WO2015131765A1

WO2015131765A1 - Item storage box assembly and refrigerator having same

Info

Publication number: WO2015131765A1
Application number: PCT/CN2015/073143
Authority: WO
Inventors: 杨发林; 赵欣; 姜明亮; 张红霞; 徐忠良
Original assignee: 海尔集团公司; 青岛海尔股份有限公司
Priority date: 2014-03-03
Filing date: 2015-02-15
Publication date: 2015-09-11
Also published as: CN104344676B; CN104344676A

Abstract

Disclosed are an item storage box assembly (100) and a refrigerator having the item storage box assembly (100). The refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body formed with a compartment and a door used for opening and closing the compartment. The item storage box assembly (100) is provided on the inside of the refrigerator body or the door, and comprises a bracket (1) and an item storage box (2) rotatably fitting with the bracket (1) via a pivot. An automatic reset mechanism (3) enabling the item storage box (2) to automatically reset when opening is further provided between the bracket (1) and the item storage box (2). The automatic reset mechanism (3) comprises an arc-shaped rack (31) and a one-way damping gear (32) meshing together with the arc-shaped rack (31).

Description

Storage box assembly and refrigerator having the same

Technical field

The present invention relates to a storage box assembly, and more particularly to a storage box assembly that can be automatically retracted after being turned over and a refrigerator having the storage box assembly.

Background technique

Refrigerators, as a container that keeps food or other items at a constant low temperature, have become one of the indispensable household appliances in modern homes. In order to facilitate the use of customers, the design of the interior of the refrigerator is becoming more and more humanized. Currently, the refrigerators on the market are equipped with storage devices such as drawers or bottle holders. In order to save the external space occupied by the use, the drawer or the bottle holder in the refrigerator is set to be turned outward. However, after observing the daily use of the refrigerator by the family, it is found that the outwardly flipped type of drawer or bottle holder often produces abnormal sound when used; and sometimes people are prone to forgetfulness, that is, forget to close the drawer, the bottle holder and the like. Interior trim, and closing the refrigerator door when the drawer or the bottle holder is not closed, so that the refrigerator door may cause crush damage to the inverted drawer or the bottle holder when closed.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved storage box assembly and a refrigerator having the same for solving the above problems.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage box assembly that can be automatically retracted after being turned over and a refrigerator having the same.

According to an aspect of the invention, a storage box assembly is provided, comprising a bracket and a storage box pivotally coupled to the bracket, the bracket and the storage box being further provided with the An automatic return mechanism that automatically returns to the storage box when opened, the automatic return mechanism comprising a curved rack and a one-way damping gear that meshes with the curved rack.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the bracket may include oppositely disposed side portions, the storage box is provided with a bottom wall, front and rear walls respectively extending upward from the front end and the rear end of the bottom wall, and respectively Two side walls extending upward from both sides of the bottom wall;

The automatic return mechanism is disposed between a side of the bracket and a corresponding side wall of the storage box.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the rack may be disposed on the one side wall of the storage box Up and extending from the lower side of the rear side of the side wall toward the front side;

The one-way damper gear may be disposed on the one side of the bracket and engage the front side of the rack when the storage box is closed.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the one-way damper gear may include a damper gear body and a fixing frame that fixes the damper gear body, wherein the fixing frame is disposed on the bracket;

The damper gear body includes a damper portion fixed in the holder and a gear portion projecting from the holder and engaging the rack.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the pivot hole may be disposed under the front side of one of the side walls of the storage box or the one side of the bracket, and the other may be provided with a shaft hole that cooperates with the pivot;

The pivot shaft is provided with a circular arc-shaped rotating surface that is rotatably engaged with the shaft hole, and a planar mounting surface that connects the rotating surface, and the shaft hole is provided with a mounting opening that is open outward for the pivotal mounting .

As a further improvement of the present invention, the storage box assembly may further include a limiting mechanism for restricting an outward flip angle of the storage box, the limiting mechanism including the one disposed at the storage box a retaining wall and a stop between the side wall and the front side of the one side of the bracket.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the stopper may be formed to protrude outward from the root of the pivot.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the stopper may be disposed above the one-way damper gear.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the bracket may further be provided with a support wall projecting inwardly from both side portions, the support wall being supported below the bottom wall of the storage box when the storage box is closed.

As a further improvement of the present invention, another automatic recovery mechanism identical to the automatic return mechanism may be symmetrically disposed between the other side wall of the storage box and the other side portion corresponding to the bracket.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a refrigerator including a case body formed with a compartment and a door body for opening or closing the compartment, wherein the case body or the inside of the door body is provided with the aforementioned A storage box assembly.

The invention has the beneficial effects that the invention provides an automatic recovery mechanism for automatically recovering the storage box when the storage box is opened between the bracket and the storage box, and the automatic recovery mechanism uses a one-way damping gear to cooperate with the rack. In the process of opening the storage box, the damping is not forced, and the storage box can be easily opened; after the storage box is opened, the one-way damping gear has a function of returning the storage box to the initial state. The torsion force, through the meshing conduction of the one-way damping gear, allows the storage box to be automatically and slowly closed; thereby effectively preventing damage to the refrigerator caused by improper operation. In addition, the effect of damping in the unidirectional damper gear also reduces the collision noise generated during use.

DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the storage box assembly of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view showing the state of use of the storage box assembly of Figure 1 when the storage box is turned over;

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the storage box assembly of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view showing the cooperation of the storage box in the storage box assembly of Figure 3 and the damping gear body in the one-way damping gear;

Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the storage box assembly of Figure 1.

detailed description

The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the embodiments are not intended to limit the invention, and the structural, method, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

1 to 5 show a preferred embodiment of the storage box assembly 100 of the present invention. The storage box assembly 100 of the present invention is used in a refrigerator (not shown), wherein the refrigerator includes a case formed with a compartment and a door body for opening or closing the compartment, and the storage box assembly 100 is disposed in the cabinet Or the inside of the door, and thus the present invention also provides a refrigerator having a storage box assembly 100.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the storage box assembly 100 includes a bracket 1, a storage box 2 that is rotatably engaged with the bracket 1, and is disposed between the bracket 1 and the storage box 2 for automatically returning the storage box 2 when opened. Automatic reply agency 3.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the bracket 1 is disposed or directly formed on the inner side of the cabinet or the door body of the refrigerator, and has opposite side portions 11 , a top plate 12 connecting the upper ends of the side portions 11 , and a lower end portion of the connecting side portions 11 . The bottom plate 13 and the receiving cavity 10 formed between the side portions 11, the top plate 12, and the bottom plate 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage box assembly 100 includes two storage boxes 2 that are stacked one above the other in the receiving cavity 10. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in other embodiments not shown, the storage box assembly 100 may include only one storage box 2 disposed within the receiving cavity 10; or, the storage box assembly 100 includes three Four storage boxes 2 disposed in the receiving cavity 10 are stacked on top of each other.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the storage box 2 is provided with a bottom wall, a front wall 22 and a rear wall 23 extending upward from the front and rear ends of the bottom wall, respectively, and two side walls extending upward from both sides of the bottom wall, respectively. twenty four. Skill As will be understood by those skilled in the art, this means that the storage box 2 has an open cavity structure. The top end of the front wall 22 is recessed with a notch 221 for the hand to extend in to open the storage box 2.

A pivot 25 is provided below the front side of one of the side walls 24 of the storage box 2 or both side portions 11 of the bracket 1, and the other is provided with a shaft hole 15 that cooperates with the pivot shaft 25. The pivot 25 is rotatably engaged with the shaft hole 15 such that the storage box 2 can be flipped open relative to the bracket 1. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the underside of the front side of the side portion 11 is the underside of the side portion of the side portion 11 corresponding to the corresponding side wall 24 of each of the storage boxes.

In the present embodiment, the pivot 25 is disposed on the storage box 2 and is located below the front side of the two side walls 24 of the storage box 2. The pivot 25 projects directly outward from the side wall 24. The shaft holes 15 are correspondingly arranged on the bracket 1 and below the front side of the two side portions 11.

The pivot shaft 25 has a substantially circular cylindrical structure, and has a circular arc-shaped rotating surface 251 that is vertically symmetrically disposed to be rotationally fitted with the shaft hole 15, and a planar mounting surface 252 that connects the rotating surface 251. The shaft hole 15 is provided with a mounting opening 151 that is open outward for the pivot 25 to be mounted for ease of assembly and disassembly. That is, the shaft hole 15 is provided with a mounting opening 151 which radially opens the inner cavity to the outside. In a further embodiment, the mounting opening 151 is preferably generally open rearward (or generally open toward the rear of the bracket 1) to prevent the storage compartment 2 from moving out of the receiving cavity 10 when it is flipped forward.

To prevent excessive valgus of the storage box 2, the storage box assembly 100 further includes a limit mechanism that limits the outward flip angle of the storage box 2. The stop mechanism includes a retaining wall 41 and a stop 42 disposed between the side wall 24 and the side portion 11 of the bracket 1. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the storage box assembly 100 can include only one stop mechanism disposed between a side wall 24 and a side portion 11 adjacent the side wall 24; the storage box assembly 100 is also Two limiting mechanisms may be included, which are symmetrically disposed between the side portions 11 of the bracket 1 and the respective side walls 24 of the storage box 2, respectively. The stopper 42 may be disposed to protrude outward from the root of the pivot shaft 25, or may be disposed on the rear side of the side wall 24 or the side portion 11. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, each of the limiting mechanisms may include only one stop 42; of course, each of the limiting mechanisms may also include two, three, four or more stops 42.

In the present embodiment, the stoppers 42 are provided in two, one is disposed on the pivot 25 and protrudes upward from the root of the pivot shaft 25, and the other is disposed on the side wall 24 of the storage box 2 near the rear side. The retaining wall 41 is disposed on the front side of the side portion 11 of the bracket 1 and is formed to extend directly from the front end of the side portion 11 toward the receiving cavity 10. When the storage box 2 is turned outward to open to a certain angle, the stopper 42 abuts against the blocking wall 41 to define the opening angle of the storage box 2.

At the same time, the bracket 1 is further provided with a support wall 112 protruding inwardly from the side portions 11 respectively, and the support wall The 112 extends in the front-rear direction and is supported below the bottom wall 11 of the storage box 2 when the storage box 2 is closed. The support wall 112 serves on the one hand to carry the storage box 2 and on the other hand prevents the storage box 2 from rotating excessively inwards.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, in the most common embodiment of the present invention, the storage box assembly 100 may include two automatic return mechanisms 3, which are symmetrically disposed on both side portions 11 of the bracket 1 and the storage box 2, respectively. Between the respective side walls 24. Of course, the present invention does not exclude the use of the automatic recovery mechanism 3 of the present invention only on one side of the storage box 2 and the holder 1, and any other suitable mechanism on the other side of the storage box 2 and the holder 1.

In particular, the automatic return mechanism 3 may include a curved rack 31 and a one-way damper gear 32 that meshes with the curved rack 31.

In the present embodiment, the racks 31 of the two automatic return mechanisms 3 are respectively disposed on the two side walls 24 of the storage box 2 and extend in an arc shape from the lower side of the rear side of the corresponding side wall 24 toward the front side; The one-way damper gears 32 of the automatic return mechanisms 3 are respectively fixed to the both side portions 11 of the bracket 1, and are engaged with the front side of the corresponding rack 31 when the storage box 2 is closed.

The one-way damper gear 32 includes a damper gear main body 321 and a fixing bracket 322 that fixes the damper gear main body 321 . The holder 322 is disposed on the side portion 11 of the bracket 1. In the present embodiment, the holder 322 is fixedly disposed on the bracket 1 by screws 323. In an embodiment not shown, other common connectors or mounts may be used to secure the mount 322 to the side portion 11 of the bracket 1. The fixing frame 322 has a receiving portion 3221 located in the middle and a fixing portion 3222 located at two sides of the receiving portion 3221. The damper gear main body 321 includes a damper portion 3211 fixed in the accommodating portion 3221 and a gear portion 3212 that protrudes from the accommodating portion 3221 and engages with the rack 31. The damper portion 3211 is provided with a positioning portion 32111 extending to both sides. The positioning portion 32111 is provided with a protrusion (not shown) on the fixing frame 322 to fix the damper portion 3211 on the fixing frame 322. Positioning hole 32112.

In the present embodiment, one of the stoppers 42 of the above-described stopper mechanism is disposed above the one-way damper gear 32.

In summary, the present invention provides an automatic return mechanism 3 for automatically returning the storage box 2 when it is opened between the bracket 1 and the storage box 2, and the automatic recovery mechanism 3 employs a one-way damping gear 32 and teeth. The strips 31 cooperate so that during the opening of the storage box 2, the damping is not forced, the storage box 2 can be easily opened; after the storage box 2 is opened, the one-way damping gear 32 has a one that can make the storage box 2 recover The torque to the initial state, by the meshing conduction of the one-way damper gear 32, allows the storage box 2 to be automatically and slowly closed; thereby effectively preventing damage to the refrigerator caused by improper operation. In addition, The return angle of the storage box 2 can also be adjusted by adjusting the torsion force of the one-way damper gear 32 to adapt to different needs of the user; in addition, the 32-damping effect in the one-way damper gear also reduces the collision generated during use. noise.

It should be understood that, although the description is described in terms of embodiments, the embodiments are not intended to be construed as a single. The technical solutions in the embodiments may also be combined as appropriate to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

The series of detailed descriptions set forth above are merely illustrative of the possible embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Changes are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

A storage box assembly includes a bracket and a storage box pivotally coupled to the bracket, wherein:

An automatic return mechanism for automatically returning the storage box when the storage box is opened is further disposed between the bracket and the storage box, the automatic recovery mechanism includes a curved rack and meshes with the curved rack One-way damper gear.
The storage box assembly of claim 1 wherein:

The bracket includes oppositely disposed side portions, the storage box is provided with a bottom wall, front and rear walls respectively extending upward from the front end and the rear end of the bottom wall, and respectively from both sides of the bottom wall Two side walls extending upward;

The automatic return mechanism is disposed between a side of the bracket and a corresponding side wall of the storage box.
The storage box assembly of claim 2 wherein:

The rack is disposed on the one side wall of the storage box and extends in an arc shape from a lower side of the rear side of the side wall toward the front side;

The one-way damper gear is disposed on the one side of the bracket and engages the front side of the rack when the storage box is closed.
The storage box assembly of claim 3 wherein:

The one-way damper gear includes a damper gear body and a fixing frame that fixes the damper gear body, wherein the fixing frame is disposed on the bracket;

The damper gear body includes a damper portion fixed in the holder and a gear portion projecting from the holder and engaging the rack.
The storage box assembly of claim 2 wherein:

The pivot is disposed under the front side of one of the side walls of the storage box or the one side of the bracket, and the other is provided with a shaft hole that cooperates with the pivot ;

The pivot shaft is provided with a circular arc-shaped rotating surface that is rotatably engaged with the shaft hole, and a planar mounting surface that connects the rotating surface, and the shaft hole is provided with a mounting opening that is open outward for the pivotal mounting .
The storage box assembly of claim 2 wherein:

The storage box assembly further includes a limiting mechanism for limiting an outward flip angle of the storage box, the limiting mechanism including a side wall and the bracket disposed on the side of the storage box The retaining wall and the stop between the front sides of the one side.
The storage box assembly of claim 6 wherein:

The block protrudes outwardly from a root of the pivot.
The storage box assembly of claim 6 wherein:

The stopper is disposed above the one-way damper gear.
The storage box assembly of claim 2 wherein:

The bracket is further provided with a support wall projecting inwardly from both side portions to support under the bottom wall of the storage box when the storage box is closed.
The storage box assembly of claim 2 wherein:

Another automatic recovery mechanism identical to the automatic return mechanism is symmetrically disposed between the other side wall of the storage box and the other side portion corresponding to the bracket.
A refrigerator comprising a case formed with a compartment and a door body for opening or closing the compartment, wherein:

The storage box assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is provided on the inside of the casing or the door body.