EP1379818B1 - Refrigerator with door security device - Google Patents

Abstract

The refrigerator has a housing (8) and at least one door (5) enclosing a thermally insulated inner chamber and door securing device with two elements (9,10) that perform a relative motion when the door opens. The first element has a lock bar part (21) movable transversely to the relative movement under a restoring force and the second has a protrusion (18) interacting with the lock bar part.

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator with a device housing and at least one door, which enclose at least one heat-insulated interior. Such refrigerators are usually equipped at their doors with a peripheral magnetic seal that closes the interior largely airtight in the closed state of the door and also holds the door in the closed position by acting between the seal and a door frame on the device housing magnetic force. The range of this magnetic force is very short. It can therefore not reliably avoid that the door is not completely coincident, but a gap remains wide open, without this is the refrigeration device from the outside in a conspicuous way to look at.

This problem is particularly disturbing in refrigerators with two or more doors that close not airtight separate interiors. These indoor spaces may be e.g. to act a freezer and a refrigerated compartment of a combination refrigerator, or even in the refrigerator compartment and a so-called basement compartment, which is kept at a higher temperature than the refrigeration compartment and possibly cooled only by air exchange with the refrigerator compartment. Namely, if a door is slammed in such a device, the resulting surge can cause the other door a small, barely visible gap, jumps, resulting in premature excessive icing of the evaporator and thus possibly a device failure results. To prevent this, a safety device is necessary.

In this case, it would be conceivable to provide a lock as a security device. Refrigerators with lock to protect against unauthorized access are known. Such a lock generally comprises two elements, a latch member and a welchselwirkenden with the latch part projection, one of which has the door and the other the device housing of the refrigerator as a carrier. But they have the disadvantage that the lock would have to be locked specifically to prevent unintentional Aufspringens by the user.

A refrigerator according to the preamble of claim 1 is made FR-A-2 655 369 known.

Based on this prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide by simple constructive measures, a refrigeration device with an improved door safety device.

The object is solved by the features of claim 1. These features allow for easy assembly of the first element.

Preferably, the latch member has two opposing inclined surfaces for interacting with the projection. When the door is opened, the latch member is initially pushed back by sliding one of the inclined surfaces on the projection, while subsequently the force exerted on the latch member on the second inclined surface force drives the door in the direction of complete opening; in a closing movement, the conditions are reversed. An unrecognizable by a user opening gap of the door is thus always safely avoided because the door is pressed by the interconnected via a vertex inclined surfaces either in the closed or in the open position.

Frictional forces between the two elements are minimized when the projection is formed by a roller rotatable about a pin.

Preferably, the first element has the housing of the refrigerator and the second element of the door as a carrier.

A particularly preferred embodiment for built-in refrigerators according to the housing of the first element is mounted on the housing of the refrigerator so that it encloses a bearing angle of the door.

Of course, each door of a multi-door refrigerator can be specially provided with a safety device. A simpler solution, however, is that first element to equip with a second latch member for interacting with a projection of the second door.

In this case, a single spring is sufficient to exert a restoring force on both latch parts.

In this case, the two latch parts can each be movable independently of each other, and the spring exerts in each case oppositely directed forces on the two latch parts.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Stand-Kältegeräts;

Fig. 2

eine Draufsicht auf die Oberseite einer Tür des Kältegeräts aus Fig. 1, wobei die Türsicherungseinrichtung im Schnitt gezeigt ist;

Fig. 3

einen Schnitt durch das obere Abdeckprofil der Tür aus Fig. 2 in einem Schnitt entlang der Linie III-III;

Fig. 4

eine Vorderansicht der oberen Türaufhängung eines Einbau-Kältegeräts gemäß der Erfindung;

Fig. 5

einen Schnitt entlang der Ebene V-V aus Fig. 4 in einem geschlossenen Zustand der Tür;

Fig. 6

einen Schnitt entlang der gleichen Ebene V-V in einem teilweise geöffneten Zustand der Tür;

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of a stationary refrigerator according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a plan view of the top of a door of the refrigerator Fig. 1 wherein the door safety device is shown in section;

Fig. 3

a section through the upper cover profile of the door Fig. 2 in a section along the line III-III;

Fig. 4

a front view of the upper door hanger of a built-in refrigerator according to the invention;

Fig. 5

a section along the plane VV Fig. 4 in a closed state of the door;

Fig. 6

a section along the same plane VV in a partially opened state of the door;

Fig. 1 shows in a perspective view of a stationary refrigerator as the first embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigerator has three interiors, a freezer 1, a refrigerator compartment 2 and a basement compartment 3, which are each closed by doors 4, 5 and 6 respectively. On the front side 7 of the device housing 8 of the refrigerator, first elements 9 of a door safety device are respectively arranged in a gap between two of the doors 4, 5 and 5, 6 corresponding height. To the first elements 9 complementary second elements 10 are respectively mounted on a lower edge of the door 4, an upper or lower edge of the door 5 and an upper edge 11 of the door 6, wherein in the Fig. Only one of the upper edge 11 projecting second element 10 is visible.

The elements 9, 10 are from the center of the front panel 7 respectively to that side of the refrigerator, in the case of Fig. 1 the right side, offset, on which the hinged doors 4, 5 are struck. The elements 9, 10 of the door locking device for the door 6 of the basement compartment, which is not pivotable, but is guided on a pull-out mechanism, could also be mounted centrally on the front panel 7, to exclude tilting of the extension mechanism when opening and closing, or it could in each case a further first and second element 9, 10 may be mounted symmetrically to the one shown on the left side of the front panel 7.

Structure and operation of the elements 9, 10 of the door safety device are in the Figs. 2 and 3 shown. Fig. 2 shows a horizontal section through the right front corner portion of the device housing 8 at the level of the upper of the two first elements 9 between the doors 4, 5. One recognizes the first element 9 in section and the underlying door 5 of the refrigerating compartment 2. The upper edge of the door 5 is formed by a plastic molding 12, which in Fig. 3 in a section along the plane III-III of Fig. 2 is shown.

In the molded part 12 here a shaft 13 is inserted, which is fixedly connected to the molding via a wide circumferential rim 15 and thus against tilting due to the Opening and closing the door 5 acting forces is secured. In the shaft 13, a screw 14 is screwed, the head portion forms a pin 16, on which a roller 17 is rotatably supported.

With sufficient strength of the material of the molded part 12, the shaft 13 could of course also be formed integrally with the molded part 12.

Pin 16 and roller 17 together form a projection 18 of a second element 10 of the door safety device, which interacts with the first element 9.

The first element 9 is, as in particular in Fig. 2 to recognize, essentially constructed of a housing 19 whose back is secured by screws 20 on the front side 7 of the refrigeration device housing 8, two in the housing 19 pivotally mounted latch members 21, and a compression spring 22, which within the housing 19 between the latch members 21st is arranged and this apart. Complementary to the two latch parts 21, the door 5 carries two projections 18.

In the in Fig. 2 shown closed position of the door 5, the projections 18 are each at a first inclined surface 23 of the latch members 21 at. When the door is opened, the latch members 21 are pushed back into the interior of the housing 19 against the restoring force of the compression spring 22, wherein the rollers 17 each roll on the associated inclined surface 23. As long as the projections 18 are in contact with the first inclined surfaces 23, they exert a force in the closing direction on the door 5 by the restoring force of the spring 22. When the door 5 is further opened, the projections 18 finally come into contact with second inclined surfaces 24 of the latch members 21, which face away from the first inclined surfaces 23 and exert a force in the opening direction on the door 5. This construction ensures that the door can only remain in a fully closed state or in such a wide open state that the door can not be overlooked by a user. From all intermediate positions, the door either closes automatically or it opens so far that this is not overlooked by the user.

Since to open the door 5, the resistance of the spring 22 is overcome, an accidental cracking of the door 5, such as when the door 4 or 6 is slammed excluded.

Each latch member 21 is substantially plate-shaped and carries on its top and bottom an elongate web 25, which in the fully open state of the door, when the latch member 21 is no longer in contact with the associated projection 18, against an edge of a slot of the housing 19 abuts from which the two inclined surfaces 23, 24 protrude. The web 25 thus ensures that even in the open state of the door, the two latch members 21 can not move further from each other under the influence of the spring 22, as in Fig. 2 shown.

Two pins projecting upwardly and downwardly from each latch member 21 define an axis 26 for pivotal movement of the latch members. A bearing for the axis 26 is bounded on the one hand by the housing 19, on the other hand by the front side 7. This construction makes it possible to easily assemble the first member 9 by inserting the latch members 21 and the compression spring 22 into the housing 19 from the open rear side thereof; After the housing 19 is mounted with its rear side on the front side 7, an escape of the latch members 21 and the spring 22 is no longer possible.

Of course, of the two projections 18, with which the in Fig. 2 shown first element 9 interacts, also be attached to the door 5 and the second mounted on the door 4 above. In this way, the first element 9 can serve to secure both doors simultaneously.

Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of the invention with reference to a front view of the upper right corner of a built-in refrigerator. A part of the front side 37 of the refrigerating device and a door 35 can be seen. A furniture plate, which conceals the door 35 and the front side 37 when the appliance is installed, has been omitted in the FIGURE. The door 35 is hinged on the right, an upper bearing angle of the door hinge is hidden behind a housing 38, from which a pivot pin 36 protrudes downward and engages in the door 35.

The housing 38 is part of a first element 39 of a door safety device, which, in particular the in Fig. 5 shown section along the line VV Fig. 4 shows, largely analogous to the first element of Figs. 2 and 3 is constructed. The first element 39 comprises a single latch member 51, which is pressed by a compression spring 52 into a position in which it protrudes from a window of the housing 38. The compression spring 52 is supported with its end facing away from the latch part 51 on an inner wall 57 of the housing 38. The structure of the second element 40 of the door-locking device does not differ from that with reference to FIGS Figs. 2 and 3 Also, the operation of the two inclined surfaces 53, 54 of the latch member 51 is the same as described above.

At the side facing away from the compression spring 52 side of the inner wall 57, a bearing bracket 58 for the rotational suspension of the door 35 is housed in the housing 38. An integrally formed on the bearing bracket mounting bracket 59 is secured by two screws 60 on the front side 37. The housing 38 covers the fastening tab 59.

Fig. 6 shows a section along the plane VV Fig. 4 in which the door is partially open. The second member 40 contacts the apex of the latch member 51 at the transition between its first and second inclined surfaces 53, 54. This is the position of maximum compression of the compression spring 52. When the door is slightly further opened, the second member rolls on the second inclined surface 54 and the door is pushed open; if it is minimally closed further from this position, the second element 40 rolls on the first inclined surface 53, and the door closes.

Claims (9)

1. Refrigerating appliance with a appliance housing (8) and at least one door (4, 5, 6), which enclose at least one thermally insulating interior space (1, 2, 3), and with a door securing device with two elements (9, 10; 39, 40; 69, 70), of which one (10, 40, 70) has the door (4, 5, 6) as support and the other (9, 39, 69) has the appliance housing (8) as support and which execute a relative movement during opening and closing of the door (4, 5, 6), wherein the first (9, 39, 69) of the two elements comprises a locking part (21, 51, 81) displaceable transversely to the relative movement against a restoring force and the second (10, 40, 70) comprises a projection (18, 48) interacting with the locking part, wherein the locking part at the start of an opening movement of the door is displaceable by the projection against the restoring force, characterised in that the first element (9, 39) has a housing (19, 38) in which the locking part (21, 51) is mounted to be pivotable about an axle (26), wherein a bearing for the axle (26) is formed on the one hand by the housing (19, 38) of the first element (9, 39) and on the other hand by the support of the first element (9, 39).
2. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that the locking part (21, 51, 81) has two inclined surfaces (23, 24; 53, 54; 83, 84), which face away from one another, for interaction with the projection (18, 48).
3. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the projection (18, 48) comprises a roller (17, 47, 77) rotatable about a pin.
4. Refrigerating appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first element (9, 39, 69) has the appliance housing (8) as support and the second element (10, 40, 70) has the door (4, 5, 6) as support.
5. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 4, characterised in that the housing (49) of the first element surrounds a mounting bracket (58) of the door (5).
6. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 4, characterised in that the first element (9) has a second locking part (21; 83, 84) for interaction with a second projection (18).
7. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 6, characterised in that the second projection (18) is mounted on a second door of the refrigerating appliance.
8. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the restoring force on the two locking parts (21) is produced by one spring (22) acting on both.
9. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 8, characterised in that the spring (22) exerts respectively oppositely directed forces on the two locking parts (21).

Images