Hinge structure

[0059] figure 1 It is a schematic configuration diagram of a refrigerator having a hinge structure 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the hinge structure 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the hinge cover 31 is omitted in order to show the inner arrangement of the hinge structure 30.

[0060]One embodiment of the present invention provides a hinge structure 30. The hinge structure 30 generally can include a rotating shaft 34 and a hinge 32. The rotating shaft 34 is used to connect the first member 10, and the hinge seat 32 is used to connect the second member 20, and the first member 10 can move relative to the second member 20. The first component 10 can be figure 1 The refrigerator door or other furniture / household appliance or form, the second component 20 can be figure 1 The main body of the refrigerator or other furniture / household appliance shown.

[0061] The hinge structure 30 also includes an abutting portion, a cam 60, and a gear system. Specifically, the abutment can be moved to the hinge 32, and the abutment can be one or more. The cam 60 is configured to be linked to the rotating shaft 34 through the gear system, and has a contact surface for contact with the abutment portion. Specifically, the rotating shaft 34 is rotatably coupled to the hinge seat 32 to support the first member 10 with respect to the second member 20. The abutment is configured to contact the curved portion in contact with the curved portion in contact with the curved portion in the multi-segment contact surface of the cam 60, the abutment portion causes or hinders the first member 10 relative to the second member 20 to move. The rotating shaft 34 supports the first member 10 with respect to the second member 20 with respect to the second member 20, and the first member 10 is connected to the hinge seat 32 through the rotation shaft 34 to be connected to the second member 20, and the first member 10 needs to be achieved by means of the shaft 34. The movement relative to the second component 20. The hinge structure 30 can be mounted to the top, bottom or side of the first member 10 and the second member 20, and can be considered to support the first member 10 with respect to the second member 20 movement at these mounting position rotation shafts 34. .

[0062] The first member 10 is the door body, the second member 20 is illustrated by the case, and the user rotates with the head body during the opening and closing door, the cam 60 rotates with the axis 34 to close or away from the abutment . When the contact surface contacts at least one of the plurality of contact surfaces of the cam 60 contacting the curved portion, the force of the abutting portion is conducted through the cam 60 to the rotary shaft 34, and thereby causes or hinders the shaft 34 to rotate, which in turn causes or hinders the door body relative The opening and closing movement of the box is functionally realized in the event of automatic closing or helping closing in the exercise of the door body.

[0063] The hinge structure 30 of the present invention is movably disposed on the abutment portion of the hinge seat 32 and a cam 60 having a plurality of segments, and the force of the arbitrary force is conducted by the cam 60 to be conducted. The shaft 34, thereby enabling or hinders the opening and closing motion of the door body relative to the casing to achieve functionality of automatic closing or assignment of the door body during motion, hindering the housing or damping closing.

[0064] image 3 It is a schematic exploded view of the hinge structure 30 and the first member 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] In some embodiments, see figure 2 with image 3 The abutions include the first abutment portion 51 and the second abutment portion 52, and the hinge structure 30 also includes a storage force 71 and a buffer 72. The storage force 71 is configured to be rotatably coupled to the first abutment portion 51 to cause or hinder the cam 60 rotation by the first abutment portion 51. The buffer 72 is configured to be rotatably coupled to the second abutment portion 52 to prevent the cam 60 rotation by the second abutting portion 52. The cam 60 is rotatably disposed between the first abutment portion 51 and the second abutment portion 52.

[0066] That is, the first coupling portion 51 and the second abutment portion 52 are in contact with both sides of the cam 60, respectively, and the force force of the storage force 71 and the buffer 72 is transmitted to the cam 60. The storage force 71 has a function of accumulating force and release force. Specifically, when the cam 60 is pressed toward the first abutting portion 51, the cam 60 is hindered by the storage force 71; when the storage force 71 releases force, and the cam 60 is facing the force When the direction is moved, the cam 60 is driven by the storage force 71. When the cam 60 abuts the second abutment portion 52, the buffer 72 causes the movement of the cam 60 to hinder the current motion trend of the cam 60. Thereby, the hinge structure 30 can achieve different effects of rotation of the cam 60 according to the difference in the rotational angle of the cam 60 by the intensive port 71 and the buffer member 72. Further, when the door body is located at different open positions, the rotating shaft 34 drives the cam 60 to rotate different rotational angles, and the hinge structure 30 can automatically realize different opening and closing functions according to different open positions of the door body, enhance the practical use of the hinge structure 30. sex.

[0067] In some embodiments, the storage force 71 is a compression spring, and the buffer 72 is a linear damper. The damper can be specifically a hydraulic damper.

[0068] The hinge structure 30 can also include a hinge cover 31, and the hinge cover 31 is disposed on the hinge seat 32 and collects the mounting space with the hinge seat 32 to accommodate the abutment portion, the cam 60, the storage force 71 and the buffer 72 and other hinge structures 30. Internal structure. The hinge cover 31 also prevents pollutants such as dust fall into the mounting space to ensure the normal operation of the hinge structure 30.

[0069] The hinge structure 30 may also include a shaft sleeve 33, and the shaft 34 can be mounted in the mounting groove 11 of the door body by the shaft sleeve 33. The inner diameter of the sleeve 33 can be provided with a non-circular, and the lower portion of the rotating shaft 34 may be disposed in a shape that matches the inner diameter of the shaft 33, and the upper portion of the rotating shaft 34 can be used to rotate the hinge 32.

[0070] Figure 4A It is a schematic plan view of the hinge structure 30 in the closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4b to 4e Yes Figure 4A The hinge structure 30 is a schematic plan view of different open states. In order to show the internal arrangement of the hinge structure 30, Figure 4A to 4E The hinge cover 31 is hit up.

[0071] See Figure 4A to 4E In some embodiments, the multi-segment contact surface includes damping section surface 61, a hovering section surface 62, and a power segment surface 63. The power segment surface 63 is disposed adjacent to the first abutment portion 51, and the damping section surface 61 is disposed adjacent the second abutment portion 52, and the hover section surface 62 is disposed between the damping section surface 61 and the power segment surface 63.

[0072] Further, such as Figure 4D with 4e As shown, the cam 60 is configured to contact the first abutting portion 51 and the second abutting portion 52 and the hover section surface 62 is in contact with the first abutty portion 51, the cam 60 is in contact with the first abutment portion 51. It can be stationary relative to the hinge plate at any time. like Figure 4B with 4c As shown, when the power segment surface 63 contacts the first abutty portion 51, the cam 60 is rotated from the first abutment portion 51 toward the second abutting portion 52 toward the second abutment portion 52. Continue Figure 4B with 4c As shown, when the damping section surface 61 pressure the second abutment portion 52, the cam 60 is protected from the second abutment portion 52 to prevent the cam 60 rotation. Thereby, the hinge structure 30 achieves different functions in the closing process by different surfaces of the cam 60, and further simplifies the internal arrangement of the hinge structure 30, so that the hinge structure 30 is more compact.

[0073] In some embodiments, the multi-segment contact surface of the cam 60 is smoothly connected, and the multi-segment contact surface is directly connected or connected by a connecting surface. The multi-segment contact surface collectively constitutes a curved surface of the groove toward the center of the cam 60. That is, the cam 60 has a continuous contact surface that protrudes towards the direction (direction of the center of the rotation). Thereby, when the cam 60 is rotated and in contact with the first abutment portion 51 and / or the second abutment portion 52, the contacts of the cam 60 and the abutment are continuously smooth, avoiding a large impact of the abutment and the cam 60, Enhance the smoothness and stability of the hinge structure 30 in the opening and closing operation.

[0074] In some embodiments, the cam 60 and the abutment portion may be configured to provide different force to the rotation shaft 34 based on the rotational position of the rotary shaft 34. Specifically, when the first abutting portion 51 rotates within the second preset angle range from the first preset angle range to the second preset angle in the range of the first preset angle, the rotating shaft 34 is processed to keep rotation in the current direction. The second courage 52 hinders the shaft 34 when rotating in the third preset angle range. Further, the rotating shaft 34 is free to rotate in the first preset angular range, and the third preset angle range is located within the second preset angle range.

[0075] Below Figure 4A to 4E For example, the above angle range will be described. The process of hinge closing can be referred to Figure 4E to 4A Indicated. The rotational angle of the door body is illustrated between the two dashed lines.

[0076] See Figure 4A The bushing 33 is used to illustrate the location of the door, Figure 4A The door body is in a closed state, and the rotational angle of the rotating shaft 34 is 0 °. At this time, the first abutting portion 51 abuts the power segment surface 63 of the cam 60, the second abutting portion 52 abuts the damping section 61 of the cam 60, and the cam 60 remains stationary to automatically open.

[0077] See Figure 4e At this time, the door body is in the free rotation state, the spring compression amount is the largest, and the rotational angle of the door body is greater than 50 °. At this time, the first abutting portion 51 remains stationary under the action of the hover section 62 of the cam 60, and the cam 60 remains stationary between the cam 60 and the camshaft. The cam 60 and the rotating shaft 34 are configured to be selectively transmitted, and when the rotational angle is greater than 50 °, the cam 60 and the rotating shaft 34 are disconnected between the two, and the shaft 34 and the door body are in the range of rotational angles greater than 50 °. Free rotation. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the maximum value of the rotational angle range greater than 50 ° can be determined by the maximum opening angle of the door body. That is, in the present embodiment, the first preset angle range includes greater than 50 ° and less than or equal to the maximum opening angle of the door body.

[0078] See Figure 4D At this time, the door body is in the free-hover critical state, and the rotational angle of the door body is 50 °. When the rotational angle of the door is equal to or slightly less than or equal to 50 °, the first abutting portion 51 restores the transmission connection between the two cams 60, the cam 60, and the rotating shaft 34 restores the two. If the opening force applied to the door body is smaller than the friction equal to between the cam 60 and the camshaft, the cam 60 can still remain stationary, thereby achieving hovering of the door body. If the opening force applied to the door body is larger than the friction between the cam 60 and the camshaft, the first abutting portion 51 hinders the cam 60 to rotate, but the door can rotate, but can still reduce the restoration of the restoration of the door at any time. Stop state.

[0079] See Figure 4C At this time, the door body is in an acceleration-damping critical state, and the rotational angle of the door body is equal to 20 °. When the door is in Figures 4D to 4C Another critical state between between, for example, when the door body is rotated to 30 °, the door body is in a hover-accelerated critical state.

[0080] In this embodiment, the first preset angle range also includes an open angle (e.g., 30 °) or less than 50 ° equal to the opening angle (e.g., 30 °) and less than 50 ° equal to the door body in a hover - accelerated critical state. Thus, the first preset angle range is greater than or equal to the opening angle and less than or equal to the maximum opening angle of the door body or equal to the door body. The door body is free to rotate and free hover within the first preset angle.

[0081] When the door begins Figure 4D In the middle Figure 4C When the state of the state changes, the door body is in the accelerated gate condition. That is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, (,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 52, and accelerate to move to the second abutment portion 52. At this time, the storage force 71 provides thrust to the cam 60 through the first abutting portion 51, which causes the cam 60 to continue to rotate, and the door is allowed to continue to accelerate until the cam 60 contacts the second abutment portion 52.

[0082]Thereby, the upper boundary value of the second preset angle range in this embodiment may be 30 °. That is, the upper limit boundary value of the second preset angle range is an open angle in the hover-accelerated critical state.

[0083] Continue Figure 4C At this time, the cam 60 reaches and contacts the second abutment portion 52, and the buffer member 72 begins to provide resistance to the cam 60 through the second abutting portion 52, and the storage force 71 continues to provide thrust to the cam 60 through the first abutting portion 51. The state, the cam 60 enters the third preset angle range located within the second preset angle range. In the present embodiment, the third preset angle range is less than 20 °. That is, the upper bound boundary value of the third preset angle range is an open angle in the acceleration-damping critical state. Thereafter, the cam 60 is always in contact with the first abutment portion 51 and the second abutment portion 52 until the hinge structure 30 is closed. Thereby, the lower limit boundary value of the second preset angle range and the third preset angle range is 0 °.

[0084] See Figure 4B At this time, the door body is in the damping state, and the rotation angle of the door body is equal to 10 °. Be a door Figure 4C In the middle Figure 4B When the state moves, the buffer 72 is in the initial state of providing the damping force, and since the cam 60 is rotational speed, the buffer 72 provides a larger damping force to the cam 60. Gate reached Figure 4B In the middle of the state, the buffer 72 is in the lateral state of providing the damping force, and since the cam 60 is lowered, the buffer 72 provides a smaller damping force to the cam 60. From this, when the door is Figure 4C In the middle Figure 4B When the state moves, the door body will transition from the acceleration state to the slow deceleration state to avoid the door impact box. Gate reached Figure 4B After the state, the shutdown speed of the door body is lowered. Be a door Figure 4B In the middle Figure 4A When the state moves, the door is re-admitted to speed up to speed up. At this time, since the rotational angle of the reaches can be used, the door body to the cabinet can be ignored when the door body is finally closed. As a result, the hinge structure avoids the door impact tank while achieving the speed of boosting.

[0085] In some embodiments, the boundary values ​​of each preset angular range may be adjusted different from the shape of the plurality of contact surfaces of the cam 60.

[0086] See image 3 In some embodiments, the gear system includes a power gear 81, a control gear 82, and a transmission gear 83. Specifically, the rotating shaft 34 is connected to the power gear 81, the cam 60 is coaxially connected to the control gear 82, and the drive gear 83 is engaged with the power gear 81 and the control gear 82 to cause the rotating shaft 34 to drive the cam 60.

[0087] That is, the rotating shaft 34 and the cam 60 and the respective coaxial connecting gears do not directly contact the contact but by the transmission gear 83, thereby causing the abutment to act on the radial direction of the cam 60 distributes more than one The gear does not directly focus on the power gear 81 on the rotating shaft 34, reduce the use of the rotation shaft 34, the cam 60, and the respective gears, improve the stability during rotation of the respective components, extend the life of the hinge structure 30.

[0088] Figure 5 It is a schematic perspective view of a hinge cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. Image 6 It is a schematic perspective view of a hinge structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Distribution of mounting holes of the various components of the hinge structure See image 3 , 5 And 6 shown. The hinge cover 31 is mounted on the hinge seat 32 by a hinge cover mounting hole 93, and each gear is mounted on the hinge cover 31 and the hinge 32 through the gear mounting hole 98, and the first abutting portion 51 is mounted by the first abutting portion mounting hole 951, The two abutment portion 52 is mounted by the second abutment portion mounting hole 952, and the storage force 71 is mounted by the storage member mounting hole 971, and the buffer member 72 is mounted by the buffer mounting hole 972.

[0089] See image 3 , 5 And 6, the rotation shaft 34 is disposed adjacent the edge of the hinge 32, and the cam 60 is disposed from the edge of the hinge 32, and the gear system transmits the rotational motion of the rotation shaft 34 to the cam 60 through a plurality of gears. Specifically, the power gear 81 is disposed on the hinge seat 32 adjacent to the hinge seat 32, the power gear 81, the drive gear 83, and the rotation axis of the control gear 82 are substantially linear type gradually adjacent to the hinge 32. The rotating shaft 34 achieves a drive connection to the cam 60 with the force conduction of the drive gear 83 and the control gear 82 by passing the power gear 81 and the drive gear 81. The power is transmitted through three gears, thereby adjusting the position of the cam, so that the hinge seat has a concave structure, and the door border is hosted when the door body is larger than 90 °, satisfying the door to at least 135 °.

[0090] Further, the rotating shaft 34 is disposed at the center of the hinge seat 32 to remotely away from the hinge 32, so that the force arm growth at the time of rotation of the door, reducing the user's control door to rotation, so that the door body (especially the refrigerator door The rotational operation of this thick structure).

[0091] In some embodiments, the power gear 81 and the rotating shaft 34 are arranged in an integral structure, thereby ensuring synchronization of the rotating shaft 34 and the power gear 81.

[0092] Figure 7A with 7b It is a schematic structural diagram of the first and second abutions of the hinge structure 30 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] See Figure 7A with 7b Both the first coupling portion 51 and the second abutment portion 52 have a roller 53, and the first abutting portion 51 and the second abutment portion 52 are in contact with the cam 60 by the respective rollers 53. The first coupling portion 51 and the second abutment portion 52 also each include two connecting plates 54, and the two connecting plates 54 are spaced apart to accommodate the roller 53, and allows at least part of the cam 60 between the two connecting plates 54. Obstacle moves. Thereby, the hinge structure 30 reduces contact wear between the abutment portion and the cam 60 by the roller 53, and extends the life of the hinge structure 30, and is disposed relative to the interval between the two connecting plates 54 to allow the cam 60 to be configured. The structure of the smooth surface is moved between the two connecting plates 54.

[0094] Figure 8A to 8C It is a schematic configuration diagram of the power gear 81, the drive gear 83, and the control gear 82 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] See Figure 8A to 8C Referring to some embodiments, the power gear 81, the control gear 82 and the drive gear 83 each have a meshing teeth 84 and a smooth curved arc segment 85. The selective drive connection of the cam 60 and the rotating shaft 34 can be achieved by the power gear 81, the control gear 82, and the engagement teeth 85 of the drive gear 83 and the smooth curved section 85. The drive gear 83 has a curved table 831, and the curved table 831 is located on the outer peripheral side of the smooth curved section 85 of the transmission gear 83 and has a receiving surface 832. The receiving surface 832 is configured to slide contact with the smooth curved section 85 of the power gear 81 in a shape mating to allow the rotating shaft 34 to freely rotate in the range of rotation to the first preset angle.

[0096] That is, the power gear 81, the portion of the control gear 82 and the transmission gear 83 may be provided to a smooth curved segment 85 to save the internal mounting space, so that the power gear 81 can be closer to the edge of the hinge 32. At the corner and simplify the manufacturing process. Further, the hinge structure 30 can provide the power gear 81 to assist the power gear 81 when the door body is freely rotated by the receiving surface 832 that cooperates with the smooth curved section 85 of the power gear 83, and makes the door When the body is in the free rotation state, the contact friction and the intriction force between the respective gears are lowered, and the contact wear of the gear structure is reduced, and the life of the hinge structure 30 is extended.

[0097] At this point, those skilled in the art will recognize that although a plurality of exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described and described herein, it is still disclosed in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The content directly determines or derive many of many other variations or modifications that meet the principles of the present invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be understood and identified as covering all of these other variations or modifications.