KR101437987B1 - Refrigerator having inner door - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator having an internal door disclosed includes: a storage room having a front surface opened; A shelf dividing the storage compartment into a plurality of small spaces; An inner door hinged to the lower side of the shelf and rotated upward; And a coupling unit for coupling the inner door and the shelf so that the maximum opening angle of the inner door is an obtuse angle so that the coupling unit for coupling the shelf and the inner door is not exposed to the outside, There is an advantage in that the consumer's satisfaction with the product is increased.

Refrigerator, inner door, coupling unit

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator having an internal door,

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having an inner door for preventing outflow of cold air from the inside thereof when the door of the refrigerator is opened.

Generally, a refrigerator has a refrigerating cycle component such as a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator to generate cool air by using heat movement due to a phase change of the coolant, So that freshness of various foods can be maintained for a long time.

The refrigerator includes a main body having a storage chamber and a door provided on the main body and selectively shielding the storage chamber.

In addition, a storage means such as a shelf, a drawer, or the like is provided in the storage compartment for storing the stored contents.

Here, the shelf is installed horizontally in the storage room, and is generally installed in multiple stages in the vertical direction.

Recently, an example has been disclosed in which an inner door hinged to the front end of the shelf is provided to shield a space between adjacent shelves in order to prevent outflow of cool air from the storage room when the door is opened.

However, the conventional refrigerator having the inner door has the following problems.

First, according to the related art, the hinged portion of the inner door hinged to the shelf is exposed to the outside, causing dissatisfaction to the appearance of the consumer, which causes the competitiveness of the product to be disrupted.

Secondly, it may be considered simply to provide the inner door with means for covering it to prevent the hinge coupling from being exposed to the outside, but in this case, the angle at which the inner door can be opened to the maximum is limited to an acute angle.

In this case, when the consumer opens the inner door and tries to withdraw the stored goods, the user must lower his / her body or pull it out only by the sense of the hand.

Therefore, there is a great need for development of a structure that maintains the maximum opening angle of an appropriate inner door while preventing the hinge coupling portion from being exposed to the outside in order to satisfy the appearance of the consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems of the prior art and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge connection structure for a door, An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having an inner door.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including an inner door, A shelf dividing the storage compartment into a plurality of small spaces; An inner door hinged to the lower side of the shelf and rotated upward; And a coupling unit coupling the inner door and the shelf so that the maximum opening angle of the inner door is an obtuse angle.

And the inner door is rotated up and down with the front end side of the shelf as a rotation axis.

Further, the inner door opens / closes the opened front face of the small space.

Further, the inner door is characterized in that a rotation restricting portion for restricting rotation is formed in contact with the shelf when the inner door is fully opened.

The rotation restricting portion is formed to extend from the upper end of the inner door toward the shelf.

Meanwhile, the inner door is located above the surface on which the shelf is positioned when the door is opened at the maximum.

Further, the coupling unit may include: a hinge portion formed to mate with the shelf and the inner door; A connecting portion connecting the inner door and the hinge portion such that the hinge portion is located a predetermined distance from the inner door; And an insertion part formed in the connection part and inserted into the front end of the shelf when the inner door rotates.

According to the refrigerator having the inner door according to one aspect of the present invention,

First, since the coupling unit for coupling the shelf and the inner door is not exposed to the outside, the appearance of the combined inner door is improved, which increases the satisfaction of the consumer.

Secondly, the maximum opening angle of the inner door maintains the obtuse angle even when the coupling unit is prevented from being exposed to the outside, which is advantageous in facilitating the withdrawal of stored products by the user.

Third, since the maximum opening position of the inner door is determined by the contact between the rotation restricting portion and the shelf, stress is prevented from being concentrated by contacting the connecting portion with the shelf when the inner door is fully opened, There is an advantage to be avoided.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator having an inner door according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a refrigerator according to the present embodiment will be schematically described with reference to FIG.

1 is a perspective view showing the inside of a refrigerator having an inner door according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

1, a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 101 having a storage chamber 102 and a door 103 for shielding the storage chamber 102. Inside the storage chamber 102, The storage unit 102 and the door 103 are provided with storage units 104 of various types for storing the stored contents.

The main body 101 is formed by coupling an outer case forming an outer appearance of the refrigerator 100 and an inner case forming a wall surface of the storage chamber 102. The storage chamber 102 is connected to the outside of the main body 101 A heat insulating material is filled between the inner case and the outer case.

Meanwhile, the storage room 102 is provided with a refrigerator compartment 102a which is opened to open the compartments and stores the stored contents therein at a substantially image temperature, or a freezer compartment 102a for storing the stored contents at a temperature of approximately zero 102b.

1, the refrigerator compartment 102a is located above the freezer compartment 102b, but the positions of the refrigerator compartment 102a and the freezer compartment 102b are not limited to those of ordinary skill in the art , Those skilled in the art).

For example, the refrigerating compartment 102a and the freezing compartment 102b may be arranged horizontally or the freezing compartment 102b may be positioned above the refrigerating compartment 102a.

The door 103 selectively shields the storage compartment 102 from the outside and includes a refrigerator compartment door 103a for shielding the refrigerator compartment 102a and a freezing compartment door 103b for shielding the freezing compartment 102b .

The door 103 is generally hinged to be rotatable about one side of the main body 101. Alternatively, the door 103 may be provided as a drawer as shown in FIG. In addition, the number of the doors 103 for shielding one storage compartment 102 is not limited to one, but may be two or more.

The deformation of the door 103 is well known to those skilled in the art, and a detailed description of its construction and operation will be omitted.

On the other hand, the storage means 104 includes a shelf 104a which is horizontally installed and on which a storage object can be placed and stored, or a drawer 104b which is provided so as to be capable of loading and unloading, .

Since the inside of the drawer 104b is closed when the door 103 is opened, it is possible to prevent the cold air from leaking out of the drawer 104b when the door 103 is opened. However, since the shelf 104a is in contact with the neighboring shelf 104a Since the front surface of the small space 105 formed in the front side is opened, the cold air flows out. In order to prevent this, the inner door 110 is provided at the front end of the shelf 104a.

A detailed description of the inner door 110 will be given later.

1, a refrigeration cycle for generating cold air to be supplied to the storage compartment 102 is provided on one side of the main body 101, generally the back side of the main body 101, The main body is provided with a cool air supply device for supplying cool air to the storage chamber (102).

The refrigeration cycle uses a refrigerant as a working fluid and generates cold air while circulating through a compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation process. The refrigerant cycle can be selected by a person skilled in the art according to the purpose of use of the refrigerator 100. Therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the inner door 110 and the coupling unit 120 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3. FIG.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of an inner door in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a coupling unit in a refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

2 to 3, in the present embodiment, the inner door 110 is hinged to a shelf 104a horizontally installed in the storage compartment 102, A body portion 111 for shielding the opened front face and a rotation restricting portion 112 for restricting the rotation angle of the inner door 110.

The coupling unit 120 includes a hinge 123 coupled to the shelf 104a, a coupling 121 connecting the hinge 123 and the inner door 110, And an insertion part 122 formed to prevent interference with the shelf 104a when the inner door 110 rotates.

The body part 111 is provided to correspond to the open front shape of the small space 105 so as to shield the entire surface of the small space 105 formed by the shelf 104a adjacent to the upper and lower sides.

The rotation restricting portion 112 extends from the upper end of the body portion 111 and is inclined toward the rear of the body portion 111.

The rotation limiter 112 contacts the upper surface of the shelf 104a to determine the maximum opening angle of the inner door 110 when the inner door 110 rotates.

Therefore, the degree of inclination of the rotation restricting portion 112 can be changed by a person skilled in the art.

However, since the maximum opening angle of the inner door 110 is determined by the rotation restricting portion 112, the insertion portion 122 and the shelf 104a should not be in contact with each other at the time of the maximum opening.

This is to prevent stress from concentrating on the connection portion 121 by the shelf 104a when the inner door 110 rotates.

That is, by making the contact area of the maximum opening angle with the shelf 104a determined by the rotation restricting part 112 larger than that of the connecting part 121, it is possible to prevent breakage of the connecting part 121 due to stress concentration .

The hinge portion 123 is coupled to the lower surface of the front end of the shelf 104a so that the hinge portion 123 is not visible from the outside even when the inner door 110 is shielded .

Accordingly, the inner door 110 has an advantage of being beautiful.

In order to make the maximum opening angle of the inner door 110 obtuse when the hinge portion 123 is engaged with the front end of the shelf 104a, the connection portion 121 and the insertion portion 122 . Further, a curved portion 124 may be further formed inside the insertion portion 122.

The connection part 121 connects the hinge part 123 positioned on the lower surface of the shelf 104a and the inner door 110 positioned in front of the front end of the shelf 104a.

In order to prevent interference with the front end of the shelf 104a when the inner door 110 is opened, when the inner door 110 is opened, And an insertion portion 122 into which the front end of the shelf 104a is inserted.

The insertion portion 122 is sized so as not to contact the front end of the shelf 104a even when the inner door 110 is fully opened.

If the size of the insertion part 122 is increased to prevent the insertion part 122 from contacting the shelf 104a, the strength of the connection part 121 may be deteriorated.

A curved portion 124 may be formed inside the insertion portion 122 to prevent the connection portion 121 from being in contact with the shelf 104 while minimizing the strength of the connection portion 121. [

The curved portion 124 is formed on the inner side of the insertion portion 122 and is recessed toward the backside of the small space 105 when the inner door 110 is closed.

Here, the position of the curved portion 124 may be changed by a person skilled in the art depending on the size of the connecting portion 121 and the maximum opening angle of the inner door 110.

Meanwhile, the shelf 104a may further include a latching end 125 on the lower surface thereof to maintain the position of the inner door 110 in a closed state.

It is preferable that the latching end 125 is formed on the lower surface of the shelf 104a in the width direction and is provided adjacent to the hinge 123. [

The locking end 125 is in contact with one end of the connecting portion 121 in a state where the inner door 110 is closed so that the inner door 110 enters the inside of the small space 105 It will interfere. Accordingly, the closed position of the inner door 110 is kept constant.

Next, the operation of the inner door 110 in the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the inner door in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the inner door is opened to the maximum in FIG.

4 and 5, in the present embodiment, the inner door 110 is positioned in a closed state to shield the front surface of the small space 105 formed by the neighboring shelf 104a.

At this time, the inner door 110 and the shelf 104a are connected by the connecting part 121, and one end of the connecting part 121 contacts the engaging end 125 provided on the lower surface of the shelf 104a So that the closed position of the inner door 110 is kept constant.
The hinge part 123 provided at one end of the connection part 121 is rotatably hinged to the lower end of the hinge support part 126 extending directly below the lower end of the front end of the shelf 104a.

In addition, the rotation restricting portion 112 shields the gap between the shelf 104a and the body portion 111, so that the appearance of the external appearance to the consumer is enhanced.

Next, a process in which the inner door 110 is lifted upward to open the small space 105 will be described.

The front end of the shelf 104a is inserted into the insertion part 122 formed in the connection part 121 and the front end of the inner door 110 is inserted into the insertion part 122 of the hinge part 123, As the opening angle becomes larger, it is moved to the inside of the curved portion 124 formed in the insertion portion 122.

Meanwhile, when the inner door 110 is opened at the maximum opening angle, the rotation limiting portion 112 contacts the upper surface of the shelf 104a to restrict the rotation of the inner door 110.

At this time, the front end of the shelf 104a is kept not to be in contact with the insertion portion 122 or the curved portion 124. Therefore, concentration of stress in the connection portion 121 is prevented.

Next, a refrigerator having an inner door according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the following description, however, the same elements as those of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a connection part of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

6, the inner door 210 includes a body 211 that shields an opened front surface of the small space 205, a door 211 that restricts the rotation angle of the inner door 210, The coupling unit 220 includes a hinge portion 223 coupled to the shelf 204a and a connection portion connecting the hinge portion 223 and the inner door 210 An insertion part 222 formed on the connection part 221 to prevent interference with the shelf 204a when the inner door 210 rotates and a curved part 222 formed on the inner side of the insertion part 222 224 are the same as the first embodiment described above.

In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 221 is formed with a first reinforcing portion 230 to withstand the stress transmitted through the rotation restricting portion 212 when the inner door 210 is opened.

The first reinforcing part 230 is formed to protrude in the thickness direction of the connecting part 221 to increase the distribution area of the stress

Here, the first reinforcing part 230 may be formed to extend along the circumference of the connection part 221 to increase the overall thickness of the connection part 221, but to minimize the loss of the material. That is, it is preferable to protrude from the side along the end of the connection part 221 and the insertion part 222.

Next, a refrigerator having an inner door according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the following description, however, the same elements as those of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion of a connecting portion and an inner door in a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

7, the inner door 310 includes a body portion 311 for shielding the opened front face of the small space 305, a door 311 for limiting the rotation angle of the inner door 310, The coupling unit 320 includes a hinge part 323 coupled to the shelf 304a and a connection part connecting the hinge part 323 and the inner door 310 An insertion part 322 formed in the connection part 321 for preventing interference with the shelf 304a when the inner door 310 is rotated and a curved part 322 formed inside the insertion part 322, 324) are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

In the present embodiment, the joint portion between the connection portion 321 and the inner door 310 is provided with a second portion for bearing the stress transmitted through the rotation restricting portion 312 when the inner door 310 is opened, A reinforcing portion 330 is formed.

The second reinforcing part 330 may be provided on the side of the connection part 321 and the rear surface of the inner door 310, respectively.

Thus, when the inner door 310 is opened, the joint portion between the connection portion 321 and the inner door 310 is prevented from being damaged by the tensile force.

The foregoing has been shown and described with respect to specific embodiments of the invention. However, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics, so that the above-described embodiments should not be limited by the details of the detailed description, It is to be understood that within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the appended claims are to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures. It is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 is a perspective view showing the inside of a refrigerator having an inner door according to a first embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of an inner door in Fig. 1,

3 is an enlarged view of a coupling unit in a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 4 is a side view of the inner door in Fig. 2, Fig.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the inner door is opened to the maximum in FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a connection part of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion of a connecting portion and an inner door in a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Claims (11)

storeroom; A shelf dividing the storage compartment into a plurality of small spaces and having a hinge supporter extending directly below the lower surface of the front end; An inner door that opens and closes an opened front side of the small space; A hinge unit rotatably hinged to a lower end of the hinge support, and a coupling unit connecting the inner door and the hinge unit; / RTI > The inner door rotates from the lower surface of the front end of the shelf to the upper surface of the front end of the shelf without interference between the front end portion of the shelf and the connection portion, So that the opening angle becomes an obtuse angle. The door according to claim 1, And the coupling unit is coupled to the shelf so as to be shielded from the outside. delete The door according to claim 1, And a rotation restricting part for restricting the rotation by contacting the shelf when the refrigerator is opened at the maximum. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, Wherein the inner door is extended from one end of the inner door to the shelf side. The door according to claim 1, Wherein the shelf is positioned above the side where the shelf is located when the shelf is maximally opened. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, And an insertion portion formed in the connection portion and inserted into a front end portion of the shelf when the inner door rotates. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, And a curved portion curved downward to prevent the bottom surface of the shelf from contacting when the inner door is fully opened. 8. The door according to claim 7, Wherein the connecting portion is in contact with a lower end of the shelf in a widthwise direction to maintain a closed position thereof. 8. The connector according to claim 7, And a first reinforcing portion protruding from a side surface along each of the end portions. 8. The method of claim 7, And a second reinforcing portion vertically coupled to a side surface of the connection portion and a rear surface of the inner door.

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