JP2021103036A - refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator for allowing the selection of a door to be opened in a left opening direction or in a right opening direction, while enabling a refrigerator body and the door to be connected in simple work without involving great work burdens.SOLUTION: A refrigerator includes a door upper end opposed part extending over both ends of a storage chamber front upper edge and opposed to a door upper end, and a hinge pin slide unit storing a hinge pin corresponding to the rotary shaft of the door. A hinge pin insertion hole is formed in each upper end side area of the door. The door upper end opposed part includes a storage recessed part for storing the slide unit in a detachable manner, and the slide unit includes a slope part, a hinge pin fitting-insertion path for fitting and inserting the hinge pin into a movable state while exposing the front end of the hinge pin, and a communication hole communicated with the hinge pin insertion hole. In the storage recessed part, a hinge pin abutment part is formed to abut on the front end of the hinge pin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

The door that opens and closes the storage chamber of the refrigerator is rotatably connected to the refrigerator body via, for example, a pair of hinge mechanisms that are connected to the upper and lower ends of the door. Here, the following Patent Document 1 describes a refrigerator in which the mounting position of the hinge mechanism can be selected to either the left or right side of the refrigerator body, and the opening direction of the door can be changed to open left or open right depending on the mounting position of the hinge mechanism. And Patent Document 2.

The refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a refrigerator body, a door having mounting holes at the upper portions on both the left and right sides, a hinge holding member having a through hole overlapping the mounting hole, and a through hole from above to the through hole. It is provided with a hinge pin that is inserted and freely inserted into the mounting hole, and a lower hinge portion that is arranged under the door and rotatably attaches the door to the refrigerator body around the axis of the hinge pin.

Further, the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a heat insulating container having an insertion port in the upper part of the front surface of the opening, an opening provided in the upper part of the back surface of the door, and an insertion hole provided in the upper surface of the door so as to communicate with the opening. A front door having a support hole provided opposite to the insertion hole across the opening, a hinge mechanism that rotatably supports the front door at the top with respect to the heat insulating container, and a heat insulating container for the front door. It is provided with a rotation mechanism that rotatably supports the lower part.

Japanese Patent No. 4217674 Japanese Patent No. 6265950

However, in the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, in a state where the door having an appropriate weight is lifted, the through hole provided in the hinge holding member on the refrigerator body side and the mounting hole on the door side are overlapped, and further, these holes are further formed. The refrigerator body and the door cannot be connected unless the hinge pin is manually inserted into the refrigerator. Therefore, when connecting the refrigerator body and the door, a large work load is generated until the hinge pin is inserted into the mounting hole of the door.

Further, also with respect to the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 2, after inserting the rotating shaft support portion in the hinge mechanism into both the insertion port of the heat insulating container and the opening of the front door, an insertion hole penetrating from the upper surface of the door to the opening. The heat insulating container and the front door cannot be connected unless the rotating shaft is inserted into the through hole of the rotating shaft support portion that overlaps the insertion hole. Therefore, as in the case of the refrigerator disclosed in Patent Document 1, when connecting the heat insulating container and the front door, a large work load is generated.

In view of the above problems, the present invention relates to a refrigerator in which the opening direction of the door can be changed to open left or right, and the refrigerator body and the door can be connected by a simple operation without a large work load. For the purpose of providing.

In order to solve the above problems, the refrigerator according to the present invention
The refrigerator body including the storage room with an open front,
A door that is arranged on the front side of the refrigerator body and opens and closes the opening of the storage chamber,
A door upper end facing portion that extends across both ends of the front upper edge of the storage chamber and faces the upper end of the door.
A slide unit that accommodates the hinge pin corresponding to the rotation axis of the door and slides the hinge pin inside so as to lower it.
With
Hinge pin insertion holes into which hinge pins corresponding to the rotation axis of the door can be inserted are formed in both upper end regions of the door.
The part facing the upper end of the door
It is provided with storage recesses that are recessed at both ends of the door upper end facing portion and that store the slide unit in a detachable state.
The slide unit is
An inclined portion that descends from the front side to the rear side in the storage direction in the storage recess,
A hinge pin fitting path that is recessed downward from the upper surface of the inclined portion, exposes at least the tip of the hinge pin, and fits the hinge pin in a movable state in the retracting direction.
A communication hole located on the rear side of the hinge pin insertion path in the storage direction and communicating with the hinge pin insertion hole formed at the upper end of the door.
With
A hinge pin contact portion capable of contacting the tip of the hinge pin is formed in the storage recess.

Further, the refrigerator according to the present invention is
The storage recess has an opening on the side surface of the door upper end facing portion.
The slide unit is characterized in that it is inserted into the storage recess through the opening.

Further, the refrigerator according to the present invention
Inclined grooves are formed on both side walls of the slide unit so as to be inclined at the same inclination as the inclined portion.
Both ends of the hinge pin facing the both side walls at the tip thereof engage with the inclined groove.

When the slide unit of the present invention is stored in the storage recess, the tip of the hinge pin located on the upper side of the inclined portion and on the front side in the storage direction comes into contact with the hinge pin contact portion. Further, as the slide unit is pushed into the storage recess, the hinge pin moves along the hinge pin insertion path and is inserted into the communication hole located on the rear side in the storage direction and the hinge pin insertion hole on the door side superimposed on the communication hole. .. As a result, the refrigerator body and the door can be connected. In this way, the refrigerator body and the door can be connected only by the work of storing the slide unit in the storage recess. Therefore, according to the present invention, the work of connecting the refrigerator main body and the door does not involve a large work load.

Further, according to the present invention, since the opening is provided on the side surface of the door upper end facing portion, the slide unit can be easily stored in the storage recess along the width direction of the door upper end facing portion.

Further, according to the present invention, since the tip of the hinge pin engages with the inclined grooves formed on both side walls of the slide unit, the hinge pin can be stably accommodated in the hinge pin fitting insertion path. Therefore, when the slide unit is stored in the storage recess, it is possible to prevent the hinge pin from coming off the hinge pin fitting insertion path.

The whole perspective view of the refrigerator which concerns on this embodiment. An enlarged perspective view of the upper front side of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. In the refrigerator according to this embodiment, a partially disassembled perspective view showing a part of a disassembled refrigerator main body and a door. The perspective view of the slide unit in this embodiment. The perspective view of the storage recess in this embodiment. The perspective view which shows the slide unit before being stored in the storage recess. The perspective view which shows the slide unit in the process of being stored in the storage recess. The perspective view which shows the slide unit stored in the storage recess.

Hereinafter, the refrigerator 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In explaining the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, the "up and down" direction corresponds to the height direction of the refrigerator 1, the "left and right" direction corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator 1, and the "front and back" direction corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator 1. , Corresponds to the depth direction of the refrigerator 1. Further, each direction of the door is defined based on the state in which the door closes the storage chamber of the refrigerator 1. That is, the height direction of the door (vertical direction) corresponds to the height direction of the refrigerator 1, the width direction of the door (horizontal direction) corresponds to the width direction of the refrigerator 1, and the depth direction of the door (front-back direction). Corresponds to the depth direction of the refrigerator 1.

[Constitution]
The overall configuration of the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Here, FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the refrigerator 1. Further, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the refrigerator 1 in which the upper front side of the refrigerator 1 is enlarged. Further, FIG. 3 is a partially disassembled perspective view showing a part of the disassembled refrigerator body and the door.

The refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a heat insulating box 2 corresponding to the main body of the refrigerator. The heat insulating box body 2 includes a steel plate outer box, a synthetic resin inner box, and a foamed polyurethane heat insulating material filled in a gap formed between the outer box and the inner box.

A heat insulating partition wall is arranged inside the heat insulating box 2, and a refrigerating room 3 and a freezing room 4 are partitioned. The refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of storage chambers corresponding to the refrigerating chamber 3 and the freezing chamber 4 from the top. However, the arrangement order of each storage room is not limited to this. Also, the number of storage rooms is not limited to this.

The front surface of each storage chamber provided in the heat insulating box 2 is open. A heat insulating door is provided to close each of these openings so that it can be opened and closed. As shown in FIG. 1, the door 10 is arranged in front of the refrigerator compartment 3. The door 10 can be rotated by a hinge mechanism (in the case of this embodiment, a mechanism including a hinge pin and a hinge pin insertion hole or the like into which the hinge pin can be inserted) provided in the upper part and the lower part on the front view side side of the refrigerator compartment 3. Be supported. Further, the heat insulating door 11 is arranged so as to be retractable in the front-rear direction with respect to the heat insulating box 2, and closes the front opening of the freezing chamber 4.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a door upper end facing portion 20 facing the upper end of the door 10. The door upper end facing portion 20 extends over both ends of the front upper edge of the refrigerating chamber 3 (storage chamber) (from the left end to the right end in the front view).

Further, concave spaces 21 (storage recesses 21 described later) are formed in both sides of the door upper end facing portion 20 so as to be recessed toward the inside of the door upper end facing portion 20. A box-shaped member (slide unit 30 described later) for accommodating the hinge pin on the upper side is housed in the concave space 21. In FIG. 1, the concave space 21 is drawn only on the right side of the door upper end facing portion 20, but a similar concave space is also formed on the left side (see FIG. 2). On the other hand, hinge pin insertion holes 25 for inserting the upper hinge pin are formed at positions facing the concave space 21 in both upper end regions of the door 10 (see FIG. 3).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a hinge pin insertion hole 8 into which a lower hinge pin 9 can be inserted is provided in both side regions of the front lower edge 6 of the refrigerating chamber 3, and a door support plate that supports the lower end of the door 10 is provided. 7 are installed respectively. That is, the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of upper and lower hinge mechanisms provided at the right end of the refrigerating chamber 3 and a pair of upper and lower hinge mechanisms provided at the left end.

In this way, by using the pair of upper and lower hinge mechanisms provided at the right end of the refrigerating chamber 3, the right end of the refrigerating chamber 3 and the right end of the door 10 are connected. In this case, the door 10 is opened to the left. On the other hand, if a pair of upper and lower hinge mechanisms provided at the left end of the refrigerating chamber 3 is used, the left end of the refrigerating chamber 3 and the left end of the door 10 are connected. In this case, the door 10 is opened to the right.

The embodiment shows a connection structure between the refrigerator compartment 3 and the door 10 that opens and closes the refrigerator compartment 3. However, if the connecting structure is rotatably connected to the front surface of the storage chamber via a hinge mechanism like the door 10, the door opens and closes with a storage chamber other than the refrigerating chamber 3. It can also be applied to.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the slide unit 30 and the storage recess 21 for detachably storing the slide unit 30 and the slide unit 30 in the present embodiment will be described in detail. Here, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the slide unit 30 in the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the storage recess 21 in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the slide unit 30 accommodates the upper hinge pin 31 corresponding to the rotation axis of the door 10. The slide unit 30 in this embodiment is a substantially block-shaped member.

More specifically, the slide unit 30 has a communication hole that communicates with the inclined portion 32, the hinge pin insertion path 33 recessed downward from the upper surface 32U of the inclined portion 32, and the hinge pin insertion hole 25 formed on the door upper end 10U side. 34 is provided.

Further, the slide unit 30 is formed on both side walls 30S1 and 30S2 of the slide unit 30 and has an inclined groove 35 which is inclined at the same inclination as the inclined portion 32 and a slit which is cut from the front wall 30F toward the hinge pin insertion path 33. It is preferable to provide 36.

The hinge pin 31 is fitted and inserted into the hinge pin fitting insertion path 33 with its tip 31T exposed above the upper surface 32U of the inclined portion 32. As described above, the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21 of the door upper end facing portion 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the hinge pin 31 is arranged on the front side in the storage direction of the hinge pin fitting insertion path 33 in a state where it is not stored in the storage recess 21.

The upper surface 32U of the inclined portion 32 is inclined so as to descend from the front side in the storage direction toward the rear side. Therefore, before the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21, the tip 31T of the hinge pin 31 is placed on the upper side of the upper surface 32U of the inclined portion 32. As a result, most (or all) of the hinge pins 31 are housed in the slide unit 30.

On the other hand, as the slide unit 30 is pushed into the storage recess 21, the hinge pin 31 moves toward the rear side in the storage direction. The hinge pin fitting insertion path 33 in the present embodiment is a passage of the hinge pin 31 penetrating the inclined portion 32 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the hinge pin 31 is gradually discharged from the rear end 31B to the outside of the bottom surface of the slide unit 30 as it moves to the rear side in the storage direction.

Finally, the hinge pin 31 is fitted into the hinge pin insertion hole 25 (see FIG. 5) arranged on the upper end 10U side of the door when the communication hole 34 is reached. The operation when the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21 will be described later.

Further, as described above, inclined grooves 35 are formed on both side walls 30S1 and 30S2 of the slide unit 30. When the hinge pin 31 moves toward the rear side in the storage direction, both end portions 31a and 31b at the tip end 31T of the hinge pin 31 engage with the inclined grooves 35 facing each other.

As a result, the hinge pin 31 can be stably accommodated in the hinge pin fitting insertion path 33. Therefore, when the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the hinge pin 31 moving from the front side in the storage direction to the direction side comes off from the hinge pin fitting insertion path 33 in the slide unit 30.

Next, the structure inside the storage recess 21 will be described with reference to FIG. The storage recess 21 in the present embodiment includes an opening 22 formed on the side surface 20S of the door upper end facing portion 20 and a hinge pin contact portion 23 capable of contacting the tip of the hinge pin 31. Since the opening 22 is provided on the side surface 20S of the door upper end facing portion 20, the slide unit 30 can be easily stored in the storage recess 21 along the width direction of the door upper end facing portion 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the hinge pin contact portion 23 is a plate-shaped portion projecting downward from the inner upper surface of the storage recess 21. When the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21, the hinge pin contact portion 23 is inserted into the slit 36 of the slide unit 30 and comes into contact with the tip 31T of the hinge pin 31.

In the present embodiment, when the hinge pin 31 is located at the foremost end of the hinge pin fitting insertion path 33 (that is, before the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21), the rear end 31B of the hinge pin 31 is the slide unit 30. It is exposed outside the bottom of the. Therefore, when the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21, the bottom surface 24 of the storage recess 21 also comes into contact with the rear end 31B of the hinge pin 31 (more accurately, in the present embodiment, the rear end 31B of the hinge pin 31 It comes into contact with the edge of the notch-shaped through hole 24H facing the hinge pin insertion hole 25). The hinge pin 31 that is in contact with the hinge pin contact portion 23 and the bottom surface 24 of the storage recess 21 is prevented from further moving into the storage recess 21.

In this way, both the hinge pin contact portion 23 and the bottom surface 24 (end edge of the through hole 24H) in the storage recess 21 abut on the hinge pin 31, so that the hinge pin 31 can be more reliably guided to the communication hole 34. .. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the situation where the hinge pin 31 is not inserted into the hinge pin insertion hole 25.

[motion]
Next, the operation when the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a slide unit 20 before being stored in the storage recess 21. Further, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a slide unit 20 in the middle of being stored in the storage recess 21. Further, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a slide unit 20 stored in the storage recess 21.

First, both ends of the door 10 are aligned with both ends of the refrigerating chamber 3, the door 10 is arranged so as to close the front surface of the refrigerating chamber 3, and then the door 10 is formed on the side surface 20S of the door upper end facing portion 20 as shown in FIG. The slide unit 30 is inserted through the opening 22 of the storage recess 21. The member of reference numeral 22C is a cover that closes the opening 22 of the storage recess 21. After the slide unit 30 is stored in the storage recess 21, the opening 22 is closed by the cover 22C.

Next, when the slide unit 30 is gradually pushed into the storage recess 21, as shown in FIG. 7, the hinge pin contact portion 23 of the storage recess 21 comes into contact with the tip 31T of the hinge pin 31, and the storage recess 21 The bottom surface 24 (the edge of the through hole 24H) comes into contact with the rear end 31B of the hinge pin 31.

As a result, the hinge pin 31 is prevented from further moving into the storage recess 21, and stays at a position directly above the hinge pin insertion hole 25. When the slide unit 30 is further pushed into the storage recess 21, the hinge pin 31 moves the hinge pin fitting insertion path 33 to the rear side in the storage direction.

At this time, the tip 31T of the hinge pin 31 descends along the upper surface 32U of the inclined portion 32. Along with this, the hinge pin 31 also descends. As a result, the hinge pin 31 is discharged from the rear end 31B to the outside of the bottom surface of the slide unit 30, passes through the inlet 25H of the hinge pin insertion hole, and is gradually inserted into the hinge pin insertion hole 25.

When the slide unit 30 is completely retracted into the storage recess 21, the hinge pin 31 is fitted into the hinge pin insertion hole 25, as shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, the door 10 is connected to the right end of the refrigerating chamber 3, but a similar mechanism is provided at the left end of the door upper end facing portion 20 and the door upper end 10U. By storing the slide unit 30 in the storage recess 21 arranged at the left end of the door upper end facing portion 20, the door 10 is connected to the left end of the refrigerating chamber 3.

Before or after mounting the hinge pin 31 (upper side hinge pin) by storing the slide unit 30 in the storage recess 21, the lower side hinge pin 9 is inserted into the door support plate 7 hinge pin insertion hole as shown in FIG. By inserting it into the hinge pin insertion hole of the door lower end 10B and the door lower end 10B, the door lower end 10B and the refrigerator compartment 3 can be connected.

The embodiments according to the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the above description is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not described for the purpose of limiting the present invention. The present invention may include those that can be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Further, the present invention includes an equivalent thereof.

1 ... Refrigerator 2 ... Refrigerator body (insulated box)
3 ... Refrigerator room 4 ... Freezing room 10 ... Door 20 ... Door upper end facing part 21 ... Storage recess 22 ... Opening 23 ... Hinge pin contact part 24 ... Bottom of storage recess 25 ... Hinge pin insertion hole 30 ... Slide unit 31 ... (Upper side) ) Hinge pin 31T ... Tip of hinge pin 32 ... Inclined part 33 ... Hinge pin insertion path 34 ... Communication hole 35 ... Inclined groove

Claims (3)

The refrigerator body including the storage room with an open front,
A door that is arranged on the front side of the refrigerator body and opens and closes the opening of the storage chamber,
A door upper end facing portion that extends across both ends of the front upper edge of the storage chamber and faces the upper end of the door.
A slide unit that accommodates the hinge pin corresponding to the rotation axis of the door and slides the hinge pin inside so as to lower it.
With
Hinge pin insertion holes into which hinge pins corresponding to the rotation axis of the door can be inserted are formed in both upper end regions of the door.
The part facing the upper end of the door
It is provided with storage recesses that are recessed at both ends of the door upper end facing portion and that store the slide unit in a detachable state.
The slide unit is
An inclined portion that descends from the front side to the rear side in the storage direction in the storage recess,
A hinge pin fitting path that is recessed downward from the upper surface of the inclined portion, exposes at least the tip of the hinge pin, and fits the hinge pin in a movable state in the retracting direction.
A communication hole located on the rear side of the hinge pin insertion path in the storage direction and communicating with the hinge pin insertion hole formed at the upper end of the door.
With
A refrigerator characterized in that a hinge pin contact portion capable of contacting the tip of the hinge pin is formed in the storage recess. The storage recess has an opening on the side surface of the door upper end facing portion.
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the slide unit is inserted into the storage recess through the opening. Inclined grooves are formed on both side walls of the slide unit so as to be inclined at the same inclination as the inclined portion.
The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both ends of the hinge pin facing the both side walls are engaged with the inclined groove.

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