JP6832809B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Conventionally, there are known refrigerators in which the position of the door hinge can be moved or the height of the door can be finely adjusted (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

In the summary of Patent Document 1, "a first member having a hinge pin interposed between a housing having an opening and a door for opening and closing the opening and provided on either the housing or the door". A second member provided on either one of the housing and the door and having an elongated hole that can rotatably receive the hinge pin and slide the door from the opening side to the hinge pin side when the door is opened. Among the first and second members, the engaging portion provided on the housing side member and the engaging portion provided on the door side member and interfering with the engaging portion when the door is opened, from the side that opens the door. A hinge device comprising an engaging body that slides to the hinge pin side is disclosed.

Further, in the abstract of Patent Document 2, "a refrigerator provided with a door whose height can be easily adjusted, and the refrigerator is connected to a hinge bracket that connects the refrigerator door and the main body and can be raised and lowered to the hinge bracket. The hinge shaft includes a hinge shaft and a door support on which the bottom surface of the door is placed, and the upper surface of the hinge bracket includes a hinge shaft having a shaft adjusting portion for easily rotating the hinge shaft. By rotating the adjusting part, the door supported by the door support by the hinge shaft and the door support is adjusted. "

JP-A-2009-97812 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0076222

In a so-called French door refrigerator that opens to the left and right, the positions of the left and right doors are aligned with the front of the refrigerator body, the upper and lower sides are horizontal, the left and right sides are vertical, and the heights of the left and right doors are matched so that the upper or lower sides of both doors are matched. Install the door in place with the bottom straight. Since the left and right doors are configured to rotate around the rotation shafts (hereinafter sometimes referred to as upper hinges, lower hinges, or simply hinges) provided on the upper and lower sides, respectively, the left and right doors can be used as the refrigerator body. After mounting, the left and right doors can be adjusted to a predetermined position by finely adjusting the position of the hinge.

Here, since the lower hinge is configured to support the weight of the door and the food placed on the door, the lower hinge must be firmly attached to the refrigerator body, and in addition, when the mounting screw is loosened, it is lowered by the weight of the door itself. It is not desirable to move the lower hinge to fine-tune the door position, as it will cause misalignment.

Therefore, it is common practice in refrigerators to finely adjust the door position by providing an upper hinge on a movable member whose position can be adjusted, adjusting the movable member to an appropriate position, and then fixing the movable member with a screw. This state in which the door position is adjusted may be referred to as a standard state.

On the other hand, as the size of the refrigerator increases, its own weight tends to increase, and the load applied to the legs when the refrigerator is installed on the floor tends to increase. In a so-called French door refrigerator that opens to the left and right, if the floor on which the refrigerator is installed partially sinks due to the weight of the refrigerator, the refrigerator body will be distorted and the height of the door hinges that support the rotation axes of the left and right doors will shift, causing the left and right doors to move. The upper or lower side may not be in a straight line and a step may occur. When such a step occurs, the upper side or the lower side of the airtight packing provided around the left and right doors is not aligned, so that it is difficult to maintain the airtightness and the appearance is not preferable. Therefore, it is desirable to have a configuration that eliminates the step between the doors even after the refrigerator is installed.

Further, it is desirable that the door height adjusting portion is difficult to see and easily touched so that the user does not accidentally move the door height.

However, the device of Patent Document 1 slides and moves the door so as to once approach the hinge pin when the door is opened, and has a configuration in which the position of the hinge pin is moved and a configuration in which a step between the doors is eliminated. Is not described.

In the device of Patent Document 2, in the case of a refrigerator having only a pair of French doors, since the lower part of the French door is the floor surface, there is a space for providing a door height adjusting portion between the French door and the floor surface. can get. However, in the case of a refrigerator having an ice making room door, a freezing room door or a vegetable room door in contact with the lower part of the French door, the space for providing the door height adjustment part is the lower side of the French door and the ice making room. It becomes a vertical gap between the upper side and the like. Therefore, there is a limit to the miniaturization of the refrigerator because the distance between the lower side of the French door and the upper side of the ice making room or the like is increased as the installation space for the adjusting member, and the door height adjusting portion is provided in the middle of the refrigerator height. Therefore, there is a problem that the door height adjusting portion is easy to see and can be easily touched.

Therefore, the present invention can eliminate the step generated between the left and right doors of the left-right opening French door, and it is not necessary to increase the vertical distance between the lower side of the French door and the upper side of the ice making room, the freezer room or the vegetable room. Since the height adjustment part is located on the upper surface of the refrigerator, it is difficult to see the door height adjustment part, and the user does not accidentally touch the door height adjustment part to change the door height, which is highly reliable. The purpose is to provide an easy-to-use refrigerator.

The refrigerator of the present invention that solves the above problems has a housing provided with an opening on the front surface, a pair of left and right doors that are pivotally supported by opening and closing the openings and hinged open to the left and right, and rotating the lower ends of the left and right doors. A pair of upwardly extending cylindrical lower hinges that support freely, and a pair of downwardly extending cylindrical upper hinges that are arranged to face the lower hinges and rotatably support the upper ends of the left and right doors. A pair of first movable members that are mounted on the upper surface of the housing and have an upper hinge at one end and can move along the upper surface of the housing, and a small amount of the first movable member with respect to the housing. It is characterized in that it is provided with a first fastening means for fastening and fixing the first movable member to the housing after the first movable member is fastened.

According to the present invention, since it is possible to eliminate the step difference between the left and right French doors of the refrigerator compartment even after installation, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a refrigerator that is easy to install and has improved usability. ..

It is a front view of the refrigerator in embodiment of this invention. It is a side sectional view schematically showing the AA cross section of FIG. It is a front view which shows the structure of the refrigerator. It is a top view of the refrigerator in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line CC of the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view which shows the state which the door step D occurred in the refrigerator in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the structure of the door hinge mechanism of the refrigerator in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of the structure of the door hinge mechanism of the refrigerator in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded perspective view which shows an example of the structure of the door hinge mechanism of the refrigerator in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the left-right movement of the hinge position in the door hinge mechanism of the refrigerator in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the back-and-forth movement of the hinge position in the door hinge mechanism of the refrigerator in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view explaining the action which eliminates the door step by the door hinge mechanism of the refrigerator in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure and operation of the 2nd Embodiment of the refrigerator in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the set screw and the pull screw of the 2nd Embodiment of the refrigerator in this invention.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “the embodiment”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In each figure, the same reference numerals are given to common parts, and duplicate description will be omitted. Further, in the following description, the up / down / left / right directions are referred to the up / down / left / right directions shown in FIG. 1, and the front / back directions are referred to the front / back directions shown in FIG.

<< First Embodiment >>
<Overall configuration of refrigerator>
FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator main body 1 of the present embodiment includes a refrigerator chamber 2, an ice making chamber 3 and an upper freezing chamber 4 arranged side by side, a lower freezing chamber 5, and a vegetable compartment 6 from above. Have. As an example, the refrigerating room 2 and the vegetable room 6 are storage rooms in a refrigerating temperature range of about 3 to 5 ° C. The ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the lower freezing chamber 5 are storage chambers in a freezing temperature range of about -18 ° C.

The refrigerator compartment 2 is provided with a so-called French type refrigerator compartment door 2a and a refrigerator compartment door 2b, which are divided into left and right sides and have double doors on the front side (front side of the paper in FIG. 1).

The refrigerating chamber door 2a is provided on the door hinge mechanism 16a coaxially with the lower hinge 17a that rotatably supports the lower surface and the lower hinge 17a, and rotates around the upper hinge 60a that rotatably supports the upper surface. Open and close.

The refrigerator compartment door 2b is provided on the door hinge mechanism 16b coaxially with the lower hinge 17b that rotatably supports the lower surface and the lower hinge 17b, and rotates around the upper hinge 60b that rotatably supports the upper surface. Open and close.
In order to close the gap between the left and right refrigerating chamber doors 2a and 2b, a rotary partition 18 is provided along the side of the refrigerating chamber door 2a close to the refrigerating chamber door 2b.

The ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4, the lower freezing room 5, and the vegetable room 6 are provided with a pull-out ice making room door 3a, an upper freezing room door 4a, a lower freezing room door 5a, and a vegetable room door 6a, respectively. .. In the following description, the left and right refrigerating room doors 2a and 2b, the ice making room door 3a, the upper freezing room door 4a, the lower freezing room door 5a, and the vegetable room door 6a are simply doors 2a, doors 2b, and doors, respectively. It may be referred to as 3a, door 4a, door 5a, and door 6a.

The refrigerator body 1 includes a door sensor 49 (not shown) that detects the open / closed state of each of the door 2a, the door 2b, the door 3a, the door 4a, the door 5a, and the door 6a, and these doors 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a. When the state in which at least one of 5a and 6a is determined to be open continues for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute or more), the notification means 123 (not shown) for notifying the user to that effect. The control panel 40 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a temperature setting device for setting the temperature of the refrigerating room 2, the upper freezing room 4, the lower freezing room 5, and the like, a predetermined operation unit, a display unit, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view schematically showing an AA cross section of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the outside and the inside of the refrigerator body 1 are separated by a heat insulating box body 10 formed by filling a foamed heat insulating material (polyurethane foam) between the inner box 10a and the outer box 10b. Has been done. The heat insulating box body 10 forms the housing of the refrigerator 1. Further, the heat insulating box body 10 of the refrigerator body 1 is equipped with a plurality of vacuum heat insulating materials 14.

Inside the refrigerator, a plurality of storage chambers arranged in different temperature zones in the vertical direction are adiabatically partitioned by adiabatic partition walls 11a and 11b. That is, the upper heat insulating partition wall 11a separates the refrigerating room 2 which is a storage room in the refrigerating temperature zone from the upper freezing room 4 and the ice making room 3 (see FIG. 1) which are storage rooms in the freezing temperature zone. .. Further, the lower freezing chamber 5 which is a storage chamber in the freezing temperature zone and the vegetable compartment 6 which is a storage chamber in the refrigerating temperature zone are separated by a heat insulating partition wall 11b on the lower side.

A plurality of door pockets 13 are provided inside the doors 2a and 2b. Further, the refrigerating room 2 is vertically divided into a plurality of storage spaces by a plurality of shelves 12.

Storage containers 4b and 5b are provided behind the doors 4a and 5a provided in front of the storage chambers of the upper freezing chamber 4 and the lower freezing chamber 5, respectively.

The vegetable compartment 6 is provided with a lower storage container 6b and an upper storage container 6c placed on the lower storage container 6b behind the door 6a provided in front of the storage chamber.

Then, the storage containers 4b, 5b, 6b, and 6c can be pulled out by putting a hand on the handle portion (not shown) of the doors 4a, 5a, and 6a and pulling it toward the front side. Similarly, in the ice making chamber 3 shown in FIG. 1, a storage container (indicated by reference numeral 3b in FIG. 2) is provided behind the door 3a, and a handle portion (not shown) of the door 3a is put on the handle and pulled out toward the front side. As a result, the storage container 3b can be pulled out.

As shown in FIG. 2, the doors 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a are provided with door packings 15 around them, and when the doors 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a are closed. The inside of the storage space (refrigerator room 2, ice making room 3, upper freezing room 4, lower freezing room 5, and vegetable room 6 is closed and sealed by being in close contact with the opening peripheral edge of the front surface of the refrigerator body 1, and these are sealed. It prevents the leakage of cold air from the storage space to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cooler 7 is arranged in the cooler storage chamber 8 provided substantially behind the lower freezing chamber 5. The cooler 7 is configured by attaching a large number of fins (not shown) to the cooler pipe 7d so that heat can be exchanged between the refrigerant and the air in the cooler pipe 7d.

An in-compartment blower 9 (for example, a fan driven by a motor) is provided above the cooler 7. The air cooled by heat exchange in the cooler 7 (hereinafter, this cooled low-temperature air is referred to as "cold air") is blown by the refrigerator 9 into the refrigerator room blower duct 22, the vegetable room blower duct 25, and the ice making room blower. It is sent to each storage room of the refrigerating room 2, the vegetable room 6, the ice making room 3, the upper freezing room 4 and the lower freezing room 5 via the duct 26a, the upper freezing room ventilation duct 26b and the lower freezing room blowing duct 27. It has become.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the structure of the refrigerator.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the air ducts to the refrigerator compartment 2, the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezer compartment 4, the lower freezer compartment 5 and the vegetable compartment 6 is each storage of the refrigerator body 1 as shown by a broken line in FIG. It is provided on the back side of the room.

Which storage chamber the cold air of the cooler 7 is sent to is controlled by the refrigerating temperature zone chamber cold air controlling means 20 and the freezing temperature zone chamber cold air controlling means 21.

Here, the refrigerating temperature zone room cold air control means 20 is a so-called twin damper provided with two independent openings, and the first opening 20a controls the air blown to the refrigerating room air duct 22 and the second opening 20b. Is designed to control the ventilation to the vegetable compartment ventilation duct 25. Further, the freezing temperature zone chamber cold air control means 21 is a single damper provided with a single opening, and is an ice making chamber air duct 26a (see FIG. 2), an upper freezing chamber air duct 26b (see FIG. 2), and a lower freezing chamber. The air blown to the air blowing duct 27 (see FIG. 2) is controlled.

Specifically, when the first opening 20a of the refrigerating temperature zone chamber cold air control means 20 is in the open state, a plurality of cold air are provided along the extending direction of the refrigerating chamber air duct 22 through the refrigerating chamber air duct 22. It is sent to the refrigerating room 2 from the air outlet 2c. The cold air that has cooled the refrigerating room 2 flows into the cooler storage room 8 from the lower side of the cooler storage room 8 through the return port 2d provided at the lower part of the refrigerating room 2 through the refrigerating room return duct 24. , It is designed to exchange heat with the cooler 7.

When the second opening 20b of the refrigerating temperature zone chamber cold air control means 20 is in the open state, the cold air is sent from the air outlet 25a to the vegetable chamber 6 via the vegetable chamber air duct 25. The cold air that cooled the vegetable compartment 6 flows into the cooler storage chamber 8 from the lower part of the cooler storage chamber 8 through the return port 25b (see FIG. 2) from the vicinity of the front surface of the vegetable compartment 6, and becomes the cooler 7. It is designed to exchange heat. By the way, the air volume circulating in the vegetable compartment 6 is smaller than the air volume circulating in the refrigerating chamber 2 and the air volume circulating in the freezing temperature zone chamber cold air control means 21.

When the freezing temperature zone chamber cold air control means 21 is in the open state, the cold air passes through the ice making chamber air duct 26a (see FIG. 2) and the upper freezing chamber air duct 26b (see FIG. 2), and the ice making chamber from the outlets 3c and 4c. It is sent to each of 3 and the upper freezing chamber 4. Further, the cold air is sent from the air outlet 5c to the lower freezing chamber 5 through the lower freezing chamber air duct 27 (see FIG. 2).

The cold air blown into the ice making chamber 3 through the ice making chamber air duct 26a (see FIG. 2) and the upper freezing chamber 4 are blown through the upper freezing chamber air duct 26b (see FIG. 2). The cold air descends to the lower freezing chamber 5. Then, this cold air is blown to the lower freezing chamber 5 through the lower freezing chamber air duct 27, and the cold air is passed through the freezing chamber return port 28 (see FIG. 2) provided in the lower part of the lower freezing chamber 5. , It flows into the cooler storage chamber 8 and exchanges heat with the cooler 7.

That is, the cold air that has cooled the ice making chamber 3, the upper freezing chamber 4, and the lower freezing chamber 5 is sent to the cooler storage chamber 8 via the freezing chamber return port 28 provided in the lower part of the lower freezing chamber 5. go back.

A defrost heater 35, which is a defrosting means, is installed below the cooler 7. The defrosted water generated by defrosting (melting) the frost adhering to the walls of the cooler 7 and the cooler storage chamber 8 around the cooler 7 flows into the trough 32 provided in the lower part of the cooler storage chamber 8, and then flows into the trough 32. It reaches the evaporating dish 34 arranged in the machine room 50 via the drain pipe 33, is evaporated by the heat of the compressor 51 or the like, and is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator.

As shown in FIG. 2, a control board 41, which is a control means equipped with a CPU, a memory such as a ROM or RAM, an interface circuit, or the like, is arranged on the upper surface side of the ceiling wall of the refrigerator body 1. .. The refrigerator body 1 includes a refrigerating room temperature sensor 44 that detects the temperature of the refrigerating room 2, a vegetable room temperature sensor 45 that detects the temperature of the vegetable room 6, and a freezing temperature zone room (ice making room 3, upper freezing room 4, and lower freezing). Temperature sensors such as a freezer temperature sensor 46 that detects the temperature of the chamber 5) and a cooler temperature sensor 47 that detects the temperature of the cooler 7 are provided, and the detected temperature is input to the control board 41. There is.

Further, the control board 41 includes a door sensor (not shown) that detects the open / closed state of the doors 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a, and the control panel 40 (see FIG. 1) provided on the door 2a. It is connected.

The control board 41 individually drives the compressor 51 ON / OFF, the rotation speed control, the refrigerating temperature zone room cold air control means 20, and the refrigerating temperature zone room cold air control means 21 by a program mounted in advance in the ROM described above. By controlling each drive motor (not shown), ON / OFF and rotation speed of the internal blower 9, and ON / OFF of the notification means 123 for notifying the door open state, the entire refrigerator is controlled. It is possible to control the operation of the.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the refrigerator as viewed from the direction B of FIG.

In the present embodiment, the rotary partition 18 is provided on the left door 2a.

The rotary partition 18 is rotatably supported around a rotary partition fulcrum 19 provided on the door 2a. When the door 2a is closed, the rotary partition 18 is positioned parallel to the door 2a and closes the gap between the door 2a and the door 2b on the right side.

Further, when the user opens the door 2a, the rotary partition 18 rotates around the rotary partition fulcrum 19 to a position substantially orthogonal to the door 2a by the action of a cam (not shown). The rotary partition 18 opens without interfering with the door 2b.

Further, the refrigerator main body 1 is provided with a closer mechanism for preventing so-called half-doors by urging the doors 2a and 2b in the closing direction before the doors 2a and 2b are completely closed, which will be described below.

<Structure of closer mechanism>
The closer mechanism 37, which is a closing means provided in the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b, will be described with reference to FIG. Corresponding to the right refrigerating room door 2a and the left refrigerating room door 2b, a symmetrical closer mechanism 37 is provided close to the lower hinge 17a of each refrigerating room door. Only explained in detail.

When closing the refrigerator doors 2a and 2b of the refrigerator, a configuration is used in which the door is urged to close in the vicinity of the door being completely closed to prevent the so-called half-door. This mechanism is called a closer, and when the door closes, the resin leaf spring member is once deformed to accumulate elastic strain energy, and the accumulated energy causes the door to close in the vicinity of the door closing. It is a force.

First, the configuration, operation, and problems of the closer mechanism 37a will be described with reference to FIG. 5 (a) to 5 (c) show the movement of the closer mechanism 37 and the force generated by the closer mechanism 37 when the refrigerating chamber door 2a is gradually closed. Since this closer is generally provided at the lower end of the lower hinge 17 of the refrigerator compartment door 2a, FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c) are views of the refrigerator compartment door 2a viewed from the CC direction. Is. A fixed closer receiving metal fitting 38a is attached to the refrigerator main body 1, and a cam portion 38b formed in a smooth curved surface shape is provided in a part thereof. The refrigerating chamber door 2a is provided with a closer elastic body 39a having a deformed portion 39b formed of an elastic material such as resin, and as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the refrigerating chamber door 2a is anti. When it is rotated clockwise CCW and closed to an angle φ1, the deformed portion 39b of the closer elastic body 39a comes into contact with the cam portion 38b of the closer receiving metal fitting 38a, and the deformed portion 39b of the closer elastic body 39a is counter-in the direction of the arrow Fa. It bends under the force. Since this force acts in the clockwise CW direction with respect to the lower hinge 17 of the door, that is, in the direction of opening the refrigerator compartment door 2a, the closing refrigerator compartment door 2a becomes heavier from the middle from the user's point of view. Further, when the refrigerating chamber door 2a is closed and the opening angle is φ2 as shown in FIG. 5B, the contact point between the closer elastic body 39a and the closer receiving metal fitting 38a is on the same line as the lower hinge 17 of the refrigerating chamber door 2a. Since the force Fb between the closer elastic body 39a and the closer receiving metal fitting 38a faces the rotation fulcrum, the moment becomes 0 because it becomes a neutral point, and the refrigerating chamber door 2a receives both opening and closing forces in a balanced manner. It disappears. Since the closer elastic body 39a bends and accumulates elastic strain energy up to the neutral point, when the refrigerating chamber door 2a is further closed after passing the neutral point, the closer elasticity from the cam portion 38b of the closer receiving metal fitting 38a A force in the direction of arrow Fc is applied to the body 39a, and this force becomes a moment in the direction of closing the door (counterclockwise CCW in this figure) with respect to the rotation fulcrum 3 of the door. Therefore, this force causes the refrigerating chamber door 2a to move. It is closed.

The closer mechanism 37 is provided in a gap between the lower surface of the refrigerating room door 2a and the ice making room door 3a, and a gap between the lower surface of the refrigerating room door 2b and the upper freezing room door 4a. Since the closer mechanism 37 has a structure in which the closer elastic body 39a and the closer receiving metal fitting 38a are juxtaposed, the thickness in the vertical direction can be reduced. That is, since the gap between the refrigerator compartment door 2a and the ice making chamber door 3a or the refrigerator compartment door 2b and the upper freezer compartment door 3b can be reduced, the heat insulating partition wall 11a can be thinned to reduce the size of the refrigerator body 1.

<Refrigerator legs>
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the refrigerator main body 1 has a configuration in which the refrigerator main body 1 is placed and supported on the floor surface by four legs provided near the four corners of the heat insulating box body 10 in a bottom view. A pair of front legs 52a provided near the left and right ends along the front side of 1 and a pair of rear legs 52b provided near the left and right ends along the rear side are provided.

The rear leg 52b may be a rotary roller in order to facilitate the movement of the refrigerator body 1 in the front-rear direction. Further, the front leg 52a may be a screw that can be adjusted in the height direction. If both the left and right front legs 52a are raised, the refrigerator body 1 is tilted rearward, and if both the left and right front legs 52a are lowered, the refrigerator body 1 is tilted rearward. Tilt forward.

When only the right front leg 52a is raised, only the right front side of the refrigerator body 1 rises, so the front surface of the refrigerator body 1 tilts to the left, and when only the left front leg 52a is raised, the refrigerator body 1 rises only on the left front side. Therefore, the front surface of the refrigerator body 1 is tilted to the right.

<Issues of screw fastening>
As described above, after adjusting the positions of the upper hinges 60a and 60b to adjust the left and right hinge plates 61 to predetermined positions, the mounting screws 63 are fastened and fixed. In such a configuration, the misalignment of the upper hinges 60a and 60b that occurs when the mounting screws are fastened after adjusting the positions of the upper hinges 60a and 60b will be described.

The mounting hole 62 formed in the hinge plate 61 is larger than the diameter of the screw portion of the mounting screw 63b, and has a backlash necessary for adjustment with respect to the mounting screw 63b. Further, the shape of the mounting hole 62 may be an elliptical hole having a major axis in the direction in which the hinge plate 61 moves to expand the moving range of the hinge plate 61.

First, the hinge plate 61 is moved within the range of play between the mounting hole 62 and the mounting screw 63b, the refrigerating chamber doors 2a and 2b are adjusted to be in appropriate positions, and then the mounting screw 63b is fastened. However, when the screws are fastened, the hinge plate 61 may rotate slightly due to the friction torque generated between the mounting screws 63b and the hinge plate 61, and the hinge position after fastening may shift.

Alternatively, readjustment may be required after tightening the mounting screws. When the mounting screw 63b once fastened is loosened, the hinge plate 61 is slightly moved, and then the mounting screw 63b is fastened again, the mounting screw 63b is called by the indentation of the original screw tightening position on the hinge plate 61. The position of the hinge plate 61 may not move from the original position by moving so as to be inserted.

Therefore, it is desirable that the upper hinges 60a and 60b do not move even if the fastening torque of the mounting screw 63b is applied before and after tightening the mounting screw 63b.

Alternatively, even if the indentation at the original screw tightening position exists in close proximity, the mounting screw 63b is not called into the indentation, and the mounting screw 63b is fastened at a position slightly deviated from the original screw tightening position. A possible configuration is desirable. As an example of such a configuration, a configuration having a so-called stopper function that hinders the movement of the hinge plate 61 even before the screw is fastened is desirable.

<Issues of door steps>
Next, in order to further explain the effect of the door hinge mechanism 16 according to the present invention with reference to FIG. 6, the steps of the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b that occur when the refrigerator body 1 is installed on a flexible floor surface are described in detail. explain.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state in which the refrigerator main body 1 is installed on a flexible floor.

If the refrigerator body 1 is installed on a horizontal floor surface with sufficient rigidity, as shown in FIG. 1, the left and right side surfaces remain vertical, and the upper surfaces of the left and right refrigerating room doors 2a and 2b are aligned without steps. The doors 2a2b are adjusted as there are. By the way, with the recent increase in the size of refrigerators, the mass of the refrigerator body 1 exceeds 100 kg, and the total mass of food and beverages stored in the refrigerator is close to 200 kg. There is.

On the other hand, many Japanese houses are made of wood, and many of them are built with a structure in which the beams that support the floor are widely spaced, without assuming the installation of heavy objects on the floor. As described above, since the refrigerator main body 1 is installed on the floor by the legs 52 installed at the four corners of the lower surface, it is about 500 N per leg 52, assuming that the load is evenly applied to each leg. When such a load is applied to the wooden floor, if there is a beam directly under the leg 52, the strength is sufficient and the amount of deformation is small, but the leg 52 is arranged between the beams. Then, the floor plate may be partially sunk, and the legs 52 of the refrigerator body 1 may be sunk. Since the strength of the floor surface is not uniform, the amount of subsidence of the legs 52 of the refrigerator body 1 also differs for each leg 52, and as a result, the refrigerator body 1 is in a state as if it were installed on an inclined surface or an uneven surface.

As described above, since the front leg 52a is configured so that the height can be adjusted up and down, the height of the front leg 52a that is inclined and lowered is increased so as to stand upright.

FIG. 6 shows an example of such a state. From the state where the right leg of the refrigerator body 1 is sunk and the whole is tilted to the right, the right front leg 52a is adjusted high to correct the tilt to the right. , It is in an upright state.

However, since the height of the right rear leg 52 cannot be adjusted, it remains subsided. As a result, the left and right sides of the refrigerator body 1 are in an upright state, but the rear surface is still tilted to the right and twisted. It will be in a state of being. Therefore, the front surface of the heat insulating box 10 is deformed into a parallelogram having a high right side surface and a low left side surface, so that the lower hinge 17a on the left side is lower than the lower hinge 17b on the right side.

Then, the left door 2a is in a low position together with the lower hinge 17a, and the right door 2b is in a high position together with the lower hinge 17b. As a result, a door step d is formed between the door 2a and the door 2b. Since this door step d is caused by deformation of the heat insulating box body 10 due to insufficient strength of the installation floor surface, the left and right doors 2a, so that there is no door step d when the refrigerator body 1 is assembled on a horizontal plane at the manufacturing stage. Even if the height of 2b is adjusted, a door step d may occur after installation.

<Structure of door hinge mechanism>
The configuration of the door hinge mechanism 16 in the present embodiment that can eliminate the step between the left and right doors 2a and the door 2b will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11.

7 is a plan view of the door hinge mechanism 16b corresponding to the right door 2b, FIG. 8 is a side view, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view. 10 and 11 are plan views illustrating the movement of the door hinge 60b by the door hinge mechanisms 16a and 16b.

Since the door hinge mechanisms 16a and 16b are provided symmetrically on the left and right doors 2a and 2b, only the right door 2b will be described in FIGS. 7 to 11. In addition, in FIGS. 9 to 11, the hinge cover 64 is omitted.

A door hinge mechanism 16b is provided near the front surface of the right end of the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1, and is formed on the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1 with a sheet metal-processed base plate 65 that can be fastened with a mounting screw A63a and the base plate 65. A hinge plate 61 that is sheet metal processed and can be fastened to the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1 by a mounting screw B63b through the mounting hole 66, and is provided at the front end of the hinge plate 61 and is the central axis of rotation of the door 2b and is located downward. It includes a stretched cylindrical upper hinge 60b. The door hinge mechanism 16 is covered with a hinge cover 64. The upper hinge 60b is rotatably supported by a hinge receiving hole 59 provided in the door 2b, and the door 2b can be rotatably opened and closed.

<Base plate>
A pair of front and rear guides 67 protruding upward are provided on the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1. The front-rear guides 67 and 67 are fitted into the front-rear adjustment groove 68a and the front-rear adjustment hole 68b provided in the base plate 65 with a minute gap, respectively, to guide the base plate 65 so as to be movable only in the front-rear direction. ing.

<Mounting screw>
The mounting screw A63a has a configuration in which only the base plate 65 is screwed and fixed to the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1, and the mounting screw B63b penetrates the hinge plate 61 and the base plate 65 and is fastened together.

Here, if only the mounting screw B63b is loosened while the mounting screw A63a is fastened, only the hinge plate 61 can be moved while the base plate 65 is fixed, and if the mounting screw A63a is also loosened, the hinge plate 61 and the base plate can be moved. Both 65 and 65 can be made movable.

<Swing center>
Near the rear end and the right end of the base plate 65, substantially behind the upper hinge 60b, a swing center 69 having a long plate shape in the left-right direction and protruding upward is provided.

At a position corresponding to the swing center 69 of the hinge plate 61, a swing center receiving hole 70, which is a square hole into which the swing center 69 is loosely fitted, is provided.

The width of the swing center receiving hole 70 in the left-right direction is slightly larger than the width of the swing center 69 in the left-right direction, and the front side and the rear side of the swing center receiving hole 70 are respectively. The protrusions 71 are provided in the direction close to each other in the central portion, the distance between the tips of the protrusions 71 is slightly larger than the plate thickness in the front-rear direction of the swing center 69, and the hinge plate 61 swings with an appropriate gap. It is swingably supported around the center 69.

<Stretched part>
A stretched portion 72 extending rearward of the hinge plate 61 and near the swing center 69 toward the inside of the refrigerator body 1 and extending to the left, and the left end portion of the stretched portion 72 extends to the rear end side of the stretched portion 72. A pair of nut receiving portions 73 and 73 that are stretched in the left-right direction on the front end side of the portion 72 and bent upward are formed as a pair of nut receiving portions 73 and 73, and holes 74 and 74 that penetrate in the front-rear direction are formed in the nut receiving portions 73 and 73. It is installed.

<Adjustment reference section>
An adjustment reference portion 76 extending in the left-right direction and bent upward is provided at the front end of the base plate 65 and in front of the nut receiving portion 73 of the hinge plate 61, and the adjusting reference portion 76 is provided with the nut receiving portion of the hinge plate 61. Holes 75 are provided on the front-rear extension lines of the holes 74 and 74 provided in the portion 73.

<Adjustment screw>
The adjusting screw 77 is a screw arranged in the front-rear direction, and the adjusting fitting portion 78, which is a cylindrical groove provided in the screw head, can be rotated in the hole 75 provided in the adjusting reference portion 76 of the base plate 65. It is configured to fit in and move only within a predetermined play range in the front-rear direction. The screw portion is provided so as to penetrate the holes 74, 74 provided in the pair of nut receiving portions 73, 73 provided on the hinge plate 61.

The adjusting nut 79 has a substantially hexagonal column shape with the left and right sides of the rhombus cut when viewed from above, and screw holes 80 that mesh with the adjusting screw 77 are provided in the front-rear direction. The adjusting nut 79 is arranged inside the pair of nut receiving portions 73, 73 with a slight gap, and the adjusting screw 77 is arranged so as to penetrate the hole 74, the hole 74, the screw hole 80, and the hole 75.

Since the adjusting fitting portion 78 does not move in the front-rear direction, when the adjusting screw 77 is a general right-handed screw, when the adjusting screw 77 is rotated clockwise, the adjusting nut 79 moves closer to the adjusting fitting portion 78. That is, when the adjusting screw 77 is rotated counterclockwise while moving forward, the adjusting nut 79 moves away from the adjusting fitting portion 78, that is, moves rearward.

<Action of adjustment screw>
The movements of the hinge plate 61, the upper hinge 60b, and the door 2b when the adjusting screw is rotated will be described with reference to FIG.

When the mounting screw B63b is loosened, the hinge plate 61 can be moved. When the adjusting screw 77 is rotated counterclockwise with the mounting screw B63b loosened, the adjusting nut 79 moves rearward, so that the nut receiving portions 73 and 73 of the hinge plate 61 also move rearward.

When the pitch of the adjusting screw 77 or the adjusting nut 79 is, for example, 1 mm, if the adjusting screw 77 is rotated by 36 °, the adjusting nut 79 moves by 0.1 mm, so that the adjusting nut 79 acts as a fine movement member. That is, the hinge plate 61 can be easily finely adjusted so that the nut receiving portions 73, 73 move by 0.1 mm around the swing center 69.

Since the hinge plate 61 is swingably supported around the swing center 69, the hinge plate 61 rotates clockwise when viewed from above, and the upper hinge 60b provided near the front end of the hinge plate 61 Also rotates around the swing center 69. Since the swing center 69 and the upper hinge 60b are arranged in the front-rear direction, the amount of movement of the upper hinge 60b in the front-rear direction is very small, and the upper hinge 60b moves only horizontally to the left along the opening of the housing.

The hinge plate 61 rotates clockwise when viewed from above, and the upper hinge 60b moves almost horizontally to the left along the housing opening. Therefore, when the upper hinge 60b is in a predetermined position, the mounting screw B63b is fastened. Then, the hinge plate 61 is fastened and fixed. This state is shown in FIG. 10 (a).

When the adjusting screw 77 is rotated counterclockwise with the mounting screw B63b loosened, the adjusting nut 79 moves forward, so that the nut receiving portions 73 and 73 of the hinge plate 61 also move forward. The hinge plate 61 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above, and the upper hinge 60b moves almost horizontally to the right along the housing opening. Therefore, when the upper hinge 60b is in a predetermined position, the mounting screw B63b is inserted. Once fastened, the hinge plate 61 is fastened and fixed. This state is shown in FIG. 10 (c).

FIG. 10B shows a state in which the extension portion 72 is directed to the left, which is substantially the center of the left-right movement range of the upper hinge 60b. This state may be referred to as the upper hinge 60b being in the standard position. When the upper hinge 60b is in the standard position, when the refrigerator body 1 is installed on a horizontal surface, the refrigerator body 1 is installed without deformation as shown in FIG. 1, and the door 2a and the door 2b are stepped from each other. Does not occur. This state may be referred to as the origin position.

As described above, by appropriately rotating the adjusting screw 77 clockwise or counterclockwise, the hinge plate 61 is slightly rotated around the swing center 69 via the adjusting nut 79 to move the upper hinge 60. Since it can move a small amount to the left and right, for example, about 5 mm, it has a fine adjustment mechanism 58 for adjusting the position of the upper hinge 60.

<Move back and forth>
A configuration in which the upper hinge 60b is moved back and forth will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 10 as appropriate.
When the mounting screw A63a and the mounting screw B63b are loosened at the origin position shown in FIG. 10B, not only the hinge plate 61 but also the base plate 65 is loosened. Therefore, the base plate 65 guides the front and rear along the upper surface of the refrigerator. It becomes possible to move in the front-rear direction along 67. If the base plate 65 is appropriately moved in the front-rear direction and only the mounting screw A63a is fastened at a position where the door packing 15 is in close contact with the front surface of the refrigerator body 1, the position of the upper hinge 60b in the front-rear direction can be appropriately arranged. After that, the upper hinge 60b can be moved in the left-right direction by rotating the adjusting screw 77 as described with reference to FIG.

That is, since the position of the upper hinge 60b can be moved back and forth with respect to the heat insulating box body 10, even if the thickness of the door packing 15 is different between the left and right refrigerating chamber doors 2a and 2b, the respective refrigerating chamber doors 2a, There is an effect that leakage of cold air can be prevented by appropriately adjusting the contact state between the door packing 15 and the heat insulating box 10 for each 2b.

Alternatively, even if the positions of the refrigerator compartment doors 2a and 2b in the front-rear direction are displaced after the refrigerator 1 is installed and a step in the front-rear direction is generated between the front surfaces of the doors 2a and 2b, the upper hinges 60a and 60b By adjusting the position back and forth, there is an effect that the step in the front-rear direction of the doors 2a and 2b can be eliminated and the front surface of the doors 2a and 2b can be made into a refrigerator.

<Locking action of adjusting screw>
When the upper hinge 60b is moved to an appropriate position by rotating the adjusting screw 77, the front and rear of the adjusting nut 79 are in contact with the nut receiving portions 73 and 73 integrated with the hinge plate 61 with a slight gap. Even if the screw B63b is loose, the hinge plate 61 does not move beyond the gap, and the position of the upper hinge 60b is maintained at an appropriate position. Even if the mounting screw B63b is fastened in that state and torque is applied to the hinge plate 61 via friction torque, the adjusting nut 79 and the nut receiving portions 73, 73 act as stoppers to prevent the hinge plate 61 from moving. Therefore, there is an effect of preventing the position shift of the upper hinge 60b.

<Action of upper hinge>
FIG. 12 is a front view illustrating an operation of eliminating a step generated on the upper surface or the lower surface of the refrigerating chamber doors 2a and 2b by moving the upper hinges 60a and 60b positions to the left and right via the door hinge mechanism 16. .. As described with reference to FIG. 6, the left and right doors 2a and 2b may have a step due to the deformation of the refrigerator body 1. FIG. 12A shows a state in which the right door 2b is higher than the left door 2a and a step d1 is generated as in FIG. 6, and FIG. 12C shows a state in which the left door 2a is higher than the right door 2b. The state where the step d2 is generated is shown.

If the upper hinges 60a and 60b are moved in the direction of the left arrow from the state shown in FIG. 12A, the step d1 is eliminated as shown in FIG. 12B. That is, as shown in FIG. 10A, the adjusting screw 77 of the door hinge mechanism 16 of the right door 2b may be rotated to move the position of the upper hinge 60b to the left. Further, the door hinge mechanism 16 of the left door 2a may have a symmetrical shape in which FIG. 10C is a left-right mirror image.

If the upper hinges 60a and 60b are moved in the direction of the right arrow from the state shown in FIG. 12C, the step d2 is eliminated as shown in FIG. 12D. That is, as shown in FIG. 10C, the adjusting screw 77 of the door hinge mechanism 16 of the right door 2b may be rotated to move the position of the upper hinge 60b to the right. Further, the door hinge mechanism 16 of the left door 2a may have a symmetrical shape with FIG. 10A as a left-right mirror image.

That is, in the refrigerator provided with the door hinge mechanism 16 according to the present embodiment, there is an effect that the step difference between the left and right doors 2a and 2b caused by the deformation of the refrigerator body 1 due to insufficient strength of the installation floor surface can be eliminated. ..

<Effect of top surface placement>
Furthermore, since the door hinge mechanism 16 is arranged on the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1 and is covered with a cover, the door hinge mechanism 16 is difficult for the user to see, and the user mistakenly touches the adjusting screw 77. The effect is that the door height does not change.

On the other hand, even if it is installed in a general household, it is possible to remove the hinge cover 64, loosen the mounting screws 63a and 63b, and rotate the adjusting screw 77, so that the maintenance staff can eliminate the step on the door. Is. Therefore, the state of the door step does not change by moving the refrigerator 1 from the installation location to another location where the door step is adjusted, so that the hinge position can be adjusted appropriately according to the floor surface of the installation location. It has the effect of being.

<< Second Embodiment >>
<Push screw, pull screw>
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 is a top view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view showing details of a set screw and a pull screw. The difference from the first embodiment is that the adjusting screw 77 extended in the front-rear direction and the so-called push screw and pull screw are provided instead of the adjusting nut 79 which is screw-fitted with the adjusting screw 77 and moves in the front-rear direction. That is.

As shown in FIG. 13, the hinge plate 61 includes a first bent portion 81 that faces upward between the upper hinge 60b and the swing center 69 along the right side. The base plate 65 is provided with a second bent portion 82 facing the first bent portion 81 to the right of the first bent portion 81. A set screw 83 and a pull screw 84 are provided between the first bent portion 81 and the second bent portion 82.

As shown in FIG. 14, since the set screw 83 is provided in the second bent portion 82, it is screw-fitted with the screw 85, and the tip of the set screw 83 at the left end is in contact with the first bent portion 81. The pull screw 84 penetrates the hole 87 provided in the second bent portion 82, is screw-fitted with the female screw 86 provided in the first bent portion 81, and the tip of the pull screw 84 at the left end is free. It is the end. When the set screw 83 and the pull screw 84 are right-handed screws, when the set screw 83 is rotated clockwise, the screw tip moves the first bent portion 81 to the left, so that the first bent portion 81 and the second bent portion 81 are used. It moves in a direction that separates the bent portion 82 from each other. When the pull screw 84 is rotated clockwise, the screw head moves the second bent portion 82 to the left, so that the first bent portion 81 and the second bent portion 82 are moved in a direction close to each other.

Since they act in opposite directions in this way, the distance between the first bent portion 81 and the second bent portion 82 can be adjusted by appropriately rotating the set screw 83 and the pull screw 84 in a loosened state. The hinge plate 61 can be swung around the swing center 69, and the positions of the upper hinges 60a and 60b can be moved in the left-right direction to eliminate the step difference in the door. Further, when the push screw 83 and the pull screw 84 are tightened to each other, it acts as a stopper for preventing the hinge plate 61 from moving.

In the second embodiment, the first bent portion 81 acts as a fine movement member that moves in response to the feed of the set screw 83 or the pull screw 84.

Although the cause of the door step is insufficient in the strength of the installation floor surface, the cause is not limited to such a cause, and the door caused by the height of the lower hinges 17a and 17b being different between the left and right doors. Even if it is a step, or if the amount of wear of the lower hinges 17a and 17b due to the opening and closing of the door is different between the left and right doors, and the height of the doors 2a and 2b is different, the step is similarly stepped. It has the effect of being able to eliminate the problem.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the step of the French door by adjusting the position of the upper hinge of the French door that opens to the left and right of the refrigerator compartment, so that it is possible to provide a refrigerator that is easy to install and easy to use. effective.

In the refrigerator provided with the door hinge mechanism 16 according to the present embodiment, there is an effect that the step difference between the left and right doors 2a and 2b caused by the deformation of the refrigerator body 1 due to the insufficient strength of the installation floor surface can be eliminated.

In the refrigerator provided with the door hinge mechanism 16 according to the present invention, when the mounting screw 63b of the hinge plate 61 is fastened, the upper hinges 60a and 60b are displaced due to the slight rotation of the hinge plate 61 due to the fastening torque. Since it can be prevented, there is an effect that the hinge position does not move before and after the mounting screw is fastened and is stabilized.

The present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to the one including all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add / delete / replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

1 Refrigerator body 2 Refrigerator room (refrigerator temperature zone room)
2a, 2b Refrigerator door 3 Ice making room (freezing temperature zone room)
4 Upper freezing room (freezing temperature zone room)
5 Lower freezing room (freezing temperature zone room)
6 Vegetable room (refrigerated temperature zone room)
6a Vegetable room door 6b Lower storage container 6c Upper storage container 7 Cooler 8 Cooler storage room 9 Blower in the refrigerator 10 Insulated box body (housing)
11 Insulation partition wall 12 Shelf 13 Door pocket 14 Vacuum insulation 15 Door packing 16 Door hinge mechanism 17a, 17b Lower hinge 18 Rotating partition 19 Rotating partition fulcrum 20 Refrigerating temperature zone room cold air control means 21 Refrigerating temperature zone room cold air control means 22 Refrigerating Room air duct 23 Refrigerator room upstream duct 24 Refrigerator room return duct 25 Vegetable room air duct 25a Air outlet 25b Return port 26 Ice making room air duct 27 Lower freezer room air duct 28 Refrigerator room return port 32 Gutter 33 Drain pipe 34 Evaporator 35 Frost heater 37 Closer mechanism 38 Closer receiving bracket 39 Closer elastic body 40 Control panel 41 Control board 44 Refrigerator room temperature sensor 45 Vegetable room temperature sensor 46 Freezer room temperature sensor 47 Cooler temperature sensor 49 Door sensor 50 Machine room 51 Compressor 52 Legs 52a Front leg 52b Rear leg 58 Fine adjustment mechanism 59 Hinct receiving holes 60a, 60b Upper hinge 61 Hinge plate (first movable member)
62 Mounting hole 63a Mounting screw A (second fastening means)
63b Mounting screw B (first fastening means)
64 Hinge cover 65 Base plate (second movable member)
66 Mounting hole 67 Front and rear guide 68a Front and rear adjustment groove 68b Front and rear adjustment hole 69 Swing center 70 Swing center receiving hole 71 Protrusion 72 Extension part 73 Nut receiving part 74 Hole 75 Hole 76 Adjustment reference part 77 Adjustment screw 78 Adjustment fitting part 79 Adjustment nut (fine movement member)
80 Screw hole 81 First bent part (fine movement member)
82 Second bend 83 Set screw 84 Pull screw 85 Female screw 86 Female screw 87 Hole

Claims (3)

A housing with an opening on the front and
A pair of left and right doors that open and close the opening and are pivotally supported so that they can be opened and closed in front of the left and right.
A pair of upwardly extending cylindrical lower hinges that rotatably support the lower ends of the left and right doors,
A pair of downwardly extending cylindrical upper hinges that are arranged to face the lower hinge and rotatably support the upper ends of the left and right doors.
A pair of first movable members that are mounted on the upper surface of the housing and have the upper hinge at one end and can move along the upper surface of the housing.
A first fastening means for fastening and fixing the first movable member to the housing after moving the first movable member with respect to the housing by a very small amount.
Equipped with a,
The first movable member includes the upper hinge at one end protruding forward from the opening of the housing.
In addition, a swing center that is swingably supported around the vertical shaft is provided at the other end on the opposite side of the opening of the housing.
A refrigerator characterized in that the first movable member is swingably supported around the swing center. In the refrigerator according to claim 1,
A refrigerator characterized in that the upper hinge is movable along the opening of the housing. In the refrigerator according to claims 1 and 2.
An adjustment screw that is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis of rotation and whose movement is restricted in the direction of the axis of rotation,
A fine movement member that moves according to the amount of screw feed that accompanies the rotation of the adjusting screw,
A refrigerator characterized in that the first movable member is moved by the movement of the fine movement member.

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