KR100707460B1 - Door opening and closing device for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

In the door opening and closing device of the refrigerator according to the present invention, when the door is opened, the center of rotation of the door is moved in the direction away from the counterpart along the movement path provided by the guide mechanism, the gasket assembly is installed on the opposite portion of the door Has the effect of separating first.

Description

Door opening and closing device for refrigerator

1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator having a conventional door opening and closing device

Figure 2 is a plan view of the main part showing a door closed state of a conventional refrigerator

Figure 3 is a plan view of the main part showing the gasket separation state when the door is closed when the conventional refrigerator

Figure 4 is a plan view of the main part showing a shock occurrence state when the door is closed in the refrigerator of the prior art

5 is a perspective view of a refrigerator having a door opening and closing device according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of portion A of FIG. 5;

7 is a detailed view of the main part of the door opening and closing device;

8 is a plan view of the main part showing the door closed state

Figure 9 is a plan view of the main part showing the gasket separation state when the door is closed in the present invention

10 to 12 are views showing an open state of the door in the present invention

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

35, 35R, 35L: Door 37: Gasket

39: door bracket 40: refrigerator body

46: hinge bracket 47: hinge link

47a: bracket hinge shaft 47b: door hinge shaft

49: elastic member 50: gasket assembly

51: Gasket Holder 53: Gasket

55: magnet 80: guide mechanism

82: cam boss 84: cam guide

85: guide hole 85a: translational movement section

85b: Rotational movement section

The present invention relates to a door opening and closing device of the refrigerator, and more particularly, to a door opening and closing device of a refrigerator provided with a hinge mechanism for guiding the translational movement direction of the door during the translational movement of the door.

1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator having a conventional door opening and closing device.

As shown in the refrigerator, a refrigerating compartment 1 is positioned at an upper side and a freezing compartment 2 is positioned at a lower side thereof. In particular, the refrigerating chamber is a French-type refrigerator in which a partition wall separating the interior is not formed.

The refrigerating chamber (2) has a door (3) for opening and closing the structure of the two-door open type, the circumferential surface of each door (3) is provided with a gasket (10) in close contact with the refrigerator main body (5) so that cold air does not leak out do.

In particular, the gasket 11 is installed so that cold air does not leak even in a portion where the doors 3 meet each other. In general, a refrigerator of a French type is provided with a filler at one door so that the gaskets of both doors are in close contact with each other. It has a structure or a fillerless structure in which the gaskets 11 of both doors 3 are in close contact with each other without a filler.

The refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 shows a pillarless type, and side gaskets 11 provided on both doors are in close contact with each other while the doors 3 are closed to seal the gap between the doors 3.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an essential part showing a state in which the side gaskets 11 are in close contact with each other when both the doors are closed.

The gasket 11 is provided with a magnet 14 to maintain a mutual close force therein, the adhesion of the two gaskets 11 is a problem that the other door is also opened when one door 3 is opened. .

Due to this problem, a door separation structure is provided which separates the open door from the counterpart door so that both the gaskets 11 are separated when the door 3 is initially opened and the door 3 is almost closed.

That is, the hinge mechanism 15 connecting the refrigerator main body 5 and the door 3 is formed of a hinge link 17 to allow horizontal movement, that is, translational movement of the door when the door is opened and closed. 17 is connected to the hinge bracket 16 and the door 3 installed in the refrigerator main body 5 so as to be relatively rotatable.

The hinge mechanism 15 is provided with an elastic member 18 to provide an elastic force in the direction in which the door 3 is in close contact with the mating door.

And the cam member 21 is installed in the refrigerator main body 5, and the cam 3 which contacts the cam member 21 in the refrigerator main body 5 so that an open door can be moved by the method of mutually pushing when a door opens and closes. The contact lever 25 is installed. The cam contact lever 25 is provided with a roller 26 to make a rolling contact with the cam member 21.

Therefore, when the user opens the door (3), the door is opened while rotating around the door hinge shaft (17a), wherein the roller 26 of the cam contact lever 25 according to the displacement of the door (3) is opened It moves along the cam surface of the cam member 21. When the roller 26 reaches the apex 21a of the cam surface, as shown in FIG. 3, the gaskets 11 are spaced apart from each other while the door 3 is pushed to the right about the main body hinge shaft 17b. It rotates and the door opens.

On the contrary, even when the door 3 is closed, the roller 26 of the cam contact lever 25 moves on the curved surface of the cam member 21, so that the door is closed in a state where both gaskets 11 are separated.

Since the door 3 that is opened and closed at the door opening and closing as described above is separated from the counterpart door, the interference between both gaskets 11 is minimized, and the door is opened instantly while the other door is opened when one door is opened, Frequent contact of the gaskets will solve some of the fast wear problems.

However, in the refrigerator having the conventional door opening and closing device as described above, the door 26 is closed because the roller 26 of the cam contact lever 25 hits the cam member 21 when the door 3 is closed. Significant noise and shock is generated when closing the door, the door is also rapidly closed while being pushed in the lateral direction, there is a problem that significantly reduces the user's sensitivity when opening and closing the door.

In addition, when using for a long time in the above state, there is a problem that the roller 26, etc. are damaged by frequent collision between the roller 26 and the cam member 21, so that the operation of separating the gaskets is not smoothly performed.

In addition, since the cam member 21 protrudes in the direction of the door 3 from the refrigerator main body 5, there is a problem in that the aesthetic appearance deteriorates when the user opens the door 3.

In addition, in order to gently form the cam surface to alleviate the impact when the door is closed, the cam member 21 and the cam contact lever 25 should be formed gently on the inclined surface of the cam surface 21b, the cam surface 21b In order to form the inclined surface gently, there is a problem that the length of the cam member 21 should be longer.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by installing a hinge mechanism for guiding the translational movement direction of the door during translational movement of the refrigerator door to minimize the contact between the gasket assembly generated when the door is closed The object is to provide a door opening and closing device.

The door opening and closing device of the refrigerator according to the present invention for realizing the above object and a plurality of doors for opening and closing the refrigerator body; A hinge mechanism hinged to the door and the main body, respectively; And a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the door rotation center so that the plurality of doors are spaced apart when the door is opened.

The guide mechanism is installed across the main body and the door, the cam guide for guiding the translational movement path and the rotational movement path of the door; It is configured to include a cam boss installed in the door and moved along the cam guide.

In particular, the cam guide has one end fixed to the main body and the other end protruding toward the door side, and a guide hole for guiding the movement of the cam boss is formed inside the cam guide, and the guide hole rotates the door. It consists of a translational movement section for causing the center to translate and a rotational movement section for allowing the door to rotate.

Meanwhile, the hinge mechanism includes a hinge link connected to the door and the main body, respectively, the hinge link and the main body are connected through a bracket hinge axis, and the hinge link and the door are connected through a door hinge axis. .

The main body is formed with a stopper for limiting the rotation angle of the hinge link with respect to the bracket hinge axis, the stopper is formed to protrude from the main body to the door side.

In addition, an elastic member for urging the hinge link to the mating door side is further installed on the bracket hinge shaft installed at the main body side of the hinge link.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the French type refrigerator that can be opened in the left and right direction is provided with a double door type in one refrigerator compartment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a refrigerator having a door opening and closing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a portion “A” of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a main part of the door opening and closing apparatus, and FIG. 8. Is a plan view of the main part showing the door closed state.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the refrigerator according to the present invention, a freezing compartment 31 is positioned at a lower side thereof, and a refrigerating chamber 32 having double doors 35L and 35R is positioned at an upper side thereof, and both doors 35L and 35R are positioned at the upper side thereof. ) Is connected to the refrigerator body 40 by the hinge mechanism 45 and the guide mechanism 80 is configured to open and close the refrigerating chamber 32 in a case opening manner.

Gaskets 37 are installed on both the doors 35L and 35R in close contact with the refrigerator main body 40 so as to prevent cold air from leaking out to the outside.

Particularly, since the partition wall or the refrigerator main body 40 does not exist in a portion where the two doors 35L and 35R face each other, the side gasket assembly 50 closes to the counter door and seals the gap between the doors 35L and 35R. (Hereinafter referred to as 'gasket assembly') is installed.

As shown in FIG. 8, the gasket assembly 50 is installed between the gasket holder 51 installed on the side surfaces of the doors 35L and 35R, and the gasket holder 51 to the gasket of the mating door. It is composed of a gasket 53 in close contact and a magnet 55 provided inside the gasket 53 to generate magnetism to be in close contact with the gasket 53 of the mating doors 35L and 35R.

In order to minimize the phenomenon that the doors 35L and 35R are opened in the state in which both gasket assemblies 50 are in close contact with each other, the entire door 35 is moved laterally in the refrigerator when the door is opened or closed. A hinge mechanism 45 and a guide mechanism 80 are provided to space both gasket assemblies 50 apart from each other.

As shown in FIG. 6 or 7, the hinge mechanism 45 includes a hinge link 47 hinged to the main body 40 and the doors 35L and 35R, respectively, and the hinge link 47. And a bracket hinge shaft 47a for connecting the main body 40 to the door hinge shaft 47b for connecting the doors 35L and 35R and the hinge link 47, and the bracket hinge shaft 47a. And an elastic member 49 provided to press the doors 35L and 35R toward the mating doors 35R and 35L.

Here, the hinge link 47 is installed in the refrigerator body 40 and the door 35 so as to be relatively rotatable.

In this embodiment, the bracket hinge shaft 47a of the hinge link 47 is installed at the hinge bracket 46, and the door hinge shaft 47b, which is the rotation center of the door, is installed at the door bracket 39.

The elastic member 49 is installed on the bracket hinge shaft 47a to provide elastic force in a direction in which both doors 35 are in close contact with each other, and both ends thereof are supported by the hinge bracket 46 and the hinge link 47.

The hinge bracket 46 is provided with first and second stoppers 46a and 46b for limiting the rotation angle of the hinge link 47, and the first and second stoppers 46a and 46b are formed in the bracket. It is formed on the left and right sides of the hinge shaft 47a, and the first and second stoppers 46a and 46b limit the rotation angle of the door hinge shaft 47b which is rotated about the bracket hinge shaft 47a. .

Thus, the hinge mechanism 45 has a structure in which the door bracket 47b, which is the rotation center of the door 35, can be translated laterally about the bracket hinge shaft 47a when the door 35 is opened and closed. to be.

That is, the guide mechanism 80 is installed to protrude from the main body 40 toward the doors 35L and 35R, and a cam guide 84 for guiding the translational movement path and the rotational movement path of the doors 35L and 35R. And a cam boss 82 fixed to the doors 35L and 35R and moved along the cam guide 84.

The cam guide 84 is installed across the main body 40 and the doors 35L, 35R, one end 84a is fixed to the hinge bracket 46 of the main body 40, the other end 84b It is located above the doors 35L and 35R to guide the moving direction of the doors 35L and 35R.

The cam guide 84 has a guide hole 85 formed therein, the cam boss 82 is inserted into the guide hole 85, and the cam boss 82 is attached to the door bracket 39. It is fixed and moved along the guide hole 85.

Here, the guide hole 85 is a translational movement section 85a for linearly moving the cam boss 82 so that the doors 35L and 35R are translated, and the door 35L around the door bracket 47b. And a rotational movement section 85b which provides a rotational movement path of the cam boss 82 when the 35R is rotated.

Referring to Figures 8 to 12 the operation of the refrigerator door opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

8 is a diagram illustrating a door closed state, FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a gasket separation state when the door is opened and closed, and FIGS. 10 to 12 are views illustrating a state in which the door is opened.

For convenience, the process of opening the right door 35R will be described as an example.

First, the process of opening the door will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, when the doors 35L and 35R are closed, the gaskets 53 of both doors 35L and 35R are in close contact with each other.

When the user opens the door 35R in such a state, as shown in FIG. 9, the hinge link 47 is driven by the force of opening the door 35R by the user about the bracket hinge axis 47a. The door hinge shaft 47b is rotated, and the hinge link 47 is caught by the first stopper 46a to limit rotation.

At this time, the cam boss 82 installed in the door 35R moves along the guide hole 85 by a distance at which the door hinge shaft 47b, which is the rotation center of the door 35R, is rotated. The boss 82 is moved along the translational movement section 85a of the cam guide 84.

So, when such translational movement of the door 35R is completed, it will be in the state like FIG.

As such, when the door 35R is moved along the translational movement section 85a, the gasket assembly 50 of the door 35R is separated from the gasket assembly 50 of the mating door 35L.

Subsequently, when the user opens the door 35R further, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the hinge link 47 is supported by the first stopper 46a and thus the door hinge shaft 47b. The cam boss 82 is circularly moved along the rotational movement section 85b.

Next, the process of closing the door will be described.

When the user closes the door 35R, the cam boss 82 rotates clockwise along the rotation movement section 85b of the cam guide 84 to guide the rotation path of the door 35R.

In this case, the hinge link 47 may be rotated by the second support 46b, and the cam link 82 may be rotated along the cam guide 84. A movement in which the hinge link 47 is rotated and supported by the second support 46b and a movement in which the cam boss 82 is rotated along the cam guide 84 may be simultaneously generated.

This is because the gasket assembly 50 is not contacted until the cam boss 82 enters the translation movement section 85a of the cam guide 84.

That is, when the hinge link 47 is rotated to the second stopper 46b and supported, and the cam boss 82 is not supported by the translation movement section 85a of the cam guide 84, the gasket assembly ( 50 forms a state spaced apart from each other, the elastic member 49 provided on the bracket hinge shaft 47a provides an elastic force so that the gasket assembly 50 is in close contact with each other when the doors 35L and 35R are closed. .

The door opening and closing apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention configured and acted as described above, since the center of rotation of the door moves in a direction spaced apart from the counterpart door along the movement path provided by the guide mechanism, faces the door. The gasket assembly that is installed at the part has an effect of being separated first.

In addition, the door opening and closing device of the refrigerator according to the present invention has the advantage that the contact between the gasket assembly installed between the doors is minimized because the door opened by the guide mechanism when the door is opened and closed.

Therefore, since the guide mechanism of the refrigerator according to the present invention is configured to rotate forward after moving the center of rotation of the door laterally, there is an advantage of moving the door in a direction in which interference of the gasket assembly is minimized.

In addition, the cam guide of the hinge mechanism of the refrigerator according to the present invention has an advantage of guiding the moving direction of the door to be opened more accurately because it forms a moving path of the cam boss installed in the door to guide the moving direction.

In addition, the cam guide of the refrigerator hinge mechanism according to the present invention has an advantage that the gasket assembly can be quickly separated because a translational translation section is formed to move the center of rotation of the door laterally.

Claims (8)

A plurality of doors for opening and closing the refrigerator body; A hinge mechanism hinged to the door and the main body, respectively; And a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the door rotational center so that the plurality of doors are spaced apart when the door is opened, The guide mechanism includes a cam guide installed across the main body and the door to guide a translational movement path and a rotational movement path of the door, and a cam boss mounted to the door to move along the cam guide. A guide hole is formed inside the cam guide to guide the movement of the cam boss, and the guide hole includes a translation movement section for translating the door rotation center and a rotation movement section for rotating the door. Door opening and closing device. delete The method of claim 1, The cam guide has one end fixed to the main body and the other end is formed to protrude toward the door side, the cam boss is inserted into the cam guide is moved door opening and closing device. delete The method according to claim 1 or 3, The hinge mechanism includes a hinge link connected to the door and the main body, respectively, the hinge link and the main body are connected through a bracket hinge shaft, and the hinge link and the door are connected through a door hinge shaft. Door opener. The method of claim 5, The main body of the refrigerator door opening and closing device is formed with a stopper for limiting the rotation angle of the hinge link with respect to the bracket hinge axis. The method of claim 6, The stopper is a door opening and closing device of the refrigerator formed by protruding from the main body to the door side. The method of claim 5, And a bracket hinge shaft installed at the main body side of the hinge link, and further comprising an elastic member for pressing the hinge link toward the counter door.

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