JP2001173303A - Door opening mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a door opening mechanism which solves inconveniences such as enlarged rotation cam, unsightly design of the mechanism, large motion of a grip member, degraded operability, and a large space for operation, which inconveniences are caused by reduction of an operating force, thereby resulting in long distance between a hinge pin functioning as a rotation shaft of the rotation cam to a first contact projecting surface sequential to the grip member, and to provide the door opening mechanism which solves an inconvenience of constraint of design caused by limitation of a location at which a sliding shaft presses a cabinet, to the vicinity of a door handle opening means. SOLUTION: In the door opening mechanism having a door 2 for opening/ closing an opening portion 31, a lever means which is separated from the periphery of the opening portion 31 by a predetermined interval is provided. A location at which a point of lever action of the lever means is located, is separated from a location of a power point of the lever, and the point of lever action is functionally connected to the lever power point via a space 13a arranged within the door 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a door opening / closing mechanism for a refrigerator or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a door opening / closing mechanism of this type is provided with inner and outer handles on a door as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-73367, and is rotatably mounted on one side of the inner and outer handles. Providing a hinged handle member, providing a rotating cam so as to perform a seesaw motion by grasping the handle member and inner and outer handles with fingers,
A slide shaft that slides back and forth by the seesaw motion of the rotating cam is provided, the handle member and the inner and outer handles are pinched by a finger, and the slide shaft is moved by the force of a finger. There is something that presses and separates the door by a certain distance.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned door opening / closing mechanism, a considerable grasping force of a fingertip is required to grasp the handle member and the inner and outer handles with fingers.
There is a problem that even if the user pulls the handle member while applying his / her weight, a considerable grip force of the fingertip is required. In order to reduce the operating force, it is necessary to increase the distance from the hinge pin, which is the rotation axis of the rotary cam, to the first contact protrusion surface connected to the handle member. There is also a problem that the handle member is required to be largely moved, the operability is deteriorated, and a large space is required. Further, the position where the slide shaft pushes the cabinet is limited to a position near the door handle opening / closing means. There was a problem that there was a design limitation.

[0004]

A door opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention solves the above-mentioned problem. In a door opening / closing mechanism provided with a door for opening and closing an opening, the door opening / closing mechanism is separated from a periphery of the opening by a predetermined distance. The lever-type means for leverage is provided, and the position of the lever-type means acting as the lever is located away from the position of the leverage point, and the lever-operating point and leverage point are provided inside the door. It is characterized by being functionally connected through space.

Further, in a door opening and closing mechanism provided with a door for opening and closing the opening, a lever-type means is provided to be spaced apart from the periphery of the opening by a predetermined distance. In the vertical direction, a lever acting point of the lever type means is located at a position apart from a lever force point, and a shaft having a rotation axis center serving as a lever point of the lever type means is provided. The shaft functionally connects the lever acting point and the lever acting point to a position close to the shaft at at least one of the lever acting point and the lever acting point. The protruding part is extended from the shaft.

In the door opening and closing mechanism provided with a door for opening and closing the opening, a lever type means is provided to be separated from the periphery of the opening by a predetermined distance, and a surface of the lever type means which is drawn by leverage operation is provided. In the vertical direction, a lever acting point of the lever type means is located at a position apart from a lever force point, and a shaft having a rotation axis center serving as a lever point of the lever type means is provided. The shaft is characterized by functionally connecting a portion serving as a leverage point and a portion serving as a leverage point, and having at least one end of the shaft provided with an L-shaped bent portion.

Further, in the door opening and closing mechanism of the present invention, the door has a heat insulating material, the lever is provided with a handle, a support portion of the handle is provided on the door, and the lever acts as a lever. The point of force is functionally connected through a space provided inside the door, and at least a part of a portion serving as the space is provided in the support portion of the handle, and a movable portion of the lever type means including the space is provided with the heat insulating material. It is characterized by being isolated.

Further, the door opening and closing mechanism of the present invention is provided with a cam mechanism for engaging and disengaging the door and the main body on both sides of the door, and the cam mechanism has a symmetrical first locking position and a second locking position on both sides of the door. In the closed state of the door, the cam mechanisms on both sides take the first locked position, and when one of the two sides of the door is opened, the door moves toward the door open side by a predetermined distance. Moving to a second locking position, and rotatably locked at the second locking position, the cam mechanism has a lock cam portion and a slide cam portion, and the slide cam portion has an outer slide cam; The lock cam portion has an outer lock cam arranged to be engaged with the outer slide cam. To open the door, the door is moved by a lever-type means provided on the door to be separated by a predetermined distance. In a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane drawn by leverage of the lever, The position of the lever acting as a lever is located away from the point of leverage, and the lever and the lever are functionally connected to each other through a space provided inside the door. At least a part serving as a fulcrum and a point of action of the lever is formed as an integral arm, and a part of the arm serving as a fulcrum is rotatably supported by the slide cam portion.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a door opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator provided with a door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a handle by leverage means of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view of the handle support and handle base of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 shows a hinge angle on the lower side of the door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention. FIG. 7
FIG. 8 is a view showing a lock cam above the door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a view showing a slide cam above the door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a slide of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of the lower side of the door near the cam.
FIG. 11 is a view showing the operation of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a view showing the operation of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a view showing another embodiment of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention. It is a figure equivalent to BB sectional drawing.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a refrigerator body, 2 is a refrigerator door, 3 is a vegetable door, 4 is a freezer door, 5 is a freezer door,
The refrigerator main body 1 has an isolation room having an opening at the front corresponding to each of the doors. The refrigerator compartment door 2
Is a double door, which has lever-type handles 6 and 7 on the right and left respectively.

The upper and lower door caps 9 and 10 are respectively inserted into the upper and lower ends of a door plate 8 whose right and left ends are bent rearward to form a box 11, and the handles 6, 7 are attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2. The opening 8a, 8b is provided in a portion where the door plate 8 is cut out.

The openings 8a, 8b are respectively provided with handle supports 12, 13 from behind, and the handle supports 12, 13 are provided with the openings 8a, 8b.
The handle bases 14 and 15 are respectively attached so as to be inserted through the left and right side surfaces obliquely forward.

The handle bases 14, 15 are located outside the handle supports 12, 13, and are attached with screws from inside the door with the door plate 8 interposed therebetween. Then, in a place where a gap is formed in the mounting portion of each part, a sealing process (not shown) is applied to a portion on the inner side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 with a sealing material (not shown), and a refrigerator compartment door small assembly 16 is obtained. Also, in the drawing, the handle supports 12, 13 are shown.
Is not visible from the outside, so its outline is not drawn,
Leader lines are drawn by dotted lines to show their approximate positions.

The refrigerator compartment door subassembly 16 is put into a foaming jig, and a urethane foam material is injected from a rear opening (not shown) of the refrigerator compartment door subassembly 16 so as to cover the rear opening. A rear plate (not shown) is attached to the refrigerator compartment door subassembly 16 and the lid of the foaming jig is closed, urethane foaming is performed, and after foaming is completed, the foaming jig is taken out of the foaming jig and foamed inside. The assembly 17 in the refrigerator compartment door having a heat insulating material (not shown) is completed. The vegetable compartment door 3 and the freezer compartment doors 4 and 5 are drawer-type doors, respectively.
It can be pulled out in the front-back direction.

In FIG. 2, this drawing is a view near the handle 7 on the right side of the door, and is partially cross-sectional so that the internal structure can be seen. In addition, the vicinity of the handle 6 on the left side of the door is obtained by reversing the drawing in the left-right direction. Below the handle base 15 in front of the handle support 13, a keyhole-shaped hole 15b in which a substantially rectangular cut having a width smaller than the diameter of the substantially circular portion 15a continues from the substantially circular portion 15a.
Is provided.

The handle support 13 is provided with a substantially oval-shaped hollow portion 13a facing the hole 15b, and the hollow portion 13a extends to the lower portion 10 of the door cap. There is an oval hole 10a, and the hole 15b, the cavity 13a, and the approximately oval hole 10a
Are spaces 18 communicating with each other.

When the hollow urethane raw material is injected into the box body 11 and foamed, the fitting portion between the hollow portion 13a and the substantially oval hole 10a in the lower portion 10 of the door cap is inserted into the space 18 from the fitting portion. In this case, a sealing process is performed on the portion in some cases so that urethane does not leak. Therefore, the space 18 and the vicinity thereof are covered with the heat insulating material 2.
a.

The lower shaft 19 is inserted into the opening 20a of the lower handle 20, and the L-shaped bent portion 19a above the lower shaft 19 is connected to the holding portion 2 of the lower handle 20.
0b. Then, after passing the L-shaped bent portion 19b through the hole 15b of the handle base 15, a part of the assembly in which the lower shaft 19 and the lower handle 20 are integrated into a substantially circular portion 15a of the hole 15b. A substantially circular boss 20c that is inserted and protrudes below the lower handle 20.
Is a substantially circular portion 15 of the hole 15b of the handle base 15.
The lower handle 20 and the lower shaft 19 are rotatably attached to the handle base 15.
The L-shaped bent portion 19a above the lower shaft 19
Is a holding part 2 of the lower part 20 of the handle by a holding method or an adhesive method.
0b.

In the space 18, a lower shaft 19 is provided.
Is inserted, and the L-shaped bent portion 19b below the lower shaft 19 protrudes from the surface inside the lower portion 10 of the door cap. Therefore, the space 18 has a shape through which the L-shaped bent portion 19b passes. Further, a cam lever 21 acting as an arm on the side of the lever is attached to the lower L-shaped bent portion 19b of the lower shaft 19 from below with the cam lever 21 incorporated in a slide cam 22 serving as a slide cam portion. .

Further, since the lower shaft 19 is provided with the L-shaped bent portions 19a and 19b, respectively,
There is no need to provide a key or key groove for preventing rotation in the connection between the handle 20 and the cam lever 21 and the cam lever 21, so that the structure of the door handle is simplified, the number of parts is reduced, and assembly is facilitated. I have.

Further, the L-shaped bent portions 19a and 19b are durable integrally with the lower shaft 19, and the connection between the lower shaft 19 and the lower handle 20 and the cam lever 21 is more reliable, so that simpler operation is possible. A large force can be reliably transmitted to a remote position by the structure, and a door opening / closing mechanism with good door opening operability can be obtained.

Further, since the L-shaped bent portion 19b can be vertically inserted and removed from the fitting portion of the cam lever 21, when the lower shaft 19 and the lower handle 20 are to be removed after assembling the above components, the slide cam 22 is required. Since there is no need to disassemble from the side, the refrigerator compartment door 2 can be disassembled from the handle 7 side while being attached to the refrigerator body 1, and repairing is easy.

When the L-shaped bent portions 19a and 19b are fitted to the lower handle 20 and the cam lever 21 in a sandwiching manner, the vertical dimension, mounting angle and bending angle of each of these components slightly vary. Even if there are, those fluctuations can be absorbed.

The lower shaft 19 and the lower handle 2
0 and a shape corresponding to a cam lever 21 including a circular boss 21a to be described later are integrally formed by aluminum die casting, forging, injection molding, or the like using the lower handle 20 and the cam lever 21 as projections from a shaft, and correspond to the cam lever 21. If the space through which the part passes is extended and provided at a position corresponding to the space 18, the handle support 13 needs to be enlarged, but becomes tough as described above, and further, the number of parts is reduced and the number of assembling steps is reduced. A door opening / closing mechanism with less dimensional fluctuation, more stable quality, and good assemblability.

Further, the integrally formed member starts from the L-shaped bent portion 19a, is connected to the lower shaft 19, and bends the lower shaft 19 to the end of the cam lever 21 in an L-shape. Invert the circular boss 21
Return to the position of a, and bend at that part to make the circular boss 21
It may be formed into a shape having the same function as that of a, and the bar material may be formed as a single stroke, and the bar material may not be a round bar, and only the rotating portion may be rotated. What is necessary is just to be formed so that it can support.

Further, the integrally formed member and the handle 7 may be integrally formed.

The space 18 and the vicinity thereof are isolated from the heat insulating material 2a, so that the heat insulating material 2a is prevented from entering the space 18 and does not hinder the operation of the lower shaft 19 and the cam lever 21. Operability is improved.

Further, by providing the space 18, even in the case of a door having a heat insulating material 2a foamed therein, the L-shaped bent portion 19b projects integrally with the lower shaft 19 to the surface inside the door cap lower 10. This also simplifies the structure of the door handle, reduces the number of parts, and facilitates assembly.

It is apparent that the same effect can be obtained even with a one-sided door structure having a hinge function on the side opposite to the lever type means.

On the lower surface of the cam lever 21, a circular boss 21a is provided.
The center of the circular boss 21a is located on an extension line below the rotation shaft center 19c, which is a fulcrum of the lever of the lower shaft 19, in a state where the center of the circular boss 21a is attached to the bent portion 19b. And
The circular boss 21a is rotatably fitted in the hole 22a of the slide cam 22.

Therefore, the slide cam 22 also serves to support the cam lever 21, and no other member for supporting the slide cam 22 is provided, thereby simplifying the structure and space. The slide cam 22 is screwed to the reinforcing plate 23 with the lower portion of the door cap 10 interposed therebetween.

Then, the handle 7 is inserted from the outside of the door (right side in the figure) of the lower handle 20 rotatably attached to the handle base 15, and the handle 7 is attached to the lower handle 20 by nail fitting. Can be The handle 7 and the lower handle 20 may be fixed with screws.

The rotation shaft center 1 of the lower shaft 19
A through-hole 7a above the handle 7 and a through-hole 15c of the handle base 15 facing the through-hole 7a, provided centered on an extension line above 9c, and
A substantially circular hole 1 provided in a projection of the handle base 15
The upper shaft 24 is inserted into 5d from below, and the upper part of the handle 7 is rotatably attached to the handle base 15.

By rotating the upper shaft 24,
An L-shaped bent portion 24a provided below the upper shaft 24 is hooked on the projection 15e of the handle base 15 to prevent the upper shaft 24 from coming off.

The rotation shaft center 1 of the lower shaft 19
A spring 25 is attached to a circular boss 7b on the lower upper surface of the handle 7 provided near the top of the extension 9c.
Is fitted so as to push the handle base 15 backward, and the other end 25b of the spring at the other end is hung on the hook 7c on the lower upper surface of the handle 7 so as to push the hook 7c forward. Therefore, when the refrigerator compartment door 2 is opened by pulling the grip 7d of the handle 7 toward the front and opening the refrigerator compartment door 2 and then releasing the grip 7d, the handle 7 returns to the original position by the reaction force of the spring 25. It has become.

Then, a base cover 26 is attached to the handle base 15 by a claw fitting so as to cover the L-shaped bent portion 24a, the protruding portion 15e, the circular boss 7b, the engaging portion 7c, and the spring 25 of the upper shaft 24, In addition, a handle cover 27 is attached to the front surface of the handle 7 by fitting a claw.

When the base cover 26 is attached to the handle base 15, the L-shaped bent portion 24a is surrounded by the back surface of the base cover 26, the projection 15e, and the surface of the handle base 15. Even if the L-shaped bent portion 24a applied to the protrusion 15e of the handle base 15 rotates, the L-shaped bent portion 24a is disengaged from the protrusion 15e, and the upper shaft 24 is connected to the through hole 7a.
a, 15c and the substantially circular hole 15d do not fall off.

If a wall extending upward is provided at the front end of the projection 15e with a space above the L-shaped bent portion 24a to allow the L-shaped bent portion 24a to pass therethrough, a temporary stopper before the base cover 26 is attached is provided. It plays a role and further improves the assembly workability.

When the sealing process is reliable, there is no danger of urethane leakage and there is no fear that each part loses the foaming pressure and there is no fear of deformation, all the parts related to the handle are assembled in the refrigerator compartment door subassembly 16. Thereafter, the door heat insulating material 2a may be provided by urethane foaming.

It is clear that the same effect can be obtained even with the above-mentioned single-door structure.

In FIG. 3, (a) is a view of the handle support 13 on the right side of the door as viewed from below, and the hollow portion 13a is a substantially oval hole. (B) is a view of the handle base 15 on the right side of the door as viewed from below, and shows a keyhole-shaped hole 1.
5b has a substantially circular portion 15a. When the shapes of the handle support 13 and the handle base 15 are reversed in the left-right direction, the handle support 12 on the left side of the door is provided.
And the shape of the handle base 14.

The hollow portion 13a and the hole 15b are formed so that the L-shaped bent portion 19b of the lower shaft 19 passes therethrough. The substantially circular portion 15a of the keyhole-shaped hole 15b is provided with the handle lower portion 20a. The substantially circular boss 20c is rotatably fitted. The circular center of the substantially circular portion 15a coincides with the rotation shaft center 19c of the lower shaft 19.

Since the value of the diameter of the substantially circular portion 15a is larger than the width of the substantially rectangular cut of the hole 15b, the substantially circular boss 20c under the handle 20 is formed in the substantially rectangular cut portion. Do not get stuck, 2 below the handle
Numeral 0 can be rotatably attached to the handle base 15.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of the vicinity of the handle 7 in the closed state of the refrigerator compartment door 2 on the right side in FIG.
This drawing is the one that is inverted in the left-right direction.

A rear plate 28 is attached to the rear bent portion 8c of the door plate 8. A groove 28a is provided in a peripheral portion of the back plate 28, and a mounting portion 29a of the packing 29 is inserted into the groove 28a to
8 attached. An elastic magnetic body 29b is provided inside the packing 29, and when the door is closed, the packing 29 adheres to the front surface 31 of the main body opening portion such as the color steel cabinet 30 of the refrigerator main body 1 so that the outside air is closed. And is insulated. Reference numeral 2a denotes a heat insulating material of urethane foam which is integrally foamed by the refrigerator compartment door 2.

When the right side of the door is opened from the closed state of the door, the grip 7d of the handle 7 is gripped and pulled forward, and the handle 7 rotates clockwise about the rotation axis center 19c. 7 and the L-shaped bent portion 19a above the lower shaft 19 held by the holding portion 20b of the lower handle 20 shown in FIG. Rotate.

Further, by rotating the lower shaft 19 clockwise, the cam lever 21 shown in FIG. 2 also rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft center 19c, and the main body opening front surface 3 is rotated.
The right side of the refrigerating compartment door 2 is separated from the front surface 31 of the opening of the main body by a predetermined distance until the contact portion 7e of the handle 7 hits the contact receiving portion 15c of the handle base 15 by pushing a lock-out cam 32 which will be described later. Is done.

At this time, the packing 29 in the right direction mainly on the door, which is in close contact with the magnetic force of the magnetic body 29b, is slightly separated from the front surface 31 of the main body opening. It also becomes easy to move to a second locking position, which will be freely locked, which will be described later. The packing 29
Is slightly away from the front face 31 of the main body opening, the outside air easily enters the storage, and the subsequent door opening requires less force than opening the door at the predetermined interval.

Thereafter, when the handle 7 is further pulled toward the user, the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is further opened while the contact portion 7e of the handle 7 remains in contact with the contact receiving portion 15c. In addition, since the grip part 7d can be securely gripped by turning a finger around the grip part 7d, a sufficient force can be applied to pull the handle 7 toward the user, and it is clear that the operability of opening and closing the door is good.

When the grip 7d is released from the hand,
The handle 7 returns to the original positional relationship (the positional relationship shown in this figure) with respect to the handle base 15 due to the reaction force of the spring 25 fitted on the circular boss 7b on the lower upper surface of the handle 7. For this purpose, one end 25a of the spring 25 is pushed so as to push the handle base 15 backward, and the other end 25b is pushed so as to push the engaging portion 7c on the lower upper surface of the handle 7 forward.

The handle 7 is a handle base 1
When returning to the original positional relationship with respect to the handle 5, the handle 7
Hits the steering wheel base 15 and a hitting sound is generated,
In order to soften the impact sound, it is preferable to provide a cushion 7f on at least one of the handle 7 and the handle base 15.

The vicinity of one end 25a of the spring 25 on the handle base 15 side is bent forward like a warp, and the spring 25 is fitted on the circular boss 7b. The handle 7 can be inserted from below the handle 20 from the right side of the door without being caught. In addition, the base cover 26 is attached to the handle base 15 by nail fitting.

The heat insulating material 2a of the refrigerator compartment door 2 has a low heat insulating property, and the handle support 13 and the handle base 15
When dew condensation occurs on the surface of the door support, in front of the door, from the heat insulator 2a side (inside) of the door plate 8 near the handle support 13 to the heat insulator 2a side of the handle support 13, a heat conductive material (for example, aluminum foil) is used. ) May be attached to prevent condensation.

In addition, the vicinity of the rising portion from the vicinity of the door plate 8 at the front portion of the handle support 13 or the handle base 15 becomes substantially vertical or leftward with respect to the vicinity of the door plate 8. If the surface is left, the handle support 13 and the handle base 15 become large, but the heat conductive material can be easily attached.

The periphery of the opening 8b of the door plate 8 is sandwiched between the handle support 13 and the handle base 15, and there is no danger of urethane leakage due to foaming of the urethane foam material. 15) is isolated from the heat insulating material 2a,
There is no penetration of the heat insulating material into the movable part of the lever type means such as the handle 7 and the operation of the lever type means is not hindered. If a seal treatment is performed between the handle support 13 or the handle base 15 and the periphery of the opening 8b of the door plate 8, leakage of the heat insulating material can be more reliably prevented.

Also, the handle support 13 is eliminated, and the handle base 15 is provided with a hollow portion (corresponding to the hollow portion 13a) in the shape of the hole 15b, and is attached to the periphery of the opening 8b by screwing together with a sealing process. Thus, a simplified door opening / closing mechanism with a reduced number of parts can be obtained although the assemblability is reduced. At this time, it is apparent that a hole corresponding to the through hole 15c of the handle base 15 and other openings also need to be sealed.

In FIG. 5, this drawing shows B near the lower part 10 of the door cap in the closed state of the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 in FIG.
A cross-sectional view taken along line -B mainly shows the vicinity of the cam lever 21. The equivalent cross-sectional view near the lower left side door cap 10 is obtained by inverting this drawing in the left-right direction.

A cam lever 21 incorporated in a slide cam 22 from below is attached to the lower L-shaped bent portion 19b of the lower shaft 19 so as to surround it. Therefore, the L-shaped bent portion 19b is
It can be inserted and removed from up and down.

A circular boss 21 below the cam lever 21 provided on the extension of the center 19c of the rotation shaft.
a (see FIG. 2) is a hole 22a of the slide cam 22 (see FIG. 2).
(See Reference).

When the grip 7d of the handle 7 on the right side of the door shown in FIG. 4 is grasped and pulled toward the user, the lower shaft 19 rotates clockwise as viewed from above, about the rotation shaft center 19c. Therefore, the cam lever 21 also rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft center 19c similarly to the lower shaft 19, and the cam lever 21 is in contact with the outer lock cam 32, which is the point of leverage of the cam lever 21, in front of the outer lock cam 32. And the contact portion 7e of the handle 7 shown in FIG.
The right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is separated from the main body opening front surface 31 by a predetermined distance and opened until it hits the hit receiving portion 15c.

The pushing surface 21b of the cam lever 21, which pushes the front of the unlocked cam 32, is
2 is pushed forward toward the center of the refrigerator compartment door 2, so that the front of the lock-out outer cam 32 is obliquely rightward (side of the door). As a reaction force, a force acts to move the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 rightward (to the side of the door) forward.

Further, the door opening at a predetermined interval from the front face 31 of the main body opening with the cam 32 outside the lock, the cam lever 21, the lower shaft 19, and the handle 7 in FIG. Even if the handle 7 is pulled toward the user, the direction in which the force is applied to the lock-out cam 32 can be changed to a free direction to some extent, and the force can be applied in the same direction as the door moving direction. Resistance can be reduced.

This is because the outside lock cam 32
Similar effects can be obtained not only when applying a force but also when applying a force to other portions of the refrigerator main body 1.

Further, the pressing surface 21 of the cam lever 21
b from the portion in contact with the outer cam 32
Since the distance to 9c is shorter than the distance from the rotation axis center 19c in FIG. 4 to the center of the grip 7d of the handle 7, the force applied to the grip 7d is inversely proportional to the length of each lever according to the principle of leverage. As a result, the lock-out cam 32 is pushed with a stronger force than the force applied to the grip 7d, so that the door opening force can be reduced beautifully in a small space and in aesthetic design.

Since the position of the cam lever 21 serving as the arm of the leverage point is located below the refrigerator compartment door 2, the position of the cam lever 21 of the arm portion on the other side is determined by the weight of the refrigerator compartment door 2. Pressed in the vertical direction, the position of the arm portion and the counterpart (for example, the cam 32 outside the lock) is stably held in the vertical direction, and the moving operation force due to the lever is transmitted to the portion where the opening resistance is applied, and the position is further stabilized. A door opening / closing mechanism that performs an opening operation is obtained.

Then, the rotation of the handle 7 is
The position of the lever (the position of the grip 7d of the handle 7) and the position of the lever (the position of the lever with respect to the cam lever 21) of the lever-type means are transmitted to the cam lever 21 through the vertical direction. The door can be set to a position where it works effectively, and the door opening operability is improved.

That is, the position of the handle 7 in the height direction is set so as to be within the range of the average shoulder to elbow height of the woman to make it easy to pull forward,
Can be set below the refrigerator compartment door 2 to stabilize the application of force, and the operability of opening the door is improved.

Further, the lower shaft 7 is provided in the space 1 shown in FIG.
Through the passage of 8, a sophisticated door opening and closing mechanism with a beautiful design is obtained.

It is apparent that the same effect can be obtained from the above-mentioned one-sided door structure having a hinge function on the side opposite to the lever type means.

In FIG. 6, (a) to (d) are views of the right side from the center of the hinge angle 33 attached to the main body opening front surface 31 of the refrigerator body 1 with screws or the like below the refrigerator compartment door 2 from above. It is. FIG. 6A is a plan view showing one side of the hinge angle 33. FIG. Note that the left side from the center of the hinge angle 33 has a shape obtained by inverting FIG. 6A in the left-right direction. 6B to 6D are cross-sectional views taken along line AA, line BB, and line CC of FIG. 6A, respectively.
It is a line sectional view.

Further, since the weight of the door and the like are added below the refrigerator compartment door 2, the lock outer cam 32 is made of a metal (for example, a stainless steel plate) for reinforcement.
In addition, metal (for example, galvanized steel sheet: 3.2 m thick)
A hinge pin 34 made of metal (for example, a stainless steel bar) and an outer lock cam 32 are attached to the angle 33a of FIG. The hinge pin 34 serves as a rotation axis for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment door 2.

A hinge cover 33 b is formed by insert molding, and a lock cam portion 36 including a second cam projection 35 described later is formed integrally with the hinge angle 33. Reference numeral 33c denotes a contact receiving portion, which restricts opening of the door when the door is opened.

The upper surface of the hinge pin 34 at the hinge angle 33 supports the corresponding surface of the slide cam 22 and floats other portions around the hinge pin 34, so that other movements of the door when the door is moved or the door is opened and closed can be performed. It serves to prevent friction and snagging of the parts, and much of the door opening resistance is also applied to the upper surface of the hinge pin 34.

Since the cam lever 21 shown in FIG. 5 pushes the front of the strong lock-out cam 32 when the door is opened, the cam lever 21 shown in FIG. 5 is easy to push even in position, and an extra member is additionally provided or further reinforced. There is no need, the structure is simplified and the cost is low. In addition, since it is close to one hinge pin 34 that mainly applies the opening resistance during the door movement, the moving operation force due to the lever is transmitted to the vicinity of the part where the opening resistance is applied, and it is stable. Thus, a door opening / closing mechanism that performs the opening operation can be obtained.

In FIG. 7, (a) to (d) are attached to a hinge angle (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1 with screws or the like, and a slide cam (described later) on the upper right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is provided. FIG. 10 is a view showing a lock cam 37 of the lock cam portion corresponding to 40. FIG. 7A is a view showing the lock cam 37 as viewed from above, and the lock cam on the left has a shape obtained by inverting the drawing in the left-right direction.

FIGS. 7B to 7D respectively show FIGS.
It is the sectional view on the AA line, the sectional view on the BB line, and the sectional view on the CC line of (a). At one end of the lock cam 37, a through hole 38 into which the hinge pin 34 is inserted is provided. An arc-shaped second cam projection 35 is formed concentrically with the through hole 38.

In this structure, the cam lever 21 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 is located only below the door, and when the door is opened, the cam lever 21 pushes the lock-out cam 39 of the lock cam 37 located above the door. Since the resin material (for example, polyacetal resin) is sufficient in strength, the through hole 38 of the lock cam 37 is made of resin at a position facing the outer lock cam 32 and in a similar shape.
A cam 39 outside the lock is integrally formed in the vicinity of the end different from the end. The outside lock cam 39 has a large engagement area with the other slide outside cam 43.
The engagement relationship is the same, and is longer than the cam 32 outside the lock.

8A and 8B show slide cams 40 serving as slide cams located on the upper right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 corresponding to the lock cams 37 in FIG. 3 is a plan view and a front sectional view of FIG. The slide cam 40 has a first grooved cam 4 for guiding the engagement with the hinge pin 34 to be released from the first locking position.
1 and a second grooved cam 42 for guiding the hinge pin 34 from the first locking position to a second locking position in which the hinge pin 34 functions as a rotation axis.

The slide cam 40 engages with the outer slide cam 43 arranged to engage with the outer lock cam 39 in FIG. 7 and the second cam projection 35 in FIG. The first cam projection 44 is arranged so that

9, (a) and (b) are views near the slide cam 22 on the lower right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 shown in FIG. It is. The slide cam 22 also has a first groove cam 41, a second groove cam 42, a slide outer cam 43, and a first cam protrusion 44, similarly to the slide cam 40 shown in FIG. The slide cam 22 is provided with an opening 45 through which the cam lever 21 pushes the outer lock cam 32 shown in FIG.

A circular boss 21a serving as a rotation axis of the cam lever 21 is rotatably fitted in a hole 22a of the slide cam 22. Reference numeral 46 denotes a stopper which serves as an opening stop when the refrigerator compartment door 2 is fully opened.
a in the contact receiving portion 33c provided in the hinge angle 33 in FIG.
When a hits, the door will not open any more.

Further, 47 is a roller assembly and is a refrigerator compartment door 2.
When the door is closed, it rides on the upper surface of the hinge angle 33 shown in FIG. 6, supports the load of the refrigerator compartment door 2, serves to keep the airtight state of the front opening 31 of the main body well, and assists the door opening / closing operation. ing. In addition, the slide cam 2
2. The stopper 46 and the roller assembly 47 are screwed to the reinforcing plate 23 via the lower door cap 10.

In FIG. 9B, the stopper 46,
The illustration of the roller assembly 47 and the door plate 8 is omitted because it becomes complicated.

In FIG. 10, (a) to (c) show the lock cam portion 3 of FIG. 6 when the right side of the lower door of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is opened.
FIG. 10 is a view showing a relative positional relationship between the slide cam 22 and the slide cam 22 of FIG. 9, wherein (a) is a view showing a closed state of the refrigerator compartment door 2, and a cam mechanism including a lock cam portion 36 and the slide cam 22 is a first mechanism.
It is in the locked position.

At this time, the first groove cams 41 provided on the left and right slide cams 22 are formed so as to face diagonally inward of the door, respectively, and are regulated by the hinge pins 34, so that the user can use the first groove cams 41. Even when the door and the grip 7d of the handle 7 are simultaneously pulled forward from both left and right sides, the door does not fall off the main body.

FIG. 7B shows a state in which the door 7 starts to open from the right side by grasping the grip 7d of the handle 7 on the right side of the door shown in FIG. 4 and pulling it slightly forward.

At this time, when the grip portion 7d is slightly pulled toward the user,
The cam lever 21 rotates clockwise about the rotation center 19c,
The pushing surface 21b of the cam lever 21 pushes the right front end of the outer cam 32 backward. Therefore, due to the reaction, the right wall surface of the first groove cam 41 on the right slide cam 22 becomes
It moves diagonally forward while hitting the hinge pin 34 of the right lock cam portion 36, and the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 moves diagonally right forward.

At the same time, the rear wall surface 42a of the second groove cam 42 in the left slide cam 22 moves obliquely and rearward while hitting the hinge pin 34 of the left lock cam portion 36, and the left side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is inclined. Move right back.

(C) shows a state in which the grip 7d shown in FIG. 4 is further pulled forward, and the door is further opened from the right side. At this time, the right cam lever 21 further pushes the right front end of the outer lock cam 32 rearward, and the sliding surface 43a of the outer slide cam 43 on the right side of the door slides with the slide surface 32a of the outer lock cam 32. become.

Then, the first groove cam 41 guided by the right hinge pin 34 further moves the door diagonally right and forward,
The left side of the door is the wall surface 42a at the back of the left second groove cam 42.
Moves further obliquely and rearward while hitting the hinge pin 34 of the left lock cam portion 36, and the left side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 further moves obliquely rightward and rearward.

At this time, the contact portion 7 in FIG.
e pulls the grip portion 7d further forward, hits the contact receiving portion 15c of the handle base 15, and even if the grip portion 7d is further pulled further forward, the cam lever 21
Does not push the lock-out cam 32 any more, after which the handle 7 functions as a normal handle.

The pushing surface 21b of the cam lever 21, which pushes the front of the unlocked cam 32 on the right side of the door, is almost completely moved while the front of the unlocked cam 32 is being pushed.
As it goes to the center side of the, it becomes the position of the front. For this reason, the front of the lock-out cam 32 is pushed obliquely from the front right side, and as the reaction force, a force acts to move the right refrigerator compartment door 2 to the front right side.

This is because the front of the lock-out cam 32 is
It means that you are pushing in the direction opposite to the opening direction of the door. Then, the above-described force for moving the refrigerator compartment door 2 to the right front facilitates the movement of the first groove cam 41 on the right slide cam 22 along the outer periphery of the right hinge pin 34.

Further, the slide cam 22 on the left side of the door is simultaneously pulled to the right of the door by the movement of the pressing surface 21b, so that the left second groove cam 42 can easily move along the outer periphery of the left hinge pin 34, The left slide cam 22 can easily take the second locking position.

Therefore, the pressing surface 2 of the cam lever 21
1b moves the refrigerator compartment door 2 to the second position.
It will work to move to the locking position, the door can be easily moved when the door is opened, and the door will move reliably,
A door opening / closing mechanism with a good door opening operation can be obtained.

When the doors (a) to (c) are operated,
The pushing surface 21b of the left cam lever 21 is in such a degree that it contacts the left outside lock cam 32, and the left slide cam 22
The shape does not hinder the movement of. The relationship between the left pushing surface 21b and the unlocked cam 32 is maintained while the left pushing surface 21b approaches the left unlocked cam 32 when the door is opened and closed.

At this time, if a small gap is left between the left pushing surface 21b and the lock-out cam 32, the pushing surface 21b and the lock-out cam 32 are rubbed when the left slide cam 22 moves. Eliminates the danger of abnormal sounds due to

In FIG. 11, (a) to (c) show the relationship between the relative positions of the lock cam portion 36 and the slide cam 22 when the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is further opened than in FIG. 10A shows a state in which the door is further pulled forward with the grip 7d shown in FIG. 10 in FIG. 10C and the right side of the door is further opened. At this time, the circular portion 42b of the second grooved cam 42 on the left side of the door is
4 and the slide cam 22 on the left is in the second position.
The lock position is reached.

Then, the first cam projection 44 on the left side starts engaging with the second cam projection 35, and the first cam projection 44 is slidably guided. Further, on the right side of the door, the sliding surface 43b of the outer cam 43 slides on an arc having the rotating surface 32b of the outer cam 32 and the hinge pin 34 on the left as a rotation axis.

Therefore, the left slide cam 22 is locked so as not to be disengaged from the left hinge pin 34, so that the door is prevented from dropping from the main body, and the door can be reliably opened and closed.

Further, when the door is rotated, the inner portion 41 of the right first grooved cam 41 is rotated about the left hinge pin 34 as a rotation axis.
The right side of a moves while being in contact with the hinge pin 34, and then the engagement between the right side hinge pin 34 and the first grooved cam 41 is released.

The inner portion 41 of the right first grooved cam 41
The engagement with the hinge pin 34 in FIG. 7A assists when the outer cam 43 or the outer lock cam 32 is broken or when the first cam projection 44 on the left side engages with the second cam projection 35.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the door is further opened from the right side with the grip 7d, the engagement between the outer lock cam 32 and the outer slide cam 43 of each right side cam mechanism is released. The engagement between the right lock cam portion 36 and the slide cam 22 is released.

On the left side of the door, the sliding surface 43c of the outer cam 43 is
And the sliding surface 32c of the outer cam 32 slides, and the outer cam 43 is slidably guided by the outer cam 32.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11C,
Only by the engagement of the left first cam projection 44 and the second cam projection 35, the left slide cam 22 is
, And the door is opened around the axis center of the left hinge pin 34 as the center of rotation.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show the slide cam 22 and the lock cam portion of the refrigerator compartment door 2 when the right side of the door is opened by holding the grip 7d of the handle 7 on the right side of the door shown in FIG. 36 shows the relationship of the refrigerator compartment door 2
The same applies to the relationship between the lock cam 37 and the slide cam 40 above.

In order to close the right side of the opened door from the state shown in FIG. 11C, it is preferable to push the vicinity of the right end of the front of the door by hand. 10 and 11 are the same as those in FIGS. 10 and 11, and since the grip 7d of the handle 7 is not pulled toward the user, only the cam lever 21 is moved by the reaction force of the spring 25 in FIG.
0 (a).

Also, when opening the left side of the door, as shown in FIG.
0 and FIG. 11 are inverted in the left-right direction.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB near the lower part 10 of the door cap in a closed state of the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 in FIG. FIG. The equivalent cross-sectional view near the lower left side door cap 10 is obtained by inverting this drawing in the left-right direction.

A cam lever 50 serving as an arm incorporated in a slide cam 49 serving as a slide cam portion is attached from below to an L-shaped bent portion 48b below the lower shaft 48 corresponding to the lower shaft 19 so as to surround the same. Have been. The slide cam 49 and the cam lever 50 have the same structure except that the rotation shaft center 48c of the lower shaft 48 is located behind the front end of the outer lock cam 32.

The pushing surface 50b of the cam lever 50 pushing the front of the unlocked cam 32 is
Most of the time when the front of the lock outer cam 32 is pressed, the rotation shaft center 48c serving as a lever of the lower shaft 48 is located rearward of the front end of the lock outer cam 32. The front of the door 32 is pushed obliquely from the right side (side of the door) from the front, and as a reaction force, a force acts to move the refrigerator compartment door 2 to the right (side of the door).

Therefore, a part of the moving operation force of the cam lever 50 as the lever arm acts to move the door to the second locking position, so that the door can be easily moved when the door is opened. The door can be reliably moved, and a door opening / closing mechanism with a favorable door opening operation can be obtained.

Although the heat insulating material 2a is made of urethane foam, it may be another foam heat insulating material or a heat insulating material such as glass wool.

The case where the cam lever as the lever is provided only below the door is provided. It is apparent that the operation of the door is further improved if a cam lever is provided at the corresponding position above the door. It is. Even if the shape of the arm corresponding to the cam levers 21 and 50 is a simple bar, the arm sufficiently functions as a door opening function.

Furthermore, although the above description has been made on the left and right double doors of the refrigerator, similar effects can be obtained with other doors (for example, hinged single doors). Alternatively, a similar effect can be obtained even if the door is on the upper surface or the lower surface.

Further, it is obvious that the structure of the lever-type means of the present invention can be used also as a means for opening the drawer-type door. For example, the handle is provided above the center in the left-right direction of the door, The center may be provided horizontally at the center of the door rather than the grip, the arm may be provided on at least one of the sides in the left and right direction of the door, and the space may be provided at the corresponding location. When a finger can be put into the part, the handle can be moved downward by using the weight and weight of the arm, so that the opening operability is further improved.

[0118] The left-right direction means the left-right direction when the refrigerator is viewed from the front, and the front-back direction means the front-back direction when the refrigerator is viewed from the front. Also, in this drawing, hatching is omitted for portions showing a thin cross section such as a plate thickness.

[0119]

Since the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention is constructed as described above, the lever acting point of the lever-type means can be located at a position distant from the lever force point, so that the lever force point can be obtained. Each position can be set to a position that effectively works the position that becomes the position and the position that acts as a lever, ensuring the opening operation of the door, further reducing the opening force of the door,
A door opening / closing mechanism with good door opening operability that can open the door with a small force can be obtained, and a sophisticated door opening / closing mechanism with a beautiful design can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator provided with a door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a handle by the lever type means of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the handle support and the handle base of FIG. 2 as viewed from below.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a hinge angle below a door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a lock cam above a door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a slide cam above a door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of the lower side of the door near the slide cam of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing the operation of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view showing the operation of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view showing another embodiment of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, and is a view corresponding to a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Refrigerating room door (door) 2a Insulation material 6 Handle 7 Handle 7d Handle (leverage point) 12 Handle support (handle support) 13 Handle support (handle support) 13a Cavity (space) 14 Handle base (handle support portion) 15 Handle base (handle support portion) 18 Space 19 Lower shaft (shaft) 19a L-shaped bent portion 19b L-shaped bent portion 19c Center of rotation axis (lever fulcrum) 21 Cam lever (arm) Reference numeral 21a Circular boss (a portion serving as a fulcrum of a lever) 22 Slide cam (slide cam portion) 31 Front surface of main body opening (opening portion) 32 Out-of-lock cam 36 Lock cam portion 37 Lock cam (lock cam portion) 39 Out-lock cam 40 Slide cam (Slide cam part) 43 Outer slide cam 48c Center of rotation shaft (Leverage) Fulcrum) 49 slide cam (slide cam portion) 50 cam lever (arm)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Yoshimura 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka F-term (reference) 3L102 JA01 KA04 KB05 KB08 KB25 KE06 KE07

Claims (5)

[Claims] In a door opening and closing mechanism provided with a door for opening and closing an opening, a lever-type means is provided to be separated from the periphery of the opening by a predetermined distance, and a lever serving as a lever operating point is located at a lever position. A door opening / closing mechanism which is located at a position distant from a position serving as a point of force, and wherein the point of action of the lever and the point of leverage are functionally connected through a space provided inside the door. 2. A door opening / closing mechanism provided with a door for opening and closing an opening, wherein a lever-type means is provided to be separated from the periphery of the opening by a predetermined distance, and a surface of the lever-type means drawn by leverage operation is provided. In the vertical direction, a lever acting point of the lever type means is located at a position apart from a lever force point, and a shaft having a rotation axis center serving as a lever point of the lever type means is provided. The shaft functionally connects the lever acting point and the lever acting point,
A door opening / closing mechanism, wherein a protruding portion is extended from the shaft toward a position near the shaft at at least one of the point of application of the lever and the point of the lever. 3. A door opening / closing mechanism provided with a door for opening and closing an opening, wherein a lever-type means is provided to be separated from the periphery of the opening by a predetermined distance, and a surface of the lever-type means drawn by leverage operation is provided. In the vertical direction, a lever acting point of the lever type means is located at a position apart from a lever force point, and a shaft having a rotation axis center serving as a lever point of the lever type means is provided. The shaft functionally connects the lever acting point and the lever acting point,
A door opening / closing mechanism, wherein an L-shaped bent portion is provided at at least one end of the shaft. 4. The door has a heat insulating material, a handle is provided on the lever-type means, a support portion of the handle is provided on the door, and the point of action of the lever and the point of leverage are provided inside the door. It is functionally connected through a space, and the support portion of the handle is provided with at least a part of the portion serving as the space, and a movable portion of the lever type means including the space is isolated from the heat insulating material. The door opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, 2, or 3. 5. A cam mechanism for engaging and disengaging the door and the main body is provided on both sides of the door, and the cam mechanism can take symmetric first and second locking positions on both sides of the door. In the closed state of the door, the cam mechanisms on both sides take the first locking position, and when one of the two sides of the door is opened, the door moves to the door opening side by a predetermined distance to set the second locking position. The cam mechanism has a lock cam portion and a slide cam portion, the slide cam portion has an outer slide cam, and the lock cam portion has the slide outer portion. An unlocked cam arranged to engage with the cam, wherein the door is opened by moving the door by a lever-type means provided on the door and separated by a predetermined distance, and the lever is drawn by leverage operation of the lever-type means. Is the point of action of the lever, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane The position is at a position distant from the position to be the leverage point, and the leverage point and leverage point are functionally connected through a space provided inside the door, and the lever is at least a fulcrum and a point to be a point of operation. A door opening / closing mechanism, wherein a portion serving as a lever of the arm is rotatably supported by the slide cam portion.