JP2009097812A - Hinge device and refrigerator using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hinge device of simple structure having high operability and reliability. <P>SOLUTION: This hinge device includes a first member 5 interposed between a casing 2 having an opening, and a door 3 for opening/closing the opening and having a hinge pin 52 provided in any one of the casing and the door, a second member 6 provided in the other of the casing and the door and having a long hole 62 to turnably receive the hinge pin and sliding the door from an opening side toward the hinge pin when opening the door, an engagement portion 541 provided in a casing side member of the first and the second members, and an engaged body 64 provided in a door side member thereof to slide the door from the opening side toward the hinge pin by interfering in the engagement portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a hinge device, particularly a hinge device that can be preferably used to open and close a double door such as a refrigerator, and a refrigerator using the hinge device.

  As a hinge device used for opening and closing a conventional double door, a hinge pin, a long hole fitted to the hinge pin, an arc-shaped rib, and a sliding surface that slides on the rib are provided on the device body having an opening and the door covering the opening. There is disclosed a cam member having a cam mechanism, a guide pin, and a cam mechanism including a guide groove which is fitted to the guide pin and has a relief portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this hinge device, when the door is opened, the hinge pin, the rib, and the guide pin are guided by the long hole, the cam member, and the guide groove, respectively, and the hinge pin moves from the first stop position to the second stop position of the long hole. Move the slide. By the sliding movement, the hinge pin is disposed at the second stop position, the sliding contact surface and the rib slide, and the door is slid by the engagement between the hinge pin and the long hole, and is supported rotatably. In this way, by using a hinge device that slides the doors apart from each other when opening, the gaskets are used to securely seal between the doors and between the doors and the doors when closed. It is possible to obtain a door opening / closing mechanism that can be stopped and suppress wear due to gasket interference during the opening / closing operation.

Japanese Patent No. 3599700 (pages 10 to 12, FIGS. 11 to 14)

  In the hinge device as described above, when the door is opened, it slides away from the other door to prevent interference with the other door. It is preferable to increase the sliding amount in the direction away from the door. However, in the conventional hinge device, the force acting on the door slide is a component in the guide direction out of the force applied to the handle, so if the slide amount in the direction away from the other door is increased, a large operating force is required for the door opening operation. Therefore, there is a problem that the slide amount cannot be sufficiently obtained because the operability is deteriorated. Further, since the cam member is provided, the structure and the opening / closing operation are complicated, and there is a problem that the reliability in assembly and operation is likely to be lowered. Especially when the door slides, the guide of the rib by the first cam surface of the cam member and the guide of the guide pin by the guide groove occur at the same time as the guide of the hinge pin by the long hole. There were also problems that were likely to cause abnormal sounds and discontinuities in operation.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and has a simple structure with high operability and high reliability, and excellent operability and reliability of door opening and closing. The object is to provide a refrigerator.

  A hinge device according to the present invention is interposed between a housing having an opening and a door that opens and closes the opening, and a first member having a hinge pin provided on either the housing or the door; A second member provided on one of the housing and the door and having a long hole that is capable of pivotally receiving the hinge pin and slidingly moving from the side that opens the door to the hinge pin side when the door is opened; Among the first and second members, the engaging portion provided on the first or second member provided on the housing side, and the first or second member provided on the door side. And an engaging body that slides from the opening side to the hinge pin side by interfering with the engaging portion when the door is opened.

  According to this invention, since the sliding force is moved from the opening side to the hinge pin side by the reaction force generated by the interference between the engaging portion and the engaging body and the hinge pin guided by the long hole, the door can be opened with a small force. The operability can be improved. Moreover, since there are few structural members, the hinge apparatus and refrigerator with a simple structure and excellent reliability can be obtained.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIGS. 1-6 is a figure explaining the hinge apparatus by this Embodiment 1 and the refrigerator using the hinge apparatus, FIG. 1 is a perspective view which shows this refrigerator notionally, FIG. 2 is FIG. 3 is a front view of the refrigerator shown, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a hinge device provided at the upper left portion of the left door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 constitutes the hinge device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a 1st member, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view. 5A and 5B are views showing a second member constituting the hinge device shown in FIG. 3, wherein FIG. 5A is a top view and FIG. 5B is a front view. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view shown by a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. Note that the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. In the figure, the refrigerator 1 is interposed between a housing 2 having an opening 21, a left door 31 and a right door 32, which are doors 3 provided to open and close the opening 21, and the housing 2 and the door 3. And a hinge device 4 for pivotally supporting the door 3.

  The left door 31 is provided with a gasket 311 and a handle 312 made of a plastic rubber containing a magnetic material for adsorption for sealing the gap with the right door 32 and the gap with the housing 2. A gasket 321 and a handle 322 are provided for sealing the gap with the left door 31 and the gap with the housing 2. A total of four hinge devices 4 (4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) are arranged one above the other on the opposite sides of the left door 31 and the right door 32, respectively. Of the four hinge devices 4, the upper and lower ones (4A and 4B and 4C and 4D) are vertically symmetrical, and the left and right ones (4A and 4C and 4B and 4D) are left and right symmetrical. Since the other functions and effects are the same, the upper left hinge device 4A will be described below as a representative.

  The hinge device 4 </ b> A includes a first member 5 fixed to the upper left front end portion of the opening 21 of the housing 2 and a second member 6 fixed to the upper end portion of the left door 31. The first member 5 has a plate-like hinge plate 51, a hinge pin 52 and a guide pin 53 projecting from predetermined portions on the lower surface of the hinge plate 51, and a claw-like shape having an engaging surface 541a inclined obliquely forward. , And a protrusion 54 having a projection 542 that contacts the corner of the left door 31. The hinge plate 51 fixes the first member 5 to the upper left front end of the opening 21. Two through holes 51a are provided for inserting the bolts. The hinge pin 52 and the guide pin 53 are made of steel and are fastened to the hinge plate 51 by caulking. The protruding body 54 is integrally formed of ABS resin, and is positioned and fastened to the hinge plate 51 by positioning pins (not shown). Moreover, after positioning the 1st member 5 on the ceiling surface of the refrigerator 1, it fixes to the housing | casing 2 by screwing using the through-hole 51a.

  On the other hand, the second member 6 is composed of a plate-like hinge receiving plate 61. The hinge receiving plate 61 receives the hinge pin 52 so as to be rotatable and is obliquely inclined from the side opening the left door 31 to the hinge pin 52 side when the door is opened. A long hole 62 that can be slid in the forward direction, the guide pin 53, and a slide guide region 63a that guides the movement of the left door 31 when the left door 31 slides. A guide groove 63 in which an arcuate region 63b for rotating the left door 31 around the hinge pin 52 around the position of the hinge pin 52 is formed, and the second member 6 main body as the upper end of the left door 31. Two through holes (sink holes) 61a are provided for inserting bolts (not shown) that are fixed to the portion.

  Further, the left door 31 is placed on the left side of the housing 2 side of the hinge receiving plate 61 by interfering with the engaging surface 541a of the engaging portion 541 provided on the first member 5 when the door is opened. A claw-like engaging body 64 that slides and moves obliquely forward is projected, and a plurality of positioning pins 65 that are used for fixing are projected from a predetermined portion of the lower surface of the hinge receiving plate 61. For the second member 6, for example, polyacetal resin such as POM (polyoxymethylene) resin is preferably used from the viewpoint of slidability and wear resistance. Further, the second member 6 fits the positioning pin 65 into a positioning hole (not shown) on the upper surface of the left door 31, positions the left door 31 and the hinge receiving plate 61, and uses the two through holes 61a to screw. The left door 31 is fixed by tightening.

  Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, illustration of the through hole 6a for fixing the second member 6 is omitted. Moreover, although it demonstrates centering on the hinge apparatus 4A provided in the upper left part, since the hinge apparatus provided in the other location is also the same, description is abbreviate | omitted. First, FIG. 6A is in a closed state, the hinge pin 52 is positioned at the outer end (left side of FIG. 6A) of the elongated hole 62, and the guide pin 53 is positioned at the outer end of the slide guide region 63 a of the guide groove 63. ing. Further, the engaging body 64 formed of a projection formed in a claw shape enters the recess 541b of the engaging portion 541 and abuts on the engaging surface 541a of the engaging portion 541 to form the engaging body 64. Among these, the inclined surface 64 a that contacts the engaging surface 541 a of the engaging portion 541 is inclined with respect to the opening 21 and the long hole 62 of the housing 2.

  When a force is applied to the handle 312 in the direction to open the left door 31, the left door 31 tries to rotate about the hinge pin 52, and the engaging portion 541 and the engaging body 64 interfere with each other. At this time, since the engaging portion 541 does not move, a part of the force generated by the interference between the engaging portion 541 and the engaging body 64 is guided by the hinge pin 52 by the long hole 62 and by the guide pin 53 by the guide groove 63. As shown in FIG. 6B, the left door 31 becomes a force that slides in a direction away from the right door 32 while rotating. In the first embodiment, the angle θ (see FIG. 6A) formed by the inclined surface 64a where the engaging portion 541 and the engaging body 64 interfere with the opening 21 of the housing 2 is 45 degrees. When the angle θ increases, the sliding amount with respect to the rotation of the door 3 decreases, and when the angle θ decreases, the force required to open the door 3 increases. Therefore, the angle θ may be appropriately determined according to the application, It is preferable to set within a range of approximately 30 to 120 degrees.

  When the left door 31 is further opened, the projecting portion 542 provided on the projecting body 54 comes into sliding contact with the corner of the left door 31, and then the sliding contact between the engaging portion 541 and the engaging body 64 is released (FIG. 6C). )reference). The convex portion 542 is in sliding contact with the left door 31 to assist the sliding movement of the left door 31 and suppress rattling of the left door 31. At this time, the long hole 62 is provided with a bending point so that the sliding direction of the left door 31 changes. When the left door 31 is further opened, as shown in FIG. 6D, the sliding contact between the convex portion 542 and the left door 31 is lost in the left door 31, and the guide pin 53 is guided by the arc-shaped region 63 b of the guide groove 63. Accordingly, the hinge pin 52 is rotated in a state where the hinge pin 52 is held at the end position on the handle 312 side of the long hole 62. Moreover, since the long hole 62 has a bending point as described above, the degree of freedom of the hinge pin 52 is constrained as compared to the straight long hole, and the sliding of the guide groove 63 and the guide pin 53 is restricted and the rattling of the left door 31 is suppressed. I can do it. The closing operation is performed by the reverse movement of the above opening operation. 1 indicates the direction of the force acting on the left door 31 when the left door 31 is opened (described in the second embodiment).

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the engagement portion 541 and the engagement body 64 are caused by interference with the opening 21 and the long hole 62 of the housing 2 of the refrigerator 1 on an inclined surface. Since the force is utilized, the left door 31 can be slid and moved with a small force by the reaction force and the guidance of the hinge pin 52 by the long hole 62, and a hinge device excellent in operability can be obtained. In the range where the engaging portion 541 and the engaging body 64 slide, either one of the long hole 62 or the guide groove 63 is enlarged, and only one of the hinge pin 52 or the guide pin 53 is used. You may make it slide-move by guidance. When only one of the hinge pin 52 and the guide pin 53 is used as a guide, the possibility that the slide is hindered due to variations in parts and assembly is reduced, and reliability can be improved.

Further, when the sliding movement, the convex portion 542 on the side of the housing 2 and the left door 31 come into contact with each other to slide, so that the distance between the housing 2 and the left door 31 during the sliding movement is limited, and the backlash of the door 3 is reduced. Can be suppressed. In addition, although the said convex part 542 was provided in the housing | casing 2 side, it is not limited to this, If it is the position spaced apart from the interference part of the engaging part 541 and the engaging body 64, it will be provided in the door 3 side, Or you may provide in both the housing | casing 2 side and the door 3 side. Further, the guide groove 63 has an arc shape centered on the position of the hinge pin 52 in the slide guide region 63a into which the guide pin 53 is fitted when the door 3 slides toward the hinge pin 52, and in the rotation range after the slide movement. Since the area 63b is provided, the sliding of the door 3 is regulated in a rotation range after the sliding contact between the engaging portion 541 and the engaging body 64 after sliding movement is released with a simple configuration, and the rattling of the door 3 is suppressed. it can.
Moreover, the refrigerator 1 using the hinge device 4 is excellent in door opening / closing operability, has high reliability, and can reduce leakage of cold air.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
7-9 is a figure explaining the hinge apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention, FIG. 7 shows the 1st member which comprises the hinge apparatus provided in the upper left part of the left door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a figure, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view. 8A and 8B are views showing the second member constituting the hinge device shown in FIG. 7, wherein FIG. 8A is a top view and FIG. 8B is a front view. 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2 in a state where the door (left door) of the refrigerator using the hinge device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is opened about 145 degrees. It is. In the second embodiment, the shape of the guide groove 63A is changed and the slide restricting means 7 for the door 31 is provided.

  In the figure, an elliptical engagement convex portion 71 constituting the slide restricting means 7 (FIG. 8) protrudes as shown in FIG. 7 at a predetermined portion between the projecting body 54 on the lower surface of the first member 5 and the hinge pin 52. It is installed. On the other hand, a substantially triangular locking projection 72 that constitutes the slide restricting means 7 protrudes from the corner of the upper surface of the second member 6 opposite to the guide groove 63 with respect to the long hole 62, and the engagement projection The curved surface 71a on the side surface of the portion 71 and the locking surface 72a on the side surface of the locking projection 72 are in contact with each other at a predetermined rotation angle to restrict backlash of the door 3. Further, the guide groove 63A is configured such that the arc-shaped region 63c is formed longer than that in the first embodiment, and the door 31 can be opened at a large angle. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted and will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  In the second embodiment configured as described above, the arc-shaped region 63c is formed longer (in a wider angle) than in the first embodiment, and therefore the door 3 (the left door 31 and the right door 32 when opened). 9), the region in which the direction C of the long hole 62 with respect to the hinge pin 52 and the direction D of the guide groove 63A with respect to the guide pin 53 are substantially parallel as shown in FIG. Occurs. In this region, rattling of the door 3 is likely to occur, but in the second embodiment, the curved surface 71a of the engaging convex portion 71 and the engaging surface 72a of the engaging convex portion 72 constituting the slide restricting means 7 are provided. The backlash can be suppressed by abutting and sliding. In particular, when a heavy object is stored in a pocket or the like provided as a storage part in the door 3, the force that the upper part of the door tends to fall in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. As a result, rattling and sliding of the door 3 are restricted, the door can be opened and closed smoothly, and reliability is improved. The slide restricting means 7 is preferably provided in a hinge device provided at least above the door 3 (the left door 31 and the right door 32). Of course, the shape of the engaging convex portion 71 and the locking surface 72a is not limited to those exemplified.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
10 to 11 illustrate a hinge device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a view showing a second member constituting the hinge device, (a) is a top view, and (b) is a top view. It is a front view. FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory view showing the operation of the hinge device using the second member shown in FIG. 10 in a cross-sectional equivalent view taken along the line BB in FIG. In the drawing, a guide groove 63B provided in the second member 6 includes a first slide guide region 63d that slides from the side that opens the left door 31 to the hinge pin side in the initial stage of opening the door, and the hinge pin 52 at the next stage of opening the door. Of the second slide guide region 63e that guides the sliding movement toward the hinge side end of the long hole 62 and the arcuate region 63f that guides the left door 31 to move circularly at the position of the hinge pin 52 after the movement. Three regions are formed continuously. The right door 32 is the same as described above except that the right door 32 has a symmetric structure, and the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The operation of the third embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11A shows a closed state, and the hinge pin 52 is located at the hinge side end of the long hole 62. The guide pin 53 is located in the vicinity of the hinge side end of the first slide guide region 63d of the guide groove 63B. Further, the engaging body 64 is in contact with the engaging portion 541. When a force is applied to the handle 312 in the direction to open the left door 31, the left door 31 tries to rotate about the hinge pin 52, and the engaging portion 541 and the engaging body 64 interfere with each other. The left door 31 is rotated as shown in FIG. 11B by the reaction force generated by this interference, the guide of the hinge pin 52 by the long hole 62 and the guide of the guide pin 53 by the first slide region 63d of the guide groove 63B. As it accompanies, it slides in a direction away from the right door 32.

  When the left door 31 is further opened, the sliding contact between the engaging portion 541 and the engaging body 64 is released, and the hinge pin 52 reaches the end position on the side of the handle 312 of the long hole 62 (see FIG. 11C). When the left door 31 is further opened, the hinge pin 52 slides to the hinge side end of the long hole 62 by the guide pin 53 guided by the second slide guide region 63e of the guide groove 63B as shown in FIG. Moving. When the left door 31 is further opened, as shown in FIG. 11E, the left door 31 rotates with the hinge pin 52 held at the hinge side end position by the guide pin 53 guided by the arc-shaped region 63f of the guide groove 63B. Move. Note that the door closing operation is performed by a movement opposite to the above-described opening operation.

When a heavy object is stored in a pocket or the like provided in the left door 31, the left door 31 tends to fall in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11E, when the left door 31 is opened, the hinge pin 52 is positioned at the hinge side end of the long hole 62, and the direction of the long hole 62 with respect to the hinge pin 52 is Therefore, the guide pin 53 and the hinge pin 52 operate so as to prevent the left door 31 from falling down. The same applies to the right door 32.
As described above, according to the third embodiment, the tilting of the door 3 (the left door 31 and the right door 32) when the door 3 is opened causes the engagement convex portion 71 and the locking convex portion 72 of the second embodiment to tilt. Can be prevented by the guide pin 53 and the hinge pin 52 without the need to provide a backlash, etc., so that the backlash of the door 3 can be suppressed with a simple configuration, and reliability when a heavy object is stored in a pocket or the like provided in the door 3 Is obtained.

  By the way, in the said embodiment, although the hinge pin 52 and the guide pin 53 were fixed to the housing | casing 2 side of the refrigerator 1, it demonstrated by the example which provided the long hole 62 and the guide grooves 63, 63A, 63B in the door 3 side, However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the same effect can be expected even if the guide pin is fixed on the door side and the guide groove is provided on the housing side. Further, the hinge plate 51 of the first member 5 and the hinge receiving plate 61 of the second member 6 constituting the hinge device are configured separately from the housing 2 or the door 3, for example, a part of the housing 2 or the door 3. May be configured integrally. In addition, when the door 3 is opened, providing a stopper or other locking mechanism that restricts the rotation of the door before the guide pin reaches the end of the guide groove is effective in preventing damage to the guide pin and the guide groove. Therefore, it is preferable in terms of improving reliability. In addition, the material of the constituent member is not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications and additions of functions can be made within the scope of the present invention.

The perspective view which shows notionally the refrigerator using the hinge apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. The front view of the refrigerator shown by FIG. The disassembled perspective view which shows the hinge apparatus provided in the upper left part of the left door of the refrigerator shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st member which comprises the hinge apparatus shown by FIG. 3, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view. It is a figure which shows the 2nd member which comprises the hinge apparatus shown by FIG. 3, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. Operation | movement explanatory drawing shown by the arrow directional cross-sectional view in the BB line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st member which comprises the hinge apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view. It is a figure which shows the 2nd member which comprises the hinge apparatus shown by FIG. 7, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. Sectional drawing equivalent to the BB arrow cross section of FIG. 2 in the state which opened the door (left door) of the refrigerator using the hinge apparatus shown by FIG. 7, FIG. 8 about 145 degree | times. It is a figure which shows the 2nd member which comprises the hinge apparatus by Embodiment 3 of this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. Operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the hinge apparatus using the 2nd member shown in FIG. 10 with the arrow equivalent cross-section figure in the BB line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerator, 2 Housing | casing, 21 Opening part, 3 Door, 31 Left door, 311 Gasket, 312 Handle, 32 Right door, 321 Gasket, 322 Handle, 4 (4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) Hinge device, 5 1st Member 51 hinge plate 51a through hole 52 hinge pin 53 guide pin 54 projecting body 541 engaging portion 541a engaging surface 541b recess 542 convex portion 6 second member 61 hinge receiving plate 61a through hole, 62 long hole, 63, 63A, 63B guide groove, 63a slide guide area, 63b, 63c, 63f arc-shaped area, 63d first slide guide area, 63e second slide guide area, 64 engaging body, 64a inclination Surface, 65 positioning pins, 7 slide regulating means, 71 engagement convex part, 71a curved surface, 72 latching convex part, 72a latching surface.

Claims (6)

  A first member having a hinge pin interposed between a housing having an opening and a door that opens and closes the opening, and provided on one of the housing and the door; and any of the housing and the door A second member provided on the other side for receiving the hinge pin so as to be pivotable and having a long hole that can be slid from the side that opens the door to the hinge pin side when the door is opened, and among the first and second members, An engaging portion provided on the first or second member provided on the housing side, and an engaging portion provided on the first or second member provided on the door side when the door is opened. A hinge device comprising: an engaging body that slides from the side that opens the door to the hinge pin side by interference.   When the door slides, a convex portion formed so that the housing and the door come into contact with each other at a position separated from an interference portion between the engaging portion and the engaging body The hinge device according to claim 1, wherein the hinge device is provided on at least one of the doors.   The first member is provided with a guide pin parallel to the hinge pin, the second member receives the guide pin, and a slide guide region that guides the movement of the door when the door slides, 2. A guide groove is provided in which an arcuate region for continuously turning the door around the hinge pin is formed around the position of the hinge pin after sliding. The hinge apparatus according to claim 2.   A slide restricting means for restricting sliding of the door in a region where the direction of the long hole with respect to the hinge pin and the direction of the guide groove with respect to the guide pin are substantially parallel when the door is opened; The hinge device according to claim 3.   The first member is provided with a guide pin parallel to the hinge pin, and the second member receives the guide pin and guides the movement of the door when the door slides. A second slide area that slides toward the opening side of the door after the door slides toward the hinge pin, and the door centered on the position of the hinge pin after the door slides toward the opening side of the door. The hinge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a guide groove is provided in which an arcuate region for rotating the pin around the hinge pin is continuously formed.   A refrigerator comprising the hinge device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as an opening / closing part of a door of a refrigerator compartment.

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