Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12049775-B2
Application number	US-202017629401-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2020
Priority date	Jul 23, 2019
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

The present invention discloses a refrigerator, including a cabinet, a door for opening and closing the cabinet, and a hinge assembly for connecting the cabinet and the door, wherein the cabinet includes 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, a direction from the accommodating chamber towards the outer side surface serves as a first direction, and when the door is in an opening process, the hinge assembly drives the door to move away from the cabinet in the first direction. In the present invention, the door may be driven to move away from the cabinet in the first direction by the hinge assembly; that is, the door moves away from the accommodating chamber, thus guaranteeing an opening degree of the cabinet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, 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, a direction from the accommodating chamber towards the outer side surface serves as a first direction, and when the door is in an opening process, the hinge assembly drives the door to move away from the cabinet in the first direction, the hinge assembly comprises a first shaft, a first groove, a second shaft and a second groove, the first shaft and the first groove are fitted with each other, the second shaft and the second groove are fitted with each other, the first shaft is located in one of the cabinet and the door, the first groove is located in the other of the cabinet and the door, the second shaft is located in one of the cabinet and the door, and the second groove is located in the other of the cabinet and the door, when the door is opened from a closed state, the first shaft moves in the first groove and the second shaft moves in the second groove, and the door is driven to move in the first direction while rotating simultaneously, or when the door is opened from a closed state, the door only rotates in situ firstly, then the first shaft moves in the first groove and the second shaft moves in the second groove, and the door is driven to move in the first direction while rotating simultaneously;
wherein the first groove comprises an initial position and a pivot position, and the second groove comprises a first end, a second end, a first section, a second section and a third section, the first end and the second end being provided oppositely, and the first section, the second section and the third section being located between the first end and the second end and connected; when the door is in the closed state, the first shaft is located at the initial position, and the second shaft is located at the first end; when the door is opened from the closed state to a first opening angle, the first shaft is kept at the initial position, and the second shaft moves in the first section around the first shaft; when the door is continuously opened from the first opening angle to a second opening angle, the second shaft moves in the second section to drive the first shaft to move from the initial position to the pivot position, and the door moves away from the cabinet in the first direction; when the door is continuously opened from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the first shaft is kept at the pivot position, and the second shaft moves in the third section around the first shaft.

2. The 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 refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are located at the cabinet, and the first groove and the second groove are located at the door.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the door comprises a front wall apart from the cabinet and a side wall always interposed between the front wall and the cabinet, a distance between the initial position and the front wall is greater than a distance between the pivot position and the front wall, and a distance between the initial position and the side wall is less than a distance between the pivot position and the side wall.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the door comprises a front wall apart from the cabinet and a side wall always interposed between the front wall and the cabinet, a distance between the initial position and the front wall is less than a distance between the pivot position and the front wall, and a distance between the initial position and the side wall is less than a distance between the pivot position and the side wall.

6. The 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 second shaft moves in the first section around the first shaft to drive the first fitting portion to be disengaged from the second fitting portion.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , 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 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 vertical beam rotates towards a side close to the cabinet, such that a first folding angle is formed between the first door and the vertical beam, and when the first door is continuously opened from the first opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the vertical beam and the first door are kept relatively static.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the door comprises a front wall apart from the cabinet and a side wall always interposed between the front wall and the cabinet, a distance between the initial position and the front wall is greater than a distance between the pivot position and the front wall, and a distance between the initial position and the side wall is less than a distance between the pivot position and the side wall.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the door comprises a front wall apart from the cabinet and a side wall always interposed between the front wall and the cabinet, a distance between the initial position and the front wall is less than a distance between the pivot position and the front wall, and a distance between the initial position and the side wall is less than a distance between the pivot position and the side wall.

10. A refrigerator, 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 shaft, a first groove, a second shaft and a second groove, the first shaft and the first groove are fitted with each other, and the second shaft and the second groove are fitted with each other;
wherein the first groove comprises an initial position and a pivot position, and the second groove comprises a first end, a second end, a first section, a second section and a third section, the first end and the second end being provided oppositely, and the first section, the second section and the third section being located between the first end and the second end and connected; when the door is in a closed state, the first shaft is located at the initial position, and the second shaft is located at the first end; when the door is opened from the closed state to a first opening angle, the first shaft is kept

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Xia Enpin
• Zhang Hao
• Zhu Xiaobing

Classifications

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title

• F25D2323/021

  French doors · CPC title

• F25D23/028 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title

• E05D7/081 Primary

  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