Hinge apparatus and oven with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041685-B2
Application number	US-201615060883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2016
Priority date	Mar 16, 2015
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a hinge apparatus and an oven with the same. The oven with a hinge apparatus includes a main body having a cooking space; a door configured to open and close the cooking space; and the hinge apparatus configured to connect the main body with the door, and at which the door is rotatably installed, wherein the hinge apparatus includes a hinge unit which includes a hinge body fixed to the main body, and a hinge lever which is coupled to the door and also rotatably shaft-coupled to the hinge body by a hinge pin; and a damping unit which is installed at an outer surface of the hinge body within a radius of rotation of the hinge lever, and is in contact with the hinge lever to reduce a rotating speed of the hinge lever when the hinge lever is rotated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oven, comprising:
a main body that defines a cooking space;
a door configured to open and close the cooking space; and
a hinge apparatus configured to rotatably connect the door to the main body,
wherein the hinge apparatus comprises:
a hinge unit with a hinge body fixed to the main body, and a hinge lever that is coupled to the door and rotatably coupled to the hinge body by a hinge pin; and
a damping unit that is installed within a radius of rotation of the hinge lever at an outer surface of the hinge body, and that is configured to contact the hinge lever during rotation of the hinge lever,
wherein the damping unit comprises:
a damper case that is fixed to the hinge body; and
a damper that comprises a housing installed at the damper case, and a shaft that is configured to contact the hinge lever, and that is configured to move in and out of the housing.

2. The oven according to claim 1 , wherein the hinge apparatus is provided at each of a left side and a right side of the main body, and wherein the damping unit is provided at one of the left side and the right side.

3. The oven according to claim 1 , wherein the hinge body is mounted to a lower plate that defines a lower surface of the main body, and the damping unit is installed at an upper surface of the hinge body.

4. The oven according to claim 1 , wherein the damping unit is configured to pass through a front plate that defines a front surface of the main body.

5. The oven according to claim 4 , wherein a front surface of the damping unit and a front surface of the front plate are located on the same plane.

6. The oven according to claim 4 , wherein the front plate defines a hinge hole, and the hinge body and the damping unit are configured to pass through the hinge hole.

7. The oven according to claim 6 , wherein the hinge hole has a shape that corresponds to a shape of a circumferential surface of the hinge body and a front surface of the damping unit.

8. The oven according to claim 1 , wherein the damping unit is provided at a space that is defined by a cavity plate, a front plate that defines a front surface of the main body, and a lower plate that defines a lower surface of the main body.

9. The oven according to claim 1 , wherein the shaft is configured to pass through a front surface of the main body, and configured to be pressed by the hinge lever based on the hinge lever being rotated.

10. A hinge apparatus comprising:
a hinge unit with a hinge body fixed to a main body of an oven, and a hinge lever that is coupled to a door of the oven and rotatably coupled to the hinge body by a hinge pin; and
a damping unit that is installed within a radius of rotation of the hinge lever at an outer surface of the hinge body, and that is configured contact the hinge lever during rotation of the hinge lever,
wherein the damping unit comprises,
a damper case that is fixed to the hinge body; and
a damper that comprises a housing installed at the damper case, and a shaft that is configured to contact the hinge lever, and that is configured to move in and out of the housing.

11. The hinge apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the hinge lever has a contacting part that is configured to protrude toward the damping unit and press a shaft of the damping unit based on the hinge lever being rotated.

12. The hinge apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein an upper surface of the hinge body defines a first coupling hole and the damping unit is configured to couple to the first coupling hole.

13. The hinge apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein a pair of first case fixing protrusions are located at both sides of a lower surface of the damping unit, each of the case fixing protrusions having a hook shape and being configured to insert into the first coupling hole.

14. The hinge apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the upper surface of the hinge body defines a second coupling hole and a screw that passes through the damping unit is configured to fasten to the second coupling hole.

15. The hinge apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein an upper surface of the hinge body defines a third coupling hole and wherein a second case fixing protrusion extending from a lower surface of the damping unit is configured to be inserted into the third coupling hole.

16. The hinge apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the damper case is configured to open upward, and the damper is configured to be fitted and installed through an opened upper surface of the damper case.

17. The hinge apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein a housing support part is located at a lower surface of the damper case and is configured to extend outward to contact the housing, and the housing support part comprises a first support part that is configured to extend along a center of the housing, and a second support part that is located at a predetermined interval along the first support part and configured to intersect with the first support part, and the housing support part includes a corresponding curved surface configured to cover an outer surface of the housing.

18. The hinge apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the damper case comprises a front fixing part that presses and fixes an outer surface of the housing, and a rear fixing part that defines a space at a rear end of the damper case in which a rear end of the housing is inserted.

19. The hinge apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the front fixing part is rounded inward with a curvature corresponding to the outer surface of the housing, and a lower surface of the damper case defines a bottom hole that corresponds to a lower end of the front fixing part.

20. The hinge apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein a front pressing part is located at an inner surface of the front fixing part and is configured to extend to contact the outer surface of the housing.

21. The hinge apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein a recessed part is located at an inner surface of the front fixing part and is configured to accommodate a part of the outer surface of the housing.

22. The hinge apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein a cut-away part is located at both sides of the front fixing part, the cut-away part being a cut side surface of the damper case to provide elasticity to the front fixing part.

23. The hinge apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the rear fixing part comprises a rear surface that is configured to extend upward from an end of the damper case to support the housing; and a pair of extending parts that extend from both of the side surfaces and the rear surface of the damper case and that are spaced apart from each other.

24. The hinge apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein a plurality of rear pressing parts are located at inner surfaces of the extending parts and each of the plurality of rear pressing parts extend in a lengthwise direction of the extending parts and press the outer surface of the housing based on the housing being inserted.

25. The hinge apparatus according to claim 18 , further comprising a shaft cap that is provided at a front end of the shaft, that is configured to pass through the damper case, and that contacts the hinge lever.

26. The hinge apparatus according to claim 25 , wherein a plurality of guide parts are located at an outer circumferential surface of the shaft cap and each of the plurality of guide parts are configured to extend in a same di

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Kihwan
• Choi Sungho

Classifications

• E05Y2900/308

  for ovens · CPC title

• E05F5/02

  specially for preventing the slamming of {swinging} wings {during final closing movement, e.g. jamb stops} · CPC title

• F24C15/023 Primary

  Mounting of doors, e.g. hinges, counterbalancing · CPC title

• E05Y2201/21

  Brakes · CPC title

• E05F3/04

  with liquid piston brakes (rotary type E05F3/14) · CPC title