JPWO2020013115A1 - Door opening / closing mechanism and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A door opening / closing mechanism and a refrigerator that can open and close the door from both sides with a lighter handle operation will be realized. When the door (2a) is closed, the hinge pins (11) and groove cams (24, 25) of the cam mechanisms on both sides take the first locking position, and when one of the handles is operated, it corresponds to the operated handle. The cam lever (31) rotates backward to press the unlocked cam (12) and moves to the side where the door (2a) opens, and the hinge pin (11) and groove of the cam mechanism on the opposite side to the opening side. The cams (24, 25) take a rotatable second locking position, and the cam lever (31) moves the unlocked cam (12) at least during the initial rotation in the rotating motion to open the door (2a). ) Press the open side of the front tip.

Description

The present invention relates to a door opening / closing mechanism and a refrigerator that allow the door to be opened / closed from both sides.

The applicant of the present application provides the market with a refrigerator in which the door can be opened and closed from both sides. Such a refrigerator is provided with a door opening / closing mechanism that allows the door to be opened / closed from both sides. This door opening / closing mechanism includes, on both sides of the door, a cam mechanism for engaging and disengaging the door and the main body, a handle to be gripped when opening the door, and a cam lever that rotates in conjunction with the handle. The cam mechanism has a hinge pin and a groove cam, an outer lock cam arranged on the main body, and a slide outer cam arranged on the door.

When the door is closed, the hinge pins and groove cams of the cam mechanisms on both sides take the first locking position. The first locking position is a state in which the hinge pin is in the middle of the groove cam and the hinge pin does not enter the end of the groove cam.

When the handle on the side that opens the door is operated, the cam lever corresponding to the operated handle rotates backward and presses the unlocked cam to move to the side where the door opens, which is the opposite of the side that opens the door. The hinge pin and groove cam of the side cam mechanism take a second locking position that is rotatable. The second locking position is a state in which the hinge pin has entered the end of the groove cam.

The operation of sliding the door, which is required as the initial movement when opening the door, is performed in the operation of grasping the handle and opening the door (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Gazette "Patent No. 3761560 Specification"

The present application aims to further improve the door opening / closing mechanism that allows the door to be opened / closed from both sides. In the configuration of the door opening / closing mechanism described in Patent Document 1, the cam levers are arranged in parallel to the left and right, and the pressing surface that presses the unlocked cam at the initial rotation in the rotation operation when opening the door is flat. Is formed in.

In such a configuration, the sliding movement of the door to the opening side, which is required as the initial movement when opening the door, is the reaction force of the force that the cam lever pushes the unlocked cam backward, that is, the force toward the front is the groove cam. Of the force, the force of the component in the direction in which the groove cam extends is used. Therefore, when the direction of the reaction force and the direction in which the door is to be slidably moved are separated, the reaction force cannot be effectively used and the handle may become heavy.

One aspect of the present invention is to realize a door opening / closing mechanism and a refrigerator that can open / close the door from both sides with a lighter handle operation.

In order to solve the above problems, the door opening / closing mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention is a door opening / closing mechanism that allows the door to be opened / closed from both sides, and engages and disengages the door and the main body on both sides of the door. The cam mechanism includes a cam mechanism to be performed, a handle to be gripped when opening the door, and a cam lever that rotates in conjunction with the handle, and the cam mechanism includes a hinge pin and a groove cam, and an unlocked cam arranged on the main body. It has a non-slide cam arranged on the door, and when the door is closed, the hinge pins and groove cams of the cam mechanism on both sides take the first locking position, and when one of the handles is operated, it is operated. The cam lever corresponding to the handle rotates backward to press the unlocked cam and move to the side where the door opens, and the hinge pin and groove cam of the cam mechanism on the side opposite to the opening side are rotatable second. The cam lever takes a locking position, and is characterized in that the cam lever presses the opening side of the front tip portion of the out-lock cam at least during the initial rotation in the rotation operation for opening the door.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a door opening / closing mechanism and a refrigerator that can open / close the door from both sides with a lighter handle operation.

It is a front view which shows the refrigerator provided with the door opening / closing mechanism of 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the right half of the hinge angle arranged in the lower part on the main body side of the refrigerator refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the right half of the hinge angle arranged in the lower part on the main body side of the refrigerator refrigerator shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an engagement relationship between a slide cam member provided on the right side of the lower end of the door of the refrigerator refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 and a hinge angle. It is a side sectional view of the hinge angle arranged in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 on the main body side, and the roller provided on the lower surface of the door. It is a front sectional view of the hinge angle arranged in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 on the main body side, and the roller provided on the lower surface of the door. It is a figure which showed the relative positional relationship of a hinge angle and a slide cam part when the door of a refrigerator refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 is opened from the right side. (A) is an enlarged view of the right end portion of FIG. 7, showing how much force is applied when the cam lever starts pressing the unlocked cam (at the time of initial rotation), and (b) is a conventional door opening / closing mechanism. Shows the degree of force applied when the cam lever starts pressing the unlocked cam. It is a figure which showed the relative positional relationship of a hinge angle and a slide cam part when the door of a refrigerator refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 is opened from the right side. It is a figure which showed the relative positional relationship of a hinge angle and a slide cam part when the door of a refrigerator refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 is opened from the right side. It is a figure which showed the relative positional relationship of a hinge angle and a slide cam part when the door of a refrigerator refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 is opened from the right side. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an engagement relationship between a slide cam portion provided on the right side of the lower end of a door 2a of a refrigerator refrigerator chamber provided with a door opening / closing mechanism of the second embodiment and a hinge angle. It is a figure which showed the relative positional relationship of the hinge angle and the slide cam part at the time of opening the door of the refrigerating room of the refrigerator provided with the door opening / closing mechanism of 2nd Embodiment from the right side. It is a figure which showed the relative positional relationship of the hinge angle and the slide cam part at the time of opening the door of the refrigerating room of the refrigerator provided with the door opening / closing mechanism of 2nd Embodiment from the right side. It is a figure which showed the relative positional relationship of the hinge angle and the slide cam part at the time of opening the door of the refrigerating room of the refrigerator provided with the door opening / closing mechanism of 2nd Embodiment from the right side. It is a figure which showed the relative positional relationship of the hinge angle and the slide cam part at the time of opening the door of the refrigerating room of the refrigerator provided with the door opening / closing mechanism of 2nd Embodiment from the right side.

[First Embodiment]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a refrigerator provided with the door opening / closing mechanism of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a refrigerating room 2 in the upper stage, and a vegetable room 3 and a freezing room 4 are arranged side by side in the lower stage. The refrigerator compartment 2 is covered with doors 2a that can be opened and closed from both sides to open the opening of the main body 6 (see FIG. 4), and can be opened and closed from either the left or right by operating the handles 5 provided symmetrically to the left and right. ..

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the right half of the hinge angle 10 arranged in the lower part of the refrigerating chamber 2 on the main body 6 (see FIG. 4) side, and FIG. 3 is a top view thereof. The hinge angle 10 is symmetrically formed of a metal such as a galvanized steel plate and is screwed to the main body 6. The hinge angle 10 is provided with a hinge pin 11 made of stainless steel or the like and an outer lock cam 12 symmetrically by caulking.

A hinge cover 10a is provided on the upper surface of the hinge angle 10 by insert molding. The hinge pin 11 serves as a pivot shaft of the door 2a, and an arcuate rib 13 concentric with the hinge pin 11 is integrally formed with the hinge cover 10a. The lock outer cam 12 is arranged at a predetermined distance from the hinge pin 11 and slides on the slide outer cam 22 (see FIG. 4) provided on the door 2a side to guide the door 2a.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the engagement relationship between the slide cam portion 20 provided on the right side of the lower end of the door 2a and the hinge angle 10. The slide cam portion 20 is provided symmetrically at the left and right ends of the door 2a. At the end of the slide cam portion 20, a substantially L-shaped continuous first groove cam 24 and a second groove cam 25 that relatively slide and guide the hinge pin 11 are recessed. The first groove cam 24 guides the engagement with the hinge pin 11 in a direction of disengagement. The second groove cam 25 leads from the first locking position to the first groove cam 24, or to the second locking position where the hinge pin 11 functions as a rotation axis.

A boss 23 that slides on the rib 13 is projected around the second groove cam 25. A groove 21 is recessed on the left side of the first groove cam 24 and the second groove cam 25. Inside the groove 21, a slide outer cam 22 facing the lock outer cam 12 provided at the hinge angle 10 on the main body 6 side is projected. As a result, the slide cam portion 20 and the hinge angle 10 engage with each other to form a cam mechanism for guiding the door 2a. In the figure, each of the above configurations of the slide cam portion 20 is provided on the lower surface, but is shown by a solid line for convenience.

The slide cam portion 20 is also provided symmetrically on the upper surface of the door 2a, and a hinge pin 11, an unlocked cam 12, and a rib 13 that engage with the slide cam portion 20 are provided above the main body portion 6.

A cam lever 31 is arranged in the groove 21 of the slide cam portion 20 arranged on the lower surface of the door 2a. The cam lever 31 is arranged to face the out-lock cam 12, and rotates around the shaft 32 as a rotation center. The shaft 32 is connected to the handle 5 (see FIG. 1), and by pulling the handle 5 (in this case, the handle on the right side) forward, the cam lever 31 rotates rearward (main body 6 side), and the cam lever 31 Presses the lock outer cam 12. As a result, the door 2a is separated from the periphery of the opening of the refrigerator compartment 2.

Further, in the present embodiment, as a notable configuration, a convex portion 40 is provided on the pressing surface 31a of the cam lever 31 that presses the unlocked cam 12. Although the details will be described later, the convex portion 40 assists the operation of sliding the door 2a to the side to be opened, which is necessary as the initial movement when the door 2a is opened.

Further, a roller 18 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) that rolls on the hinge angle 10 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the door 2a. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the roller 18 provided on the lower surface of the hinge angle 10 and the door 2a, and FIG. 6 is a front sectional view thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rear end of the hinge angle 10 is provided with an inclined surface 10b that inclines rearward downward, and the front end portion is provided with an inclined surface 10c that inclines forward downward. A horizontal plane 10d is provided between the upper end of the inclined surface 10b and the upper end of the inclined surface 10c.

A plurality of rollers 18 having rotating shafts arranged on the left and right are pivotally supported on the lower surface of the door 2a. When the roller 18 is arranged on the inclined surface 10b, the door 2a is urged to close by its own weight. Further, when the roller 18 is arranged on the inclined surface 10c, the door 2a is urged in the opening direction by its own weight.

Next, the movement of each part when the door 2a is opened will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11. 7 and 9 to 11 are views showing the relative positional relationship between the hinge angle 10 and the slide cam portion 20 when the door 2a is opened from the right side. FIG. 8A is an enlarged view of the right end portion of FIG. 7, showing how a force is applied when the cam lever 31 starts pressing the unlocked cam 12 (at the time of initial rotation). FIG. 8B shows the degree of force applied when the cam lever 100 starts pressing the unlocked cam 12 in the conventional door opening / closing mechanism (the door opening / closing mechanism described in Patent Document 1 described above). There is. The cam lever 100 has a flat pressing surface 100a that presses the unlocked cam 12 at the time of initial rotation. In FIG. 8B, the members having the same function as the door opening / closing mechanism of the present embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals for convenience.

FIG. 7 shows the relative positional relationship of the door 2a in the closed state. The cam mechanisms on both sides, which consist of the hinge angle 10 and the left and right slide cam portions 20, each take a first locking position. The first groove cams 24 provided on the left and right slide cam portions 20 are formed so as to face diagonally inward of the door 2a, and the hinge pins 11 slide on both the left and right first groove cams 24 at the same time. I will not be guided. Therefore, even if the closed door 2a is pulled toward the front from both the left and right sides at the same time, the door 2a does not fall off from the main body 6.

As shown in FIG. 8A, when the door 2a is closed, the right side of the front tip of the unlocked cam 12 comes into contact with the left slope 40a of the convex portion 40 provided on the pressing surface 31a of the cam lever 31. Close to each other. Here, the left slope 40a of the convex portion 40 is an inclined surface on the side opposite to the side where the door 2a is opened by the rotation of the cam lever 31 (center side of the door 2a), and is the front tip portion of the lock outer cam 12. The right side of the door 2a is the side where the door 2a is opened by the rotation of the cam lever 31.

When the handle 5 (see FIG. 1) on the right side is slightly pulled toward you from the state of FIG. 7 ((a) of FIG. 8), the cam lever 31 rotates backward (main body 6 side), and the convex portion of the cam lever 31 The left slope 40a of 40 presses the right side of the front tip portion of the unlocked cam 12 rearward. The arrow X1 in FIG. 8A indicates the direction of the force applied to the door 2a via the unlocked cam 12 at that time.

By using the left slope 40a of the convex portion 40 of the cam lever 31 to press the right side of the front tip portion of the lock outer cam 12 to the rear, the front of the lock outer cam 12 can be pressed from the diagonally right front. As a result, as the reaction force, a force that moves the door 2a forward on the right side acts on the door 2a (the force of the arrow Y1 in FIG. 8A). Of the reaction forces, the force that moves the second groove cam 25 to the right side, which is the side that opens the door 2a, along the extending direction is indicated by the arrow A1.

By obtaining the reaction force indicated by the arrow Y1, the force (arrow A1) for sliding the door 2a to the opening side, which is necessary as the initial movement when the door 2a is opened, is applied. As a result, the right hinge pin 11 can easily move to the first groove cam 24 in the right slide cam portion 20. At the same time, since the slide cam portion 20 on the left side is also pulled to the right side, the hinge pin 11 on the left side moves to the end portion along the second groove cam 25 on the left side.

On the other hand, in the case of the door opening / closing mechanism described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 8B, the pressing surface 100a of the cam lever 100 presses the front tip portion of the unlocked cam 12 rearward. Then, the force indicated by the arrow X2 is applied to the door 2a, and the force indicated by the arrow Y2 is obtained as the reaction force. Of the reaction forces indicated by the arrows Y2, the force that moves the second groove cam 25 to the right, which is the side that opens the door 2a, along the extending direction is indicated by the arrow A2.

As can be seen by comparing the arrow A1 of FIG. 8A and the arrow A2 of FIG. 8B, the convex portion 40 is provided on the pressing surface 31a of the cam lever 31, so that the unlocked cam 12 is more than the cam lever 31. Even if the force received by (the force of arrow X1 in (a) of FIG. 8) and the force received by the unlocked cam 12 from the cam lever 100 (the force of arrow X2 in (b) of FIG. 8) are the same. The ratio of the force for moving the door 4 to the right, which is the side that opens the door 4, can be increased.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the right side of the door 2a is opened by 0.5 ° from the closed state of the door 2a shown in FIG. 7 (FIG. 8). By using the left slope 40a of the convex portion 40 of the cam lever 31 to press the right side of the front tip portion of the lock outer cam 12 rearward, the door 2a has a smaller force than the door opening / closing mechanism of Patent Document 1 described above. The state smoothly shifts to the state shown in FIG. In the state of FIG. 9, the first groove cam 24 on the right slide cam portion 20 moves diagonally forward to the right along the outer circumference of the right hinge pin 11, and the second groove cam 25 on the left slide cam portion 20 moves. , It is in a state of being moved diagonally rearward to the right along the outer circumference of the left hinge pin 11.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which the right side of the door 2a is opened by 1.5 ° by further pulling the handle 5 toward the front from the state of the door 2a shown in FIG. When the right cam lever 31 further presses the front tip of the unlocked cam 12 rearward, the first groove cam 24 on the right slide cam portion 20 moves diagonally forward to the right along the outer circumference of the right hinge pin 11. Move further. At the same time, the second groove cam 25 of the left slide cam portion 20 also moves further to the right diagonally rearward along the outer circumference of the left hinge pin 11, and the left slide cam portion 20 takes the second locking position. Further, the slide outer cam 22 and the lock outer cam 12 on the right side slide.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the right side of the door 2a is opened by 2.0 ° by further pulling the handle 5 toward the front from the state of the door 2a shown in FIG. When the handle 5 is further pulled from the state of FIG. 10, the cam lever 31 on the right side further presses the front tip portion of the out-lock cam 12 backward, so that the out-slide cam 22 and the out-lock cam 12 on the right side slide. .. As a result, the door 2a rotates forward around the hinge pin 11 of the cam mechanism of the left slide cam portion 20 that takes the second locking position as a fulcrum.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the cam lever 31 is raised in the direction in which the pressing surface 31a on the tip end side of the cam lever is pressed, and as a result, the cam lever 31 is curved so that the tip end side of the cam lever is located further rearward. is doing. With such a configuration, when the length of the cam lever from the center of rotation (center of the shaft 32) to the tip is the same, the pressing surface is flat or inclined in the direction opposite to the pressing direction. The lock outer cam 12 can be pressed for a longer time with the same rotation angle. As a result, the door 2a can be moved until the roller 18 provided on the lower surface is located on the horizontal surface 10d, preferably on the inclined surface 10c urged in the opening direction by its own weight. Even if the force for gripping the handle 5 and pulling the door 2a is small, the door 2a can be reliably opened.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the tip end side of the cam lever 31 may press the side opposite to the opening side (left side in FIG. 11) of the front tip portion of the lock outer cam 12, and the door 2a is moved to the right side. The power may weaken. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the slide cam portion 20 on the left side of the door 2a has already taken the second locking position and is in a state of being rotatable around the hinge pin 11 on the left side as a fulcrum. Therefore, the door 2a You no longer need the force to move the to the right.

As described above, according to the above configuration, the cam lever 31 presses the opening side of the front tip portion of the unlocked cam at the time of the initial rotation in the rotation operation for opening the door 2a. .. Specifically, a convex portion 40 is formed on the pressing surface 31a of the cam lever 31, and the left inclined surface 40a, which is an inclined surface on the opposite side to the opening side of the convex portion 40, is in front of the unlocked cam 12 at the time of initial rotation. Press the open side of the tip.

As a result, the front of the lock outer cam 12 can be pressed from diagonally forward on the opening side, and as a reaction force thereof, a force acting on the door 2a to move the door 2a to the front on the opening side acts on the door. A force is applied to slide the door 2a, which is necessary as the initial movement at the time of opening, to the opening side. In other words, a partial component of the force applied to the door 2a by pressing with the cam lever 31 moves the hinge pin 11 of the cam mechanism on the opening side to the first groove cam 24, and on the opposite side to the opening side. The hinge pin 11 of the cam mechanism and the second groove cam 25 work to move to the second locking position. As a result, the sliding movement of the door 2a, which is necessary as the initial movement when the door is opened, is easily and surely performed, and a door opening / closing mechanism with a good door opening operation that can open / close the door from both sides with a lighter handle operation is realized. be able to.

Moreover, according to the above configuration, there is an advantage that the above effect can be obtained only by replacing the cam lever having the conventional configuration with the above cam lever 31.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment, and the description will not be repeated.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the engagement relationship between the slide cam portion 20 provided on the right side of the lower end of the door 2a'of the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator provided with the door opening / closing mechanism of the second embodiment and the hinge angle 10. As shown in FIG. 12, a cam lever 42 is provided instead of the cam lever 31. In the cam lever 42, the shaft 32, which is the center of rotation, is located on the center side of the door 2a'with respect to the unlocked cam 12. A convex portion 43 is provided at the tip of the pressing surface 42a of the cam lever 42 that presses the outer lock cam 12. Like the convex portion 40, the convex portion 43 assists the operation of sliding the door 2a'to the opening side, which is necessary as the initial movement when the door 2a'is opened.

13 to 16 are views showing the relative positional relationship between the hinge angle 10 and the slide cam portion 20 when the door 2a'is opened from the right side.

FIG. 13 shows the relative positional relationship of the door 2a'in the closed state. FIG. 12 is also an enlarged view of the right end portion of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the door 2a'is closed, the right side of the front tip of the unlocked cam 12 comes into contact with the left slope 43a of the convex portion 43 provided on the pressing surface 42a of the cam lever 42. Close to each other. Here, the left slope 43a of the convex portion 43 is an inclined surface on the side opposite to the side where the door 2a'opens due to the rotation of the cam lever 42 (center side of the door 2a'), and is in front of the lock outer cam 12. The right side of the tip is the side where the door 2a'opens due to the rotation of the cam lever 42.

When the handle 5 on the right side is pulled slightly toward you from the state shown in FIG. 13 (FIG. 12), the cam lever 42 rotates backward (main body 6 side), and the left slope 43a of the convex portion 43 of the cam lever 42 is the unlocked cam. The right side of the front tip portion of 12 is pressed backward. The arrow X1 in FIG. 12 indicates the direction of the force applied to the door 2a'via the unlocked cam 12 at that time, and of the reaction force (arrow Y1 force in FIG. 12), the second groove cam 25 The force to move the door 2a'to the right side, which is the opening side, along the extending direction is indicated by an arrow A1.

As described above, similarly to the cam lever 31 of the door opening / closing mechanism of the first embodiment, the cam lever 42 opens the front tip portion of the unlocked cam 12 at the time of the initial rotation in the rotation operation when opening the door 2a'. By pressing the side to be opened, the reaction force gives a force to slide the door 2a', which is necessary as the initial movement when the door is opened, to the side to be opened. As a result, the sliding movement of the door 2a, which is necessary as the initial movement when the door is opened, is easily and surely performed, and a door opening / closing mechanism with a good door opening operation that can open / close the door from both sides with a lighter handle operation is realized. be able to.

FIG. 14 shows a state in which the right side of the door 2a'is opened by 0.5 ° from the closed state of the door 2a'shown in FIG. 13 (FIG. 12), which corresponds to FIG. 9 of the first embodiment. FIG. 15 shows a state in which the handle 5 is pulled further toward the front from the state of the door 2a'shown in FIG. 14 and the right side of the door 2a' is opened by 1.5 °, which corresponds to FIG. 10 of the first embodiment. do. FIG. 16 shows a state in which the handle 5 is pulled further toward the front from the state of the door 2a'shown in FIG. 15 and the right side of the door 2a' is opened by 2.0 °, which corresponds to FIG. 11 of the first embodiment. do.

In such a configuration, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the cam lever 42 presses the right side of the front tip portion of the unlocked cam 12 backward while the pressing surface 42a moves toward the tip side with rotation. do. Further, the convex portion 43 provided on the pressing surface 42a presses the right side of the front tip portion of the lock-out cam 12 backward when the cam lever 42 is initially rotated. That is, at the initial stage of rotation of the cam lever 42, the reaction force always includes a force for moving the door 2a'to the right side, which is the side for opening the door 2a'. Therefore, the sliding movement of the door 2a', which is necessary as the initial movement when the door is opened, is performed more easily and surely, and a door opening / closing mechanism with a good door opening operation that allows the door to be opened / closed from both sides with a lighter handle operation is realized. can do.

Further, in FIGS. 15 to 16, the top of the convex portion 43 of the pressing surface 42a presses the front tip portion of the lock outer cam 12 rearward. In the state of FIG. 15, as in FIG. 10 of the first embodiment, the slide cam portion 20 on the left side is in the second locking position, so that the force for sliding the door 2a'to the right side is not required. In this way, the tip of the pressing surface 42a of the cam lever 42 is shaped so that the top of the convex portion 43, not the left slope 43a, comes into contact with the out-lock cam 12, which is optimal at each stage when the door is opened. A directional force can be applied to the front tip of the lock-out cam 12.

In the present embodiment, the mechanism for rotating the cam lever 42 in conjunction with the handle 5 is larger than that of the first embodiment, but the door opening operation can be made better, so that, for example, it is large, thick and heavy. Suitable for doors.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment, and the description will not be repeated.

In the door opening / closing mechanism of the first embodiment, the initial position (door closing position) of the cam lever 31 is arranged parallel to the opening surface of the main body 6, and the handle 5 is operated to move backward from that position. It is configured to rotate. Further, the place where the cam lever 31 is arranged is on the front side of the door 2a. By arranging the cam lever 31 in this way, it is possible to fill the rear portion of the cam lever 31 with a heat insulating material with a sufficient thickness, and sufficient heat insulating properties can be ensured.

However, although the heat insulating property is slightly inferior, by moving the rotation axis of the cam lever to the rear (main body 6 side) and arranging the initial position of the cam lever diagonally with respect to the opening surface of the main body 6, the cam lever 31 Even if the pressing surface 31a is not provided with the convex portion 40 or the like, it is possible to create an inclined surface that presses the open side of the front tip portion of the lock outer cam 12. In the door opening / closing mechanism of the present embodiment, the cam lever is diagonally arranged with the rear as a rotation axis, and has a shape in which the pressing surface inclines from the rear to the front as the door ends toward the center.

In such a configuration, as in the door opening / closing mechanism of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when the cam lever 31 is initially rotated in the rotating operation for opening the door 2a, the front tip portion of the unlocked cam It is designed to press the side to be opened. Further, in the present embodiment, as the cam lever 31 rotates, the pressing surface 31a approaches parallel to the opening surface of the main body 6, so that the opening side of the front tip portion of the unlocked cam is pressed during the initial rotation. Since the front tip of the lock outer cam is pressed backward as the rotation progresses, a force in the optimum direction can be applied to the front tip of the lock outer cam 12 at each stage when the door is opened.

〔summary〕
The door opening / closing mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention is a door opening / closing mechanism that allows the door to be opened / closed from both sides, and has a cam mechanism that engages and disengages the door and the main body on both sides of the door 2a and opens the door. The cam mechanism includes a hinge pin 11, a groove cam (first groove cam, second groove cam), and a main body (a first groove cam, a second groove cam). It has an outer lock cam 12 arranged on the main body 6) and a slide outer cam 22 arranged on the door, and the hinge pins and groove cams of the cam mechanism on both sides take the first locking position when the door is closed. When one of the handles is operated, the cam lever corresponding to the operated handle rotates backward to press the unlocked cam and move to the side where the door opens, and the cam on the opposite side to the opening side. The hinge pin of the mechanism and the groove cam take a rotatable second locking position, and the cam lever opens the front tip portion of the unlocked cam at least during the initial rotation in the rotation operation for opening the door. It is characterized by pressing the side.

In the door opening / closing mechanism according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the cam lever has a convex portion 40 on a pressing surface for pressing the outer lock cam, and the convex portion is inclined on the side opposite to the opening side. The surface (left slope 40a) may be configured to press the open side of the front tip portion of the outer lock cam.

In the second aspect, the door opening / closing mechanism according to the third aspect of the present invention may be configured such that the pressing surface on the tip end side of the cam lever is raised in the pressing direction.

In the second aspect, the door opening / closing mechanism according to the fourth aspect of the present invention may be configured such that the rotation shaft of the cam lever is located on the center side of the door with respect to the unlocked cam to be pressed.

The refrigerator according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized by providing the door opening / closing mechanism according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1 Refrigerator 2 Refrigerator room 3 Vegetable room 4 Freezing room 5 Handle 6 Main body (main body)
10 Hinge angle 10a Hinge cover 10b, 10c Inclined surface 10d Horizontal surface 11 Hinge pin 12 Outer cam 13 Rib 18 Roller 20 Slide cam part 21 Groove 22 Outer slide cam 23 Boss 24 1st groove cam 25 2nd groove cam 31, 42 Cam lever 31a , 42a Pressing surface 32 Shaft 40, 43 Convex part 40a, 43a Left slope (inclined surface)

Claims (5)

A door opening / closing mechanism that allows the door to be opened / closed from both sides.
On both sides of the door,
A cam mechanism that engages and disengages the door and body,
The handle to be gripped when opening the door,
A cam lever that rotates in conjunction with the handle is provided.
The cam mechanism has a hinge pin and a groove cam, an outer lock cam arranged on the main body, and a slide outer cam arranged on the door. When one of the handles is operated in one locking position, the cam lever corresponding to the operated handle rotates backward to press the unlocked cam and move to the side where the door opens, and the side to open. The hinge pin and groove cam of the cam mechanism on the opposite side take a rotatable second locking position.
The door opening / closing mechanism is characterized in that the cam lever presses the opening side of the front tip portion of the unlocked cam at least during the initial rotation in the rotation operation for opening the door. The cam lever has a convex portion on a pressing surface that presses the outer lock cam, and an inclined surface opposite to the opening side of the convex portion presses the opening side of the front tip portion of the outer lock cam. The door opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1. The door opening / closing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the pressing surface on the tip end side of the cam lever is raised in the pressing direction. The door opening / closing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the rotation shaft of the cam lever is located on the center side of the door with respect to the unlocked cam to be pressed. A refrigerator comprising the door opening / closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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