CN117988622A - Household appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a household appliance having a hidden door handle assembly disposed on a door body, the hidden door handle assembly comprising at least: a handle body movable between a hidden position and an extended position; a handle base fixedly connectable to the door body, and the handle body is pivotally movably received in the handle base; a drive mechanism by means of which the handle body can be driven to move between a hidden position and an extended position; and a control unit for controlling the drive mechanism to drive the handle body between a hidden position in which the handle body is stowed in the handle base and an extended position in which the handle body is pivotally extended relative to the handle base. According to some embodiments of the present application, a door handle that is compact, is less prone to dust accumulation, and is easy to operate can be realized.

Description

Household appliance

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of household appliances, and more particularly to a household appliance having a concealed door handle assembly.

Background

In the existing household refrigerator, most of handles are in concave shapes, so that people can conveniently extend the handles into the refrigerator to open the refrigerator, but dust is easy to deposit at concave grooves in actual use, the refrigerator is not easy to clean, and the refrigerator is attractive and complete and has influence to a certain extent. There are few applications in the market today to hide door handles on household appliances, especially refrigerators.

Accordingly, there is a need to further improve the door handle of the existing refrigerator with respect to some influencing factors existing in the conventional recessed door latch hands currently on the market.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of embodiments of the present application to provide a household appliance having a concealed door handle assembly that at least partially ameliorates or solves the disadvantages of the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application provides a household appliance having a hidden door handle assembly disposed on a door body, wherein the hidden door handle assembly comprises at least: a handle body movable between a hidden position and an extended position; a handle base fixedly connectable to the door body, and in which the handle body is pivotally movably received; a drive mechanism by means of which the handle body is drivable between the hidden position and the extended position; and a control unit that controls the driving mechanism to drive the handle body between the hidden position in which the handle body is stowed in the handle base and the extended position in which the handle body is pivotally extended relative to the handle base.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, a proximity sensor is arranged in the handle base, which proximity sensor is in communication with the control unit, wherein in the hidden position, when the proximity sensor senses the proximity of a human body part, in particular a hand, the proximity sensor signals the control unit such that the control unit controls the drive mechanism to drive the handle body into the extended position.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, in the extended position, the control unit controls the drive mechanism to drive the handle body into the hidden position when the proximity sensor does not sense a nearby human body part within a certain period of time, e.g. 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 5 seconds.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the concealed door handle assembly engages a side edge of the door body, and in particular, in the concealed position, an outer surface of the handle body is substantially flush with an outer surface of the door body.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the handle body has a pivot hole at one end and the handle base has a corresponding pivot recess, wherein the handle body is pivotably connected to the handle base by inserting a connecting shaft into the pivot hole and the pivot recess.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the drive mechanism comprises: a drive motor having a drive gear, which is arranged in a motor receptacle of the handle base, on which motor receptacle a motor cover plate is in particular covered; and a drive rack disposed on the handle body and engaged with a drive gear of the drive motor.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the drive mechanism is provided with protection means for decoupling the drive gear of the drive motor from the drive motor when the drive gear is subjected to an external force exceeding a threshold value.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the drive motor is fixed in the motor housing by means of at least one holding lug.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, damping foam is arranged at the contact of the holding lugs with the drive motor (130).

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the drive motor is a stepper motor, the rotational speed of which is in particular 1-2 revolutions per minute.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the hidden door handle assembly further comprises a limiting means for limiting the maximum angle at which the handle body is pivoted open.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the limiting device comprises: a slide having a slide channel, the slide being disposed in a slide receiving portion of the handle base; and a slider arranged on the handle body and slidably fitted into the slide groove, wherein the slider is connected with the slide way through a connecting piece, so that the relative displacement of the slider and the slide way is limited.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the connecting piece is provided with at least one connecting cap at one end, and at least one connecting stud is provided in the slide receiving portion, the at least one connecting cap being connected to the at least one connecting stud in a pivotable manner.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, the connecting piece is configured with at least one connecting projection at the other end and the slider has a connecting recess in which at least one connecting groove is configured, the at least one connecting projection engaging into the at least one connecting groove such that the at least one connecting projection can slide in the at least one connecting groove.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, a first stop and a second stop are provided at both ends of the at least one connecting groove, respectively, for limiting the sliding distance of the at least one connecting projection in the at least one connecting groove, and thus limiting the maximum angle at which the handle body is pivoted open, wherein the maximum angle is preferably between 5 ° and 30 °, in particular between 10 ° and 20 °, particularly preferably 15 °.

According to an alternative embodiment of the application, a door body engagement projection is configured on the handle base for torsionally-resistant engagement into a corresponding recess of the door body.

According to some embodiments of the present application, a door handle that is compact, is less prone to dust accumulation, and is easy to operate can be realized.

Drawings

The principles, features and advantages of the present application may be better understood by describing the present application in more detail with reference to the drawings. The drawings include:

Fig. 1A shows a schematic view of a household appliance 1 according to the invention in a perspective view, wherein the concealed door handle assembly 100 is in a concealed position.

Fig. 1B shows a schematic view of a household appliance 1 according to the invention in a perspective view, wherein the concealed door handle assembly 100 is in an extended position.

Fig. 2 shows hidden door handle assembly 100 in an exploded view.

Fig. 3 schematically shows the connection of the handle chassis 120 to the body 200 of the household appliance 1 and to the door body 10.

Fig. 4 shows a detail view of the drive motor 130 alone.

Fig. 5 shows a detail view of the drive rack 112 in isolation.

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged view of the chute-receiving portion 124 in which the chute 140 is disposed.

Fig. 7 shows a detail view of the connecting piece 150 in isolation.

Fig. 8 shows a detail view of the slider 113 alone.

Fig. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the concealed door handle assembly 100 in a concealed position at a stop.

Fig. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the hidden door handle assembly 100 in an extended position at a stop.

Fig. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the concealed door handle assembly 100 in the concealed position at the drive mechanism.

Fig. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the hidden door handle assembly 100 in an extended position at the drive mechanism.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous technical effects to be solved by the present application more apparent, the present application will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and a plurality of exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the application.

First, in order to facilitate understanding, returning to the description of the background art section, there is a problem in the prior art that a recessed handle of a refrigerator is prone to dust deposition and is not attractive.

In view of at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems, or other possible technical problems, one exemplary embodiment of the present application provides a home appliance having a hidden door handle assembly disposed on a door body, wherein the hidden door handle assembly includes at least: a handle body movable between a hidden position and an extended position; a handle base fixedly connectable to the door body, and in which the handle body is pivotally movably received; a drive mechanism by means of which the handle body is drivable between the hidden position and the extended position; and a control unit that controls the driving mechanism to drive the handle body between the hidden position in which the handle body is stowed in the handle base and the extended position in which the handle body is pivotally extended relative to the handle base.

For a better understanding of the present application, exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before beginning the detailed description, it is noted that directional terms used in the description refer to a conventional assembled state of a household appliance for convenience of description and are not to be construed as absolute limitations on the corresponding features.

In fig. 1A and 1B, a schematic illustration of a household appliance 1 according to the invention is shown in a perspective view, wherein fig. 1A shows a hidden position of a hidden door handle assembly 100 and fig. 1B shows an extended position of the hidden door handle assembly 100. The domestic appliance 1 is here by way of example a refrigerator, but the domestic appliance 1 can also be any domestic appliance having a door body, for example a wine cabinet, a dishwasher or the like. As can be seen from fig. 1A and 1B, the household appliance 1 has a door body 10 which is provided for closing a receiving space of the household appliance 1, for example a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, in which items to be stored, for example food, can be stored. The household appliance 1 also has a concealed door handle assembly 100 for the door body 10. Here, as shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the hidden door handle assembly 100 is disposed, for example, at upper and lower edges of the door body 10. However, it is alternatively contemplated that the hidden door handle assembly 100 may be disposed at the open side edge of the door body 10, or at any location convenient for the user to operate. As shown in fig. 1A, in the hidden position, the handle body 110 is stowed in the handle base 120. In particular, the outer surface of the handle body 110 may be substantially flush with the outer surface of the door body 10. As shown in fig. 1B, in the extended position, the handle body 110 is pivotally extended relative to the handle base 120, i.e., relative to the outer surface of the door body 10.

Hidden door handle assembly 100 is shown in an exploded view in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 2, the hidden door handle assembly 100 includes a handle body 110 and a handle base 120. The handle body 110 is configured with a pivot hole 111 at one end, and the handle base 120 is configured with a corresponding pivot recess 121. Here, a connection shaft 160 (see fig. 3, not shown in fig. 2) is inserted into the pivot hole 111 and the pivot recess 121, so that the handle body 110 and the handle base 120 are pivotably connected to each other.

The connection of the handle chassis 120 to the body 200 of the household appliance 1 and to the door body 10 is schematically shown in fig. 3. As shown in fig. 3, the handle base 120 has a door body mating protrusion 125, and the door body 10 is configured with a corresponding recess 101. The recess 101 is in this case form-fitted with the door-body-fitting projection 125, so that the handle base 120 and the door body 10 are connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner. In addition, a connecting device for fixing the handle base 120 to the door body 10 is formed between the handle base 120 and the door body 10, which is, for example, a screw connection, an adhesive connection, a snap connection, etc., and is distributed uniformly over the connection between the handle base 120 and the door body 10. As can also be seen in fig. 3, one end of the connection shaft 160 is inserted into the pivoting recess 121 of the handle base 120, and the other end is fixed to the body 200 by a fixing seat 210 fixed to the body 200. As shown in fig. 3, the fixing base 210 is fixed to the body 200, for example, by bolts. In this way, the door body 10 together with the handle base 120 is held on the body 200 of the household appliance 1 and the door body 10 together with the handle base 120 is pivoted open and closed with respect to the body 200.

The hidden door handle assembly 100 also includes a drive mechanism that includes a drive motor 130 and a drive rack 112. As shown in fig. 2, the driving motor 130 is disposed in the motor receiving part 122 of the handle base 120, and the driving rack 112 is disposed on the handle body 110. In fig. 4, a detail view of the drive motor 130 is shown separately, said drive motor 130 having a drive gear 131. The detail view of the drive rack 112 is shown in isolation in fig. 5. Here, the driving rack 112 is engaged with a driving gear 131 of the driving motor 130, so that the pivoting opening and closing of the handle body 110 can be driven. In particular, the drive motor 130 is a stepper motor, preferably having a rotational speed of 1-2 revolutions per minute. Preferably, the driving motor 130 is held in the motor housing 122 by a holding lug 132. Preferably, vibration damping foam is arranged at the contact portion of the holding lugs 132 with the driving motor 130. Additionally, the motor housing 122 is preferably covered with a motor cover 123.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the drive mechanism has a protection device for decoupling the drive gear 131 from the drive motor 130 when the drive gear 131 of the drive motor 130 is subjected to an external force exceeding a threshold value.

As shown in fig. 2, a proximity sensor 130 is disposed in the handle base 120. Here, the proximity sensor 130 is communicatively coupled to a control unit for controlling the hidden door handle assembly 100. According to the invention, in the hidden position, when the proximity sensor 130 senses the proximity of a human body part, in particular a hand, the proximity sensor 130 signals the control unit such that the drive mechanism drives the handle body 110 into the extended position. Preferably, in the extended position, the control unit controls the driving mechanism to drive the handle body 110 back into the hidden position when the proximity sensor 130 does not sense a nearby human body part for a certain period of time, e.g., 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 5 seconds.

Alternatively, it is also contemplated that the hidden door handle assembly 100 is provided with a Push-Push structure. In the hidden position, the handle body 110 is pushed to spring the handle body 110 to the extended position. Further, in the extended position, the handle body 110 is returned to its hidden position by pushing the handle body 110 again.

According to a preferred embodiment, the hidden door handle assembly 100 further includes a limiting means for limiting the maximum angle at which the handle body 110 is pivoted open. As shown in fig. 2, the limiting means comprises a slideway 140 and a slider 113. Here, the slide 140 is disposed in the slide receiving portion 124 of the handle base 120, and the slider 113 is disposed on the handle body 110.

An enlarged view of the chute-receiving portion 124 in which the chute 140 is disposed is shown in fig. 6. As shown in fig. 6, the slide 140 has a slide groove 141, into which the slide 113 is slidably fitted. Additionally, a chute cover 126 is covered over the chute-receiving portion 124.

The stop also includes a tab 150, the detail view of the tab 150 being shown in isolation in fig. 7. Here, the connecting piece 150 is formed with two opposing connecting caps 151 at one end, and two corresponding connecting pins 1241 (see fig. 6) are formed in the slide receiving portion 124, and these connecting caps 151 are fitted over the corresponding connecting pins 1241 such that the connecting piece 150 can pivot about the axis of the connecting pins 1241.

The detail of the slider 113 is shown in isolation in fig. 8. The slider 113 has a connection recess 1131, and two opposite connection grooves 1132 are formed in the connection recess 1131. As can also be seen in fig. 7, the connecting piece 150 is provided with two connecting projections 152 at the other end, which connecting projections 152 can engage in corresponding connecting grooves 1132, so that the connecting projections 152 can slide in the corresponding connecting grooves 1132.

Fig. 9 and 10 show cross-sectional views of the concealed door handle assembly 100 at the check device in the concealed position and the extended position, respectively. As shown in fig. 9 and 10, a first stopper 1133 and a second stopper 1134 are provided at both ends of the connection groove 1132, respectively. The sliding distance of the coupling protrusions 152 in the corresponding coupling grooves 1132 can be limited by the stoppers, thereby limiting the maximum angle at which the handle body 110 is pivoted open.

Fig. 11 and 12 show cross-sectional views of the concealed door handle assembly 100 at the drive mechanism in the concealed position and the extended position, respectively. Preferably, stops are also provided at both ends of the engagement length of the driving rack 112 and the driving gear 131, respectively, thereby limiting the maximum angle at which the handle body 110 is pivoted open.

The maximum angle at which the handle body 110 is pivoted open is preferably between 5 ° and 30 °, in particular between 10 ° and 20 °, particularly preferably 15 °.

In the present specification, for convenience, words such as "middle", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like, which indicate an azimuth or a positional relationship, are used to describe positional relationships of constituent elements with reference to the drawings, only for convenience of description and simplification of the description, and not to indicate or imply that the apparatus or elements referred to have a specific azimuth, construct and operate in a specific azimuth, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The positional relationship of the constituent elements is appropriately changed according to the direction in which each constituent element is described. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the words described in the specification, and may be appropriately replaced according to circumstances.

In this specification, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, unless explicitly stated or limited otherwise. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; may be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; may be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediate members, or may be in communication with the interior of two elements. The meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

Although specific embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, even where only a single embodiment is described with respect to a particular feature. The characteristic examples provided in the present disclosure are intended to be illustrative, not limiting, unless stated differently. In a specific implementation, the features may be combined with one another where technically feasible according to the actual requirements. In particular, features from different embodiments may also be combined with one another. Various substitutions, alterations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the application.

Claims (14)

1. A household appliance (1), the household appliance (1) having a hidden door handle assembly (100) arranged on a door body (10), wherein the hidden door handle assembly (100) comprises at least:

A handle body (110), the handle body (110) being movable between a hidden position and an extended position;

A handle base (120), the handle base (120) being fixedly connectable to the door body (10), and the handle body (110) being pivotally movably received in the handle base (120);

-a drive mechanism by means of which the handle body (110) can be driven to move between the hidden position and the extended position; and

A control unit which controls the driving mechanism to drive the handle body (110) to move between the hidden position and the extended position by means of the control unit,

Wherein in the stowed position the handle body (110) is stowed in the handle base (120), and in the extended position the handle body (110) is pivotally extended relative to the handle base (120).

2. Household appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein a proximity sensor (130) is arranged in the handle base (120), the proximity sensor (130) being in communication with the control unit, wherein in the hidden position, when the proximity sensor (130) senses that a human body part, in particular a hand, is approaching, the proximity sensor (130) signals the control unit such that the control unit controls the drive mechanism to drive the handle body (110) into the extended position.

3. The household appliance (1) according to claim 2, wherein in the extended position, the control unit controls the drive mechanism to drive the handle body (110) into the hidden position when no human body part is sensed nearby within a certain period of time, e.g. 20 seconds, 10 seconds, 5 seconds, by the proximity sensor (130).

4. The household appliance (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the concealed door handle assembly (100) engages to a side edge of the door body (10), in particular in the concealed position, an outer surface of the handle body (110) is substantially flush with an outer surface of the door body (10).

5. Household appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle body (110) has a pivot hole (111) at one end and the handle base (120) has a corresponding pivot recess (121), wherein the handle body (110) is pivotably connected with the handle base (120) by inserting a connecting shaft (160) into the pivot hole (111) and the pivot recess (121).

6. Household appliance (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said driving mechanism comprises:

a drive motor (130) having a drive gear (131), the drive motor (130) being arranged in a motor receptacle (122) of the handle base (120); and

-A drive rack (112), said drive rack (112) being arranged on said handle body (110) and being in engagement with a drive gear (131) of said drive motor (130).

7. Household appliance (1) according to claim 6, wherein the drive mechanism has protection means for decoupling the drive gear (131) from the drive motor (130) when the drive gear (131) of the drive motor (130) is subjected to an external force exceeding a threshold value.

8. Household appliance (1) according to claim 6, wherein the drive motor (130) is fixed in the motor housing (122) by means of at least one holding lug.

9. The household appliance (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hidden door handle assembly (100) further comprises a limiting means for limiting the maximum angle at which the handle body (110) is pivoted open.

10. Household appliance (1) according to claim 9, wherein said limiting device comprises:

A slide (140) having a slide slot (141), the slide (140) being arranged in a slide (140) receptacle of the handle base (120); and

A slider (113), the slider (113) being arranged on the handle body (110) and being slidably fitted into the slide groove (141),

The sliding block (113) is connected with the slideway (140) through a connecting sheet (150), so that the relative displacement of the sliding block (113) and the slideway (140) is limited.

11. Household appliance (1) according to claim 10, wherein the connecting piece (150) is configured with at least one connecting cap (151) at one end, at least one connecting stud (1241) being configured in the receiving portion of the slide (140), the at least one connecting cap (151) being connected in a pivotable fit with the at least one connecting stud (1241).

12. The household appliance (1) according to claim 11, wherein the connecting piece (150) is configured with at least one connecting protrusion (152) at the other end, and the slider (113) has a connecting recess (1131), in which connecting recess (1131) at least one connecting groove (1132) is configured, the at least one connecting protrusion (152) engaging into the at least one connecting groove (1132) such that the at least one connecting protrusion (152) can slide in the at least one connecting groove (1132).

13. Household appliance (1) according to claim 12, wherein a first stop (1133) and a second stop (1134) are provided at both ends of the at least one connecting groove (1132), respectively, for limiting the sliding distance of the at least one connecting projection (152) in the at least one connecting groove (1132), thereby limiting the maximum angle at which the handle body (110) is pivoted open, wherein the maximum angle is preferably between 5 ° and 30 °, in particular between 10 ° and 20 °, particularly preferably 15 °.

14. Household appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a door body engagement protrusion (125) is configured on the handle base (120) for torsion-resistant engagement into a corresponding recess of the door body (10).