KR20070064886A - Sealing structure for refrigerator door - Google Patents

Abstract

A sealing structure for a refrigerator door is provided to allow cold air to flow through a cold air duct without leakage for improving refrigerating and ice making performance of a refrigerator. A sealing structure for a refrigerator door includes a body latch(100) and a door latch. The body latch is provided at one side of a body adjacent to the refrigerator body. The door latch is provided at one side corresponding to the body latch, has a ring shape corresponding to a shape of the body latch, and is selectively coupled to the body latch when the refrigerator door is opened and closed. The door latch has a restricting unit(220) selectively restricted to the body latch, a base unit(240) rotatably supporting the restricting unit, and an elastic member(260) giving elasticity to the restricting unit when the restricting unit rotates.

Description

{Sealing structure for refrigerator door}

1 is a front view showing the appearance of a typical refrigerator.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the door of the refrigerator according to the prior art is opened.

Figure 3 is a partial perspective view showing the appearance of the refrigerator employing a preferred embodiment of the refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a preferred embodiment of the refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a plan view showing an operating state of the door latch which is a main component of a preferred embodiment of the refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on important parts of the drawing

1. Main unit 20. Refrigerating room

22. Refrigerator door 24. Dispenser

40. Ice Maker 100. Body Latch

120. Mounting parts 122,248. Screw hole

140. Hanging part 142. First contacting part

200. Door latch 220. Constraints

222. Second contact portion 224. Locking jaw

240. Base 242. Rotating shaft

244. Fixing protrusions 246. Locking protrusions

260. Elastic member 300. Door gasket

S. screw

The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, the present invention relates to a refrigerator door close contact structure having a main body latch and a door latch that are engaged with each other to the main body and the door so that the door can be in close contact with the refrigerator door.

Generally, a refrigerator is a device for low temperature storage of food, and is a device for freezing or refrigerating food according to the state of food to be stored. In recent years, a refrigerator has been enlarged to provide various conveniences to consumers and to improve living standards. There is a trend of multifunctionalization.

According to this trend, the refrigerator has various storage spaces and has various types of opening and closing of doors. The refrigerator is provided with various devices for the user's convenience.

Hereinafter, an ice maker for making ice among such refrigerators will be described with reference to the drawings of a refrigerator provided in a door of the refrigerator.

1 is a front view showing the appearance of a typical refrigerator, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the door of the refrigerator according to the prior art is opened.

As shown in these figures, the main body 10 of the refrigerator is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the inside of the main body 10 has a refrigerating chamber 20 for storing and storing food in the upper and lower portions, and a freezing chamber 30 for freezing. ) Is partitioned and formed.

The spaces of the refrigerating compartment 20 and the freezing compartment 30 form independent spaces for storing food, respectively, and the front surfaces of the refrigerating compartment 20 and the freezing compartment 30 are formed to be opened. In addition, doors 22 and 32 are provided on the opened surface of the refrigerator main body 10, that is, the opened front surfaces of the refrigerating chamber 20 and the freezing chamber 30.

The doors 22 and 32 are for selectively shielding the refrigerating chamber 20 and the freezing chamber 30. The refrigerating chamber door 22 and the main body 10 to shield the refrigerating chamber 20 above the main body 10. It is composed of a freezer compartment door 32 that shields the freezer compartment 30 at the bottom.

The refrigerating chamber door 22 is formed at both front left and right sides of the refrigerating chamber 20, and both end portions thereof are fixed to both sides of the main body 10 so as to be rotatable. Therefore, the user can selectively shield the opened front surface of the refrigerating compartment 20 by rotating the refrigerating compartment door 22 to the left / right.

Foods of various sizes and states are stored in the refrigerating compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment door 22, and are stored in the refrigerating compartment 20 and the inner side surfaces of the refrigerating compartment door 22 for their storage. Drawers, baskets, shelves, etc. are provided for storing food to suit the characteristics of the food.

On the other hand, one side of the refrigerating chamber door 22 of the left and right sides shielding the opened front of the refrigerating chamber 20 is provided with an ice maker 40 for producing ice, the ice made in the ice maker 40 is It is taken out through the dispenser 24 provided in the front side of the refrigerator compartment door 22.

And, the cold air for producing ice in the ice maker 40 is generated in the freezer compartment evaporator 34 provided on one side of the freezer compartment 30, some of the cold air of the freezer compartment evaporator 34 is the refrigerating compartment 20 It is guided to the inside of the ice maker 40 through the cold air duct 50 embedded in the side wall.

The cold air duct 50 is composed of a suction duct 52 and a discharge duct 54 for supplying cold air to the ice maker 40, the suction duct 52 and the discharge duct 54 at the end of the suction duct 52 and the discharge duct 54 The outlet 52 'and the discharge inlet 54' are formed open.

The suction outlet 52 ′ and the discharge inlet 54 ′ serve as an outlet for cold air between the ice maker 40 and the cold air duct 50, and are exposed to the inner wall surface of the refrigerating compartment 20, respectively. do.

Meanwhile, the suction port 42 and the discharge port 44 are opened at one side of the side of the ice maker 40, and more specifically, at one side corresponding to the position at which the suction outlet 52 ′ and the discharge inlet 54 ′ are formed. It is formed to be.

When the refrigerating chamber door 22 is closed, the suction outlet 52 'is in contact with the suction port 42 and the discharge inlet 54' while the cold air duct 50 and the ice are in contact with each other. The maker 40 communicates with each other, thereby allowing the flow of cold air between the freezer compartment 30 and the ice maker 40.

An outer circumferential surface of the suction port 42 and the discharge port 44 is further provided with an ice making chamber gasket 46 for preventing cold air leakage when contacting the suction outlet 52 'and the discharge inlet 54'.

The ice making chamber gasket 46 is formed of an elastic material such as rubber, and protrudes along the outer circumferential surfaces of the suction port 42 and the discharge port 44 to closely contact the suction outlet 52 'and the discharge inlet 54'. At the time, the ice-making gasket 46 is compressed to prevent leakage of cold air.

The lower part of the main body 10, that is, the opened front surface of the freezer compartment 30 is selectively shielded by the freezer compartment door 32. The freezer compartment door 32 is formed to selectively shield the opened front surface of the freezer compartment 30 while sliding forward / rearward, and a plurality of foods can be separated and stored inside the freezer compartment 30. Drawers and baskets are provided.

However, the prior art as described above has the following problems.

In order to prevent leakage of cold air sucked into the ice maker 40 and cold air discharged to the outside, an ice making chamber gasket 46 formed of an elastic material is further provided on the outer circumferential surfaces of the suction port 42 and the discharge port 44. do.

In addition, the ice making chamber gasket 46 is formed of an elastic material and is compressed when the refrigerating chamber door 22 is closed to be in close contact with the circumference of the suction outlet 52 'and the discharge inlet 54'.

Therefore, the elasticity of the ice-making gasket 46 itself may be a force to prevent the refrigerating chamber door 22 from closing, and the refrigerating chamber door 22 may not be completely closed due to inadvertent operation or inexperience of the user. You may not be able to.

Therefore, when the refrigerating chamber door 22 is not completely closed, the cold air inside the ice maker 40 is leaked and the ice making performance of the ice maker 40 is deteriorated, as well as the cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 20. Outflow to the outside causes a problem of lowering the cooling efficiency of the refrigerating chamber 20.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, to provide a refrigerator door close contact structure which is provided with a body latch and a door latch that are engaged with each other to the main body and the door so that the door can be in close contact with each other. will be.

Refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a refrigerator provided with an ice maker for making ice on one side of the refrigerator compartment door shielding the refrigerator compartment of the main body, of the main body adjacent to the refrigerator compartment door A main body latch provided at one side and protruding to restrain the refrigerating chamber door; It is provided on one side of the refrigerating chamber door corresponding to the position of the main body latch, and formed in an annular shape corresponding to the shape of the main body latch, including a door latch selectively engaging with the main body latch when opening and closing the refrigerating chamber door. It is characterized in that the configuration.

The door latch is formed in an annular shape corresponding to the shape of the main body latch and is selectively restrained by the main body latch; A base unit mounted on one side of the refrigerating chamber door and supporting the mounting unit so that the restraining unit is rotatable; It is provided on the base portion, it is configured to include an elastic member for providing an elastic force to the restraint portion during the rotation of the restraint portion.

One side of the main body latch and the restraining part are respectively formed with a first contact part and a second contact part contacting each other when the refrigerating chamber door is rotated, and the first contact part and the second contact part are rounded to smoothly slide when contacted with each other. It is formed to lose.

The elastic member is a torsion spring.

A fixing protrusion configured to protrude upward from one side of the base part so as to be accommodated into an inner side of the restraint part and to constrain one end of the elastic member; It is formed to protrude upward from one side of the fixing projections, the locking projection is further formed to selectively contact with the outer one side of the restraint portion to limit the rotation of the restraint portion.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, there is an effect of preventing the leakage of cold air in the refrigerator compartment and the ice maker to improve the performance.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In addition, since the overall structure of the refrigerator employing the refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention is the same as the conventional one, detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be given to the same parts.

3 is a partial perspective view showing the appearance of a refrigerator employing a preferred embodiment of the refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the main body 1 of the refrigerator has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the main body 1 Refrigeration chamber 20 and freezing chamber 30 are formed in the upper and lower portions of, respectively.

In addition, the refrigerating chamber 20 is provided with a refrigerating chamber door 22 that shields the refrigerating chamber 20. The refrigerating compartment door 22 is mounted to be rotatable on the front left and right sides of the refrigerating compartment 20, respectively, to selectively shield the refrigerating compartment 20.

An ice maker 40 for making ice is provided inside one side of the refrigerating chamber doors 22 (hereinafter, the left side refrigerating chamber doors in FIG. 3) of the refrigerating chamber doors 22 on both the left and right sides thereof. The outer side is provided with a dispenser 24 for taking out the ice iced from the ice maker 40 from the outside.

In addition, a main body latch 100 is provided at an upper end of the main body 1 adjacent to the refrigerating chamber door 22, and an upper surface right side of the refrigerating chamber door 22 corresponding to a mounting position of the main body latch 100. The door latch 200 is provided.

The main body latch 100 and the door latch 200 allow the refrigerating chamber door 22 to be in close contact with the main body 1 when the refrigerating chamber door 22 is closed, and formed in a ring shape corresponding to each other. Is formed to be selectively engaged according to the rotation of the refrigerating chamber door (22).

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a preferred embodiment of the refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention, as shown in the drawings in more detail with respect to the main body latch 100 and the door latch 200 as follows.

The main body latch 100 is mounted on the upper surface of the main body 1 to be selectively coupled to the door latch 200 when the refrigerating chamber door 22 rotates, and the mounting portion 120 and the engaging portion 140. It is composed.

The mounting portion 120 is formed to have a predetermined area to allow the main body latch 100 to be mounted on the front end of the main body 1, so that the screw (S) for mounting can be fastened The screw hole 122 is formed through.

Then, at one side of the mounting portion 120 is formed a locking portion 140 protruding to the side. The locking portion 140 is to be engaged with the restraining portion 220 of the door latch 200, which will be described below, and is bent to have a substantially '대략' shape when viewed from the front.

In addition, the first contact portion 142 is formed over the front left side and the left side of the mounting portion 120. The first contact portion 142 is a portion in which the locking portion 140 of the main body latch 100 and the restraining portion 220 of the door latch 200 to be described below contact each other, and may slide together along a round surface. It is formed to.

On the other hand, the door latch 200 is selectively coupled to the main body latch 100 so that the refrigerating chamber door 22 can be restrained in close contact with the main body 1, the restraining portion 220 and The base portion 240 and the elastic member 260 is composed of.

Looking at this in more detail, the restraining part 220 is engaged with the end of the locking part 140 in accordance with the rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 22 is selectively restrained, in the shape of the locking part 140 It is formed into a corresponding ring shape.

That is, the restraint part 220 is formed in an annular shape (approximately 'a' shape in FIG. 4) formed in the protruding direction so that the locking part 140 may be restrained inside the restraint part 220. It is formed to be.

The restraint part 220 is formed to be slightly inclined to the main body 1 side for smooth sliding when contacting the locking part 140 of the main body latch 100, the first of the locking part 140 The second contact portion 222 is formed to be rounded at the corners corresponding to the left side and the left side of the upper surface of the restraining portion 220 (see in FIG. 4) in contact with the contact portion 142.

Therefore, when the first contact portion 142 of the locking portion 140 and the second contact portion 222 of the restraining portion 220 is in contact with each other, the first contact portion 142 and the second contact portion 222 may be slidable along the rounded surface. The catching part 140 and the restraining part 220 may be engaged with each other.

A locking jaw 224 is formed at a corner portion where the left side and the bottom face contact. The locking jaw 224 is for fixing the position of the restraining part 220 in a state where the door latch 200 does not contact the main body latch 100, and has a step inward of the restraining part 220. It is formed to be recessed.

That is, the locking jaw 224 is in contact with the locking projection 246 to be described below in the state that the door latch 200 is not in contact with the body latch 100, the elastic portion 220 is elastic to be described below It may be desirable to be formed so as to prevent the rotation in the counterclockwise direction by the elastic force of the member 260.

In addition, one side of the restraining part 220 is formed to accommodate the pivot shaft 242 and the elastic member 260 of the base portion 240 to be described below is mounted downward from the base portion 240 do. Therefore, the restraining part 220 is rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the base part 240.

The base 240 is for mounting the door latch 200 and is mounted on the upper right side of the refrigerating chamber door 22 corresponding to the mounting position of the main body latch 100. The base portion 240 is formed to have a predetermined area, and a screw hole 248 through which the screw S for mounting is penetrated is formed in both sides of the base portion 240.

In addition, a rotation shaft 242 protruding upward is formed at an approximately center portion of the base portion 240. The pivot shaft 242 is configured to be rotatably mounted to the restraint part 220, and is formed in a cylindrical shape having a predetermined diameter, and protrudes upwardly to be accommodated on one side of the restraint part 220. do.

On one side (left side in FIG. 4) of the pivot shaft 242, a fixing protrusion 244 and a locking protrusion are formed. The fixing protrusion 244 is to be fixed so that the elastic member 260 to be described below to provide an elastic force, is formed to protrude upward by a predetermined height, the restraining portion at the time of mounting the restraining part 220 220 is located inside.

In addition, the locking protrusion 246 is formed to protrude upward below a predetermined interval of the fixing protrusion 244. The locking protrusion 246 selectively contacts the locking jaw 224 of the restraining part 220 to limit the counterclockwise rotation of the restraining part 220. It is formed on the outer side of the restriction 220.

The elastic member 260 is to provide an elastic force to the restraining part 220 when the restraining part 220 rotates to be engaged with the restraining part 140, a torsion spring that is generally used is used. Would be preferable.

The elastic member 260 is mounted to the base portion 240, where the wound portion of the elastic portion 260 is mounted to be penetrated by the pivot shaft 242 of the base portion 240. .

In addition, in the elastic member 260 protruding to both sides, one end is constrained by the fixing protrusion 244 of the base portion 240 and the inner surface of the restraining part 220, and the other end is the restraining part ( 220 is mounted to be in contact with the inner side of the contact.

That is, the elastic member 260 is naturally compressed during the clockwise rotation of the restraint part 220 so as to provide an elastic force to the restraint part 220.

Therefore, when the refrigerating chamber door 22 is closed by the elastic force provided by the elastic member 260, the main body latch 100 and the door latch 200 can be held in a mutually coupled state, and the refrigerating chamber door When the door 22 is opened, the door latch 200 may return to a ready state for engagement.

Hereinafter, the operation of the refrigerator door contact structure according to the present invention having the configuration as described above with reference to the drawings as follows.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an operating state of a door latch, which is a main component of a preferred embodiment of a refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the refrigerator refrigerating chamber door 22 is shown in FIG. The main body latch 100 and the door latch 200 are spaced apart from each other while being rotated to open the main body 1.

At this time, the restraining part 220 of the door latch 200 maintains a state before the engaging part 140 is engaged by the elastic force of the elastic member 260, and the restraining part 220 is caught. The jaw 224 is in contact with the locking protrusion 246 of the base portion 240 to prevent the door latch 200 from rotating in the counterclockwise direction by the elastic force of the elastic member 260.

When the user rotates the refrigerating compartment door 22 to shield the refrigerating compartment 20, the door latch 200 is brought closer to the main body latch 100 according to the rotation of the refrigerating compartment door 22. The main body latch 100 and the door latch 200 are in contact with each other by the continuous rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 22.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, the main body latch 100 and the door latch 200 are in contact with each other. In detail, the main latch 100 and the door latch 200 are first contacted with each other by the rotation of the refrigerating chamber door 22. The first contact portion 142 and the surface inclined on the upper surface of the restraining portion 220 is in contact with each other.

In this state, when the refrigerating chamber door 22 is continuously closed, a force pushing each other is generated between the restraining portion 220 and the catching portion 140 of the door latch 200, and the main body latch ( 100 is in a fixed state so that the locking portion 140 pushes the restriction portion 220.

Accordingly, the first contact portion 142 and the second contact portion 222 are in contact with each other while the first contact portion 142 of the locking portion 140 moves along the inclined surface of the restriction portion 220. Each of them is formed to be round to each other so that the engaging portion 140 is slid along the second contact portion 222 of the restraining portion 220.

In this case, as the first contacting part 142 of the locking part 140 contacts and slides in contact with the second contacting part 222 of the restraining part 220, the restraining part 220 refers to the pivot shaft 242. Rotate clockwise. In addition, the elastic member 260 mounted to the base portion 240 is compressed according to the clockwise rotation of the restraint part 220, thereby providing the restraining part 220 with the elastic force generated at this time.

Next, when the refrigerating chamber door 22 is continuously rotated and closed, the first contact part 142 is connected to the second contact part 222 by the continuous sliding movement of the first contact part 142 and the second contact part 222. Sliding to one end of the restraining part 220, the protruding end of the locking part 140 can be accommodated in the annular groove of the restraining part 220.

That is, as shown in (c) of FIG. 5, the locking portion 140 of the main body latch 100 is completely engaged with the restraining portion 220 of the door latch 200, wherein the elastic member ( 260 has a strong elastic force due to compression to provide a force for rotating the restraining portion 220 of the door latch 200 counterclockwise.

Therefore, the locking portion 140 and the restraining part 220 has a strong restraining force, and in the state in which the locking part 140 and the restraining part 220 are completely coupled, the rear edge of the refrigerating chamber door 22 is formed. The door gasket 300 formed accordingly is completely in close contact with the front end of the main body 1, and the ice making chamber gasket 46 provided in the ice maker 40 is the suction outlet 52 ′ of the cold air duct 50. And the outer side of the discharge inlet 54 '.

After the door gasket 300 and the ice-making chamber gasket 46 are in close contact with each other, some of the cold air of the freezing chamber 30 flows into the ice maker 40 through the cold air duct 50 to perform ice making operations. The cold air after the ice making operation flows back into the freezing chamber 30 through the cold air duct 50.

Meanwhile, in order to store food in the refrigerating compartment 20 or to open the refrigerating compartment door 22 for the operation of the ice maker 40, a user grips a door handle provided at one side of the refrigerating compartment door 22. Pulled forward to rotate the refrigerator door 22.

At this time, the pulling force of the user is greater than the elastic force provided by the elastic member 260 to further rotate the restraining portion 220 of the door latch 200 in a clockwise direction while compressing the elastic member 260 further. The locking engagement between the locking portion 140 of the main body latch 100 and the restraining portion 220 of the door latch 200 is released.

The restraint of the refrigerating chamber door 22 is released by disengaging the engagement between the main body latch 100 and the door latch 200, so that the refrigerating chamber door 22 can be rotated without any restriction.

In addition, the restraining unit 220 is counterclockwise by the elastic force provided to the restraining unit 220 of the door latch 200 at the same time as the engagement between the main body latch 100 and the door latch 200 is released. By rotating, the elastic member 260 returns to its original position where no elastic force is generated.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and many other modifications based on the present invention will be possible to those skilled in the art within the above technical scope.

In the refrigerator door close contact structure according to the present invention as described in detail above, when the door is completely closed by the rotation of the door, the main body latch and the door latch are engaged with each other to restrain the door.

At this time, the door is maintained in a state in which the door gasket and the ice-making chamber gasket are in close contact with the main body, the suction outlet and the discharge inlet in a state of being in close contact with the main body.

Therefore, the cold air flowing into the ice making chamber or flowing out of the ice making chamber can be flowed through the cold air duct without leakage to the outside, thereby improving the refrigerating performance and the ice making performance of the refrigerator. There is.

In addition, the door is prevented from being completely closed by the repulsive force due to the elasticity of the ice making chamber gasket as well as the door gasket, thereby preventing the leakage of cold air and improving the refrigerating efficiency of the entire refrigerator. By preventing the use of unnecessary power for the supply of cold air can be prevented has the effect of improving economics.

Claims (5)

In the refrigerator provided with an ice maker 40 for making ice on one side of the refrigerator compartment door 22 that shields the refrigerator compartment 20 of the main body 1, A main body latch 100 provided at one side of the main body 1 adjacent to the refrigerating chamber door 22 and protruding to restrain the refrigerating chamber door 22; It is provided on one side of the refrigerating chamber door 22 corresponding to the position of the main body latch 100, and formed in an annular shape corresponding to the shape of the main body latch 100 to open and close the refrigerating chamber door 22. Refrigerator door close contact structure, characterized in that comprises a latch (100) and the door latch (200) for engaging selectively. The method of claim 1, wherein the door latch 200, A constraining part 220 formed in an annular shape corresponding to the shape of the main body latch 100 and selectively restrained by the main body latch 100; A base unit 240 mounted on one side of the refrigerating chamber door 22 and supporting the mounting unit so that the restraining unit 220 is rotatable; The base unit 240, the refrigerator door contact structure, characterized in that it comprises an elastic member 260 for providing an elastic force to the restraining portion 220 when the restraining portion 220 is rotated. According to claim 2, On one side of the body latch 100 and the restraining portion 220, The first contact portion 142 and the second contact portion 222 which are in contact with each other when the refrigerating chamber door 22 rotates are formed, respectively, the first contact portion 142 and the second contact portion 222 is smoothly contacted with each other Refrigerator door close contact structure, characterized in that formed so as to be round to slide. 4. The door contact structure of the refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the elastic member (260) is a torsion spring. According to any one of claims 2 to 4, One side of the base portion 240, A fixing protrusion 244 protruding upwardly to be accommodated into an inner side of the restraining part 220 to restrain one end of the elastic member 260; It is formed to protrude upward from one side of the fixing projections 244, the locking projection 246 to selectively contact with the outer one side of the restraining part 220 to further limit the rotation of the restraining part 220 is formed further Door close contact structure of the refrigerator.

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