EP2857779B1

EP2857779B1 - Turnover beam and refrigerator provided with same

Info

Publication number: EP2857779B1
Application number: EP13884952.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Liyun Li; Minwei TAN; Dongning Zhi; Meiyan WANG
Original assignee: Hisense Ronshen Guangdong Refrigerator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hisense Ronshen Guangdong Refrigerator Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-08-07
Filing date: 2013-08-07
Publication date: 2017-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 2033-08-07
Also published as: EP2857779A4; WO2015017990A1; EP2857779A1; ES2657633T3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical fields of refrigerators, wine cabinets, beverage containers and freezers, and in particular, to a turnover beam for use in a refrigerator door and a refrigerator provided with the turnover beam, which is generally used the door a side-by-side door-equipped refrigerated compartment, a French refrigerator, and multi-door refrigerator, and a cross-like four-door refrigerator.

BACKGROUND

At present, conventional refrigerated compartments in the market are generally configured in refrigerators equipped with side-by-side doors, such as French refrigerators, multi-door refrigerators and the like. Typically a turnover beam capable of turning over at 90 degrees is designed on a refrigerator door on one side of the refrigerator. It is generally required that when the door is closed, the turnover beam is parallel to the door, and when the door is opened, the turnover beam is perpendicular to the door. It is a common practice that a torsion spring is used to ensure that the turnover beam is only maintained stable at either of the two positions, that is, a door open position or a door close position.
In the above design, the torsion spring is typically provided outside the turnover beam, thereby affecting appearance of the refrigerator. In addition, service life of the torsion spring is limited, and opening and closing during long-term use of the refrigerator may cause damages to the torsion spring, which resulting in failure of the turnover beam. During shift of the torsion spring between the two states, the torsion spring is definitely subjected to a dead center. In this case, if the design is not proper, the turnover beam may remain at the dead center, affecting normal use of the refrigerator.
Document JP H04 225774 A relates to a known door device for a refrigerator. In document WO 2009/109878 A1 a known household refrigerating appliance is described.

SUMMARY

The technical problem to be solved in the present invention is to provide a turnover beam featuring simple structure, convenient mounting and long service life, and a refrigerator provided with the turnover beam.
To solve the above technical problem, the present invention employs the following technical solution: a turnover beam, comprising: a front cover plate, a rear cover plate, a mount, and an elastic structure; wherein: the front cover plate and the rear cover plate mate with each other to form a cavity, the mount and the elastic structure being positioned in the cavity; the mount comprises a fixing position coupled to a refrigerator door and a rotating shaft hinged to a hole provided on the front cover plate, the rotating shaft being provided with a limiting stopper; and one end of the elastic structure is fixed into the cavity, and the other end of the elastic structure is a free end which elastically contacts with the limiting stopper, when the refrigerator door is at either of two limiting positions, the free end of the elastic structure being positioned on two sides of the limiting stopper, and when the refrigerator door is between the two limiting positions, the free end of the elastic structure being in elastic contact with the limiting stopper.
According to the present invention, the mount and the elastic structure are positioned inside the cavity, which causes no impact on the appearance and facilitates the mounting. In addition, the conventional torsion spring is replaced by contacting the elastic structure and the limiting stopper, and open and close states thereof are shifted by means of deformation and resilience of the elastic structure. Therefore, no "dead center" is caused and the service life is prolonged.
Specifically, the elastic structure is an elastic piece, the limiting stopper of the mount is of an arch structure, one end of the elastic structure is fixed onto the front cover plate, and the two limiting positions are a door close position and a door open position.
In addition, the present invention further provides a refrigerator, comprising: a cabinet, the cabinet being provided with at least one compartment, the compartment being provided with side-by-side doors; and at least one group of the above-mentioned turnover beams, the turnover beams being mounted on side surfaces of the doors.
The turnover beam is in parallel with the door when the door is closed, and the turnover beam is perpendicular to the door when the door is opened.
Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present disclosure lie in that:
According to the present invention, the mount and the elastic structure are positioned inside the cavity, which causes no impact on the appearance and facilitates the mounting. In addition, the conventional torsion spring is replaced by contacting of the elastic structure and the limiting stopper, and open and close states thereof are shifted by means of deformation and resilience of the elastic structure. Therefore, no "dead center" is caused and the service life is prolonged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic structural view of a turnover beam according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of a mount according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a combination of the mount and a front cover plate according to the present invention; and
FIGS. 4 to 6 are schematic structural views of the turnover beam from a door close state to a door open state according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is further described with reference to a specific embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a turnover beam, comprising: a front cover plate 1, a rear cover plate 2, a mount 3, and an elastic structure 4. The front cover plate 1 and the rear cover plate 2 mate with each other to form a cavity, wherein the mount 3 and the elastic structure 4 are positioned in the cavity. The mount 3 comprises a fixing position 32 coupled to a refrigerator door and a rotating shaft 31 hinged to a hole 11 provided on the front cover plate 1, wherein the rotating shaft 31 is provided with a limiting stopper 33. One end of the elastic structure 4 is fixed into the cavity, and the other end of the elastic structure 4 is a free end which elastically contacts with the limiting stopper 33, wherein when the refrigerator door is at either of two limiting positions, the free end of the elastic structure 4 is positioned on two sides of the limiting stopper 33, and when the refrigerator door is between the two limiting positions, the free end of the elastic structure 4 is in elastic contact with the limiting stopper 33.
The front cover plate 1 is fixed to the rear cover plate 2 via snap-fitting. In addition, a foam, a heating wire and the like are also defined in the above cavity. The mount 3 is fixed onto a container rib on a lateral side of the door.
Specifically, the elastic structure 4 is an elastic piece, the limiting stopper 33 of the mount 3 is of an arch structure, one end of the elastic structure 4 is fixed onto the front cover plate 1, and the two limiting positions are a door close position and a door open position.
As illustrated in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, one end of the elastic piece is fixed onto the front cover plate via a screw 5, the free end is arc-shaped, an outer side of the mount is also provided with an section of arc-shaped structure, and when the door is closed, the elastic piece is in contact with one side of the limiting stopper of the mount to ensure that the turnover beam is stably in this state. When the door is being opened, the elastic piece is subjected to deformation due to extrusion, and when turnover of the turnover beam exceeds a specific angle, a resilience force of the elastic piece causes the turnover beam to continuously turn over until the door is opened. In the door open state, the elastic piece is in contact with the other side of the limiting stopper of the mount to ensure that the turnover beam is stably in this state.
In addition, the present invention further provides a refrigerator, comprising: a cabinet, the cabinet being provided with at least one compartment, the compartment being provided with side-by-side doors; and at least one group of the above-mentioned turnover beams, the turnover beams being mounted on side surfaces of the doors.
The turnover beam is in parallel with the door when the door is closed, and the turnover beam is perpendicular to the door when the door is opened.
Obviously, the above embodiment is merely an exemplary one for illustrating the present invention, but is not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention. Persons of ordinary skills in the art may derive other modifications and variations based on the above embodiment. All embodiments of the present invention are not exhaustively listed herein. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made without departing from the principle of the present invention should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

A refrigerator, comprising:
a cabinet, the cabinet being provided with at least one compartment, the compartment being provided with side-by-side doors; and

at least one group of turnover beams mounted on side surfaces of the doors; a turnover beam comprising: a front cover plate (1), a rear cover plate (2), a mount (3), and an elastic structure (4); and in that: the front cover plate (1) and the rear cover plate (2) mate with each other to form a cavity, the mount (3) and the elastic structure (4) are being positioned in the cavity; the mount (3) comprises a fixing position (32) coupled to a refrigerator door and a rotating shaft (31) hinged to a hole (11) provided on the front cover plate (1), characterized in that the rotating shaft (31) is being provided with a limiting stopper (33); and one end of the elastic structure (4) is fixed into the cavity, and the other end of the elastic structure (4) is a free end which elastically contacts with the limiting stopper (33), when the refrigerator door is at either of two limiting positions, the free end of the elastic structure (4) being positioned on two sides of the limiting stopper (33), and when the refrigerator door is between the two limiting positions, the free end of the elastic structure (4) being in elastic contact with the limiting stopper (33).
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the elastic structure (4) is an elastic piece.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the limiting stopper (33) of the mount (3) is of an arch structure.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein one end of the elastic structure (4) is fixed onto the front cover plate (1).
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the two limiting positions are a door close position and a door open position.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the turnover beam is in parallel with the door when the door is closed, and the turnover beam is perpendicular to the door when the door is opened.