Hinge assembly with baffle and refrigerator having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12055335-B2
Application number	US-202017629751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2020
Priority date	Jul 23, 2019
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

The present invention discloses a hinge assembly with a baffle and a refrigerator having the same. The hinge assembly includes a first hinge part, a second hinge part and the baffle, a driving groove is provided in the first hinge part, a driving shaft is provided on the second hinge part, the baffle includes a pivoting portion, a shielding portion and an opening, the baffle is pivotally connected with the first hinge part by the pivoting portion, the driving shaft penetrates through the opening to move in the driving groove, and the driving shaft drives the baffle to rotate around the pivoting portion, such that the shielding portion shields at least part of the driving groove. In the present invention, the driving groove is shielded by the baffle, thus preventing dust, foreign matter, or the like, from entering the driving groove of the hinge assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hinge assembly with a baffle, comprising a first hinge part, a second hinge part and the baffle, wherein the first hinge part, the second hinge part and the baffle are fitted with one another, a driving groove is provided in the first hinge part, a driving shaft is provided on the second hinge part, the baffle comprises a pivoting portion, a shielding portion and an opening, the baffle is pivotally connected with the first hinge part by the pivoting portion, the driving shaft penetrates through the opening to move in the driving groove, and the driving shaft drives the baffle to rotate around the pivoting portion, such that the shielding portion shields at least part of the driving groove;
wherein the driving groove has a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the opening comprises a first position and a second position opposite to each other, and when the driving shaft moves from the first end to the second end, the driving shaft simultaneously moves from the first position to the second position, and then from the second position to the first position;
the hinge assembly further comprises a positioning shaft and a positioning groove fitted with each other, the positioning shaft is provided on one of the first hinge part and the second hinge part, the positioning groove is provided in the other of the first hinge part and the second hinge part, and the positioning shaft is located outside the baffle; and
the shielding portion comprises a recess; when the driving shaft moves from the first end to the second end, the shielding portion shields part of the positioning groove, and when the driving shaft is located at the second end, the recess escapes the positioning groove, such that the shielding portion is separated from the positioning groove.

2. The hinge assembly with a baffle according to claim 1 , wherein when the driving shaft moves from the first end to the second end, an overlapped area between the shielding portion and the driving groove tends to be increased.

3. The hinge assembly with a baffle according to claim 2 , wherein the opening has an obround shape, and when the driving shaft moves in the driving groove, a distance between centers of the driving shaft and the pivoting portion tends to be changed.

4. The hinge assembly with a baffle according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning groove is provided in the first hinge part, and the positioning shaft is provided on the second hinge part.

5. A refrigerator, comprising a cabinet, a door and the hinge assembly with a baffle according to claim 1 , wherein the first hinge part is connected with the door, the second hinge part is connected with the cabinet, the door further comprises a door trim and a supporting portion, and the supporting portion is provided between the first hinge part and the door trim, such that an accommodating cavity is formed between the first hinge part and the door trim, and the driving shaft drives the baffle to move in the accommodating cavity.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the supporting portion is configured as a plurality of pillars provided on the first hinge part.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the door trim comprises a through hole, and the driving shaft penetrates through the through hole and the opening sequentially, so as to move in the driving groove.

8. 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 hinge assembly is the hinge assembly according to claim 2 , and the cabinet comprises an accommodating chamber and a pivoting side connected with the hinge assembly; when the door is opened, the driving shaft moves in the driving groove to drive the door to move from the pivoting side to the accommodating chamber, and the driving shaft drives the baffle to rotate around the pivoting portion, such that the shielding portion shields at least part of the driving groove.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the first hinge part comprises the positioning groove, the second hinge part comprises the positioning shaft, and the positioning groove comprises an initial position and a first stop position; when the door is in the closed state, the positioning shaft is located at the initial position, and the driving shaft is located at the first end, and when the door is opened, the driving shaft moves in the driving groove to drive the positioning shaft to move from the initial position to the first stop position.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the driving groove comprises a first section and a second section connected between the first end and the second end; when the door is opened from the closed state to a first opening angle, the positioning shaft is kept at the initial position, and the driving shaft moves in the first section around the positioning shaft, and when the door is continuously opened from the first opening angle to a second opening angle, the driving shaft moves in the second section to drive the positioning shaft to move from the initial position to the first stop position.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , 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 driving shaft moves in the first section around the positioning shaft to drive the first fitting portion to be disengaged from the second fitting portion.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , 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 accommodating chamber, 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 second opening angle, the vertical beam and the first door are kept relatively static.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the opening has an obround shape, and the first position is located farther from the pivoting portion than the second position; when the door is in the closed state, the first position coincides with the first end, and the opening exposes the first section; when the door is opened from the closed state to the first opening angle, the driving shaft moves in the first section, and the baffle is kept stationary; when the door is continuously opened from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the driving shaft moves in the second section, and meanwhile, the driving shaft moves from the first position to the second position to drive the baffle to rotate.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the positioning groove further comprises a second stop position located on a side of the initial position apart from the first stop position, and the driving groove further comprises a third section and a fourth section located between the second section and the second end;

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Zhu Xiaobing
• Zhang Hao
• Xia Enpin

Classifications

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title

• E05Y2900/31

  for refrigerators · CPC title

• E05D11/0054

  Covers, e.g. for protection · 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

• E05D3/18

  with sliding pins or guides · CPC title