KR101178343B1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a height adjustment structure of the shelf member of the refrigerator to enable the height adjustment of the shelf member provided in the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment.

By the refrigerator according to the present invention, there is an effect that can easily adjust the height of the shelf provided in the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment.

In detail, there is an effect that the height can be freely adjusted without separating the shelf itself from the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment. As a result, in the process of separating the shelf to adjust the height of the shelf there is an effect that the food falls on the floor or the container falls and breaks in advance.

Lifting members, lathes, guide members

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a height adjustment structure of the shelf member of the refrigerator to enable the height adjustment of the shelf member provided in the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment.

In general, the refrigerator is a home appliance for keeping food in a fresh state for a long time by keeping food at a low temperature.

In detail, the refrigerator is provided with a refrigerating chamber in which the food such as vegetables is kept in a fresh state by being kept at a temperature in the range of 1 to 4 degrees Celsius, a freezing chamber in which foods such as meat and fish are kept to be kept at a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius, / RTI >

In addition, the refrigerator has a type in which a freezer compartment is located above the refrigerating compartment, a type in which the freezer compartment is located below the refrigerating compartment, and a type in which the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment are adjacent to the left and right sides.

In addition, it may be classified into a double door type refrigerator in which the doors are installed at the left and right sides, and a partial door type refrigerator in which the doors are respectively installed up and down.

On the other hand, the refrigerator maintains the refrigeration and freezing state by the method of heat exchange between the air in the refrigerator and the refrigerant while the refrigerant forms a refrigeration cycle.

In addition, inside the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, shelves for placing food are arranged in the vertical direction, or storage boxes for storing food are slidably provided.

Meanwhile, food or containers of various sizes are stored in the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment. For example, a hexahedron or cylindrical vessel or container may be stored, or a long parallel bottle may be stored. Here, in the case of a container having a long vertical length, a situation may occur in which the shelf is not easily accommodated because the gap between the shelf and the shelf is narrow.

However, in the conventional refrigerator structure, it is not easy to adjust the height of the shelf, which is inconvenient for the user to store the bottle in the refrigerator compartment.

In the conventional refrigerator structure, a guide member protruding at regular intervals is provided on a side wall of the refrigerator in order to adjust the height of the shelf, and a structure for separating the shelf itself and slidingly sliding along the guide member at an appropriate position is proposed. However, in such a shelf structure, a large amount of food or containers are often placed on the shelf where height adjustment is required. In this state, in order to adjust the height of the shelf, the shelf must be pulled forward with the force to overcome the load of the object placed on the shelf, and then moved to the desired height. Therefore, housewives or senior citizens are too crowded to adjust the height of the shelf, the food is placed on the shelf in the process of separating the shelf may fall or the container is broken.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator that can easily adjust the height of the shelves provided in the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment.

In detail, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shelf lifting device of a refrigerator that enables free height adjustment without separating the shelf itself from the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a shelf elevating device for a refrigerator in which the shelf elevating device forms a part of the shelf member so that the structure of the elevating device is not exposed in appearance, so that the appearance of the shelf member is neatly processed.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shelf structure of the refrigerator, which allows the shelf assembly itself provided with the lifting device to be detachable from the refrigerator, so that the internal space of the refrigerator can be widely utilized as needed.

Refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, the shelf member provided in the refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment or a freezer compartment; A guide member that connects the rear surface of the shelf member and the wall surface of the shelf so that the shelf member is movable up and down; A positioning member fixed to one side of the guide member; Lift guide means rotatably connected to one side of the shelf member and allowing the shelf member to rise while maintaining the horizontal state; And lowering inducing means connected to one side of the shelf member and allowing the end of the raising inducing means to be separated from the positioning member, wherein the raising inducing means is selective to the positioning member by operation of a lever. And a stopping leg, one end of which is connected to one side of the shelf member and the other end of which is selectively caught by the positioning member.

By the refrigerator according to the present invention for achieving the above object, there is an effect that can easily adjust the height of the shelf provided in the refrigerating chamber or freezing chamber.

In detail, there is an effect that the height can be freely adjusted without separating the shelf itself from the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment. As a result, in the process of separating the shelf to adjust the height of the shelf there is an effect that the food falls on the floor or the container falls and breaks in advance.

In addition, since the shelf elevating device forms a part of the shelf member, the structure of the elevating device is not revealed in appearance, and thus the appearance of the shelf member is neatly processed.

In addition, by allowing the shelf assembly itself provided with the lifting device to be detachable from the refrigerator, there is an advantage that can be widely utilized in the interior space as needed.

In addition, the rise of the shelf member is made in stages, so that the shelf is accurately positioned at the desired height, and the lowering is made continuously, thereby reducing the time required for height adjustment.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and other embodiments included within the scope of the present invention and other degenerate inventions can be easily added by adding, changing, or deleting other elements. I can suggest.

1 is an internal perspective view of a refrigerator provided with a shelf assembly which is adjustable in height according to the spirit of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an internal perspective view of the refrigerator in which the shelf assembly is separated.

1 and 2, the height-adjustable shelf assembly 10 according to the present invention is provided inside the refrigerator compartment 3 or the freezer compartment (not shown) of the refrigerator 1, and detachably coupled to the rear wall of the refrigerator. do. The refrigerator compartment 3 or the freezer compartment may be provided with a storage box 2 in which food is stored together with the shelf assembly 10.

Hereinafter, the shelf assembly 10 is installed in the refrigerating compartment 3 to be described as a preferred embodiment.

In detail, an inner rear surface of the refrigerating compartment 3 is provided with a track 4 which allows the shelf assembly 10 to be detachable. In addition, two tracks 4 are formed at predetermined intervals so as to support both ends of the shelf assembly 10.

In more detail, a plurality of holes are provided in the track 4 at regular intervals in the vertical direction, and a locking member (to be described later) inserted into the hole is formed at the rear side end of the shelf assembly 10. Therefore, the shelf assembly 10 may be detachably coupled to the track 4, and the mounting height may be freely selected in the process of mounting the shelf assembly 10.

Meanwhile, the shelf assembly 10 includes a shelf member including a seating plate 11 on which food is placed and a frame 12 (see FIG. 3) forming a circumference of the seating plate 11, and adjusting the height of the shelf member. And a lifting member (to be described later) provided with a rising lever 211 and a falling lever 221 and the like. The configuration of the elevating member and the height adjustment method of the shelf member will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 and 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the height adjustable shelf assembly according to the spirit of the present invention.

3 and 4, the shelf assembly 10 according to the present invention supports a shelf member, a lifting member 20 for adjusting the height of the shelf member, and the shelf member and the lifting member 20. A back plate 13, a guide member 15 provided at a rear surface of the back plate 13 to stably move the shelf member up and down, and a side edge of the back plate 13, A fastening bar which is connected to the positioning member 16 and the guide member 15 and the positioning member 16 to allow the shelf member to be positioned at a set height, and a locking end 141 is formed at both ends thereof. (14) is included.

In detail, the locking end 14 is inserted into a hole formed in the track 4 so that the shelf assembly 10 is supported and prevents the shelf member from tilting forward by the load of food.

In more detail, the shelf member includes a seating plate 11 and a frame 12 as described above. Here, a plurality of locking means protrude at predetermined intervals on the front surface of the positioning member 16. And, the locking means is to be supported by one end of the lifting member 20, so that the shelf member does not fall down by the load. The locking means may be a protrusion such as a gear as shown, or may be a groove or a hole having a predetermined size. That is, all the structures supported by one end of the elevating member 20 can be proposed.

In addition, the guide member 15 is provided on both sides of the back plate 13, respectively, and the driving guide 151 and the driven guide 152, and the driving guide 151 and the driven guide 152 It consists of a bearing 153 to be inserted.

In detail, the driving guide 151 is fixed to the frame 12 and the back plate 13 of the shelf member, and the driven guide 152 is fixed to the fastening bar 14. Thus, the driven guide 152 and the positioning member 16 form a unitary body by the fastening bar 14. Then, the locking end 141 is fixed to the track 4, so that the driven guide 152 and the positioning member 16 is fixed to the interior wall surface.

In addition, during the elevating process of the shelf member, the driving guide 151 is moved in the vertical direction along the driven guide 152 by the rotation of the bearing 153. As the driving guide 151 moves up and down, the shelf member and the back plate 13 are integrated up and down.

In addition, the elevating member 20 is coupled to one side of the shelf member, that is, the frame 12.

In detail, the elevating member 20 includes a rising induction means 21 for inducing the rise of the shelf member, and a falling induction means 22 for inducing a drop.

In more detail, the lift induction means 21 includes a lift lever 211 for allowing a user to operate in a vertical direction by holding the hand, a lift guide bar 212 extending horizontally from the lift lever 211, and The push leg 214 is connected to the end of the rising induction bar 212 by a predetermined angle, and the pressing member 216 and one end thereof are respectively coupled to the rising induction bar 212 and the push leg. And a stopping leg 215 connected to the inner side of the c), the other end of which is bent at a predetermined angle and hung on the positioning member 16.

On the other hand, any point of the rising induction bar 212 is rotatably coupled to the frame 12 by the rotation axis 213. One end of the push leg 214 is bent at a predetermined angle to be caught by the positioning member 16.

In addition, the other end of the push leg 214 may be linked to the rising induction bar 212, or may be indirectly connected to the rising induction bar 212 by the pressing member 216. In addition, the pressing member 216 is provided in the form of a leaf spring having a predetermined elastic force, so that the push leg 214 is always pressed toward the positioning member 16. That is, the push leg 214 is pressed against the positioning member 16 to prevent the shelf member from automatically lowering due to its own weight.

In addition, the stopping leg 215 is connected to the frame 12 independently of the rising guide bar 212, and is raised and lowered together with the frame 12. In addition, one end of the stopping leg 215 is rotatably coupled to the frame, and an end coupled to the frame 12 is connected to a spring 21 having a predetermined elastic force. In addition, the spring 21 is preferably a compression spring.

In other words, the spring 217 is tensioned in the process of raising or lowering the shelf member so that the other end of the stopping leg 215 is separated from the positioning member 16, and the shelf member is fixed. In the spring 217 is retracted to the original position so that the other end of the stopping leg 215 is in close contact with the positioning member 16.

In addition, the lift lever 211 forms a part of the shelf member, so that the lift lever 211 is not apparent in appearance, and at the same time, the utilization area of the shelf member is widened.

In other words, in the state where the lift lever 211 does not operate, the shelf member, that is, the same as the mounting plate 11 to form the same plane, the area of the shelf member is narrowed by the volume of the lift lever 211. The problem is solved. In addition, a stopper for preventing the shelf member 211 from lowering in a horizontal state may be protruded from the frame. That is, the phenomenon in which the lift lever 211 is lowered below the horizontal state by the stopper is prevented, thereby preventing the lift lever 211 from operating by the load of the food placed on the shelf member.

On the other hand, the lowering induction means 22, the lowering lever 221, the lowering induction bar 223 extending horizontally from the lowering lever 221, so that the user grips by hand, and the lowering induction bar A release part 224 extending and bent downward from the end of 223 and a spring 222 connecting the lower lever 221 and the lower guide bar 223 are included.

In detail, when the user pulls and releases the lower lever 221 by the spring 222, the lower guide bar 223 retreats to its original position after moving forward. In addition, as the release unit 224 moves forward with the advancement of the lower guide bar 223, the story leg 215 and the push leg 214 are separated from the positioning member 16. Here, the shape of the release portion 224 is not limited to the embodiment of the shape shown, which allows the push leg 214 and the stopping leg 215 to selectively detach from the positioning member 16. Note that any structure is possible.

In addition, the lower guide bar 223 is ensured horizontal movement by the support bar 225 protruding from the frame 12.

According to the above configuration, in order to allow the shelf member to rise, the act of raising and placing the lift lever 211 is repeatedly performed to cause the shelf member to rise in stages. In order to lower the shelf member, the lower lever 221 is pulled forward to separate the push leg 214 and the stopping leg 215 from the positioning member 16. Then, the shelf member is quickly lowered during the time to pull and release the lower lever 221.

Here, in order to prevent the rapid drop of the shelf member, it is preferable to provide a damping member on any one side of the shelf assembly 20.

As a possible embodiment, a damping member using elastic force or hydraulic pressure may be attached to the inside of the guide member 15 or the side of the driving guide 151. That is, a resistance force does not occur in the process of raising the shelf member, and a resistance force against the falling energy may be generated in the process of descending.

As a presentable structure, the spring is shortened while the shelf member is raised by using a compression spring, and the spring is tensioned while being lowered. Then, a compression restoring force is applied to the spring while the shelf member is lowered so that the shelf member is gradually lowered.

Alternatively, if the hydraulic damper structure is applied, the volume inside the cylinder is increased while the shelf member is raised, and the cylinder is compressed while the shelf member is lowered to generate a resistance force, thereby preventing the drooping of the shelf member. Can be.

In the present embodiment, since the structure of the damping member may be easily installed at the level of those skilled in the art, a specific structure or an installation position is not particularly mentioned through the drawings. However, the idea that the damping member is applied to prevent the rapid drop of the shelf member is included in the spirit of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the ascending and descending processes of the shelf assembly according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 5 is a schematic view showing a fixed state of the shelf assembly according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the state where the shelf member according to the present invention is fixed at a specific position, the lift guide means 21 is caught by the positioning member 16 and supported, and the pull guide means 22 is The force acting on the lift-inducing means 21 remains untransmitted.

In other words, the bent end of the push leg 214 of the lift guide means 21 and the bent end of the stopping leg 215 are caught by the locking means formed on the front surface of the positioning member 16. Will remain intact. In addition, the release part 224 of the descending guide means 21 is located at a point spaced apart from the push leg 214 and the stopping leg 215.

In addition, the lift guide means 21 is fixed to the frame 12 by the rotation shaft 213. In addition, the descending induction means 21 is supported by the support bar 225 protruding from the frame 12, and is moved up and down together with the frame 12.

6 is an operation state diagram showing a process of raising the shelf member by the lifting member according to the spirit of the present invention, Figure 7 is an operation showing the process of maintaining the shelf member is raised to a predetermined height in accordance with the spirit of the present invention State diagram.

In order to raise the shelf member according to the present invention, the process of FIG. 6 and the process of FIG. 7 are sequentially and repeatedly performed, whereby the shelf member is raised to a set height.

Referring to FIG. 6, in order to raise the shelf member, the user first grabs the lift lever 211 and lifts it up. The frame 12 then rises up with the lift induction bar 212. That is, as the lift guide bar 212 connected by the rotation shaft 213 rises, the shelf member is raised together.

In addition, the elevation guide bar 212 is an angle formed with the push leg 214 is opened. Here, the end of the push leg 214 is maintained in close contact with the positioning member 16 by the elastic force of the pressing member 216 when the lifting induction bar 212 is raised.

At this time, the stopping leg 215 connected to the frame 12 also rises with the rise of the frame 12. In detail, as the spring 217 is tensioned while the stopping leg 215 is raised, the end of the stopping leg 215 is separated from the positioning member 16. Then, the stopping leg 215 is in close contact with the positioning member 16 again by the restoring force of the spring 217 in the state of rising to a predetermined height. That is, the end of the stopping leg 215 is in close contact with the positioning member 16 at the position raised from the original position. Then, the shelf member is stopped in the state of rising to a predetermined height.

Referring to FIG. 7, while the stopping leg 215 is raised and fixed to the positioning member 16, an operation of lowering the lifting lever 211 to its original position is performed.

In detail, when the lift lever 211 is lifted, the lift guide bar 212 rotates about the rotation shaft 213. Thus, the connection point of the end of the lift guide bar 212 and the push leg 214 is raised as shown. At this time, the end of the push leg 214 is separated from the positioning member 16 while being bent in a direction in which the curvature of the pressing member 216 is reduced. In this process, the stopping leg 215 is maintained in close contact with the positioning member 16. In addition, when the rising guide bar 212 is in a horizontal state, the end of the push leg 213 is in close contact with the positioning member 16 by the elastic force of the pressing member 216.

As the above operation is performed once, the shelf member is raised once. As the operation is repeatedly performed, the shelf member is raised in stages.

In addition, the lift height of the shelf member is determined once according to the lift height of the lift lever 211. That is, raising the lift lever 211 high increases the one-time lift height of the shelf member, and raising the lift lever 211 only slightly increases the single lift height of the shelf member.

8 is an operational state diagram showing a process of descending the shelf member according to the spirit of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, in the state of FIG. 5, the user pulls the lower lever 221 forward. Then, the spring 222 is extended and at the same time the falling induction bar 223 is pulled forward. Then, the release part 224 connected to the end of the falling induction bar 223 is pulled out together forward.

In detail, the release part 224 is pushed forward and pushes the stopping leg 215 and the push leg 214 forward. Then, the ends of the stopping leg 215 and the push leg 214 are separated from the positioning member 16.

More specifically, the stopping leg 215 is moved forward by the action of the release unit 224. The moving stopping leg 215 is in close contact with the push leg 214 to separate the push leg 214 from the positioning member 16. The shelf member is lowered in a state where the stopping leg 215 and the push leg 214 are separated from the positioning member 16.

On the other hand, when the user releases the lower lever 221, the lower lever 221 is pushed back by the restoring force of the spring 222, the lower guide bar 223 is retracted. In addition, the descending guide bar 223 retreats while the release unit 224 also retreats together.

In addition, the release portion 224 is separated from the stopping leg 215 and the push leg 214. Accordingly, the other end is in close contact with the positioning member 16 by the restoring force of the spring 217 connected to one end of the stopping leg 215. At the same time, the lowering of the shelf member is stopped. At this time, the above-mentioned damping member prevents the shelf member from rapidly descending and hitting the bottom of the inside of the refrigerator.

9 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of a shelf assembly according to the spirit of the present invention, Figure 10 is a rear perspective view of a shelf member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 and 10, in the present embodiment, the user directly lifts and grasps the locking means provided on the side of the shelf member.

In detail, the locking means 40 rotatably coupled to both side surfaces of the shelf member 30 is provided, and the track 4 into which the locking means 40 is fitted is attached to the inner wall of the shelf member 30 in the vertical direction.

In addition, a guide member 15 is provided to elevate the shelf member 30 coupled to the inner wall surface, and the configuration of the guide member 15 is the same as the guide member 15 described above. However, the length of the driven guide 152 coupled to the rear surface of the shelf member 30 is provided in a length corresponding to the thickness of the shelf member 30, the driven guide 152 is the drive guide 151 There is only a slight difference in moving up and down inside. However, the coupling position of the driving guide 151 and the driven guide 152 is variable, it is of course also possible to apply a guide member of another structure that performs the same function.

On the other hand, the latch means 40, a latch 41 for the user to grip and rotate by hand, a shaft 43 protruding to the side of the shelf member 30 so that the latch 41 is fitted, and the shaft The spring 42 is inserted into the 43 to generate an elastic force in accordance with the rotation of the latch 41.

In detail, when the user grasps the latch 41 and rotates it upward, the latch 41 is detached from the track 41, and a restoring elastic force is accumulated in the spring 42. Then, when the latch 41 is released in a state where the shelf member 30 is raised or lowered to a specific position, the latch 41 is reversely rotated by the restoring force of the spring 42. The end of the latch 41 is then fitted to the track 4 again.

In addition, the shelf member 30 is prevented from being inclined due to the load by the guide member 15. That is, the load of the shelf member 30 is supported by the guide member 15. In addition, the shelf member 30 is gently lifted along the guide member 15.

By the above configuration, the shelf member 30 can be moved up and down without separating from the interior wall surface, and there is an advantage that the food or other container placed on the shelf member 30 is prevented from falling to the floor.

1 is a perspective view of the inside of a refrigerator provided with a shelf adjustable shelf assembly according to the spirit of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view of the inside of the refrigerator with the shelf assembly separated;

3 and 4 are perspective views showing the configuration of the height adjustable shelf assembly according to the spirit of the present invention.

5 is a schematic view showing a state in which a shelf assembly according to the present invention is fixed.

6 is an operational state diagram showing a process of lifting the shelf member by the lifting member according to the spirit of the present invention.

7 is an operating state diagram showing a process for maintaining the shelf member is raised to a predetermined height in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

8 is an operational state diagram showing a process of descending the shelf member according to the spirit of the present invention.

9 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of a shelf assembly according to the spirit of the present invention.

10 is a rear perspective view of a shelf member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A shelf member provided in the refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment or a freezer compartment; A guide member that connects the rear surface of the shelf member and the wall surface of the shelf so that the shelf member is movable up and down; A positioning member fixed to one side of the guide member; Lift guide means rotatably connected to one side of the shelf member and allowing the shelf member to rise while maintaining the horizontal state; And A lower inducing means connected to one side of the shelf member and allowing an end of the rising inducing means to deviate from the positioning member, The rise inducing means, A push leg selectively caught by the positioning member by operation of a lever, And a stopping leg having one end connected to one side of the shelf member and the other end selectively caught by the positioning member. The method of claim 1, In a state where the shelf is fixed, the lever forms a part of the shelf, and the upper surface of the lever is formed on the same plane as the upper surface of the shelf member, the refrigerator The method of claim 1, The end of the stopper leg is raised along the positioning member by the raising of the lever and then caught by the positioning member, And an end portion of the push leg is raised by a set height along the positioning member and then caught by the positioning member by lowering the lever. The method of claim 3, wherein And a lift height of the shelf member increases as the lifting angle of the lever increases. The method of claim 1, The rise inducing means, An induction bar extending from the lever and to which the push leg is rotatably connected; And a pressurizing member connected at both ends to the lift guide bar and the push leg to press the push leg. 6. The method of claim 5, The pressing member is a refrigerator, characterized in that the leaf spring having a predetermined size of elastic force. delete 6. The method of claim 5, And the stopper leg and the push leg are separated from the positioning member when the lowering inducing means moves forward of the shelf, so that the shelf member is in a state capable of being lowered. 6. The method of claim 5, When the descending inducing means advances, the connection between the rising inducing means and the positioning member is released, And the lowering of the shelf member is continued until immediately before the lowering inducing means retreats. 9. The method of claim 8, And the end of the push leg and the stopping leg is caught by the positioning member when the lowering inducing means retreats, so that the lowering of the shelf member stops.

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