to each other, when the door is in a closed state, the first shaft is located at the initial position, the second shaft is located at an end of the first section that is far away from the second section, when the door is in a process of opening from the closed state to a first opening angle, the first shaft rotates in place at the initial position, the second shaft moves in the first section with the first shaft as a center of a circle, and then the second shaft moves in the second section to drive the first shaft to move from the initial position to the stop position, the door moves in the second direction, when the door is in a process of continuing to open from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the third shaft rotates in place in the third free section, and the fourth shaft moves in place with the fourth shaft as a center of a circle.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the third free section includes a start position and a pivot position that are oppositely disposed, the fourth free section includes a moving section and a rotating section that are connected, when the door is in a closed state, the second shaft is located at one end of the second free section, the third shaft is located at the start position, when the door is in a process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first shaft rotates in place in the first free section, the second shaft moves in the second free section with the first shaft as a center, and when the door is in a process of continuing to open from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the fourth shaft moves in the moving section to drive the third shaft to move from the start position to the pivot position, the door moves in the second direction, then the third shaft rotates in place in the pivot position, and the fourth shaft moves in place with the third shaft as a center.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator, including a case, a door, and a hinge assembly connecting the case and the door, wherein the hinge assembly is the hinge assembly as described above.

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

Drawings

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

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

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

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

fig. 5 is a rear view (omitting part of the elements) of a multi-door refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a first mating portion and a second mating portion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

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

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a hinge assembly in a closed state according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a top cross-sectional view of a hinge assembly in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

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

fig. 15 is a top view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fig. 31-34 are top cross-sectional views of other embodiments of hinge assemblies;

fig. 35 is a schematic view of a fully embedded state of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a hinge assembly under a door body according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 37 is a top view of a refrigerator with a cabling module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 38 is a partially enlarged view of a refrigerator with a trace module according to an embodiment of the present invention in a three-dimensional state;

FIG. 39 is a partial enlarged view of a refrigerator with a cabling module according to an embodiment of the present invention in a top view (corresponding to a door closed state);

Fig. 40 is a partially enlarged view (corresponding to a door opened state) of a refrigerator with a routing module according to an embodiment of the present invention in a top view.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments shown in the drawings. These embodiments are not intended to limit the invention and structural, methodological, or functional modifications of these embodiments that may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art are included within the scope of the invention.

In the various illustrations of the invention, certain dimensions of structures or portions may be exaggerated relative to other structures or portions for convenience of illustration, and thus serve only to illustrate the basic structure of the inventive subject matter.

In addition, terms such as "upper", "above", "lower", "below", "left", "right", and the like, as used herein, indicate spatial relative positions, and are used for convenience of description to describe one element or feature relative to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. The term spatially relative position 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 other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

In the present embodiment, referring to fig. 1 to 10, a refrigerator 100 includes a cabinet 10, a door 20 to open and close the cabinet 10, and a hinge assembly 30 to connect the cabinet 10 and the door 20.

The case 10 includes a housing chamber S adjacent to the hinge assembly 30 and on an outer side 13 of the door 20 in a rotation path extension, and a direction of the housing chamber S toward the outer side 13 is a first direction X.

The hinge assembly 30 includes a first hinge member 31, a second hinge member 32, and a switching assembly 40 connecting the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32.

When the door 20 is in the opening process, the first hinge member 31 moves relative to the switching assembly 40, and then the second hinge member 32 moves relative to the switching assembly 40, wherein the hinge assembly 30 drives the door 20 to rotate in place relative to the case 10, drives the door 20 to move away from the case 10 along the first direction X, and then drives the door 20 to rotate in place relative to the case 10.

Here, the door 20 can be effectively prevented from being unable to be opened normally due to displacement of the door 20 in a certain direction by rotating the door 20 in situ relative to the case 10, and the opening of the case 10 can be increased by moving the door 20 away from the case 10 along the first direction X.

Here, the door body 20 includes a door body center, and when the door body 20 is in an opening process, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door body 20 to move away from the case in the first direction X, and at the same time, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door body center to move toward the case 10.

In addition, the switching operation between the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 can be realized by the switching unit 33 in the present embodiment, and the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 can respectively realize part of functions in the in-situ rotation, the movement away from the case 10 in the first direction X, and the continued in-situ rotation, and in the present embodiment, the in-situ rotation, the movement from the pivoting side P toward the accommodating chamber S, and the continued in-situ rotation are sequentially completed one by one.

In the present embodiment, the first hinge member 31 is fixed to the case 10, the second hinge member 32 is fixed to the door 20, and the switching assembly 40 includes a first mating member 41 and a second mating member 42, and the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 are combined in various manners.

In the first combination manner, when the door body 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1, the first hinge member 31 and the first matching member 41 move relatively to drive the door body 20 to rotate in place relative to the box body 10, then the first hinge member 31 and the first matching member 41 move relatively to drive the door body 20 to move away from the box body 10 along the first direction X, the second matching member 42 limits the second hinge member 32, when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the second hinge member 32 is separated from the limit of the second matching member 42, and the first matching member 41 limits the first hinge member 31, and when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the second hinge member 32 and the second matching member 42 move relatively to drive the door body 20 to continue to rotate in place.

That is, the first hinge member 31 of the present example cooperates with the first mating member 41 to sequentially rotate the door body 20 in the first direction X away from the case body 10, and the second hinge member 32 cooperates with the second mating member 42 to continuously rotate the door body 20 in the first direction X, wherein the switching assembly 40 can implement the first hinge member 31 to operate first and the second hinge member 32 to operate later through the locking and unlocking function.

In the second combination mode, when the door body 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle alpha 1, the first hinge piece 31 and the first matching piece 41 move relatively to drive the door body 20 to rotate in place relative to the box body 10, the second matching piece 42 limits the second hinge piece 32, when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle alpha 1 to the second opening angle alpha 2, the second hinge piece 32 is separated from the limit of the second matching piece 42, the first matching piece 41 limits the first hinge piece 31, and when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle alpha 2 to the maximum opening angle alpha 3, the second hinge piece 32 and the second matching piece 42 move relatively to drive the door body 20 to move away from the box body 10 along the first direction X, and then the second hinge piece 32 and the second matching piece 42 move relatively to drive the door body 20 to rotate in place continuously.

That is, the first hinge member 31 of the present example cooperates with the first mating member 41 to implement the in-situ rotation of the door body 20, and the second hinge member 32 cooperates with the second mating member 42 to implement the movement of the door body 20 away from the case body 10 in the first direction X and the continuous in-situ rotation of the door body 20, wherein the switching assembly 40 can implement the first hinge member 31 to operate first and the second hinge member 32 to operate later through the locking and unlocking function.

Next, the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment will be specifically described by taking a first combination as an example, and the refrigerator 100 is exemplified by a multi-door refrigerator 100.

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

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

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

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

Here, the "pivot side P" is defined as a region where the door body 20 rotates with respect to the case body 10, that is, a region where the hinge assembly 30 is provided.

The case 10 further includes an outer side 13 adjacent to the hinge assembly 30 and on the extension of the path of rotation of the door 20, the direction of the receiving chamber S toward the outer side 13 being the first direction X.

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

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

The first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40 implement a relative motion through the first shaft body groups 311 and 312 and the first groove body groups 411 and 412 that are mutually matched, the first shaft body groups 311 and 312 include a first shaft body 311 and a second shaft body 312, the first groove body groups 411 and 412 include a first free section S1, a second free section S2, and locking sections 4132, 4142, 4152 and 4162, the first free section S1 includes an initial position A1 and a stop position A2 that are relatively set, and the second free section S2 includes a first section L1 and a second section L2 that are connected.

The second hinge member 32 and the switching assembly 40 implement a relative motion through the second shaft body groups 321 and 322 and the second groove body groups 421 and 422 that are mutually matched, the second shaft body groups 321 and 322 include a third shaft body 321 and a fourth shaft body 322, and the second groove body groups 421 and 422 include a third free section 421, a fourth free section 4221 and a limiting section 4222.

When the door 20 is in the closed state (refer to fig. 11 to 14), the first shaft body 311 is located at the initial position A1, the second shaft body 312 is located at an end of the first segment L1 away from the second segment L2, and the fourth shaft body 322 is located at the limiting segment 4222, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the second hinge member 32, and the first engaging portion 25 and the second engaging portion 12 are engaged with each other.

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

When the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1 (refer to fig. 15 to 22), the first shaft 311 rotates in place at the initial position A1, the second shaft 312 moves in the first section L1 around the first shaft 311, the first engaging portion 25 is disengaged from the second engaging portion 12, the door 20 rotates in place relative to the case 10, and then the second shaft 312 moves in the second section L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position A1 to the stop position A2, and the door 20 moves away from the case 10 along the first direction X.

Specifically, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle α11 (refer to fig. 15 to 18), the first shaft 311 rotates in place 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 place relative to the case 10, and the first engaging portion 25 is disengaged from the second engaging portion 12.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle α11, the door 20 rotates in place relative to the case 10, that is, the door 20 only rotates without generating displacement in other directions, so that the phenomenon that the first mating portion 25 cannot be separated from the second mating portion 12 due to displacement in a certain direction of the door 20 can be effectively avoided.

Note that, the refrigerator 100 in the present embodiment may be a single-door refrigerator having the first engaging portion 25 and the second engaging portion 12, or a side-by-side refrigerator having the first engaging portion 25 and the second engaging portion 12, a multi-door refrigerator, or the like.

When the door 20 is in the process of opening from the first intermediate opening angle α11 to the first opening angle α1 (refer to fig. 19 to 22), the second shaft 312 moves in the second section L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position A1 to the stop position A2, and the door 20 moves away from the case 10 along the first direction X.

Here, during the opening process of the door body 20, the door body 20 moves away from the case body 10 along the first direction X, that is, the door body 20 moves away from the accommodating chamber S, so that the door body 20 can be far away from the case body 10 as far as possible along the first direction X, the opening degree of the case body 10 is ensured, and the problem that drawers, racks, and the like in the case body 10 cannot be opened due to interference of the door body 20 is avoided.

When the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2 (refer to fig. 23 to 26), the fourth shaft 322 is separated from the limiting segment 4222, and the first shaft 311 and/or the second shaft 312 are limited by the locking segments 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the first hinge member 31.

When the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3 (refer to fig. 27 to 30), the third shaft 321 rotates in place 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 continues to rotate in place relative to the case 10.

In the present embodiment, the front end of the accommodation chamber S has an opening 102, and the case 10 further includes a front end surface 103 provided around the opening 102.

Here, the front end surface 103 is the end surface of the case 10 close to the door 20.

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

Here, the door seal 26 is disposed on a side surface of the door body 25 near the case 10 in a ring shape, and the side door seal 261 is the door seal disposed in the vertical direction closest to the hinge assembly 30.

When the door body 20 is in the closed state, the door seal 26 and the front face 103 are in contact with each other.

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

When the door body 20 is in the opening process, the hinge assembly 30 drives the side door seal 261 to move in the first direction X.

Here, in the initial opening process of the door body 20, the rotation of the door body 20 drives the side door seal 261 to move in the opposite direction of the first direction X, and the hinge assembly 30 of the embodiment drives the side door seal 261 to move in the first direction X, so that the movement amount of the side door seal 261 in the opposite direction of the first direction X can be effectively reduced, thereby avoiding the side door seal 261 from obstructing the opening of the drawers, racks, etc. in the box 10.

In the present embodiment, the door 20 includes a door weight center, and when the door 20 is in the opening process, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door 20 to move away from the case 10 in the first direction X, and at the same time, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door weight center to move toward the case 10.

The door body center is defined as the action point of gravity applied to each part of the door body 20, the door body 20 is relatively heavy, and the door body 20 is selectively provided with a bottle seat, a dispenser, an ice maker and other components, so that the weight of the door body 20 is further increased to cause the whole refrigerator 100 to have a tilting risk, and the hinge assembly 30 of the embodiment can drive the door body center to move towards a direction close to the refrigerator body 10, so that the refrigerator 100 can be effectively prevented from tilting.

Specifically, the direction of the door 20 facing the case 10 is the second direction Y, and when the door 20 is in the opening process, the door body center moves toward the case 10 toward the second direction Y, and at this time, the door body center approaches the case 10, so that the stability of the whole refrigerator 100 can be improved.

It should be noted that, in the opening process of the door 20 of the present embodiment, the hinge assembly 30 simultaneously drives the door 20 to move in the first direction X and the door center to move in the direction approaching the case 10, that is, simultaneously increases the opening of the door 20 and avoids the refrigerator 100 from toppling.

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

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

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

The first engaging portion 25 is a projection 25 protruding upward from the vertical beam 80.

The second matching portion 12 is fixedly arranged on the box 10, for example, the second matching portion 12 is a groove 12 on the base 104, the base 104 is fixedly arranged at the top of the accommodating chamber S, one end of the groove 12 is provided with a notch 121, the opening direction of the notch 121 faces forward, the protruding block 25 and the groove 12 are arc-shaped, and the protruding block 25 enters or leaves the groove 12 through the notch 121 so as to realize mutual limiting and mutual separation of the protruding block 25 and the groove 12.

Of course, it should be understood that the specific structure of the first engaging portion 25 and the second engaging portion 12 is not limited to the above description, that is, the first engaging portion 25 is not limited to the protruding block 25 at the vertical beam 80, the second engaging portion 12 is not limited to the groove 12 engaged with the protruding block 25, and the first engaging portion 25 and the second engaging portion 12 may be structures engaged with each other in other areas of the refrigerator 100.

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

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

It should be noted that, the refrigerator 100 includes a fixed beam fixed inside the refrigerator body 10 and used for separating two temperature changing compartments, and the third door 208 and the fourth door 209 can be matched with the fixed beam to realize sealing, that is, no vertical beam is required to be disposed at the third door 208 and the fourth door 209.

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

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

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

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

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

It should be noted that the first upper locking section 4132 may be an extension section of the first upper free section 4131, for example, the first upper locking section 4132 is close to the stop position A2, or may have a certain included angle with the first upper free section 4131, or may not include the first upper locking section 4132 and the second upper locking section 4152, but may implement locking through the first lower locking section 4142 and the second lower locking section 4162.

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

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

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

Referring to fig. 10, the hinge assembly 30 further includes a first riveting piece 4111 and a second riveting piece 4121, when the first shaft body 311 extends into the first slot 411, the first riveting piece 4111 is located below the second switching member 402 and is sleeved with the first shaft body 311, so that the first shaft body 311 is prevented from being separated from the first slot 411, and similarly, when the second shaft body 312 extends into the second slot 412, the second riveting piece 4121 is located below the second switching member 402 and is sleeved with the second shaft body 312, so that the second shaft body 312 is prevented from being separated from the second slot 412.

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

Here, the first switching element 401 and the second switching element 402 are provided with a first through hole 4014 and a second through hole 4024, and separate caulking members pass through the first through hole 4014 and the second through hole 4024 as the fifth shaft body 50.

Specifically, the fifth shaft body 50 includes a rivet 51 and a rivet spacer 52, wherein one end of the rivet 51 having a larger size is located below the second through hole 4024, one end of the rivet 51 having a smaller size extends into the second through hole 4024 and the first through hole 4014 in sequence, and the rivet spacer 52 is located above the first through hole 4014 and cooperates with the rivet 51 to lock the rivet 51.

Thus, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 can be mutually matched, so that the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 can relatively move, and the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 can not be mutually separated.

The first through hole 4014 and the second through hole 4024 are matched with the fifth shaft 50, and the first switching member 401 is rotated in place relative to the second switching member 402.

In other embodiments, a through hole may be provided on one of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402, and a fifth shaft 50 may be provided on the other, so that the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are mutually coupled by matching the fifth shaft 50 with the through hole, but not limited thereto.

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

Here, the size of the through hole 4026 may be larger than the size of the third shaft 321, so that the third shaft 321 can move in the through hole 4026, and interference between the through hole 4026 and the third shaft 321 can be avoided when the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 move relatively.

That is, the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 of the present embodiment are located on different switching members, but not limited to this.

In the present embodiment, referring to fig. 10, the first switching element 401 includes a first liner 4011, a first slide 4012, and a first bushing 4013 stacked in this order, and the second switching element 402 includes a second liner 4021, a second slide 4022, and a second bushing 4023 stacked in this order.

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

The first liner 4011, the first liner 4013, the second liner 4021, and the second liner 4023 are made of plastic, for example, polyoxymethylene (POM).

The first sliding piece 4012 and the second sliding piece 4022 are made of metal, for example, stainless steel or Q235 steel.

The outer contours of the first liner 4011, the first sliding vane 4012 and the first liner 4013 are matched with each other, the first liner 4011 and the first liner 4013 are matched with each other to clamp the first sliding vane 4012 therebetween, and slots are required to be formed in the first liner 4011, the first sliding vane 4012 and the first liner 4013 to form a first upper groove 413, a second upper groove 415 and a first through hole 4014.

Here, the first through hole 4014 may be formed by forming slots only in the first slider 4012 and the first bushing 4013, that is, the first through hole 4014 does not penetrate the first lining 4011, and at this time, the fifth shaft 50 extends from below the first switching element 401 into the first through hole 4011, and the first lining 4011 may shield the first through hole 4014 and the fifth shaft 50, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance.

The outer contours of the second liner 4021, the second sliding piece 4022 and the second bushing 4023 are matched with each other, the second liner 4021 is matched with the second bushing 4023 to clamp the second sliding piece 4022 between the two, and slots are required to be formed in the second liner 4021, the second sliding piece 4022 and the second bushing 4023 to form a first lower groove 414, a second lower groove 416 and a second through hole 4024 in a matched mode.

Here, the second through-hole 4024 may be formed by forming slots only in the second lining 4021 and the second slide 4022, that is, the second through-hole 4024 does not pass through the second bushing 4023, and at this time, the fifth shaft 50 extends from below the second bushing 4023 into the second through-hole 4024 and the first through-hole 4011, and the second bushing 4023 may cover the second through-hole 4024 and the fifth shaft 50, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance.

At this time, one end of the rivet stem 51 of the fifth shaft body 50 may be limited to the second bush 4023, and the mating effect of the second bush 4021, the second slide 4022, and the second bush 4023 may be further improved.

In this embodiment, the first switching element 401 further includes a first decorative sheet 4015 covering the peripheral edges of the first liner 4011, the first sliding sheet 4012, and the first liner 4013, the second switching element 402 further includes a second decorative sheet 4025 covering the peripheral edges of the second liner 4021, the second sliding sheet 4022, and the second liner 4023, and the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are separated from each other.

Here, "the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are separated from each other" means that the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are configured to be independent from each other, and when the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are moved relatively, the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are also moved relatively.

In addition, the first decorative sheet 4015 of the present embodiment is shaped like a "door", that is, the first decorative sheet 4015 only covers three sides of the first switching element 401, so that the first decorative sheet 4015 is convenient to be assembled, and the fastening structure can be provided at the three sides to realize the matching with the first decorative sheet 4015, and the width of the first decorative sheet 4015 is substantially equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the first liner 4011, the first sliding sheet 4012 and the first liner 4013 in the stacking direction of the first switching element 401 and the second switching element 402.

Similarly, the second decorative sheet 4025 is shaped like a gate, that is, the second decorative sheet 4025 only covers three sides of the second switching member 402, so that the second decorative sheet 4025 is convenient to assemble, and a fastening structure can be arranged at the three sides to realize the matching with the second decorative sheet 4025, and in the overlapping direction of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402, the width of the second decorative sheet 4025 is approximately equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the second lining 4021, the second sliding sheet 4022 and the second bushing 4023.

The first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 may be made of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butdiene Styrene) plastic.

Next, a specific working procedure of the hinge assembly 30 will be described.

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

Referring to fig. 11 to 14, when the door 20 is in the closed state, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 overlap to form a first free section S1, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 overlap to form a second free section S2, the first shaft body 311 is located at the initial position A1, the second shaft body 312 is located at an end of the first section L1 away from the second section L2, and the protrusion 25 is limited in the groove 12.

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

In addition, the outer side 13 and the side wall 22 are located on the same plane, so that the smoothness of the appearance can be ensured, the aesthetic appearance can be improved, and the door 20 can be conveniently installed, but the installation is not limited to the above.

Referring to fig. 15 to 18, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle α11, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 overlap to form a first free section S1, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 overlap to form a second free section S2, the first shaft 311 rotates in place at the initial position A1, the second shaft 312 moves in the first section L1 around the first shaft 311 as a center, and the door 20 rotates in place relative to the case 10 to disengage the protrusion 25 from the groove 12.

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

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

It should be noted that, because the protruding block 25 and the groove 12 are in arc fit, when the door body 20 is in the closed state, the protruding block 25 and the groove 12 are mutually limited, if the door body 20 is displaced in the process of opening the door body 20 to the first intermediate opening angle α11 at this time, the protruding block 25 and the groove 11 will mutually interfere and lock, so that the protruding block 25 cannot be separated from the groove 12, and the door body 20 cannot be opened.

In this embodiment, the door 20 rotates in place relative to the case 10 during the process of opening the door 20 to the first intermediate opening angle α11, so as to ensure that the protrusion 25 can be smoothly separated from the groove 12.

Here, the first intermediate opening angle α11 is not greater than 10 °, that is, the protrusion 25 may not be limited by the groove 12 during the opening of the door 20 to about 10 °, and at this time, the protrusion 25 may be completely separated from the groove 12, or the protrusion 25 may not interfere with the groove 12 even if it is displaced.

Referring to fig. 19 to 22, when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first intermediate opening angle α11 to the first opening angle α1, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 overlap to form a first free section S1, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 overlap to form a second free section S2, the second shaft 312 moves in the second section L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position A1 to the stop position A2, the door 20 moves away from the box 10 along the first direction X, and the door body center moves toward the direction approaching the box 10.

In the prior art, due to the hinge assembly of the single shaft, the door body always rotates in place relative to the box body, the opening degree of the box body can be limited, and the door body 20 moves in the direction away from the accommodating cavity S by the cooperation of the double shafts and the double grooves in the specific example, so that the opening degree problem of the box body 10 can be effectively solved.

In addition, it should be noted that, when the door 20 is opened, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door 20 to move in a direction away from the accommodating chamber S, so as to effectively increase the opening of the case 10, and meanwhile, the hinge assembly 30 drives the door center to move in a direction close to the case 10, so as to avoid the refrigerator 100 from toppling.

It should be noted that, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1, the fourth shaft 322 is always limited to the limiting segment 4222, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the second hinge member 32.

In addition, in this process, since the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 always overlap to form the first free section S1, and the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 always overlap to form the second free section S2, that is, the movement track of the first switching member 401 and the movement track of the second switching member 402 are identical, and the first shaft body 311 moves in the first free section S1, and the second shaft body 312 moves in the second free section S2, in this process, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are not mutually staggered, that is, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 remain relatively stationary, so that the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 are prevented from being mutually dislocated, and meanwhile, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 are prevented from being mutually dislocated, so that the first shaft body 311 can be ensured to move smoothly in the first free section S1, and the second shaft body 312 can be ensured to move smoothly in the second free section S2.

Referring to fig. 23 to 26, when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 move relatively to disengage the fourth shaft 322 from the limiting segment 4222, and the first shaft 311 and/or the second shaft 312 are limited to the locking segments 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 to limit the switching assembly 40 to the first hinge member 31.

Here, "the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 move relatively to disengage the second hinge member 32 from the limit of the switching member 40, and the first shaft body 311 and/or the second shaft body 312 are limited by the locking sections 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 to limit the switching member 40 to the first hinge member 31" means that the switching member 40 and the second hinge member 32 move relatively to each other so that no limit exists between the switching member 40 and the second hinge member 32, and the switching member 40 and the first hinge member 31 move relatively to each other so that the switching member 40 and the first hinge member 31 limit each other.

In the present embodiment, the first shaft body 311 is simultaneously located at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, the second shaft body 312 is simultaneously located at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, and the fourth shaft body 322 is separated from the fourth limiting section 4222, which is described as follows:

when the door 20 is opened to the first opening angle α1, the second shaft body 312 moves from the second free section S2 to the second lower locking section 4162 and is limited, at this time, the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312 cannot move relative to the first free section S1 and the second free section S2, and the first shaft body 311 is adjacent to the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, the second shaft body 312 is adjacent to the second upper locking section 4152, and the track of the first upper locking section 4132 and the second upper locking section 4152 is adapted to the movement path of the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312.

When the door 20 is continuously opened based on the first opening angle α1, the door 20 drives the second hinge member 32 connected to the door 20 to move, and the second hinge member 32 applies a force to the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 through the third free section 4211 and the fourth limiting section 4222, so that the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 drive the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 to move.

Specifically, at this time, the first shaft body 311 is adjacent to the first upper locking section 4132, the second shaft body 312 is adjacent to the second upper locking section 4152, the first switching member 401 may move by a first angle relative to the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312 until the first shaft body 311 is limited to the first upper locking section 4132, and the second shaft body 312 is limited to the second upper locking section 4152, and at the same time, the second switching member 402 moves by a second angle relative to the first shaft body 311 with the fifth shaft body 50 as a center of a circle until the first shaft body 311 is limited to the second upper locking section 4152, and during this process, the second shaft body 312 is always contacted with the second lower locking section 4162, and the second angle is greater than the first angle.

That is, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 rotate by a certain angle, and the rotation angle of the second switching member 402 is larger than that of the first switching member 401, and the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are also relatively moved to be staggered.

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

In actual operation, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 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 is abutted to the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, i.e. the first shaft 311 is simultaneously located 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 is abutted to the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, i.e. the second shaft 312 is simultaneously located at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, and meanwhile, the movement of the second switching member 402 makes the fourth shaft 322 separate from the fourth limiting section 4222.

It can be appreciated that when the first shaft body 311 is located at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, since the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 that are originally overlapped with each other are also staggered, and the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 that are staggered limit the first shaft body 311 to separate from the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, so that the first shaft body 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 body 20.

Similarly, when the second shaft body 312 is located at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, since the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered, the first upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 that are originally overlapped with each other are also staggered, and the staggered second upper free section 4151 and second lower free section 4161 limit the second shaft body 312 from separating from the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, so as to ensure that the second shaft body 312 is always kept at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162 during the continuous opening of the door body 20.

In addition, the rotation angle of the second switching member 402 is greater than that of the first switching member 401, that is, the second switching member 402 and the first switching member 401 are staggered with each other, so that the locking effect between the first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40 can be further improved, the first shaft body 311 is ensured to be 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.

Referring to fig. 27 to 30, when the door 20 is in the process of being continuously opened from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary, the third shaft 321 moves in the third free section 421, and the fourth shaft 322 moves in the fourth free section 4221.

Here, the range of the first opening angle α1 is approximately 80 ° to 83 °, the second opening angle α2 is approximately 90 °, and the maximum opening angle α3 is greater than 90 °, that is, in the process of opening the door 20 to 80 ° to 83 °, the door 20 rotates in place first, then generates displacement along the first direction X, so as to increase the opening degree of the box 10, and finally reaches 80 ° to 83 °, after that, in the process of continuing to open the door 20 to 90 °, the switching assembly 40 moves to enable the door 20 to change the rotation axis to continue rotating, that is, after 90 °, the door 20 continues to rotate in place relative to the box 10 by taking the third shaft 321 as the rotation axis, so as to further open the door 20.

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

It can be seen that, in this embodiment, through the unlocking and locking actions of the switching component 40 on the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, the sequential switching of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 can be effectively controlled, so that the door body 20 can be stably opened.

It can be appreciated that when the door 20 is in the closing process, i.e. the door 20 starts to be closed from the maximum opening angle α3, the switching assembly 40 can also effectively control the sequential switching of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, i.e. when the door 20 is in the closing process from the maximum opening angle α3 to the second opening angle α2, the third shaft 321 moves in the third free section 4211, the fourth shaft 322 moves in the fourth free section 4221, the switching assembly 40 locks the first hinge member 31, when the door 20 is in the closing process from the second opening angle α2 to the first opening angle α1, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 relatively move to disengage the first hinge member 31 from the limit of the switching assembly 40, and the fourth shaft 322 is limited in the fourth limit section 4222, the switching assembly 40 locks the second hinge member 32, and when the door 20 is in the closing process from the first opening angle α1 to the full closing process, 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 body 20 and the opening process of the door body 20 are the 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 process of the door body 20 can be effectively controlled by the unlocking and locking actions of the switching assembly 40 on the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32.

In the present embodiment, the distance between the initial position A1 and the front wall 21 is larger than the distance between the stop position A2 and the front wall 21, and the distance between the initial position A1 and the side wall 22 is smaller than the distance between the stop position A2 and the side wall 22.

Specifically, the distance between the center of the first shaft body 311 at the initial position A1 and the front wall 21 is greater than the distance between the center of the first shaft body 311 at the stop position A2 and the front wall 21.

The distance between the center of the first shaft 311 at the initial position A1 and the side wall 22 is smaller than the distance between the center of the first shaft 311 at the stop position A2 and the side wall 22.

A first interval is formed between the center of the first shaft body 311 and the front wall 21, and a second interval is formed between the center of the first shaft body 311 and the side wall 22, and the first interval and the second interval are changed during the opening process of the door body 20.

When the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1, the first interval is in a decreasing trend, the second interval is in an increasing trend, and when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the first interval and the second interval are both kept unchanged.

In other embodiments, referring to fig. 31 to 34, the distance between the initial position A1 and the front wall 21 is smaller than the distance between the stop position A2 and the front wall 21, and the distance between the initial position A1 and the side wall 22 is smaller than the distance between the stop position A2 and the side wall 22.

Referring to fig. 31, when the door 20 is in the closed state, the first shaft 311 is located at the initial position A1, and the second shaft 312 is located at an end of the first section L1 remote from the second section L2.

Referring to fig. 32, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α11, the first shaft 311 rotates in place at the initial position A1, and the second shaft 312 moves in the first section L1 around the first shaft 311, so that the door 20 rotates in place relative to the case 10.

Referring to fig. 33, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the first intermediate opening angle α11 to the first opening angle α1, the second shaft 312 moves in the second section L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position A1 to the stop position A2, the door 20 moves away from the case 10 along the first direction X, and the door body center moves toward the case 10.

Referring to fig. 34, when the door 20 is in the process of being continuously opened from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the first shaft body 311 and/or the second shaft body 312 are/is limited to the locking sections 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162.

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

Referring to fig. 35, a simple schematic of the refrigerator 100 embedded in the cabinet 200 is illustrated.

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

Here, when the door body 20 is in the process of being opened to the first opening angle α1 in the closed state, the door body 20 rotates with the first shaft body 311 as an axis, a first distance is provided between the first shaft body 311 and the front end surface 103, and when the door body 20 is in the process of being continuously opened to the maximum opening angle α3 from the second opening angle α2, the door body 20 rotates with the third shaft body 321 as an axis, a second distance is provided between the third shaft body 321 and the front end surface 103, and the second distance is greater than the first distance, so that the maximum opening angle of the fully embedded refrigerator 100 can be greatly improved.

In addition, a third distance is provided between the first shaft body 311 and the outer side 13, and when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, a fourth distance is provided between the third shaft body 321 and the outer side 13, and the fourth distance is smaller than the third distance, so that the opening degree of the box 10 can be further increased.

The concrete explanation is as follows:

in some motion tracks of the refrigerator 100, the first shaft 311 and the third shaft 321 may move relative to the door 20, or the hinge assembly 30 further includes a second shaft 312 matching with the first shaft 311 and a fourth shaft 322 matching with the third shaft 321, so that the door 20 is simply considered to rotate around the first shaft 311 for simplicity of description, and then is switched to rotate around the third shaft 321 by the switching assembly 40.

In practice, in order to enhance the embedding effect, it is preferable that the refrigerator 100 is completely embedded in the cabinet 200, and the refrigerator 100 is a free embedded refrigerator, i.e., the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 is located on the same plane with the front wall 21 of the door 20 on the side far from the cabinet 10, or the front wall 21 of the door 20 does not protrude beyond the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 at all.

In the prior art, the refrigerator is a single-shaft refrigerator, and the rotation shaft of the refrigerator needs to keep a certain distance from the side wall and the front wall of the refrigerator, so that there is enough space to satisfy foaming or other processes, that is, the rotation shaft of the existing refrigerator is located at the position of the first shaft body 311 in fig. 35, in this case, after the single-shaft refrigerator is embedded into the cabinet 200, since the corner 203 of the cabinet 200 clamped between the front end 201 and the inner wall 202 is arranged corresponding to the side edge 23 of the door body 20, when the door body 20 is opened, the side edge 23 interferes with the door body 20 to limit the maximum opening angle of the door body 20, and in order to ensure the normal opening of the door body 20, the conventional practice is to increase the gap between the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 and the refrigerator 100, which is about 10cm, which seriously affects the embedding effect and is unfavorable for the reasonable utilization of the limited space.

Referring to fig. 35, the hatched area indicates the door 20 in the closed state, when the door 20 is in the open process, if the door 20 is always rotated around the first shaft 311 (i.e. in the prior art), referring to the dashed line door 20 'in fig. 35, since the first shaft 311 is close to the front end surface 103, i.e. the first shaft 311 is far away from the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, after the door 20' is opened to a certain angle, the edge 203 of the cabinet 200 interferes with the door 20 'to limit the maximum opening angle of the door 20'.

In the present embodiment, the third shaft 321 is located on the first switching member 401, and during 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, so that the third shaft 321 gradually moves away from the front end surface 103, i.e. the third shaft 321 gradually moves towards the direction close to the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, i.e. the whole door 20 moves towards the direction away from the case 10, referring to the solid line door 20 in fig. 35, the interference effect of the edges 203 of the cabinet 200 on the door 20 is greatly reduced, and the edges 203 of the cabinet 200 interfere with each other when the door 20 is opened to a larger angle, thereby greatly improving the maximum opening angle of the door 20.

That is, the effect of the switching assembly 40 in this embodiment can make the later door 20 rotate around the third shaft 321, so that the maximum opening angle of the door 20 can be effectively increased on the premise of ensuring that the refrigerator 100 is freely embedded into the cabinet 200, thereby facilitating the user to operate the refrigerator 100 and greatly improving the user experience.

In addition, the gap between the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 and the refrigerator 100 is not required to be increased, so that the refrigerator 100 and the cabinet 200 can be connected in a seamless manner, and the embedding effect is greatly improved.

In addition, the switching assembly 40 of the present embodiment drives the third shaft 321 to gradually move towards the direction close to the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, and simultaneously drives the third shaft 321 to gradually approach the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200, that is, when the door 20 rotates around the third shaft 321, the third shaft 321 is closer to the front end 201 and the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 than the first shaft 311, so that the maximum opening angle of the door 20 can be increased, and the door 20 can be further away from the box 10 to increase the opening of the box 10, thereby facilitating the opening and closing of the racks, drawers, and the like in the box 10, or facilitating the picking and placing of the articles.

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

It can be appreciated 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 process of the door 20, so as to effectively avoid the interference between the door 20 and the cabinet 200 during the opening and closing process.

In addition, it should be noted that, the motion track of the door body 20 can be effectively controlled by a specific shaft body groove design, in this embodiment, the case body 10 includes a pivot side P connected to the hinge assembly 30, when the door body 20 is in the opening process, the hinge assembly 30 drives at least the door body 20 to move from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber S, so as to avoid interference between the door body 20 and a peripheral cabinet or wall body during the opening process, and the specific design of the shaft body groove can be referred to the following embodiments.

In this embodiment, the hinge assemblies 30 located at different regions of the door 20 are different from each other, and the hinge assemblies 30 are hinge assemblies 30 located between the upper side of the door 20 and the case 10, and the hinge assemblies 30' located between the lower side of the door 20 and the case 10 will be briefly described with reference to fig. 36.

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

That is, when the door 20 is in the closed state, the protrusion 313 'is in interference fit with the hook 323', so as to enhance the closing effect of the door 20.

It should be noted that, since the switching element 40 'is connected between the first hinge element 31' and the second hinge element 32', the second hinge element 32' further includes an extension section 324 'of the switching element 40' along the thickness direction, and the extension section 324 'is connected with the hook 323', so that the hook 323 'is horizontally disposed and can be mutually matched with the protrusion 313'.

In the present embodiment, referring to fig. 37 to 40, the refrigerator 100 is the refrigerator 100 with the wiring module 60.

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

Here, the "free end 62 is movably disposed in the case 10" means that the free end 62 is not fixed to the case 10, and the free end 62 can move relative to the case 10 along with the opening of the door 20, so that the trace E in the trace module 60 can also move freely along with the opening of the door 20.

It should be noted that, along with the intellectualization and multifunctionalization of the refrigerator 100, some functional modules, such as an ice making module, a display module, and the like, are generally disposed on the door body 20 of the refrigerator 100, and these modules are generally required to be connected with the control module in the box 10 through the wiring E, and the wiring E in this embodiment extends to the door body 20 through the wiring module 60, so that a phenomenon that the wiring E is pulled during the opening and closing of the door body 20 can be effectively avoided, and the door body 20 with various movement tracks can be adapted, for example, when the hinge assembly 30 drives the door body 20 to move from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber S, the extending track of the wiring E can also be changed, and this movement of the door body 20 can be completely adapted through the design of the wiring module 60, that is, and the extending track of the wiring E can be flexibly adjusted through the wiring module 60, so as to avoid a wire blocking.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator 100 further includes a limiting space 101, the limiting space 101 includes a slot 1011 disposed towards the door body 20, the fixed end 61 of the wiring module 60 passes through the slot 1011 to be connected with the door body 20, when the door body 20 is in the opening process, the door body 20 drives the wiring module 60 to move in the limiting space 101, and the free end 62 is always located in the limiting space 101.

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

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

The door body 20 protrudes upwards from the top 11 of the box body 10, a stop 111 protruding from the top 11 is arranged at the edge of the top 11, which is close to the door body 20, a notch 1011 is arranged at the stop 111, the refrigerator 100 comprises a plurality of protruding parts 112 protruding from the top 11, and the plurality of protruding parts 112 are surrounded to form a limiting space 101.

Here, the first hinge member 31 is fixed at an edge position of the top 11, and in order to adapt to the design that the door body 20 protrudes out of the top 11, the first hinge member 31 of the hinge assembly 30 is generally Z-shaped, so that the first hinge member 31 may extend from the top 11 of the box body 10 to the top of the door body 20 to be mutually matched with the switching assembly 40 located at the top of the door body 20, and the plurality of protruding portions 112 include a first protruding portion 1121 located between the first hinge member 31 and the routing module 60 and a second protruding portion 1122 spaced from the first protruding portion 1121, the first protruding portion 1121 may avoid the routing module 60 interfering with the first hinge member 31, and the profile of the first protruding portion 1121 may be matched with the movement track of the routing module 60, and the second protruding portion 1122 may be a plurality of protruding columns to reduce the impact between the routing module 60 and the second protruding portion 1122.

The refrigerator 100 may further include a cover 103, the cover 103 being located at the top 11 and covering the limit space 101, the first hinge member 31, etc., the cover 103 being adapted to the stopper 111, and the shape of the cover 103 being determined according to specific needs.

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

The wiring module 60 is horizontally arranged and extends to the door body 20 through the notch 1011, a wiring hole H is formed in the door body 20, the wiring E extends from the fixed end 61 and extends to the inside of the door body 20 from the wiring hole H, an area C adjacent to the wiring hole H is in pivot connection with the fixed end 61, and the door body 20 comprises a cover body 24 covering the fixed end 61, the wiring hole H and the area C, so that the movable connection of the wiring module 60 and the door body 20 can be realized, when the door body 20 is in the opening process, the door body 20 drives the wiring module 60 to move, that is, the wiring module 60 can freely move in the limiting space 101 according to different tracks, that is, the movement track of the wiring module 60 can completely adapt to the movement track of the door body 20, and wire clamping is avoided.

In addition, the trace module 60 includes a circular arc segment D, so as to further avoid the trace E from being disturbed inside the accommodating cavity 603.

In order to avoid abrasion and sliding noise of the wiring module 60, a buffer member, a sliding member, or the like may be provided between the second housing 602 of the wiring module 60 and the top 11 of the case 10, and may be specifically determined according to practical situations.

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

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

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

The foregoing embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, but not for limiting the same, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, for example, if the techniques in different embodiments can be overlapped to achieve the corresponding effects at the same time, the solution is also within the protection scope of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent substitutions may be made to the technical solution of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. The utility model provides a hinge subassembly for connect box and door body, its characterized in that, the box includes opening and the back of relative setting, the opening orientation is the second direction in the direction of back, the hinge subassembly including connect first hinge, the connection the second hinge of box and connection first hinge and the switching assembly of second hinge, first hinge with realize relative motion through first axis group and the first cell body group of mutually supporting between the switching assembly, the second hinge with realize relative motion through second axis group and the second cell body group of mutually supporting between the switching assembly, first axis group includes first axis and second axis, first cell body group include with first axis complex first cell body and with second axis complex second cell body, second axis group includes third axis and fourth axis, second cell body group include with third axis complex first axis and fourth axis and second axis complex first axis and second hinge are in the first axis group are in the relative motion, then the second hinge is in the first axis group with the second axis is in the first axis is followed to the switching assembly, and second hinge and is in the second hinge, and the second hinge is in the first axis is in the second hinge.

2. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an opening and a front face disposed around the opening, wherein a first distance is provided between the first rotation axis and the front face when the switching assembly rotates about the first rotation axis relative to the first hinge member, and a second distance is provided between the second rotation axis and the front face when the second hinge member rotates about the second rotation axis relative to the switching assembly, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

3. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an outer side adjacent the hinge assembly and on the door rotation path extension, wherein a third distance is provided between the first axis of rotation and the outer side when the switch assembly is rotated about the first axis of rotation relative to the first hinge member, and wherein a fourth distance is provided between the second axis of rotation and the outer side when the second hinge member is rotated about the second axis of rotation relative to the switch assembly, the fourth distance being less than the third distance.

4. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the first hinge member is fixed to the case, the second hinge member is fixed to the door, the switching assembly includes a first engaging member and a second engaging member, when the door is in the process of being opened from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first hinge member and the first engaging member move relatively to drive the door to rotate in place relative to the case, and then the first hinge member and the first engaging member move relatively to drive the door to move in the second direction, and the second engaging member limits the second hinge member, when the door is in the process of being opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the second hinge member is out of the limit of the second engaging member, and the first engaging member limits the first hinge member, when the door is in the process of being opened from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the second hinge member and the second hinge member move relatively to drive the door to rotate in place.

5. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the first hinge member is fixed to the case, the second hinge member is fixed to the door body, the switching assembly includes a first engaging member and a second engaging member, when the door body is in the process of being opened from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first hinge member and the first engaging member move relatively to drive the door body to rotate in place relative to the case, and the second engaging member limits the second hinge member, when the door body is in the process of being continuously opened from the first opening angle to a second opening angle, the second hinge member is separated from the limit of the second engaging member, and the first engaging member limits the first hinge member, when the door body is in the process of being continuously opened from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the second hinge member moves relatively to the second engaging member to drive the door body to move relatively to the second hinge member in the second direction, and the second hinge member moves relatively to drive the door body to rotate relatively to the second hinge member.

6. The hinge assembly according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the switching assembly comprises a first switching member and a second switching member, the first switching member and the second switching member are relatively stationary when the door body is in the process of being opened from the closed state to the first opening angle or in the process of being continuously opened from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, and the first switching member moves relative to the second switching member to enable the second hinge member to be separated from the limit of the second mating member when the door body is in the process of being continuously opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, and the first mating member limits the first hinge member.

7. The hinge assembly of claim 6, wherein the first hinge member comprises the first shaft and the second shaft, the first mating member comprises the first slot and the second slot, the second mating member comprises the third shaft and the fourth shaft, and the second hinge member comprises the third slot and the fourth slot.

8. The hinge assembly of claim 7, wherein the first slot includes a first upper slot located in the first switch and a first lower slot located in the second switch, the first upper slot including a first upper free section, the first lower slot including a first lower free section, the second slot including a second upper slot located in the first switch and a second lower slot located in the second switch, the second upper slot including a second upper free section, the second lower slot including a second lower free section, the third slot including a third free section, the fourth slot including a fourth free section, the first slot group including a locking section, the second slot group including a limiting section when the door is in the process of opening from a closed state to a first open angle, the first switching piece and the second switching piece are relatively static, 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 in the limiting section so that the switching assembly limits the second hinge piece, when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from a first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first switching piece and the second switching piece are relatively moved so that the fourth shaft body is separated from the limiting section, and the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body is/are limited in the locking section so that the switching assembly limits the first hinge piece, when the door body is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the third shaft body moves in the third free section, and the fourth shaft body moves in the fourth free section.

9. The hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the first free section includes an initial position and a stop position that are disposed opposite to each other, the second free section includes a first section and a second section that are connected to each other, the first shaft is located at the initial position when the door is in a closed state, the second shaft is located at an end of the first section that is away from the second section, the first shaft rotates in place in the initial position when the door is in the process of being opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the second shaft moves in the first section around the first shaft as a center, and then the second shaft moves in the second section to drive the first shaft to move from the initial position to the stop position, the door moves in the second direction, the third shaft rotates in place in the third free section when the door is in the process of being continuously opened from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, and the fourth shaft moves in place around the fourth shaft as a center.

10. The hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the third free section includes a start position and a pivot position that are disposed opposite to each other, the fourth free section includes a moving section and a rotating section that are connected to each other, the second shaft is located at one end of the second free section when the door is in a closed state, the third shaft is located at the start position, the first shaft rotates in place in the first free section when the door is in a process of opening from a closed state to a first opening angle, the second shaft moves in the second free section with the first shaft as a center, and the fourth shaft moves in the moving section to drive the third shaft to move from the start position to the pivot position when the door is in a process of continuing to open from a second opening angle, the door moves in the second direction, and then the third shaft rotates in place in the pivot position, and the fourth shaft moves in place with the fourth shaft as a center.

11. A refrigerator comprising a case, a door, and a hinge assembly connecting the case and the door, wherein the hinge assembly is the hinge assembly according to claim 1.