KR100722286B1 - Door opening and closing device for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The door opening and closing apparatus of the refrigerator of the present invention includes a plurality of doors for opening and closing the refrigerator main body, a hinge mechanism for connecting the door and the refrigerator main body so that the door rotates with respect to the refrigerator main body and the translational movement is possible; It is provided in the refrigerator main body includes a stopper for limiting the movement of the hinge mechanism when the door is closed to determine the closed position of the door. Therefore, the present invention can minimize the impact generated when opening and closing the door to reduce noise and improve the user's sensitivity.

Door, refrigerator body, roller, gasket, hinge mechanism, French type, stopper, buffer member

Description

Door opening and closing device for refrigerator

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

2 is a plan view of an essential part showing a door closed state of a conventional refrigerator;

3 is a plan view of an essential part showing a gasket separation state when the door is opened and closed of a conventional refrigerator;

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 apparatus according to the present invention,

FIG. 6 is a detail view "A" of FIG. 5;

7 is a plan view of an essential part showing a door closed state of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

8 is a plan view of the main part showing a gasket separation state when the door is opened in the refrigerator according to the present invention;

9 is a plan view of the main part showing a state when the door is closed of the refrigerator according to the present invention;

10 and 11 are perspective views of various modified embodiments showing a state in which a shock absorbing member is installed in the door separation mechanism in the present invention,

12, 13, 14 is a side view of various modified embodiments showing a state in which the buffer member is installed on the roller in the present invention,

15, 16 and 17 are perspective views of various modified embodiments showing a state in which a shock absorbing member is installed in the stopper 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

45 hinge mechanism 46 hinge bracket

47: hinge link 47a: bracket hinge axis

47b: door hinge shaft 47c: extension part

48: buffer member 49: elastic member

50: gasket assembly 51: gasket holder

53: gasket 55: magnet

60: door separation mechanism 61: cam member

62 cam surface 63 buffer member

65 cam contact lever 67 roller

68: buffer member 80: first stopper

82: buffer member 85: second stopper

86: inclined portion 87: buffer member

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 the refrigerator which can accurately determine the closed position of the door by providing a buffer member in the refrigerator main body.

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

As shown in the refrigerator, a refrigerating chamber 1 is positioned at an upper side and a freezing chamber 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) is a door (3) for opening and closing it is composed of a double-door open structure, the gasket (10) that is in close contact with the refrigerator main body (5) is installed on the circumferential surface of each door (3) 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.

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 3 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.

In addition, a cam member 21 is installed in the refrigerator main body 5 so as to move the open door by mutual interference when the door is opened and closed, and a cam contact lever in contact with the cam member 21 in the door 3. 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 door 3 is opened, the door is opened while rotating about the door hinge shaft 17a, and at this time, the roller 26 of the cam contact lever 25 is moved according to the displacement of the door 3. It moves along the cam surface of the cam member 21. When the roller 26 reaches the apex of the cam surface, as shown in FIG. 3, the door 3 is pushed backward with respect to the main body hinge shaft 17b and separated from the mating door, thereby separating both gaskets 11. The door is opened in a state.

When the door is further opened, the door 3 is opened while rotating about the door hinge shaft 17b.

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 which 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 momentarily while the other door is opened when one door is opened, Frequent contact of the gaskets will solve the problem of fast wear.

However, the door opening and closing structure of the conventional refrigerator as described above, the door opening and closing because there is no device that can mitigate the impact that may occur when the cam member 21 and the roller 26 are in contact with each other when opening and closing the door. There is also a problem that the shock generated at the time is transmitted to the user as it is to give the user a bad feeling when opening and closing the door.

In addition, the door opening and closing structure of the conventional refrigerator as described above is configured so that the door 3 is moved in the relative door direction by the elastic member 18 provided in the hinge mechanism 15 so that both gaskets 11 are in close contact with each other. Since the mechanism for determining the correct closing position of the door is not provided, when the elastic force is excessively acted on by the elastic member 18, the gasket 11 between the two doors 3 is compressed more than necessary. There are also problems that can be easily deformed or damaged.

An object of the present invention is to provide a door opening and closing apparatus of a refrigerator which can accurately determine a closed position of a door by providing a cushioning member in the refrigerator main body.

The door opening and closing apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention for realizing the above object comprises a plurality of doors for opening and closing the refrigerator body; A hinge mechanism connecting the door and the refrigerator main body to allow the door to rotate with respect to the refrigerator main body and to perform a translational movement; A door separation mechanism provided between the door and the refrigerator main body to contact each other when the door is opened and closed to separate the doors from each other; It is configured to include a shock absorbing mechanism provided in the door separation mechanism or the hinge mechanism to mitigate the shock generated when opening and closing the door.

A gasket assembly is provided between the plurality of doors to seal a gap between the doors.

The hinge mechanism includes a hinge link rotatably connected to both ends of the refrigerator body and the door. The hinge mechanism is provided with an elastic member that provides an elastic force to move the door in a direction in which the door is in close contact with the mating door.

The door opening and closing device of the refrigerator includes a stopper for limiting the rotation of the hinge link to determine the closed position of the door when the door is closed.

The shock absorbing mechanism is provided at a portion where the hinge link and the stopper come into contact with each other.

The door separation mechanism includes a cam member installed on the refrigerator main body or the door side, and a cam contact lever installed on the door or the refrigerator main body side where the cam member is not installed and contacting the cam member so that the door is spaced apart. .

The cam contact lever is provided with a roller to make a rolling contact with the cam member.

The shock absorbing mechanism is provided on at least one of the cam member and the cam contact lever.

In addition, the door opening and closing apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention for realizing the above object, a plurality of doors for opening and closing the refrigerator body; A hinge mechanism connecting the door and the refrigerator main body to allow the door to rotate with respect to the refrigerator main body and to perform a translational movement; And a stopper provided in the refrigerator main body to limit the movement of the hinge mechanism when the door is closed to determine the closed position of the door.

The hinge mechanism includes a hinge link rotatably connected to both ends of the refrigerator body and the door.

The hinge link is formed in the rotatably connected to the refrigerator main body side extending in the direction of the refrigerator main body is formed, the stopper is formed in the refrigerator main body is configured to catch the extension.

The stopper is installed at a side of the refrigerator body, which is the outer side of the refrigerator main body.

The stopper is installed at an inner portion of the refrigerator body about the hinge link. Here, the stopper is formed to be inclined at least a portion so that interference with the hinge link does not occur when the door is spaced apart.

A buffer member is provided at the portion where the stopper and the hinge mechanism come into contact with each other.

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

For reference, the present invention may be applied to a refrigerator having neither a freezer compartment or a refrigerating compartment but having a double door open type door, and may be applied to a refrigerator that is open in a vertical direction as well as a refrigerator in which both doors are opened in left and right directions. Therefore, the present invention is, of course, applicable to all the refrigerators in which the side gasket assembly is installed in close contact with the opposite door side in the opposite parts of both doors to seal the gap between the doors.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on a French-type refrigerator which is provided with a double door-type door in one refrigerating chamber can be opened in the left and right directions.

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 a portion “A” of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of an essential part of a door closing state of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, both doors 35L and 35R are connected to the refrigerator main body 40 by a hinge mechanism 45, and are configured to open and close the refrigerating compartment in an opening and closing 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. 7, the gasket assembly 50 includes a gasket holder 51 installed on the side surfaces of the doors 35L and 35R, and a gasket of the mating door installed in front of the gasket holder 51. And a magnet 55 provided in 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 while the two gasket assemblies 50 are in close contact with each other, both gasket assemblies 50 may be translated, that is, horizontally moved when the doors are opened and closed. There is provided a device for spaced apart.

The device for separating the gasket assembly 50 comprises a hinge mechanism 45 and the door separation mechanism 60.

First, the hinge mechanism 45 is configured to allow the doors 35L and 35R to be rotated and translated relative to the refrigerator body 40. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the hinge link ( 47 are respectively rotatably connected to the hinge bracket 46 and the upper part of the door 35 installed in the refrigerator main body 40.

That is, one end of the hinge link 47 is connected to the bracket hinge shaft 47a of the hinge bracket 46, and the other end is connected to the door hinge shaft 47b of the door 35.

The bracket hinge shaft 47a is provided with an elastic member 49, which is a return means supported at both ends of the hinge bracket 46 and the hinge link 47 so as to provide an elastic force in a direction in which both doors 35 are in close contact with each other. It is provided.

The hinge mechanism 45 is rotated about the door hinge shaft 47b when the door 35 is rotated while the door 35 is opened and closed, and the bracket hinge when the door 35 is horizontally moved by the door spacer 60. And rotate about the axis 47a. The elastic member 49 provides an elastic force so that the hinge link 47 rotates in a direction in which both doors 35L. 35R, that is, both gasket assemblies 50 are in close contact with each other about the bracket hinge axis 47a. Done.

The hinge mechanism 45 has stoppers 80 and 85 configured to limit the rotation of the hinge link 47 to determine the closed position of the door 35 when the door 35 is closed.

That is, the stoppers 80 and 85 provide elastic force to the hinge link 47 so that the elastic member 49 moves the door in the relative door direction, so that the door 35 moves toward the relative door by a predetermined displacement or more. If so, it is configured to limit the movement of the hinge link 47.

Such stoppers 80 and 85 may be formed integrally with the hinge bracket 46 installed in the refrigerator body 40 or by assembling separate structures.

Here, the hinge link 47 extends in the direction of the refrigerator main body 40 at the rear of the bracket hinge shaft 47a so as to interfere with the stoppers 80 and 85 provided on the refrigerator main body 40 side. An extension portion 47c is formed.

In addition, the stoppers 80 and 85 may be installed at the side surface of the refrigerator main body 40 at the outer side of the refrigerator main body 40 around the hinge link 47, or at an inner portion of the refrigerator main body 40. It is installed and configured to engage the extension 47c of the hinge link 47.

The first stopper 80 may be formed by bending the hinge bracket 46, and the second stopper 85 may extend from the extension 47c of the hinge link 47 when the door is spaced apart from each other. It is configured to have the inclined portion 86 so that interference does not occur.

In the present exemplary embodiment, a configuration in which both the first stopper 80 and the second stopper 85 are formed is illustrated, but only one of them may be selectively configured according to the implementation conditions.

Next, the door separation mechanism 60 is configured to be in contact with each other when the door 35 is opened and closed to space between the plurality of doors 35R and 35L.

The door separation mechanism 60 is preferably installed in the hinge bracket 46 and the door bracket 39 in which the hinge mechanism 45 is installed.

The door separation mechanism 60 is fixed to the refrigerator main body 40 and is fixed to the cam member 61 having a cam surface 62 so as to space both doors when the door is opened, and to the door 35. It is made of a cam contact lever 65 to contact the cam surface 62 of the cam member 61 so that the door is spaced apart.

The cam contact lever 65 is composed of a lever portion 66 fixed to the door bracket 39 and a roller 67 installed to contact the cam member 61 at the end of the lever portion 66. do.

Next, the hinge mechanism 45 and the door separation mechanism 60 are provided with a shock absorbing mechanism for alleviating the shock generated when the door is opened or closed. In the present embodiment, the shock absorbing mechanism is illustrated in both the hinge mechanism 45 and the door separation mechanism 60, but, of course, it is also possible to install only one of the buffer mechanism if necessary.

Such a shock absorbing mechanism is composed of a shock absorbing member made of a soft rubber material, a synthetic resin, or the like.

The shock absorbing members 63 and 68 provided on the door separation mechanism 60 are provided on the cam face 62 of the cam member 61 and the roller 67 of the cam contact lever 65, respectively.

That is, the cam member 61 is usually formed of a metal material such as steel bar, the cam member 62 of the metal member is configured to be installed along the cam surface 62, the buffer member 63 made of band-type rubber long It is preferable that it consists of.

In addition, the roller 67 may be formed of a synthetic resin material such as POM, and is configured by mounting a buffer member 68 formed of a rubber ring or the like on the circumferential surface thereof.

10 shows a configuration in which the shock absorbing member 63 is installed only in the cam member 61, and FIG. 11 shows a configuration in which the shock absorbing member 68 is installed in the roller 67 only.

12, 13, and 14 are views showing various embodiments in which the buffer member 68 is installed on the roller 67, and FIG. 12 is a structure in which one rubber ring 68A is installed on the roller 67. 13 shows a structure in which a rubber band 68C is installed, and FIG. 14 shows a structure in which two rubber rings 68C are installed.

In this way, the cam member 61 or the roller 67 can be configured by providing a cushioning member to mitigate the impact of the mutual contact in a variety of members and shapes in the mutual contact surface.

Next, the shock absorbing members 82 and 87 provided on the hinge mechanism 45 are provided at portions where the extension portion 47c of the hinge link 47 and the stoppers 80 and 85 come into contact with each other.

That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the shock absorbing members 82 and 87 are provided in both the first stopper 80 and the second stopper 85 in contact with the hinge link 47. Accordingly, the shock absorbing member 48 may be attached to the extension portion 47c of the hinge link 47 in contact with the shock absorbing member 82 of the second stopper 80.

As shown in FIG. 16, the shock absorbing members 48 and 82 may be installed only on the first stopper 80 and the extension portion 47c of the hinge link 47 that is in contact therewith, as shown in FIG. 17. The shock absorbing member 87 may also be provided only in the second stopper 85.

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

7 is a plan view of the main part showing the door closed state, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the main part showing the gasket separation state when the door is opened, and FIG. 9 is a plan view of the main part showing the state when the door is closed.

In the state in which the doors 35L and 35R are closed as shown in FIG. 7, since the door separation mechanisms 60 are in a coupled state seated with each other, the door 35R is formed of the elastic member 49 provided in the hinge mechanism 45. Since the state is moved toward the mating door 35L by the elastic force, the gaskets 53 of both the doors 35L and 35R are in close contact with each other.

Here, since the elastic member 49 provides an elastic force to rotate the hinge link 47 in the clockwise direction about the bracket hinge axis 47a, the door 35R moves in the direction of the relative door 35L. In particular, since the hinge link 47 is limited in rotation by both stoppers 80 and 85, the hinge link 47 is moved and closed in the relative door direction only up to the door closing setting position.

Therefore, the gasket assembly 50 can be prevented from being excessively in close contact with both doors 35L and 35R, and the doors 35L and 35R are also kept in the closed position.

When the door 35R is opened in such a state, as shown in FIG. 8, as the door 35R is opened, the roller 67 of the cam contact lever 65 opens the cam surface 62 of the cam member 61. While moving, the right door 35R is horizontally moved in a direction away from the left door 35L, and when the roller 67 reaches the top of the cam surface 62 of the cam member 61, it has a maximum displacement. do.

In this case, since the door 35R is pushed out by the force generated while the roller 67 and the cam surface 62 are in contact with each other, the hinge link 47 centers around the bracket hinge shaft 47a. ) Is released from the first stopper 80 while compressing the elastic member 49 and rotated by a predetermined angle θ in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing.

At this time, since the door is quickly moved horizontally to the side due to the interference of the cam member 61 and the cam contact lever 65, the door 35R is in a state where the gasket assemblies 50 which are in close contact with each other are quickly separated. Can be opened.

Thereafter, when the door 35R is further opened and the roller 67 of the cam contact lever 65 passes the apex of the cam member 61 as shown in FIG. 10, the cam contact lever 65 and the cam member ( Since the force for separating the door is removed while the interference with the 61 is released, the restoring force of the elastic member 49 causes the hinge link 47 to rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing, and then to both stoppers 80 and 85. Bumped into it.

At this time, since both the stoppers 80 and 85 are provided with buffer members 82 and 87, respectively, the impact generated when the door 35R is returned to its original state is reduced by that amount. Thereafter, the door 35R is opened while rotating about the door hinge shaft 47b.

On the contrary, when the door 35R is closed, as shown in FIG. 10, when the door is closed to some extent, the roller 67 of the cam contact lever 65 closes while hitting the cam surface 62 against the cam member 61. Since the cam face 62 and the roller 67 of the cam member 61 are provided with shock absorbing members 63 and 68, the cam 67 has the roller 67 in a state where the impact generated during contact is alleviated. The door 35R is spaced apart from the mating door 35L while moving along the cam surface 62 of. In this case, the hinge link 47 is also rotated at an angle.

Then, when the roller 67 exceeds the top of the cam surface 62 of the cam member 61, while the force acting between the cam member 61 and the roller 67 is released, the door 35R is again The gasket assembly 50 is brought into close contact with each other to seal the inside of the refrigerator.

At the same time, the hinge link 47 also hits the stoppers 80 and 85 while rotating in the clockwise direction by the restoring force of the elastic member 49, but the shock absorbing members 82 and 87 reduce the impact. It is possible to reduce the occurrence of noise, and in particular, since both stoppers 80 and 85 limit the rotation of the hinge link 47, the door 35R is excessively moved and both gasket assemblies ( 50) can be prevented from being in close contact.

The door opening and closing device of the refrigerator according to the present invention configured and operated as described above is provided with a cushioning member at the hinge mechanism and the door separation mechanism, thereby minimizing the shock generated when the door is opened and closed, and reducing the noise. It can be opened and closed smoothly and smoothly has the advantage of improving the user's sensitivity.

In addition, since the stopper is installed on the hinge mechanism, the door is closed to a predetermined position, thereby solving the problem that both gaskets between the doors are squeezed excessively or the door is closed in the correct position, thereby eliminating the life of the gasket. In addition to this, there is an advantage of preventing the door from being twisted.

Claims (3)

delete A plurality of doors for opening and closing the refrigerator body; A hinge mechanism connecting the door and the refrigerator main body to allow the door to rotate with respect to the refrigerator main body and to perform a translational movement; A stopper provided in the refrigerator main body to limit the movement of the hinge mechanism when the door is closed to determine a closed position of the door, The hinge mechanism includes a hinge link rotatably connected to both ends of the refrigerator body and the door, The hinge link is formed in the extending portion extending in the direction of the refrigerator body from the rotatably connected to the refrigerator body side, The stopper is formed in the refrigerator main body door opening and closing device of the refrigerator that the extension is caught. A plurality of doors for opening and closing the refrigerator body; A hinge mechanism connecting the door and the refrigerator main body to allow the door to rotate with respect to the refrigerator main body and to perform a translational movement; A stopper provided in the refrigerator body to determine a closed position of the door by limiting the movement of the hinge mechanism when the door is closed; And a shock absorbing member disposed at a portion where the hinge mechanism and the stopper come into contact with each other.

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