Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10337785-B2
Application number	US-201815957108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2018
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a refrigerator which allows a pivoting bar to pivot to seal a gap between a pair of doors regardless of whether the door at which the pivoting bar is not installed between the pair of doors is open or closed. The refrigerator includes a guide device which induces the pivoting bar to pivot. Here, the guide device includes a rack that is moved forward and backward linearly depending on opening and closing of the second door and includes a second magnet built therein, a pinion gear engaged with the rack and pivoting when the rack is moved linearly, and a guide unit which includes a guide groove guiding a guide protrusion and is engaged with the pinion gear to move linearly in a direction opposite to that of the rack to allow the pivoting bar to pivot when the pinion gear pivots.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a body;
a storage compartment provided with an open front side in the body;
a door including a first door and a second door coupled with the body to open or close the open front side of the storage compartment;
a rotating bar rotatably coupled with the first door; and
a guide device provided at the body to induce the rotating bar to rotate,
wherein the guide device comprises:
a moveable member that is moved linearly according to opening or closing of the second door;
a rotating member which rotates in connection with the moveable member; and
a guide that is moved linearly in connection with the rotating member in a direction opposite to that of the moveable member to guide the rotating bar to rotate.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the guide device further comprises a base which accommodates the moveable member, the rotating member, and the guide and a cover coupled with a top of the base.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein a protruding portion with a first magnet built therein is provided on an upper rear side of one side of the second door and the moveable member is provided as a rack with a second magnet built therein that is moved forward and backward by the protruding portion.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the rotating member is provided as a pinion gear and the rack is engaged with the pinion gear, and
the rack comprises a first rack gear that is moved forward and backward linearly in the base and a contact portion provided at a front end of a bottom of the first rack gear to come in contact with the protruding portion and comprising the second magnet built therein.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the pinion gear is rotatably coupled with the base by a rotating shaft, and the rack and the guide are disposed on both sides of the pinion gear to be moved linearly in opposite directions when the pinion gear rotates.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein
a guide protrusion is provided on a top of the rotating bar, and the guide comprises a guide groove which guides the guide protrusion and a second rack gear engaged with the pinion gear and moved linearly in a direction opposite to that of the first rack gear when the pinion gear rotates.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the rotating bar is at a parallel position while the first door and the second door are closed, and when the first door is opened, the guide protrusion is guided by the guide groove and the rotating bar rotates to a perpendicular position.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the rotating bar is at a parallel position while the first door and the second door are closed, and when the second door is opened, the rack is moved forward due to magnetic forces of the first magnet built in the protruding portion and the second magnet built in the contact portion.

9. The refrigerator of claim 8 , wherein, when the rack is moved forward, the pinion gear engaged with the first rack gear of the rack rotates around the rotating shaft clockwise and the second rack gear of the guide engaged with the pinion gear is moved backward.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein, when the guide is moved backward, the guide protrusion is guided by the guide groove to allow the rotating bar to rotate counterclockwise and the rotating bar rotates counterclockwise to the perpendicular position.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein, when the second door is closed, the protruding portion comes in contact with the contact portion to allow the rack to be moved backward, and when the rack is moved backward, the pinion gear engaged with the first rack gear rotates around the rotating shaft counterclockwise and the second rack gear of the guide engaged with the pinion gear is moved forward.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11 , wherein, when the guide is moved forward, the guide protrusion is guided by the guide groove to allow the rotating bar to rotate clockwise and the rotating bar rotates clockwise to the parallel position.

13. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein a latch is provided on a rear side of a top of one side of the second door, and the moveable member is provided as a rack which is moved forward and backward by the latch and comprises a held portion held by the latch and released therefrom.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the latch comprises a case coupled with the second door, a latch partially accommodated in the case and coupled with the case to be rotatable left and right, an elastic member which allows the latch to return to an original position after rotating, and a cover which covers a top of the case.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein a hinge protrusion with which the latch is rotatably coupled and a fixing protrusion to which one side of the elastic member is fixed are provided at the case.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the latch comprises a hinge hole rotatably coupled with the hinge protrusion, a holding groove which holds or releases the rack depending on the opening or closing of the second door, a head portion which comes in contact with the rack and, before the rack is held by the holding groove, guides the rack to be held by the holding groove, and an elastic member coupling portion with which another side of the elastic member whose one side is fixed to the fixing protrusion is coupled.

17. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein a holding member is provided at a rear side of a top of one side of the second door, and the moveable member is provided as rack moved forward and backward by the holding member.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17 , wherein the guide device further comprises a latch coupled with the rack to be rotatable upward and downward to be held by or released from the holding member and held by the holding member when the second door is opened.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18 , wherein the holding member comprises a case coupled with the second door, a holding groove provided at a top of the case to hold and release the latch, and a first reinforcing member formed of a steel material to reinforce the case.

20. The refrigerator of claim 19 , wherein the rotating member is provided as a pinion gear, and
the rack comprises:
a first rack gear engaged with the pinion gear and moved forward and backward linearly in the base,
a contact portion provided at a front end portion of a bottom of the first rack gear and in contact with the holding member,
a supporting portion provided above the contact portion to support a front end portion of the latch,
a magnet accommodating groove provided in the rear of the contact portion to accommodate a magnet, and
a supporting rib which supports the latch to prevent the latch from being moved backward after having moved forward.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoon Seok Jun
• Song Young Jae
• Yang Seung Yong
• Moon Sung Sik
• Jeon Ho June
• Jeong Kyung Han

Classifications

• F25D11/02

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25D23/02 Primary

  Doors; Covers (F25D23/08 takes precedence {locks or fastenings E05B65/0042}) · CPC title

• F25D2323/021

  French doors · CPC title

• E06B7/18

  by means of movable edgings, e.g. draught sealings additionally used for bolting {, e.g. by spring force or with operating lever} · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title