WO2019093775A1

WO2019093775A1 - Appliance door hinge

Info

Publication number: WO2019093775A1
Application number: PCT/KR2018/013508
Authority: WO
Inventors: 박완기
Original assignee: 삼성전자주식회사
Priority date: 2017-11-13
Filing date: 2018-11-08
Publication date: 2019-05-16
Also published as: KR20190054488A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an appliance door hinge enabling soft closing and soft opening of a door, and the appliance door hinge comprising: a housing including a pair of side walls facing each other; a link rotatably provided between the pair of side walls of the housing; a torsion spring of which one end is connected to the link and the other end is provided at the housing; and a pair of friction pads, which are provided to face each other between the link and the pair of side walls of the housing, and rub against the link so as to reduce the rotational speed of the link.

Description

Door hinges for home appliances

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a door hinge for home appliances, and more particularly, to a door hinge for home appliances capable of soft closing and soft opening.

Generally, the door hinge is a device formed so that the door can open and close the door frame. Such a door hinge can be divided into a left and right door system configured to allow the door to be opened and closed right and left with respect to one side, and a vertical and lower door system configured to allow the door to be opened and closed up and down with respect to the upper and lower ends.

In home appliances such as electric ovens, gas ovens, microwave ovens, cooking appliances such as dishwashers, automatic washing machines, and the like, door hinges of the upper and lower hinges are used.

Therefore, when the door is open, the door protrudes out of the home appliance, and when the door is closed, the door is in close contact with the door frame on the front face of the home appliance.

Such a door hinge according to the prior art is disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 10-2014-011691 (title of the invention: door hinge, filed on March 31, 2013).

However, such a door hinge has a problem that when the door is closed, the door collides with the door frame to generate noise.

In addition, if the door collides with the door frame, it can impact the electronic circuit or the like provided inside the home appliance, which may shorten the lifetime of the electronic appliance.

Further, when the door collides with the door frame when the door is closed, there is a problem that the user feels an uncomfortable feeling due to the impact and noise of the door.

In addition, the conventional door hinge has a problem in that it is complicated in structure using a large number of parts, resulting in high manufacturing cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it relates to a door hinge for home appliances capable of soft opening and soft closing without causing an impact when a door is opened and closed.

The present invention also relates to a door hinge for home appliances capable of soft opening and soft closing of a door with a simple structure.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a door hinge for a household appliance includes: a housing including a pair of side walls facing each other; A link rotatably installed between a pair of side walls of the housing; A torsion spring having one end connected to the link and the other end mounted on the housing; And a pair of friction pads installed to face each other between the link and a pair of side walls of the housing and to reduce the rotational speed of the link by friction with the link.

At this time, the pair of friction pads include friction portions, and the gap between the friction portions of the pair of friction pads may be formed to be narrower than the thickness of the link.

Each of the pair of friction pads is formed in a fan shape. On one surface of each of the pair of friction pads, a first receiving portion, a first inclined portion, a friction portion, a second inclined portion And the second accommodating portion are formed in sequence, the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion are formed at the same height, the friction portion is formed higher than the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion, The inclined portion may connect the first accommodating portion and the friction portion in an inclined manner, and the second inclined portion may be formed to connect the friction portion and the second accommodation portion in an inclined manner.

In addition, at least one oil groove having an arc shape may be provided in the friction portion.

A first stopper for restricting the rotation of the link in one direction is provided at one side of the first accommodating portion and a second stopper for restricting rotation of the link in the opposite direction is provided at one side of the second accommodating portion have.

In addition, a locking protrusion may be provided on the opposite side of each of the pair of friction pads, and a seating portion corresponding to the locking protrusion may be provided on each of the pair of side walls of the housing.

Further, the pair of friction pads can be fixed to the pair of side walls of the housing by two fastening members.

Further, the link may include: a rotating shaft provided at one end of the link and inserted into the shaft hole of the housing; A latching groove provided at the other end of the link and into which one end of the torsion spring is inserted; And a slip protrusion extending from the other end of the link and formed to cover an upper portion of the inlet of the slit.

Further, at both ends of the rotary shaft, a fixing groove into which the fixing member of the door frame is inserted may be provided.

The engagement groove of the link may be formed so that a center line in the depth direction of the engagement groove is a straight line connecting the center of the other end of the torsion spring provided in the housing and the center of the one end of the torsion spring contacting the lower end of the engagement groove Can be formed so that the angle is the same in a state in which the link is maximally rotated to one side and a state in which the link is rotated to the maximum in the opposite direction.

In addition, the housing may include a spring separation preventing portion for preventing the other end of the torsion spring from being separated from the housing.

In addition, the torsion spring may be formed such that when the housing rotates about the link, the torsion spring does not rub against the ends of the pair of side walls of the housing.

Further, the torsion spring may include a latch portion inserted into the latching groove of the link; A pair of extending portions vertically extending at both ends of the latching portion; A pair of spirals formed on each of the pair of extensions; A pair of parallel portions extending from each of the pair of spiral portions and formed parallel to a pair of side walls of the housing; And a pair of fixing protrusions vertically formed in each of the pair of parallel portions and inserted into a support hole formed in a pair of side walls of the housing.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door hinge for home appliances comprising: a fixing member installed on a door frame; A housing installed in a door corresponding to the door frame and including a pair of side walls facing each other; A link fixed to the fixing member and installed between a pair of side walls of the housing to support the housing so as to be rotatable; A torsion spring having one end connected to the link and the other end mounted on the housing; And a pair of friction pads installed to face each other between the link and the pair of side walls of the housing and reduce the rotation speed of the housing by friction with the link.

According to the door hinge according to the embodiment of the present invention having the above structure, since the door can be soft closed, the door is smoothly closed without colliding with the door frame. Therefore, when the door is closed, no impact is applied to the household appliance, so that it is possible to prevent the life of the household appliance from being reduced due to the impact.

1 is a perspective view of a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a rear perspective view of the door hinge for the household appliance of Fig. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the door hinge for home appliances; FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in a door; FIG.

5 is a perspective view showing a housing of a door hinge for home appliances according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a perspective view showing a link of a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a view for explaining an angle of a latching groove of a door hinge of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a perspective view illustrating a friction pad of a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a rear perspective view of the friction pad of Figure 8;

10 shows a front view of a friction pad;

11A is a partial view showing a case where the link is not located in the friction portion of the pair of friction pads;

Fig. 11B is a partial view showing a case where the link is located at the friction portion of the pair of friction pads; Fig.

12 is a perspective view of a torsion spring of a door hinge for home appliances according to an embodiment of the present invention;

13 is a view illustrating a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention when the door is closed; FIG.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing a case where a door hinge of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention is located at a friction portion of a friction pad while the door of FIG. 14 is opened;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention when the door of FIG. 14 is fully opened;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of door hinges for household appliances according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is to be understood that the embodiments described below are provided for illustrative purposes only, and that the present invention may be embodied with various modifications and alterations of the embodiments described herein. In the following description, well-known functions or components are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention. In addition, the attached drawings are not drawn to scale in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, but the dimensions of some of the components may be exaggerated.

1 is a perspective view of a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the door hinge for the household appliance of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the door hinge for home electric appliances. 4 is a sectional view showing a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in a door. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a housing of a door hinge for home appliances according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, a door hinge 1 for a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10, a link 20, a pair of

friction pads

30 and 40, (50).

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5, the housing 10 is installed on the door 100 and pivots with the door 100 at a predetermined angle. The flat plate is bent in a substantially ' . Thus, the housing 10 includes a pair of

side walls

11, 12 and a bottom surface 13.

The pair of sidewalls of the housing 10, i.e., the first sidewall 11 and the second sidewall 12 are spaced apart from each other and are arranged to face each other in parallel. The bottom surface 13 is provided to connect the first side wall 11 and the second side wall 12. A portion of the bottom surface 13 corresponding to a portion of the pair of

side walls

11, 12 on which the pair of

friction pads

30, 40 are installed is cut away. Therefore, the first side wall 11 and the second side wall 12 of the housing 10 without the bottom surface 13 can undergo elastic deformation.

A shaft hole 14 and two fixing holes 15 are provided at one end of the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 where the friction pad 30 is installed. A shaft 21 of the link 20, which will be described later, is inserted into the shaft hole 14. Two fastening holes 15 are formed on the left and right sides of the shaft hole 14 and a fastening member 60 for fastening the friction pad 30 to the first side wall 11 can be inserted. A seating portion 16 for supporting the friction pad 30 is provided on the upper side of the shaft hole 14 and the fixing hole 15 of the first side wall 11.

One end of the torsion spring 50 is inserted into the other end of the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 opposite to the one end of the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 where the friction pad 30 is installed A support hole 17 is provided.

A spring release preventing portion 18 may be provided on the upper side of the support hole 17 inward of the housing 10. The spring separation preventing portion 18 and the support hole 17 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance so that one end of the torsion spring 50 can be inserted into the support hole 17. [ The spring separation preventing portion 18 may be formed to bend a part of the other end of the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 so as to cover the support hole 17. The spring separation preventing portion 18 is provided to prevent the other end of the torsion spring 50 inserted into the support hole 17 of the first side wall 11 from being detached from the support hole 17 and being separated.

The second side wall 12 of the housing 10 is also provided with a shaft hole 14, two fixing holes 15, a seating portion 16, a support hole 17, Prevention portion 18 is provided. The shaft hole 14, the two fixing holes 15, the seating portion 16, the support hole 17, and the spring detachment preventing portion 18 provided in the second side wall 12 of the housing 10, And is formed to have a plane symmetry with the shaft hole 14 provided in the side wall 11, the two fixing holes 15, the seating portion 16, the support hole 17, and the spring separation preventing portion 18. Therefore, the spring separation preventing portions 18 provided on the first side wall 11 and the second side wall 12 of the housing 10 have a substantially V-shape as shown in FIG.

The housing 10 may be formed by bending an iron plate. Steel plate cold commercial (SPCC) can be used as the steel plate.

6 is a perspective view showing a link of a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The link 20 is rotatably installed in the interior of the housing 10, that is, between the pair of

side walls

11 and 12 of the housing 10. More specifically, the link 20 is provided between the first friction pad 30 provided on the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 and the second friction pad 40 provided on the second side wall 12, (30) and the second friction pad (40).

The link 20 includes a rotation shaft 21 and an engagement groove 23. The rotary shaft 21 is provided at one end of the link 20 and is inserted into the shaft hole 14 of the housing 10. Concretely, both ends of the rotary shaft 21 are installed to be inserted into the shaft hole 14 formed in the first side wall 11 and the second side wall 12 of the housing 10. Thus, the link 20 can rotate relative to the housing 10 about the rotational axis 21. When the link 20 is fixed, the housing 10 can rotate about the link 20 about the shaft hole 14.

At both ends of the rotary shaft 21, fixing grooves 22 are provided. The fixing groove 22 is formed so that the tip of the fixing member 101 fixed to the door frame 110 can be inserted. The fixing groove 22 is formed to have a substantially rectangular cross section and the tip end of the fixing member 101 is also formed into a rectangular cross section corresponding to the fixing groove 22. Therefore, when one end of the fixing member 101 is inserted into the fixing groove 22, the link 20 remains fixed without being rotated.

The edges 25 of both side surfaces contacting with the

inclined portions

32 and 34 of the

friction pads

30 and 40 in the rotation direction of the link 20 are chamfered. Therefore, since the chamfered edge 25 is guided by the

inclined portions

32 and 34 of the

friction pads

30 and 40 when the link 20 rotates, the link 20 is smoothly guided by the

friction pads

30, 40 to the frictional portion 33 thereof.

The latching groove 23 is provided at the other end of the link 20 and is formed so that one end of the torsion spring 50 can be inserted. The locking groove 23 is formed so that the locking portion 51 provided at one end of the torsion spring 50 does not come off the locking groove 23 when the door 100 is opened or closed. To this end, when the link 20 is positioned at both ends of the operating region, the engaging groove 23 is formed such that the center line CL in the depth direction of the engaging groove 23 forms the same angle as the reference line RL can do. Hereinafter, the latching groove 23 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

7 is a view for explaining an angle of a latching groove of a door hinge of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the link 20 is located at the maximum pivotal position to the left, the first line LL between the center line CL of the latching groove 23 and the reference line RL connecting both ends of the torsion spring 50, A second angle between the center line CL of the latching groove 23 and the reference line RL connecting both ends of the torsion spring 50 when the angle &thetas; 2 are formed to be the same or similar.

The engagement groove 23 of the link 20 is formed so that the center line CL in the depth direction of the engagement groove 23 is aligned with the reference line RL connecting both ends of the torsion spring 50 provided on the housing 10 The angle? Can be formed so that the angle of the link 20 is maximized to the left and the angle of the link 20 is maximally rotated to the right. For example, when the link 20 makes a maximum turn to the left, when the first angle? 1 of the latching groove 23 is 54 degrees, when the link 20 makes the maximum turn to the right, 2 of the link 20 can be formed to be 54 degrees.

Here, the center line CL of the latching groove 23 refers to a straight line passing through the center in the depth direction of the latching groove 23. The reference line RL connecting both ends of the torsion spring 50 is inserted into the engagement groove 23 and is engaged with the center of the engagement portion 51 provided at one end of the torsion spring 50 contacting the bottom of the engagement groove 23 And a straight line connecting the centers of the fixing protrusions 55 inserted into the support holes 17 of the housing 10 at the other ends of the torsion springs 50. On the other hand, a state in which the link 20 is maximally pivoted to the left side is a case where the link 20 is in contact with the first stopper 36a of the friction pad 30, and the link 20 is in the maximum rotation state to the right Refers to a case in which the link 20 is in contact with the second stopper 36b of the friction pad 30.

6, the link 20 may further include a stop protrusion 27 for preventing one end of the torsion spring 50 from being disengaged from the stop groove 23. The stop protrusion 27 extends from the other end of the link 20 to one side of the latching groove 23 and is formed to cover the upper side of the inlet of the latching groove 23. The entrance of the latching groove 23 and the inner surface of the latching protrusion 27 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance so that the latching portion 51 provided at one end of the torsion spring 50 is inserted into the latching groove 23 of the link 20 can do.

When the extending portion 52 of the torsion spring 50 is aligned with the engaging groove 23 during the rotation of the link 20 as described above, when the stopper protrusion 27 is formed on the upper portion of the engaging groove 23, It is possible to prevent the torsion spring 50 from falling out of the engagement groove 23.

The pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 are provided inside the housing 10 and function to reduce the rotation speed of the link 20 by friction with the link 20. [ When the link 20 is fixed and the housing 10 rotates with respect to the link 20, the pair of

friction pads

30, 40 rub against the link 20 to reduce the rotation speed of the housing 10 .

The pair of

friction pads

30 and 40, that is, the first friction pad 30 and the second friction pad 40 are fixed to the inner surface of the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 and the inner surface of the second side wall 12 And are installed so as to face each other on the inner surface. The first friction pad 30 is located between the link 20 and the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 and the second friction pad 40 is located between the link 20 and the housing 10 2 side walls 12, the first friction pad 30 and the second friction pad 40 are opposed to each other.

At this time, the pair of

friction pads

30, 40 each include the friction portion 33, and the gap g between the friction portions 33 provided in each of the pair of friction pads 30, (T) of the substrate (20). The friction portion 33 may be formed to protrude at a predetermined height from one surface of the

friction pads

30 and 40 in the middle portion of the

friction pads

30 and 40.

Since the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 are formed in the same structure, only the first friction pad 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. Hereinafter, the first friction pad 30 will be referred to as a friction pad.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a friction pad of a door hinge for home electric appliances according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the friction pad of FIG. 10 is a view showing the front surface of the friction pad.

Referring to Figs. 8 to 10, the friction pad 30 is formed in a substantially fan shape. A through hole 30a through which the rotation shaft 21 of the link 20 is inserted is provided at the center of the friction pad 30. [ Two fastening holes 30b for fastening the friction pad 30 to the side wall 11 of the housing 10 are formed on the right and left sides of the through hole 30a. Therefore, when the friction pad 30 is fixed to the side wall 11 of the housing 10, the through hole 30a and the two fastening holes 30b of the friction pad 30 are engaged with the shaft hole 14) and the two fixing holes (15).

A first receiving portion 31, a first inclined portion 32, a friction portion 33, and a second inclined portion 33 are formed on the upper surface of the friction pad 30 along the rotation direction of the link 20, The first receiving portion 35, and the second receiving portion 35 may be sequentially provided.

The first accommodating portion 31 and the second accommodating portion 35 are located on both sides of the friction portion 33 and are formed on the upper surface of the friction pad 30. Therefore, the first accommodating portion 31 and the second accommodating portion 35 are formed at the same height.

The friction portion 33 is formed to protrude from the upper surface of the friction pad 30. The frictional portion 33 is formed in a substantially fan-shaped plane, and is disposed in the middle of the rotation range of the link 20. For example, the friction portion 33 may be provided such that the center line L bisecting the friction portion 33 is positioned in the middle of the rotation range of the link 20. [ The frictional portion 33 is formed higher than the first accommodating portion 31 and the second accommodating portion 32.

The size? 3 of the friction portion 33 can be appropriately determined according to the rotation speed of the door 100 to be decelerated. For example, the size? 3 of the friction portion 33 can be set to 50 to 60% of the rotation range? Of the link 20. At this time, the sizes (? 1,? 5) of the first accommodating portion 31 and the second accommodating portion 35 are set to 10 to 20% of the rotation range? Of the

link

20, 31 and the second inclined portion 35, respectively. As an example, when the rotation range [beta] of the link 20 is 0 to 100 degrees, the size [beta] 3 of the friction portion 33 is 60 degrees, the size [beta] 1 of the first accommodating portion 31 The size 5 of the second accommodating portion 35 is 15 degrees and the size 2 of the first inclined portion 32 and the size 4 of the second inclined portion 34 are 5 degrees.

The first inclined portion 32 is provided between the first accommodating portion 31 and the frictional portion 33 and has a first inclined portion 32 and a second inclined portion 32 so that the link 20 can ascend from the first accommodating portion 31 to the frictional portion 33, And connects the accommodating portion 31 and the friction portion 33 with each other. Therefore, the first inclined portion 32 is formed to be inclined at a certain angle? 1 with respect to the first accommodating portion 31. The first inclined portion 32 may be formed at an inclination angle alpha 1 of 30 degrees to 50 degrees. In the case of this embodiment, the first inclined portion 32 is formed at an inclination angle alpha 1 of about 45 degrees.

The second inclined portion 34 is provided between the second accommodating portion 35 and the friction portion 33 so that the second inclined portion 34 is engaged with the second inclined portion 34 so that the second inclined portion 34 can ascend from the second accommodating portion 35 to the friction portion 33, And connects the accommodating portion 35 and the friction portion 33 with each other. Therefore, the second inclined portion 34 is inclined at a certain angle? 2 with respect to the second accommodating portion 35. The second inclined portion 34 may be formed at an inclination angle of 30 degrees to 50 degrees. In the case of the present embodiment, the second inclined portion 34 is formed at an inclination angle? 2 of about 45 degrees. The inclination angle 2 of the second inclined portion 34 may be the same as or different from the inclination angle alpha 1 of the first inclined portion 32. In this embodiment, the inclination angle 1 of the first inclined portion 32 and the inclination angle 2 of the second inclined portion 34 are formed to be the same.

At least one oil groove 38 may be provided on the upper surface of the friction portion 33. At least one oil groove 38 may be formed in an arc shape corresponding to the rotation of the link 20. At least one oil groove 38 may be formed to have a length corresponding to the entire width of the upper surface of the friction portion 33.

In the case of the friction pad 30 shown in FIG. 8, two oil grooves 38 are formed on the upper surface of the friction portion 33. However, the number of the oil grooves 38 is not limited to this. The number of the oil grooves 38 may be one or three or more depending on the size of the friction portion 33. When the oil groove 38 is formed in the frictional portion 33 as described above, oil can be supplied to the link 20 which is in friction with the frictional portion 33, so that the rotation reliability of the link 20 or the housing 10 can be increased have.

In addition, the friction pad 30 may include

stoppers

36a and 36b for limiting the rotation range of the link 20. A first stopper 36a for restricting rotation of the link 20 in one direction is provided on one side of the first accommodating portion 31 on the upper surface of the friction pad 30, A second stopper 36b for restricting the rotation of the link 20 in the opposite direction may be provided at one side of the link 20. Therefore, the movable range of the door hinge 1 is limited by the first and

second stoppers

36a and 36b.

For example, when the rotation range of the link 20 is about 100 degrees, when the link 20 is in the 0 degree position, it contacts the first stopper 36a, and when the link 20 is in the 100 degree position The first and

second stoppers

36a and 36b may be provided so as to contact the second stopper 36b.

The

stoppers

36a and 36b of the first friction pad 30 and the

stoppers

36a and 36b of the second friction pad 40 may be formed at the same height. When the first friction pad 30 and the second friction pad 40 are provided on the first side wall 11 and the second side wall 12 of the housing 10, The first and

second stoppers

36a and 36b of the pad 30 and the first and

second stoppers

36a and 36b of the second friction pad 40 provided on the second side wall 12 are formed to contact each other .

The engaging protrusions 37 may be provided on the upper surfaces of the first and

second stoppers

36a and 36b of the first friction pad 30, respectively. The engaging projections 37 are formed on the upper surfaces of the first and

second stoppers

36a and 36b of the second friction pad 40 which contact the first and

second stoppers

36a and 36b of the first friction pad 30, (Not shown) may be provided.

A latching protrusion 39 is provided on the lower surface of the friction pad 30, that is, on the opposite surface of the friction pad 30 on which the friction pad 33 is formed. The latching protrusion 39 is formed in a shape corresponding to the seating portion 16 provided on the side wall 11 of the housing 10. Referring to FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the latching protrusion 39 is formed in a strip shape protruding in a circular arc shape at a constant height along the outer peripheral surface of the friction pad 30. When the friction pad 30 is installed on the side wall 11 of the housing 10, the engagement protrusion 39 of the friction pad 30 is seated on the seat portion 16 of the housing 10, And is stably supported by the housing 10.

The above-described pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 are fixed to the pair of

side walls

11 and 12 of the housing 10 by two fastening members 60. For example, when the first friction pad 30 is provided on the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 and the second friction pad 40 is provided on the second side wall 12, The

stoppers

36a and 36b of the first friction pad 30 and the

stoppers

36a and 36b of the second friction pad 40 come into contact with each other. At this time, two fastening holes 15 of the first side wall 11 of the housing 10, two fastening holes 30b of the first friction pad 30, two fastening holes 30b of the second friction pad 40, And the two fixing holes 15 of the second side wall 12 coincide with each other. Therefore, the two fastening holes 15 of the first side wall 11, the two fastening holes 30b of the first friction pad 30, the two fastening holes 30b of the second friction pad 40, The two

friction pads

30 and 40 can be fixed to the housing 10 by inserting the two fastening members 60 into the two fastening holes 15 of the second side wall 12. [ At this time, a rivet may be used as the fastening member 60.

Hereinafter, the action of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 having the above structure to decelerate the rotation speed of the link 20 will be described with reference to Figs. 11A and 11B.

Fig. 11A is a partial view showing the case where the link is not located in the friction portion of the pair of friction pads, and Fig. 11B is a partial view showing the case where the link is located in the friction portion of the pair of friction pads.

11A, the link 20 includes a first receiving portion 31 of the first friction pad 30 provided on the first side wall 11 of the housing 10 and a second receiving portion 31 of the second friction pad 30 provided on the second side wall 12. [ Is located between the first accommodating portions (31) of the friction pad (40). At this time, the gap G between the first accommodating portion 31 of the first friction pad 30 and the first accommodating portion 31 of the second friction pad 40 is smaller than the thickness t of the link 20 Due to its size, the rotation of the link 20 is not limited by the pair of

friction pads

30, 40. 11A, when the link 20 is not located between the friction portions 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30, 40, the rotational speed of the link 20 is lowered by a pair of friction Is not decelerated by the pads (30, 40).

When the link 20 rotates by a predetermined angle, the link 20 is moved between the friction portion 33 of the first friction pad 30 and the friction portion 33 of the second friction pad 40 as shown in FIG. 11B . At this time, since the gap g between the friction portion 33 of the first friction pad 30 and the friction portion 33 of the second friction pad 40 is smaller than the thickness t of the link 20, (20) is restricted by the friction portion (33). 11B, when the link 20 passes between the friction portions 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30, 40, the rotational speed of the link 20 is lowered by the pair of friction pads 30, (30, 40).

Even if the gap g between the friction portions 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 is smaller than the thickness t of the link 20 in the present embodiment, Can pass between the friction portions (33) of the friction pads (30, 40). This is because the friction portions 33 of the

friction pads

30 and 40 are formed of a friction material capable of being elastically deformed and the portions of the

side walls

11 and 12 of the housing 10 on which the

friction pads

30 and 40 are provided are resiliently deformed The link 20 can pass between the friction portions 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 while the rotation speed is reduced. For example, the friction pad may be formed of an engineering plastic such as polyoxymethylene (POM).

Although the case where the housing 10 is fixed and the link 20 is rotated has been described above, when the housing 10 rotates and the link 20 is fixed, the rotation of the housing 10 The speed is reduced by the frictional force generated between the friction portion 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 and the link 20. [

12 is a perspective view of a torsion spring of a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a view showing a torsion spring installed on a housing in a door hinge for home appliances according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The torsion spring 50 is connected at one end to the link 20 and at the other end to the housing 10 to elastically support the link 20 with respect to the housing 10. The torsion spring 50 is formed such that when the housing 10 rotates about the link 20, the torsion spring 50 does not rub against the upper ends of the pair of

side walls

11, 12 of the housing 10.

12, the torsion spring 50 is formed by bending a metal wire and includes a latching portion 51, a pair of extending portions 52, a pair of winding portions 53, a pair of parallel portions 54 ), And a pair of fixing projections 55. As shown in Fig.

The latching portion 51 is provided at one end of the torsion spring 50 and is formed so as to be inserted into the latching groove 23 of the link 20. The pair of extension portions 52 are formed so as to extend vertically at both ends of the engagement portion 51. The pair of extending portions 52 face each other and are formed in parallel. A pair of spiral portions (53) are formed in each of the pair of extending portions (52). The spool part 53 can be formed by winding the metal wire forming the torsion spring 50 in a helical shape twice or more.

A pair of parallel portions 54 extend from each of the pair of spiral portions 53 and are formed in parallel with the pair of

side walls

11 and 12 of the housing 10. A pair of fixing protrusions 55 is formed at one end of each of the pair of parallel portions 54. That is, the pair of fixing protrusions 55 are vertically formed at one end of each of the pair of parallel portions 54, and the support holes 17 formed in the pair of

side walls

11 and 12 of the housing 10 .

The torsion spring 50 includes a pair of parallel portions 54 parallel to the pair of

side walls

11 and 12 of the housing 10 extending from the pair of fixing protrusions 55, A pair of fixing protrusions 55 of the torsion spring 50 are inserted into the supporting holes 17 provided in the pair of

side walls

11 and 12 of the housing 10 and the engaging portions 51 A pair of parallel portions 54 of the torsion spring 50 are in line contact with the inner surfaces of the pair of

side walls

11 and 12 of the housing 10 when the torsion spring 50 is inserted into the engagement groove 23 of the link 20 , And does not contact the upper ends (11a, 12a) of the pair of side walls (11, 12). Therefore, when the housing 10 rotates with respect to the link 20, no noise occurs because the upper ends of the pair of

side walls

11 and 12 of the torsion spring 50 and the housing 10 are not rubbed.

Since the spring separation preventing portion 18 extending from the housing 10 is provided at one side of the fixing protrusion 55 of the torsion spring 50, the support of the pair of

side walls

11, 12 of the housing 10 The fixing protrusion 55 of the torsion spring 50 inserted into the hole 17 can be prevented from being detached from the support hole 17 and separated.

Hereinafter, the operation of the door hinge for home appliances according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention when the door is closed. FIG. 15 is a side view of the door hinge of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention, Sectional view showing the case where the link is located in the friction portion of the friction pad. FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing a door hinge for a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention when the door of FIG. 14 is fully opened.

14 to 16 illustrate a case where the door hinge 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed on the door 210 provided on the upper surface 201 of the automatic washing machine 200. [ When the door 210 of the fully automatic washer 200 is closed, the lower surface of the door 201 is substantially horizontally aligned with the upper surface so as to cover a laundry loading port (not shown) provided on the upper surface 201 of the automatic washing machine 200 maintain. When the door 210 is opened, the door 210 is opened at an angle of about 90 degrees or more with respect to the upper surface 201 of the washing machine 200 to open the laundry loading port.

The state of the door hinge 1 for household appliances according to the embodiment of the present invention when the door 210 is closed is shown in Fig.

Referring to FIG. 14, the door hinge 1 is installed at one end of the door 210, and is fixed by a fixing member 230 provided on the door frame 220. The door frame 220 may be installed below the upper surface 201 of the automatic washing machine 200. When the door 210 is closed, the bottom surface 13 of the housing 10 is substantially in a state of being substantially parallel to the upper surface 201 of the washing machine, and the link 20 has a pair of friction pads 30, , And is in contact with the first stopper 36a.

In this state, when the user opens the door 210 at a predetermined angle in the clockwise direction, the housing 10 fixed to the door 210 rotates clockwise about the rotation axis 21 of the link 20 at a predetermined angle do. At this time, since the rotary shaft 21 of the link 20 is fixed by the fixing member 230 provided on the door frame 220, the link 20 does not rotate even when the door 210 is opened.

Since the door 210 rotates in the clockwise direction about the fixing member 230 of the door hinge 1 by the force applied by the user, the housing 10 is also rotated clockwise around the rotational axis 21 of the link 20 Direction. The link 20 is moved along the first inclined portion 31 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 provided on the housing 10 between the friction portions 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 Enter. At this time, since the chamfer 25 is formed on the side surface of the link 20 facing the first inclined portion 31, the link 20 can easily enter the friction portion 33 along the first inclined portion 31 can do. The state in which the link 20 is positioned between the friction portions 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30, 40 is shown in Fig.

15, when the door 210 rotates beyond a predetermined angle, the housing 10 rotates so that the link 20 is positioned between the friction parts 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30, 40 . Then, the rotational speed of the housing 10 is decelerated by the frictional force generated between the friction portion 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30, 40 and the link 20. When the rotational speed of the housing 10 is reduced, the rotational speed of the door 210 to which the housing 10 is fixed is also reduced. Accordingly, the opening speed of the door 210 is reduced by the frictional portion 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40, so that the door 210 is opened slowly.

The door 210 rotates in a clockwise direction in a state in which the opening speed is reduced by the frictional portion 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 and is completely opened. For example, in the case of the present embodiment, the state in which the door 210 is approximately 100 degrees from the upper surface 201 of the washing machine 200 is completely opened. This state is shown in Fig.

16, when the door 210 is fully opened, the housing 10 rotates so that the link 20 is positioned in the second receiving portion 35 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40, And comes into contact with the stopper 36b. When the link 20 is disengaged from the frictional portion 33 of the pair of

frictional pads

30 and 40 by the rotation of the door 210, the friction of the

frictional portions

30 and 40 of the pair of

frictional pads

30 and 40 The second stopper 36b is smoothly brought into contact with the link 20 so that the rotation of the door 10 can be smoothly performed because the rotational speed of the door 210 is decelerated to the maximum by the frictional force generated between the link 33 and the link 20. [ The door 210 is smoothly opened to the maximum. Accordingly, a soft opening of the door where no shock occurs when the door 210 is opened is possible.

Next, the case of closing the door 210 which is completely opened as shown in Fig. 16 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the user closes the door 210 in a state that the door 210 is fully opened, force applied by the user and gravity are applied to the door 210.

The door 210 receiving the force and gravity applied by the user rotates in the counterclockwise direction about the fixing member 230 fixing the door hinge 1 so that the housing 10 is also fixed to the fixing member 230 And rotates counterclockwise around the rotation axis 21 of the rotor 20. The link 20 is moved between the friction portions 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 along the second inclined portion 34 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40 provided on the housing 10 Enter. At this time, since the chamfer 25 is formed on the side surface of the link 20 facing the second inclined portion 34 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40, the link 20 is inclined with respect to the second inclined portion 34 And can easily enter the space between the friction parts 33. [ The state in which the link 20 is positioned between the friction portions 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30, 40 is shown in Fig.

When the door 10 rotates counterclockwise beyond a predetermined angle, the housing 10 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 15, so that the link 20 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction by the pair of friction pads 30, The frictional portion 33 of the friction plate 31 is positioned between the frictional portions 33. Then, the rotational speed of the housing 10 is reduced by the frictional force generated between the friction portion 33 of the

friction pads

30 and 40 and the link 20. When the rotational speed of the housing 10 is reduced, the rotational speed of the door 210 to which the housing 10 is fixed is also reduced. Accordingly, the closing speed of the door 210 is reduced by the friction portion 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40, so that the door 210 is slowly closed.

The closing speed of the door 210 is reduced by the frictional portion 33 of the pair of

friction pads

30 and 40, and the door 210 rotates slowly to be completely closed. The state in which the door 210 is closed is shown in Fig.

14, when the door 210 is closed, the housing 10 is rotated counterclockwise so that the link 20 is positioned in the first receiving portion 31 of the pair of friction pads 30, And contacts the first stopper 36a. When the link 20 is disengaged from the frictional portion 33 of the pair of

frictional pads

30 and 40 of the housing 10 by the rotation of the door 210, The first stopper 36a smoothly contacts the link 20 to stop the housing 10 because the rotational speed of the door 210 is decelerated to the maximum by the frictional force between the link 33 and the link 20 So that the door 210 smoothly contacts the door frame 220. Accordingly, it is possible to soft close the door 210 where no shock occurs when the door 210 is closed.

Although the door hinge 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to the door 210 of the automatic washing machine 200 as described above, the door hinge 1 of the present invention is applied to the automatic washing machine 200 200).

The door hinge 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied for soft closing and soft opening of the cooking device and the door of the dishwasher. The door hinge 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be applied even when the door is vertical to the ground when the door is closed and the door is horizontal when the door is opened. That is, even when the door is opened and closed up and down around the lower end, soft closing and soft opening of the door are possible by applying the door hinge 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, when the door hinge 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is used, since the door can be soft closed, the door is smoothly closed without colliding with the door frame. Therefore, when the door is closed, no impact is applied to the household appliance, so that it is possible to prevent the life of the household appliance from being reduced due to the impact.

Further, when the door hinge 1 for household appliances according to the embodiment of the present invention is used, the door is smoothly closed without colliding with the door frame when the door is closed. Therefore, You can prevent uncomfortable feelings.

In addition, the door hinge 1 for a home appliance according to the embodiment of the present invention described above can reduce the manufacturing cost because the structure is simple and the number of components is small as compared with the door hinge according to the related art.

The invention has been described above in an illustrative manner. The terms used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, the present invention may be practiced freely within the scope of the claims.

Claims

A housing including a pair of side walls facing each other;

A link rotatably installed between a pair of side walls of the housing;

A torsion spring having one end connected to the link and the other end mounted on the housing; And

And a pair of frictional pads installed to face each other between the link and a pair of side walls of the housing, the frictional pad frictionally engaging with the link to reduce the rotational speed of the link.
The method according to claim 1,

The pair of friction pads each including a friction portion,

Wherein a distance between the friction portions of the pair of friction pads is narrower than a thickness of the link.
The method according to claim 1,

Each of the pair of friction pads is formed into a fan shape,

Wherein a first receiving portion, a first inclined portion, a friction portion, a second inclined portion, and a second accommodating portion are sequentially provided on one surface of each of the pair of friction pads,

Wherein the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion are formed at the same height,

Wherein the friction portion is formed higher than the first accommodation portion and the second accommodation portion,

Wherein the first inclined portion connects the first accommodating portion and the frictional portion in an inclined manner and the second inclined portion is formed to slantably connect the frictional portion and the second accommodating portion.
The method of claim 3,

Wherein the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion are formed at the same inclination angle.
The method of claim 3,

Wherein at least one oil groove of an arc shape is provided in the friction portion.
The method of claim 3,

Wherein a first stopper for restricting the rotation of the link in one direction is provided at one side of the first accommodating portion and a second stopper for restricting the rotation of the link in the opposite direction is provided at one side of the second accommodating portion, For door hinges.
The method of claim 3,

Wherein a pair of friction pads are provided on the opposite sides of each of the friction pads,

Wherein the housing has a pair of side walls provided with seating portions corresponding to the latching protrusions.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the pair of friction pads are fixed to a pair of side walls of the housing by two fastening members.
The method according to claim 1,

The link includes:

A rotation shaft provided at one end of the link and inserted into the shaft hole of the housing; And

And a latching groove provided at the other end of the link and into which one end of the torsion spring is inserted.
10. The method of claim 9,

The link hinge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the link further comprises an escape projection extending from the other end of the link and formed to cover an upper portion of an inlet of the latching groove.
10. The method of claim 9,

Wherein a fixing groove into which a fixing member of a door frame is inserted is provided at both ends of the rotary shaft.
10. The method of claim 9,

The engagement groove of the link is formed so that the center line in the depth direction of the engagement groove is formed by a straight line connecting the center of the other end of the torsion spring provided on the housing and the center of one end of the torsion spring, Wherein an angle is formed so as to be the same in a state in which the link is maximally rotated to one side and in a state in which the link is maximally rotated in the opposite direction.
The method according to claim 1,

And the housing includes a spring detachment preventing portion for preventing the other end of the torsion spring from being separated from the housing.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the torsion spring is formed such that when the housing rotates about the link, the torsion spring does not rub against an end of a pair of side walls of the housing.
15. The method of claim 14,

The torsion spring,

An engaging portion inserted into the engaging groove of the link;

A pair of extending portions vertically extending at both ends of the latching portion;

A pair of spirals formed on each of the pair of extensions;

A pair of parallel portions extending from each of the pair of spiral portions and formed parallel to a pair of side walls of the housing;

And a pair of fixing protrusions formed vertically in each of the pair of parallel portions and inserted into support holes formed in a pair of side walls of the housing.