Free embedded refrigerator with increased opening degree

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12044461-B2
Application number	US-202017638842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2020
Priority date	Aug 28, 2019
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A free embedded refrigerator includes a cabinet, a door, and a hinge assembly, the cabinet includes an accommodating chamber and an outer side surface, and a direction from the accommodating chamber towards the outer side surface serves as a first direction; the hinge assembly includes a first hinge part, a second hinge part and a switching assembly; when the door is in an opening process, the first hinge part moves relative to the switching assembly, and then, the second hinge part moves relative to the switching assembly; the hinge assembly drives the door to rotate in situ relative to the cabinet, then drives the door to move away from the cabinet in the first direction, and then drives the door to continuously rotate in situ. The refrigerator increases an opening-closing freedom degree of the door, and various motion tracks may be generated to adapt to different application scenarios.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A free embedded refrigerator with an increased opening degree, comprising: a cabinet, a door for opening and closing the cabinet, and a hinge assembly for connecting the cabinet and the door, wherein the cabinet comprises an accommodating chamber and an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and located on an extension section of a rotation path of the door, and a direction from the accommodating chamber towards the outer side surface serves as a first direction; the hinge assembly comprises a first hinge part, a second hinge part and a switching assembly disposed between the first hinge part and the second hinge part, and engaged respectively with the first hinge part and the second hinge part; when the door is in an opening process, the switching assembly moves relative to the first hinge part, and then, the second hinge part moves relative to the switching assembly; the hinge assembly drives the door to rotate in situ relative to the cabinet, then drives the door to move away from the cabinet in the first direction, and then drives the door to continuously rotate in situ;
the switching assembly comprises a first fitting part and a second fitting part, the first hinge part and the first fitting part move relatively by a first shaft set and a first groove set which are fitted with each other, and the second hinge part and the second fitting part move relatively by a second shaft set and a second groove set which are fitted with each other;
wherein the first shaft set comprises a first shaft and a second shaft, the first groove set comprises a first groove fitted with the first shaft and a second groove fitted with the second shaft, the second shaft set comprises a third shaft and a fourth shaft, and the second groove set comprises a third groove fitted with the third shaft and a fourth groove fitted with the fourth shaft;
wherein the switching assembly comprises a first switching part having the first fitting part disposed therein and a second switching part having the second fitting part disposed therein which are fitted with each other; the first hinge part comprises the first shaft and the second shaft, the first fitting part comprises the first groove and the second groove, the second fitting part comprises the third shaft and the fourth shaft, and the second hinge part comprises the third groove and the fourth groove; the first groove comprises a first upper groove located at the first switching part and a first lower groove located at the second switching part, the first upper groove comprises a first upper free section, and the first lower groove comprises a first lower free section; the second groove comprises a second upper groove located at the first switching part and a second lower groove located at the second switching part, the second upper groove comprises a second upper free section, the second lower groove comprises a second lower free section, the third groove comprises a third free section, the fourth groove comprises a fourth free section, the first groove set comprises a locking section, and the second groove set comprises a limiting section; when the door is opened from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first switching part and the second switching part are relatively stationary, the first upper free section and the first lower free section are overlapped to form a first free section, the second upper free section and the second lower free section are overlapped to form a second free section, the first shaft is at the first free section when the switching assembly moves, the second shaft is at the second free section when the switching assembly moves, and the third shaft and/or the fourth shaft are/is limited at the limiting section, such that the switching assembly limits the second hinge part; when the door is continuously opened from the first opening angle to a second opening angle, the first switching part and the second switching part move relatively, such that the fourth shaft is separated from the limiting section, and the first shaft and/or the second shaft stay/stays at the locking section, such that the switching assembly limits the first hinge part; when the door is continuously opened from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the third shaft moves in the third free section, and the fourth shaft moves at the fourth free section.

2. The free embedded refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the door comprises a door gravity center, and when the door is in the opening process, the hinge assembly drives the door to move away from the cabinet in the first direction, and meanwhile, the hinge assembly drives the door gravity center to move towards the cabinet.

3. The free embedded refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the door is provided with a first fitting portion, the cabinet is provided with a second fitting portion, the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are engaged with each other when the door is in the closed state, and when the door is opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the door rotates in situ relative to the cabinet, so as to drive the first fitting portion to be disengaged from the second fitting portion.

4. The free embedded refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the door comprises a first door and a second door, the first door and the second door are pivotally connected with the cabinet and arranged side by side in a horizontal direction, the free embedded refrigerator further comprises a vertical beam movably connected to a side of the first door close to the second door, the first fitting portion is provided at the vertical beam, and when the first door and the second door are in the closed state, the vertical beam extends to the second door; when the first door is opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first door rotates in situ relative to the cabinet, such that the vertical beam rotates towards a side close to the accommodating chamber, a first folding angle is formed between the first door and the vertical beam, and then, the vertical beam and the first door are kept relatively static.

5. The free embedded refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the cabinet comprises a fixed beam dividing the accommodating chamber into a first compartment and a second compartment, and the door comprises a first door provided corresponding to the first compartment and a second door provided corresponding to the second compartment; when the door is in the closed state, both the first door and the second door contact the fixed beam, and when the door is opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the door rotates in situ relative to the cabinet, so as to separate the door from the fixed beam.

6. The free embedded refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first hinge part is fixed to the cabinet, the second hinge part is fixed to the door; when the door is opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first hinge part and the first fitting part move relatively to drive the door to rotate in situ relative to the cabinet, the first hinge part and the first fitting part then move relatively to drive the door to move away from the cabinet in the first direction, and the second fitting part limits the second hinge part; when the door is continuously opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the second hinge part is released from the limit of the second fitting part, and the first fitting part limits the first hinge part; when the door is continuously opened from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the second hinge part and the second fitting part move relatively to drive the door to continuously rotate in situ.

7. The free embedded refrigerator according to claim 1 ,

Assignees

• Qingdao haier refrigerator co ltd
• Haier Smart Home Co Ltd

Inventors

• Xia Enpin
• Li Kang
• Zhu Xiaobing
• Zhang Hao

Classifications

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title

• F25D2323/021

  French doors · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title

• E05D11/06

  Devices for limiting the opening movement of hinges · CPC title

• E05D7/081

  the pivot axis of the wing being situated near one edge of the wing, especially at the top and bottom, e.g. trunnions · CPC title