EP3303954B1

EP3303954B1 - A refrigerator with increased insulation efficiency

Info

Publication number: EP3303954B1
Application number: EP16724361.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kadir Ridvan Celik; Faik Emre Ozyuksel; Mehmet Ercan KAYMAK; Fahri KIRLI
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2015-06-04
Filing date: 2016-05-17
Publication date: 2020-02-26
Anticipated expiration: 2036-05-17
Also published as: PL3303954T3; EP3303954A1; WO2016192972A1

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator of which the insulation performance is improved.
In refrigerators, in order to provide the insulation of the compartments wherein foods are stored from the outer environment, the doors of the compartments are enclosed with magnetic gaskets. Magnetic gaskets provide the closing of the doors safely by pulling of the doors toward the body with the effect of the magnetic force, while providing sealing. The magnetic attraction force between the door and the body is desired to be weak so as not to make it difficult to open the doors and to cause difficulty of use. However, in the case that users close the door swiftly, the weak magnetic force proves insufficient and the door rebounds from the body and remains ajar. Such cases wherein thermal insulation cannot be provided cause the quality of the foods to decrease and the energy consumption to increase.
In the state of the art European Patent Document No. EP2113621 , a refrigerator comprising a door lock is disclosed.
The aim of the present invention is the realization of a refrigerator wherein energy losses are reduced.
The refrigerator realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises a body; at least two compartments that are disposed in the body and wherein foods are placed; at least two doors that have an open position providing access into the compartments, a closed position closing the front of the compartments, and an intermediate position that the doors take while moving from the open position to the closed position or from the closed position to the open position; a retainer that is disposed on the body and that protrudes from the body so as to stay between the doors, and at least two pins disposed on the edges of the doors facing the retainer.
The refrigerator of the present invention comprises at least two housings that are disposed on the doors, whereto the pins are attached and wherein the pins move when the doors are in the intermediate position; at least two cavities that are arranged on the retainer, the ports of which face the doors when the doors are in the closed position; and the pins that almost entirely remain outside the housing when the doors are in the open position, that contact the tip of the retainer and move toward the inside of the housing and are pushed into the housing when the doors are in the intermediate position and that are seated into the cavities when the doors are in the closed position. The pin, whereon no force is applied when the door is in the open position, assumes a free position so as to be almost entirely remain outside the housing. The pin contacting the tip of the retainer when the door is in the intermediate position while moving from the open position to the closed position moves inside the housing and is pushed into the housing due to the force applied thereon. When the door is in the closed position, the pin jumps over the tip of the retainer and returns to its free position at least partially and is seated into the cavity. When the door is moved from the closed position to the open position, the pin rubbing against the surface of the cavity moves toward inside the housing and is pushed into the housing and the door returns to the intermediate position again. When the pin crosses over the tip of the retainer and returns to its free position, the door shifts to the open position. When the doors are in the closed position, by means of the retainer having a cavity corresponding to each pin, at least two doors are closed simultaneously and safely.
According to the present invention, at least two cavities are arranged on the retainer with their ports facing opposite directions. Thus, at least two doors disposed on both sides of the retainer are kept in the closed position simultaneously by means of a single retainer.
According to the present invention, the cavities arranged on the surfaces of the retainer parallel to each other are disposed so as to slide against each other such that a space remains therebetween on the retainer. Thus, the thickness of the retainer can be kept lesser than the total depth of the two cavities and the space therebetween is decreased when the doors are in the closed position and thus the overall appearance is improved.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the tip of the retainer has in V shape. The pin contacting the retainer as the door is moving to the closed position rubs against the inclined surface of the tip of the retainer and is progressively pushed into the housing. After crossing over the thickest point of the tip of the retainer, the pin returns to the free position and is seated into the cavities positioned behind the tip of the retainer and thus the door shifts to the closed position. Thus, the closing movement of the door is softened.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the pins are connected to the housing by means of at least one spring. Due to the pressure applied by the tip of the retainer on the pin when the doors are moving from the open position to the closed position, the spring compresses and pushes the pin toward inside the housing. When the doors are in the open or the closed position, the spring returns to the balanced state at least partially and pushes the pin toward outside the housing. By means of the springs, easy movement of the pins inside the housing is provided.
In an embodiment of the present invention, at least one claw is provided on the pin or the housing, projecting from the surface whereon the claw is positioned, and at least one recess is provided on the pin or the housing opposite to the claw, wherein the claw moves and that guides the movement of the pin inside the housing. Thus, movement of the pin inside the housing is limited.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sections of the bases of the pins are rectangular, with the long side of the rectangular running parallel with the plane of the door. Since the rubbing surface of the pins along the opening direction of the door is enlarged, the retaining efficiency of the doors is increased.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the retainer is mounted on a hinge that is disposed on the body and that attaches at least one door to the body. By fastening the retainer to the body by means of the hinge, ease of production and assembly is provided.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the retainer is produced from a hard plastic or metal material. Thus, any problems such as wearing or sagging that may occur on the retainer over the time are prevented.
By means of the present invention, at least two doors belonging to different compartments can be closed simultaneously and safely. Thus, possible energy losses are prevented and insulation efficiency of the refrigerator is increased.
The refrigerator realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

Figure 1 - is the perspective view of the refrigerator related to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 - is the partial perspective view of the refrigerator related to an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 - is the partial perspective view of the cross-sections of the door, the hinge and the retainer related to an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 - is the exploded view of the door, the retainer and the hinge related to an embodiment of the invention.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Refrigerator
2. Body
3. Compartment
4. Door
5. Pin
6. Housing
7. Spring
8. Retainer
9. Cavity
10. Claw
11. Recess
12. Hinge

The refrigerator (1) of the present invention comprises a body (2); at least two compartments (3) that are disposed in the body (2) and wherein foods are placed; at least two doors (4) that have an open position providing access into the compartments (3), a closed position closing the front of the compartments (3), and an intermediate position that the doors (4) take while moving from the open position to the closed position or from the closed position to the open position; a retainer (8) that is disposed on the body (2) and that protrudes from the body (2) so as to stay between the doors (4), and at least two pins (5) disposed on the edges of the doors (4) facing the retainer (8). Since a friction force is applied on the pin (5) contacting the retainer (8) as the door (4) moves from the closed position to the open position in the opposition direction of the movement, the door (4) is released from the retainer (8) only if the door (4) is pulled by applying adequate force and the door (4) moves to the open position. Thus, movements of the doors (4) in the opening direction are made difficult and involuntary opening thereof is prevented.
The refrigerator (1) of the present invention comprises at least two housings (6) that are disposed on the doors (4), whereto the pins (5) are attached and wherein the pins (5) move when the doors (4) are in the intermediate position; at least two cavities (9) that are arranged on the retainer (8), the ports of which face the doors (4) when the doors (4) are in the closed position; and the pins (5) that almost entirely remain outside the housing (6) when the doors (4) are in the open position, that contact the tip of the retainer (8) and move toward the inside of the housing (6) and are pushed into the housing (6) when the doors (4) are in the intermediate position and that are seated into the cavities 6) when the doors (4) are in the closed position. When the door (4) is in the open position, the pin (5) is in the free position so as to be almost entirely outside the housing (6) as no force is applied on the pin (5). When the doors (4) are in the intermediate position, the pin (5) contacts the tip of the retainer (8) and rubs against the tip of the retainer (8) and is pushed into the housing (6) when the door (4) moves toward the body (2). At the moment the pin (5) crosses over the tip of the retainer (8) that pushes the same into the housing (6), the pushing force applied thereon is removed. Thus, the pin (5) returns to the free position again and is seated in the cavities (9) on the retainer (8) and the door (4) comes to the closed position. When the doors (2) are in the closed position, by means of the cavities (9) wherein each of the pins (5) positioned on a different door (2), at least two doors (2) are held in the closed position simultaneously. Thus, more than one door (4) can be closed safely.
When the door (4) in the closed position is brought to the intermediate position by applying a force thereon in the direction of opening, the friction force between the pin (5) inside the cavity (9) and the wall of the cavity (9) provides the movement of the pin (5) toward inside the housing (6). Thus, the pin (5) is pushed toward inside the housing (6). After being pushed into the housing (6), the pin (5) is released from the cavity (9) and contacts the tip of the retainer (8). At the moment the pin (5) crosses over the tip of the retainer (8), since the pushing force applied thereon is removed, the pin (5) moves toward outside the housing (6) and returns to the free position and thus the door (4) shifts from the intermediate position to the open position. Consequently, in the case that the door (4) hits the body (2) sharply, the friction force applied on the pin (5) surpasses the force applied on the door (4) in the direction of opening and the door (4) is held in the closed position. Thus, rebounding of the door (4) closed harshly is prevented.
In an embodiment of the invention, the retainer (8) has three cavities (9) wherein the pins (5), one of which is positioned on the right side door (4) that closes the first compartment (3), for instance, the fresh food compartment, on the right side, the other positioned on the left side door (4) that closes the compartment (3) on the left side, and the third positioned on a third door (4) that closes the second compartment (3), for instance, the freezing compartment, are seated when the doors (4) are in the closed position. Thus, in the so-called "French type" refrigerators (1), three doors (4) are retained simultaneously.
According to the invention, at least two cavities (9) are positioned on the retainer (8), with their ports facing opposite directions. In the case wherein the compartments (3) are positioned one over the other, while the doors (4) of the compartments (3) are moving to the open position and the closed position, the pins (5) move into the housing (6) in the vertical direction. In the case wherein the compartments (3) are positioned side by side, the pins (5) move inside the housing (6) in the horizontal direction. By means of the cavities (9) positioned on the surfaces of the retainer (8) parallel to each other, with their ports facing opposite directions, the doors (4) closing the compartments (3) positioned on both sides of the retainer (8) can be held in position simultaneously.
According to the present invention, the cavities (9) are positioned on the retainer (8) in a slided manner with respect to each other, so that a space remains therebetween. By means of the cavities (9) positioned on the retainer (8) so that the deepest sections thereof do not come back to back, the thickness of the retainer (8) is reduced and the pins (5) and the doors (4) are enabled to be positioned closer to each other. Thus, when the doors (4) of the refrigerator (1) are in the closed position, the overall appearance thereof is improved.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the tip of the retainer (8) is in V shape. When the door (4) moves from the open position to the closed position, the pin (5) rubs against the inclined surface of the tip of the retainer (8) and is pushed progressively into the housing (6). At the moment the pin (5) reaches the thickest point of the tip of the retainer (8), the pin (5) is released of the pushing force applied thereon, the pin (5) continues its movement toward the cavity (9) and forces the door (4) to close. Thus, the movement of the door (4) in the direction of closing is facilitated.
In an embodiment of the invention, the refrigerator (1) comprises the springs (7) that attach the pins (5) to the housing (6), that are compressed when the doors (4) are moving to the open position and to the closed position and thus that move the pins (5) toward inside the housing (6) and return to at least partially to the balanced state when the doors (4) are in the open position and the closed position and push the pins (5) toward outside the housing. The springs (7) enable the pins (5) to move comfortably inside the housing (6).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator (1) comprises at least one claw (10) that is disposed on the pin (5) or the housing (6) and that forms a protrusion from the surface whereon the claw (10) is positioned and at least one recess (11) that is disposed on the pin (5) or the housing (6), wherein the claw (10) moves, and that guides the movement of the pin (5) inside the housing (6). As the pin (5) moves inside the housing (6), the claw (10) moves with respect to the recess (11). Since the claw (10) can move along the length of the recess (11), the length of the recess (11) determines the amplitude of the movement of the pin (5) inside the housing (6). Thus, in the cases which cause application of excessive force on the pin (5), such as bending on the doors (4) due to excessive loading, damage to the pins (5) or the springs (7) fastened to the pin (5) is prevented and it is ensured that the amplitude of movement remains within the pre-set values at all times.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sections of the bases of the pins (5) are rectangular such that the short side runs perpendicular to the plane of the door (4). By means of the pins (5) with their long sides extending parallel to the plane of the door (4) and the cavities (9) in matching forms with the pins (5), the bearing surface of the door (4) in the direction of opening can be expanded. Thus, closing of the door (4) in a stable way is provided.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the retainer (8) is disposed on a hinge (12) that is disposed on the body (2) and that connects at least one door (4) to the body (2). By fastening the retainer (8) to the body (2) by means of the hinge (12), the need for an additional mounting process on the body (2) is eliminated and thus ease of production is ensured.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the retainer (8) is produced from metal or hard plastic. Thus, any problems that may occur on the retainer (8), such as sagging, wearing, etc., over the time are prevented.
By means of the present invention, rebounding of swiftly closed doors (4) is prevented and thus the insulation performance of the refrigerator (1) is improved.

Claims

A refrigerator (1) comprising a body (2); at least two compartments (3) that are disposed in the body (2) and wherein foods are placed; at least two doors (4) that have an open position providing access into the compartments (3), a closed position closing the front of the compartments (3), and an intermediate position that the doors (4) take while moving from the open position to the closed position or from the closed position to the open position; a retainer (8) that is disposed on the body (2) and that protrudes from the body (2) so as to stay between the doors (4), and at least two pins (5) disposed on the edges of the doors (4) facing the retainer (8), at least two housings (6) that are disposed on the doors (4), whereto the pins (5) are attached and wherein the pins (5) move when the doors (4) are in the intermediate position; at least two cavities (9) that are arranged on the retainer (8) with their ports facing opposite directions, the ports of which face the doors (4) when the doors (4) are in the closed position; and the pins (5) that almost entirely remain outside the housing (6) when the doors (4) are in the open position, that contact the tip of the retainer (8) and move toward the inside of the housing (6) and are pushed into the housing (6) when the doors (4) are in the intermediate position and that are seated into the cavities 6) when the doors (4) are in the closed position characterized by the cavities (9) that are disposed on the retainer (8) in a slided manner with respect to each other such that a space remains therebetween, so that the deepest sections of the cavities (9) do not come back to back, for reducing the thickness of the retainer (8).
A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the retainer (8) of which the tip is in V shape.
A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the springs (7) that attach the pins (5) to the housings (6), that are compressed when the doors (4) are moving to the open position and to the closed position and thus that move the pins (5) toward inside the housing (6) and return to at least partially to the balanced state when the doors (4) are in the open position and the closed position and push the pins (5) toward outside the housing.
A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by at least one claw (10) that is disposed on the pin (5) or the housing (6) and that forms a protrusion from the surface whereon the claw (10) is positioned and at least one recess (11) that is disposed on the pin (5) or the housing (6), wherein the claw (10) moves, and that guides the movement of the pin (5) inside the housing (6).
A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the pins (5) of which the cross-sections of the bases are rectangular, of which short side runs perpendicular to the plane of the door (4).
A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a hinge (12) that is disposed on the body (2) and that connects at least one door (4) to the body, and by the retainer (8) disposed on the hinge (12).
A refrigerator (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the retainer (8) produced from metal or hard plastic.